What's the scoop on Harbor Freight

[BLAZERMAN]

Okay guys be gentle with me as I'm a virgin to the Harbor Freight stuff. We just had one open up here so after hearing all the negative comments and laughter about their tools I had to go in and check it out.. I'll admit I spotted some real crap right off the bat but as I looked around I saw what looked like some pretty decent stuff for real good prices!
I was impressed with a roll around tool cart made by U.S. General? It seemed like pretty good quality for about 150 bucks. . Also. A Central Electric welder cabinet for about the. same price with a coupon. I looked at some hex drivers by Pittsburg with a lifetime guarantee that looked as good as SK or Snap on, I know your not going to get that kind of quality for 9.00 for an 8 piece set!
And this place seems to be Big on Special sales and coupons! Lol
I've always steered away from junk and spent the extra money on quality but does some of this stuff hold up okay?

[indymachinist]

Yes, a lot of it holds up fine.

[Tropical Snowstorm]

The way it's priced I typically look at them as one time use tools... Sometimes I'm pleasantly surprised and sometimes I'm dead on. Either way I keep that in mind and I'm rarely disappointed, for weekender stuff it's great. Day in and day out for a living pony up for the real stuff.

[Kim57]

For a home mechanic their stuff seems to hold up just fine.
I have one of their tool cabinets and it's really well made.
I know everyone hates to support China but some of us don't have the cash for the expensive stuff.
I tried to find an American made angle grinder and couldn't. Ended up buying a "Hilti" as it was the only one not made in China.
Kim

[Dead Parrot]

Be wary of anything that puts your life at risk like engine hoists or jacks. Chinese QC is spotty and a tool in this week's shipment that is good may suck in next week's shipment.

Use their 'get something free with any purchase' coupons. Good way to get occasional use items for your hunting trailer.

I have three of their $10 angle grinders, each with a different wheel/brush. Saves time switching wheels. I doubt they would hold up if used daily but for my occasional hobby uses, they are great. A lot of their small tools are actually pretty good.

[ERASER5]

I have a pile of HB tools.

-Jack Stands or hard to beat. 6 Ton and 12 Ton.
-Porta-Power-- OK
-Those colored deep well 6 pt sockets? Excellent. I have not tried the 12 point ones.
-Floor jack twin piston fast lift work very well.
-small Air belt sander- so far so good.
-electric powered sanding/cutting tool-it vibrates the tool head to sand into corners- so far so good.
-Allen wrench-SAE and Metric, torx wrench set -good so far.
- Dead blow hammers -- great. I did kill one after 15 years of abuse, but I did abuse it.
-G-70 chains- great.
- Blue tarp- it's a tarp- it shredded in a wind storm after being in the sun for years so I'll call it good.
-Auxillary heater for the truck-- plugs into the lighter- crapola--dangerous melty crapola.
-wrenches --OK but I use them at work, not on my cars- kind of weak and fit only OK.
-Offset wrenchs-- saved my bacon the only time I need them.
-screw drivers and hit and miss.
- I don't buy the electric power tools. I figure that if they include a replacement set of brushes, the KNOW the motor is bad.
- mig welder cart- as good as others for 2X the price.
-Welding helmet- mine has never failed.
-Tool cart-5 drawer- love that thing- get the add on foldable side table.

I have probable missed a few things but if it looks like it is sketchy, it probably is.

[_Ogre]

other than the grinders that are cheap enough to toss
stay away from anything with a motor; gas or electric

[tinydb84]

I wouldn't buy a welder or anything expensive from them but my grinders, wrenches, sockets, and just about everything else has held up wonderfully.

[slowcpe]

I frequent HF regularly. They're great for cheap specialty tools, their tool boxes are actually quite nice, and other odds and ends. As others have stated, if its electric stay away from it.

Things I have that work well:

Air Hoses
Tool Box
Mag Paper Towel Holder
Wall mount storage trays
Jack stands
Moving blankets
Portable Cart
Moving Dolleys
Various hammers/deadblows
Welding Cart

Things I own that ended up in the landfill

Orbital (used 2x)
Various air tools
Just about anything electric

[BLAZERMAN]

I went back today and picked up the tool cart, came to 163 with tax. It's actually pretty well built, not quite as heavy as my Matco box but it was 1500. Picked up a few other things just to put to the test, should be interesting to see how this stuff holds up.

[OutlawDrifter]

hot rod magazine tested a bunch (like 15-20) of ratchets, and harbor freight's tested in the top 5, might have been top 3 if i remember correctly. i use their stuff often and have had good luck. you just have to be realistic about what you are buying. my grinder is going on 4 years of abuse.

i've been pleased with most but not all of my purchases. for what it's worth, we put one of their predator engines in my sons gokart and it is still taking abuse.

that store in st. joe is nice and organized, the one in topeka is a bit overcrowded.

[ptc]

They have GREAT PRICES on the throw away stuff like others have said, I buy alot of grinding sanding and metal working stuff from them cause they sell it in 10 pacs and not one-by-one like HD and Lowes....

Utility type stuff that hold your tools and etc are priced well too, but I have found better products and prices for actual electric tools on ebay. But dont be fooled by ebay sellers - they are middlemen too and their price aint best either.

Find the tool you want then find the actual manufacturer and their dealer network and the price will usually be better than ebay - usually Amazon has a network that sells cheaper too. I just bought a welder and plasma cutter and ran into that exact same thing.

[truckster]

My oldest HF tool is a 20 ton press - still works fine after many years. I also have a transmission jack - works great, but the safety chain could be better. I use their socket extensions because they're cheap and work well.

I bought an exhaust tubing expander - first use destroyed it. I buy my tarps their and they're fine.

I bought two HF angle grinders. One lasted about 45 minutes and the other 10 minutes. The only electric tool from HF I really like is their bug zapper - those work great.

My latest HF purchase is a 4-sided diamond hone block. I love it. It puts an edge on knives really fast.

Bottom line is they're kind of hit or miss. Some things work great, and others not so well. The hand tools seem to be fairly solid, but I'd recommend staying away from the electric tools.

[71swb4x4]

I bought a tool set that I like a lot. It's great in our work shop as it allows me to inventory everything. If something is missing I know it right away. It's also a lot of tools in a small spot so it's good for a road trip tool set. Here is the thread on it: http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=650553
As you can see there is plenty of Harbor Freight hate in the thread.

[t korinek]

I have used their 8k winches on my car trailer for years, they take a beating & haven't failed unless I did something stupid like winding the controller cable up in the winch cable , or let someone borrow the trailer & they ran a car over the top of it & rip the control box off

[MikeB]

Originally Posted by BLAZERMAN

I looked at some hex drivers by Pittsburg with a lifetime guarantee that looked as good as SK or Snap on

"Looked as good" being the key phrase. 95% of HF stuff is total crap. I have seen their hand wrenches bend, allen wrench bits snap in half, and their $12 heat gun shoot flames out the front. I do have a ball joint press I bought from them (or Northern Tool?) 20+ years ago, and it's the exception to the rule. I've used it on three jobs with no problems.

That doesn't mean all Chinese tools are bad. Some are actually made to U.S. and Euro specs, like DeWalt and Bosch power tools. But the quality of Pittsburg and US General tools (and other HF in-house "brands") is hit & miss at best.

You might want to check out Tekton and Sunex tools. Some are Taiwanese, some Chinese, but they are decent quality.

I don't have a lot of money, but I try my best NOT to buy Chinese made anything. I mean here's a communist country that ignores patents, hacks into US government data servers, and on and on.

Common problem with no-name Chinese tools:

[ERASER5]

HB is also a great source for Nitril gloves. All sizes and different thicknesses.
I only use Pittsburg ratchets on light duty.
Their furniture dollies are good for a lot of stuff.

[dirtyjim]

I don't care to much for their wrenches but I have a couple sets in my trail bag because they are cheap enough that if one gets lost in the mud, left on the trail or borrowed and not returned its no big deal.
I do like their composite ratchets and I buy a lot of their white cotton gloves for work.
I've split every brand of socket known to man except hf sockets, i'm sure I will eventually it just hast happened yet.
their lathe insert type tool bits work great, just don't expect to inserts they come with to last. they used to carry 1/4", 3/8" and 1/2" but now only 1/4" for mini lathes.

[65Gregg]

I love my 5 drawer cart, I keep all of my frequently used tools in it so I can roll it where I'm working. I bought the long 1/2 breaker bar and flex head long 1/2 ratchet to work on my boat lift, I figured if I drop them in the lake I wouldn't cry like if I dropped a Snap On. They both worked great on fasteners that stay wet. I also used them on my sons 4 WD Toyota on stuff that hasn't been clean in years, no flexing or bending.

[whitedog76]

Some of there stuff seems to have gotten better.

Their air tools and consumables are good for the weekend DIY guy. I've had great luck with their Uni-bits. Any kind of electric or tool that requires calibration, Id be weary of. I bought a gear puller that exploded into 5000 pieces.

Prices are OK. Most stuff you can get at Tractor Supply or the bargain bin at a home improvement store. They do send out lots of flyers and coupons, which help sweeten the deals.

My advice, be selective with what you get and don't set your expectations too high.

[dfwright]

I have two basic rules for my Harbor Freight purchases:
1) Buy nothing that has a motor or engine.
2) Buy nothing that has the potential to put life or health at risk. (This includes such things as cutoff wheels, wire wheels, ladders, etc.)

[kody1234]

I have had real good luck with there lawn mower and tiller engines.

[truckster]

Originally Posted by kody1234

I have had real good luck with there lawn mower and tiller engines.

That reminded me... I put a HF Predator 212 engine on my go kart last year. It starts easily and runs great.

[trukman1]

I bought my chop saw there after going to Sears and looking at theirs. It might just be me but at the time there was a saw at Sears that, with the exception of the paint colors, looked identical to the one at HF. (Both made in China, of course.) I truly think they were from the same manufacturer but the HF saw was WAY cheaper! (And still going strong.)

Also, I purchased the HF cart with the shelf in the middle and it is THE most used item in my garage and has held up to unreal abuse.

When I worked as a Maintenance Manager for a local company, i had my rep from a big name industrial supply store (won't name names here because they are a good outfit overall) bring in a name brand pneumatic ratchet and impact driver. Then I went to Lowe's and bought their cheaper stuff that looked the same. Had the guys use them hard then tear them apart. The parts were IDENTICAL!!! Even the housings. The only difference was the sticker on the sides. I bought them all the cheaper tools, at their request, and we never had any problems.

My point is, some things are only made in China nowadays. We don't make very much in the USA because companies can, and do, have it made there then stick their name on the same item you can buy at the "better" stores.
Sad state of affairs...

You looked at the items and realized some things were junk. You'll be able to recognize the stuff that's decent as well. Once last piece of advice, the mini die grinder they have on sale for under $10...pass unless you really want to be disappointed. At least it was that way with the two I bought. Good liuck, YMMV.

[DarkFlounder]

Anytime I need a new tool for a project, I head to Harbor Freight. If I only need it for that project, I'm not out that much money. If I end up using it frequently, when the Harbor Freight tool fails, I know what I'm looking for in a quality replacement.