Harbor Freight STORE?!?!

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Virtus_Probi

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I was totally shocked to see one of these near the MA-NH border...I thought they were only catalog and online!!
Anybody familiar with these? Worth a dedicated trip to fill in my tool box?
 
Originally Posted By: Virtus_Probi
I was totally shocked to see one of these near the MA-NH border...I thought they were only catalog and online!!
Anybody familiar with these? Worth a dedicated trip to fill in my tool box?


We've had a couple in town for 10+ years, but they've been brick-and-mortar for longer than that.

I wouldn't "fill" any serious toolbox from there (its notoriously cheap offshore-made stuff for the most part), but they do have good value for the buck on certain things- things that cheap manufacturing can't screw up too badly. I have a HF bead-blasting cabinet that works great. I have a pneumatic finish nailer that has been fine- only bought it because it cost less than a box of nails for some name-brand ones. But when it comes to electric tools- STAY AWAY. I did manage to get a good value for 3 heat guns a few years ago. They were like $12 each and had a 30-day no-question warranty. We were stripping an old house exterior (oil paint- many layers) for re-painting, and had the 3 guns going nonstop for a few days. The guns all failed after a few hours run-time, but we got free replacements until the job was done. We went through at least 10-12. I rarely used them after that job, and I think I still have the last working one but I wouldn't expect it to finish any job I might start!
 
Yeah, many stores scattered about. https://goo.gl/b8b3kf

I had only ever ordered online, but they just opened a store 20 minutes from me and I've made a few in store purchases since. They carry a fair amount of junk, but there are some products that are a decent buy.
 
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I have (and love) the pittsburg pro impact sockets, axle nut socket set, 3/4'' drive breaker bar for use with a 3' pipe, the 12v air compressor (piston style).

Some of their stuff is junk. A lot of it is good, though.
 
At Harbor Freight, I stock up on:
* 1" and 2" Chip Brushes - 36 brushes to the box / way cheaper then Home Depot.
* Acid Brushes

Power Tools - I'll buy name brand at Home Depot
 
Their black nitrile gloves are pretty decent.

I have one of their composite ratchets I wanted to give a try.. so far its held up quite well. I also have their telescopic 1/2" breaker bar ratchet that is good for junkyarding.

I recently bought their Taiwan made breaker bar for my dad to keep in his trunk, but we have yet to use it. The head isnt parallel with the handle which kind of bothers me.
 
Cant walk down the street in Ca with out falling over a store. Ours has been open 20 years or more. The hand tools such as sockets,impact sockets etc are a great bargain.

The air tools are usually very good. The Earthquake line of tools are great and have a huge following on garage journal.
 
Originally Posted By: dlundblad
Their black nitrile gloves are pretty decent.

I have one of their composite ratchets I wanted to give a try.. so far its held up quite well.

Those are Awsome! Great for working on battery terminals...No sparks.
 
I have a small angle grinder that cost $12 at one of their parking lot sales on a Saturday. I've had it almost 10 years and it's lived a very tough life around here. And it came with a spare set of brushes. It is powerful and has never given me any problems.

We use their hand tools at a work site and there are no complaints. For the cost of a dozen Snap-on sockets we were able to purchase a whole set of tools from Harbor Freight. I know they are not as shiny and they don't look pretty but they are tough and do the job. We like their tools because for the same money we can get a lot of other stuff.
 
They just set up up my way. The stores are great for the heavy iron like tool boxes and their unsophisticated tire changer.

I pulled an engine one evening and got in there 10 min before closing to buy a "1000 lb mover's dolly"-- was only $7! Something to stick said engine on so it could roll around my garage.
 
I keep hearing about how bad their electric stuff is.... I have several drills, saws, heat guns, grinders, inverters, whatever. I havent had anything fail yet. Actually the only thing I have ever had to return for replacement was a 1/2-inch drive breaker bar, I was trying to remove an axle nut in a junkyard and after a violent, profanity laced 7-10 minutes of my 205 lbs jumping on it, the drive twisted off. The replacement took the nut off after a few minutes of similar abuse and is still going strong, and I use it frequently.

Several stores around the Cincinnati area, I'm in them pretty often.
 
^^^^Exactly what broke here, nice long 1/2 drive breaker bar. They replaced it instantly without any questions.

We own several things from them, all work well. Not the best quality but we knew that going in...
 
I've been using the Greyhound 5.5hp Honda clone engine on my lawn mower for 5+ seasons now IIRC, no drama.

I got it for $80. Dipstick broke off at the end and can't get a replacement. Other than that, it's been fine.
 
Although some of the electric tools are suspect ( and some are pretty good ), the value of Harbor Freight for me has been finding things that I can't find in an auto parts store. Ex. an 80mm 15 tooth oil filter cap wrench that fit perfectly...bought in a set of 5 for six bucks. A pair of two and a half ton Pittsburg jack stands for $15 with a coupon - regular price is $45. People get their money's worth out of them which draws them back.
 
Originally Posted By: quint
I keep hearing about how bad their electric stuff is.... I have several drills, saws, heat guns, grinders, inverters, whatever. I havent had anything fail yet. Actually the only thing I have ever had to return for replacement was a 1/2-inch drive breaker bar, I was trying to remove an axle nut in a junkyard and after a violent, profanity laced 7-10 minutes of my 205 lbs jumping on it, the drive twisted off. The replacement took the nut off after a few minutes of similar abuse and is still going strong, and I use it frequently.

Several stores around the Cincinnati area, I'm in them pretty often.


I broke their 1/2'' drive breaker bar.

It had a 3' pipe on the end of it. A friend and I were both lifting up on the end trying to remove an axle nut from a 4 cylinder wrangler.

We got the right front OF THE VEHICLE about 3 inches off the ground before it broke.

I was impressed that it held up to that as long as it did!


My 750W inverter failed when I hooked it up backwards. I bought another one since the previous one worked so well for so long. I'm planning on buying the small $89 generator to throw in the popup to keep the batteries charged.
 
Originally Posted By: 440Magnum
But when it comes to electric tools- STAY AWAY.


There are a few electirc tools I've purchased there that are going on 10 years old now and still work great so not all their electric tools are bad. My bench grinder and angle grinder have held up very well. I can't say the same for the hammer drill I got there; that thing is a piece of junk.

Air hoses can be hit and miss. I've had some that work fantastic and others that have blown open. I have yet to have one of their air tools fail on me. I am religious about oiling them at every use, though.

Their "pittsburgh professional" sockets are good quality. I have a set of 1/2" deep well impact sockets that have been extensively used for ~10 years and they're still in great shape.
 
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