A HF here opened up NEXT door to a car dealer

Status
Not open for further replies.
Originally Posted by ford46guy
A very large store. Down the street are are other dealerships.
I spoke to an employee and he said they want to start competing with Tool Trucks.


https://goo.gl/maps/Nc44TCQ5SJq4JeXj6



They are smart. I'm sure a lot of the Ford customers will pop in for a deal with a 20 pct coupon.

I love HF too. Great selection of stuff. I have my wife kids and MIL come in with me too to use the coupons when we visit the US.
 
Love me some China Freight. There's some junk in that store, however there are also gems to be had.
 
There are deals in Harbor Freight that you just can't resist. Some things I bought there, with a shrug of the shoulder, that worked out pretty well. That low price 1/2" drive breaker bar has done everything I needed it to do.

Best purchase for me, at Harbor Freight, was the set of cast iron pans. They work just as well as my Lodge brand cast iron. Fry bacon and eggs like you wouldn't believe.
 
Bought a 1//2" drive impact socket set there umpteen years ago and use them regularly. Haven't broke one yet. Much less expensive to buy than the big box store retailer's.
 
My tool guys HATE when I bring up HF. I have 3 that come to my shop: Snap On, Mac, and an independent. I split my purchases loosely as follows:

Snap On - 1%
Mac - 20%
Indy - 50%
HF - 29%

I mostly use Mac for specialty things, the Indy for less important specialty things, and HF for all my daily tools. When I first went to vocational school, I bought my entire "suggested list of tools" from HF. Compared to my friends, I saved THOUSANDS, and I still use many of those tools to this day. Heck, I JUST broke my HF 1/2 in breaker bar that I've had since college. I've put that thing through the ringer, for 10 years, and it didn't quit until it did.

I agree that some of their stuff is total junk, but overall even for a professional they have their place. They're almost like the Sears tool center of the new age.
 
Sometimes hf has those specialty items you need immediately that no other store sells. It's either buy it online and Wait or go to hf.
 
The HF near me is store #6. I have been going there since the 80's. Much of Their stuff has really been up graded in the last few years. Their air tools have always been a great deal.

I use the pneumatic cut off tool daily. I paid $6 for it about 15 years ago. The 1/2 earthquake gun lives on my hose crimping table and crimps every hose I build.

Useless fact: back in the 80's they had SK socket, ratchets and wrench sets for sale inside the glass case that the registers sat on.
 
I think that is a good thing for the techs, considering most of them probably have a decent amount of tool debt. The amount of tools needed to work on modern vehicles is insane, and maybe if they can save a little versus the overpriced snap-on stuff they can put more money towards their scan tools.

I'll admit I wasn't the biggest fan of HF at first, but now it just makes sense to buy certain things there, and the quality has improved.
 
Originally Posted by 14Accent
When I first went to vocational school, I bought my entire "suggested list of tools" from HF. Compared to my friends, I saved THOUSANDS, and I still use many of those tools to this day.

I always figured that was the smart way to do it--buy budget tools, replace with quality once one gets their foot in the door and can afford quality replacements.
 
I have both of the 1/2" breaker bars . Only used them once or twice . Bought them on sale for $ 10 - $ 20 each .

As a DIY'er & at my age , I doubt I will wear out the HF tools I purchase . May break them , but that rarely happens , if I pay attention to what I am doing .

Plus , the specialty tools may only be used once . If it survives that , I am good to go & saved money to boot .

But you must know what you are buying . Some of the stuff , you can see is junk . Just avoid it .

How does the quality compare to Northern Tool ? They put in a store in the last 6 - 12 months . Have not purchased anything there .

Best of luck to you all , :)

Wyr
God bless

Originally Posted by 14Accent
My tool guys HATE when I bring up HF. I have 3 that come to my shop: Snap On, Mac, and an independent. I split my purchases loosely as follows:

Snap On - 1%
Mac - 20%
Indy - 50%
HF - 29%

I mostly use Mac for specialty things, the Indy for less important specialty things, and HF for all my daily tools. When I first went to vocational school, I bought my entire "suggested list of tools" from HF. Compared to my friends, I saved THOUSANDS, and I still use many of those tools to this day. Heck, I JUST broke my HF 1/2 in breaker bar that I've had since college. I've put that thing through the ringer, for 10 years, and it didn't quit until it did.

I agree that some of their stuff is total junk, but overall even for a professional they have their place. They're almost like the Sears tool center of the new age.
 
Originally Posted by Greggy_D
There's some junk in that store, however there are also gems to be had.


They keep getting better and improving all the time.

Originally Posted by DoubleNickels
There are deals in Harbor Freight that you just can't resist.


I've bough many extension cords and heavy duty hoses there. No complaints ever.

Their Chicago Electric 4-1/2" angle grinders (Orange/Red) are outstanding for only $15 (with coupon, of course)
I have one for every attachment: flap wheels, grinding wheels, cutting wheels, wire brushes - - all on their own dedicated unit!

I have a couple $99 air compressors (2 HP, 8 gallon) that have lasted over 10 years - longer than my marriage did!!
crazy2.gif

Their generators have been forcing EVERYONE to bring their prices down - and they are GOOD, too!
That 2000 watt inverter generator for $429 is a PEACH! It'll run the roof-top A/C on my motorhome by itself! (barely)

The secret to Harbor Freight: NEVER, ever buy the "lowest priced item" in any category.
 
Why the mention of the car dealer? What difference does it make where HF puts up a store? Some here are next to department stores. Some are next to Dairy Queens./ Some are next to party stores.
 
Last edited:
A new HF just opened up about 8 miles from me. Previously I had to go over 25 miles to get to a HF in heavy traffic vs now 8 miles in no traffic
grin2.gif
. Ironically the new HF is located between Home Depot and Lowe's, all within a mile radius. That should put a damper on especially Lowe's tool sales, as Lowe's has a much larger selection of tools than Home Depot. But HF has a much larger selection and all 3 cater to the DIY crowd
wink.gif


Whimsey
 
I enjoy going to HF. The tools seem have improved since I first started going 20 years ago. I wouldn't get tools there if I was a professional mechanic, but they're good enough for a DIY guy.
 
Originally Posted by Triple_Se7en
Why the mention of the car dealer? What difference does it make where HF puts up a store? Some here are next to department stores. Some are next to Dairy Queens./ Some are next to party stores.

Because the employee there said they want to compete with tool trucks, they are looking to be close to dealerships.

They are releasing tools that are more and more professional grade. look at their new digital torque wrench.

I was standing online there and one tech told me their cordless tools serve the same purpose as the ones that cost 4x as much. He loves the Bauer tools and uses them every day.

He said the earthquake battery impact is more powerful than anything 1/2" he ever used.
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

Z
Want to buy a chainsaw
2 3 4
Replies
63
Views
3K
Exhaustgases
1 SX
Picked up a bidirectional scan tool
Replies
7
Views
2K
1 SX
AZjeff
Selling a truck to Carvana from across the country.
Replies
8
Views
451
SeaJay
john_pifer
Outrageous Dealer Add-Ons and Fees - When Will They Learn?
4 5 6
Replies
114
Views
5K
supton
y_p_w
Garage door opener/closer won't close in bright sun
Replies
13
Views
539
JeffChaseFan
Back
Top