Harbor Freight

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six
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Harbor Freight

Post by six »

Has anyone ever been to Harbor Freight Tools? They have a huge selection, and the prices are really good. Sounds like a great place to get tools, but how's the quality?
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Re: Harbor Freight

Post by AHTOXA »

Love them and have used them. Not all tools there are great quality. If you are going to an actual store of theirs, basic judgement will clue you in regarding what is a good deal and what just seems like a good deal on questionable quality.

For the most part, they have great deals and I love shopping there.
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six
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Re: Harbor Freight

Post by six »

Cool :D

Yeah, I'm going to an actual store. It's only 10-15 minutes away. I'll stroll around the store to see what's good.
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Re: Harbor Freight

Post by theholycow »

I love Harbor Freight.

Many of their products suffer from severe cheapness. Many do not suffer from it, but are low-priced anyway. If it wasn't for HF I would simply not be able to accomplish many jobs. Yes, even their most garbagey crap is still better than the nothing I could otherwise afford.

I would probably not have been able to do Project Christine slo Hackensteinberg without Harbor Freight.

They always have certain items marked down ridiculously lower than their already ridiculously low price. You have to keep up with the ads, coupons, etc to get some of those deals. It's worth your time.

The worst part about it? If you're concerned about the macroeconomical issues of buying Chinese crap you shouldn't go there, because it's probably all made by 6-year old Chinese kids in sweatshops.
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Re: Harbor Freight

Post by ColJessip »

<3 Harbor Freight
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Re: Harbor Freight

Post by ElectroGhandi »

Harbor Freight is my favorite all times EVER ! :o
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Re: Harbor Freight

Post by six »

theholycow wrote:The worst part about it? If you're concerned about the macroeconomical issues of buying Chinese crap you shouldn't go there, because it's probably all made by 6-year old Chinese kids in sweatshops.
I have no problems buying cheap Chinese stuff.

I was looking around the website, and it looks like I can get complete socket sets for like around $50 or so, including a case or box. I was looking around at Snap-On and MAC tools, and similar sets cost $500+!!!!!!! Even Craftsman!!! That's like 90% off!!! And the case is separate!!!!
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Re: Harbor Freight

Post by watkins »

SSers as a whole are massive Harbor Freight fans.
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Re: Harbor Freight

Post by 94Corolla5Speed »

I've never been yet but i want to.
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Re: Harbor Freight

Post by vedran »

I, like others on here, love Harbor Freight. Look for the 15-20% off coupons in the back of magazines. I go there every time I get a coupon.
six wrote: I was looking around the website, and it looks like I can get complete socket sets for like around $50 or so, including a case or box. I was looking around at Snap-On and MAC tools, and similar sets cost $500+!!!!!!! Even Craftsman!!! That's like 90% off!!! And the case is separate!!!!
Just get a decent Craftsman set for ~$80 when it's on sale. I got a cheap socket set from HF just to keep around in my trunk in case I ever needed it, but the quality is just awful.
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Re: Harbor Freight

Post by theholycow »

six wrote:I was looking around the website, and it looks like I can get complete socket sets for like around $50 or so, including a case or box. I was looking around at Snap-On and MAC tools, and similar sets cost $500+!!!!!!! Even Craftsman!!! That's like 90% off!!! And the case is separate!!!!
The socket sets are great, and you'll get the job done, but there are times when I wish I had Snap-On/MAC stuff.

Particularly, when my 30 year old acorn-style lug nuts, steel core with chrome sheet metal outside, rusted too much they bulged on the flats. My choices with my HF-quality sockets were a too-big socket that will round the nut without removing it or a too-small socket that would permanently become one with the nut. I got the car to my father in law's shop and used his high-quality sockets and they handled the nuts easily and gracefully, even the ones I had rounded off. A couple nuts got stuck in the socket but not permanently so.

In conclusion: I use their sockets but I know there is an actual functional difference with getting the job done, unlike so many of the other tools that merely look or feel a little cheesy but perform pretty much the same in normal use.
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Re: Harbor Freight

Post by potownrob »

94Corolla5Speed wrote:I've never been yet but i want to.
same here, ours is not open yet...
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Re: Harbor Freight

Post by FDSpirit »

Harbor Freight is awesome. I got 2 sets of jack stands and a massive hydraulic jack for about 80 bucks. Can't beat that. I am skeptical of a few things there though. Like the socket sets. They probably work, but there are better places to get those. I did get 2 click torque wrenches from there not too long ago. I love them. I also got a few breaker bars which are awesome.
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Re: Harbor Freight

Post by 1974Alfa5spd »

six wrote:Yeah, I'm going to an actual store. It's only 10-15 minutes away.
:o You're in the San Jose area, aren't you? Tell me where this magical place is!
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Re: Harbor Freight

Post by Rope-Pusher »

I Harbor no Aleutians as to the quality of some of the stuff there, but if you catch stuff on sale it's worth the price for light-to-medium-duty tools. Just don't put yourself in a position where you need a heavy-duty tool and the wall of the light-duty socket splits and the handle of the wrench hits you in the fays or your knuckles get inserted into the floor of the garage or an expensive part of your car gets dented / busted.

Just as "When you care to send the very best, there's Hallmark", "when you can't afford to break your hand/break the fastener/break your car, there's ______________" (insert the name of your favorite brand of heavy-duty tools).
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