Chicago and Harbor Frieght

[AJLChase]

So, I've recently made my first trip to Harbor Freight and to be honest with you, found some really good deals. Some things I know I will only use once or twice or very sparingly and so it's nice to not drop an arm and a leg on but some other things like their power tools and floor jacks make me wonder, is the quality there or there enough? I am by no means a professional but am very much into cars/trucks and would like to spend a decent amount of time on them. What would you or wouldn't you buy at harbor freight?

[leddzepp]

Don't buy anything that will endanger your life when it breaks.

[71blksuper4x4]

Don't buy: Grinders or most of the power tools unless they are a speciality item
------Buy quality power tools at places like Pawn Shops, Swap Meets, etc. of brand names before buying most power tools at HF.



If you need to Buy at HF: Auto Darkening Welding Helmet (Welding)
Body Hammers and Dollies (dent repair)
Stud Welder (Dent Repair)
Window Crank puller kit (good for junk-yarding for parts)
engine stand
hydraulic lift hoist (good for pulling engines or lifting)

[dan42]

Buy: tools you won't use very often or hard. Most of their stuff is Chinese crap, but some of it is handy, and if it breaks or you lose it, no big deal.

[leddzepp]

I have a 3/8 drill that I bought from HF years ago. I beat the crap out of it and it still works great!

Their air tools are junk. I bought a 600lb torque impact gun from them, and now I can hold the socket with my hand, hit the trigger, and it won't even spin!

[vwdemon34]

Usually the return line at our local Harbour Freight is longer then the checkout line.

[kev2809]

well they do sell some cheap stuff. I bought a grinder from them last year and lost it, but it was only 20 bucks. bought another one and it broke after 3 months, and yes I got another one a month ago but this time I got the 3 year warranty for 5 bucks so im good for 3 yrs at least lol. I also got their cut off wheel for 7 bucks and it works great, no problems at all for about 5 months now. and got their welder for 120, its ok for a beginner but now I got a little knowledge about welding I would rather have a name brand one with better adjustments. imo hf is good for the do it yourselfer projects but def not for a business, some of their stuff only lasts so long.

[Jim_PA]

Their cut-off wheels are junk. Also, I bought a 4 1/2 inch grinder that lasted about 2 hours. Engine stand was good, some of their pullers and other tools are good if you don't use them heavily. They use pretty cheap, soft steel for just about everything.

I find like others that if it's a one or two-time use type of thing, it's a good cheap alternative to buying an expensive tool.

[prostreetC-10]

That's interesting because I'm still waiting for something to break. Didn't like their sandblaster but I love the air tools. I have the 3/8th and 1/2 impact gun and have had awesome luck with them. There is an old saying that you get what you pay for. Just use common sense. Some of the non-tools are quite nice. I like the gloves too.


Wish they sold filp-flops! lol

[Longhorn Man]

i have a cut off wheel that i paid 6 bucks for back in 04 or so, about 3 or 4 of us used that sucker every day till 07, and I still use it on a regular basis. Works just as well as it did day one, and it is stronger than some of the name brand units.



Pick up a tool, and ask yourself, How will this make me bleed... as in, how may it injure you when it fails.

And before anyone says anything about me 'not knowing what a quality tool is', or someting like that, most of the stufff in my box is snap on/blue point. throw in a little craftsman and a few odd H.F. tools.

[ERASER5]

I bought some 12 ton jack stands a HF. I needed the height more than the tonnage. Those things are massive! They were Allied brand just like at AutoZone, but cheaper. You will not "bump" these and move them.

Nitrile gloves are a great buy at HB too. I buy HB's dead blow hammers too. The first one lasted 15 years before I split the rubber cover.

I just look at the product and take it for what it is. Inexpensive, but will it do the job I need it too? And how many time do I expect to use this product? And of course, Is it safe?

Just my thoughts.

[LockDoc]

-
I started out with Craftsman because my wife bought me a full set (including 3/4" drive) for Christmas years ago. I started buying HF stuff a couple of years ago and I have had good luck with them. I have the large sandblast cabinet, straight die grinder, angled die grinder, cutoff tool, cordless 1/2" impact, 3/8 butterfly air impact and various other stuff. I do my homework to see what i want then wait until it goes on sale. Like the 3/8" butterfly impact wrench, they carry two different models, one is 50 ft lbs of torque and the other one is 70 or 72 ft lbs. but they look the same. I just bought a cordless drill and I am happy with it so far. I think a lot of the problems people have is that they get in a hurry and put too much pressure on the tools instead of letting the tools do the work. I have a friend who didn't know how to sharpen his drill bits so he just pushed harder on the drill to make them cut. He was complaining about the cheap drills burning up so I showed him how to sharpen his drill bits and told him not to push so hard and let the bit do the work. He hasn't had any more problems with the drills. A lot of it is how you use the tool. For the hobbyist I think most of their stuff is OK.

Just my 2¢ worth

LockDoc

[old Rusty C10]

ive been buying it and its as good as craftsman and the specialty tools are pretty decent too... their strut compressor has helped alot with the toyota

[70cstjr]

I love me some HF...u just have to expect you get what you pay for...I buy things there, that i might need..and may or may not use again..for a craftsman its the wrong choice, but for the DIY handyman its not that bad of a deal. and when you sign up online you get get alot better deals...we just got a paint sprayer for 15 bux..cant beat that with a stick lol

[thump16]

I have a huge collection of craftsman tools but I still get the small stuff from HF just because what they have is so practical. Cheap screwdrivers, socket sets and wrenches are really great for junkyard days so my expensive stuff stays at home not lost. As a matter of fact I have my HF tool bag ready to go at a moments notice(in case our local salvage yards get new chevy stuff in)

[BarryB]

I have quite a bit of stuff from HF. When they first opened up the store here local. I got accused of having stock in the palce I was there so much. I bought the U.S. general top,and bottom, and sidebox, for less then the price of one of the name brands bottom box alone. and they look practically identical. When I get the funds I'm going to get the side cabinet for the other side.

[robin58]

Originally Posted by leddzepp

Don't buy anything that will endanger your life when it breaks.

Originally Posted by Longhorn Man

Pick up a tool, and ask yourself, How will this make me bleed... as in, how may it injure you when it fails.

Best advice when considering anything at HF.

I had one of their jacks decide to collapse. Needless to say it was discarded the next day.

In general you get what you pay for there. In the long run for the majority of stuff you'll use often, it will cost you more.

To me the real deals there are the discontinued items from name-brand manufacturers unless that's just a local thing. My HF sells leftover stock from the big box stores of DeWalt, Milwaukee, Porter Cable and several other brands.

[PanelDeland]

I use HF or NT for a lot of the items listed above.I find that there are a lot of consumable items(cut off wheels,wire brushes, and such) that are a really good deal.I also have some jackstands from them but not the stamped steel junk.Shrink tubing,crimpends and such are also much cheaper there.

[Richard8971]

I have bought stuff from HF for years. I would have to say that the majority of their stuff is of decent quality.

That being said, I can't tell you how many Craftsman, Snap-on and Macao tools I have owned that have broken over the years. I still have some HF air tools that I bought years ago that are still going strong.

Yeah, sometimes you get what you pay for, but sometimes in the matter of Snap-on and the like, you pay too much for what you get! By far, Craftsman is the best bang for the buck. They are local and you can swap a tool on the way home instead of waiting a week for the truck to show up at your work! HF is great for items that you KNOW will break frequently, no matter who makes them!

D

[Tater]

Harbor freight tools are great if you work in the kind of shop where your tools grow legs and walk away.

I have a harbor freight 2 ton press and a harbor freight sandblaster.For as little as I use them I couldn't justify buying an expensive name brand.For what I use them for I have no complaints.

[fastwillie 696969]

my tools box and stuff

[chickenwing]

^ Show off! lol jus kiddin. Nice daycare room!

Not ashamed to say I have a lot of H.F. stuff. Mostly big and/or seldom tools. The blast cabinet and eng hoist for the big, transfer punches and the ball joint press for the seldom used. Bent the ball joint press on the C-20. Took it back on the 30 day warranty. works fine for autos. Next time I have an A/C leak, I'll prolly buy their halogenated sniffer. No way I could justify the name brand cost for that. Sure wish they would come out with a hydraulic hose end crimper!

I also use a ton of the expendable shop supplies. Cut-off wheels, chip and acid brushes, blast media, gloves and the like. I don't use their screwdrivers, wrenches and sockets. Just not worth my time. Well, I have bought some of their BIG wrenches. But their everyday tools just wear out so fast.

Some stuff ya can just do a lil research on and find out whats good and whats not. One of the guys on the paint/body forum swears by H.F. hammers and dollies. Found another fella on the web that gives detailed instructions how to set up the H.F. HVLP gun. Sprays pretty good IMO. Did my interior and eng bay with it anyway.

Some stuff just makes no since. Their special order 10K lift is like $2500. You can buy name brand American Lift Institute certified stuff for that price!

Some stuff is like, well... difficult to decide on. Been eyeing their plasma cutter....

Good luck with em!

[LONGHAIR]

I would say that I am with the trend on this one. I have some HF stuff but nothing critical of that needs to be heavy duty.
Small consumables like acid brushes, sanding sponges, putty knives, etc. I also use their "knock-off" of the C-clamp style Vice-Grips, the ones with the swivel pads. You can't put as much pressure on them as the real thing, but at well below half the price....and in a case where more pairs is more important than the pressure anyway? I think I have 10 or so?
I also have a couple of the cheap "purple" HVLP spray guns and iirc my magnetic dial indicator stand came from there?
I get quite a few air hose connectors there too. Just be sure to check every one of them for "fit" as you pick them out. Some are not machined properly.

[MacAttack]

Originally Posted by Longhorn Man

And before anyone says anything about me 'not knowing what a quality tool is', or someting like that, most of the stufff in my box is snap on/blue point. throw in a little craftsman and a few odd H.F. tools.

Is that thing motorized?

[Longhorn Man]

believe it or not, there's 3 or 4 boxes at work bigger than mine.
Mine is 6 feet long, and the top of the cabinet on the right is about 6 feet high.