Technical Harbor Freight prices

Same thing with a buddy of mine, except it was sight. He always had problems, and the teacher suggested that he be taken to an ophthalmologist. He was diagnosed with severe astigmatism, got glasses, and went on to work in commercial art (and own the company).
Sometimes it's the little things that can make the biggest difference.
Bob

 

Pic taken today while I availed myself of both of their wares.

 

Portage Indiana

 

Nitrile gloves and cheap beer—-yum!

 

Prices are going up! Get used to it. As long as tariffs are imposed on imports from China prices will continue to increase.
China doesn't pay the tariffs, the importers do. When their costs go up they have no choice but to raise prices.

 

Ok my turn.

I have a large tool box full of snap on, Mac, etc. A lot of it. And it does have it's place but to say it's the only tools to buy is crap.

Now maybe 25 30 yrs ago the old saying was true that you get what you pay for but that saying bit the dust years ago when American manufacturers shut down and moved production overseas.


Now it's just different grading of the same crap. I would bet that 80 % are made at the same place with the varying differences being tolerances and machining.

I have my dad's 50 yr old power Kraft sockets and ratchets that I'd put up against any new snap on or Mac tools. I also have some 20 yr old true value sockets and ratchets that couldn't perform against newer hf tools.

So I think Hf does have certain things that can definitely hold it's own against higher priced tools.

And lastly, to say the quality of your build depends on the quality of your tools is as stated elsewhere bullshit. If that were true those guys overseas in the YouTube videos building stuff with nothing more then basic hand tools wouldn't stand a chance. Just imagine what they could accomplish with a local harbor freight !!they'd put our stuff to shame !!

 

I go there for their girls..

 

And the free lights!

 

I think some of their prices are going up but I also think they are trying to up their game with higher quality items in some cases, their line of battery power tools made by BAUER looks to be very similar to the Milwaukee M12 & M18 battery products and I have to say their new Daytona floor jacks are outstanding in some cases; I recently picked up a open box 4 ton Daytona for $89 plus tax and it is by far the best floor jack I have in my shop currently and I now have a total of three. Plus their Predator generators and not to mention their compressors too. Have you seen their new ICON tool line and their killer tool boxes? Keep in mind 99 percent of the folks on this forum have a cell phone in their pocket made where, China. YMMV!

 

I get a lot of random cheap tools for my kids to play with. Keeps them out of my tools and they’d rather play with tools than just about anything else. Even my three year old dress-wearing-everyday daughter! For myself, some tools I buy new from a “nicer” place, some nicer ones I get used, some I get at HF. I have learned to check things out at HF before I get too excited about them. I’m usually suprised at either how well made or poorly made they are. Makes the decision pretty easy.


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Cost undercutting and dumping has a long history, in order to put your competition out of business. I try not to think about it too much when I need a special tool or something. When market share and dominance is achieved then they can make adjustments. American wages have long been stagnant and with the gubbmint printing trillions in the digital equivalent of confetti it's no wonder the average person can't afford to shop anywhere else for this stuff. Pretty damn sad, but whaddaya gonna do?

 

Every time you open a box that sez made in China you get that smell from the plastic inside. Could that be why the big turnover in staff at Harbor Freight.

 

More likely cause they don't pay much!

 

Pulled probably a dozen motors over the years w my HF engine hoist, and it folds up nicely and fits in the corner when not in use. My Dad replaced the o rings in the pump last year so it would stop dripping on his shop floor. For 150$ I'd say it was a great deal and should pull another dozen engines no problem. 12" compound sliding miter works ok but the plastic pivot switch breaks easy. Variable speed multi tool works like a champ as do the blades for 1/3 the price of Lowes. Heat 10$ heat gun is good.10$ grinders are ok for the money. The 20 ton press has served us well for a few years also. Parts washer has been doing its thing w no leaks for 5 years now. 24" shop fan for 125$ goes nonstop all summer long for 4 years now. The wheel dollies are ok but dont roll as easy as the 400$ ones but will get the job done. The blast cabinet works well but the gloves that came with it were shit and had to be replaced, still a good purchase for the money and gets lots of use. The Chicago floor jack was decent quality at best but the "heavy duty" Pittsburg low profile floor jacks have all been good to us. The transmission jack has served us well several times over the past couple years since we got it. Cheap cutoff wheels have worked ok, as do the free flashlights. Those cheap 45$ pancake compressors didnt last one day but the air nailers Ive bought worked well enough to get the job done. The heavy duty tarps are good quality for covering my boat. Thats my first hand experience w HF tools Ive bought in the past 15 years or so. Never tried and of their wrenches, wratchets or sockets though.

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Don't seem to be inundated with 20% off coupons anymore. Anyone else notice not seeing them?

 

Yep, their prices are on the rise. If you've noticed, too, they no longer have their "Free with any purchase" coupons either. I've had good luck buying tools that I have needed for one application. You get what you pay for, so I understand their quality won't be at the top. It's always fun though to go and watch all the guys just walking around like at a swap meet, buying something that they MIGHT need someday. Kind of like the dollar store.

 

Go to their Web site and take a picture of their 20% coupon and show it at the cash register.

 

Speaking about Harbor Freight, last week we had a rather lengthy power failure on Long Island. My neighbor purchased a Harbor Freight generator last year. Well, last week he tried to start the generator and when he opened the gas valve, gasoline poured out of the carburetor as if the float was stuck. He took it to a small engine repair shop and the owner told him that after several phone calls to various parts houses, the repair parts were literally unavailable. Even Harbor Freight can't help him. Now he's stuck with a several hundred dollar boat anchor! Be careful what you purchase from them.

 

The 2 best items I bought were the tool box because it had such good reviews and a 1000# 110v cable hoist or wench if you call it that. Mounted it to a cross beam in my garage and pull my 302GMC’s out with it. I use doubler on it. Working alone fore 25 years it now saves me and my back hours of work and has not failed. I support the 2x4’s with a Fruhauf trailer spreader jack.

 

Bought the same one to remove my removable hardtop off my car. Very happy with it so far. Good price/value.

 

Don't see any on the web site..

Yeah that too. Good thing I still have 32 flashlights and 15 tape measures.

 

I've noticed the mints are smaller at Sonic also.

 

You might think about getting a short length of I beam or Box Tubing.....and putting it on top of the rafters crossways.
Then weld or bolt a bar from your hoist brackets to the beam. If the beam crosses several trusses it will spread your load onto the other trusses instead of concentrating it on just one.

My son has one of those on his overhead crane and he (and his wife) love it.

 

Thanks, there are more braces you can’t see and the 2x4 is doubled when I lift. I brace it on both sides of my roadster and lift only straight up. Normally the cylinder head is off so it’s a lot lighter.
The additions braces are bolted in not nailed. I now you only deck screws which are pre drilled. I forgot the brace once and nothing moved...

 

Come on, man, we're hot roddders! Cobbled up an adapter, bolt on a Holley 4 barrel and start the thing up!

 

Saw a post yesterday on another internet site about the famous "Purple Spray Gun", that said that changes made on the new guns rendered them a POS, something to do with some kind of sealant being used to seal up parts on the gun, and that the sealant ages and comes apart and contaminates the paint. And after cleaning all of it out of the gun, the gun no longer works. The posted claimed this has happened to several of the guns.

 

More important change is the replacement of the metal nozzle with plastic. But, I see no sealant inside.

 

Hmmm........I've got several of the older guns in a drawer. I bought them because I thought I would throw them away after one or two uses, but I keep cleaning the first one and it just keeps on working. Great for painting small projects and door jams and my fingers............

 

This whole thread went pretty much as I suspected it would go, with the typical responses I exxpected.
HF sells a lot of junk, and when it comes to expendables like drill bits, saw blades, sandpaper, and other expendables, I don't buy there. But they do have some tools I have bought there over 10 years ago, and some over 20 years ago, that are still working great.
I bought my engine hoist there. The old style cherry picker that doesn't fold, and it's been working over 20 yrs. now without a glitch. I've also got some air sanders I give a couple drops of Lucas air tool oil each day before using them, and they too have been used for over a decade. Had great luck with their lifetime warranted ratcheting combination wrenches, and so far they've not had to warranty any for me.
Was at a friend's house helping do an engine swap on his '56 Chevy, and needed a holesaw to open the hood for his tunnel ram scoop. Told him to go to Home Depot and get a Lennox or Milwaukie holesaw, but he came back with a whole set from HF. As soon as the holesaw blade touched the hood it lost all the teeth, and went up in smoke! He ran back and got his money back, and stopped at HD to buy a good holesaw, which cost more for one than the whole HF cost. But it was still sharp after cutting numerous holes.

I've learned what not to buy at HF over the years, and what works. So I wont buy everything there, nor will I totally avoid them.

 

Some time ago I bought a set of the ratcheting box end wrenches just because I needed a 3/4 for a particular project...I almost finished the work when the gear stripped and guess what....they had stopped making them by that time so no replacement on the 'life-time' warranty.
Like you, I am selective about what I buy there.

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