Technical Harbor Freight prices

The worlds greatest truism is You Get What You Pay For. I'm still using SK, Snap on, Proto and some Craftsman tools I bought 40 years ago when I started my career as an Aircraft A&P mechanic.

 

Not really a true statement, but one we all have used at one time or another when confronted with something that didn't last. On the other hand we have all bought things that we got far more than expected from them. Some of em were inexpensive and lasted a long long time......some were expensive and lasted little or no time. Everybody reading this can probably remember something that broke quickly, but we usually have to think a little longer about the things that we got a lot more from them than we expected.

 

First off,
That’s some kind of bullshit for sure @bschwoeble

Secondly,,
Have you guys ever ever once found yourself on alibaba. Com. The same factory with the same address makes the same parts in China. Maybe they paint red maybe they painted blue maybe they painted green Maybe put a different sticker on The same tool.
You can buy a whole pallet of the same, get it painted your color , have them put your sticker on it, Sell them for whatever you want.

 

HF is my go to dollar store. I buy chip brushes by the box as well as acid brushes. I bought an air drill and it leaked the day I bought it. I use step drills cause they work and are cheap. I go threw a few. My paint pot(I use for glue) dripped out the nozzle when I hooked the air up to it. The cheap glue guns work good for spraying glue threw. They usually fall off the table and the 10th time they break and I just go buy another one. I always keep an extra on hand. A long tire filler broke in half the first time I used it. Then their`s the air saw. It worked once, but shelled out the 2nd time. I was leary about buy a speed control unit for my router, but it has worked out well. My hand held dust pan brush($4) has held up well for the past 6 years. I have been to 6 stores looking for an air drill But haven`t found one yet. I know better not to buy one at HF. I refuse to let them sign me up for sale fliers. The one near me used to be a Best Buy store. I usually see someone I know about half the time I go there, and it`s 45 mile drive for me.

 

I used my 30 year old HF die grinder, and my 25 year old HF sockets last night. I have a few other HF tools, many over 10 years old. I have had some bad ones, but more good ones. I also have some old plumb, snap on, mac, and generic tools too. I buy what I need, and have made plenty of money with them over the years. I have had failures too, with all brands.

 

HF wrenches are great for modifying into anything ya need. bend em weld em turn em sideways and then throw away when done and ya haven't busted up your good set................ Hell just went out and got a new 7/16 14 Helicoil set.......guess where manufactured???? small print made in china, ah fuck.............
course ya can always make your own.....

 

As someone who had to compete against imported Chinese products as part of my job I can say there are certain products I would never buy. My rule of thumb is “if my life depends on it or I could suffer great bodily harm, I don’t buy it”. Items I wouldn’t buy include jack stands, jacks, lifting straps, consumables like cutting wheels and there are others. The Chinese are not very good at following the rules as far as testing or certifying their products as far as materials used, weight testing, etc. I have personally witnessed scientific testing of Chinese copies of US products that the material used doesn’t even remotely match the products original design. They really don’t have to be because they are pretty much immune from liability lawsuits that companies in the US would be held responsible for. Also traceability of the actual products manufacturer in China is almost nonexistent.

I have bought stuff from HF but usually it is for its for a single use items or for things I will very rarely use again. As I said before not all Chinese products are junk some is very good quality. As someone who has competed with Chinese products the best products from China are those that US companies are willing to invest in having engineers and quality people onsite to monitor production and test products before shipping.

I don’t tell people what to do or how to spend their money. It’s only my thoughts and opinion your mileage may vary.

 

I doubt there are many of you have even been on a shipping dock where freight comes in on ships from overseas, it has much the same smell. A lot of it comes from the cheap wood crates that products are packed in, it has a stench to it all it's on that penetrates the cardboard boxes. Another thing is the cargo ships and container boxes themselves, other than being swept out, they are pretty much never cleaned out, and smells get embedded in them over time. A ship may have a cargo of HF tools coming over here and a load of soybeans or corn going back over that way, think of that! Only dock warehouse I have ever been into that didn't stink was one that was full of a ship load of coffee beans in bags, it actually smelled pretty good!

 

Can you imagine the crowds they could draw if HF roasted, ground, brewed and sold coffee in their stores?

 

Carl, I like your uni-tool. It must be fun to use when you are drilling something.
Bob

 

I think I will get one for this years white elephant Christmas party exchange.

 

Roseville Carl
HF wrenches are great for modifying into anything ya need. bend em weld em turn em sideways and then throw away when done and ya haven't busted up your good set................


ekimneirbo reply: Were you at Woodstock ?

 

That looks like a killer tool....

 

BamaMav, I know you drive a tractor trailer, the other day we got a new stock of rubber mud flaps at work. All of us on first shift were commenting on how much those mud flaps and many wheel chocks smell like the Harbor!


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I gotta disagree. It's not the tools that make a quality car or part, it's the craftsman using them. Don't think so? Did you know the bodies of lots of vintage Ferraris and 5 out of the 6 Cobra Daytona Coupes were banged out on a tree stump in the shop? I'm a machinist and make my living with my tools so it's only Starrett or Mitutoyo in my box, but I have several HF hammers and pry bars as well as impact sockets and a couple die grinders from there at home. Just like buying a $7000 Snap On tool box doesn't make you a mechanic, buying a $14 set of HF impact sockets doesn't make you a hack.

 

Just an off topic statement after reading this thread:
THEIR.... shows possession...." I use "their" tools..
THERE.....its a PLACE! I went "there" to buy "their" tools.
Come on, its 6th grade grammar.
There....my pet peeve is aired out...
Sorry..... just woke up in a bad mood this morning...

 

HF prices have increased, but so has their quality. HF used to be strictly low-line, budget tools, and as expected, they were low quality and performed poorly and/or didn't last. However, HF has significantly upped their game and introduced several lines of tools under various brands that are comparatively more expensive to HF standards, but frankly, significantly less than their non-HF, branded competitor.

For example, HF's Earthquake XT impact is expensive for HF at $120 when you could buy the cheapo Central Pneumatic for $20. But the Earthquake XT has been extensively tested in online videos to perform just as well as their name brand competition from IR, Mac, Snap-On, etc. However, it costs literally 5x less than the Snap-On. There are other examples. The Icon branded torque wrench was tested to be more accurate and more repeatable than the Snap-On as well. The battery cells in their Hercules branded tools are literally made by the same company as DeWalt and Milwaukee, but with a different clip in design so they can't be interchanged. I could go on.

The argument has always been that the high-quality, American made tool will perform better and last longer. In some cases the former has been either disproven outright, or the truck brand tool performs better to such a negligible degree that a legitimate cost/benefit analysis has to take place. In terms of durability, that I honestly can't speak to. I'm not a professional mechanic, and I don't beat on my tools day in and day out. I've broken my fair share of HF tools over the years. But I've also broken my fair share of vintage Craftsman, Proto, SK, etc., too. I've warrantied my tools at Sears, same as I've warrantied tools at HF, who took back a set of impact torx without question and replaced them when I blew one apart. I can appreciate that level of customer service. Furthermore, most "American" tools are now produced off-shore, and of the truck brands, even if I did need to warranty something, I couldn't do it same day since I'd need to wait for the truck. I can just get in my car and go to HF, and keep working.

I'd love to buy everything American, but the reality is for me that buying less expensive tools has enabled me to buy more tools, and allowed me to do work that I otherwise wouldn't have been able to accomplish absent having that equipment. I've said this before on here, but it's a rare occurrence that I'm unable to do a job because the tool that I have isn't high enough quality. It's a far more common occurrence that I'm not able to do a job because I simply don't have the right tool to accomplish it. And because I've tempered my desire to buy the "best" tool, and instead consider performance and overall value, that latter scenario has become far less common. Anything, or any company, that is going to help me build the best car I can build, within my budget, is something I should consider.

 

Bad mood my ass , I'm with you all the way !!

You get what you pay for , until you don't . There are literally thousands of items that are name recognition - over - priced junk and vice versa . If there was ever a time of " buyer beware" it's now ! Starting with the era of leveraged buyouts and continuing to today , you can't keep up with who makes what !

 

The quality of some things at HF May have improved, but I haven’t seen it.

After swearing off of HF for a number of years, I stopped in at one of the Tucson stores to pick up some zip ties and a zip tie tightening / tail trimming gun.

The zip ties are so thin that I can’t see how they will last, and the tightening tool broke in the second tie.

I thought I would give them another chance based on the glowing testimonials here and over on Ryan’s other site, but it was a big mistake. Fortunately my re-education only cost me ~$12, and an hours time lost.

I’m done with them....again.

 

what store doesn't go up in price? I have seen higher prices at Hf, Rockauto, Walmart, Napa, Farm and Fleet, Tractor Supply recently just to name a few.

 

Good point! Just remember when Diesel Fuel goes up in price, everything gets more expensive.


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For the hobbyist they are pretty darn good...

 

As mentioned a craftsman doesn't blame his tools. Cheap tools no matter where they are bought have their place. If you have none you have to start somewhere, your quality of tool increases with skill. But it is your skill for the end result.

 

As a retired teacher who has taught English for many years I try really (adverb versus the sportscaster's "real" hard) not to comment too often on this very topic. Sometimes it's spellcheck or tyrping to quickly ( see previous sportscaster's comment) so I cut some slack but it is temping... LOL

 

I consider most of my Princess Auto higher end stuff "Pro-Am" and I'm doing fine. I bought a number of heavy duty bead rollers off them for $100 apiece and resold them for $550 apiece. Nobody has come back to complain. Now if there is somebody that thinks that's not good enough to be a dedicated amateur/hobbyist let me know and I'll forward my address so you came subsidize my tool spending budget!

 

I bite my tongue so to speak most of the time too. But this morning one of the posts just put me in a bad mood when nearly every use of the word was wrong. I am no English teacher, in fact I failed high school English class...but......oh, never mind, this is a hot rod site...carry on.

 

Prices be damned, location is where it’s at!

 

I went back and changed my there. I see your quote is that you are an analog guy trying to make it in a digital world. I type by using two fingers with the hunt and peck method. When I got my hearing aids when I was 35, the doc said he didn`t think I could ever hear(very well). Maybe that`s why I struggled in school.

 

I have a shop full of tools I could never have if it weren't for HF. Some are junk but most are more than serviceable for the serious hobbyist. My several year old HF recipri-saw lives in the plastic case that once held the Black and Decker one that broke a few weeks after I bought it. HF Phillips screwdrivers are awesome. I have 3 that have been abused for several years and still going strong while I have a drawer full of Craftsmans that rounded very quickly. I use them as punches. They are great tools in anyone's book. The purple $9, 20oz spray paint guns are flat great tools. I built and painted the car in the picture below with mostly HF tools and sold it last year at a Sotheby's auction for $246,000 gavel price.

They have been adding higher quality tools to their stable with higher prices but still way below the name brands. If you are a tradesman, by all means you need to find the tools that are the best value for making a living. Some could easily be HF, some not. But if you are a serious hobbyist, hard to beat HF tools for value.

 

This one looks like the one on Michigan ave. in Dearborn er Dearborn heights.....