Normally we use this weekly post to hail a particular favorite comment, but this week we’d like to ask for your opinion. We’ve posted a few times regarding Harbor Freight’s sales flyer, and each time it’s elicited a number of comments both good and bad regarding their tools’ quality and price. Clearly they sell some very inexpensive tools, and clearly some of them are below standard.
Clearly some shops — like the body shop at xxx who builds the famous ”Eleanor” cars of Gone In 60 Seconds fame — make good use of them, but we feel like we’ve heard as much negative as positive talk about HF.
We have our own opinions, and we’re preparing a post to express them — but we’d like to hear your thoughts first. If you would, take a minute to drop a comment here to indicate you’re ideas about HF in the following areas:
1) Do their low prices overcome low tool quality?
2) If you use HF tools, in what areas of work do you use them (and why)?
3) If you don’t use HF tools at all, what’s your reasoning?
Thanks for taking the time to let us know what you think!
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63 Responses to What do you think of Harbor Freight?
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I only buy things at Harbor Freight if I’m reasonably convinced I’ll only need to use them once, and if I’m sure that a failure won’t unduly inconvenience me. For anything more important, I aim higher.
Case in point: A single step drill from a reputable brand usually fetches $30 or more, but a few months back, Harbor Freight had a set of three for $15. I’ve used step drills at work and I know how handy they can be, but I don’t do much of that sort of work at home and I certainly wouldn’t pay $100 for a twice-a-year tool. But for $15, I bought a set just to have around.
On the other hand, last spring I needed a hand-cart. Like, really needed one. Unlike the step drills, I know a hand cart is the sort of thing that gets a lot of use once it’s hanging around, so I wanted some real quality. The offerings at HF were, as we all know, scarcely better than large red toys. I ended up buying a Milwaukee from Home Depot for about twice what I thought was reasonable, but it’s already seen some heavy use that would’ve pulverized the laughable excuses for “bearings” in the HF model. Use that I couldn’t have specifically predicted when I bought it, but of the general sort that I anticipated might crop up.
They say a craftsman buys the best tools he can afford, and for tools that see regular use, that’s a rule to live by. But sometimes you can’t justify the cost for a tool you’ll only use once, or you don’t even have a specific use for. For those times, Harbor Freight junk is better than nothing.
There are a few things I wouldn’t hesitate to buy from HF: Air tool quick-connect fittings, for example, are hard to get wrong. The upstream side has some mechanical details that might make a reputable brand worthwhile, but the downstream side is so simple, if it fits, it works. Plastic parts containers are another typically high-markup item that Harbor Freight carries at reasonable prices, with no significant difference in quality. Their extension cords seem decently made, if your demands for abrasion resistance aren’t too severe. Tarp tape, duct tape, and teflon tape I’d buy at HF, but electrical tape has to come from 3M.
Man I’m disappointed. When I saw this post come into my RSS reader I wanted to jump in with my well thought out contribution. But Myself beat me to it. Actually better said than what I was think’n. Dang it.
Agreed. If its infrequently used, its hard to justify the cost of an expensive tool. And a cheap tool for the job is better than the wrong one or no tool at all.
I do a lot of furniture restoration. The B&D sander that I had for about 10 years finally died. I bought a HF sander and have had no problems with it. This was one of their $20.00 sanders. I figured that I was going to be able to finish the table that I was working on with it and that would be it. The good news is that I not only finished the table but have used it many times over since I layed out the 20 bucks for it. This was about 3 years ago. It has helped me finish sanding projects from wood work to automotive body work.
I think the quality from HF can be hit or miss. Some things don’t require the best quality, and some things do. I have bought dial calipers, pipe benders, ratcheting bar clamps, and other stuff that I would buy again because they are good quality products. There is however other stuff that if they gave it to me I wouldn’t use. I have found that you really have to lay your hands on the products from HF to inspect the quality before the purchase. Luckily for me there is one in town.
I bought an angle grinder for 25 bucks. It’s been fine. My prestige would be higher if it matched some of my yellow/black or red/gray tools, but I haven’t regretted the purchase. Sometimes a package of five tape measures can be more useful than one really good one. I agree, HF has it’s place, usually a case by case basis. And the pages aren’t glossy, so you can hang it on a nail in the outhouse….
Echo.
We, ok my dad, bought a balancer-puller, engine puller, jack, and engine stand from there. No probs so far on the multiple times it’s been used. Luckily I live close to one of their warehouses so I can go see the level of quality before I (or we) buy something. Like if the piece was built with decent grade metal, has solid welds, etc. Tools for daily use are usually from Craftsman.
I love HF. I buy most of my tools there. I choose to shop at Harbor Freight for the following reasons:
1. The low price more than makes up for the Lack of Quality in some areas. Take for instance their Cordless Drills. 2 years ago I bought an 18V Cordless drill there with an extra battery for 40 Bucks. A co-worker also got a similiar DeWalt Drill for 300 bucks. We both built him a fence a few months ago, and both tools performed well. At the end of the Job, I needed a new drill, so now I have payed 80 bucks compared to his 300 and I was able to get a 24V drill for the same price. It just doesn’t make sense to pay the extra money to me.
2. I don’t need the best quality for a tool I may only use once or twice. I recently had some quarter round to put down on top of some new wood floors I installed in my house. It didn’t make sense to me to spend 100-200 dollars on a finishing nail gun that I am going to use one or twice in my life. I got one at HF for 20 bucks, and if it breaks the next time I need use it I’ll just buy another one.
3. I’m not a Brand snob. Most of my co-workers buy Craftsman sockets and Milwaukee drills so that when people come over to their house or garage, other can be impressed with their tools. I can understand paying money for quality tools if your profession dictated, but mine does not. I buy tools for use. I want them to work when I pick them up. If I can get them cheaply, I can use that money to buy other tools, or more materials. I don’t care what the brand name is. To me it is simple economics.
Great topic..
I’ll try not to repeat some of the other sentiments already voiced here..
Overall, I like HF for their cheap prices. Right now, that’s my primary driver. And like someone said, sometimes a crappy tool is better than the wrong or no tool at all. Case in point – I’m trying to do some of my own work on my car, and old 17 year old BMW 5 series. One of the maintenance items coming up is a valve adjustment. I needed a torque wrench, but I knew that a.) I didn’t need to be accurate down to the hundredth of a ft-lb.. and b.) I knew that I would use it maybe 6 times a year.. and if it lasted a year, then hopefully in a year I can afford to buy a better quality name-brand torque wrench.
One of the other things I bought recently was a tool chest to store some of my hand tools in the garage (and keep them separate from my dad’s stuff. I really like the Craftsman rolling cabinets, etc. but for a nice big chest you’re looking at $500-1000 – Maybe more like $200-400 if you opt for one of their homeowner models. But right now it’s not something I could afford, so I spent $59 on a cheap one from HF. I was a bit dissappointed with the quality of the materials and the build – but to put it in perspective, I just wanted someplace to keep my tools clean and dry, off the floor and in one place. And this got the job done on the cheap. Considering I don’t lug it from job to job or shop to shop – it’ll likely last me as long as I need it, despite the thin metal and the poor quality latches.
The other thing I bought – which falls into the “I’ll use it maybe twice or 4 times in the next 5-10 years was a spring compressor. I had rented some individual coil spring compressors from a tool rental place to swap my wife’s front suspension on her Trailblazer and nearly killed myself when one of the compressors swung around to the other side next to the other one as I was trying to relieve the tension. The truck spring was shaped like a C instead of being upright like an I.. In any case, after that I decided that I needed something more than those crappy individual ones. So I bought the HF Strut spring compressor for $40. A buddy had what looked like the same one, and that’s what saved my behind, and my face, and whatever other body part might have gotten mutilated if that spring had let go. Yeah, there are better quality items out there, and yeah, some of his pieces were a bit bent, etc. on some of the adjusters and the pins that lock the spring onto the compressor.. but it still got the job done. And in no time flat. I figure, if I use it 4 times, it’ll pay for itself.. and if I use it twice, it’ll still be worth it. I expect to swap the suspension on my car, and I may end up having to swap out my wife’s front shocks as well. Without the right tool, I could get hurt at worst, or at best, it’ll take me the better part of a day and a lot of sweat and frustration, not to mention some choice words to get the job done. With the right compressor, I’ll be done in about an hour or two tops, with much fewer headaches and expletives. Not to mention it leaves me more time to work on my own car, or spend some quality time with my daughter.
That all said.. I’m in the market for a good combination wrench and socket set for automotive use. Considering I own both foreign and domestic and I don’t see that changing anytime soon, I need something comprehensive. (SAE and Metric).. But you can bet that for something like that – that should last a lifetime, and will get use on pretty much every job – I’ll not be looking to HF for the solution. In the meantime I’ll keep saving my pennies and borrowing my dad’s Craftsman set (that I incidentally gave him about 12 years ago for Christmas.. I knew I shold have gotten the bigger set… someday I’ll inherit it.)
That’s it for me..
- Rick
Ok fine.. so I lied..
I meant to mention some of the stuff I bought from HF that I would buy again:
Roller seat with tool tray – $20
Flourescent worklight on a reel – to attach to my ceiling joist in the garage – $40
Magnetic Tool trays – bought three at $0.99 each
1000 assorted cable ties – $3.99
13 pc – precision knife set (I use that term loosely) – $3.99 (think X-acto knife only more disposable)
Magnetic tool holder (screws to wall to hold whatever) $4.99
All of those get the job done, there’s not much to them that can break in terms of poor quality, and spending any more for something nicer just didn’t make any sense. Especially with some of the prices.. I mean the magnetic tool trays are basically 4″ dishes with a rubber bottom, so I can actually put it on my fender and not worry about damaging the paint, and the cost 99 cents!.. I could have bought something a bit larger, or brand named for $10 or more.. but here I’ve got 3 of them, and I could buy another dozen and still come out on top, and get the use out of them that I need (i.e. to hold screws and bolts, etc. )
ok.. now definitely, that’s it for me.. for now..
Bad: wood bandsaw switch, angle grinder switch, holdfast broke in half, c-clip plyers bent in half, chisels bent and flattned, heat gun broken out of box, c-clamp broke, ring roller slips, biscuit cutter worthlessly sloppy, big vice cracked in half
Good: wood bandsaw with new blocks and timberwolf blade works well, horizontal metal bandsaw with baldor motor and blade upgrade works great, 3-in-1 milling machine with no problems, ornamental metal bender, disposable angle grinders, engine stand, anvil, hammers, twist and bradpoint drill bits, high-lift style jack, hollow chisel mortiser with some modifications, work table,
summary: switches fail often, metal castings are weak for clamps and vices but good for power tools, anything that needs to be reallly tough or hard should come from elsewhere
I only buy stuff that won’t hurt me or damage what I’m working on when using it. As a mechanic, I have two sets of their impact sockets and a 231 clone 1/2 impact wrench that I lone out to new hires until they get established. That way if it walks or fails, I’m not out that much and my personal expensive tools stay safe. The stuff has held up well so far. HF fills a void for cheap and often disposable tools. I think the problem is that people want to get a professional quality product at the HF price and then complain about it when it fails.
I have a shop full of HF tools from hand tools to large power tools. I’ve spent thousands of dollars there and I have very few regrets as most of them have served me well for many years. You will not get the best tool on the market but you will get a quality tool at an awesome price 90% of the time. The only large tools that I decided not to buy at HF were my table saw and miter saw. Those are the two tools I use the most and need to be very accurate. The rest are green.
How can you spend thousands at Harbor Freight? You could buy the entire store for $999. Including the real estate in most cases.
I’ve posted here on this subject before… My name is Marc and I’m a Harbor Freight junkie.
What can I add to the discussion… Well, first of all, their sheet metal is uniformly thin and crappy, and anything that incorporates sheet metal in a critical place (hinges, for instance, in their folding work table) is a bad buy no matter how cheap they price it. And their “precision” tools are made to, shall we say, pre-Columbia NASA tolerances. Other than that, my experiences have been consistently great.
I buy at HF when I’m doing a job that I KNOW will destroy whatever tool I use to do it. Cases in point:
- I drill a lot of 2.5″ cable holes in desktops and cabinets. (2.5″ with a grommet fits a parallel printer cable.) Now, MDF sheathed in melamine is a nasty, nasty business for a hole saw – or for the drill motor itself, come to that. I’ve destroyed many hole saws in the course of my career. They die whether I buy them for $15-20 at Home Despot, or $1.99 at HF. Guess which I prefer?
- When I need to cut lots and lots of rectangular holes in drywall, my cutout tool is much faster than a drywall saw. (It’s a generic Rotozip – sort of a cross between a high-speed drill and a heavy-duty Dremel. Or a one-hand router. Whatever, it does the job.) Unfortunately, this raises a hell of a lot of dust, which gets into the motor and burned out my original Rotozip ($80) and my first cutout tool ($19). My second cutout tool is going strong, and when it dies I won’t be replacing it with a Rotozip!
Tools from HF that continue to make me happy:
- 10″ mitre saw (not exactly high-precision – I have a nicer one for that – but very portable and durable.)
- Drill press
- Air compressor
- Drywall texture gun (Home Depot wanted FOUR TIMES what I paid for this, and I can’t see any room for improvement, really)
- Cordless drill
- Reciprocating saw
- Tile cutter
- Estwing hammer (DIRT cheap)
- Solar battery charger (I need a new car battery, but I’m putting it off by leaving this on my dashboard. $19 and works great!)
- Solar Malibu-style garden lights, $5 each
- Work gloves
- Tarps and bungies
- Anvils and vises
- Pipe wrenches
- you get the picture…
Also, I really like the ambience of the store – I feel like a kid again, somehow.
And that’s all I have to say about that.
More of the same, I love HF for those seldom used or disposable tools but I buy my precision or mission critical items elsewhere.
To add to the goodboy/bad boy list:
Good: 8×12 folding trailer, several drill bit and chisel sets, lots of consumables (teflon tape, wire wraps heat shink tube, tarps, etc.)
Bad: Electric Chainsaw, 6×4 trailer
Average: Hand tools of all sorts
I’ve been to the local HF twice. Each time I was sorely displeased and bought nothing.
That $19 Lithium Ion screwdriver I bought at HF is still going strong. I’ve used it about once a week for a few months and haven’t recharged it yet.
I would use HF tools for the occational job. However for some things I would think twice. Any job in which a tool is used for safety, such as a jack stand, I demand quality. I will not go cheap on ANYTHING which if failed would result in death or injury. In my opinion, my life is worth a few extra bucks.
I have a dim view of HF, yet skim there mailer cover to cover. My boss luvs habor freight and goes there to “relieve stress”. He bought us a parts cleaner that works ok. Also a mig welder cart-A JOKE- metal was so thin it “parallel-o-grammed” when bolted together! I actually fixed it by welding joints and removing cheapo wheels, mounting on plywood and adding heavyduty casters-all on company time, of course. Also note to boss-those bargain sawzall blades arent much of a bargain if the teeth are not harder than the mild steel you are cutting! We got a good laugh out of that one! HAHA!
Most of what I feel about HF has already been said. However, if Mythbusters have taught me anything, “If it’s worth doing, then it’s worth overdoing!”
Main reasons for shopping there: Cost, ‘hackability’, and ‘cool’.
Cost: Everybody is cheap to a point. Cost is always a driving factor–both negative and positive. If a tool is ‘cheap’ then it must be cheap, right? Most people have this stigmata about HF. It’s cheap, therefore it will break. This is not always the case, although sometimes it is. I woulden’t buy things from HF when I was making a jet engine, but if I’m slapping a new wheel onto a go-kart… Then HF is okay. And the plus side is that if it works for a while, then i’ve got a bargin. if it breaks, then I buy a new/better one. I still won’t be out the money, as i got use out of the tool until it failed. I am not a professional–i don’t need professional tools. Therefore, I’m not spending hundreds of dollars on tools that are above my skill level.
Hackability: I don’t always use the parts I buy from there for the intended use. The digital callipers i bought from there were ‘stock’ for all of 3min before I cut off the ends and made them into Digital Linear Scales. Put those on my friend’s mill (also from HF, I might add) and now he can prototype new designs in his garage with a lot more accuracy than before. And when he wants to go CNC, it’s a hop-skip-and-a-jump over instead of 30K for just thinking about it. All in, he has spent less than 1500 on the mill, a new gearbox, the Caliper/DLS, and some other odds and ends. Tools are what you make of them.
Cool: I admit–some stuff I just buy because it’s cool. Do I need the 65K high-speed airtool? No. Is it something I might need? Maybe. Is it cool? Heck yea! Sometimes a guy needs to blow a little cash on something cool, just to have it. I’d rather spend the $15 bucks on it and screw around with it than not buy it at all. And if I need it, then I have it.
And plus, a hammer is a hammer–and a screwdriver is a screwdriver for 99% of the population out there. Think of it like this:
You can put an entire socket set, driver, wrenches, screwdrivers, electrical wire, tape, zip ties, soldering iron, shrink tubing into one toolbox for under $100 and just KEEP IT IN YOUR CAR in the emergency case you might need it.
You won’t put your ‘good’ tools in there, ’cause you will need them. But ask yourself this: how handy would that be if you broke down on the side of the road and you needed a wrench to get the stupid radiator cap off.
And if that don’t convince you, how many of you have kids? Don’t they like to run off with your tools? Yea, thought so. Get your kid their own set of tools and let them use those instead of your $30 wrenches.
I recently bought a Sherline desktop milling machine, and of course, began discovering several other tools I needed to go along with the hobby. Looking in the local Atlanta area at places like Sears & HF I discovered Sears sells the EXACT same dial indicator that Harbor Freight sells at about 3 times the price. I know this because I bought one from Sears, saw the same thing at HF, and brought it home. Then even after removing the back of both dials they were identical down to the last detail. The same can be said for several other small machinist type tools that Sears sells.
I bought a cheap tap and die set there for less than $10. I don’t use it much, and when I do, it’s usually on soft aluminum. For my purposes it works just fine. If I worked with harder metal and/or needed more precision I’m sure I would have to shop elsewhere.
I also got a very cheap electronic (digital) caliper there, too. For me, it works fine.
So, like several others on here have noted, I would think twice about buying something very expensive from HF, but it’s definitely worth a little comparison shopping for certain items.
After reading all the comments about HF, I’m reluctant to buy anything but dispensible items. I’ve been searching for a 10″ or 12″ Sliding Compund Miter Saw on the internet (e-Bay, etc.) and at Sears. Most are either junk or full retail price. If the price appears reasonable, the shipping is exhorbitant.
I like to save money just like everyone does, and even though I have only occasional use for what I buy, I tend to spend a little extra for the quality. While most of my power tools are Crafstman, I read some blogs about Sears Miter Saws and they weren’t very positive. Broken carry handles and other plastic parts that failed.
What I’ve gleaned from most of the comments here is that for occasional or discardable stuff, HF is OK. For anything else, save your money if you don’t need it right away and buy better. Above all, inquire about manufacturer guarantee/warranty. HF’s Miter Saws are made by Chicago Electric and carry a very limited g/w.
Just wanted to add a little bit here. I have always been a tool snob, and try to buy the best I can afford. BUT, lately I have found the wonderful world of HF.
Do a search on the web for “Harbor Freight gems” there are quite a few lists floating around of tools that people have bought there and had very good luck with, IE. 2hp dust collector, hvlp guns, nitrile gloves, etc. Here are a few to get started,
#45378 2HP Dust Collector (A true bargin)
#00623 1″ Dial Indicator
#05645 Magnetic Base For Dial Indicator
#34214 Angle Finder
#36697 Feather Board
#36221 9″ Drill Press Lock Clamp
6″ thru 36″ Bar Type Clamps, personally I have over a hundred. only one failurein 7 years.
#04067 3-Way Edge Clamp
#31255 ¾” HD Pipe Clamp Set
C-Clamps, All Sizes
#03629 7 Piece Forstner Bit Set (Good starter set)
#35837 29 Piece Brad Point Wood Drill Bit Set
#30756 7-Function Multitester
#41558 Magnetic Light
#47257 6″ Digital Caliper (A true bargin)
#44566 Stacked Dado Set (A good first set)
#37861 10 Piece T-Handle Hex Key Set
#41796 1LB. Dead Blow Hammer
#90007 3 Piece SAE Ratcheting Wrench Set
#90008 3 Piece Metric Ratcheting Wrench Set
#42304 9 Piece SAE Wrench Set
#42305 9 Piece Metric Wrench Set
#00621 Spring Loaded Pumch
#00659 Magnetic Parts Holder
#42288 Magnetic Pick-Up Tool
#93656 23ga pinner
#42253 18ga brad nailer
#44667 18ga bran/stapler I’ve put on a couple of shake roofs with this.
#46320 50′ auto return hose reel, $80. As good as any on the market for $200.
#46104 25′ auto return reel, $40.
#00406 Jitterbug. Used it n used it n used it ……
#43430 great gravity feed gun
#46719 the little brother to the 43430
#00086 Conventional hi pressure touch up gun
#30224 Standard hi pressure 1qt gun
#00282 Die grinder. Had it for 12 yrs or so still works fine.
#52845 Mini die grinder with 1/8″ collet
#46524 rev 3/8″ drill
#07528 rev 1/2″ drill
#00113 Body saw. cut up a whole pickup with this little gem.
#36567 sheet metal shear
#34945 3/8″ impact
#53176 1/2″ impact
Elect. tools;
#41831 12-1/2″ planer. Though certainly no equal, design is similar to woodmaster planer.
#35570 Mortise machine. Put XY vise on it and its just a piece of cake to use.
#42203 4″ angle grinder. Just won’t die.
#32222 Hand planer. used it for several doors now, works fine.
#44914 1/4″ plastic flush trim router. Base isn’t much but works fine. similar to Ryobi, lots cheaper.
#42596 recip saw. Been beat up some and comes back for more.
#02957 SDS hammer drill. THese things are cool!! lots better than a hammer and chisle
#34706 wood lathe
#30289 6″ jointer. Used the heck outta this thing.
Misc;
#44768 solar panel. use them to keep the batteries in the lawn mowers up, over the winter.
#35841 Propane torch, quartz elect igniter.
#42396 Clamp on ammeter.
#04486 3 jaw 2″ mini lathe chuck.
#37041 Corner chisle for hinge mortises
#37052 Nitrile gloves.
#03577 Transfer punches.
I’ve bought a few things at the HF store in Grand Rapids, MI. I wanted a cheap stick welder and got one from them for $80, on sale from $120. I have used it several times and it works fine for it’s intended purpose. I pulled the lid off to inspect the internals and everything looked well-built.
I have also had friends buy gear pullers from HF and had them fail the first time out – but for infrequent use items I still believe it’s hard to beat HF.
I would be much less likely to buy from them if they didn’t have a local store – seeing is believing!
Fred G
I recently bought a $12.99 corded drill from HF. I used it for 2 weeks then it up and quit. Walked into the store with the drill in box to return, the manager by the door told me to sit the drill down and go grab another. I was in and out in under 60 seconds.
The new drill’s been working fine. Its not the greatest drill ever and I plan to buy a nice Li Ion soon, but its a great cheap drill.
I’m in agreement with what I’m hearing here. I’m OK with HF if:
1) Little safety risk or project quality risk if tool fails.
2) One-time or occasional use.
3) Quality is matched to application, esp. for consumables.
4) Cheap entertainment.
I bought a Chicago Electric hammer drill #45377, marked down to $44. It was the floor item, no box. I think it’s now obsolete? Didn’t notice that chuck key was missing; devil’s own job trying to find one; oddball size. Downloaded the instruction manual from their web site- HF really shines here! Interesting note: tool is made in Russia.
Bottom line: nicely-made, more rugged than pistol-grip cheapo at similar price. Will probably last a while for small-to-medium duty jobs. I bought it because I desperately needed to drill exactly 4 ea. 3/16″ holes in a concrete floor. 11 bucks a hole, now I have a free hammer drill. How’s that for rationalizing?
Yeah, I feel like a kid in there, too. Wheee!
Harbor Freight is a great place to drag the wife or girlfriend to as revenge for them dragging us to the mall ;^)
Cheers, rbb!
An acquaintance once told me that the main difference in the manufacturing processes between the best and the economical is in quality control. I bought a hammer drill from HF that died after about 3 hours. I have a three horse router that has lasted through 3+ years and 100+ projects. I’ve had mixed results with air nailers and staplers, though in HF defense, I sometimes have had to put them in the hands of inexperienced carpenters. Admittedly, I would have been more upset about it had they been $80 Porter Cables!
So…
It is always a chance you are taking when you buy any tool. If you are outfitting an entire job/crew, probably best to stick with the cheaper ones. At $25 per trim nailer, you can (hopefully) afford to keep a couple extra around. For myself, I prefer to go with the leaders, unless I need something quick and am waiting to finish/collect on a job. But I still really love my HF router!
Hello, just wanted to add my experience with HF.
Good: Angle grinder – still going strong after a couple years and lots of uses Electric chain sharpener- works great, dont use it much
4 in 1 screwdrivers- no complaints after 100s of uses
extra long needle nose pliers- excellent value for seldom used tools. they did start rusting fast though
Truck bed organizer bar-still works great after lying in truck bed after a few years. this is the bar that holds things in place so they dont move.
washer and o-ring assortment- thumbs up. pennies for replacements.
Bad: angle grinder wheels- wear out extremely fast. but the price cant be beat.
wire brushes- dont last long at all but again dollar prices you can stock up.
bench grinder stand- cheap cheap metal broke when bolting it together. didnt use it took it back with no questions asked.
This may be an odd post, but I think there are a lot of people like me out there. I was really happy and continue to be happy that I found Harbor Freight. For the first time I can see something I want and not go out and buy it, just to let it sit in the garage when I don’t need it. I seemed to always buy things I knew I would need some time, because they really were great to have on hand.
Harbor Freight has cured me of that waste of money. I now consider Harbor Freight as “My Garage”. I know it’s always there and WHEN I NEED IT, I can just go get it at a good price. That means I have the money because I didn’t buy 14 different things I didn’t need. It’s like an adult toy store. I can save money by doing things myself with the specialized tool I get WHEN I NEED IT. Now my garage doesn’t have a lot of things in their original boxes that I knew I would need some day- No time wasted finding the right tool I got a year ago. I just go to my “Toy Store” and get it – use it – and then I have it and the money I saved from having the job done in a shop usually either pays for it or makes the tool ridiculously cheap. It feels great to know that I will have whatever I need WHEN I NEED IT. – JD
I think pretty highly of HF. They sell exactly what they advertise and mean to sell. As someone else said, Sears tools are exactly the same things from the same sources but Sears consider themselves to be hotshot merchandisers. I have never laid down money for Craftsman and look sort of sideways at pros who do.
I’m a householder, not a pro. Generally, whatever tool I need, I go straight to HF and get it. They work out fine. They do the job, nothing more, nothing less. When something wears out, I figure I’ll be using that particular thing pretty often, I know what to look for and replace it with a good one from an industrial supply joint.
Ok, to be fair not all of the Sears stuff is exactly the same — wrenches, ratchets, sockets, etc are still “Made in America” and offer a lifetime warranty (note — HF offers a lifetime warranty on many of its sockets as well, but probably only useful if you have a store near you).
That said, as you say, a lot of the stuff is exactly the same between HF and Sears/HD/Lowe’s or even Snappy/Mac/etc. So why pay the huge markup?
As others have remarked before me, I’d think twice about buying anything from there that my life will depend on (hoists, jacks, etc), simply because some of the stuff isn’t identical, and it can really matter. And if you go to the stores, they’re far from the pretty aisles of Sears (or even HD/Lowe’s), but that’s part of how they keep their prices down.
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I would say the best value on a power tool at HF is their 13″ 16 speed floor drill press. At just under 200 bucks, they’re less than half the price of comparable models from other brands. I could give you a list of little nit-picky complaints about it, but all-in-all it’s an excellent, well made machine that I’ve used countless times drilling precision holes to 1/2 degree tolerances and .5 mm depth tolerances. A more expensive press may have small, pointless creature comforts and silly features that the HF doesn’t, but they both drill holes equally as well. It’s just that fact that you can get a 500-800 dollar tool for 200 bucks that blows my mind. Also, I’ve never had a single problem with one of their vices of which I’ve had a few.
I purchase all my bar clamps at HF. For a few dollars each, you can get a very large assortment of different sized bar clamps. Really, what can go wrong with a bar clamp??? I purchased several C-clamps too. Those were all very hard to tighten/loosen, but after applying some 3-in-1 oil to the threads, they work just fine. What really can go wrong with a C-clamp?
I’ve also purchase assortments of things like electrical connectors, wire ties, sandpaper, etc. Quality really isn’t relevant for things like these.
Just last week I bought a oscillating spindle sander. I haven’t yet used it (I did turn it on a play with it for a few minutes, but have not yet completed a project with it), but for $95 it was well worth the price. It appears to be well made.
I’m in the market for a strut spring compressor. I will probably not buy that at HF for safety’s sake. But for things that really can’t break, or tools you will use rarely, you can’t beat the price.
I’ll never buy screwdrivers, wrench, sockets, etc., at HF because I use the crap out of them. I just know those will never last unless I buy quality.
I needed a set of knives for my wood lathe. I looked all over for them. Home Depot, Lowes, Sears, etc., does not sell them. Tool Zone does, but they were pricey. I bought a $50 set at HF that has about 10-12 knives. The wood case fell apart immediately, but after re-gluing it, no problem. The knives appear to be decent, but I haven’t put a lot of use into them just yet. Time will tell. For quality knives you will pay like $100-$200 EACH.
I did buy a small cutoff wheel for my Dremmel (looks like a 1-inch diameter table saw blade). It wasn’t specifically made for a Dremmel, but it fits just fine. It came in a 3-pack, and I only needed it to cut the casing on the doors in my hallway so I could fit laminated flooring underneath them (I have places where two doors meet at a 90-degree angle, so a regular saw couldn’t cut the casing where the two doors meet). The blades wore out fast, but between the 3 blades that came in the kit, it finished the job. For $5 it was well worth it.
HF has its place, and I will continue to be a loyal shopper there for tools that make sense to buy cheaply.
I think its like anything else you buy. Check it out. Granted some things are not made for everyday use (power tools). But many of the handtools I have noticed over the years have greatly improved in quality. I think craftsman sockets have gotten cheaper. I broke all of my craftsman 8mm sockets on a transmission pump housing. Went to HF and got a variety of 8mm sockets to finish the job. Still using the same ones today. Have a straight die grinder ($12.00 HF) that is 22 years old. Have abused it every chance I get. Purchased a Chicago Pnuematic die grinder ($150.00) used it several times and it blew apart. Good thing I had my old HF for back up. I use it for cutting Cobalt/Titanium fan blades on jet engines. Have HF engine hoist, hydraulic strut spring compressors (2 each different models), ball joint and fwd bearing kits and various pullers. All work great. Pnuematic tools from HF are great. Have used 3/4″ and 1″ impacts work just fine. Always watch sales and pick up at good prices. Always buy one for home and work. Electric power tools I have a buffer and angle drill. Did not want to spend alot for occasional use. They work fine when needed. Do see people returning power tools at the HF store. Its obvious they are being used for construction. Manager never hagels. Just gives them another one. It looks like they where in service for quite awhile before they failed. Guy I worked with purchased a cement mixer for his farm. After a lot of use the bearings went out. He talked to the manager. manager ordered him a new set of bearings free of charge. He had the mixer for several years before this had hapened. But check what your buying and its intended use. Would I buy a parachute or an electronic fly swatter no! Would I buy a home do it youself dental kit? Maybe.
Harbor Freight/Chicago Electric tools are cheap and dangerous. I have had a tool fall apart which caused a serious injury during the operation of the tool. This tool was straight out of the box and maybe used for 3 hours tops. Save the money and buy a higher quality tool that is not reconditioned and sold as new.
1) Do their low prices overcome low tool quality?
No!! I bought an Electric Tool, Right out of the Box it feel apart and caused a serious injury.
2) If you use HF tools, in what areas of work do you use them (and why)?
I would not use them ever again, they are cheap and quality is unsafe. Save the money and buy a higher quality tool.
3) If you don’t use HF tools at all, what’s your reasoning?
Cheap, they fall apart, don’t use them if you want to keep any body parts. Why keep buying a cheap tool that needs to be replaced a couple of times when you can buy quality tool and get the job completed. After all, how much is time and safety worth to a person? How much time/money is lost going back to HF to replace that tool (time, Gas, cost of tool)? Just buy a higher quality tool.
HFT is a great tool store there is one about 2 miles from where I live i got a bunch of stuff from them like 90amp flux core wire welder for $100, auto darkening welding shield for $50 301 piece mechanics tool kit for $179.99 with a lifetime warranty, arc 180amp stick welder for $140.00, tons of hand wrenches floor jack stands 3 ton low profile floor jack for $50.00, air ratchet,hose real, paint sprayer, shop light, drill press $50.00, 6.5hp engine with governor removed had for 2 years now and no problem its used on a racing gokart! engine cylinder hone for 16 dollars and works great, etc, etc, etc! I rebuild engines on a daily basis and it is great for the money and there drills and power tools work great just pay a little more for the warranty and you dont have to worry about buying another and ive really got to many tools to mention but most of my tools are 98% harbor freight!!!!
All there tools i have purchased work great and i use them all the time and they go through a lot of strain!!!
I have had bad experiences with craftsman tools i bought a drill from them and about a year later it crapped out allong with both the batteries i took it appart and found out that every thing in it is made in china! dont be fooled by the mark (MADE IN USA) its a bunch of shit! Mater of fact ive had more of there tools break than the harbor freight ones and harbor freight does have a lifetime warranty on all there hand tools and a warranty you can purchase for the other tools for a very cheap price and you dont have to ship them anywhere just take it back to your local hf and i also have a craftsman tool chest and the thing is a pile of crapp also the drawers are only 14″ long and like 26″ wide and to belive that i paid 300dollars for that i can pick up a better one at hf for that price!! and a extremely huge one for 900.00 (Sorry if i offended anyone but im just telling my experience of both)!!!
Reality hit me when I paid for the comparison between cheaply made products sold at Home Depot or Lowes, and similar quality items from HF. For example, I bought a tool that cleans copper pipes prior to soldering at HD for eight bucks and the same one was available for less than two, with no loss of quality, at HF. One has to be very careful that what we buy at HD or Lowes is truly superior in quality to HF because, often times, that is not the case and we end up paying more for less.
Sometimes it takes a little while for the true crappiness of an HF item to grow on you.
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I’ve been buying tools for 30 years now. My old Milwaukee drills and sawzall were made in the USA, as were all of my early DeWalt tools. The quality was unmistakable back then. Walking through Home Depot the other day I looked at all the major brands of power tools on display. I looked at Hilti, Milwaukee, Skill, Delta, DeWalt, Ridgid, Makita, and EVERY brand had power tools marked “Made in China”. Now I know that these companies all have their own engineers (maybe in India now) and their own quality control team on site in the Chinese factories, but more and more I feel less assured that I’m buying a quality (Chinese) tool, just because it has a familiar American name on it. Then add in the cost if they’re stolen as they often are, and the reason for buying American branded tools is a moot point. Considering all that, I don’t feel bad for owning lots of HF tools in addition to my old, quality American made tools. The HF quality can be hit or miss, but in general seems to be constantly improving. I just bought the 95082 12″ planer, and think it’s a great tool for the money. It does need better blades but I found those in HSS elsewhere. Their engine hoists cannot be beat for the price. Floor jacks work well for me. Air tools and nailers, I have many and all work from good to great. The orange angle grinders work for years and years. The orange electric angle drill, pure junk. The little $130 bench top shaper/router, junk too. Reciprocating saws work great though maybe a little noisy. I would say I’m more than satisfied with 90% of my purchases there. What I don’t like, I just take back.
Where can we find parts or a manual for a wood planer.Central Machinery 12-1/2″ 2.2 hp. I have looked all over the net. Thanks for the feed back
I am looking for the drive roller for a #41831 Auto Planer. I live in Saskatoon, SK. Canada.
Their stuff is junk junk junk.
I should of said some of their stuff is junk! forgive me all. Over all I believe their quality is improving.
I agree with those who say you need to physically look at their tools before you buy them. Some are good, some are total junk. I used to work next to their corporate office and store in Camarillo, Ca. and spent many a lunch hour looking at their tools.
On one occasion I wanted to purchase an angle drill. I looked at the Harbor Freight model which was $20 then went to Sears to look at their model. I was surprised to find it was exactly the same drill, the Sears was black, the Harbor Freight was orange, the molded plastic was exactly the same. The Sears was $60.
Its a shame that the price of USA made tools is so expensive, for people with the choice of doing things half assed or using the right tool for the job, they are better than nothing.
Their house brand of hand tools, “Pittsburgh”, are considerably less costly than say, Craftsman or Snap-On, are generally of good quality, and carry the same warranty.
I over-stressed a 3/4 inch ratchet trying to loosen a nut on commercial mower blade. The nut had been torqued on to 415 lbs, and then allowed to rust a couple of years before I tried its removal. It might as well have been welded on. I applied sufficient torque trying to loosen the nut to break the ratchet (using a 6 foot cheater). Harbor Freight didn’t hesitate, didn’t ask for a receipt, wasn’t interested in how I broke it. They just took the broken one and gave me a new one in exchange….. no questions asked.
I have no hesitation at all in buying their Pittsburgh brand hand tools.
I bought a 21 gallon 3HP air compressor 2 years ago. I used it for about 10 hours that year then went away for the winter. Came back next summer and used the air compressor for another 20-30 hours then went away for the winter again.
This summer I just started using it again, and now the pressure won’t go above 60, and the thing keeps running trying to build up more pressure. I can find no leaks, but HF says there is nothing they can do since I did not buy the extended warranty. I am stuck now with a huge piece of metal recycling to take to the recycling center.
I don’t know if this is a fluke and to get another one from them, or if I should look for a different source.
Duh, what do you think?
I would buy another compressor from Harbor Freight and see if you can get 31 hours out of it. Sounds like a quality product to me. Are you kidding?
You know harbor freight has an excellent marketing with all those coupons and freebies. Its gets you in their store. The quality is the same as its always been. I have many hf tools some are very good, hand tools mostly. Stuff with motors buy the extended warranty. At least then you can take it back after ninety days. I’m no pro but I remember something pros always have told me buy the best tools you can afford. Not just because the price is cheap. Now that most tools are no longer made in the usa. What do you do? It’s a global economy. Something to think about.
It depends on the tool. Some of HR stuff is out of line. I stopped by to get a electric Shaker for cleaning tools, sgell casings,etc. Well they had one (5 or 10 pound capacity if I remember correctly. The said it was half price $49.95 reg. $99.00. The viberator (shaker) had bad reviews. So I went to Cabbelas sporting goods and bought a Leyman shaker (same size) for $44.95 and get this it had goob reviews and its made in the USA. Go figure
I work at harbor freight currently. It really is hit and miss with most of their stuff. I you are a contractor and you burn throught tools often then its great. If your a homeowner and you need a one or two time tool then its great. If you are somebody who cannot take advantage of the warrenties (gov. jobs, etc.) then it is not for you. People who use the tools daily and need them to perform great (but not things that burn out like winches, impact wrenches ) then its not for you. Thats jsut what i have observed from working there. thanks people
I bought a Rotary Hammer drill 02957 about 6 years ago because it was cheaper to buy than renting one for ONE day.
I have used it and lent it to neighbors and it has had a lot of rough usage. It still works as good as new.
I have bought several cordless drills at HF and the batteries do not last very long, so I bought a more expensive drill elsewhere.
Hard for me to buy from HF now as I moved to Hawaii.
@ Jim, what do you mean? I live in Australia and beside some freight cost, it still comes over what I order and pretty fast too.
I am a professional jack of all trades, have used lots of tools over 45 years. Most of the barn full of equipment I have, I hunt from garage sales, swaps etc, and get the best of the old stuff not made any more. But…..I still buy some stuff from HF mainly things any idiot could build that is as strong as a bowling ball that can’t break.However some of their electrics are ok for occasional use and the price justifies the purchase at times. Their air tools are normally worth the price for occasional use too. I have 2, 1″ drive impact wrenches 10 years old and still working fine for occasional use on my trucks and dozers. Sanding belts are cheap, but junk. Although, I have sworn off the place because of the crap I have purchased over the years, I still have a hard time passing the store when in the area and usually end up spending 40 bux or so on stuff I know will last a few uses or longer. Oh, please don’t buy their welding expendables…..absolute garbage and might give one an unnecessary inferiority complex.
I think Harbor Freight’s service is deplorable. Bought a workbench and three drawer backs were missing. I discovered this after I put the rest of the bench together. They wanted me to ship it back. I’d have to disasemble it and find a box, because the original box was torn badly, probably why the backs were missing. Any other outfit would have simply walked out a distribution warehouse, removed three drawer backs and mailed them to me. Result to them would be the same, a bench missing three backs. But they couldn’t get out of their own way and the low level Asians who read the same script would do nothing for me. Even a note to they guy who always sends you a Thank you note did nothing.
I install elevators for a living and restore cars/motorcycles as a hobby. I’ve bought HF tools for a lot of elevator work when getting started. They are not the best but usually get the job done. I’m also not too upset if one falls from the 4th floor landing and is destroyed. The quality is a bit hit or miss so if you expect years of service forget-about-it. My 5 year old hammer drill is the only tool from HF that has not been replaced. Most wrenches, drill bits and the like are pretty much junk. FYI look for “made in Taiwan” as these tools are usually made with higher standards and are much better quality. Screwdrivers and chisels are complete junk which I tend to abuse anyway so go ahead and buy a few. I keep the good screwdrivers separate and use them only for their intended purpose. My home toolboxes for working on motorcycles/cars contain a huge variety of tools. A great deal of these tools are made by companies who either are gone or have sold out (aka crapsman). I now buy most of my hand tools from a company called Cornwell most of which is manufactured in the USA. Yes they are expensive but the truck stops by house when I give him a call.
The biggest difference is my repairs and restorations work needs the best finish and quality tools help preserve that look. HF stuff is great for one-time usage or maybe the homeowner but, for anything even close to professional work I would look elsewhere.
Just tried to get a pipe wrench with a life time warranty replaced and they refused. No proof of purchase. In case they do know the little receipt they give you after about three months the ink fades and can’t be seen. Good way to not have to replace tools. I’ll go back to Ridge they’re the best anyway. Left $400 worth if other stuff in store since they wouldn’t replace a $20 wrench. Good business move people.
I’m laughing myself all the way to the bank with buying these low priced tools. Sure, it’s not quite up to the quality of the top brands, most of which are now made in China anyway, but if you buy for their intended purpose they are more than adequate. For a homeowner/tinkerer they do the job quite well. I think their quality has been increasing over the years, where the “name brands” are decreasing. I use them alongside some top brands and they do the job, with few failures. I joke and tell my wife I’m shopping at HF until I have one of each! And yes, their warranties are quite good, but I haven’t had to try it out on any tool yet. I’d list all the HF tools I have now, but I’d get writers cramp.