Comments on: Cheap-Ass Tools: Princess Auto’s Just Like Harbor Freight, eh!

By: Willie Smythe

Willie Smythe — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 20:02:51 +0000

The exchange policy is old school, i.e. the customer is always right. If you don’t like it you get your money back. Wow, who does that anymore? I love everything about PA, from staff, to the surprizes you find in there every trip.

Only thing I can think of that could use some improvement is their web site. It’s okay, but could be a lot better, like if they had something like this on it so PA diehards to chat and exchange ideas and comments and stuff.

By: Leo

Leo — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 02:05:44 +0000

For “Dan” in Texas a few eye openers.
Princess Auto has a exchange policy second to none, I have braught back a power bandsaw after 3 months [was not happy with it] and got my FULL CASH refund back No uestions asked!
They have a lot of “cheap” stuff, but if you need a tool once in a blue moon it saves a lot of money.
Funny how these “Texans” always know it better even that they live about 3000 mile away.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 04:02:50 +0000

No body forces americans to come buy at our Great canadian stores. If the name bothers you then go buy tools else where while us frugal canadians don’t have to give our houses back because we are ashamed to buy at Princess Auto !

By: Jerry

Jerry — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 02:33:01 +0000

As far as the cheap tools, just look an item over carefully. I have a ball joint press that was 1/4 the price of anywhere else, has done 6 full sets so far, and has stood up to the abuse of a 1/2″ drive air wrench (a heavy duty CP unit, not a low torque cheapo) for the sticky ones, and is still in service. I am about to test the no sale is final policy with a cracked/leaky air hose return. We shall see.

By: Brian

Brian — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 07:08:47 +0000

Princess Auto is a Canadain success story. From humble beginnings to one hell of a store. I happen to know the “Weird Name” came from it’s early beginnings. The first store was on Princess Street therefore the name!!!
As one customer here in Canada stated “if you can’t find it in Princess Auto you probably don’t need it”.

By: Martin

Martin — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 16:15:16 +0000

I live live in Regina, Sk, I buy some stuff at PA, but the quaility of many of the “off shore” tools is very poor. Honestly what good is a warranty on a wrench if the thing bends like butter and breaks at 10:00 p.m.
The china knock off stuff they sell is simply piracy, as China steals other companies products and then reproduce them with .25 cent an hour labour, and poor quailty materials.
My preference is to buy one higher priced quality wrench that will last for years than to have to buy one cheapo and have drive 1/2 an hour to the PA store 3 times to replace the garbage tool under warranty.
It is my time and my money,and my way of doing things.

By: Julie

Julie — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 20:59:29 +0000

Incidentally, since my husband was looking for presents for me for Christmas, I dropped a PA catalog off on the kitchen table with bits circled, and even notes like “I don’t know why I want this, but I WANT THIS!!!”. I think it worked, I guess I’ll see tomorrow!

By: Mike

Mike — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 20:47:01 +0000

I used the “princess” part of the name to trick my 2 young daughters into coming with me once. It only worked once… now they scream and run the other way! Apparently it gets boring after the first hour.

By: Scott Bishop

Scott Bishop — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 15:49:29 +0000

With The Royal Service included, it truly is a “kid in a candy store” experience !
Similar products at “PA” blow away the garbage being sold at Canadian Tire and likewise gracing the shelves of Dollar Stores everywhere. PA’s “No Sale Is Final Until You’re Satisfied” policy is second to none and you will always be leaving any of their locations with that goofy grin on your face wondering just what your going to do with all of your newfound goodies knowing that if you are not happy in any way they will make it right. And like most have already mentioned the impulse buying should warrant starting a support group soon. But after all… he who dies with the most toys wins!

By: Ed Hiebert

Ed Hiebert — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 17:41:21 +0000

The “Princess” in the name probably referred originally to a street. There are plenty of Princess Avenues, Streets, etc. here in Canada. Also lots of Kings, Queens, and Princes. The real funny thing about the name Princess Auto is the fact that they don’t sell auto parts, except for a few oddball things.

By: Owen

Owen — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 23:20:18 +0000

Hi there. I have got a lot of things from Princess Auto and never had to take anything back. I had a grinder fail but we worked it to death. We sanded all the windows and frames on a house and that took all summer. It was only about 25 or 30 dollars for the grinder/sander so it payed for itself a few times over. I find they have some import tools there that I can not get anywere else. The surplus stuff is great if you like to invent or design on a low budget. I live about an hours drive from the store but It is worth the trip. I am going in some time this week to buy a new drill.

Owen

By: Ralph

Ralph — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 11:52:12 +0000

Yes, “Princess” wouldn’t seem to be a good choice, but the company was originally founded in Winnipeg, as “Princess Auto Wrecking”, and was located on Princess Street. Why change a good thing? Here in the ‘Peg, we often simply say, “Off to Princess to get a …” and everyone is quite aware of where we’re going.

By: Rob

Rob — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 15:12:59 +0000

Hi,

If you think that you don’t like shopping at a “Princess” store check out how many Canadian Stores are called “Crown” or “Royal” !

RoB

By: Rick

Rick — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 15:27:18 +0000

We buy all the tools for our delivery staff at Princess auto - some of their tools have a good over the counter replacement warranty.

Never thought about the name being girly, but “Power Fist” brand name for tools sounds like some kind of gay sex practice…..”oooh yeah, give me your power fist!” ugh!

By: Rian

Rian — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 17:35:07 +0000

ive built 2 go karts, a mini bike and a trike from princessauto’s suplies and today i have a $140 credit so me and my friend are getting some suplies. its the only nplace hear in bc that i can find all this stuff so its great for the kid thats still in school to learn from

By: John Hutchings

John Hutchings — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 01:48:51 +0000

To get to a Princess Auto i have to drive fifty miles in one direction or about seventy in the other and since i started going there i have been making a trip about once a month to get that one thing i “need” and walking out with three or four things i dont need right now but may need next week hahahaha.
Although their tools are cheap some of them work fairly well and as far as specialty dodads i think they have got Canadian Tire placing second place now.
They do have a good money back deal there and so far although i have a “couple” dodads around i havent used its been a good store for me to shop at

By: Monica

Monica — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 21:04:49 +0000

I AM the wife in this house, and Im the one who introduced my husband to Princess Auto; I was introduced by a couple of other women - one is a farmer from way out in the boonies, and when she comes south the three of us like to browse hardware and building stores together. My husband took one look and he was caught, too.
My most recent purchases were a pair of small haemostats (ideal for removing a floppy disc’s metal part from where it got stuck in the floppy drive) and a small hydraulic jack for deck repairs.

By: Darren

Darren — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 18:12:25 +0000

Their flyers should be illegal. Constant eye-rolling from the wife when I come home from a trip to PA because of that evil flyer Sometimes I’ll buy the bizarre surplus stuff ‘just because’. Rarely buy tools for work there, but for unique stuff for home use they can’t be beat.

By: Dan

Dan — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 00:06:40 +0000

Hey cheap tools you can buy 2 or 3 for the price of a similar name brand tool. I would buy all my high end tools elsewhere but any thing under $100 seems to be great.

By: Martin Waters

Martin Waters — Thu, 31 May 2007 22:30:37 +0000

I live in Burlington,Ontario. I would give PA’s power tools a mixed rating. However their return policy is unreal. They claim “no sale is final until you are satisfied”. And guess what? They mean it! I took back a broken $88.00 air compressor after 1 1/2 years with no bill. The service clerk was extra pleasant and gave me a refund, no problem!

I agree that PA is just like Costco. You go in for 1 thing and you can easily end up spending over $200.00 dollars.

By: ReyTalusan

ReyTalusan — Tue, 29 May 2007 18:16:08 +0000

I have been a PA tool and equipment shoppers for awhile. I love the surplus section. I buulit a lot of stuff around the house for $5.00 Cdn.
One thing I am in love with is the furniture dolly.
I am a Canadian with Filipino heritage and I am cheapo.

By: Homer

Homer — Wed, 23 May 2007 16:25:05 +0000

Princess Auto is coming to Newmarket (Green Lane & Hwy 404 area)! Ah, no longer a need to drive a hour plus to get there! Princess Auto is what Canadian Tire used to be, before they got the feminine hygeine section.

By: Grant

Grant — Mon, 21 May 2007 23:18:16 +0000

Also in Canada is Busy Bee Tools.

They are closer to Harbor Freight than Princess Auto, I think, in that they have most of the same or similar items as Harbor Freight. Canadian prices tend to be higher than Harbor Freight prices, especialy after allowing for currency conversion. So shop carefully.

There are some differences, at times, between Harbor Freight and Busy Bee items. For example, the Busy Bee version of the 7×10 metal lathe had metal change gears, while the arbor Freight version had plastic ones. So again it’s worth looking closely at Busy Bee in terns of price and product detail.

By: steve lee

steve lee — Thu, 17 May 2007 18:45:15 +0000

I believe its called Princess auto because the original shop was on Princess St. in Winnipeg I went to school in Winnipeg back in the late 60’s when PA was primarily an army surplus place and built cheap farm equipment. I recall you could buy a little army jeep from them for 50 bucks back then. Wish I’d bought a truck load. A great place for the inventive mind, I love the place. Those flyers though have almost led to divorce around here

By: Chris C

Chris C — Sun, 06 May 2007 18:54:20 +0000

Princess is a fantastic place for tinkerers. May as well forget about the cash refund, though. Once your money is spent there, it stays there. If you’re anything like me, you’ll walk out with something else in lieu of cash, probably a russian gas mask from the surplus section, or a box of pager motors.
If you need tools to modify and/or abuse, Power Fist is the ticket. Usually good enough to be fairly (or occasionally very) useable, but nothing you’ll regret cutting/bending/grinding… Also, as stated above, nice deals on good stuff.
I love Princess Auto, even the name.