How are Harbor Freight tools?

B

Boston Man

New member
I'm looking to buy some hand tools from Harbor Freight. Have any of you tried them?



-Deep impact sockets, $25 compared to Craftsman $89. Pittsburg brand.

-Finger ratchets
 
BM, have you been to their store in Attleboro? If not, you'd be able to check things out 1st hand and judge if they'll meet your standards. I visited the store last week and was amazed how large it was. They've got a LOT of stuff.
 
It's hit or miss I think. I have a set of impact sockets I got from HF and they are fine for my occasional use. I think their hand tools might have a lifetime warranty too. Honestly, I just hate shopping at my local HF. The staff is usually rude and the people in there are usually scary and the products usually feel junkier than junk. LOL I do get my Goodyear rubber air hoses from them though. Pretty cheap and decent quality.
 
tom p. said:
BM, have you been to their store in Attleboro? If not, you'd be able to check things out 1st hand and judge if they'll meet your standards. I visited the store last week and was amazed how large it was. They've got a LOT of stuff.
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Ive been to the one in worcester a couple of times. I'm interested in the quality of the impact sockets. Like will they break after a couple of uses?



Did you purchase anything when you went?
 
Danase said:
It's hit or miss I think. I have a set of impact sockets I got from HF and they are fine for my occasional use. I think their hand tools might have a lifetime warranty too. Honestly, I just hate shopping at my local HF. The staff is usually rude and the people in there are usually scary and the products usually feel junkier than junk. LOL I do get my Goodyear rubber air hoses from them though. Pretty cheap and decent quality.
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Thanks. I'll look more into their warranty
 
Boston Man said:
Did you purchase anything when you went?
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I went there specifically for Aquapel. It appears they no longer sell it. I did buy some of those curved tire dressing applicators. They had a 3pk for $0.99.



I guess I'd consider buying there if it was going to be an odd-ball, single-use tool I was looking for. Frankly, cheapie tools scare me a bit...from a safety perspective. I guess I'd grab stuff at Sears Hdwe as I'm familiar with the level of quality you'll end up with.



I've been really down on Chinese-made stuff over the past 12 months or so. I've experienced some serious product dissatisfaction in a couple of cases, and am becoming a bit more discerning when making consumer purchases. China needs to work on getting their quality up. America's taste for their cheapie stuff is going to fade. It has for me.



I think it's worth looking at Harbor Freight and performing an inspection of what you're considering if you've got the time. I plan to return when I have a bit more time. There are plenty of things that caught my eye :bolt
 
OTG Signs said:
Discount price = discount product (typically). Tools ALWAYS follow this rule.
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I agree. You get what you pay for.



Usually it seems like a good deal, but you'll probably be disappointed in the long run.
 
I need these deep impact sockets for work, changing tires. I guess i'll just go with craftsman then. $89 is almost half my paycheck. Or i can wait until they have a sale. I also need 20mm+ wrenches







Thanks.
 
For occasional home use, HF is OK. For constant use, don't be disappointed when it fails after awhile.

For professional work, stick with professional, lifetime warranty tools. And pick those with comfort in mind too. Feel it in your hand, heft it, squeeze it, etc. Comfortable to use all day and warranteed? There's your professional tool choice.
 
Boston Man said:
I need these deep impact sockets for work, changing tires. I guess i'll just go with craftsman then. $89 is almost half my paycheck. Or i can wait until they have a sale. I also need 20mm+ wrenches







Thanks.
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I use their deep impact sockets regularly for two years now and haven't experienced any problems. As a matter of fact none of their tools have failed me.
 
Heatgain said:
For occasional home use, HF is OK. For constant use, don't be disappointed when it fails after awhile.

For professional work, stick with professional, lifetime warranty tools. And pick those with comfort in mind too. Feel it in your hand, heft it, squeeze it, etc. Comfortable to use all day and warranteed? There's your professional tool choice.
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I believe their impact sockets are considered hand tools (because it was in the handtools section on their website) so they come with lifetime warranty.
 
the only thing i usually buy their is the nitrile gloves and empty flip-top and ketchup style bottles...



btw... if you look in the motor trend and automobile magazine, they usually have 15-20% off coupons in them...
 
A few years ago, I needed to seal my fence with waterproofer. I went to HF and bought an electric paint sprayer for $19.99. I sprayed the fence (It worked awesome), and then trashed the sprayer when I was done. For $19.99, it wasn't even worth cleaning. It wasn't as nice as the $150 Wagner models at Lowe's, but for the price, I just viewed it as a one time use tool.



The HF rotary was down right scary - it would change rpm on its own.



I have had good luck with their air tools. I used a HF nail gun to install crown molding in my old house, and it worked well.



Their stuff is hit or miss.
 
Heatgain said:
For occasional home use, HF is OK. For constant use, don't be disappointed when it fails after awhile.

For professional work, stick with professional, lifetime warranty tools. And pick those with comfort in mind too. Feel it in your hand, heft it, squeeze it, etc. Comfortable to use all day and warranteed? There's your professional tool choice.
Click to expand...



This is absolutely true. I personally use to work in the home theater and car Audio department for Best Buy and we had a variety of tools so i have seen first hand the difference in quality. Don't get me wrong I'm not saying i know everything there is to know about tools i just know enough of the basics to get the job down.



Needless to say I'm happy that i went with craftsman as my first personal tool set strong, not to bulky and heavy like others and the warranty makes it very reliable (Believe me i know).
 
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