Harbor Freight Success And Failure Stories

[runco]

I saw this on another forum, and actually after reading through was quite informative.   So what are your Harbor Freight Successes and what has failed you miserably? 

[Caster]

I successfully walked in Harbor Freight and spent money.

I failed to come home with anything worth a :poop:

[Wiljo05]

I'm cleaning brass with their large cement mixer and 30lbs of dry media. Obviously not what it was designed for, but will clean a full 5 gallon bucket of brass at a time. I don't know that it would ever hold up to cement, but 110lbs total material works great.

[FUJIMO]

I've been happy with what I bought considering where it's made,what it cost, and using it for what it's designed for.

[quietguy]

I am always very careful with HF purchases. Mostly tarps and casters, but I do have an electric chainsaw sharpener that works great.  

[Dustbuster]

I use their ultrasonic cleaners to clean gun parts brass and more Harbor freight is a great place for buying tools that you really don't need to use every day great place to save money especially if you do trade work.

[MacGyver]

I have a two rules when it comes to Harbor Freight.   One,  if I'm going to use it more than once, I won't buy it at Harbor Freight.

 

I've got a friend who is always buying impact sockets there - and then wondering why they're always exploding when he uses them.  I'm pretty sure they're just cheap sockets painted black.  He could have bought a nice set a couple of times over on all of them he's bought over the years.

 

Which brings me to my second rule - always wear eye protection when using that junk.

[runco]

I like those pack of parts like orings, springs, cotter pins, nuts, bolts, and etc.  Just bought a grinder stand this past weekend. 

[musicman]

I've generally been happy with my HF stuff. I am not a craftsman or mechanic by trade. I do minor to medium stuff around the house and most of the work on our cars, unless electronics/computers are involved.

I'd say 30% of the tools I use on a monthly basis are HF, 30% Craftsman stuff that was a huge gift from my in-laws, and a lot of specialty tools from Autozone (Duralast branded) as I worked there for a few years.

I never get power tools from HF, generally hammers, screwdrivers, pliers, snips, and miscellaneous parts kits. They have a screwdriver set that has gray handles and orange or green trim for phillips vs straight edges. They are by far my favorite screwdrivers. Very comfy handles, tough, magnetic tips that just seem to fit right in a place where no Craftsman, Stanley, or no-name will do. They've gotten out many an almost-stripped head. When their high-polish wrench sets got insanely cheap a few years ago I bought the complete assortment as a third backup (yea, I'm a hoarder) to my Craftsman and Duralast sets. It's become my main set. It's no better than the others I have but no worse, either, and it cost WWAAAAYYYY less than either. If I had that first, I probably wouldn't have bought the Duralast set.

The ONLY disappointment I've had with a HF tool is a 4lb hammer I bought years ago and set on a shelf. I didn't have a need for it until 3-4 years after I bought it. When the time came to use it to knock loose a stubborn brake rotor I retrieved the tool, took aim at the rotor and quickly raised my arm to prepare for the strike... and the head of the hammer decided to make a run for my workbench. I'm guessing the wood handle was probably pretty fresh when the hammer was made. Its time on my shelf allowed it to dry and shrink, letting that pig iron escape its duties. I just laughed and used a different hammer. Even though I got not a single use from that thing, it's still probably not the worst $4 I've ever spent. :)

[10-Ring]

I use them for situations where I never have plans to use that particular tool again.  If It lasts through the job then great but I don't expect it to.  HF is the only place my employer will buy tools from.  They break constantly, I'm not sure why our mechanics are always grumpy???

[DWARREN123]

You have to know what to buy cheap and what not to. You can save money on some items.

[Dad03]

I bought their Badlands 12000 lb winch to haul trees onto a trailer for firewood. That sucker will pull.  I went through and resealed the electrical box and it comes off the trailer when not being used. Is holding up well. Their magnesium fire starters work pretty well for 2 bucks. Hydraulic jacks are on par with anywhere else you can buy.

 

On the flip side I had a heat gun that I used 3x before it started to spark like crazy while the motor winded up like a 50,000 rpms. 

[seez52]

ah, yes, The Old Man Tool Store as it's known around here (just look around the next time you're in there).

 

The flashlights they give away with a coupon are pretty darn good for free and the batteries actually last longer than expected. Anything that has a blade or is expected to cut is junk. Sandpaper not worth bringing home. Car dollies are crap, axle holes in the caster wheels aren't even close to being in the center so they lock up. Bought a vibrator cleaner. Had a bunch of brass to clean and I figured it would crap out before finished so I bough the 2 year replacement warranty thinking I'd get a two for one deal. Dang thing is till going strong and my warranty is just about up!

 

Engine stand has been good. Angle grinder does not spin fast as it should. Floor jacks eventually leak. Vise grips are crap. O-ring assortment was good, cotter pin assortment was soft as copper. Nitrie gloves are a good value and the ear muffs have been good for $2.

 

The unfortunate part of all this is that in many cases you can no longer buy anything any better. Even with a supposed good brand it's the same old Chinese crap just marked up a little more. 

[56FordGuy]

I used to have 5-6 of their $10-on-sale angle grinders around, each set up with a different wheel. Quicker than swapping wheels on the good grinders. I had a pair of Metabos for serious work, but the HF specials would last 6-8 months with intermittent use. 

 

I have a set of the extended roll pin punches, they work okay as long as the pins aren't seized. 

[Electric B]

Can't wait until the one in Murfreesboro opens!

[billyscott]

Electric B, I haven't heard about one opening in the "Boro. Where they going to put it?

[runco]

I heard Sevierville was getting one soon. 

[seez52]

Electric B, I haven't heard about one opening in the "Boro. Where they going to put it?

next to the Northern Tools store  :biglol:

[blewbayou]

I've never had any true failures. The one inch impact does surprisingly well.

Bought a saw zall, it's done an entire bathroom remodel and cut up a bunch of 4" square thick wall steel tubing.

I like their tapes, I have some of their sockets, their torque wrenches are actually decent for the price.

I also have a matco tool box full of Mac, snap on, and matco tools...equal opportunity here.

[frankmako]

i only had two things go bad, a electric drill and a nail gun.  both did not work out of the box.  took them back the next day and they gave me new ones.  they both been working for years.  some of their stuff looks like junk, but other items are not.  i guest i have been lucky.  

[Monkeyman2500]

I would never buy any of my important tools there or any I use on a daily basis I need to last, but otherwise I love Harbor Freight. Anything simple I might only use occasionally or something I know I'm going to break in only a few uses HF is great. I have one of their large orange grinders I've beat on for years and several small stuff like pry bars that I still use and haven't broke yet. I did have a small grinder that went kaput after a few hard uses but I think I only paid maybe $15 for it. 3 ton jack works good for $30 but will slowly leak down. Like others have said most everything is china made anyway. It's staggering the difference in price between a decent tool and a good one. HF ratchet $10, Snap-On ratchet $120. But just so you know my 1930's Snap-On still works good. :)

[nightrunner]

I had an electric 1/2" drill I bought because the guys kept complaining about those the Milwaukee was too heavy carrying around and drilling over their head...

Best I remember it was only around $30-40. All it ever had in the chuck was a 7/8" auger bit for wood. I was an electrical contractor. It never died. Used nearly constantly, literally for 8-10hrs straight once or twice a week. Sometimes outside in the rain or in extreme temperatures. Doesn't get used much anymore. I personally used the Milwaukee, the HF felt like a toy with a motor bolted on one end.

[TripleDigitRide]

As most know, some things at Harbor Freight can be hit-and-miss. However, one purchase I do not even slightly regret is my tool chest. For the money (and even more), I don't think you can find a better tool chest. I'm sure it's not $2855658585 Snap-on good, but I've been beyond happy with this purchase. I got mine for $299 during one of their super duper specials.

[mikegideon]

I have a ton of Harbor freight stuff. They have some pretty good stuff, some true junk, and some excellent stuff. It's hard to beat their mobile bases for power tools, or their tool stands. I have a few of their power tools too, even though most of my stuff leans toward Dewalt, Bosch, Ridgid, and that basic grade. But if you're careful, and read the reviews, you can get good reliable stuff there.

 

In most cases, I don't get anything there for heavy use. 

[Possumslayer]

Scroll saw works great, cut 18ga cr with it.
4 " grinders are good , blue ones
Electric metal shears work great
Ring roller, junk
Electric body saw,junk
Letters n number stamps, junk