How's Harbor Freight?

**OldSchoolin86** · 02-27-2005, 09:44 PM

Anybody ever use Harbor Freight to buy tools from? I've used Northern tool and Grainger. I was looking and the shipping was almost too good to be true with Harbor Freight on some new tools I need. Any feedback would be appriciated. Thanks

**Lots_Of_Nothing** · 02-27-2005, 09:47 PM

baha,, save your money and buy from a decent company.. the tools from them may work for a day or two, but its all junk. The only tool I have ever bought from them that I am happy with is a sledge

. of course, thats kind of hard to mess up.

**smokinwrench** · 02-27-2005, 09:52 PM

I have bought tools from the Harbor Freight Store. All I have ever bought is cheapo kind of stuff (magnetic trays, grinding wheels, die grinders). All I can say is all of it is cheap. The magnets are very weak on the trays. The die grinder is weak also but good for light duty stuff.

**ClayW** · 02-27-2005, 10:16 PM

Their are obvious tools that you would want to by else where, but for a lot of your everyday around the house stuff you can beat their prices. Man a box of a couple hundred razor blades for a dollar. I bought a hopper gun from them to spray the textured looking popcorn on the ceiling of a room I finished in the basement. Cost me $25. Worked perfect. I would have paid $75+ at home depot or lowes. You just need to know what your looking at. Its not hard to tell if something is a piece. They will take stuff back that breaks with no problem. Refund or exchange. What are you looking at buying Oldschool. I have bought stuff from them for 2 years. Never let me down.

**OldSchoolin86** · 02-27-2005, 10:37 PM

I'm looking at a pipe bender, a tubing notcher(jig), and a milwaukee chop saw. Thanks for the input guys.

**TimSr** · 02-27-2005, 10:40 PM

They deal mostly in Tawian made cheapo stuff, so its not Snap-On quality, but there are a lot of times, when you really dont need that kind of quality. It all depands on how much you will use it, and what kind of wear you need to get out of it. If you were an auto mechanic, you woudlnt want to buy tools from there to use every day, but if its one of those "once in a while" tools it sometimes makes better sense to buy the cheapo.

**OldSchoolin86** · 02-27-2005, 10:46 PM

Originally Posted by TimSr

They deal mostly in Tawian made cheapo stuff, so its not Snap-On quality, but there are a lot of times, when you really dont need that kind of quality. It all depands on how much you will use it, and what kind of wear you need to get out of it. If you were an auto mechanic, you woudlnt want to buy tools from there to use every day, but if its one of those "once in a while" tools it sometimes makes better sense to buy the cheapo.

Ya I hear ya. I don't think I'll be buying hand tools from them any day soon but I wonder if that tubing bender and notcher would be ok. I've has good luck from Northern Tool on big stuff but the shipping on what looks to be the same Tawianese tools was about $150 less from Harbor Freight.

**Quickonstep** · 02-28-2005, 04:10 AM

i have a pipe bender, press, HVLP sprayer, pressure blaster, shop light from them and use them at least once or twice a week.. and even more in the summer and ive had these things for a year and a half and i have NEVER had a issue with any of there stuff.. i also have a bunch of misc stuff.. pullers, cutters, blahblahblah the only thing that ive gotten from them that has broken persay was a handle off of a halogen lamp.. but i guess i cant blame it on the peice, it kinda got slammed into the wall.. but tahts besides the point..

I use all craftsman/strapon tools so those things i probably wouldnt buy from them.. but most of the stuff is fairly decent.

Jesse

**ClayW** · 02-28-2005, 05:48 PM

I agree with you 100% Tim SR. You dont have to have the best stuff in the world if you only use it every now and then. Oh by the way they do offer a pretty good extended warranty program, and its pretty cheap.

**azhondagrl** · 02-28-2005, 05:56 PM

Yup, sometimes people are big onthe name brands, which yes for somethings ARE better, but we have bought tons of stuff(and keep going back) from Harbor Freight. Plus, they have some stuff that other places here, like home depot and lowes, charge an arm and a leg, sometimes your first born child for. just my .02 though.=)

**Trikeaholic** · 02-28-2005, 06:55 PM

OK, as a seller of tools and equipment I will chime in here. just because its made in the east does not make it junk! For example, everyone thinks JET and WILTON are great machine tools. Did you know alot of that stuff is made in Tiawan?? Hmmm, sure there are crappy quality companies in Tiawan and there are really good ones. It does not matter where its made, but if the price is sooooo much lower that anyone else, guess what?? its junk!

**azhondagrl** · 02-28-2005, 06:58 PM

i'm not saying its SOOOOOO Much lower, because its not, but for some stuff at home depot, they want WAAAY TOO much for it.

**smokinwrench** · 03-01-2005, 12:06 AM

If your planning on buying one of those orange pipe benders with the little jack as the press? I have used one of those and they tend to pinch the pipe into an oval shape. I have used one on race cars mainly for making front bumpers for IMCA modifieds and it got the job done but not very well. In my opinion if your going to use this pipe bender a lot I would suggest buying a better model.

**Jeb** · 03-04-2005, 12:46 PM

I bought a hydraulic press from them a year or so ago. I don't use it allot, but it's nice to have and at $100 hey why not.

**OldSchoolin86** · 03-04-2005, 01:15 PM

Hey, thanks a lot everyone. I think I'll get the notcher from them but for the bender I'm now considering a more professional model. It'll cost a lot more but I'll be able to make perfect multi radius frame pieces with it. I'll let ya know how it goes when I get everything.

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How's Harbor Freight?