Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck

   / Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck #16,071  
Same here I am surrounded by HF stores in all 4 major directions, but they are all 1/2 hr to 45 minutes away.
ditto here for H-F. LOL

Likewise with Trader Joes stores being 1hr in either direction away. I can't win.
 
   / Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck #16,072  
Same here I am surrounded by HF stores in all 4 major directions, but they are all 1/2 hr to 45 minutes away.
but living "out here" is way better than when I was in the Chicago 'burbs... I'll take the drive or get it delivered.
 
   / Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck #16,073  
ditto here for H-F. LOL

Likewise with Trader Joes stores being 1hr in either direction away. I can't win.
I'm doomed!

Halfway between home and ranch, a 100 mile trip we make multiple times a month, Fairfield HF is on the frontage road visible from the freeway. There's another one in Vallejo if something isn't in stock, I had to go there for the half price closeout of the long nose version 1 Earthquake impact wrench. And I see they are about to open one in Petaluma two blocks off the freeway.

After reading their latest email ad in the morning its a temptation to stop at HF every trip for a new toy. But I can fairly say looking around my shop I don't have a clutter of HF things I didn't need so I guess I'm doing it right.
 
   / Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck #16,074  
I rank their Icon and Chief air tools HIGHER than the tool truck stuff for about 1/2 the price. Case in point, the Chief air powered 4.5" angle grinder. Mirror copy of the IR angle grinder for 1/2 the IR cost (not on sale), in some ways, even better. The Chief has a grease fitting on the nose for adding grease to the gearbox, the IR don't and I have both btw. The Chief air powered drill is as good as the IR at 1/2 the cost as well.

I also have the Icon 1/2" drive clicker torque wrench and their new 3/4" drive clicker as well. If you watch 'Project Farm's' evaluation of clicker wrenches, you'll see that the HF ones are as good as the tool truck (Snap-On, MAC) ones at half the cost. In fact the Icon ones look just like the tool truck ones except for the laser engraved name on them. Most likely made in the same Chinese factory as well. Have the Snap-On ones as well. Identical in all aspects and the Icon clickers torque in both directions, something I require for torquing left hand threads. Cheap torque wrenches only torque in the right hand (tightening) mode.

Finally, HF tool boxes are top shelf in build quality plus they come in various colors including Kubota Orange which is what I have.

Finally, finally, I also have a full compliment of HF welders, I own their Pro-Tig 205 as well as both their 65 amp and 45 amp plasma cutters. They are all IGBT machines and you can get the extended warranty on them, which I did. The HF plasma cutters consumables are much cheaper than the Hyper-Therm consumables (I had and sold the HT cutter). I use the 45 amp machine as a freehand cutter and the 65 amp machine is interfaced to my CNC plasma table and unlike the Hyper Therm cutter, HF has the interface plug on the front of the cutter so integrating it to the table was 100% plug and play (I used the HT interface cable).

The Pro-Tig 205 is an extremely capable machine, 100% digital readout with infinite adjustments and it comes with Tig pulse as well and runs either DC for ferrous materials or AC pulse for aluminum. It's fan on demand as well and the foot pedal is much netter than the Lincoln Invertig which I also sold.

Only downside on the Pro-Tig is the torch and the fact that it isn't water cooled so I purchased a CK Worldwide Series 2, flex head water cooled torch (which is really necessary for welding aluminum) as well as an Everlast water cooler as my Lincoln Weld Mate water cooler went with the Invertig when I sold it.

Interestingly, the Pro-Tig is a much smoother machine than the Invertig ever was and the ProTig is lift arc as well as scratch start Tig, whereas the Lincoln was only scratch start.

Best part was, I sold the Lincoln and the Hypertherm plasma cutter and with the proceeds, bought all 3 machines plus the extended 3 year warranty on all of them and still put money back in the shop account.

I did keep my 2 Hobart Handler 210 wire machines however, simply because the Hobart's have the best wet out of any MIG machines I've ever used and at maximum amperage they are capable of spray transfer and they were made in Troy, Ohio, unlike the new Hobart's that are made in China and the new Hobart machines are now IGBT machines, just like everyone else is today.

You can tell I'm a HF junkie but I will say for dollars spent versus value received, you cannot beat HF or their warranty either. If you have any issues or failure with anything, you take it back to the store and they give you a new one, on the spot. Try that with the others and see what happens.... Been there, did that and it works 100%. Even the cheaper Pittsburg tools have a lifetime replacement warranty.

If you own a Hobart or Lincoln or Miller machine and it fails under warranty, you get to take it to an authorized service center and wait for it to be repaired. I don't want to wait around for weeks for a machine to get repaired. With HF, you get a NEW or equal value machine on the spot, instantly.

No brainer in my opinion.
I purchased a US General top chest the other day in Kubota orange. I love it! I have the USG floor box too but it's in yellow. I will be replacing it with an orange one eventually.
 
   / Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck #16,075  
Yes and No. You can't just walk in Lowes with your 1980s ratchet and walk out with one. Maybe exact model for model, maybe? Generally now, I think you are suppost to contact Craftsman, and get a replacement; m
I brought a worn out Craftsman ratchet or maybe it was a cracked socket to Lowe's and they gave me a new one. I did have to fill out some paperwork at the service desk and of course the new tool was Chinesium unlike the broken one. I had to go to more than one store because they didn't stock the needed tool, the bin was empty. I have metric and SAE US made box wrench sets I built up by buying the pieces I was missing from Ebay because you couldn't find the US made ones at the stores anymore. The ones I have are quality made unlike the new stuff. I thought I heard rumor of the hand tools coming back to the US. I see some power tools are "made with pride in the USA with global material", I dislike that line of b/s.

As for HF, I really like the rolling tool chest I have and will be trying the Hercules angle grinder that was half off a month ago.
 
   / Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck #16,076  
I brought a worn out Craftsman ratchet or maybe it was a cracked socket to Lowe's and they gave me a new one. I did have to fill out some paperwork at the service desk and of course the new tool was Chinesium unlike the broken one. I had to go to more than one store because they didn't stock the needed tool, the bin was empty. I have metric and SAE US made box wrench sets I built up by buying the pieces I was missing from Ebay because you couldn't find the US made ones at the stores anymore. The ones I have are quality made unlike the new stuff. I thought I heard rumor of the hand tools coming back to the US. I see some power tools are "made with pride in the USA with global material", I dislike that line of b/s.

As for HF, I really like the rolling tool chest I have and will be trying the Hercules angle grinder that was half off a month ago.
Stanley Black & Decker opened a Craftsman factory in Fort Worth in 2020 to make hand tools. They closed it in 2023 after they were unable to get it to work.

1736805870354.png
 
   / Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck #16,077  
Shopped at my local Harbor Freight yesterday, about 50 miles one way.
They had a deal where if you buy a 8 amp hour 20volt lithium battery you could get a free Bauer 6 1/2 skillsaw so I bought the battery.
Also bought a 20volt leaf blower, got $15 off on the blower
Used the blower this morning to blow snow off my steps and pickup truck and it worked great !
Also bought a few other items, at checkout the price came to over $200 which to me seemed to high so I asked the clerk if I got all the discounts I was supposed to get and he said I did so I took the receipt and left. Well this morning looking at the receipt the skill-saw that was supposed to be free wasn’t free, I will have to call them or stop in again soon, this isn’t the first time something like that has happened to me at Harbor Freight
 
   / Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck #16,078  
Skil is a brand name, much like Crescent is a brand name. It's a circular saw and an adjustable open end wrench.

Far as getting charges for the saw, it would have been much better to check your receipt when in line than 50 miles later. I never take any checkout receipt as gospel until I check it prior to leaving a store, HF included plus I always have a general idea about total cost of the items I purchase before checking out at ANY retailer, always.
 
   / Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck #16,079  
...and most HF tools are btw. Even the real cheapo Pittsburg hand tools are.

On returning stuff, I did return the Vulcan welding cab I bought because the pin lock on the door didn't match the key supplied so they gave me a new one, in the crate I might add and I asked the store manage lass what she was gonna do with the one I brought back and she told me she would put it in the markdown corner and sell it and that is exactly what she did and it left real quick like. Only way to get the door open would be to drill the lock out.

If I was 40 years younger and single I might have taken her up on a job....lol She is cute and me being me, I asked her if she was married and she said no...:cry:
So are you at the "Creepy old man" phase, or the "So old he is cute and harmless" stage? (kidding of course!)
 

Tractor & Equipment Auctions

Kennco Pre Bedder (A39160)
Kennco Pre Bedder...
TOPCAT QA 4in1 Bucket (A41856)
TOPCAT QA 4in1...
VOLVO SHEEP FOOT ROLLER (A40517)
VOLVO SHEEP FOOT...
Future Skid Steer Forks (A41856)
Future Skid Steer...
2020 KENWORTH T680 SLEEPER (A37757)
2020 KENWORTH T680...
2010 Ford Escape SUV (A39235)
2010 Ford Escape...
 
Top