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I cannot stand the smell of the store and on the two occasions I went in, my girlfriend said I smelled horrible when I got home.
Soooo I stick to online now. |
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Got a 10" tile saw from them about a month ago. Thing works like magic, a real great buy. I was in Lowe's getting tile and spotted an almost identical saw for about twice the price. For the use I put on it, the better value for me is with HF. View Quote IMO they (usually) hold up well for the casual user; the professional might buy one for a one-off job, because he just needs heavier tools. One smart idea that I learned from a mechanic (I worked in a Buick dealership many years ago): Buy a complete set of cheap tools, then as the commonly-used tools wear out, replace them with expensive tools. |
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I found a propane torch for burning weeds at the Home depot for $60 on the clearance rack.
For the few things I had in mind that I needed to do I didn't want to spend that much. Went on http://www.hfqpdb.com/ and found a coupon for $17 for one. I can't believe how often I've used this thing since then. So worth it. We have a rechargeable drill at the office we got for $16. Works fine for putting desks together. 1000lb moving dolly for $12. Never broken one. Did spin the wheel off one pulling a garden shed a quarter mile down the road, but that is a bit extreme use. Tarps alone are a reason to go there. |
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Great for tools you will not use often and cheap enough to consider as disposable. Great when you can use a discount coupon and also get free stuff.
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The Garage Journal forum has an ongoing "go/no-go" thread on harbor Freight tools. That forum is the arfcom of tools and they REALLY know what they are talking about. A suprising amount of stuff there is actually quite good. The "Pittsburgh" Ratchets and Earthquake impacts are on the top of the list.
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The only thing I bought from there was a chain sharpener. The motor doesn't have much (any) torque, but it keeps you from burning the saw teeth. It works, so it's good enough. I could buy about a 1/2 dozen of them for the price of an Oregon and I just don't sharpen enough chains to fork out that kind of money. |
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+1 to the Garage Journal HF thread. I get stuff from HF and its been good to me.
+1 to reading reviews if spending more than $50. |
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I've had very good luck with my 1/2" drive HF breaker bar; been through a ton of break jobs and wheel bearing swaps with no trouble. Even stuck a 4' cheater bar on it to free a cross threaded lug nut.
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Always check the reviews and open the box before buying HF stuff. They do have good stuff.
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I've had great success with the torque wrench and hardwood workbench.
Moving blankets and tarps are gtg too. |
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Yep. Here's one for the haters of everything. Yugo UF made with a "dark and dirty bore" parts kit that is accurate, 100% reliable and made with some HF tools. http://i.imgur.com/yDjubB2.jpg Let the GD raging haters begin. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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The only time I frequent Harbor Freight is when I need a tool that I know I'm going to destroy within it's first use and need a cheap tool I don't care about. Aside from that, Harbor Freight sucks. For the most part they do. But my FIL has started purchasing some items from HF for his farm needs. He is extremely frugal on his purchases and will not waste money on crap products. You have to be careful what you buy from HF. Yep. Here's one for the haters of everything. Yugo UF made with a "dark and dirty bore" parts kit that is accurate, 100% reliable and made with some HF tools. http://i.imgur.com/yDjubB2.jpg Let the GD raging haters begin. http://www.harborfreight.com/folding-trash-bag-stand-90430.html |
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HF is hit or miss. They're great for the weekend DIY'er who doesn't want or need to pay for professional grade tools. Some of their power tools are the same sold under different brand names (for a higher price) in other stores.
Only thing I've bought that wasn't quite what was advertised was a set of Jack Pads for 3 Ton Jack Stands (38846). The packaging specificly said it would work with the 38846 jack stand however it turns out the 38846 jack stands that I bought have a different jack saddle (not a deep v as other HF jack stands) and the jack pads didn't fit properly. They ended up getting cut up on my car's pinch rail. Will probably have to go the "hockey puck" route at some point. That's where you cut a slot down the hockey puck for the pinch rail. The problem stems from the potential for the pinch rail to bend or collapse using jack stands that are not designed for cars that have jack point's with pinch rails. Jack stand with incorrect jack saddle: Jack pad on jack stand: Had one of the freebee HF 7 Function Digital Multimeter where one of the probe lead wires shorted out (a pop and smoke) and I had to re-solder the probe lead to the wire to fix. This video explains how to do it. Apparently this is a common problem with these multimeters. |
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I use a Harbor Freight airbrush http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/mossie500/32F939C5-CA6E-44BE-BB9F-F497A121DAA2.jpg My skill level isn't very high but they look OK on the shelf http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/mossie500/40BF2C59-EFA1-431A-84EC-761DACD0F8D5.jpg View Quote Looks better than any model I've ever built. |
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The only time I frequent Harbor Freight is when I need a tool that I know I'm going to destroy within it's first use and need a cheap tool I don't care about. Aside from that, Harbor Freight sucks. For the most part they do. But my FIL has started purchasing some items from HF for his farm needs. He is extremely frugal on his purchases and will not waste money on crap products. You have to be careful what you buy from HF. Yep. Here's one for the haters of everything. Yugo UF made with a "dark and dirty bore" parts kit that is accurate, 100% reliable and made with some HF tools. http://i.imgur.com/yDjubB2.jpg Let the GD raging haters begin. http://www.harborfreight.com/folding-trash-bag-stand-90430.html I have that trash bag stand for my recycled aluminum cans. Those cans have bought me and my friends alot of ammo! |
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Fortunately HF is too far away for me, won't go out of my way to go there. I have a Northern Tools just a few miles away and go there first if I need tools or anything View Quote Northern is pretty much HF, but with yellow signage rather than orange being about the only difference. |
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I've broken more craftsman ratchets than I have HF ratchets (the newer ones).
I've broken an equal amount of Craftsman (US) sockets and HF sockets. And even then, very few of either. |
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I buy all my tools from harbor freight the first time. If one breaks I go out and buy a high quality one. Some tools you only use for one job that might be really light and then it collects dust for the rest of its life. If it's used enough to break it then I get a good one because it's probably a high use tool.
Over the past few years of doing this over 90% of my toolbox is still harbor freight. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
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Never been in that store. I don't get the fascination with it. They sell tons of specialty tools and gadgets you can't find at any othe store aside from Northern Tool. Albeit they're Chinese copies of the real thing that costs 10 times more but it's better than nothing for the price. Example -- good luck trying to find a slide hammer blind hole bearing puller at Sears. For $40 to boot. That's a $300 tool if bought from a professional tool maker. their not that expensive Wear? |
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I have purchased a few items from them. For the most part they seem decent for the money. Then again I don't use them for any commercial work.
Now the bench grinder I purchased from them was not very good. Right out of the box it would vibrate itself off the table. Once I bolted it down it would vibrate the table across the floor. Took it back and picked up a replacement from Lowe's and have no issues since. |
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I have one of these, it's pretty decent for a small shop or garage. I have numerous much larger Ellis belt sanders in my Fabrication shop that I can compare to. And for the size and price, it is one hell of a good tool for the shade tree mechanic that will definetly help out more than one would think. I run a very large metal fabrication shop, and I won't bring these in there, but to say the small harbor freight unit is no good would be foolish. I cannot think of another similar product that isn't substantially more expensive that can do what this does. In the professional fab world, time is money. For the guy that needs help getting g a project done a bit faster and more consistent, the harbor freight sander fits that role and is affordable.
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Yup, best sorce for cheap bolt cutters to grind into Trunnion rivet tools. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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HF was a godsend during the AK building craze. Yup, best sorce for cheap bolt cutters to grind into Trunnion rivet tools. Oh yea, forgot I bought those too for that very reason. |
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The only time I frequent Harbor Freight is when I need a tool that I know I'm going to destroy within it's first use and need a cheap tool I don't care about. Aside from that, Harbor Freight sucks. For the most part they do. But my FIL has started purchasing some items from HF for his farm needs. He is extremely frugal on his purchases and will not waste money on crap products. You have to be careful what you buy from HF. Yep. Here's one for the haters of everything. Yugo UF made with a "dark and dirty bore" parts kit that is accurate, 100% reliable and made with some HF tools. http://i.imgur.com/yDjubB2.jpg Let the GD raging haters begin. http://www.harborfreight.com/folding-trash-bag-stand-90430.html And we have typical GD response #2! |
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Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: The only time I frequent Harbor Freight is when I need a tool that I know I'm going to destroy within it's first use and need a cheap tool I don't care about. Aside from that, Harbor Freight sucks. For the most part they do. But my FIL has started purchasing some items from HF for his farm needs. He is extremely frugal on his purchases and will not waste money on crap products. You have to be careful what you buy from HF. Yep. Here's one for the haters of everything. Yugo UF made with a "dark and dirty bore" parts kit that is accurate, 100% reliable and made with some HF tools. http://i.imgur.com/yDjubB2.jpg Let the GD raging haters begin. http://www.harborfreight.com/folding-trash-bag-stand-90430.html And we have typical GD response #2! |
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I use a Harbor Freight airbrush http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/mossie500/32F939C5-CA6E-44BE-BB9F-F497A121DAA2.jpg My skill level isn't very high but they look OK on the shelf http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/mossie500/40BF2C59-EFA1-431A-84EC-761DACD0F8D5.jpg View Quote Do yourself a favor, get a Badger. When I decided to customize my rifle stock, I tried using a HF airbrush. I quickly switched to a Badger and I noticed a considerable difference in my ability to control the pattern and flow which helped immensely in doing the fine, detail work. |
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Read the reviews before you buy. Stay away from anything with a power cord (although their angle grinder seems to get good reviews). I like HF
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Do yourself a favor, get a Badger. When I decided to customize my rifle stock, I tried using a HF airbrush. I quickly switched to a Badger and I noticed a considerable difference in my ability to control the pattern and flow which helped immensely in doing the fine, detail work. <a href="http://s339.photobucket.com/user/mackattack2005/media/Rem700%20progress/23.jpg.html" target="_blank">http://i339.photobucket.com/albums/n477/mackattack2005/Rem700%20progress/23.jpg</a> View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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I use a Harbor Freight airbrush http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/mossie500/32F939C5-CA6E-44BE-BB9F-F497A121DAA2.jpg My skill level isn't very high but they look OK on the shelf http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/mossie500/40BF2C59-EFA1-431A-84EC-761DACD0F8D5.jpg Do yourself a favor, get a Badger. When I decided to customize my rifle stock, I tried using a HF airbrush. I quickly switched to a Badger and I noticed a considerable difference in my ability to control the pattern and flow which helped immensely in doing the fine, detail work. <a href="http://s339.photobucket.com/user/mackattack2005/media/Rem700%20progress/23.jpg.html" target="_blank">http://i339.photobucket.com/albums/n477/mackattack2005/Rem700%20progress/23.jpg</a> I had an almost 20 year break from the hobby and decided to get back on a budget. If I end up building more and better quality kits I'll probably pony up for a nicer airbrush. While the number of kits and level of detail available is incredible the cost is just WOW! and I'm not quite willing to pay $100 for an airplane kit so as for now,the occasional cheap kit from Ebay and the value sprayer is keeping me entertained. I'm not one of those freaks who needs supposedly perfect color matches and will complain about a panel line being 2mm wrong,if something loses looks like an FW-190 from 10 feet then I'm happy enough |
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Their Taiwanese sockets & spanners are usually much better than the Indian or PRC-made stuff they have. You just need to look carefully at the package. Some of the older Indian-made tools were particularly vile.
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<a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/derek45/media/C93D9DFF-6269-48F8-9FDA-1A2371AF6BE8_zpsb78956a1.jpg.html" target="_blank">http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v488/derek45/C93D9DFF-6269-48F8-9FDA-1A2371AF6BE8_zpsb78956a1.jpg</a> http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=imgres&cd=&ved=0CAYQjBwwAGoVChMIz72MmKjdxwIVAVc-Ch01qwgv&url=http%3A%2F%2Fs18.postimage.org%2Fomjbm65nd%2Fhazfra04.jpg&psig=AFQjCNG7hE0tQcRnldk1R9qD35Rj6rcrpg&ust=1441453852868568 http://i1247.photobucket.com/albums/gg635/mrtoolfool/hf1_zpsa197121c.jpg View Quote I'd buy a meglinator. 21,000 meglinations per minute, can't beat that. Would be a display item only though for me since I don't currently do any meglinating. |
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I have good luck with a lot of HF stuff but I never expect more than subpar performance out of it. Usually it's just if I need this tool for one job, if it lasts for more than that, great.
A lot of the automotive specialty tools are actually pretty good - e.g. bearing/race installers, pullers, slide hammers, torque wrenches, etc. Great source for zip ties, tarps, and other disposable items like that. I bought one of their gas powered wood chippers, and got it for close to half off. The checkout lady honored several coupons in addition to their 30% off sale they were having, so I got the $400 chipper for like $220 after tax. Then a couple weeks later it sheared off its own crankshaft just past the oil seal of the motor, when it decided to suck in a sapling that I was trying to feed slowly into the hopper. I brought the whole thing back and they exchanged it for a new one no questions asked. Also FYI I've read that their P51 Mustang RC airplane is actually a very high quality basic airframe and makes a great starter RC with a couple small upgrades. Going to pick one up at the next sale, my 2 year old son would love to watch it fly. |
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I use a Harbor Freight airbrush http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/mossie500/32F939C5-CA6E-44BE-BB9F-F497A121DAA2.jpg My skill level isn't very high but they look OK on the shelf http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/mossie500/40BF2C59-EFA1-431A-84EC-761DACD0F8D5.jpg View Quote Your skill level looks pretty damn good to me! |
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You can get a circular saw for 10 dollars. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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Never been in that store. I don't get the fascination with it. Actually, you get a blade, electric motor, and switch for $9.99 |
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They sell tons of specialty tools and gadgets you can't find at any othe store aside from Northern Tool. Albeit they're Chinese copies of the real thing that costs 10 times more but it's better than nothing for the price. Example -- good luck trying to find a slide hammer blind hole bearing puller at Sears. For $40 to boot. That's a $300 tool if bought from a professional tool maker. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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Never been in that store. I don't get the fascination with it. They sell tons of specialty tools and gadgets you can't find at any othe store aside from Northern Tool. Albeit they're Chinese copies of the real thing that costs 10 times more but it's better than nothing for the price. Example -- good luck trying to find a slide hammer blind hole bearing puller at Sears. For $40 to boot. That's a $300 tool if bought from a professional tool maker. http://www.sears.com/search=blind%20hole%20bearing%20puller%20set |
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<a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/derek45/media/C93D9DFF-6269-48F8-9FDA-1A2371AF6BE8_zpsb78956a1.jpg.html" target="_blank">http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v488/derek45/C93D9DFF-6269-48F8-9FDA-1A2371AF6BE8_zpsb78956a1.jpg</a> http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=imgres&cd=&ved=0CAYQjBwwAGoVChMIz72MmKjdxwIVAVc-Ch01qwgv&url=http%3A%2F%2Fs18.postimage.org%2Fomjbm65nd%2Fhazfra04.jpg&psig=AFQjCNG7hE0tQcRnldk1R9qD35Rj6rcrpg&ust=1441453852868568 http://i1247.photobucket.com/albums/gg635/mrtoolfool/hf1_zpsa197121c.jpg View Quote gotta love this ad and others like it . gd |
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Never been in that store. I don't get the fascination with it. They sell tons of specialty tools and gadgets you can't find at any othe store aside from Northern Tool. Albeit they're Chinese copies of the real thing that costs 10 times more but it's better than nothing for the price. Example -- good luck trying to find a slide hammer blind hole bearing puller at Sears. For $40 to boot. That's a $300 tool if bought from a professional tool maker. their not that expensive Wear? The OTC 4571 set is retail $199.95. You can find it cheaper if you do some digging. |
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I cannot stand the smell of the store and on the two occasions I went in, my girlfriend said I smelled horrible when I got home. Soooo I stick to online now. View Quote Oh my God... that's THE BEST PART! That cheap Chinese petrochemical rubber scent that permeates the store. It smells like... savings and cancer. |
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For the most part I have been pleased with what I bought.
The cheapo items I assumed were disposable like flashlights... Gloves... Etc. Tools aren't really that bad. I have several of their nail guns and use them a bunch. A couple of power saws and some hand tools like mauls, squares, levels. Overall for the weekend homeowner I think they are a great low cost alternative for a lot of otherwise expensive items. |
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I use a Harbor Freight airbrush http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/mossie500/32F939C5-CA6E-44BE-BB9F-F497A121DAA2.jpg My skill level isn't very high but they look OK on the shelf http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/mossie500/40BF2C59-EFA1-431A-84EC-761DACD0F8D5.jpg View Quote that's cool i used HF airbrush for brownells GUNKOTE at $20, you can fuck em up and not care |
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The one here has a whole wall of name brand tools such as DeWalt, Makita etc....
I buy their orange grinders by the case load. They will last grinding long enough till someone drops one from 100 ft., runs over it with a cherry picker or drops something that weighs a few tons on it. |
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I have had their 2" hydraulic knock out set for over 4 years now and I use it almost weekly. I originally bought it for a side job and expected to throw it away after I was finished. It uses the same threads as Greenlee and I've done more 4" holes than I can count. Ithe was the best $89 I've ever spent.
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Never been in that store. I don't get the fascination with it. View Quote If you are going to use something once or twice and then let it sit unused and don't want to spend a lot of money for it, it can't be beat. I got a drill press for $55. It worked fine and it will be used rarely if ever again. If I couldn't have gotten one that cheap I would have muddled through with a hand drill. |
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Never been in that store. I don't get the fascination with it. They sell tons of specialty tools and gadgets you can't find at any othe store aside from Northern Tool. Albeit they're Chinese copies of the real thing that costs 10 times more but it's better than nothing for the price. Example -- good luck trying to find a slide hammer blind hole bearing puller at Sears. For $40 to boot. That's a $300 tool if bought from a professional tool maker. http://www.sears.com/search=blind%20hole%20bearing%20puller%20set Those aren't sold by Sear but sold by others through the web. You can't find them in the Sears stores like you can at HF. |
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Yep. Here's one for the haters of everything. Yugo UF made with a "dark and dirty bore" parts kit that is accurate, 100% reliable and made with some HF tools. http://i.imgur.com/yDjubB2.jpg Let the GD raging haters begin. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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The only time I frequent Harbor Freight is when I need a tool that I know I'm going to destroy within it's first use and need a cheap tool I don't care about. Aside from that, Harbor Freight sucks. For the most part they do. But my FIL has started purchasing some items from HF for his farm needs. He is extremely frugal on his purchases and will not waste money on crap products.You have to be careful what you buy from HF. Yep. Here's one for the haters of everything. Yugo UF made with a "dark and dirty bore" parts kit that is accurate, 100% reliable and made with some HF tools. http://i.imgur.com/yDjubB2.jpg Let the GD raging haters begin. 100% reliable, huh? Which parts came from Harbor Fail again? |
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The OTC 4571 set is retail $199.95. You can find it cheaper if you do some digging. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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Never been in that store. I don't get the fascination with it. They sell tons of specialty tools and gadgets you can't find at any othe store aside from Northern Tool. Albeit they're Chinese copies of the real thing that costs 10 times more but it's better than nothing for the price. Example -- good luck trying to find a slide hammer blind hole bearing puller at Sears. For $40 to boot. That's a $300 tool if bought from a professional tool maker. their not that expensive Wear? The OTC 4571 set is retail $199.95. You can find it cheaper if you do some digging. $200 is not much better than $300, when you can get it for $40 at HF. The Snap-On one might even be more like $400. Question No. 2 -- Do you know where that tool would prove to be very handy when working on a vehicle? |
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Quoted: I cannot stand the smell of the store and on the two occasions I went in, my girlfriend said I smelled horrible when I got home. Soooo I stick to online now. View Quote Not too long age when they built one here I went in got hit in the face with that smell and I wondered if they all smelled that way. Guess so. Never-the-less, I've gotten some decent deals there. |
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