User Panel
Harbor freight is like McDonald’s.
Looks really good Tastes really good. You regret eating it minutes after you finish eating. |
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Nothing like the pungent smell of Chinese rubber products wafting across the land when they have a parking lot sale.
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I’ve had 2 aluminum “racing” jacks from Harbor Freight (1st was stolen) and they were both awesome. Never lost pressure. I could have bought a Snap-On, but why pay 4x the price for a product made by unskilled labor with mobility problems.
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It's the store for the "happy homeowner" who needs to occasionally use a tool for small projects and home repairs.
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I like the petite Chinese girls you can get after hours at the loading dock.
Don't eat much and aim to please. Happy to be here. They usually know enough Engrish to get by too. |
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Pitts Pro stuff seems to be in the middle of phase out. That stinks because it was an amazing bang for buck.
Tool boxes are amazing bang for buck. I tested them vs most of the other sub-$1,000 boxes and no comparison. Buy nothing with a battery. Doyle is good. Icon is good. Pitts Pro is good. Check the Garage Journal thread before buying |
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Quoted: Pitts Pro stuff seems to be in the middle of phase out. That stinks because it was an amazing bang for buck. Tool boxes are amazing bang for buck. I tested them vs most of the other sub-$1,000 boxes and no comparison. Buy nothing with a battery. Doyle is good. Icon is good. Pitts Pro is good. Check the Garage Journal thread before buying View Quote This man speaks truth. |
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Harbor freight has a lot of stuff that might not stand up to full time pro use, but is plenty good for the homeowner and Hobbiest.
Where else can you walk into a retail store and find a large assortment of automotive spray guns on display?. I've gotten GREAT results painting rifle stocks and radio control planes with their $15 touch up sprayer and $39 gravity feed sprayer. I have a $22 auto sprayer I use just for spraying insecticide!! -Same darn sprayer Lowes sells for $39, and Sears use to sell for $45. |
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Their hook and loop backed 7-1/2” wool buffing/ cutting pads cannot be beat for the money at $9 each. Same for their blue and yellow polishing pads.
Heavy mil nitrile gloves, box o rags, terry towels, shop towels, microfibers - all waaaay cheaper than anywhere else. Same for chip brushes, tarps, bungees, etc. all that kind of stuff. While I have Milwaukee, Dewalt, Klein, Knipex, Greenlee, etc tools for work - I keep Harbor Fright and Ryobi tools on the boat as there’s a high likelihood they may go for a swim. Have done well for what I need them for - occasional/ disposable use. |
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Quoted: This. For all the whining Arf does about China it sure loves HF and Walmart View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: Avoid harbor freight at all cost. This. For all the whining Arf does about China it sure loves HF and Walmart Do some research, WalMart is one of the few store chains that carries thousands of Made in USA products. But it's much cooler to bash on an American company that employs Americans. |
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Lol
I’ve got 7 year old smoke and noise machines running like raped apes. I’ve got a ten yr old big shop compressor (admittedly I had to re-wire it) but I only paid 200 bucks and it’s still going. I’ve got a 5 yr old 20 ton log splitter that won’t stop. Some of their stuff is good and will last me a lifetime, like the big OG 72” general box and yellow Daytona jack. |
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Quoted: Some are made stateside with global parts. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: I know. A lot of Dewalt is made in China ironically. Some are made stateside with global parts. Out of curiousity, I just checked my box of Dewalt nails. Made in Poland. POLAND! Who has anything made in Poland? |
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Quoted: Do some research, WalMart is one of the few store chains that carries thousands of Made in USA products. But it's much cooler to bash on an American company that employs Americans. View Quote Do more research, Walmart as a company gives money to Dems and Michael Bloomberg/ Everytown. Why do you like gun control so much? |
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Their Invertor Predator generators are fantastic for the $. I have owned quite a few over the last three years in the food truck business. We beat them to death and they work… very well. And unlike many products they keep getting better. They have upgraded features every year.
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Quoted: I know. A lot of Dewalt is made in China ironically. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: Careful. Arfcom GD is full of Dewalt junkies I know. A lot of Dewalt is made in China ironically. Hey - leave my brand new Dewalt jobsite saw out of this HF discussion. Actually, this thing is damn good for a simple garage table saw... Attached File |
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Quoted: https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/3561/HarborFreight-184804.jpg My data points are old, but stay away from battery powdered stuff and really cheap anything! View Quote That tool has a lifetime warranty. |
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Being really rural I don't have the chance to shop Loews or HD at will. 40 minutes away is HF. I have to fix almost everything that breaks around here. So far after 12 years of retirement I have nothing bad to say about HF. When I was in business I had 70 folks and never spent a dime with HF. JUST WOULDN'T CONSIDER IT. Now, after being very careful in selecting what I buy from HF ( STARTED WITH RED RAGS AND SANDPAPER ETC.) I'm getting a bit less suspicious. I've not purchased anything with an engine yet and probably won't. No big ticket electrical items as mine are all still good from when I outfitted my shop post retirement. One thing that I HAVE dropped some coin on there is the welder group. I have a Titanium Stick Welder, Plasma Cutter and Multi Process Welder. So far so good. Each one does what it's supposed to do and all in I saved a TON of money considering what I can do in my shop now.
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Quoted: Do more research, Walmart as a company gives money to Dems and Michael Bloomberg/ Everytown. Why do you like gun control so much? View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: Do some research, WalMart is one of the few store chains that carries thousands of Made in USA products. But it's much cooler to bash on an American company that employs Americans. Do more research, Walmart as a company gives money to Dems and Michael Bloomberg/ Everytown. Why do you like gun control so much? Were you a Benchmade fanboi? |
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Generally speaking, HF is one of the sites where you can trust the reviews. If the scores are bad, the product is bad. If the scores are good, the product is good.
Don't buy HF expecting SnapOn quality though. Be reasonable. |
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Garage Journal has threads sorting out the good stuff from the bad stuff.
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Ready to get high from all that Chinese chemical smell when you walk into the store.
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Jack stands (6 ton and 3 ton), floor jack, hand tools, vice, air tools, sockets, rags, zip strips, PPE, tape, extension cords, drill...all good (I blew my vice up trying to press a U-joint out of an F-150 drive shaft one time, they replaced it with a new one for free even though it was my fault. I haven't repeated that mistake)
Tool boxes look good but I went with a Menards Masterforce box, it was too good of a deal for an excellent box. |
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I’ve been happy with a few things from Harbor Fraud- tarps, HPLV sprayer, and an oil-free air compressor. A lot of their shit is disposable.
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Didn’t expect this many replies ! Keep ‘‘em coming . I have a much better idea now , but keep posting please
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Compressors, floor jacks, torque wrenches, impact sockets, socket adapters/extensions, Merlin branded air tool connectors and such... they're all working well for me. Deadblow hammers, other hammers adjustable and pipe wrenches. Just about everything I get there is decent. A/C manifold gauge set, 2-stage vacuum pump, tire inflators, digital calipers, saw blades, sacrificial screwdrivers. I dunno, I don't have a problem with most of their stuff. The mechanics gloves, and rubber gloves are decent, use them all the time. Those pop-up led lanterns are bright. The alkaline batteries seem ok. The cheap batteries are really cheap, but if you're using them in "give away" flashlights and stuff, it's cheap. Jack stands have been working for years. Wheel chocks. Receiver tongue. I have so much stuff from there, and the failure rate is really minimal.
Sure, it's all chinese stuff, but without taking out a loan, or draining my bank account, it's the way I can get the tools I need to wrench on the stuff I own. At least the owner of HF seems like a decent guy that's not woke. |
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Quoted: China is bad. Wasting my money on US made shit costing 4x more is bad. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: So China bad unless it's convenient or saves a couple bucks... I think if people were more honest about their positions they'd be happier. China is bad. Wasting my money on US made shit costing 4x more is bad. What handheld power tools are still made in the US? |
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LOL at the virtue signaling.
Good luck finding a roller cover, 18ga pneumatic staples/brads, tool bags, and similar consumables not made in China. Yeah, maybe I can go on McMaster-Carr and pay 5x the price, pay shipping, and get a roller cover that may be made here, maybe, if it exists. Except I'm not going to do that with something when I going to paint stucco and throw it away after 20 minutes. I almost never buy anything there without a coupon. Things like Frog Tape or Gorilla Glue I can get for way cheaper with 20-30 percent off, or I can virtue signal and not buy from that store because 90% of their stuff is made in China. I also buy masking tape, chip brushes, work gloves, pneumatic staples, and similar consumables with coupons because I don't virtue signal and think that spending two hours of my time searching for made in USA and spending 3x the price for a roller cover is going to made any difference other than wasting time I'll never get back and money I could use for something else. Personally, I avoid all their power tools and almost any of their hand tools unless it'll be a one time/very seldom use item. The once exception was their Chicago Electric 10" tile saw I bought a few years back for a project. Way cheaper than the name brands (most also made in China IIRC) and a wash with renting a one. |
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Quoted: This. For all the whining Arf does about China it sure loves HF and Walmart View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes |
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