Harbor Freight love thread

[mtnbkr]

Harbor Freight has really stepped up their game, if you think they are still the HF of a few years ago, you should look again.

I was just in there today. Not for anything special, just a tarp and whatever else caught my attention (had a 25% coupon burning a hole in my inbox). I ended up with $20 worth of odds and ends, but no tools. I did fondle a number of their ratchets and notes they felt pretty good.

Tool-wise, I have a set of 6-ton jackstands (the minimum size tall enough for my 4Runner without building a pier of 2x4s), their heavy duty low profile floor jack (heavy beast, but stable and strong), a low profile creeper, and an air ratchet. Of all of that, only the air ratchet has disappointed me. It's noisy and slow. I bought it for spots too tight to turn a manual ratchet, but I seldom use it. At a whopping $10, I didn't expect much.

At 45yo and having worked on my own cars and stuff since I was a teen, I have a pretty decent set of tools. These days, I mainly find myself buying specialty stuff. However, as the quality at HF improves, I'll give them a fair shake.

BTW, that 15lb soda blaster is mighty tempting. Unfortunately, I don't have enough compressor for it. Mine is rated at 3.7cfm@90psi continuous, but you need 6cfm@90psi. I have an 8gal tank daisy-chained inline with the compressor, giving me 16gals of air, but you can run through that quick before the compressor kicks on, putting you back at the 3.7cfm rate. A consolation prize might be their portable media blaster. It needs much less cfm per the label. However, soda appeals to me because of the lower abrasiveness and environmental friendliness (reduced clean-up needs).

Chris

[RJ]

Sadly my wife has banned me from HF.

She says every time I go in there I come out with a bunch of stuff I never knew I needed.

Kidding. I love the place. In fact because of this thread as might zip up Rt19 tomorrow and stop in. Damn p-f enablers!

[RJ]

Sadly my wife has banned me from HF.

She says every time I go in there I come out with a bunch of stuff I never knew I needed. [emoji41]

Kidding. I love the place. In fact because of this thread as might zip up Rt19 tomorrow and stop in. Damn p-f enablers!

[mtnbkr]

Where's your free-with-purchase tarp/screwdrivers/magnetic tray?

Actually, there isn't one of those coupons this month since they've had multiple 25% off coupons recently (latest one ends today), but there will be a free-stuff coupon next month. I seen it!

I'm mildly ashamed I have been paying that much attention to HF's coupon schemes.

Chris

[Palmetto]

A wise friend of mine shared this electric tool acquisition method with me for home handyman:

First time: Buy HF tool, use it as required
Second time: Buy HF again, if he manages to kill a second one
Third time: buy higher quality.

Example: those oscillating tools, he was going to buy expensive one. Went with HF and still using it. Saved about $100

[willie]

I collect tools similarly as do some women who collect cook books but can't cook. I've been told by a highly qualified machinist(not internet)that some of the Snap On Tool wrenches now made in China are the exact ones sold by Harbor Freight. I believe the information but can't verify it. In years past there was a great difference between high grade tools and lesser brands. In my case and for many others, the Harbor Freight items suffice. My wife too has banned me from HF. By the way, they make a couple of nifty arbor presses.

[Coyotesfan97]

I need some more metric sockets and I need some metric wrenches. HF here I come.

[Rich@CCC]

I collect tools similarly as do some women who collect cook books but can't cook. I've been told by a highly qualified machinist(not internet)that some of the Snap On Tool wrenches now made in China are the exact ones sold by Harbor Freight. I believe the information but can't verify it. In years past there was a great difference between high grade tools and lesser brands. In my case and for many others, the Harbor Freight items suffice. My wife too has banned me from HF. By the way, they make a couple of nifty arbor presses.

I worked for Matco tools for a short time about 25 years ago. My job was to take parts out of a crate from China, assemble them and place them in a crate labeled "Made in the the USA".

[JRB]

A wise friend of mine shared this electric tool acquisition method with me for home handyman:

First time: Buy HF tool, use it as required
Second time: Buy HF again, if he manages to kill a second one
Third time: buy higher quality.

Example: those oscillating tools, he was going to buy expensive one. Went with HF and still using it. Saved about $100

This methodology works great for an item that gets occasional use. But if it's something you'll be using a lot, and it has moving parts, such as a ratchet, an impact gun, anything electric - I recommend the name brands.

I have a Snap-on 3/8 drive electric impact that I adore and use the crap out of - it's gutsy enough to break lug nuts loose. Similarly, I've got a small 1/4in drive Milwaukee electric ratchet that has a nice tiny little head and can get all kinds of places. H-F has no comparable products at any price.

I collect tools similarly as do some women who collect cook books but can't cook. I've been told by a highly qualified machinist(not internet)that some of the Snap On Tool wrenches now made in China are the exact ones sold by Harbor Freight. I believe the information but can't verify it. In years past there was a great difference between high grade tools and lesser brands. In my case and for many others, the Harbor Freight items suffice. My wife too has banned me from HF. By the way, they make a couple of nifty arbor presses.

That is a piece of exaggerated hearsay that refuses to die - much like the M16's aren't reliable and AK's cant hit a barn sorts of hearsay.

The H-F combination wrenches are profiled to look a lot like Snap-on wrenches, but they're definitely made of different steel. The finishing work is much nicer on the Snap-on stuff, too.
As far as Snap-on stuff made in China, generally speaking, if it's a Blue-Point branded item it's made in China, and if it's Snap-On it's made in the US. That isn't always the case but that's generally how it works.

That said, the H-F combination wrenches haven't ever let me down in any way. There have been a few cases where they sat a tad loose on a damaged nut or bolt, but a 6-point socket is the best bet for those scenarios anyway.
I do occsionally wish for 6-point combination wrenches just to help break loose damage nuts/bolts in tight areas, but that hasn't happened enough for me to ever buy a set.

[LittleLebowski]

SnapOn outsources and uses the same factories as many other "manufacturers."

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/...d.php?t=249851