Harbor Freight

[Allen]

Have any of you noticed how much Harbor Freight has raised their prices the past couple of years? Sure, their quality has improved on some items but other items are exactly the same as they were years ago.

Prices on everything have increased over the past 3 years but HF seems to be catching up and equal to other places of business. They no longer print and mail the sales catalogs with the coupons---it's done on line now. I'm sure that's a big cost savings but how many of us bought things at HF that we didn't need or hadn't thought of buying till we had a catalog full of coupons in our hands?

Then there's the warranty's. I'd much rather have to contend with a warranty issue at WM, Lowes or HD rather than HF.

If something can be bought cheap enough and work like their $15-$20 4" angle grinders then it doesn't matter much but the cheap, good buys seem to be getting quite few and far between. Still, other items can only be found at HF. I recently bought a 20 ton press there and at a good price.

The past couple times I visited their stores I found them to be near empty of customers and left empty handed myself.

[dryheat]

They did sell some awful stuff years ago. My angle grinder did not work and I took it back. My belt sander got enough sawdust in the electrical switch box that it caught fire. I rewired it and put a new switch in. Made a new box for it and used it a few more years. I used to say, you could hopefully buy a hammer there that wouldn't break. They have some pretty nice things now. I don't need a vise but I really would like to have the one I saw there. Probably the tightest operation I've ever seen. Only $65. The files actually file.

The guy who started Home Depot (he's ninety now) said, today he would only own about sixteen stores. People don't build things like they used to. Last year they had a whole collection of giant Huskey tool boxes for about a $1,000. This spring they knocked about $#200 off. They aren't moving, which I can understand. A few guys will buy those because they really need them. A few guys will buy one just to show off.

[dogtag]

Couple of years back I bought a small circ saw -
switch didn't work so I had to make new one as I'd
tossed the receipt. Wrenches I bought were fine as
all else I bought. Don't like the set of ratchet swivel head
wrenches I bought, but that was my fault for buying them.

You'll note that when inflation ends, prices don't come down.

[PWC]

Never had a problem with hand tools and consumables like sand paper and discs and the like. Pressure washer, portable air compressor, framing and finish nail guns all still work after several years. Power painter, not the gun: first one did not turn on right out of the box. Returned, asked of I bought the warranty, no...manager and I had a discission; I didn't want money back. I wanted a unit that worked. Other customers were watching...I got a new exchanged unit, amd a preferred customer card (discount card)...painted my house 3 yrs ago, and card still works.

Only thing is I HATE GIVING MONEY TO CHINA. I could go to Home Depot, Lowes, Ace Hardware and buy name brand stuff "assembled in USA" from foreign made parts, or in truth, products made in China, Tiawan, Mexico, Viet Nam (spit!) or Bangladesh and pay a higher price.

Truth is, if I buy a power tool from HF and it only lasts for that job I can replace it " cheaply".

We have done it to ourselves, yup it was me too; I wanted it cheaper too, and we forced our American manufacturing capability to leave this country.

[dryheat]

Couple of years back I bought a small circ saw -
switch didn't work so I had to make new one as I'd
tossed the receipt. Wrenches I bought were fine as
all else I bought. Don't like the set of ratchet swivel head
wrenches I bought, but that was my fault for buying them.

You'll note that when inflation ends, prices don't come down.
Prices come down like a deflated balloon. Not as fast as the ascent. If at all.
I have a set of those ratchet head wrenches and I have never used them. I rearranged the tool box a while back and took note of that.

[dryheat]

Ross Perot said, -that giant sucking sound you hear will be our jobs going south-

[Vern Humphrey]

The last thing I bought at Harbor Freight was a pound of Harbor Freight Red for epoxy coating cast bullets.

[one shot]

chineseium steel makes quality hand tools if I must say myself.

[dogtag]

The trouble with the ratchet swivel head wrench is that
you need both hands to position it on the nut otherwise
the head keeps swivelling itself out of position.
It's very frustrating.

[Allen]

They make some cheap crap, we've come to know this but they make some good stuff too and over the past few years they have started selling some name brand items as well.

Sure it's Chinese and whatnot but you find that everywhere regardless of what label is on it.

Point is, you don't find many "good deals" there like you use to. Price wise it seems to be becoming more like HD, WM, Lowes and Sears if they were still with us, and you still have to watch out for the junky items.

To me the store is becoming less attractive to shop at. I use to shop a lot on ebay. Now I shop a lot on WalMart on-line. I only go to HF for something specific that I can't find anywhere else.

[dogtag]

I never understood why a mechanic would pay through the nose
for Snap Ons when Sears' Craftsman brand was excellent and a
whole lot cheaper.
Same goes for previous brands Mac and Proto.
I have a bunch of all 3 (used -Car swap meets)
I do like Protos I must admit.
Actually, I just like double ended wrenches.

[lyman]

I never understood why a mechanic would pay through the nose
for Snap Ons when Sears' Craftsman brand was excellent and a
whole lot cheaper.
Same goes for previous brands Mac and Proto.
I have a bunch of all 3 (used -Car swap meets)
I do like Protos I must admit.
Actually, I just like double ended wrenches.

peer pressure,



I remember when you could take a Craftsman tool in to the Sears store and exchange it

Grandpa had some tool that did not work(he was a carpenter) and the old dude that worked the counter was a former coworker of his from back in the day

got a new whatever it was,, but it took over an hour of chatting about the old times etc etc,


not that I minded, it was good to hear the old stories ,


all long gone now,

[Allen]

I never understood why a mechanic would pay through the nose
for Snap Ons when Sears' Craftsman brand was excellent and a
whole lot cheaper.
Same goes for previous brands Mac and Proto.
I have a bunch of all 3 (used -Car swap meets)
I do like Protos I must admit.
Actually, I just like double ended wrenches.

I worked for about a year as service advisor at a local Chevrolet dealer. I got to know a lot of mechanics and I too, being raised on a farm, did some auto work. Of the brands you listed Craftsman was the only brand you could buy in a store and a lot of mechanics did own some of their tools.

The thing about Snap-on, Mac, Proto, etc is they made a lot of specialty tools that couldn't be found anywhere else, plus they came to you. I know you've seen their "bread truck" looking vehicles. Their tools cost 2 or 3 times what the "off the shelf" brands cost but some of them offered payment plans, probably in the form of CC's now.

Over time Craftsman quality went down hill too and in the later years of Sears they did not want to warrant their hand tools. At least that was my experience with them.

All of them offered life time replacements (except as noted above). Not so at HF, but, of course the price is lower and some tools you may only use once or twice. Those who use tools on a daily basis for their employment accept having to pay more for quality.

[RED]

Snap On was never a tool company, they were a finance company who charged a horrendous amount of interest.

[dogtag]

I still have my Sears Radial arm saw - still works fine
which is more than I can say for me.
My Drill Press died a few years back - replaced it with
one from HF. Also have a small lathe from HF. Both work OK
but obviously limited in what they can do unlike the Sears
versions which I bought in the early seventies (probably 71/2)

[kj47]

WhenI worked at the body shop snap on stopped by weekly and yes I was on the payment plan.

[dogtag]

I exchanged a Craftsman tool years back. It was a small (about 3 1/2" long)
small phillips ratchet. Head just spun so exchanged it at Orchard which
sold Craftsman. Only had a much bigger version as mine was discontinued.
Now even the Orchard has gone.