• Registered: 2012-10-21
  • Posts: 56

Topic: Harbor freight tools

So I was in a harbor tools today getting Digital caliper, I saw employees wearing t shirts that said Quality tools, i give it a double take to see I misread it, if it quantity tools, and no it was quality tools. As I checking out he asked if I wanted a warranty, I then asked it doesn't come with a warranty, no you have to buy one. 7.00 dollars for one year and 20.00 dollars for two years. I then said the warranty cost more than the tool.  He laughed and said yes. Then I replied no thanks I'll gamble and see if it will last more than year.

  • From: Queens, NY
  • Registered: 2014-05-17
  • Posts: 600

Re: Harbor freight tools

pro-tip. any item that is on sale at HFT is not that high of quality. everything else is pretty good.

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3 Reply by fiasco (edited by fiasco 2015-11-07 05:47 PM)

  • From: Lyndeborough, NH
  • Registered: 2011-05-22
  • Posts: 843

Re: Harbor freight tools

Another pro-tip: Any tool purchased at Harbor Freight will eventually be used as a hammer.

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  • Registered: 2012-04-22
  • Posts: 19

Re: Harbor freight tools

Another pro-tip: HF calipers are excellent for scribing parts. Mine have even lasted over a year being abused.

  • From: Buxton NC or Truckee CA
  • Registered: 2013-03-25
  • Posts: 836

Re: Harbor freight tools

I'm a huge HFT fan. Painting a car? For 10$ more you don't have to clean the gun when you finish.

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  • From: Staunton, VA
  • Registered: 2012-05-16
  • Posts: 606

Re: Harbor freight tools

Most of their hand tools have a life time warranty. I cracked one of their ratcheting wrenches after hitting it with a HF hammer. They replaced it no questions asked. Unless you're up pretty high on the tool food chain, it's all coming out of the same plant in China.

  • Registered: 2012-10-21
  • Posts: 56

Re: Harbor freight tools

Rate your best hand tools.
1. Snap on (cost the most)
2. Mac (same money as snap on)
3. Cornwall (it's been a long time, maybe it's Cornwell)
4. Kobalt (Lowes)
5. Husky (HD)
6. HFT (Pittsburgh)
I forgot my favorite from my much younger days.
2.5 Craftsmen (Sears)
There are many others, I just can't remember them.

8 Reply by billybobster (edited by billybobster 2015-11-08 11:56 AM)

  • From: SF, CA
  • Registered: 2015-02-11
  • Posts: 592

Re: Harbor freight tools

I'm also a HF fan. Some stuff is 100% crap, but some is good to excellent. Also, use the coupons. And, there's always a coupon for something free. Get it and give it to a high school auto shop to help engender future LeMoneers.

There is a 389 page (srsly) thread at Garage Journal on what's good/bad at HF - http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/show … hp?t=27192

Here's what I've got from HF that I've had for a while and use a lot (or have gotten rid of). I have some other things but not enough time on them to really judge. Your mileage may vary because apparently some shipments are great, some crap because of metal quality variations.

- Excellent - 3 ton steel jack stands, 100 pc security bit set

- Good - Pry bar

- Crap - $10 Dremel-ish thing

- HF is also a good source for the ubiquitous "1.5 ton aluminum racing jack" - wait for a coupon. Didn't get mine there but they are all the same jack.

And here is a must have for Lemons building - a pneumatic scraper - 25 dolla. I love this tool. As y'all know, there is a lot of scraping crap off a car. I would say if a team doing a build didn't have a compressor, you should buy one just to use this tool. I'm a pneumatics noob, but their air tools seem to be OK and way inexpensive, which is Good.

http://www.harborfreight.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/i/m/image_13524.jpg

25X Loser - Delinquent Racing - '86 Rust-Tite Merkur - 9 years (when do I get to stop?).
  • From: Cleveland, OH
  • Registered: 2011-09-03
  • Posts: 2,227

Re: Harbor freight tools

Most of HF is passable tools. The big thing to remember is the tool isn't necessarily ready to use out of the box. Things need properly lubed and sometimes properly fitted/broken in. That seems to be a hunk of where they save cost.

Pneumatics are good (but be sure to lube the heck out of them), some of the bigger electric tools (angle grinders, vibro thingys, sanders) work fine but you have to take breaks with them once in a while or they burn out. The money you save is in Duty Cycle time.

The piles of crap are the little electric stuff that looks like the box should say "as seen on tv" And some of the hand tool cutting edges are less than ideally tempered.

Basically if you see something and in your mind say "Yea that seems like the price it SHOULD BE" you're usually fine. If you say "OMG that's so cheap What a deal" Probably much less so.

Also always check the reviews on the website for any substantial purchase.

Oh and for ranking, as someone who DOESN'T make their living with their tools, You never really need to spend Mac, Cornwall, Snap-on money unless you need some weirdo special tool. 10 hour a day/6 day a week guys need those tools for their superior comfort, and ergonomics. But weekend shmucks would do better spending their extra money on beer or tires.

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10 Reply by OnkelUdo (edited by OnkelUdo 2015-11-09 09:48 AM)

  • Registered: 2011-10-14
  • Posts: 4,167

Re: Harbor freight tools

Oh and for ranking, as someone who DOESN'T make their living with their tools, You never really need to spend Mac, Cornwall, Snap-on money unless you need some weirdo special tool. 10 hour a day/6 day a week guys need those tools for their superior comfort, and ergonomics. But weekend shmucks would do better spending their extra money on beer or tires.

I make a couple of exceptions to this rule.  Line wrenches for one...learned my lesson.

I once owneda  vast collection of vintage craftsman, mac, matco, lisle and snap-on tools.  All bought for pennies on the dollar at garage sales BEFORE Ebay.  Sadly stolen during a stint in Iraq but I still believe certain tools are worth the tolerances inherent in professional grade tools...but not many.

  • Registered: 2009-10-21
  • Posts: 229

Re: Harbor freight tools

Put this in the excellent list ...
http://www.harborfreight.com/3-8-eighth … 66313.html

http://www.harborfreight.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/i/m/image_16272.jpg


I keep buying them and leaving them in other people tool boxes (no one has enough ratches for group work day)... they quickly become the "no gimme that one" tool

Jeff
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  • From: Gilbertsville, PA
  • Registered: 2009-12-22
  • Posts: 3,251

Re: Harbor freight tools

littleturquoiseb wrote:

Put this in the excellent list ...
http://www.harborfreight.com/3-8-eighth … 66313.html

http://www.harborfreight.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/i/m/image_16272.jpg


I keep buying them and leaving them in other people tool boxes (no one has enough ratches for group work day)... they quickly become the "no gimme that one" tool


I have the SK version of that.  Very good to have.

Also, Costco had a 2 (1/2?) ton aluminum/steel "hybrid" jack they were selling for 99.00.  SOOO much better than about anything HF sells.  When they had them for $79.00, I just grabbed another one and put it into the rental garage.

I purchased the 1 ton engine hoist for 99.00 and 6.99 shipping.  It arrived with only about 60% of the parts in the box.  Glad there was 1 at work I could borrow.

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13 Reply by BoB

  • BoB
  • BoB
  • Lemons Staff Stalker
  • Offline
  • From: Elmhurst, IL
  • Registered: 2009-05-01
  • Posts: 4,206

Re: Harbor freight tools

As you go there you start finding what worth the money and what isn't.

Things that are idiot proof, like their self bleeding kit.  Its a hose a plastic bottle and some ends.  Kind of hard to screw it up and they far cheaper than a parts store.  Same with their 1/2 breaker bar. Plus it saves the 1/2 torque wrench that tends to be the longest tool you can use a socket on.

Actually for sockets the Black ones are good, the chrome ones I have heard lots of bad things about.  These are great for those sizes you always need extra, like you use on your lugs or that one weird sized bolt that you need to get off that is too big for everything you have.  Sure you can spend $20 on a high quality on or get a set for like $7 that includes it and a bunch of others that may be needed someday.

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  • From: Buxton NC or Truckee CA
  • Registered: 2013-03-25
  • Posts: 836

Re: Harbor freight tools

And yet HF doesn't sell a 1.375" socket. No redeeming qualities about that store if they won't sell me this specific socket to get the flipping cam bolt off this B18.

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  • From: Cleveland, OH
  • Registered: 2011-09-03
  • Posts: 2,227

Re: Harbor freight tools

OnkelUdo wrote:

Oh and for ranking, as someone who DOESN'T make their living with their tools, You never really need to spend Mac, Cornwall, Snap-on money unless you need some weirdo special tool. 10 hour a day/6 day a week guys need those tools for their superior comfort, and ergonomics. But weekend shmucks would do better spending their extra money on beer or tires.

I make a couple of exceptions to this rule.  Line wrenches for one...learned my lesson.

I once owneda  vast collection of vintage craftsman, mac, matco, lisle and snap-on tools.  All bought for pennies on the dollar at garage sales BEFORE Ebay.  Sadly stolen during a stint in Iraq but I still believe certain tools are worth the tolerances inherent in professional grade tools...but not many.

I still count Line Wrenches as Weirdo tools. Mine live in my weirdo tool box with all my other weirdo tools that just get in my way when I need to do stuff but don't feel like digging around Feeler gauges, Line wrenches, Continuity testers, Windshield wiper pullers, ETC...that i probably won't use more than once or twice a year.

One of these days I need to buy an actual tool cabinet.

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88 Thunderbird "THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO!", Ex Astris, Rubigo / Semper Fracti
A&D: 2014 Sebrings at Sebring (NSF), 2014 NJMP2 Jurassic Park (SpeedyCop), 2012 Summit Point J30 (PiNuts)
2018 Route Sucky-Suck Rally Miata, 2019 World Tour Of Texas 64 Newport

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  • erich
  • Paddock Rat
  • Offline
  • From: Vancouver BC
  • Registered: 2011-12-09
  • Posts: 91

Re: Harbor freight tools

There is only one answer for brake line and such:
http://www.mbzponton.org/valueadded/maintenance/fuelswitch/Fig3.jpg

17 Reply by billybobster (edited by billybobster 2015-11-09 04:31 PM)

  • From: SF, CA
  • Registered: 2015-02-11
  • Posts: 592

Re: Harbor freight tools

Those are quite nice.

These are nice too.

I bought two and have barely used them. But I don't care because they are so cool and will someday reward my appreciation.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41s-XgSjppL._SX466_.jpg

25X Loser - Delinquent Racing - '86 Rust-Tite Merkur - 9 years (when do I get to stop?).
  • Registered: 2011-10-14
  • Posts: 4,167

Re: Harbor freight tools

One of the things I really need to find is a decent full sized grease gun.  My harbor freight one basically exploded spewing grease out of every orifice.  I use a cheap mini gun for the trailer tool kit (hitch ball, weight distribution bars, door hinges) but since I have now disassembled 90% of the front end of my truck I think I will need about 36 oz of grease to replace all that was lost replacing the 45 rotten boots (seriously GM, the ball joint/tie rod end quality seems excellent, why cheap out on the boots?) and baby grease gun is not going to do it.

Suggestions in the bargain-ish gun.

  • From: Gilbertsville, PA
  • Registered: 2009-12-22
  • Posts: 3,251

Re: Harbor freight tools

OnkelUdo wrote:

One of the things I really need to find is a decent full sized grease gun.  My harbor freight one basically exploded spewing grease out of every orifice.  I use a cheap mini gun for the trailer tool kit (hitch ball, weight distribution bars, door hinges) but since I have now disassembled 90% of the front end of my truck I think I will need about 36 oz of grease to replace all that was lost replacing the 45 rotten boots (seriously GM, the ball joint/tie rod end quality seems excellent, why cheap out on the boots?) and baby grease gun is not going to do it.

Suggestions in the bargain-ish gun.

I think I got my pistol grip full size from Wally World.  maybe 20.00, plus a flex hose.

Silent But Deadly Racing-  Ricky Bobby's Laughing Clown Malt Liquor Thunderbird , Datsun 510, 87 Mustang (The Race Team Formerly Known as Prince), 72 Pinto Squire waggy, Parnelli Jones 67 Galaxie, Turbo Coupe Surf wagon.(The Surfin Bird), Squatting Dogs In Tracksuits,  Space Pants!  Roy Fuckin Kent and The tribute to a tribute to a tribute THUNDERBIRD/ SUNDAHBADOH!