Harbor freight.

Rob Keeble

Member
Messages
12,633
Location
GTA Ontario Canada
There is now no doubt in my mind as to the value of this store. I think its fun to shop there. Sure some of the stuff can be iffy but if you into diy and fixing things outside of woodworking that require some specilized tools which you unlikely going to use like a pro would each day, then this is the place to buy those tools.
We got a similar place in Canada called princess auto, but they dont quiet feature same as HF especially in the price / discount dept.
So no trip to USA is complete for me without a stop at HF. This time we picked up a set to do ball joint repair and then saw a deal on a 3 ton low profile jack. I hemmed and hawed and decided to leave it. Stopped in at Larry and on the way back came to the conclusion it would make life that much easier when Vaughn and I tackle the biggest mechanical auto job i have ever considered undertaking in my life.
So we stopped in again just making it under the closing time wire to pick up a 3 ton low profile jack for $89. No 20% coupon allowed on this but it was already a reduced price. There are some great finds at HF and we got free goodies too like a multimeter for Vaughns toolkit. :)
Always hear about you guys mentioning the moving blankets and picked up a couple now i understand why. :) Got to be one of their best and for woodworkers i saw how Larry uses them in the shop for protecting furniture while in process or finishing process.


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I get a couple things there...but only after review by others!!! My corner chisel...had it for years...works great. Punch dyes for pen repairs...can't beat it. It is definitely one of those like it or not places.
 
Easily the most-used Harbor Freight product in my shop is the dust collector, which is one of their more "golden" finds. (After spending a bit more money to upgrade the filter.) Their moving dollies are also a great bargain...worth a lot more than they cost, in my opinion. I also use my HF dead blow hammers quite a bit. I keep one my my lathe for driving a spur center into a blank. (Off the lathe...I never drive wood onto a spur center that's mounted on the spindle. I value my headstock bearings.) And my HF close quarters drill has sanded many, many bowls and hollow forms over the years. But I got lucky on the drill. Stu got one at the same time I got mine, and his self-destructed within a month or so.

And Rob, I always forget you have a son named Vaughn.

Poor kid, being saddled with a funky name like that. :rofl:
 
Vaughn which of the two close quarters drills from HF did you get? I see there is a brown red one and a blue silver?

In Canada they always add a a to Vaughns name given the city of Vaughan. So we say Vorn and Canadians say Vaaaahn. But most of the time it ends up being hey Keeble.
 
Love HF. I have the dolly, a set of security bits (for all those crazy screw heads you come across from time to time, and a couple of dozen plastice small parts trays with lids. No more dumping our coffee cans full of odds and ends looking for that "one" nut, bolt, or washer. Moving blankets are on my HF to-buy list as is the 33' fiberglass electrician's wire runner.
 
Harbor Freight is a guilty pleasure. I love walking through the aisles and seeing what they come up with. The thrill of the hunt!
 
Vaughn which of the two close quarters drills from HF did you get? I see there is a brown red one and a blue silver?...

The one I have is orange, and it's been discontinued. It's pretty similar to the brown/red one...it has a keyed chuck. As seldom as I change sanding pads on it, I didn't see the need for a keyless chuck.
 
Thanks Vaughn.:thumb:

This five drawer service cart has been on my radar for a while.
http://www.harborfreight.com/five-drawer-service-cart-95272.html
The monthly flyer lists it on sale for $199.99 and I have a coupon for $169.99. I might try using a 25% off coupon on the $199.99 price which gets it down to $150. This is a very sturdy cabinet and there are several threads on other forums on pimping them out.
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=137365&highlight=harbor+freight+drawer


Ted the latest harbor freight flyer on their home page lists this one which appears to be the same just a different color pick for $100 on the sale with the coupon.
http://www.harborfreight.com/580-lb...iMTA5Ljk5IiwicHJvZHVjdF9p ZCI6IjMyNTkifQ==
 
Thanks Vaughn.:thumb:

Ted the latest harbor freight flyer on their home page lists this one which appears to be the same just a different color pick for $100 on the sale with the coupon.
http://www.harborfreight.com/580-lb...iMTA5Ljk5IiwicHJvZHVjdF9p ZCI6IjMyNTkifQ==

But for the paint and $200. http://www.grizzly.com/products/Rolling-Tool-Cart-w-4-Drawer-Tool-Chest/H7728

If its even as close to as nice as the grizzly cabinets it'll be real nice. I have one of the other grizzly cabinet stacks and have nothing but good things to say about them. Now I can't tell you if the glides are the same or not; if i had to hazard a guess that would be where you'd shave dollars on this.

Rob: I ended up with this right angle drill: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000XUHA8C/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Price wise it seemed competive and a bunch of other people claimed it was good. I have nothing to compare it to and haven't used it all that much so all I can do is hand wave and say "more options"!
 
Rob, I have the blue/silver close quarters drill from HF. Let me say: I have always tried to avoid anything there that has a wire attached to it, but in this case I had a one time need and buying the HF drill was just as cheap as renting one. I'm actually impressed with it....good power, a serviceable chuck (even though it is keyless) and it did what I needed. I was going to donate it to the local habitat restore, but it worked so well I've kept in case another "one time" use for it comes up. As I recall, using a 25% coupon brought the price down to $30. I should also mention: the first one had to go back, the chuck on it wouldn't work; I exchanged it and got the last one they had....this one works well.
 
I picked up the 69685 diamond wheel set from harbor freight. The big wheel is 1/4 thick and 1-1/2 diameter there are 2 others and a cheap arbor. For 10 bucks they cut hard stuff like carbide or tool steel that a file will not scratch. I used them in an air die grinder to cut some teeth in a gear that was really hard stuff. When I finished the wheel was not even marked. These were well worth the cost.
 
Wife hates when we drive by HF. She knows it's shopping time. Like a kid Ina candy store. Yes Vaughn the DC is great and at a good price. I did find the 4 inch drum sander rolls here at very good price. The store is a great store for us one offers.
David
 
Sure some of the stuff can be iffy but if you into diy and fixing things outside of woodworking that require some specilized tools which you unlikely going to use like a pro would each day, then this is the place to buy those tools.

Bingo. HF is the place to buy tools for occasional use. For example, I have a high quality angle grinder that is used about once a year for ten minutes or so. HFs $10.00 special would serve my needs well. BTW, their link V-belts are the best price around, great quality.
 
Yes, certain HF tools have a place in my shop. I tend to lean towards the "I want the best" mentality, but at the same time we all know many tool companies have been continuing to reduce the quality of their products in order to save money. In the end there are quite a few HF products that can still make the cut in my shop.

I have found my $15 HF angle grinder an amazing deal. I constantly reach for it, and I have had no problems with performance. No I don't grind and cut metal all of the time (I'm a woodworker ), but I have been using it quite frequently and I can't believe that I only spent $15.

Of course, the dollies and moving blankets have a warm and welcome home in my business. I definitely use many auto tools from them, including a 3 ton jack. But when it comes to woodworking there is almost nothing that has made it into my shop from HF. Granted, I am at a point in my woodworking career where capability and performance is the priority for my tools and machinery.

If I were starting to build my shop as a non-full-time woodworker there are certainly many HF products that are worth the plunge. Seriously, if you go on YouTube there are many, many videos teaching folks how to tweak Harbor Freight Tools and take them from "questionable" to pretty decent and nice tools.

Festool is sweet, but ain't nothin' sweeter than getting the same result for a quarter of the cost. :D

- Hutch
 
I tend to lean towards the "I want the best" mentality...

I lean that way too, even if my wallet leans the other sometimes. Between that and not having a Harbor Freight store in Alaska, I've never gotten too excited about them. I go to the Seattle area for business every once in a while and there's one right across the street from Woodcraft but I haven't set foot in it yet. Maybe next time, I'll take a look at their tap & die sets.
 
Oh, yet another thread about HF!

I view them like any other supplier. They have good stuff and ??? stuff. If you can't figure it out, then buyer beware, as with any merchant.
 
I'm wondering how many of the HF tools are made in the same factory as name brand tools, but with a different paint job?? I have a few HF tools that I use regularly, some I rarely use and they all serve my needs.
 
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