Harbor Freght Tools?

collegefbfan

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What are items you buy there for normal use? Do you buy stuff there for detecting? Has anyone bought a pressure washer there? Any replies would be appreciated. Thanks
 
What are items you buy there for normal use? Do you buy stuff there for detecting? Has anyone bought a pressure washer there? Any replies would be appreciated. Thanks

I bought a rock tumbler from there that was pretty low cost and works well. I bought it before I realised that tumbling clad was a waste of time. :lol:
 
I've bought a few things from them, they are not close by so I don't get there that often.

The are other things I got from them, but what I can think of off-hand is an electric drill, a circular saw, a survival knife, a Cen-Tech Pinpointer, a multi-meter, replacement wheels for a hand truck, tarps, and other stuff I think.

I'm not saying everything they sell is worth getting, but I always try to research customer reviews first online before buying stuff just to be sure a particular item doesn't have really bad reviews.

EDIT TO ADD: cheaper inexpensive stuff obviously might not last as long as things you pay a premium price for, so keep that possibility in mind, so far my stuff has been holding up okay.

If something is really low cost you might feel you get your money's worth even if it just lasts a year or two, as long as it's something that won't be a safety issue if it goes bad.
 
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They sell a lot of Chinese goods, probably 99% of their lot. Some of it works, for a while. The manufacturers know we’ll be back for more. Be prepared for Chinese products to rise in price.

The last thing I bought was an LP blow torch to hit the weeds around my pond.

Yesterday, the hoist I bought for my zero turn mower exploded while descending.
 
Well, I'm pretty biased, but I say stay away. Only thing I got from there was the rock tumbler. Maybe if it's a 1 use tool, you might be ok, but I've seen poor results
 
Chainsaw sharpener, Tumbler, heat gun, reciprocating saw, gloves, tarps, pretty much throw away type tools. I’m satisfied with the tools.


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Their sockets and wrenches are lifetime warranty, and nothing wrong at all with them. Better than Craftsman at this point, at least they're still in business..

I prefer American made, but, with Craftsman gone, not much I can do...

<°)))>{
 
Their sockets and wrenches are lifetime warranty, and nothing wrong at all with them. Better than Craftsman at this point, at least they're still in business..

I prefer American made, but, with Craftsman gone, not much I can do...

<°)))>{

Craftsman is still in business, sold by Sears to Stanley Black & Decker. Craftsman has never made any of their own products, just branded items. For many years their product was made by Kd Tools (Gearwrench Manufacturer) who was owned by Danaher, NOW I believe spun off to Apex Tool.

Lot of changes, but all were made by someone else.
 
Craftsman is still in business, sold by Sears to Stanley Black & Decker. Craftsman has never made any of their own products, just branded items. For many years their product was made by Kd Tools (Gearwrench Manufacturer) who was owned by Danaher, NOW I believe spun off to Apex Tool.

Lot of changes, but all were made by someone else.

With that said ^

Are my Craftsman tools still under lifetime replacement warranty?

<°)))>{
 
With that said ^

Are my Craftsman tools still under lifetime replacement warranty?

<°)))>{

Yes, they will just be imported now and made by Stanley.. SBD claimed to have plans to slowly bring the Craftsman manufacturing back to the US, but they have a track record of cutting corners.....including wages, so they got my resignation LOL
 
Yes, they will just be imported now and made by Stanley.. SBD claimed to have plans to slowly bring the Craftsman manufacturing back to the US, but they have a track record of cutting corners.....including wages, so they got my resignation LOL

That's right, I remember now, Craftsman went overseas some time ago...

<°)))>{
 
I believe I'd read something regarding Lowes and Craftsman.

As far as HF goes, 90% cheap garbage. When I returned a roll of masking tape that was so old you couldn't even peel it off the roll....and they charged me a restocking fee? I told 'em to stuff it, and was done with them.
 
Over the past years we've bought loads of stuff from them, and, from what I recall, they've done pretty well. :good:

I bought the Cen-Tech Pinpointer, but, like others have said, the switch needed to be replaced after the first year. Just buy a switch online for around $2 to replace it. Other then that, it works great!

We've also purchased their 9-Function Metal Detector, it works very good and has good features for the price: Pinpointing, customizable discrimination, sensitivity adjust, and volume control are just some of the things it has. :mder:
 
I have seen too many HF tools come in to my shop for repairs so I generally don't mess with them but a couple of weeks ago I went in for a rock tumbler. It didn't work from the get go. The drive shaft runs through a vinyl tube which is supposed to help it grip the drum. Problem was, the shaft turned inside the tube and the drum sat there idle. Done with Harbor Freight.
 
I don't wish to rehash my HF horror story, but will just pass along my advice. If you need a tool that is guaranteed to work, shop elsewhere. If you want a tool and don't want to spend a lot of money, and you buy from HF, test it out IMMEDIATELY so you can send it back within the warranty period when it doesn't work.

-- Tom
 
Desperation

is the only way I will buy from them. Sunday afternoon, need the only hex key lost from your set? Other than that, they want way to much personal information for a sale. Sears is the same way. I avoid sears because I can find and bring to the register an item needed in 2 minutes. Cashing out takes 15 and you need a hand truck to carry out the receipt.
 
Some tools work fine if you don't push them too hard, some are junk from the get-go....all are cheap.
Just use common sense, pouches, belts and some tools and other things might be fine, my tumbler has been running for about 8 years.
Some might not work at all or fall apart quickly.
Quality is worth it but accessories from this place might get you by while you wait and save up.
My $15 pinpointer was cheap, the switch broke the first day, it was a hassle to adjust it and it didn't detect real far but despite all that it was a godsend over no pinpointer and really upped my enjoyment for the time I used it.
 
I have bought lots of tools from them. Got a big cement mixer that makes quick work of small to medium cement projects, i have mixed well over 100 bags of cement with it and borrowed it out a couple times, im sure it will last as long as I will be willing to mix and pour cement for myself when i need to. :D So many times i need a special tool just once and buying from them, you can get the warrenty and it does not need to be broken to take it back. So you could buy a pressure washer, use it, and return it for something else. Reminds me, i have a tile saw from there under warrenty for another year that I wont likely need anytime soon, so i could go use it to buy something else there. Some tools are junk but most are pretty good. Nothings like what it used to be, i have a lot of good tools passed down to me from my grandfather who was a machinist, stuff built back then was built to last. I have been seeing the import tariffs in the news alot and im pretty sure it would directly affect harbor freights prices since everything is manufactured from overseas.
 
I buy lots of C-clamps there on sale and things like gloves and zip ties. Not much electric tools. But I did purchase a 4 1/2" angle grinder there years ago on sale for about $15. Didn't use one much but thought it would be nice to have one handy for a little grinding. Figured if it burnt up I wouldn't be out much. I have cut and ground about everything with it and it's still going strong. Got a bench drill press also and it's done well. If I need a power tool that will get daily use I typically go with a better brand. My modified mini shovel I use on field detecting came from there and works really well. $7!
 
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