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I need to blow off steam! Yesterday I purchased a 18volt rechargable reciprocating saw at Harbor Freight. I did not read the fine print and realized when I got home that the battery was not included. So today I went back to purchase the battery and found out the battery did not include the charger. I didn't see the charger on the display and ask the clerk for a charger. After about 10 minutes the clerk said they don't have the charger in stock- try their web site. When I got home I logged on to their website and found that the item is discontinued!

You have to watch what you buy from them, some stuff is good others OK, than you get the crap like you are talking about.

Ed

I realize that some people buy a lot of stuff at Harbor Freight,and some people actually seem to get a good deal there.Now I am not a real top of the line tool buyer,but most of the stuff I have seen there is pure junk.My tool boxes are filled with 90 percent Craftsman hand tools,which are not exactly top of the line. They are however head and shoulders above the stuff sold at Harbor Freight.I call Harbor Freight a junk store.But to all of you who shop there,Good Luck,and I hope your tools do the job.

I have bought one good tool from Harbor. It was a Cambell-Hausefield compressor, made in USA. I have bought maybe a dozen inferior tools from there. The last 2 tools I bought there broke on the first use and had to be returned for refund. That's 2 separate 100 mile round trips to return junk. I won't be back.

Their stuff is cheaper and what I call odd ball in some instances. I learned a long time ago, you basically get what you pay for with most tools and that the cheapo handtools can cost me way too much skin off my knuckles, hands, etc. I know some will bash me saying Snap-on and the like are overpriced, but if you use it on a daily basis to earn a living, it is worth not bleeding. Harbor freight may be great for hobby applications.
Hank

True, you get what you pay for. Harbor Freight sells a pneumatic cut off saw for less than $20. Its a superb tool. I'm a carpenter and use it at least once a week to cut nails, bolts, etc. I've had it for a couple of years and it still works as good as new. Some of the stuff that HF sells is garbage, so I'd like to change the saying "you get what you get, sometimes cheap is good"

Chris

Hehehe.

That is why the name is Harbor Freight.

Their tools come in handy when something goes terribly wrong and you need to throw something in the harbor.

Hehehe

Lol, that should be their new advertising campaign slogan! You should sell it to them for cash rather than a store credit though.

i guess i need to keep trying with them. i read posts about people who buy something and it lasts for years. i have never seen this once! i have to admit i stop in for consumables, like right now their 10 pack 3" cut off wheel pack is 4.49, 100 razor blades 2.49, 1200 pack cable ties 5.99. but every time i got some actual tool it went belly up pretty quick. surely my luck will come up if i start tryin again.

Pop told me that when you buy tools, go ahead and buy the best and take care of them, that way you only have to buy it once and you'll always have it. Seems to hold true as far as my experience is concerned.

your pop gives good advice, you get what you pay for.

I agree with ya 'mater.

Hank

Most of my hand tools are Craftsman tools bought about 40 years ago. Very few have broken and they were replaced for free,

All of my air tools are Harbor Freight (Central Pneumatic regular or "Professional" series, whatever that means) that I bought about 10 years ago. They have now seen over 10 years of work on 3 frame-off restorations. I doubt if I will do another frame-off restoration, so those tools have admirably served their purpose.

I have strained them, abused them, and heavily used them: 1/2" impact wrench, 3/8 ratchet wrench, 3* high-speed air cutter, 1/4" air die grinder, and high speed metal saw.

I have not bought many electric-motor tools at Harbor Freight but the 4 1/2" angle grinder will not give up (no what what abuse I put it to).

In all cases, I waited to buy the tools when they were on 1/2 price sale - at that time there was free shipping and no tax.

Yes, I agree that I always hope that I get what I pay for when I buy an expensive tool.

However, I owe those inexpensive tools nothing and I smile every time I consider how much the name-brand expensive tools would have cost.

Tim

I have to agree with tclederman I too have had great luck with their air tools. I can buy them cheap and I have yet to have one fail on me. In fact they have a 3" die grinder that I bought for 7 bucks. (they are no sale often) I have never oiled it I have abused the hell out of it and I have been known to trow it across the floor under a truck or two and the dang thing won't die.
Then again I bought a cheap sawzall for 30 bucks and the thing broke within 30 minutes of use.
I hate their hand tools they are always off on their sizes but then I sit back and remember that some 7 year old kid in China that made that tool really doesn't know what 7/8 is anyhow
Just kidding but seriously I have several of thier cheap air tools that have never given me a bit of trouble, I am just very selective when I buy from them but all in all they have saved me money.
just my .02

I bought one of their nail guns to use when we put up our pole barn/shop. It lasted through the entire project and still works fine. I usually only buy hand tools there when I know I will only need them on rare occasions or a one time project, otherwise I try to buy higher quality tools.

I have had Craftsman tools not work, break, become obsolete; they changed the plug on the replacement charger for my 7.5 volt cordless drill, they gave me a new drill! But that thing quit working for no rreason at all(wouldn't hold a charge) and new batteries were as much as a new drill if they had one so I bought the sexy phasor looking thing that cmes with 2 ion batteries and a charger, and that secret agent case it comes in that no body keeps, well the stand by battery seems to always be dead.

I sold harbor freight customer returns and discontiued stuff for a year or so. Their air tools are not bad (like a air body saw - 60$ napa on sale or 19$ at HF), their consumables, E-clips, woodruff key assortments, O-rings, are great priced. Overall, not terrible stuff, but if you aren't over stocked with tools like my shop is, at least buy crapsman. Most of their electrical tools like drills and saws are 1 good in 6, when something comes with extra brushes, it makes you wonder why they don't just make better armatures for the motors?

I buy gifts at harbor freight and give em to people I don't like much!

Everyone has at least one or two pieces of crap tools in their shop and yet we never seem to throw them out.

OK, I'm not a fan of the 90% Chinese made junk, but then I look around many places and they are selling the SAME junk, in a different color,... Cant flippin win!

Anyhoo, I have a few good tools from HF. I have a hide-a-way truck bed crane that folds down over the fender well, it works great and is always a source of tool envy. The big adjutable angle vise with pipe & standard jaws is a huge sucker and solid as steel gets. My 3.5 ton floor jack is years old and works great. I have a 10-ton pipe bender that gets it done quite well. And like tclederman I have a 4.5" angle grinder my father in law bought me that I have abused for about 10 years that is still kickin! (sounds like the bearings went out 5 years ago, but still works great)

On the other hand, I have bought some crummy tools there too. I'll never buy any hand tools from them again after having the wrenches spread under torue, spit sockets, and sheared screwdrivers. At least if that happens with my Craftsman tools I can goto any Sears and get new ones for the cost of the gas to get there.
As far as power tools, unless they are carrying some good name brands, I tend to stay away from them.

My important hand tools are either Craftsman or Snap-On. BUT! I have had bad experiences with them as well. Snap-On had a Mag-Lites knock off that was the cheapes POS I ever used, we destroyed a case of them at work in a week! Cost more, work less, muct be a politicians flashlight,... We also destroyed several Snap-On power tools, to the point we quit buying from them and I never bothered to buy any myself. I've killed several Craftsman drills, & I bought a Craftsman Dual-Cutter saw (awesome tool, super handy for my needs) and the motor melted down in my hand one day. Bought replacement parts, and it still didn't work & had to buy a new one (nobody else makes a tool that will do the trick, yet).

Comes down to needs, usage, and most of all, care.

When they come out with lithium batterys for my Craftsman 18v drill that won't stay charged 1 week I will be in line. Worst junk I ever bought from Craftsman.

I used to buy nothing but Craftsman and had good luck with all of it. They changed my mind the last two times I took something back that broke and instead of giving me new tools, they pulled refurbished tools out from under the counter and tried to give me those. So much for that lifetime warranty. I dont want somebody elses junk that they tried to fix. I have real good luck with AutoZone tools and NAPA tools since then.

harbor freight tools in hand tools a re a good source of raw materals for my forge and sometimes their cheaper than scrap metal for forging i keep finding them in the pick a part junkyards and on the side of the road all broke so in the forge they go and out comes a new wroght iron piece for someones home fun right sincerly joe

If you request a new tool (ratchets are the only tool under the refurbished policy) they will give you a new one instead of a refurbished.