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Old 02-14-2016, 09:11 AM   #81
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Location: Louisville, KY
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I bought a HF air impact gun that was absolutely NOT up to the advertised torque. Took it right back.
Got a Craftsman impact gun which is great but went back to HF and got their
best lug nut impact socket set and it's also fine.

I have a HF air compressor that's going on 10 years old and have had no
problems with it. It is old school with oil in the crank case so maybe that's the difference. It has many many hours of use and it's still fine.

I bought their longest 1/2 drive strong arm/breaker bar to use with my
hitch WD spring bars and it was a lot cheaper than name brands elsewhere.
But I'm not standing on it or using cheater pipes over the handle so it will
be fine.

I've found their best brand of HS drill bits to be pretty good too. Don't even think about getting their cheap drill bits....

Also have found their little 4" cut off grinder to be a bargain at $20 on sale.
I"ve used mine hours cutting re-bar for craft projects. Also know a guy who swears by the little grinder. He uses it at Habitat for Humanity and it get's lots of hard use. IF it dies after a couple years he's happy to
get another at that price.

Just recently bought the HF 5 gal portable air tank. Filled it at home.
Took it to FL and used it to blow out my lines 3 weeks later when it was
time to come back to cold KY.

Absolutely do NOT spend your money on their radiator hose clamp assortment! I got one and it appeared to be stainless but was in fact
aluminum and would strip out the band if you tried to tighten it much at all.
Total waste of money.....

Shop with caution and USE coupons and you can get a deal there on SOME things.
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Old 02-14-2016, 09:53 AM   #82
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Some things at Harbor Freight are gems. Many are cheap Chinese stuff.

I bought an aluminum ATV jack and an ATV stand at HF. The jack was $150 and the stand was $30. That stand alone if I had bought at a motorcycle shop would have been at least $100.

Air compressors there are pretty good. Sockets and impact sockets are a great deal.

One of the huge advantages at HF is just how much stuff they have. If you need a 30mm metric wrench or a 1-1/4" impact socket, there's a good chance they have it.

Northern Tool is a notch above in quality. They carry far more name brand stuff like Honda generators and Husqvarna landscape stuff. But they're not quite as cheap.

I have both near by so that's an advantage.

If you're ever headed down I-95 in SC, the massive HF warehouse is just a few miles after the NC/SC line.
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Old 04-10-2016, 04:21 PM   #83
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Location: Ray Twp, Michigan
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I order from Northern Tool every once in a while. There is no store near me.

Tractor Supply gets me a lot. I buy tons of stuff from them from Gun Safes to my Zero-Turn to their nuts and bolts by the pound! (By the pound pricing on that is really a good deal)

Harbor Freight is just what everyone has said. OK tools for light duty use. Some things you really get a good deal on. Other things break fairly often.

I have a whole garage of HF stuff. Don't waste your money on their drills. I bought one when my Dewalt died, thinking I would not need another drill/screwgun. Has hardly any torque. You can stop it with your hand. I did save mine though and use it to set down my stabilizers. I burned up a sawzall and an angle grinder.

They do have a bunch of neat little items. I like their caulk savers!

Caulk Saver

Items that are good to go are bench grinders, drill presses, bottle jacks, creepers. The Predator engines in their gas powered items are pretty good running engines.

Any higher dollar item, I will get the warranty. I bought one of their 8700/7000W generators (Predator engine) and it runs great starts on the first pull and yes, I got the extended warranty. I back-feed my main panel in my house when the power goes out and I can run quite a bit.

I have an engine stand and engine lift. (can't really break them) I have a cheap flux welder I taught myself on then I bought a better brand MIG.

I have a table saw and 12" miter saw - they work pretty good for my use. I built my clinic and shed and do projects around the house and they get used quite a bit.

I have about 6 of their free 25' tape measures laying around the shed and garage.

The mantra of Harbor Freight is:
"Everything eventually turns into a hammer."
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Old 04-10-2016, 06:56 PM   #84
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Great review Dr. G. I'm off tomorrow to get one or two chalk savers.
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Old 04-10-2016, 07:11 PM   #85
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allot of folks don't know that HF pittsburg forge tools come with a lifetime warranty just lid snap-on and craftsman. I have had very good luck with HF when supplying my ranch tool chest.
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