Harbor Freight tools thread.

Got a compressor from HF and it was nothing but problems. The piston pressure release valve never worked right, and when I swapped it the next one was even worse. The problem with spending that much money at harbor freight is the restocking fee. Could have just been a bad run of the model i got, but I took the money I could get back and bought one at lowes. Just a frustrating experience.

 

I have one that I've never had a problem with.

 

Picked up the new Gordon multi tool. Only $39.99 and with the inside track coupon even less! Was told they sell out as fast as they get them. Got the last one, all gone in less than a hour. Definitely worth the price! Even has a belt clip included.

 

1st Visit to a Harbor Freight (and probably my last)

So.....I visited a Harbor Freight store for the first time, I was in need of a few items:

1. 3-5 ton chain hoists- all made in China
2. 3-5 ton jack stands- all made in China
3. Soft shackle- only one, made in China
4. Wire cup brush for rust removal- only one, made in China

ended up walking out without purchasing anything;
sorry about the mini-rant

 

I would love if it were different, but we bought into that sh!t. If you can find any of those items, reasonably priced, made in the USA, I'm in. Inflation is killing me, and the prospect of Made in America.

 

I hate to say it but the Made in China quality vs the Made in America low end quality is about the same and the China stuff is about half as much. I guess you have a moral decision to make. I have to admit that I have failed that decision a few times.

 

Our politicians and corporations have sold us out. And they did it a long time ago. It is what it is. Unfortunately.

 

I have been impressed with the new icon hand tool line with harbor freight. Haven’t had any issues with the tools I’ve gotten so far, but the lifetime warranty is tough to beat when the store is right up the road. Also, have a few of the US General tool boxes and they are really well built.

 

I worked for an Industrial tool manufacture (owns several brands) the castings and a lot of sub assemblies came straight from China.
We put them together and would slap "Made In USA" on them, not assembled as the truth is

 

Let's keep politics out, this is a great thread.

With that said, tons of things are made in China whether we like it or not.

The subject has been discussed countless times in this thread, no need to constantly bring it up.

However, HF has a great number of tools that are of really good quality, and I've seen more than I care to admit being used in a professional environment.

It's also allowed many of us to pursue things such as maintaining our cars, starting and finishing a home project, getting into a new hobby, and more without breaking the bank.

I'd love to buy more things made in the USA, but really it's way out of budget for many of us. I'll be ordering a fixture tomorrow that'll set me back under $1k. That similar setup would set me back over $3k just for it to be made in the US.

 

I do ham radio towers. Crosby (made in USA) shackles are about 4x more expensive than foreign made ones. Yeah, they're a little better, but man.... I also scuba dive. US made Haskell (Ingersoll rand) boosters are more than 2x the cost of Chinese gas boosters. Even worse is the cost of rebuild kits. I can rebuild my current Chinese HP gas booster for about 1/10th of the price of what Haskell charges for a few seals and o-rings. I don't like it, but I'm not made of cash.

 

Seriously I must know. What did you expect walking in? Last I checked they didn’t have a made in the USA sticker anywhere on the door.

 

the title clearly states- 1st Visit to a Harbor Freight

 

Yes. So what did you expect walking in? A Boat store? A freight company?

 

1. 3-5 ton chain hoists
2. 3-5 ton jack stands
3. Soft shackle
4. Wire cup brush

 

They had it all at the advertised price, right? If you sign up for emails, you get even more discounts!

 

Hahaha!...alot of stuff is made in China and it has been going on for years.

 

Not to be a jerk, but "Harbor Freight" pretty explicity implies being shipped in / imported. Seems you picked up on the where from.

 

HaHa...I haven't been in my email account for almost 2 years!