Big sale @ Harbor Freight...

i have one and they work well.

I did not like the one speed it had (real real fast) but it was worth it for the bits.  Tossed it for a Dremel 3000 which I love.

You can buy the variable speed AC version for $20 and 249 bits for another $16.

I haven't bought much at Harbor Freight but whatever it was I did buy broke relatively quickly. Their Ratchet Quick Release Clamp, Pipe Clamp, even a screwdriver for God's sake, broke after a couple of uses. I keep going back though. I just returned with some $.59 paint brushes that I will use soon now that I'm in the scenery phase of layout construction. And because I suppose I like to torture myself, I also bought a heat gun ($8.99) for replacing electrical tape splices with heat shrink tubing. If that lasts through the winter I'll be surprised. 

I think of Harbor Freight as a tool rental place except that instead of returning the stuff to the store you just throw it in the garbage.

Anybody ever buy their small bench grinder with attached rotary tool? I was wondering if 

they are worth it.

Thanks, franktrain 

I bought an angle grinder from there once that smoked halfway through the second wheel.  I should've bought $12 worth of lottery tickets instead.

I buy my work gloves there.....the white ones with anti-slip grip....so when I get them oily I toss them....and at fifty cents it's OK.

The other end of the spectrum is our $200 engine hoist that has been a workhorse going on 10 years now......R/R many a engine and still woo\rks 100% today.  Same for the engine stand bought at the same time. Just depends I guess......

They sell a brand called "Pittsburgh" tools. IMO that is an insult to ALL American workers. Chinese junk.

I think of Harbor Freight as a tool rental place except that instead of returning the stuff to the store you just throw it in the garbage.

I believe you have tapped onto their business model.

I like them for a tool or tools that I'll only use once or twice.  For tools I use all the time, I like to buy quality tools.

I bought a really nice looking Aluminum Jack there for my dad for Christmas one year.  It  is now a shelf queen after not so many uses. I quit buying junk after a bad year where everything I bought broke for no user error what so ever. You have to be a really smart shopper now with all the imported crap filling our landfills today. 

Stay way from HF, if you need tools go and buy quality items. It is nothing but junk that HF sells. Why are they still in business is beyond me. 

Check the fluid level on the jack. Those really aren't bad for the $$. A number of guys on one of the Corvette forums were all complaining as well and the fluid level was the problem.

I looked for a US made one forever as my Blackhawk is about 50 years old and weighs as much as it lifts!! I certainly believe anyone walking in the door knows what they are getting. It's no mystery...

I have a friend who is a general contractor who buys quality tools at very high prices... mostly, but buys a lot of common tools from Harbor Freight because he has a lot of part time seasonal crew who lose so many hammers, screw drivers, and such that he finds it cheaper to buy cheap stuff.

He also uses HF for the tools that he needs for once in a blue moon uses.

As for me, they have a great guarantee and suit my needs perfectly.

Harbor Freight has its place. My 5 dollar Paasche H look alike gets used for weathering and scenery. They have a mini screwdriver set, one handle many tips for 4 bucks that we use at work all the time. You could do watch repair with it.

I would buy the dremel attachment set but not their rotary tool. The one at work weighs half again as much as a genuine Dremel and the chuck requires a wrench. Pretty clunky to use.

Pete

didn't realize my post would stir such emotions...

HF has its place. I purchase stuff that can't really be screwed up without obvious signs- zip ties, heat shrink tubing, dremel attachments, and my sandblast cabinet. Would I purchase a hang glider, a garage lift or dynamite storage cabinets? I may shy away from that kind of stuff...
All my "real" hand tools are snap on, mac or craftsman. 

Know what your getting, and when you pay $3.00 for something, don't expect too much.

Where else could you buy an electronic flyswatter for two bucks?  

(BTW:  There are instructions on the Web for converting one of those to a static-grass machine!)

And don't forget another great name in the hardware biz...Chicago Pneumatic!

Gosh, with so much negativity posted for its products, one would think this place should be renamed Harbor Fright.

I purchase small things; for example a box of rubber gloves for painting & scenery work. A 10 pack of electrical tape, etc. never any tools.

I have many tools from there, usually tools that don't require heavy duty usage, or used just a few times. I have a bench top belt/disc sander that gets used a lot and never had a problem. Their air eraser comes in real handy for stripping and weathering, but not a tool that gets used a lot. Of course their dual action air brush is a favorite...for $20 you can't beat it, even if they are disposable after leaving them sit around for months after using them.

I agree that most of their stuff is junk, but the store and their tools do have a purpose. The 2 wheel blue dolly I bought 10 years ago for $50 was the best $50 I ever spent on anything. That thing has saved my back 1000 times and been borrowed by friends and family a plenty. 

It's kind of like going to Costco for me, I can't get out of there under $100 on stuff I didn't plan on buying!

I was on a Habitat for Humanity build.  They supplied all of us with Chinese tools.  I thought it was funny.

I bought a couple of service carts there, I took one and added two shelves and dividers and use it to store what ever comes off the layout rolling stock or locomotives, the other one I use for tools and scenery supplies. Both roll under the lay out out of the way. So far so good with them.

My best buy from HF was two 4' long and one 5'long steel "knock together" work benches, giving me 13' of work space.

They aren't heavy duty, they rattle and wobble, and they are a real PITA to move or clean, but for under $300.00 I have gotten six or seven years of use out of them and that ain't bad.

Thanks for the heads up!!!!

I also agree that HF is a good place to buy a tool you will only use once.  And then toss it.

Like others, I bought this for gunsmithing. Mine works remarkedly well for light duty stuff. Two 360degree planes of rotation.  It was "on sale" for $22, then a 20%off coupon. It came mis-assembled, I had to fix it. Lol.

Just back from Harbor Freight. Bought the 249 piece dremel tool kit, minus the rotary tool, 6 way magnifying visor, and 35 piece miniature screw driver kit for <30 bucks with tax.

After reading the reviews on the visor I removed the included lamps and plan to use the the two bulbs and slide switches on train projects.

Such a Deal.

Pete

Perfect description!

I usually only buy stuff there for uses as you describe, or something I plan on abusing, like beater screw drivers...the ones you use for everything but their intended purpose.

Although I have gotten a few things there that are actually fairly decent. One was a 2 wheel dolly for $35, it's very nice and well made. Another was a small digital amp meter for about $10 or so that gunrunnerjohn mentioned in a post a year or so ago, it's very nice also. Also have gotten some small to medium storage containers/boxes that are real nice for the price too.

Anyone know why do they always have multiple 'Item #'s' for everything?

There's always a big sale at Harbor Freight. 

Macy's is just as bad these days: "40% off our already reduced prices!"

Does anybody pay "full price" any more?  (trick question)

Only for that special train item that you waited too long to buy, and all of a sudden you must have it when they are almost no loner available

And the trains you run would be what?

I find comments like these entertaining. The Chinese are perfectly capable of producing quality products. As capable as are Americans. Americans (Especially model railroaders who are notoriously cheap) like to buy products from Harbor Freight because they are inexpensive. So that is what Harbor Freight caters to. To make a blanket statement like "Chinese junk" is ridiculous.

Bought a mechanics creeper for the "other" hobby today. They had 4 registers open and lines down the aisles...

If I may add...

There are a lot of good tools around here that don't leave the place. However, I have had many occasions when I needed tools in the car. The likelihood of good tools staying in the car when it's parked in some places approaches nil. On the other hand, a cheap set of sockets, screwdrivers etc. flung under the seat in the car will probably still be there even if somebody ransacks your ride. The tool you have at hand when you need it is way more valuable than the really good one a hundred miles away.

I have also bought a lot of those decidedly light-duty five- or ten-dollar tool kits for young people going into dorms or apartments, because nobody in a dorm ever has tools (you can drive in loose nails with a high-heeled shoe; ask me how I know.) Bonus points if the set comes in a hard plastic case for easy storage. The kid got a cheap set when he was just old enough to know how to use tools, but not old enough to remember to take care of them. I wouldn't pitch the clone Dremel that came with the set, either. You never know when your main one will break or disappear when you need it. You can also pass those along to crafters or women who do their nails a lot. I confess my big cordless Dremel probably isn't the best thing to use to fix a cracked thumbnail. The dollar-store Dremel clone works fine for that precisely because it's light and low-powered.

--Becky

Don't forget Menards....they advertise with OGR..

Alan

quote:

I have also bought a lot of those decidedly light-duty five- or ten-dollar tool kits for young people going into dorms or apartments, because nobody in a dorm ever has tools

Each of my kids was sent off to college with a small tool box with a few basic items.

I've purchased rotary tool bit sets from Harbor freight. IMHO, the sanding drums, arbors, and cut off wheels make them worth the sale price. I don't think much of the high speed cutters. The ones I have, and have seen are various shaped shafts, with some sort of abrasive bonded to them. I rarely use cutters anyway.

As far as Harbor Freight tools go:

I think their better floor jacks are good for home use. In fact, I returned a small Craftsman one, and purchased a Harbor Freight model.

I will also buy Harbor Freight tools for one time or very occasional use. If the tool turns out to be useful, I usually will end up getting a higher quality one.

Finally, Harbor Freight has items that just aren't all that common elsewhere. Not too long ago I needed something to pump out the tanks of a defunct water softener. They had just the thing for less than ten dollar.

Not trying to add fuel to any fire, but aren't most trains made...uh...somewhere else than here?

Yeah, same here with the hoist, friends borrow it alot and it just pulled my 265 flathead 6 with a tranny and no problems....nearly 850lbs there I'd guess.

I wouldn't buy air tools there or wrenches as I like my old standbys{craftsman}, but the rest there is fine. 3' lead inspection scope for $50...heck yeah.