Harbor Freight Tools

DelMN

Member
Got metric and sae deep socket sets from HF yesterday. They look to be good quality. I will mainly use them on 3/8 impact drivers. Generally use the 7/16, 1/2, and 9/16 sizes. What kind of luck do you guys have with them?
 

Harbor freight tools are good if you are looking for a cheap gift to give to someone who will probably never use them.

Sorry, but I have purchased a few items from Harbor Freight. None of them lived up to expectations, and some were non-functional right out of the box.
 
I have 2 sets of 1/2 inch drive deep impact 6 pt sockets--use them on my dozers and never had a problem
they are Pittsburgh brand and guaranteed for life
 
Your Harbour Freight and Princess Auto here in Canada are pretty much the same deal I think. Some stuff is crap, some stuff is good and some stuff you can beat the living $#!! out of and not break it. Look before you buy.
 
They live up to my expectations

perfom the job and a few more

really

those power steering and harmonic pullers

have brought the price down from $100 to $9.99

after about the third, or fourth use it's all
icing on the cake.

I don't know why you would expect more. It get's
beat to death.

you can't tell what you're buying anywhere anytime
uless it's some pro-line or off a truck

they might even sell the $9.99 ver for $32 on
special
 
I bought a 1/2" set of metric deep sockets in 1990; eventually one of them cracked about 15 years later. Took the single socket back to the store; clerk told me to get a new socket - and if they didn't have a single to take it out of a set.
 
while my regular tools are craftsman, when I need a really wierd tool for one time use.. like a 2 inch socket, 1 inch drive,, I just go to harbor freight... I have even broke a couple and still was cheaper than paying 75 bucks from snap on.. So yes, a lot of the odd ball tools that get used once in a blue moon come from there. sometimes i take tools and cut them down for working on backhoes... again.. harbor freight to the rescue... use them one time and pitch them to the junk tool box for another 10 years or so. Broke a gear puller on the hay baler the other day, so grab the next size down.. barley got the gear off but it worked, so the 12 set of gear pullers saved me at least 200 bucks and I have had them in the box for 6 years before I ever used em... JD baler is out pumping out bales. bearing replaced.. everone is happy.. next time on sale, I will replace the entire gear puller set. And the impact socket set, got one in every size and have save countless projects by have the six sided sockets to save the day.. all of which are harbor freight... but they get stolen and lost almost as quick as the expensive ones. my 3/4 inch drive set and one inch drive set are harbor freight.. again use them maybe once a year when a tractor or piece of equipment goes down and they are worth every penny paid,, because I could not afford the snap-ons and the cheapy ones are in my garage now when I need them.
 

I have been buying thier stuff for years. Mostly wrenches, sockets, handles and drill bits screw drivers. Bought a few of their HVLP spray guns. They serve there purpose. Low to alright quality. I don't make a big deal out of loosing any of them.
These are also the tools that I leave in the bed of the truck, trunk of the car, in the ATV's, in the tractor tool boxes out in the woods. I did buy a set of their 1 inch drive sockets to remove the rear axle nut on the 8N. The whole set cost about as much as a good name brand 1 inch single socket.
 
They have their place. I put together a very nice tool kit for my motorcycle for much less than Triumph wants for its very crummy factory tool kit.
 
I bought a manual tire changer from them for 29.00 the same one at Northern Hyd is over 149.00. It paid for itself the first two weeks I owned it.(and I have a flat on the mower right now)
 
I do a significant amount of auto repair on the side, and use mostly HF tools. The sockets are every bit as good as Craftsman, and have a better warranty. Sears clerks have in the past given me a hard time about "using them on an impact wrench," using my screwdrivers to pry with, etc.
Never did like dealing with Sears. The only warranty issue I ever had with HF was some items sold only in sets (like drive adapters), they want you to bring in the whole set for exchange.
 
Never had any problems out of their sockets, we used them on the farm carrying them in our truck tool box. Just in case some one tried to steal them.
 
I can't say about the sockets, but as far as I am concerned there are some great deals at HF. Lots of pure junk too, you just have to use some discretion, investigative work, and lots and lots of coupons. The coupons are everywhere, so make use of them. My last purchase there was a lawn mower lifter. TSC wanted $150. HF was $99.99 on sale, and I had a 25% off coupon, so 1/2 the TSC price. If the jack goes out next week, I am still happy. It has paid for itself. On the kitchen table is a HF list and a pile of coupons. My next big thing is the 44" tool cabinet. I will add on to it later. As has been mentioned, a lot of the things that I have bought there are one time use items, or something to just have on hand for future projects. Sunday I used two of the 10" wheel and tire assy's to make an old gas powered cement mixer mobile. I think I paid $2.99 each for the wheels a couple of years ago. If I only get to use it for one move in this sand in the yard, it beats the heck of wrestling it around on a 2 wheel dolly. So there are some good deals there, just know what you are buying and have reasonable expectations. Use the coupons. Use the coupons.
 
I first bought from Harbor Freight about 40 years ago when they had one store in California. A 1/2" air wrench for $20 always had more power than the two Snap-On ones I have owned. The half horse bench grinder I got back then has worn out a couple sets of bearings but is still working fine. My 10 ton floor jack jack still works fine for splitting tractors. Other things have not worked out so well. Bought a few sets of wrenches to use to make special tools. Just heat them up with a torch and bend them to whatever shape you need.
 
I have real good luck with the Harbor Freight wrenches and sockets.
Especially the 1/2 inch deep well impact sockets. Mine could not be abused more. They are the Pittsburgh brand.
If I have to grind or bend a wrench to get in a hard spot, do not feel bad like I did with SnapOn.
 
Boeing company has closed their Wichita factory after many decades of building planes here, and I went to their shop equipment auction yesterday. My friend and I had joked that there would be no chinese freight items since they were always known to have only top-notch equipment, but we were surprised to see a Chicago Electric battery charger among the Boeing items.
 
As some have said the quality is better than a few years ago but they still have limitations. I find them to be as good as the current crop of chinacraftsman for 25% the cost. My $20 HF 1/4-3/8 drive metric/fractional socket set has bailed me out several times because I keep it behind the seat of the truck. Same with similar sets I keep in the barn out at the farm. That being said there are no tools of that quality in the big roll away chest in the shop. I guess the bottom line with me is they have their place but,,,
 
(quoted from post at 06:38:36 07/23/14) As some have said the quality is better than a few years ago but they still have limitations. I find them to be as good as the current crop of chinacraftsman for 25% the cost. My $20 HF 1/4-3/8 drive metric/fractional socket set has bailed me out several times because I keep it behind the seat of the truck. Same with similar sets I keep in the barn out at the farm. That being said there are no tools of that quality in the big roll away chest in the shop. I guess the bottom line with me is they have their place but,,,

Craftsman tools USED to be as good as any, and better than some. NOT any more. Craftsman is in the same category as Harbor Freight. Probably ARE the same tools, except for the name that is stamped on. I refuse to buy ANYTHING from either company.
 
I was in a hardware store getting bolts last week and there was Craftsman tool sets stacked up -- all imported tools. Strange to be at the hardware store when there is a Sears five miles or less away in the mall. Shame a fairly usable brand like Craftsman goes import.Which also kind of means we are all screwed on the warranty because I want an American replacemenmt and by that time all USA stock is depleted. I sure don't understand why we can't make things here.
 
Their black impact sockets are nearly indestructible. The rest of the wrenches are pretty good, at least they've held up to the abuse that I've given them.

When you shop at the store, it's pretty obvious what's crap and what's decent. All you need to do is look at it, pick it up, feel it. They will let you open boxes and inspect things if you ask.

Harbor Freight allows you to have many tools that you normally wouldn't be able to afford, but make certain occasional jobs infinitely easier.
 
(quoted from post at 07:23:48 07/23/14) Their black impact sockets are nearly indestructible. The rest of the wrenches are pretty good, at least they've held up to the abuse that I've given them.

When you shop at the store, it's pretty obvious what's crap and what's decent. All you need to do is look at it, pick it up, feel it. They will let you open boxes and inspect things if you ask.

Harbor Freight allows you to have many tools that you normally wouldn't be able to afford, but make certain occasional jobs infinitely easier.

I agree with you 100% Unless you need thin walled sockets, the impact stuff is nearly as indestructible as it gets.
 
I probably should be in that mode myself but it
bothers me to have good quality tools rusting
behind the seat of the truck and of course to find
they have grown legs and walked away from the farm.

All in all a person who wants decent tools but needs to
save money would be better served by walking the
swap meets and buying used tools of quality Mfg.
 
I bought two 1/2" impact socket sets at least a decade ago from HF, one SAE, one metric. One set or the other (I think the metric set) had walls so thin I split one using a ratchet. If I would have put an air wrench to them the end result would not have been pretty. The other set fit so loosely to the nut/bolt it was about half a size off. Both eventually found their way to the garbage where they belonged in the first place.

I also bought a long 1/2" breaker bar. Got it replaced once when the end snapped off. Ended up in the trash as well.

I have 3 or 4 sets of Pittsburgh wrenches that I keep around to throw a set in a tractor when I'm running it. For cheap tools, they work ok. If someone would happen to walk off with a set, I wouldn't be out much.

AG
 
I use harbor freights impact sockets as I would any other socket (ie. not just on an impact gun).

They've never made me wish I had spent more money.

The print on them gets worn off fairly easily (the size) if that means anything to you. It doesn't to me.

I use almost exclusively 1/2" drive, don't use 3/8 very often at all - for that I've got a little craftsman set that's been around for decades.

I do have some good socket wrenches... can't even think of the brands right now ... so I haven't tried any HF wrenches. but sockets - I'd buy them again in a heartbeat. At that price it makes it easy to duplicate to have sets where you need them.
 
All in all a person who wants decent tools but needs to
save money would be better served by walking the
swap meets and buying used tools of quality Mfg.

Sounds good in theory but doesn't pan out in practice.

Never seen a good deal on a useful tool at a swap meet. These days vendors know what they have and what it's worth. The rare ones that don't, get cleaned out by the vendors that do before the meet even opens to the public.

Unless of course you have need for an endless supply of 29/64" combination wrenches.
 
I heard just yesterday from our Snap-on vendor that
craftsman warranty changed and its not lifetime
anymore has anyone else heard this. I havent
researched it any so i dont know. He might have been
pulling my leg to try to sell me a 50 dollar screw
driver.
 
DelMN --

I'm with the others on the HF impact sockets, they're at least ninety percent of a tool-truck socket quality wise, at ten percent of the price.

Sure, they're imported from Taiwan, but so were the last Ingersoll Rand impact sockets I bought, about 25 years ago.

And incidentally, if you haven't already tried the HF "Composite" ratchets, try one. I think you'll probably like it enough to buy the other two drive-sizes.

John
 

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