Countdown to Harbor Freight

Harbor Freight is opening a new store in my town a week from today. And it's opening in the same strip mall as my favorite Chinese buffet. I know everyone has an opinion about HF, but my opinion is I'd rather have one close by that I don't have to shop at than one 90 miles away that I'd like to shop at. I'll be pleased to have another convenient place to spend money.
 
Nearest HF to me is around 75 miles and when i can I do try to stop in if for no other reason then look. Menard's is about 25 mile from me and when in the area I try to stop and see if I can find a good deal. I like Menard's no hassle return and the last time was my well pump that had a 3 year warranty but went bad in a year so took it back and they handed me a new one no questions asked
 
Like HF, everyone has an opinion about Menards. Me? I love the place. I'm blessed to have a Menards, a Lowes, a Mills Fleet Farm and a Home Depot in my town, all within a couple of miles of each other, but my go-to place is Menards. Yes, I'm a sucker for the free-after-rebate T-shirts and other "Menards money" rebates. But to me, the rebates are as good as cash, because there's always something else I need at Menards. And if you buy rebated items with earlier rebates, pretty soon the stuff does become almost free. I agree -- returns are done without question as long as you have the receipt, and even without one if you'll take store credit. Now if we could just set a Cici's Pizza in town....:)
 
If you ever worked for Menards as a contractor you would never step foot in one of their stores!
 
90-100 miles to the ones in the Twin Cities for me, but I hear they are putting one in Mankato, that's only a half hour drive, same town as Mills Fleeet Farm and Vest buy is, that will be nice. I'm not sure when it is opening.?

As a farmer there are a lot of tools that can save me time or money if I have, but I only use them once or once a year or so - or need 5 of to have in each machine and probably will lose in the cornstalks... can't afford to load up on the really good tools for those uses.

Have to watch what you buy, but a lot of what they have is very useful for the price.

Paul
 
When picking up a set of open/box end wrenches make sure you pick up three extra each of the 9/16" and 3/4". For me those two sizes have legs. Some times they show up after a spell and sometimes they don't. :)^D
 
Back before Harbor Freight tools cost a fortune or was junk. Snap-on or Kmart. There was a desperate need for mediocre. Nothing wrong with mediocre.
 
I have Menards, Home Depot, and Lowes all at about 25 miles from home. Lowes is a mile or two farther, but I go there a lot because of their service and their 10% military discount.

Home Depot is out of the game since they cut their military discount to only a few low priced items. Once on a purchase of over $200 in assorted items, their military discount saved me 98 cents.

Menards has a lot of rebates, but the rebates apply only to future purchases at Menards.

Lowes military discount is cash, across the board, and consistent.
 
You can buy cheap chinese junk or expensive chinese junk, but it's about the only thing available! I have had pretty good luck with their junk, I bought a $7 air compressor that I was ashamed of after I opened it, but it just keeps pumping up tires!
 
(quoted from post at 10:58:35 04/18/17) Back before Harbor Freight tools cost a fortune or was junk. Snap-on or Kmart. There was a desperate need for mediocre. Nothing wrong with mediocre.

Before HF, there was Snap-On, SK Wayne, Craftsman, etc., etc. Good, top quality tools DO NOT come from HF, Northern, or any of the other box stores.
 
(quoted from post at 12:41:14 04/18/17)
(quoted from post at 10:58:35 04/18/17) Back before Harbor Freight tools cost a fortune or was junk. Snap-on or Kmart. There was a desperate need for mediocre. Nothing wrong with mediocre.

Before HF, there was Snap-On, SK Wayne, Craftsman, etc., etc. Good, top quality tools DO NOT come from HF, Northern, or any of the other box stores.

That's nice. We're not talking about top quality tools here. Nobody is calling HF tools top quality here. People who don't stake their livelihood on their tools don't need top quality tools, but they don't need K-Mart junk either.
 
20 years ago harbor freight tools were a joke, nowadays many of the hand tools are on par with name brands
 
Sons are redoing the basement bathroom. One got a tile cutter marked $79.95 for $8.00. They have all the tile cut & installed with it. There weren't many pieces that didn't have to be cut.
 
HF has some good stuff and some not so good stuff. Sometimes depends on what you want to do with it. Either way a Chinese buffet and HF in the same plaza can't possibly be all bad. LOL
 
The president was in Kenosha Wi. today at Snap On tools. Didn't here him mention stopping at Harbor freight.
 
I make my livelihood doing home remodeling and I equip myself mostly with HF tools. They work as well as anyone else's tools.
 
sadly I believe snap on which is also Williams may be one of the few American tool companies still making much here
 
(quoted from post at 13:18:32 04/18/17)
(quoted from post at 12:41:14 04/18/17)
(quoted from post at 10:58:35 04/18/17) Back before Harbor Freight tools cost a fortune or was junk. Snap-on or Kmart. There was a desperate need for mediocre. Nothing wrong with mediocre.

Before HF, there was Snap-On, SK Wayne, Craftsman, etc., etc. Good, top quality tools DO NOT come from HF, Northern, or any of the other box stores.

That's nice. We're not talking about top quality tools here. Nobody is calling HF tools top quality here. People who don't stake their livelihood on their tools don't need top quality tools, but they don't need K-Mart junk either.

Back before HF, Craftsman was a very good, high quality brand, and available at any Sears store. The folks who did not make a living with their tools usually bought Craftsman.
 
(quoted from post at 17:26:25 04/18/17) I love my S-K Wayne and Craftsman Tools.

I love my Craftsman tools, enough that I don't want to risk losing them in the field.

That's why I keep a set of HF wrenches in each tractor. Can't count the number of times I didn't have to run back to the shop for a minor repair/adjustment/tightening by having those wrenches on the tractor. If I lose or break a HF wrench, a whole 'nother set is less than one replacement Craftsman.
 
Yes, Mankato is the location for the new HF store. I walked past it to check it out just last Saturday (when my grandson and I were visiting the China Buffet), and a sign in the window said opening at 8 a.m. Tuesday, April 25. So it ain't long now! I know not all HF stuff is good, but I also know it isn't all bad. I won't be selling my higher-end tools just yet, but I do love the cheapy HF stuff for jobs that don't require top-dollar items. I mean, how far wrong can you go with things like shop rags and flux brushes?
 
I've often paid a premium to get a high quality American made tool. Those stay at home.
At industrial job sites the Hf tools don't grow legs!
 
I can understand the folks who buy cheap tools because they work out on job sites or worry about losing them in the field. To be honest you only really need a top quality tool if you are going to abuse it as in the fastener is rusted or otherwise stuck and requires excessive torque. On the other hand it is nice to have a decent set of matched wrenches to use. I have a lot of Craftsman tools I have bought over the years starting in the 60 when I started out wanting tools. The early ones even before the 60 were better, but they were all OK until maybe 20 years ago when they got thicker and cheaper. Now I don't know what I would buy if I needed to buy much. I mostly get stuff at swap meets and flea markets as I see a good deal on what I want or need. I buy cheap imports that look decent at swap meets and flea markets to use on my machine tools so I don't have go and get a wrench every time I use a lathe or milling machine, the wrenches are there. And I can cut off the end I don't want and I am not cutting a nice tool, and it only cost me a dollar or so.
 
If you have all USA wrenches there are still things to be had there. Were else you gonna find a pack of red mechanics rags. Safety glasses , abrasives { Norton from Canada not China], welding hose [also can be USA made in H-F]. Goodyear air line [USA] . IT is not all Evel Knevel.
 
Shopping at HF is like going to your 50th high school reunion. All white haired old guys. If yours has a chineese buffet next door that's where they will all go afterwards. lol
 
Seriously? $8.00? I've seen items marked down substantially at HF---last items of a discontinued model, or unknown reason---but nothing like that.
 
I'd certainly like to have one close by. Hard to use your farm tax exemption if not in person at a store and no shipping helps too....add that to something on sale, and you can't beat a deal like that with a stick....no tax, free (almost) shipping, on sale. Wala!
 

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