- Joined
- Nov 30, 2022
- Messages
- 105
I thought I might resurrect this thread. It is quite old and HF has changed quite a bit. I'm curious what others think.
We all want American, don't we? Then there is reality. Some of us don't have American pockets. Enter Harbor Freight. No doubt, there is certainly a lot of crap at HF. And everything looks a lot better in the catalog than it does in the store. I think that if you want something (expensive) from them, you need to be lucky enough to have a store close by so you can fondle the tool.
Over the years, they have weeded-out some of the high-priced dogs they once hawked and settled into a nice niche. Their Icon brand of wrenches are Snap-On twins; it makes me wonder if Snap-on manufactures the brand for them. The US General tool chests are extremely well built of heavy steel, beautiful finish, and great drawer slides. I have two bottom chests: one I bought as a road beater for my service truck and the latest supports my benchtop mill. I am not ashamed to have them next to my KRA Series Snap-On hot dog wagon. I purchased their "2 HP" central dust collector which performs quite well paired with a cyclone (though I know it is not 2 HP...). I even popped for their 12" Hercules compound miter saw and am happy to have it. Engine hoist - HF!
I think they compete against themselves a bit by offering Good, Better, Best products. Kind of like Chevy, Buick, Cadillac. Those products seem to be over-priced for what they are. I recently purchased a multi-process welder from Vevor for less than $300 while their Titanium series was > $800.
If I give them anything, it is their return policy. 90 days money-back is hard to beat. I've discovered other outlets that have some great deals on what I consider to be very good equipment, but HF is on the Favorites Bar.
John
We all want American, don't we? Then there is reality. Some of us don't have American pockets. Enter Harbor Freight. No doubt, there is certainly a lot of crap at HF. And everything looks a lot better in the catalog than it does in the store. I think that if you want something (expensive) from them, you need to be lucky enough to have a store close by so you can fondle the tool.
Over the years, they have weeded-out some of the high-priced dogs they once hawked and settled into a nice niche. Their Icon brand of wrenches are Snap-On twins; it makes me wonder if Snap-on manufactures the brand for them. The US General tool chests are extremely well built of heavy steel, beautiful finish, and great drawer slides. I have two bottom chests: one I bought as a road beater for my service truck and the latest supports my benchtop mill. I am not ashamed to have them next to my KRA Series Snap-On hot dog wagon. I purchased their "2 HP" central dust collector which performs quite well paired with a cyclone (though I know it is not 2 HP...). I even popped for their 12" Hercules compound miter saw and am happy to have it. Engine hoist - HF!
I think they compete against themselves a bit by offering Good, Better, Best products. Kind of like Chevy, Buick, Cadillac. Those products seem to be over-priced for what they are. I recently purchased a multi-process welder from Vevor for less than $300 while their Titanium series was > $800.
If I give them anything, it is their return policy. 90 days money-back is hard to beat. I've discovered other outlets that have some great deals on what I consider to be very good equipment, but HF is on the Favorites Bar.
John
