Harbor Freight can be a fun place to shop.
Written: Nov 05 '03
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Harbor Freight offers cut rate tool prices but your experience with them could be either good or bad depending on your expectations.
Unfortunately for Harbor Freight, the way many of us do projects doesn't fit their business model or maybe it does and I'm just different. I'll start a project, find I am in the need of something, want it right away so go looking for it. If you are like me then Harbor Freight won't serve you well.
Standard shipping on orders over $50 is free but it takes them an inordinate amount of time to box an order and take it to UPS. Three weeks in not unusual. They do offer expedited shipping but at their rate plus a $6 handling fee, it has turned what might be an inexpensive Harbor Freight purchase into a trip to Home Depot or Walmart.
That being said, I've actually bought a fair number of items from Harbor Freight. Things at a good price that I didn't need right away. For example their $2.50 woven poly-tarp, ordered in the fall for use under the tent in the spring. Fine product, cheaper than anything found locally.
When I heard my wheel bearing beginning to rumble, I ordered their 12 ton press hydraulic press ($80) and a wheel puller ($8). Both are better than what I expected for what I paid. A wheel bearing can rumble for a long time before it fails so I had time to wait for them to ship the press by sleigh from the North pole, for free. BTW, bearing service in my area costs about $40 a corner plus the cost of the bearing, this is after taking the steering knuckle off the car and carrying it into the shop. For me it was $80 well spent.
So what about their stuff? I've only bought their mechanical things like, pry bars, impact sockets, extensions, press, wheel pullers, etc. Oh and their OBDII scanner ($49). Everything I've received has been great and works as advertised. I haven't broken any of their sockets nor bent the pry bars or ruined the press; well, how do you break a 12 ton press anyhow. Their stuff seems tough enough for the way I use it and having the time to wait on delivery has allowed me to purchase items that I was unwilling to buy at the prevailing retail price.
About five months after you buy your first item you will be deluged with their catalogs. Its worth the wait. About half of them have coupons that offer free shipping, $5 off and so-so free gifts. The first and last few pages have their regular items at %50 off the regular price. The $5 off basically negates their handling fee which is good and the coupon for free shipping lets you order a single inexpensive item without their "hidden" fee. Pile all those old catalogs in a corner somewhere. Eventually in that pile you will end up with about everything they sell at %50 off, you'll just have to hunt for it. I've never found a good use for any of their free gifts except maybe as chum in the tool chest.
If you know what to expect then Harbor Freight can be a fun place to shop.
Aside, if you shop on ebay and see new no-name brand import power tools or other new tool like items, like jack stands. Check Harbor Freight before you bid. To me is seems like a fair number of ebay sellers are using Harbor Freight to drop ship the item to the winning bidder. Some pictures are identical and minimum bid price plus the seller's shipping charge is invariably slightly higher than what it would be charged if I ordered it from Harbor Freight directly.
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? Mechanical items, sockets, wheel puller, hydraulic press
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Epinions.com ID:
stanik
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Reviews written: 3
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