What do you guys think of the HF hand tools that have the lifetime warranty?
I was thinking about picking up a metric set from them:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...ime%20Warranty

 

I think a lot of their stuff is junky. Go with Craftsman. VERY fair prices and there is a Sears everywhere.

 

how does the warranty work? Do you have to ship it off to the manafacturer? Or can you just walk in and get a replacement? Do you have to keep the receipt?

If its walk in, and walk out with a new one, then I guess your fine. But I second craftsman, its very easy to get replacement, and if you sign up for a craftsman tool card, you get really good prices on tools

 

Okay that's what I figured...
Thanks guys

 

for some stuff hf is fine.... for sockets i have like my big impact sockets hf stuff is cool.... i dotn like the little no name sockets though that are chrome that they have.... not durable enough for the abuse they will see with me.....

 

I buy a lot of HF stuff, depends on what is on sale at the time. some of it is not high quality but for the price it can be easily replaced.

 

Bought some Harbor Freight air nailers and they have been doing me fine. They built 2 garages so far and doing fine for me

Tend to be a little bit more picky about my hand tools though. For loaner tools, I wouldn't hesitate to borrow the HF hand tools out.

For my own tools, I tend to either get them from NAPA or another decent line of tools. Not so much for loss of tools, but for quality of work. Nothing will turn a fun job on the truck into a nightmare faster than rounding off a bolt head with a cheap socket.

I have bought some stuff like a creeper chair and air hoses and other stuff there because it is cheaper, but then again, they are a chinese tool brokerage house.

 

For tools that require precision or I plan on using a lot I stay away from HF. But stuff like jackstands and even a finish nailer they are pretty good.

I'd rather not have to worry about my hand tools failing on the trail so I have Craftsman. Prices are decent and the quality is good. Also easy to replace in the store rather than having to ship them off.

 

Having hand tools that are cheap is a pain. I recevied a set of sockets and wrenches that were really cheap. It was a decent sized set, but now i am down to just a few wrenches, about half the sockets, and no rachets. Breaking wrenches is scary and dangerous. Just go with a decent set of tools to begin with and save yourself some time and money in the long run.

 

That torque wrench is fine, I have one that ive had for about 2 years, i just keep it in the truck for changing a flat if i need to. My dad and brother both have one of them in their vehicles too, we have never had any toubles with them. For $10 i say go for it... But sockets, we have a few sets, and we have broken a few, so i dunno about their sockets.

 

I've gotten a 1/2" breaker bar and some mini chisel/crowbars and have been very satisfied so far. I was wondering if anyone had experienced the HF versions breaking or anything...

 

I bought a hf chop saw for like 40 bucks and I love it.
I also have an angle grinder and other assorted things from hf that are good, but stay away from most power tools, and things like welders.
The welders are the WORST!

 

I don't recommend HF anymore especially if you make a living off of wrenching. I bought a creeper from there, simple enough I thought to myself. Next thing I know I used it a few times and 3 of the 6 wheels fell off. Do you know how hard it is to find caster wheels WITH the well nuts to fit it? Next I bought several ratchet wrenches from them, I had 2 wrenches where the gears inside locked up. I also bought a few ratcheting tie down straps and they were frayed within a month after use *it may partially be my fault since I used them to hold my spare tire on my roof rack*. Craftsman is your best bet, yes I have had a few break on me but I always get it replaced with no problems.

 

when it comes to more complex things, i generally shy away from them(i sure as heck wouldn't buy a HF ratchet). their impact sockets are good -- i turn a wrench for a living and i've never had a problem with their 1/2" impacts -- even in front of an adapter on one of our 3/4" guns!

the only thing craftsman really has on HF is a slightly better fit and finish on some of their tools, and you get to feel warm and fuzzy inside becuase you didn't buy your tools from the commies...but then again, i've noticed some bigger craftsman sockets saying "made in taiwan" on them...

 

I went through a HF store last time I was in Albuquerque. Walked out emptyhanded. I hate cheap, poorly made tools. I'll stick with Craftsman or special order.

There may be some special deals if you go in HF on a weekly basis, but nothing caught my eye.

 

My friend Chris(getitdone) has incredible luck with tools... He has bought so many things from HF and not a thing has failed him. And then my friend Tim buys a welder from them, and it just refuses to weld even the thinnest material together.

Personally, the list of things I would buy from HF is very small, composed of things that no manufacturer could (or rather SHOULD)never be cheap and try to underbuild, like jackstands, workbenches, maybe impact sockets ONLY.

Never wrenches, no power tools, no welder... I'd save the money and try to get a deal on used power tools, or just buy them new, and be confident. Wrenches... Forget about it. Sears has made that convienient and cost effective enough for us (us being the DIY Mechanics). No need to lay down $250 or more for Mac, Snap-On, or Matco stuff unless you wrench for a living.

Chris' set of metric HF wrenches look so cheap, but they haven't failed him yet... I guess you can get lucky with HF junk, but I'm not daring (or patient)enough to take that leap.

Donny

 

I buy most of my expendables from HF, like cut-off wheel 10 pks, they are very cheap and last much longer than the more expensive one's I've gotten in the past. tie down straps are fine, their auto tinting welding helmets work great, hammers are good, welding supplies, drill bits are actually decent, gloves, rags etc.....

Their wrenches and sockets have little to be desired, rather use Husky brand, but the breaker bars are fine, like said the impact sockets are ok. The 2 sizes of pitman arm pullers arm fit most any ball joint on our toys, work very well, but stay away from the adjustable bearing pullers with the 3 chrome claws, they break too easily.

 

Man we bought one of them and it darkens pretty late... Way too late to make me want to use it... I would guess that it turns on in about twice the time of any other one, but it isn't quick enough to save your vision those little spots!! The only way we can use it is to keep the auto feature off!

 

Never had a problem with it being late, it switches just as fast as some expensive one's I've used in the past. I guess the quality control is the main factor.....must have gotten a good one....hehe, Sometime it seems to darken too quicky.......

 

I have split 2 of their impact sockets but they easily get replaced for free.