Anyone order product from Harbor Freight???? Wondering if old saying is true you get what you pay for???? Only looking for tools for body work ie welder, grinder, spray gun.... The reason I am asking is I just found there is a retail store just 20 minutes down the road from me and the prices look good for a low budget build....
I usually buy the stuff from them that I might only use once or twice a year....or maybe even just once. I call them "specific use tools" or SUT for short. I cannot justify spending KOBALT or HUSKY prices on tools that I will not use very often or hardly at all.....but my good tools, are good tools
that is what I am wondering I do not mind throwing away a 10.00 grinder every year.. and 10.00 for a spray gun kit I would just use on one car.... Just wanted to know everyones opinion....
I agree 100%...I buy stuff from them that gets very little use. The only exception is the <100 dollar mig welder I bought. I have used it about 30 hours since I bought it maybe 6 months ago. Just playing around mostly, and after 2 spools of wire, it still works GREAT...just doesn't have a setup for the addition of gas. I bought a 1-qt HVLP gravity fed paint gun and used it twice with epoxy paint, no problems. Clean it VERY well after each use, and I see no reason why it won't last. BUT, when it was time to buy a dual action sander, I bought KOBALT, figuring it would get used much more and I would need it to last.
We just got a Harbor Freight store near me. That saves a ton of money on shipping the heavy stuff. I bought a fold up 2 ton engine hoist and 4 wheel dollies for moving a car around the garage. The dollies are normally 80 bucks a pair and they were on sale for half price.
I have purchased and used quite a few different tools from HF and for the money you can't beat them. Many have a warranty nearly as good as the big name brands. I have a 16 speed benchtop drillpress that I have had for over 10 years, used it a lot and not one problem. I do agree with the others, if this tool is going to see frequent heavy use you are probably better off in the long run spending the extra money on the name brands or if you use it to make a living you don't want to stop in the middle of something and return to HF for a new one. For most situations you should have good luck with them.
We have one in our town, I've bought a bunch of small stuff there, no problems with any of it. Some of the larger equipment looks kinda cheesy. Last year I bought a dial indicator for about $15 there. Took it to work to check the calibration, it was just as accurate as the $150 Browne & Sharp I use there.
Anyone who says they won't buy from Harbor Freight has never been in my shoes. They have VERY good prices for tools that I might use one time - or, like other items I've bought from them, have for years. My $150 Makita Sawzall broke faster than my $39 Chicago Electric from HF (which is still going). Makita wanted $75 to repair their brand. Pfft. No thanks. I appreciate those who simply won't buy anything except, _________ (fill in the blank of high-priced "name" brand).
i have purchased pnuematic tools from them.. some last some dont and they dont have a warranty... but then again, their prices are low, so its a use and throw mind set
I have nearly every brand of tools in my garage......They are just like vehicle makes....I've good and bad in all brands.....I guess my worst is CRAPSman....
I have bought many tools from harbor frieght. Band saw, tig welder, grinders, sanders, etc. I dont have a single complaint about any of it. The little tig welder exceeded my expectations, as did the band saw. You just cant beat the prices of this stuff especially if you only use it once in a while.
I have also bought a bunch of stuff from them. Yea, its mostly cheaply made but it gets the job done.
ii have a mig welder i got from them years ago, no problems. when i was taking a body shop class i used my own tools. they came from HF and the instructor was impressed with them. said he was going to start using them for his supplier.
If I am not mistaken, everything they sell comes with a warranty, but they sell the warranty separately.
