I’m looking to start a collection of car tools so I don’t gotta borrow peoples shit anymore. I hear they got good prices on stuff but how is the quality? Ill be buying all the basics. Jack, stands , ratchets, air compressor with various air tools etc. Any advice? Thanks guys.
In general, their stuff is stuff you use once and throw away after. Jack stands would be OK, but I wouldn’t get anything else on your list from there if you want it to last more than a few uses.
quality is better than nothing and horrible next to the good brands… great for a first set that later turns into backups / track day tools.
junk for the most part, and anything remotely decent is only worth a couple of uses, if that. jack stands are ok from there…i wouldnt buy ratchets, air compressors or air tools from there though.
edit: crap Fry…we said the same shit. lol
quality is garbage … they get you through in a pinch … save up and buy some used tools … there is a guy around the corner from my house that sell quality used brand name at very good prices
even stop a snap-on or mac guy … they ALWAYS have used tools for sale
lol :highfive:
I buy tools from there when it’s for something that I won’t need again for 5 years and their price is cheaper than renting the tool. I.E. a 15 dollar tile breaker got me through a couple of jobs and then broke, but I more than got my $15 dollars worth before I threw it away. :tup:
i love that place lol
great for wiring shrink tubing
great for sand paper and grinding discs
their impact sockets work great
their big breaker bars work great
they are good for consumables, and shit you don’t plan to use all the time
a word of warning. do not start a project using harbor freight tools during hours when they aren’t open. odds are you will need to go there to replace something that broke, is broken, or just doesn’t work.
Ifg you are buying a jack make sure it lifts high (normally 4 ton and up) there nothing worse than using as jack that only goes up 15" (sorry camaroJoe)
I like harbor freight… recently picked up a decent low-profile jack there.
They’re not professional tools, but I like them for hobbyist tools.
Grinding wheels, and Pry bars are what I usually get from there.
Their pry bars are pretty decent tbh.
Except the head part seems to twist if you put a hell of a lot of force on it.
But that’s understandable considering the price I paid is 1/4 the price of one at sears for the same size.
(Only the Larger ones twist on me, the smaller ones are fine)
Oh, and I buy their hammers.
Like the 4lb sledges and stuff for welding at work.
They last for a while, but eventually break lol.
So do the more expensive ones though, usually in the same amount of time.
Meh.
But as far as my mainly used tools, they are craftsman.
Considering it was all I could afford at the time when I was starting out, and they are lifetime replacement.
I would’ve went snap on/mac if I had the funds, but noooooo.
I had the same choice to either go cheapo for starting, or get something decent… HF/Sears…
Figured HF shit always breaks, and if something I really need to use at the time breaks… then what do I do? lol. I have nothing but a deadline that I can’t meet now 
Get the warrenty, it makes it worth it. I’ve returned 6 electric impacts, I’ve got one more to break and I’ll have 2 brand new ones again.
bought a nice engine crane from there, it works well, but wont stay up, it needs like viagara.
other then that, I bought some body hammers there, they seem okay for the price.
Also bought a cheap cut off wheel, it worked okay then broke, again warrentied it.
buy high end compressors, you wont regret it. last thing you want is some cheap stuff breaking in the middle of changing tires or something.
Craftsmans or Husky from HD. Use HF for throw away shit like listed above. I do have a jack that was dirt cheap and works great but I always make sure I use a jack stand with it.
You and Viper966 would make good friends.
The head from their 3lb sledge flew off the fn handle mid swing and dented my garage door.
add a screw or safety wire before use lol
There cheap spray guns spray good for the first 2 uses then i just throw them out.I would say anything made from really thick steel or cast iron you would be ok.Dont expect anything from there to take any real abuse.
I get a bunch of stuff there, most of what they have aren’t items that are meant to be put in use where they could be broken in the first place (goggles, accessories, abrasives, clamps, gloves yadda yadda)
Tools. Yeah, they’re “cheap” , but in most cases where a tool breaks, you’re proooobably not using it correctly. (IE, when I took a breaker bar to the cast vice). A ratchet I can see not lasting long, along with splitting sockets. But a screw driver, wrench, vice grips, etc etc, when is the last time you’ve broken one of those?
In summary, awesome place. If something breaks, thats when you can upgrade.
I got a bunch of tools from harbor freight.
They last decently if you use the right tool for the job.
I have a 3/8" ratchet + socket set which i use for the little stuff, a 1/2 ratchet and impact socket set, a 1/2 breaker bar, a set of metric and US spanners, jack stands, a jack, and screw drivers.
The screw drivers are great, the breaker bars are awesome too, jack stands are well, jack stands. I haven’t broken a single socket yet, nor spanner. Just make sure you get the 6 sided sets they work pretty good. The ratchets are shitty but if you use them for the right application they are decent.
The jack seems like a guillotine make sure you use jack stands.
shop with a strong prejudice. there are forums dedicated to HF tools, if they’re okay or if they are crap, or what it takes to fine tune them into working reliably.