Harbor Freight Tools

Cheap tools, low prices, large selection. Can’t go wrong.

Everything is dirt cheap and made in china, if it doesn’t break between the front door and when you get it up you pretty much got your moneys worth. Also the place smells like burnt plastic.

Very disappointing experience. The rude cashier told me they don’t sell chemicals there. She obviously hasn’t been down the aisle clearly marked chemicals. I won’t be back.

You can’t beat the rock bottom prices here! And every few weeks they have newspaper coupons for free items. Let’s face, almost everyone likes getting FREE stuff :) Some of my free items have been pretty awesome: 6′ x 7′ tarps, LED flash lights, heavy duty kitchen shears/​scissors, heavy duty measuring tape (my favorite freebie so far).
Most of the employees are very friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. The store isn’t very big, but amazingly they have a lot of choices and great inventory on their shelves.

What guy doesn’t like tools, especially CHEAP tools! I have been shopping at Harbor Freight for a number of years. I used to go to a few different locations while I was living in Texas. Most people order from their online site. A buddy of mine didn’t even realize there were locations by him in Texas. I’m sure he’s since visited a store or two.
I will admit that the quality of the power tools aren’t going to be Black & Decker quality. But if you’re the type of do-​it-​yourself at home kind of person that doesn’t break out the tools every single day, then these will all do the job you want them to do. Another friend with buy several drills at one time, so when one dies, he just opens up another one. I have several tools from them and all have preformed admirably. I do love this place. My only problem, is that when I go in to Harbor Freight I always find one two many things I don’t need, but manage to buy anyway. Geez, a machete for under $ 5, why not??? How many people can say they own a machete? I CAN! Although it’s sitting in a storage unit and I have no idea how I will ever use it… oh well. It’s still cool.
So, in a nutshell, go here for inexpensive tools for around the house kind of stuff. Tarps, moving blankets, brooms, garden tools, car repair, air compressors, hammers, axes, wrenches, sanders, work horses, dollys and battery chargers. It’s all good.
Just go.

I love this place! I am by no means a handyman… that said, I am a homeowner which kinda makes me a handy man in training. My neighbor recently recommended this place after I complained about needing some garage accessories.
I went into this store and found many reasonably priced tools… I also found other things that were priced excellently that I didn’t know I needed. The staff was very friendly and asked me more than once if I needed any help. I will definitely be back!

It’s not Ace Hardware, my all-​time fave, and very little you buy here is going to last very long. A friend bought a relatively inexpensive little trolley/​cart sort of thing that she could pull around while doing yard work. The friend is pretty handy, so while I hung out, she put the cart together good and tight. Unfortunately, within a couple of weeks the cart started collapsing, and when the friend tried to put it back together, the screws stripped and then nothing could be done. She had to go back and buy another better quality cart at a higher price elsewhere which she admitted she should have bought in the first place. But it’s pull of the bargain, which is what pulls you in here to buy.
As an aside, everybody who worked there was friendly and helpful, and it’s a pretty good location. It is fun to walk around and look at everything too. Just keep in mind you get what you pay for here.

Just so you know, a hammer CAN actually fall apart, which can be a very bad thing, especially when you are the one swinging it.
Also had two different grinders from here arc in my hand while using.
Now you know.

Cheap stuff from china? check
Dusting lady clearly annoyed that I asked for help? check.
Waited forever and a day for help that never came? check.
Staff didn’t care whether I was there or not? check.
Staff lacking personality? check
will I tell EVERYONE I know about their crappy customer service? CHECK
First and LAST TIME I will set foot in the place? CHECK AND CHECK
Customer service disappointment of the day!

It’s Harbor Freight! What more is there to say.

Crappy tools, crappy customer service, blah! I guess if I needed a tarp or a cheap yard gnome, or some weird off brand lawnmower, this would be the place to go. But don’t bother asking for anything, your questions will be met by eyerolls and headshaking.

Harbor Freight is a visible symptom of our postmodern condition, like Walmart. But it serves a purpose.
Tools fall into two categories. Keepers and Other. Other means they might be lost, doesn’t matter if they break, or they are inherently unbreakable. Harbor Freight supplies the Other category, and does so competently.
Generally hammers are inherently unbreakable. So there is not much immediate functional difference between one from Harbor Freight and a craftsman one. Not saying there isn’t a psychic difference in hammers, and maybe those Keeper hammers are ones to be left to progeny.
Things with motors are different. If you are going to use a motor item continuously, so as to cause it to fail if it is going to, within the warranty period, go ahead. But if you want a motor item that is a Keeper, you can’t afford to fail on the job, or you expect to use on and off over an extended period, beyond the warranty, Harbor Freight is not your supplier.
The warranty period is a useful, though inexact signal of manufacturing quality between maker and customer. The Toyota Way, Six Sigma and the like capture the value of quality in manufacturing, and the durability of the end products. Most Harbor Freight products don’t get that.
But even so, I have bought 5 pound hammers, claw hammers, tape measures, electrical multimeters and a highly useful laser level from Harbor Freight. They are a source for China Inc solar panels for experimenters. They also have regular sales.
I am not down with their Chicago Tool brand. Just call it Pearl River Tools or something. Don’t dis Chicago.
Many tools or parts for tools from name brands are made in China today. But those brands enforce quality standards on their factories. Harbor Freight is a mixed bag on quality standards which throw their tools into the Other category. They are cheap though.
Harbor Freight is a view into China’s manufacturing world too. In addition to useful tools, they sometimes have oddities like electric fly swatters, which have a multitude of attention getting disciplinary uses.
I’ve always found the staff polite and they know which aisle things are on. But they are not there to give construction and project advice.
Harbor Freight has heavy metal tool bargains from China Inc. Caveat emptor.

This place is amazing.
You get front row seats to the full range of nuts and bolts (I’m talking about the people who shop here, myself included!) from whack-​a-​doodle to space commanders.
There are few very clear ways that we can support China.
This is one that’s easy.
I buy tools, garden items, household items, electrical items, and sometimes hardware items from here. Many of the things are total crap and I always feel like a chump for thinking «Maybe this time it’ll work better?» then again, there are a handful of really useful tools I’ve bought here that have been doing their jobs for years!
The staff at this location, like the one in Gladstone, is pleasant. Sometimes they share a bit too much about their hardships but so do the folks at my local hardware store.
I would suggest that you steer clear of things like:
wall anchors
some metal screws (they tend to be cast poorly and the heads are not centered)
some plastic gardening items like water nozzles, statuary, etc. (they break, spring leaks, fade quickly, crack, and are likely NOT BPA-​free)
Check out Harbor Freight, give it a whirl!
The Sunday paper usually has coupons in it. 20% off one item is a sweet deal!

It’s a great place to get tools of trade for DIY. The selection is very diverse and you’ll find things you won’t find at other consumer stores like pallet jacks, stand-​alone engines, electric motors, specialized screw driver bits, etc.
I would say its a mix of Home Depot, Farm tool store and Auto parts store.
Recently this place adopted Best Buy culture. Certain items have a restocking fee. Customers checking out welders, air compressors and such are solicited about their «extended warranty plan».
Return policy was better, but now they’re more Best Buy like.
Not that its a surprise but the long term durability is usually not well and many equipment and tools are not repairable down the road
Great if you just need something that you don’t need to last much longer than 90 days.

Harbor Freight! Woo hooo!!!
I love the HF idea: go directly to China, India, etc., buy stuff from the factory, and have them put your name on it. Target customers who don’t need heavy duty name brand status tools. Add in a sprinkling of other items (garden and patio, trailers, etc). Provide a no questions asked exchange policy and provide spare parts (from the headquarters) at reasonable prices. Send out flyers weekly and send out coupons regularly.
A lot of these tools are homeowner /​weekend mechanic quality (not a bad thing). Some of them are quite good. Typically, their tools are a better value than Sears, Home Depot, Fred Meyer. You’ll find that you can buy an entire set of tools for what one or two of them would cost elsewhere. Want to work on you car or bike but don’t have a lot of cash? This is where you want to come to tool up. Big sets of metric hand tools at great prices. Are you an art student and you need, say, an angle grinder for a sculpture that your working on? Yes, that $ 20 angle grinder, often on sale for $ 12.99, will really do the job. Is that $ 40 bench drill press any good? Yes, it works fine. Rent a tile saw for $ 50 a day? Heck no, buy the $ 55 on sale tile saw, cut them puppies up, and then sell it when you’re done, or lend it to your friends. Their air tools are a great value and hold up pretty well. Those umbrellas for patio tables that are $ 80 at Fred Meyer? $ 6.99 at HF.
Story: I bought an air compressor from them. I was wheeling it out to the back yard and ran it into a wall and broke the air filter off. Oops. Called them up to order a replacement, figuring it would be $ 10 – 20. Nope, it was $ 1.79, but because the compressor was still under warranty, they sent it for free. I tried to pay for it but they wouldn’t take my money.
Before Interstate got gentrified, HF was sitting there in an old Safeway store, and visited by some decidedly odd customers (is he really wearing leopard stretch pants? he’s got to be 60 years old). It was always an adventure to go there. Staff tended to be weary and a tad burned out.
So Interstate got upscaled and HF is still sitting in an old Safeway, and they did remodel the store just a bit and the staff is a lot happier than they used to be, they’re actually friendly and helpful.
Only down side: I always buy way more than I intend to ;-)

Harbor Freight rocks. Cheap tools that will do the job just fine when you’re not planning to need to use them often. Don’t get me wrong, they carry some decent quality stuff. However, the majority of their items are budget versions made in China or Taiwan– but don’t think that’s a bad thing. When you absolutely need a particular tool for a certain job but can’t borrow or rent one, it’s MUCH cheaper to get it at Harbor Freight than buy a professional grade tool that’s just going to sit on the shelf.
They have a little bit of everything, hand tools, power tools, air tools, automotive tools, garden tools, basic plumbing, electrical, carpentry, and welding tools and accessories. There is also a good selection of stuff like duct tape and glue, painting supplies, wiring terminals, etc.
Service is fine and most items are well stocked, just plan to spend some time on your first trip here, as there is a LOT of stuff to look at… I usually end up finding 2 or 3 things I didn’t come here for but will be useful nonetheless.