Tip suggestion: be polite, friendly, and genuinely likable when interacting with any staff member. This is a good idea in ANY store, but the folks at my local HF are particularly chill, happy people. In return, they give honest advice, tips, and can stretch some of the store policies. Kindness pays for itself~
Kindness is contagious and often leads to the recipient going the extra mile to helping you save money and having a positive influence on someone else's day. Win, win!
This is the advice for ANY physical store you go to. The nicer you are, the more likely people are going to bend the rules for you. If you go in full-bore Karen mode the only thing you will get in a restaurant is extra spit in your food.
Hey, ex harbor freight employee here. Everything you said is on point though there are a few things I would like to add. With the clearance items with the purple tags, a lot of those items like you said are being clearanced out. Though we do lower the prices on those items typically every 2 weeks if they haven’t sold to make sure we don’t have stuff piling up back there. Practically everything back there is brand new and was used as displays. In my experience as well you can typically be able to haggle the prices down even lower, though you do need a supervisor or higher to be able to do this. I’d recommend asking logistics supervisors as we tend to just want the Shit gone because it’s annoying to deal with. The orange tags we can’t do anything about, they were all returns and we can’t change the price even if we wanted too because corporate gets really pissy when we do. I’m my experience I don’t touch anything in that table because it more often than not isn’t salvageable. For hand tools about 90% of them have a lifetime warranty on them, we will return or replace them for any reason and when I say any reason I mean ANY. We one had this older gentleman that shopped at my store and I thing he owned and bought a set of every single icon tool we carried. When they were first introduced they all had a matte finish, well we ended up releasing most of the sets later with a glossy finish. I shit you not he brought in every single icon set he had and exchanged them out for all the new ones that had the gloss finish. It took forever but we did do it. We don’t need a return if you are just swapping out hand tools for another set, only if you are trying to outright return the. Also if you have a socket set or a ratchet wrench set for example and one somehow breaks. Just exchange the the entire set instead of just the piece that broke, it’s just easier for everyone if you do it that way. We really don’t like having to deal with a brand new set of tools with one missing piece missing just to toss a purple sticker on it and have to deal with it later. As far as the hand tools go you can’t really go wrong with any of them, all of them I barely see returned. Though if you want the little bit nicer ones I would go with the Quinn but the Pittsburgh usually hold up just as well. The only tools that i would stay away from that you haven’t already brought up are the air tools. I’ve never seen anything returned as much as those, absolute shit. Needlers, grinders, sanders are dog shit don’t get them. They have tried really hard to improve their product lines but the air tools have just been untouched. Great video.
Thanks for the extra information. As far as the air tools go, I look at it like if I need a specialty tool for a particular project. Then I know the cheaper brand isn't an heirloom type tool. so if I get a week out of it, and never need it again. it's better than spending twice as much for a name brand tool that will be used maby twice a year. and I don't have to deal with rental rates and hassles.
Dude i appreciate your honesty. Theres no better advice than the one given to you from a former/ex employee of the store you're gonna shop at. Thanks for the solid advice.. P.S. the air tools are dog shit there man. Lol
And, as a current cashier, I want to give a huge THANK YOU to all of you who give us a smile and a friendly conversation when you come through. I work very hard to make each person feel welcome and happier when they come in. When I get a grump who refuses to be friendly, it saps so much out of me. But those of you who smile back - you make ALL the difference!
I always treat people who have to deal with the public all day as a part of my day. Someone who is important to me. Respect and a smile can be the difference between a perfect day and driving home angry. Just remember, a lot of the grumpy customers are simply upset that their thing is broken, which forces them to go to where you are. Many of them would probably be lovely people if their day didn’t just fall apart around them. Just know you’re helping someone every time, even if they’re grumpy. You might be the one who makes someone’s day survivable. hahah
I work in the public retail market (Kenworth trucks), so I know all too well what employees have to go through with their customers. I will always treat others with dignity and respect.
Ok check it out Valerie. I have worked plenty of service, retail, restaurant etc. I, like yourself strived to make sure the customer was always satisfied. No matter how good you are at putting a smile on someone else's face, you will always, ALWAYS, get those people who are simply unhappy. When you see them enter the store you already know they are going to try to ruin your day. They carry it in their sleeve. They are unhappy people and their goal no matter how polite and nice you are to them is to wipe the smile off your face. They are unhappy so it kills them to see you happy, their only solution is to be an asshole in hopes you won't be smiley and bubbly and cheerful. This is the most important part. The absolute best thing you can do when one of the soul suckers come in is put on your cheesiest biggest smile and be overly nice and positive. It will piss them off so much. NOT TO ENCOURAGE NEGATIVITY! But I will tell you now, when you put on the super smile and stick to the cheerful OVERLY cheerful attitude, they will fume! They can't bring you down, fight their grumpiness with happiness. It will win every time. Trust me girl! I've used this tactic for over 25 years now and it never fails. It will actually make your fake smile real because you will see them try harder to upset you. TRUST ME, TRY IT! It's all about love my friend.
I went to my local store and looking in the open/returned items, there was a Maddox wheel bearing press kit(complete). It was marked from $140(or so) down to $95 for being used. I seen the manager and I asked her, "are them prices set in stone, or are you open to offers?" She ask what I was thinking. I said "I'll give you $80 for that bearing press kit." She said "take it" without even giving it any thought...
One thing I can say about Harbor Freight is that you have to remember that the people who work there are people. Treating them right can make a world of difference. I'm always friendly with them when I go in for something and often joke with them (When our local store first opened I went in to see what they had, one associate asked if I needed help finding anything. I decided to have some fun... I asked where the pipe stretchers were. She didn't catch it and asked over the radio for a pipe stretcher. The manager heard this and decided to sit back and watch. This is where it got good... almost all of the employees were looking for a pipe stretcher before I broke and told the little gal to think about it... how do you stretch a pipe? It got a good laugh all around and i built a rapport with the employees there where we would joke around as friends when I went in. A few years ago when HF discontinued the big 60 gallon upright compressors they had the floor model marked down gradually from $999.99 to $599. I asked the manager, whom I'd gotten to know as I was a regular, how long he'd have to look at it before they had some room to work. (I'd already gone down with my trailer intending to buy it anyway). He said, let's take a look. He looked at the tag and asked if I'd do $300. Before I could answer, he offered to extend my ITC by another year. Needless to say, I was all over that and when the employees were helping me get it loaded and secured on my trailer he came out with a package of ratchet straps (on the house) and told the employees to make sure it was strapped down well and wouldn't go anywhere. I'm sure that the fact that I have spent a lot there helped too (I've bought a couple of the big toolboxes and a lot of tools to fill them), but I attribute a good share of it to my taking the time to be nice when I am in there. Another time I was getting ready to buy a floor jack and an employee told me not to buy it unless I really needed it right then. He then went on to tell me that it was going on sale in two days and I could save on it then. I chose to wait and thanked him. When I went back to buy it, he even took it out to my pickup and loaded it for me. Don't hesitate to ask the employees thoughts on a tool and tell them what you're wanting it for either. They don't work on commission so they aren't going to try to push one tool over another. They know what comes back most and won't steer you to something you'll have problems with. They generally aren't experts, but they normally are willing to help you in making a decision. These are just a couple of examples of the great service I have gotten there (Including a very thoughtful card from the entire store staff when they found out I was fighting cancer... thanks guys, that meant more than I can possibly say). My point is though, remember that the employees there are people. They have good days and bad days too. It costs nothing to be nice and not have an attitude with them and make their day a little brighter and if you treat them right, they will do all they can to make your experience with the store a great one. It costs $6 to get a box of donuts where I live. I've dropped a couple of boxes off over time for their break room. Just general being nice on my part. That sort of thoughtfulness can go a long ways towards making their day a little brighter and if you can't afford a couple of bucks for a box of donuts, you really shouldn't be buying a bunch of new tools anyway.
Damn, you say that about pipe stretchers but if you go google "exhaust expander tool", you'll literally see a pipe stretcher 😆 I read that and went "uhhh yeah, one of those exhaust tools, what's the joke?" lol
1, the purple tags are open box items and orange is clearance items. 2, Warranty - I have a lot of the Hercules 20V Brushless tools, including the reciprocating saw. (The Hercules Brushless have a 5 year warranty) After 5 months of using the saw hard, cutting steal oil tanks everyday, mine started making squealing noise & not cutting right. I stop by HF on my way home, put the see on the counter, asked for a warranty exchange. Clerk asked for my phone #, found the receipt, & told me to grab a new one from the shelf, scanned it, had me sign the warranty receipt, and put the door i went. All in less than 5 minutes, never even asked why.
This is a great reason to use HF....although I haven't had warranty issues, many people say the same thing, getting a replacement tool for one that's broken is quick and easy and they don't hound you with questions, they simply replace it for you. Hercules right now I think has the longest warranty of any HF tool outside of Pittsburgh, Quinn, and Icon which have lifetime warranties. A 5 year warranty for a battery powered tool is pretty reasonable, I think the Hercules batteries have a 3 year warranty.
Part 2 please! I became a hater when the coupons went away and thought they were crazy to do so, but they proved me wrong. I now actually love them and go more often.
@@user-gx1uk4ur2l still have coupons. There on your phone. There is a app someone made makes it really convenient. Just scan whatever and it will search and pop up the coupon. Works really well. I got a 600$ motorcycle lift table for 368$ out the door after coupons.
I used to go to Harbor Freight all the time when they sent out the coupon magazine, especially when they had the freebies coupons. I would brose through the magazine and find stuff that I thought that I might need in the future and go buy it to get the free item. No more, I only buy now when I need it, and I don't necessarily go to Harbor Freight to get it either. I will wait for sales at Lowes or Ace and get name brand tools if necessary. Harbor Freight left me when they did away with the coupon mag.
@@MtHockeySame here. I've been to harbor freight twice this year versus stopping by every month on my way home from work when they sent the catalogs with the coupons.
If you are signed up with your phone number at Harbor Freight and give them the number every time you check out, you would not need your receipt to do a return, they can look up purchases from your phone number.
yes, and if you're already getting the coupon emails from them, they now send you digital receipts after every purchase, so paper coupons aren't really needed anymore (I still keep mine, though). I've made purchases at HF and checked my email on my phone in the parking lot and the receipt email had already arrived in my inbox.
A lot of years ago, we had a house fire. I lost every tool I ever owned! So for about 20 years, I just did not mess with my vehicles. But, since Harbor Freight came to town, I got my old 56 Chevy out of the pasture, built a shop with a lift and have stocked it to the brim with HF tools!! THank you HF! If it were not for you, I would not be able to afford to restore my old car. :) :)
Back in time before y2k. I worked in a store that sold tools and other chinese chit. They also sold real tools like Starrett, Ingersoll Rand, Cp, and many other high quality American made tools. Some European tools as well. Some of the low end brands were MiT, Grip, Puma, and King. Being paid around $7/hour and training to become a machinist I couldn't get much. My precision tools were all High end. Where it counts. So after, I blew most of my pay on Starrett and other high end stuff I was basically broke. So when it came down to the air tools and hand tools i was only buying cheap stuff. I used to combine returned stuff in the basement of the store to be able to buy it at a discount. Like all my 6 ton jack stands, 3 ton hydraulic jacks, socket sets, and other tools. Today I still have many of them. I can say with absolute certainty that the 1/2" drive impact sockets from china are nearly bulletproof. I've removed thousands of rusted on bolts from 1/4" up to 2-1/2" and in that time ive only broken a half a dozen or so impact sockets. Meanwhile I killed 2 snapon, 3 china no name, one Mit and soon I'll be done with a Matco 1/2" impact wrenches/guns. I'm hard on tools because I don't have time to play around. If you want quality that you don't want to return/exchange on a regular basis, Taiwan or better is the way to go for most everything. Ill list out how I have seen it since the early 90's. Worst to best 1.India Pakistan Indonesia vietnam hongkong 2. china 3. Taiwan 4. Japan 5. Canada 6. Mexico 7. Germany 8. Poland sweden france spain Italy Switzerland 9. Japan 10. USA I could go on and break it down further. And many of the listed countries could swap spots depending on product type. Like Pakistan makes really good stainless products. But their cast iron or aluminum products are terrible. China makes good impact sockets. But most everything else is mediocre. Unfortunately here in the USA we take too much pride in making tools. So we can't compete with the chinese crap. Even our lowest end steels are better than most top end steel from china. We priced ourselves out of the market. That and the re**rded environmentally ill protection agency is ruining American manufacturing with their over zealous laws based on fudged numbers and propaganda. I may do a side by side video of tools that have lasted me many decades and those that don't. Give me time because it takes a lot to do a decent job of it. Again as a machinist, mechanic, welder, fabricatior, inventor, and excavation equipment owner I don't know everything, but i do know tools. I've got thousands of them. And I'm 💯% not brand loyal. I just expect quality. LAST TIP!!!!!!!!!! Be very wary of anything with these phrases or words: Heavy duty High strength Industrial quality Industrial strength Super Aircraft strength Aircraft grade Military grade Military secret Designed in USA German engineering Swiss design Patent pending As seen on tv Lifetime warranty Commercial grade ......... And one last thing "dinosaur brands" ie. Rockwell
Back about 10 years ago I went to harbor freight and was looking at an open box 21 gallon air compressor. They had it marked $110 down from $150 but they wanted me to take it bad and offered it for $55. I still use it all the time and has served me well.
I got one like that as well for $80 when they still had their real side walk sales. Got one of the shorter floor drill presses for about $80 as well. Just a few parts missing that I just made and it works great.
Dave thanks for the tips and thanks for just giving the facts!!!!! No stupid jokes, no satire no stupid memes just a great run down. You had a lot in there so anything in part 2 would be a must watch. I appreciate you making this with so much info. Worth the time to watch. THANK YOU!!!!
I am a wood worker. I don't work on my own cars, ever. About four years ago, I joined the ITC club for a year, however, most of the ITC discounts applied to auto work or metal work tools and I never bought enough wood working related products to recover my ITC membership fee. So now I just use coupons. I really am impressed by the Hercules line and will stick to those when possible. This was a great video and has terrific information worth saving.
I agree with you! If you are a construction person or use your tools for a living, perhaps stay clear of some HR items. Example: I bought a HF reciprocating saw in 2010 for $17 to keep at the deer camp. It is used like maybe 40Xs per year to cut through pelvic bones, limbs and necks. Today 2024, still a charm with same blade. I know for sure if we used it daily to cut through 2 X 4"s it would not be alive today. For your average DYI, HF is the way to go but do not complain. I once needed a concrete hammer drill to drive some anchors for home project. HF product was working but it was a struggle. My neighbor heard the cursing and came over with his high end tool. It was like busting butter. So easy. There was or more expensive Impact drills from HF but I picked the cheapest one. The drill I purchased is fine going into mortar. Concrete was a struggle. Hand tools, grinding tools, cut off wheels and cut off machines are awesome from HF. As you said, careful on the power tools and do not complain.
On the dumpster diving issue.. I have on many, many occassions, checked my local HF dumpster and yielded a LOT of good items which worked fine and I think were victims of the "rental tool" scenario where someone bought the item, used it, brought it back claiming "it didn't work" and got their money back. Fuel Pressure test tool, wooden workbench, jewelers toolbox, Diesel fuel pressure test kit, shop presses, dollies, liquid siphoning tool, complete tap and die sets, (same dive, got metric AND SAE versions) and the list goes on and on. Things have been slim pickings lately, but I suspect that is just because so many people check the dumpster! Most definately have gotten thousands of dollars of stuff from their dumpster.
The as is table is great. Recently my local HF had a tile saw priced around $110, down from $190. At checkout I applied a 40% off coupon and got it for $65. Got it home and it worked fine with no missing parts. It hadn't even been used. It's the best buy I've made at HF so far.
I'm a big-time HF customer, and I find most of their coupons won't allow further reductions on clearance or returned or damaged items. I shop HF in the northern middle Tennessee, southern middle Kentucky areas, and they won't allow coupons to further reduce these items. Anyway, who wants a set of socket wrenches that's missing the most used couple of sockets; not me?
@@markjennette909 I was surprised they applied the 40% off coupon to the saw. I wasn't expecting them to, but figured it was worth a shot. I was going to buy it anyway.
My experience with the as is stuff is that it's not a steep enough discount to justify the no warranty, potential for missing parts, and often if you can wait for a coupon that's a better deal
I think their “thin” tarps are great. They make great “wheelbarrows” for leaves and grass clippings. I have been trying to wear one out for about 3 seasons now. Have a larger on that I cut halfway through to lay around bushes and trees when trimming. A lot of the cheaper stuff, I consider single or limited use. I don’t see it now, but they used to have an electric paint sprayer. With coupon it was around $20. Used it to stain a fence. Then it went into the trash. Why would I even try to clean it, especially when I didn’t expect it to have a very long life expectancy.
Had the same sprayer, was a great deal as a single use/project item. Over the years I've bought a couple of them. The last one I actually saved and cleaned out.
Yep, I keep several tarps on hand. Had a huge years-old one that was real raggedy but still usable. Offered it to the roofer next door for catching roofing scraps.
I DID work at harbor freight. The best thing I can say (no matter what anyone says) harbor freight tools are for RESIDENTIAL use ONLY, commercial use , the tools always fail
I purchased a roll pin set about 6 months ago. I finally needed a 5/16" x 2" roll pin so I got out my set, found the 5/16" inserted the roll pin in the hole and it fell straight through onto the ground! I got my calipers and measured all the 5/16" roll pins. They averaged .303" to .306" diameter, 5/16" is .3125" and they should have been approximately. 010" over .3125" or .3225" diameter max! The manager said I needed to call the corporate office myself because the corporate office didn't listed to employees, only to customers!
ITC member here. Love shopping at Harbor freight. Very informative video. I bought a Vulcan Protig 205 back in April w/ the extended warranty. No matter what I did I couldn't get it to weld correctly. So I boxed it back up and returned it. I had the receipt and they offered to upgrade at no extra charge. I swapped it for the same model and the extended warranty restarted on that date even though I'd had it for several months. Very friendly and helpful employees. Part 2 video would be great.
I do the extended warranty on high dollar items, and have yet to use it on any of the stuff I've bought, but it brings a piece of mind I guess having a couple years of warranty in case something does fail...but typically that will happen within the first use or shortly thereafter. Out of all the HF stuff I've bought I have had 2 tools fail, one was a drill bit sharpener, the other was a belt sander...both failed the first time I tried to use them, in the trash they went...wasn't worth the gas to drive 35 miles back to the store to exchange them. I have the ITC membership as well, bought a Titanium multi-process welder and saved enough to pay for the ITC membership for 2 years LOL.
Good job. Very helpful information and so refreshing to find a tool guy who just gets to the point and delivers the information without trying to act cute or crack stupid jokes. I'm going to check out your other videos just for that reason alone! Please do make a part 2!
Haven't bought a ton of stuff from HF. But every time I've gone in over the years the employees have been helpful. And I usually find something else I need. Thank you for the tips!
I used to have a lot of success at Harbor freight on the scratch and then type stuff. But the local stores in my area have moved away from that model. Because it was getting so common it discouraged people from buying their new merchandise. The other problem with dumpster diving is although it is legal, the harbor freight stores in my area locked down their dumpsters, and so it is not possible. Because of the homeless problems in the big cities we have around here, they also discourage it because they don't want people getting hurt dumpster diving.
I'm a big fan of HF. On top of the staff being really nice, I actually was able to pay for my membership with only a couple of purchases. Clamps and speed squares at a fraction of the price of the orange or blue stores. Same with tarps and drop cloths. Their little Dremel knock offs were affordable enough to buy a couple so I don't have to change bits as often.
Very precise and helpful. I will feel 100% more empowered the next time I shop HF. Thanks so much for getting the background information from former/current employees. The clear pictures of the pricing and coupons are great. I would love to hear more of the tips you have.
Nice tips! Would definitely like to see episode 2. Also, I now get ‘Manager’s because we miss you’ 25% off coupon about once every two weeks, ever since I put the Apex winch in my wish list. Now I always keep something higher priced in there and they keep the coupons coming.
The staff are indeed helpful. The only product which was helpful were the plastic tarps. A pair of sound protectors were so small they barely covered the outside of my ears. I can find no valid reason to shop there. A Fool's Paradise.
@@MakerBoyOldBoyyou must not work on cars then. If you’re compression testing a car you’re not gonna spend hundreds for a snap on version. If you need a slide hammer for your pilot bushing you’re gonna go to harbor freight. If you’re buying parts trays, break clean, shop towels or any specialty car tool that you don’t use very often you’re gonna go to harbor freight. The only good stuff at harbor freight is hand tools, disposable stuff, specialty tools and air tools. Also their boxes are amazing, I’ve never met a mechanic in my life who didn’t have a US general box or roll cart even if it’s just a secondary box to their massive snap on box.
I got the "we miss you" 25% off no exclusions coupons before as well. I had been planning to buy an air compressor, found the one I wanted at my local HF (on clearance, no less) and was able to pay about $200 less than normal price. Score!
One day my buddy and I decided we wanted to “straight pipe” our vehicles, we didn’t have any tools to cut it so we went down to harbor freight bought a pack of cutoff wheels and the cheapest angle grinder we could. (This was 4 years ago yes I know a sawzall is a much better tool for such a task) we broke 6 of them and only paid for one and a pack of cutoff wheels. Had to drive back 6 times and every time the guy at the counter kept smiling harder and harder. I only buy tools from there now and if they fail I buy nice ones
I love harbor freight. Obviously if you're a professional you might want higher quality tools for durability purposes but for just doing work around the house or car you can save so much money at harbor freight.
As your newest subscriber, as of this moment. I appreciated this video on Harbor Freight. They’ve certainly improved dramatically on their quality of the past few years. Hard to beat their prices. Inside track club is definitely worth it in my opinion. Paid for itself in 3 visits to the store. Plus I’ve acquired enough free buckets that everyone is getting one for Christmas!! Thanks for the video and would love to see more
I use to pick up old cardboard box from a harbor freight. there were many times that tools were left inside. New and not visibly damaged.Yes the staff was always Awesome 👌
My best deal so far has been a $100 Hercules 13 amp angle grinder which was on sale for much less and I bought it using a no restrictions coupon. I got it for $39. I'd have to say that the Inside Track membership cost has paid for itself at least four or five times this year for my purchases. I must be pretty smart because I've been using most all of your suggestions having figured it out for myself...except the dumpster diving.
"Free rental" is a common problem in retail. I worked at an office supply store and we once had two women buy 20 8' plastic folding tables on a Friday and they returned all 20 for a full refund on Monday. One of the employees overheard them talking about their family reunion that weekend.
Yes! Part 2 would be great. I'm a big HF fan, especially since they just built a brand new store 15 minutes from my house, and I'm learning new things through your video.
I first started shopping at a HF store in the early/mid 90's near where my best friend lived at the time, about 20 miles from my house. Bought what they sold at the time which was mostly simple hand tools, a floor jack for my cars, hand trolly, that sort of stuff. And most of it I still use to this day.
Great and very informative video, Dave! Although I've been a longtime and loyal customer at Harbor Freight, I'm always happy about learning something new. As an example, whenever purchasing anything that's pricey, such as a lawnmower, you really need to do your 'homework', and always look at the 'Big Picture'. Last spring I decided to purchase a power rotary mower, and at first, I almost bought it at Harbor Freight. But after adding up the costs of everything, and comparing it to a mower at Costco, it turned out to be a No-Brainer, since the HF version did NOT include the batteries or the charger, which would have cost me an ADDITIONAL $126 MORE than the Costco unit, which were included. Timing was everything, as the Costco mower was on sale for a short time, with $100 off! Thanks again, for your stellar video!
Though I don’t shop at HF often. The tools I buy are not heavily used. On one occasion we had heavy rains for days and I was bucketing water away from my door. I was exhausted. Exasperated I went to HF to get “something” to pump the water from my back door. My clothes were soaked. I explained what I needed and this young man (employee) said I needed a sump pump. I told him THE WATER IS NOT IN MY BASEMENT, I’m trying to keep it out!! He quickly shifted gears understanding the urgency, and sold me a pump that he said couldn’t run if it was in a dry area with a lot of debris. Since it was outdoors he told me to place something that would filter out the debris and check it frequently. It worked GREAT! Wonderful idea!! I will almost always go to HF!
I’ve never had any issue with my HF power tools. due to their price point, I never was as diligent in taking care of them, but they’ve endured regardless. While I probably wouldn’t recommend them for commercial use, they’re definitely more than enough for household diy
My only suggestion on coupons is to watch them and track the items you want most. In the case of a tool box that was couponed for $219, also was couponed down to $199. So track coupon rates. Secondly- always consider opening a credit card as this takes an additional 10% off the first purchase. Would be great to pair this up with a 20% off coupon for a US General or Icon tool chest. Great savings their too.
One year my wife and I decided we would give out the HB free item with purchase gifts to everyone in the family. So every week we would go buy something just to get the free gifts. This was back when you could get a tape measure, light, razor knife, blue tarp, and a few other things. We got 20 of each and gave everyone a box of free gifts from HB.
Yes. I bought a large tool set and the discount was so significant by joining that i basically got inside track for free and saved about 5 bucks as well over the standard price. So by signing up for the club i saved only 5 dallars at that time but got the club for a year
My wife and I bought their floor nailer about 15 years ago. We were putting in hardwood floors in our house. We ended up using it to replace 5 floors over the years, just take care of your tools and they will last. last.
Yes, great advice. But 15 years 6 flooring jobs is not very much work on the tool. Now if you said we use twice a week for flooring jobs for 15 years then that would be awesome.
Dave, I stumbled across your site while I was just browsing. I was really impressed with your style and quality of information. I'm past most of my DIY days, because I'm 83, but I do things occasionally, just usually nothing heavy. I want to put a word in for the Warrior drill. I purchased their drill on sale about five years ago for about twelve bucks because it was lightweight and made it easier to work overhead. I found that it not only did that, but it's weight was great for craft work. I bought another one to keep upstairs for easy access. Not only that, when I put up my HF greenhouse three years ago, I used my Warriors so I didn't have to change bits. I discovered that they were quite capable tools. Batteries lasted quite long in spite of being small, and I was able to do some heavy drilling with them. I don't have any other Warrior tools, but I wouldn't hesitate to try one if I needed another tool. My tool inventory is actually pretty complete, though. I subscribed and will be surfing your older sites to see what interesting topics you've covered before. Again, your style is great.
Regarding tip 25. If you notice the purple tags, sometimes you will see a purple tag on top of another purple tag. The manager at my harbor freight told me they will go up to three purple tags as the price gets lower. After the third purple tag they dispose of the tool. So if you see three purple tags stuck together, that is definitely the final price
Yes, wait till you want to buy a big ticket item before you join the club membership. I'm a Harbor Freight club member maybe 1 year out of 3. P.S. Well done Dave.
I have bought plenty of returned tools, some at a steep discount. I love going to the city and stopping at the Harbor Freight, they always have returned tools from people using them as a rental store.
yep, more tips welcome! The power tools I've bought got seriously tested and powered through flying colors. The only tools that haven't been 100% have been the "el cheepo" screw drivers and small pliers: I bought them knowing this and they've done their lite weight jobs just fine.
I've had success with dumpster diving. I don't do it routinely, but will check one out if I'm there. For instance, went to Tractor Supply to fill propane cylinders. Went to their dumpster to get rid of some trash in the jeep. Pulled out a chainsaw that was returned for throwing chains (said so on the tag). $400 chain saw that just needed a chain. I imagine it was a 'weekend rental' kind of deal.
As A hobbyist mechanic also worked as a journeyman mechanic using name brand tools, craftsman, snap on , harbor freight when you walk in its the presentation thats cause me to shop further, some tools are decent but still the presentation is addictive 😂
Yes, I think Part 2 would be fun to see and will educate us on how HF operates. And if it saves us money all the more reason to do a Part 2. Thank You.
I bought a wooden work bench, and the one they sold me was in a re-taped box. I got it home, and discovered it was missing a lot of pieces. It was obviously returned by a slob who just left out 10% of the parts. I took it back, HF gave me a NEW sealed box, and told me they would just throw the returned bench kit in the dumpster. They did. I returned later and managed to get 90% of those pieces. I then made replacements for the missing parts (mostly wood, so not difficult) and ended up with a second bench (for several hours of labor to re-create the missing bits.) I'm retired so my labor is essentially free.
HF has guides throughout the store that indicates Good, Better, Best in those exact words. They are usually shelf placards or pop-ups displays. I do read those, but also check reviews if the item is over a certain dollar amount.
As for the purple tags, I have seen the 'open box' purple tagged items sold with extra perks that if you are ITC member you get an additional percentage off. I bought the ITC membership so I could get the scaffolding on sale for $30 off. It paid for itself.
Thanks, and yes please do a part 2. ITC member here, and it paid for itself the day I signed up for it, because I needed so much stuff and the discounts are often pretty steep.
I'm a manager for HF. I have never had a machete returned honestly. The biggest retuned item is the cen-tech 2/10/50 amp charger BY FAR.. We get a decent amount of the Portland pressure washers as well. Generators and compressors come back regularly as well but it's mainly construction companies that use them 24/7 and just get a warranty and new replacement over and over. Open box items(purple sticky labels) are not clearance items. Orange price tags are Clearance items. Not all stores are "As is" stores and don't get refurb as is items. 95% of our returned items get sent back. Small low cost items get "disposed". Car canopies are dispose as well. Tool boxes that are damaged get Open boxed. We never throw away a damaged tool box. Also a big thing people don't understand is the warranties are a ONE TIME replacement not over and over as many times as you like for the 1-2 years. Last thing. We can not control open box prices. They print automatically and we can not adjust them. I understand some items like extensions missing 3 pieces should be marked down more than what they are priced at. It can't be marked down more until 14 days later and again its a price we can't edit. We will haggle on the price though just ask a supervisor/manager. :)
My HF tip... don't forget you can't get parts. They exchange items, but if you just bust a thing, HF won't be providing parts. So, here's the tip: a lot of this stuff is the same as other tool stores. I had a 10k jack combo set...the one with the ram and all kinds of bars and ends for pushing and pulling. I broke the 90 degree end. The EXACT same jack kit was sold by northern tool and they DO sell spare parts. Voila..new end was an exact match. Yeah!
As for HF receipts mine are automatically emailed to me and since I'm an Inside Track Club member coupons aren't needed, if any coupon applies to something I'm buying they take it off the purchase. ;-)
A couple of corrections, orange sticker as is merchandise are non negotiable per company policy- now the purple open box sticker merchandise is up to the manager to reduce . Secondly I strongly do not encourage the use of old coupons with no expiration dates from 3rd party sites. Our registers will decline them 99% of the time.
Would love to see a part 2 . I love harbor freight and recently found out that the managers have the power to offer you items returned or sold as is at a lot lower of a price. And I love the track membership. They always tell me things like “ oh come in this weekend because of your membership status you can just walk in and get this, this or even this! No purchase required. What other stores do that ? Just happened onto your video . I loved it ! Was not overly long but full of helpful tips . Thanks 👍
Dumpster digging at harbor freight is key. Have gotten a lot of awesome items. For example: Concrete Mixer, torque wrenches x5, tap and die set, tire changer, ball joint press x2, dollies x7, foldable truck, 5" table vice, ratchets, wrenches, caster wheels, and several other items.
I agree. I just bought the Bauer wall sander for $99 last week to do home project vs renting one that was going to cost me around $80. With buying it I can take my time vs racing to finish the job before the rent time runs out
I feel it's good practice ethically and practically to buy and build the shop. Some specialty items may make more sense to rent, but if it has more applications, it makes sense imho to buy and keep
I'm a lead auto tech at a shop, been working on cars for 10+ years, most of my box is HF tools. They might be cheap and break more often than tool truck tools, but they are cheap and almost never break on the first job so they always make their money back FAST. Since tools are how I make money, the less I spend on tools the more money I get. I've only ever had a problem with Central Pneumatic die grinders and the impact adapters breaking. I will recommend Harbor Freight over snap-on every day all day. Let the hate and ignorant comments begin!
Your a smart guy who is responsible with their money. I am a DIY mechanic and have been for years. The only harbor tool I have broken is the ratcheting wrench, which was my fault and I knew it was going to break it. Other than that there impact sockets are on point, I have beat the shit out of mine and they never break.
@@dustinryan9671 I got a full set of HF impact sockets. I even have 2 of the Hercules impacts and have yet to have issues with them, aside from over torqued and super rusted stuff. Only ever had a problem with the CN brand and the impact adapters breaking. Specifically the 1/2 to 3/8 impact adapter. Funny enough the adapters never break when used on an impact wrench but when used with a breaker bar they snap right in half.
The better quality Harbor Freight hand tools are fine. Whether tools break or not depends on how they're used or abused. Ratchet wrenches are not breaker bars. A little mechanical aptitude can go a long way in life. Common sense is an uncommon trait often too it seems. Just reefing on everything like a strength test isn't always the best strategy to do things.
@@1pcfred I have never broken a harbor freight tool by miss using it. In fact I have only ever had 2 things break, as I stated above. Those were being used in their proper functions at the time they broke. Stay away from Central Pneumatic tools, they will break with proper use and do so quickly.
I’m a previous HFT employee. We never threw away anything. Instead, our “scratch-and-dent tools” were sold at the parking lot sales, and you can haggle with the managers. I can’t advise checking the dumpsters out back (unless you’re already there for some reason….)
The single product I see most people buy there is the Predator series generators/inverters. A great value, but put a magnetic dipstick in it BEFORE STARTING. It's Chinese machining and one sliver of steel can tear-up a lot of aluminum.
I really like the employees at my nearby store. Always helpful in locating an item in the store. I’ve looked over the entire place and they walk me right to it. I’ve only broken one item in all the items I’ve bought there. A small tailpipe expander. One of the cast rails just snapped. It was exchanged without question. Great value tools for those times when you need it once or twice and it doesn’t make sense to spend a fortune.
This video is exceptional! Thanks so much for all the tips. I love harbor freight and had no idea you could get these discounts. Thanks for the great content and please make more!
I would always try to make sure I had all the tools I needed for a project and HF would be pretty clutch in helping me not break the bank. My rule of thumb was when buying a new tool I would look for it at flea markets, yard sales, or Harbor Freight before running out to Lowe's or Home Depot to buy a set of Dewalt or whatever. If I broke a tool or wore it out, then I would go buy a nicer main stream brand. This way if I only needed a very niche tool for a very specific project, I wouldn't break the bank, and would only spend money on tools I knew I would ware out or break from heavy use. This strategy has helped me have any extremely well stocked tool garage, while saving money on niche things, like AC vacuum pumps for example, I might only use once or twice in a blue moon. Whereas the tools I use all the time very quickly got upgraded. Doing this also really made me realize which tools I used most frequently.
I have found that alot of Harbor Freight merchandise is not that much of a bargen, even when on sale. I appreciated the information about product disposal .
I was thrilled when Harbor Freight opened a store nearby a couple of years ago. I was like a kid in a candy store. However, my opinion of HF has dropped dramatically over the past few years. Everything they sell is made by the cheapest manufacturers in China. Simply put, the quality of many of the products they sell range from "It will do for now" to complete and utter garbage. Products I have bought started to rust within weeks to months of purchase, broke after a few uses, or just didnt work at all. I recently bought a set of Pittsburgh (made in China, not Pennsylvania) screwdrivers on sale for next to nothing. The price was the best thing about them. While I expect them to work for light indoor use, they feel so cheaply made that I wouldnt trust them if my job required their everyday heavy use. Because of HF's lack of quality control, I would never buy a power tool from them. I have no faith they would last and would even be slightly worried that if they failed while being used, I could be hurt. I am not the only one who feels that way. Their product reviews on their website are filled with people complaining about how bad they are. Dont get me wrong, I will still buy the occasional item there, but not if it something I need to last or depend on.
It's just like any retailer...it has it's good products n it's junk. No retailer could survive having it all one way or the other. N FYI, literally almost everything u already wear and own...is made in China
Restocking fees generally only apply to items that need fuel, oil, grease, or other fluids added. Generators, motors, chain saws, or SDS Max rotary hammers are some examples. Harbor Freight's website ordering needs to get with the times. Free ship to store options are at most retailers that have both an online and brick and mortar presence. HF still doesn't have basic buy online and store pickup for in stock items. Maybe you could inquire about their plans to implement a program like that if you do a part II.
Ship to store would be excellent, many times the store is out of something I need, being able to have it shipped to the closest store for free would be great...and not like an extra cost to the company as they just send it on the next shipment to the store.
I agree about ship to store having free shipping... also, no matter how big/expensive your order is, they literally won't give you a discount or free shipping; in fact, the shipping gets outrageous!
A simple tip I was taught awhile back is, that harbor freight has fine tools. Dont expect them to stand up to daily abuse like you would find in careers like automotive repair or firefighting, but for your average person, they are great. As long as it is not something you are trusting your life with, there is no reason not to go there for it first before looking at more expensive options. Seems to hold up well too. I use old sears craftsman jack stands and tools for automotive work, and an old Milwaukee fuel drill for.... drill things(?), and they still all perform as if brand new. Go over to my grandparents house, where they think the cheapest harbor freight special is just as good as a Milwaukee or dewalt, and well, they aren't, their HF and B&D drills can barely screw something into a pre tapped hole in particle board, but as for just basic hand tools, one of my favorite ratchet sets is at there house, and is one bought from HF. There is a noticeable difference in quality between HF tools and other cheap tool brands too. Tools ive gotten at Menards are OK, and whatever the hell my grandparents find at Lowes for the cheapest price possible always feels terrible in the hand (but in the words of my grandparents, they are the same exact thing as my expensive tools, but they didn't get ripped off like I did, because it was cheaper!), but the HF stuff is alright relatively speaking.
I once got a lifetime supply of table saw blades at about $2 per blade just by working a deal with the manager to buy the whole stack from that front clearance rack.
Great stuff - one of my biggest gripes is how even their Bauer line isn't all that great. It's like Russian Roulette. Sometimes you get a great tool at a really great price, other times, not so much. I've had Bauer tools break on first use and while I got a new replacement right away, it was a HUGE hassle and time waster. Now that experience actually STOPS me from being interested in buying from them, even the Hercules line. Because if they care so little about quality that a tools on/off switch is broken right from the factory (this happened to me on the Bauer line) then why should I feel good about their other brands AT ALL?!! I don't.....especially when you can buy a similar tool, better quality for the same price from other stores.
Where do we need to send the cheese, to go with all that whine? I've had great success with all the Bauer tools I've got, and if you've got this magical store with really cheap but super high quality tools, why are you shopping at HF?
Tip suggestion: be polite, friendly, and genuinely likable when interacting with any staff member. This is a good idea in ANY store, but the folks at my local HF are particularly chill, happy people. In return, they give honest advice, tips, and can stretch some of the store policies. Kindness pays for itself~
Great advice!
Kindness is contagious and often leads to the recipient going the extra mile to helping you save money and having a positive influence on someone else's day. Win, win!
Truely the tip of life in general.
This is the advice for ANY physical store you go to. The nicer you are, the more likely people are going to bend the rules for you. If you go in full-bore Karen mode the only thing you will get in a restaurant is extra spit in your food.
My store in WV is filled with good dudes and sweetheart ladies that really make shopping there a GREAT experience!
Hey, ex harbor freight employee here. Everything you said is on point though there are a few things I would like to add. With the clearance items with the purple tags, a lot of those items like you said are being clearanced out. Though we do lower the prices on those items typically every 2 weeks if they haven’t sold to make sure we don’t have stuff piling up back there. Practically everything back there is brand new and was used as displays. In my experience as well you can typically be able to haggle the prices down even lower, though you do need a supervisor or higher to be able to do this. I’d recommend asking logistics supervisors as we tend to just want the Shit gone because it’s annoying to deal with. The orange tags we can’t do anything about, they were all returns and we can’t change the price even if we wanted too because corporate gets really pissy when we do. I’m my experience I don’t touch anything in that table because it more often than not isn’t salvageable. For hand tools about 90% of them have a lifetime warranty on them, we will return or replace them for any reason and when I say any reason I mean ANY. We one had this older gentleman that shopped at my store and I thing he owned and bought a set of every single icon tool we carried. When they were first introduced they all had a matte finish, well we ended up releasing most of the sets later with a glossy finish. I shit you not he brought in every single icon set he had and exchanged them out for all the new ones that had the gloss finish. It took forever but we did do it. We don’t need a return if you are just swapping out hand tools for another set, only if you are trying to outright return the. Also if you have a socket set or a ratchet wrench set for example and one somehow breaks. Just exchange the the entire set instead of just the piece that broke, it’s just easier for everyone if you do it that way. We really don’t like having to deal with a brand new set of tools with one missing piece missing just to toss a purple sticker on it and have to deal with it later. As far as the hand tools go you can’t really go wrong with any of them, all of them I barely see returned. Though if you want the little bit nicer ones I would go with the Quinn but the Pittsburgh usually hold up just as well. The only tools that i would stay away from that you haven’t already brought up are the air tools. I’ve never seen anything returned as much as those, absolute shit. Needlers, grinders, sanders are dog shit don’t get them. They have tried really hard to improve their product lines but the air tools have just been untouched. Great video.
I bought a air nailer. It worked for an hour. then nothng. Yep, ait tools are junk
Great comment, very appreciated🙏
Thanks for taking the time to share your insight!
Thanks for the extra information. As far as the air tools go, I look at it like if I need a specialty tool for a particular project. Then I know the cheaper brand isn't an heirloom type tool. so if I get a week out of it, and never need it again. it's better than spending twice as much for a name brand tool that will be used maby twice a year. and I don't have to deal with rental rates and hassles.
Dude i appreciate your honesty. Theres no better advice than the one given to you from a former/ex employee of the store you're gonna shop at. Thanks for the solid advice.. P.S. the air tools are dog shit there man. Lol
And, as a current cashier, I want to give a huge THANK YOU to all of you who give us a smile and a friendly conversation when you come through.
I work very hard to make each person feel welcome and happier when they come in. When I get a grump who refuses to be friendly, it saps so much out of me. But those of you who smile back - you make ALL the difference!
I always treat people who have to deal with the public all day as a part of my day. Someone who is important to me. Respect and a smile can be the difference between a perfect day and driving home angry.
Just remember, a lot of the grumpy customers are simply upset that their thing is broken, which forces them to go to where you are. Many of them would probably be lovely people if their day didn’t just fall apart around them.
Just know you’re helping someone every time, even if they’re grumpy. You might be the one who makes someone’s day survivable. hahah
The cashiers at HF are always friendly! Thank you!
I work in the public retail market (Kenworth trucks), so I know all too well what employees have to go through with their customers. I will always treat others with dignity and respect.
😁
Ok check it out Valerie. I have worked plenty of service, retail, restaurant etc. I, like yourself strived to make sure the customer was always satisfied. No matter how good you are at putting a smile on someone else's face, you will always, ALWAYS, get those people who are simply unhappy. When you see them enter the store you already know they are going to try to ruin your day. They carry it in their sleeve. They are unhappy people and their goal no matter how polite and nice you are to them is to wipe the smile off your face. They are unhappy so it kills them to see you happy, their only solution is to be an asshole in hopes you won't be smiley and bubbly and cheerful. This is the most important part. The absolute best thing you can do when one of the soul suckers come in is put on your cheesiest biggest smile and be overly nice and positive. It will piss them off so much. NOT TO ENCOURAGE NEGATIVITY! But I will tell you now, when you put on the super smile and stick to the cheerful OVERLY cheerful attitude, they will fume! They can't bring you down, fight their grumpiness with happiness. It will win every time. Trust me girl! I've used this tactic for over 25 years now and it never fails. It will actually make your fake smile real because you will see them try harder to upset you. TRUST ME, TRY IT! It's all about love my friend.
I went to my local store and looking in the open/returned items, there was a Maddox wheel bearing press kit(complete). It was marked from $140(or so) down to $95 for being used. I seen the manager and I asked her, "are them prices set in stone, or are you open to offers?" She ask what I was thinking. I said "I'll give you $80 for that bearing press kit." She said "take it" without even giving it any thought...
And that kids is.. How I met your mother.
If you are like me.... you might walk out with something you do not think you needed.. Not always!
One thing I can say about Harbor Freight is that you have to remember that the people who work there are people. Treating them right can make a world of difference. I'm always friendly with them when I go in for something and often joke with them (When our local store first opened I went in to see what they had, one associate asked if I needed help finding anything. I decided to have some fun... I asked where the pipe stretchers were. She didn't catch it and asked over the radio for a pipe stretcher. The manager heard this and decided to sit back and watch. This is where it got good... almost all of the employees were looking for a pipe stretcher before I broke and told the little gal to think about it... how do you stretch a pipe? It got a good laugh all around and i built a rapport with the employees there where we would joke around as friends when I went in. A few years ago when HF discontinued the big 60 gallon upright compressors they had the floor model marked down gradually from $999.99 to $599. I asked the manager, whom I'd gotten to know as I was a regular, how long he'd have to look at it before they had some room to work. (I'd already gone down with my trailer intending to buy it anyway). He said, let's take a look. He looked at the tag and asked if I'd do $300. Before I could answer, he offered to extend my ITC by another year. Needless to say, I was all over that and when the employees were helping me get it loaded and secured on my trailer he came out with a package of ratchet straps (on the house) and told the employees to make sure it was strapped down well and wouldn't go anywhere. I'm sure that the fact that I have spent a lot there helped too (I've bought a couple of the big toolboxes and a lot of tools to fill them), but I attribute a good share of it to my taking the time to be nice when I am in there.
Another time I was getting ready to buy a floor jack and an employee told me not to buy it unless I really needed it right then. He then went on to tell me that it was going on sale in two days and I could save on it then. I chose to wait and thanked him. When I went back to buy it, he even took it out to my pickup and loaded it for me.
Don't hesitate to ask the employees thoughts on a tool and tell them what you're wanting it for either. They don't work on commission so they aren't going to try to push one tool over another. They know what comes back most and won't steer you to something you'll have problems with. They generally aren't experts, but they normally are willing to help you in making a decision.
These are just a couple of examples of the great service I have gotten there (Including a very thoughtful card from the entire store staff when they found out I was fighting cancer... thanks guys, that meant more than I can possibly say). My point is though, remember that the employees there are people. They have good days and bad days too. It costs nothing to be nice and not have an attitude with them and make their day a little brighter and if you treat them right, they will do all they can to make your experience with the store a great one. It costs $6 to get a box of donuts where I live. I've dropped a couple of boxes off over time for their break room. Just general being nice on my part. That sort of thoughtfulness can go a long ways towards making their day a little brighter and if you can't afford a couple of bucks for a box of donuts, you really shouldn't be buying a bunch of new tools anyway.
Damn, you say that about pipe stretchers but if you go google "exhaust expander tool", you'll literally see a pipe stretcher 😆 I read that and went "uhhh yeah, one of those exhaust tools, what's the joke?" lol
Thanks for these Great experiences! I haven't had ONE yet...
Very true about being nice to people and you'll be treated nice. My father always said be nice to the people who handle your food and cut your hair!
@leeg4728 smart man
1, the purple tags are open box items and orange is clearance items.
2, Warranty - I have a lot of the Hercules 20V Brushless tools, including the reciprocating saw. (The Hercules Brushless have a 5 year warranty) After 5 months of using the saw hard, cutting steal oil tanks everyday, mine started making squealing noise & not cutting right. I stop by HF on my way home, put the see on the counter, asked for a warranty exchange. Clerk asked for my phone #, found the receipt, & told me to grab a new one from the shelf, scanned it, had me sign the warranty receipt, and put the door i went. All in less than 5 minutes, never even asked why.
@rickswoodham
I hear ya Mr. Thurogood.
That was 1wiskey, 1bourben and 1sawsall. Right😉
This is a great reason to use HF....although I haven't had warranty issues, many people say the same thing, getting a replacement tool for one that's broken is quick and easy and they don't hound you with questions, they simply replace it for you. Hercules right now I think has the longest warranty of any HF tool outside of Pittsburgh, Quinn, and Icon which have lifetime warranties. A 5 year warranty for a battery powered tool is pretty reasonable, I think the Hercules batteries have a 3 year warranty.
@wildbill23c The hercules warranty is the best power tool warranty, period, except for milwaukee, and you will pay a ton more for milwaukee.
@@waltschannel7465ridgid has a lifetime warranty. I used them for 8yrs roofing and always got mine fixed no questions asked.
When you make $8 an hr why would you care?
Part 2 please! I became a hater when the coupons went away and thought they were crazy to do so, but they proved me wrong. I now actually love them and go more often.
For me it’s almost Everytime I buy a big ticket thing I get a coupon within a day or so lol. Never fails
@@user-gx1uk4ur2l still have coupons. There on your phone. There is a app someone made makes it really convenient. Just scan whatever and it will search and pop up the coupon. Works really well. I got a 600$ motorcycle lift table for 368$ out the door after coupons.
I used to go like once a week. Now I haven't been in about 6 months
I used to go to Harbor Freight all the time when they sent out the coupon magazine, especially when they had the freebies coupons. I would brose through the magazine and find stuff that I thought that I might need in the future and go buy it to get the free item. No more, I only buy now when I need it, and I don't necessarily go to Harbor Freight to get it either. I will wait for sales at Lowes or Ace and get name brand tools if necessary. Harbor Freight left me when they did away with the coupon mag.
@@MtHockeySame here. I've been to harbor freight twice this year versus stopping by every month on my way home from work when they sent the catalogs with the coupons.
If you are signed up with your phone number at Harbor Freight and give them the number every time you check out, you would not need your receipt to do a return, they can look up purchases from your phone number.
yes, and if you're already getting the coupon emails from them, they now send you digital receipts after every purchase, so paper coupons aren't really needed anymore (I still keep mine, though). I've made purchases at HF and checked my email on my phone in the parking lot and the receipt email had already arrived in my inbox.
A lot of years ago, we had a house fire. I lost every tool I ever owned! So for about 20 years, I just did not mess with my vehicles. But, since Harbor Freight came to town, I got my old 56 Chevy out of the pasture, built a shop with a lift and have stocked it to the brim with HF tools!! THank you HF! If it were not for you, I would not be able to afford to restore my old car. :) :)
Back in time before y2k. I worked in a store that sold tools and other chinese chit. They also sold real tools like Starrett, Ingersoll Rand, Cp, and many other high quality American made tools. Some European tools as well.
Some of the low end brands were MiT, Grip, Puma, and King.
Being paid around $7/hour and training to become a machinist I couldn't get much. My precision tools were all High end. Where it counts. So after, I blew most of my pay on Starrett and other high end stuff I was basically broke. So when it came down to the air tools and hand tools i was only buying cheap stuff.
I used to combine returned stuff in the basement of the store to be able to buy it at a discount. Like all my 6 ton jack stands, 3 ton hydraulic jacks, socket sets, and other tools.
Today I still have many of them.
I can say with absolute certainty that the 1/2" drive impact sockets from china are nearly bulletproof. I've removed thousands of rusted on bolts from 1/4" up to 2-1/2" and in that time ive only broken a half a dozen or so impact sockets. Meanwhile I killed 2 snapon, 3 china no name, one Mit and soon I'll be done with a Matco 1/2" impact wrenches/guns. I'm hard on tools because I don't have time to play around.
If you want quality that you don't want to return/exchange on a regular basis, Taiwan or better is the way to go for most everything. Ill list out how I have seen it since the early 90's.
Worst to best
1.India Pakistan Indonesia vietnam hongkong
2. china
3. Taiwan
4. Japan
5. Canada
6. Mexico
7. Germany
8. Poland sweden france spain Italy Switzerland
9. Japan
10. USA
I could go on and break it down further. And many of the listed countries could swap spots depending on product type. Like Pakistan makes really good stainless products. But their cast iron or aluminum products are terrible.
China makes good impact sockets. But most everything else is mediocre.
Unfortunately here in the USA we take too much pride in making tools. So we can't compete with the chinese crap. Even our lowest end steels are better than most top end steel from china. We priced ourselves out of the market. That and the re**rded environmentally ill protection agency is ruining American manufacturing with their over zealous laws based on fudged numbers and propaganda.
I may do a side by side video of tools that have lasted me many decades and those that don't. Give me time because it takes a lot to do a decent job of it. Again as a machinist, mechanic, welder, fabricatior, inventor, and excavation equipment owner I don't know everything, but i do know tools. I've got thousands of them. And I'm 💯% not brand loyal.
I just expect quality.
LAST TIP!!!!!!!!!!
Be very wary of anything with these phrases or words:
Heavy duty
High strength
Industrial quality
Industrial strength
Super
Aircraft strength
Aircraft grade
Military grade
Military secret
Designed in USA
German engineering
Swiss design
Patent pending
As seen on tv
Lifetime warranty
Commercial grade
.........
And one last thing "dinosaur brands" ie. Rockwell
Back about 10 years ago I went to harbor freight and was looking at an open box 21 gallon air compressor. They had it marked $110 down from $150 but they wanted me to take it bad and offered it for $55. I still use it all the time and has served me well.
I got one like that as well for $80 when they still had their real side walk sales. Got one of the shorter floor drill presses for about $80 as well. Just a few parts missing that I just made and it works great.
I got one too, but at retail price. Total screw over! Lasted about a year and burned out.
Dave thanks for the tips and thanks for just giving the facts!!!!! No stupid jokes, no satire no stupid memes just a great run down. You had a lot in there so anything in part 2 would be a must watch. I appreciate you making this with so much info. Worth the time to watch. THANK YOU!!!!
Part 2 is up now! ua-cam.com/video/cezv-gDIiBk/v-deo.html Thanks for the compliment!
Dave need to put da fork down and hit da gym fo his heart gave out
agree 💯 percent.
I am a wood worker. I don't work on my own cars, ever. About four years ago, I joined the ITC club for a year, however, most of the ITC discounts applied to auto work or metal work tools and I never bought enough wood working related products to recover my ITC membership fee. So now I just use coupons. I really am impressed by the Hercules line and will stick to those when possible. This was a great video and has terrific information worth saving.
Go ahead and make the part 2. I learned a lot from part 1.
I agree with you! If you are a construction person or use your tools for a living, perhaps stay clear of some HR items. Example: I bought a HF reciprocating saw in 2010 for $17 to keep at the deer camp. It is used like maybe 40Xs per year to cut through pelvic bones, limbs and necks. Today 2024, still a charm with same blade. I know for sure if we used it daily to cut through 2 X 4"s it would not be alive today. For your average DYI, HF is the way to go but do not complain. I once needed a concrete hammer drill to drive some anchors for home project. HF product was working but it was a struggle. My neighbor heard the cursing and came over with his high end tool. It was like busting butter. So easy. There was or more expensive Impact drills from HF but I picked the cheapest one. The drill I purchased is fine going into mortar. Concrete was a struggle. Hand tools, grinding tools, cut off wheels and cut off machines are awesome from HF. As you said, careful on the power tools and do not complain.
On the dumpster diving issue.. I have on many, many occassions, checked my local HF dumpster and yielded a LOT of good items which worked fine and I think were victims of the "rental tool" scenario where someone bought the item, used it, brought it back claiming "it didn't work" and got their money back. Fuel Pressure test tool, wooden workbench, jewelers toolbox, Diesel fuel pressure test kit, shop presses, dollies, liquid siphoning tool, complete tap and die sets, (same dive, got metric AND SAE versions) and the list goes on and on. Things have been slim pickings lately, but I suspect that is just because so many people check the dumpster! Most definately have gotten thousands of dollars of stuff from their dumpster.
The as is table is great. Recently my local HF had a tile saw priced around $110, down from $190. At checkout I applied a 40% off coupon and got it for $65. Got it home and it worked fine with no missing parts. It hadn't even been used. It's the best buy I've made at HF so far.
I'm a big-time HF customer, and I find most of their coupons won't allow further reductions on clearance or returned or damaged items. I shop HF in the northern middle Tennessee, southern middle Kentucky areas, and they won't allow coupons to further reduce these items. Anyway, who wants a set of socket wrenches that's missing the most used couple of sockets; not me?
@@markjennette909 I was surprised they applied the 40% off coupon to the saw. I wasn't expecting them to, but figured it was worth a shot. I was going to buy it anyway.
Never seen 40 percent off coupon
Made in China for $10. So they still made a decent profit on it.
My experience with the as is stuff is that it's not a steep enough discount to justify the no warranty, potential for missing parts, and often if you can wait for a coupon that's a better deal
I think their “thin” tarps are great. They make great “wheelbarrows” for leaves and grass clippings. I have been trying to wear one out for about 3 seasons now. Have a larger on that I cut halfway through to lay around bushes and trees when trimming.
A lot of the cheaper stuff, I consider single or limited use. I don’t see it now, but they used to have an electric paint sprayer. With coupon it was around $20. Used it to stain a fence. Then it went into the trash. Why would I even try to clean it, especially when I didn’t expect it to have a very long life expectancy.
Used mine for a leaf taxi today.
Odd fashion but that works
Had the same sprayer, was a great deal as a single use/project item. Over the years I've bought a couple of them. The last one I actually saved and cleaned out.
Yep, I keep several tarps on hand. Had a huge years-old one that was real raggedy but still usable. Offered it to the roofer next door for catching roofing scraps.
all box store thin tarps are crap; canvas tarps are the only ones any count for long term usage
I DID work at harbor freight. The best thing I can say (no matter what anyone says) harbor freight tools are for RESIDENTIAL use ONLY, commercial use , the tools always fail
I purchased a roll pin set about 6 months ago. I finally needed a 5/16" x 2" roll pin so I got out my set, found the 5/16" inserted the roll pin in the hole and it fell straight through onto the ground! I got my calipers and measured all the 5/16" roll pins. They averaged .303" to .306" diameter, 5/16" is .3125" and they should have been approximately. 010" over .3125" or .3225" diameter max! The manager said I needed to call the corporate office myself because the corporate office didn't listed to employees, only to customers!
ITC member here. Love shopping at Harbor freight. Very informative video. I bought a Vulcan Protig 205 back in April w/ the extended warranty. No matter what I did I couldn't get it to weld correctly. So I boxed it back up and returned it. I had the receipt and they offered to upgrade at no extra charge. I swapped it for the same model and the extended warranty restarted on that date even though I'd had it for several months. Very friendly and helpful employees.
Part 2 video would be great.
I do the extended warranty on high dollar items, and have yet to use it on any of the stuff I've bought, but it brings a piece of mind I guess having a couple years of warranty in case something does fail...but typically that will happen within the first use or shortly thereafter. Out of all the HF stuff I've bought I have had 2 tools fail, one was a drill bit sharpener, the other was a belt sander...both failed the first time I tried to use them, in the trash they went...wasn't worth the gas to drive 35 miles back to the store to exchange them.
I have the ITC membership as well, bought a Titanium multi-process welder and saved enough to pay for the ITC membership for 2 years LOL.
Thanks for the comments! Part 2 is up now! ua-cam.com/video/cezv-gDIiBk/v-deo.html
Ive had an employee apply a one item coupon discount to the entire transaction. They did without me asking. That was really cool of them 👍
Good job. Very helpful information and so refreshing to find a tool guy who just gets to the point and delivers the information without trying to act cute or crack stupid jokes. I'm going to check out your other videos just for that reason alone! Please do make a part 2!
Part 2 is up now! ua-cam.com/video/cezv-gDIiBk/v-deo.html
Thank you so much for the compliment!
Haven't bought a ton of stuff from HF. But every time I've gone in over the years the employees have been helpful. And I usually find something else I need. Thank you for the tips!
I used to have a lot of success at Harbor freight on the scratch and then type stuff. But the local stores in my area have moved away from that model. Because it was getting so common it discouraged people from buying their new merchandise. The other problem with dumpster diving is although it is legal, the harbor freight stores in my area locked down their dumpsters, and so it is not possible. Because of the homeless problems in the big cities we have around here, they also discourage it because they don't want people getting hurt dumpster diving.
I'm a big fan of HF. On top of the staff being really nice, I actually was able to pay for my membership with only a couple of purchases. Clamps and speed squares at a fraction of the price of the orange or blue stores. Same with tarps and drop cloths. Their little Dremel knock offs were affordable enough to buy a couple so I don't have to change bits as often.
Very precise and helpful. I will feel 100% more empowered the next time I shop HF. Thanks so much for getting the background information from former/current employees. The clear pictures of the pricing and coupons are great. I would love to hear more of the tips you have.
Thanks! I'm glad you found it useful! I'm working on the part 2 now.
sus
Part 2 is up now! ua-cam.com/video/cezv-gDIiBk/v-deo.html
Nice tips! Would definitely like to see episode 2. Also, I now get ‘Manager’s because we miss you’ 25% off coupon about once every two weeks, ever since I put the Apex winch in my wish list. Now I always keep something higher priced in there and they keep the coupons coming.
The staff are indeed helpful. The only product which was helpful were the plastic tarps. A pair of sound protectors were so small they barely covered the outside of my ears. I can find no valid reason to shop there. A Fool's Paradise.
@@MakerBoyOldBoyyou must not work on cars then. If you’re compression testing a car you’re not gonna spend hundreds for a snap on version. If you need a slide hammer for your pilot bushing you’re gonna go to harbor freight. If you’re buying parts trays, break clean, shop towels or any specialty car tool that you don’t use very often you’re gonna go to harbor freight.
The only good stuff at harbor freight is hand tools, disposable stuff, specialty tools and air tools. Also their boxes are amazing, I’ve never met a mechanic in my life who didn’t have a US general box or roll cart even if it’s just a secondary box to their massive snap on box.
I got the "we miss you" 25% off no exclusions coupons before as well. I had been planning to buy an air compressor, found the one I wanted at my local HF (on clearance, no less) and was able to pay about $200 less than normal price. Score!
Thanks for your comment! Genius tip! Part two is up now! ua-cam.com/video/cezv-gDIiBk/v-deo.html
One day my buddy and I decided we wanted to “straight pipe” our vehicles, we didn’t have any tools to cut it so we went down to harbor freight bought a pack of cutoff wheels and the cheapest angle grinder we could. (This was 4 years ago yes I know a sawzall is a much better tool for such a task) we broke 6 of them and only paid for one and a pack of cutoff wheels. Had to drive back 6 times and every time the guy at the counter kept smiling harder and harder. I only buy tools from there now and if they fail I buy nice ones
I love harbor freight. Obviously if you're a professional you might want higher quality tools for durability purposes but for just doing work around the house or car you can save so much money at harbor freight.
Are you in a home depot giving a review on harbor freight? 😂😂
Harbor Freight lighting was too cheap. 😜
Checkout :48 into the video, I think he's in his shop.
He's trying to get fired.
As your newest subscriber, as of this moment. I appreciated this video on Harbor Freight. They’ve certainly improved dramatically on their quality of the past few years. Hard to beat their prices. Inside track club is definitely worth it in my opinion. Paid for itself in 3 visits to the store. Plus I’ve acquired enough free buckets that everyone is getting one for Christmas!!
Thanks for the video and would love to see more
I am the newest at this moment. lol
@@shakahkahableI am newest at the moment!
I unsubscribed and resubscribed just now to be the newest. Try again folks lol
GREAT content and tips. I would like to see a Part Two very much. Thank you for your efforts in providing the content that you do!
Thank you. The response has been great so far. I'll start working on a part 2!
Part 2 is up now! ua-cam.com/video/cezv-gDIiBk/v-deo.html
I use to pick up old cardboard box from a harbor freight. there were many times that tools were left inside. New and not visibly damaged.Yes the staff was always Awesome 👌
My best deal so far has been a $100 Hercules 13 amp angle grinder which was on sale for much less and I bought it using a no restrictions coupon. I got it for $39.
I'd have to say that the Inside Track membership cost has paid for itself at least four or five times this year for my purchases.
I must be pretty smart because I've been using most all of your suggestions having figured it out for myself...except the dumpster diving.
"Free rental" is a common problem in retail. I worked at an office supply store and we once had two women buy 20 8' plastic folding tables on a Friday and they returned all 20 for a full refund on Monday. One of the employees overheard them talking about their family reunion that weekend.
Lol. That’s crazy
A few years ago I seen a woman returning 10 carpet driers (air movers) at home depot two days after a terrible storm in Dallas.
Clearly the table ladies were just theives
7 years ago I bought a 1 1/2 ton Pittsburgh low profile floor jack. 70 lbs of steel, still works today. Part 2 please.
Part 2 is up now! ua-cam.com/video/cezv-gDIiBk/v-deo.html
I’ve gotten tons of freebies from the dumpster that had little to nothing wrong with them. I always check the dumpster on every visit!!
There is always a friendly employee that can help you
Yes, please make a part two that was wonderful. You’re a real champ and expert at doing that video. Thank you.
Yes! Part 2 would be great. I'm a big HF fan, especially since they just built a brand new store 15 minutes from my house, and I'm learning new things through your video.
I'm glad you found it useful! Part 2 is up now! ua-cam.com/video/cezv-gDIiBk/v-deo.html
I first started shopping at a HF store in the early/mid 90's near where my best friend lived at the time, about 20 miles from my house. Bought what they sold at the time which was mostly simple hand tools, a floor jack for my cars, hand trolly, that sort of stuff. And most of it I still use to this day.
That's awesome. The first time I went to a Harbor Freight was back in 2015. There wasn't one near me before then.
Great and very informative video, Dave! Although I've been a longtime and loyal customer at Harbor Freight, I'm always happy about learning something new. As an example, whenever purchasing anything that's pricey, such as a lawnmower, you really need to do your 'homework', and always look at the 'Big Picture'. Last spring I decided to purchase a power rotary mower, and at first, I almost bought it at Harbor Freight. But after adding up the costs of everything, and comparing it to a mower at Costco, it turned out to be a No-Brainer, since the HF version did NOT include the batteries or the charger, which would have cost me an ADDITIONAL $126 MORE than the Costco unit, which were included. Timing was everything, as the Costco mower was on sale for a short time, with $100 off! Thanks again, for your stellar video!
Thanks for watching!
Though I don’t shop at HF often. The tools I buy are not heavily used.
On one occasion we had heavy rains for days and I was bucketing water away from my door. I was exhausted. Exasperated I went to HF to get “something” to pump the water from my back door. My clothes were soaked. I explained what I needed and this young man (employee) said I needed a sump pump. I told him THE WATER IS NOT IN MY BASEMENT, I’m trying to keep it out!! He quickly shifted gears understanding the urgency, and sold me a pump that he said couldn’t run if it was in a dry area with a lot of debris. Since it was outdoors he told me to place something that would filter out the debris and check it frequently. It worked GREAT! Wonderful idea!!
I will almost always go to HF!
I’ve never had any issue with my HF power tools. due to their price point, I never was as diligent in taking care of them, but they’ve endured regardless.
While I probably wouldn’t recommend them for commercial use, they’re definitely more than enough for household diy
My only suggestion on coupons is to watch them and track the items you want most. In the case of a tool box that was couponed for $219, also was couponed down to $199. So track coupon rates. Secondly- always consider opening a credit card as this takes an additional 10% off the first purchase. Would be great to pair this up with a 20% off coupon for a US General or Icon tool chest. Great savings their too.
Sears tools craftsman closing down changed a lot
Craftsman is made in Taiwan now.
One year my wife and I decided we would give out the HB free item with purchase gifts to everyone in the family. So every week we would go buy something just to get the free gifts. This was back when you could get a tape measure, light, razor knife, blue tarp, and a few other things. We got 20 of each and gave everyone a box of free gifts from HB.
That is great!
Harbor freight has been in my town for 8 or 9 years now. It has been super handy. They always have deals. 60% or more of my tools are from there
Yes. I bought a large tool set and the discount was so significant by joining that i basically got inside track for free and saved about 5 bucks as well over the standard price. So by signing up for the club i saved only 5 dallars at that time but got the club for a year
My wife and I bought their floor nailer about 15 years ago. We were putting in hardwood floors in our house. We ended up using it to replace 5 floors over the years, just take care of your tools and they will last. last.
Yes, great advice. But 15 years 6 flooring jobs is not very much work on the tool. Now if you said we use twice a week for flooring jobs for 15 years then that would be awesome.
Yeah, part 2 please, good stuff, bro.
You can see part 2 here: ua-cam.com/video/cezv-gDIiBk/v-deo.html
Dave, I stumbled across your site while I was just browsing. I was really impressed with your style and quality of information. I'm past most of my DIY days, because I'm 83, but I do things occasionally, just usually nothing heavy. I want to put a word in for the Warrior drill. I purchased their drill on sale about five years ago for about twelve bucks because it was lightweight and made it easier to work overhead. I found that it not only did that, but it's weight was great for craft work. I bought another one to keep upstairs for easy access. Not only that, when I put up my HF greenhouse three years ago, I used my Warriors so I didn't have to change bits. I discovered that they were quite capable tools. Batteries lasted quite long in spite of being small, and I was able to do some heavy drilling with them. I don't have any other Warrior tools, but I wouldn't hesitate to try one if I needed another tool. My tool inventory is actually pretty complete, though. I subscribed and will be surfing your older sites to see what interesting topics you've covered before. Again, your style is great.
Thank you so much for your comment. I'm glad you liked it! 😀
Regarding tip 25. If you notice the purple tags, sometimes you will see a purple tag on top of another purple tag. The manager at my harbor freight told me they will go up to three purple tags as the price gets lower. After the third purple tag they dispose of the tool. So if you see three purple tags stuck together, that is definitely the final price
Yes, wait till you want to buy a big ticket item before you join the club membership. I'm a Harbor Freight club member maybe 1 year out of 3. P.S. Well done Dave.
The amount of research for this video is absolutely incredible. Respect. Much appreciated. Subd!
I have bought plenty of returned tools, some at a steep discount. I love going to the city and stopping at the Harbor Freight, they always have returned tools from people using them as a rental store.
yep, more tips welcome! The power tools I've bought got seriously tested and powered through flying colors. The only tools that haven't been 100% have been the "el cheepo" screw drivers and small pliers: I bought them knowing this and they've done their lite weight jobs just fine.
I've had success with dumpster diving. I don't do it routinely, but will check one out if I'm there.
For instance, went to Tractor Supply to fill propane cylinders. Went to their dumpster to get rid of some trash in the jeep. Pulled out a chainsaw that was returned for throwing chains (said so on the tag). $400 chain saw that just needed a chain. I imagine it was a 'weekend rental' kind of deal.
Dave, please do a part 2. Thank you for the Tips.
Thanks for watching! Part 2 is up now! ua-cam.com/video/cezv-gDIiBk/v-deo.html
As A hobbyist mechanic also worked as a journeyman mechanic using name brand tools, craftsman, snap on , harbor freight when you walk in its the presentation thats cause me to shop further, some tools are decent but still the presentation is addictive 😂
Yes, I think Part 2 would be fun to see and will educate us on how HF operates. And if it saves us money all the more reason to do a Part 2. Thank You.
I just did deep dive on UA-cam regards HF...All your info is there; the good the bad the ugly.
Thanks for watching! Part 2 is up now! ua-cam.com/video/cezv-gDIiBk/v-deo.html
Part 2 Please. 🙏🏿
I'm glad you found the video useful! I would love to make a part two. We'll see if people like this one!
I second this motion. Part 2 please.
Part 2 is up now! ua-cam.com/video/cezv-gDIiBk/v-deo.html
Part 2 is up now! ua-cam.com/video/cezv-gDIiBk/v-deo.html
Really good tips man! I love going to HF and searching for deals. You earned a new subscriber 😊 looking forward to part 2!
Thanks! Part 2 is up now! ua-cam.com/video/cezv-gDIiBk/v-deo.html
Make part 2! Thanks for the tips. We appreciate it!😊
I bought a wooden work bench, and the one they sold me was in a re-taped box. I got it home, and discovered it was missing a lot of pieces. It was obviously returned by a slob who just left out 10% of the parts. I took it back, HF gave me a NEW sealed box, and told me they would just throw the returned bench kit in the dumpster. They did. I returned later and managed to get 90% of those pieces. I then made replacements for the missing parts (mostly wood, so not difficult) and ended up with a second bench (for several hours of labor to re-create the missing bits.) I'm retired so my labor is essentially free.
I’d love to see a guide to the HF brands. It gets confusing trying to figure out which brands are good, better or best.
Yes, this would be great.
Generally, the price determines the quality. The more you pay, the better the quality.
HF has guides throughout the store that indicates Good, Better, Best in those exact words. They are usually shelf placards or pop-ups displays. I do read those, but also check reviews if the item is over a certain dollar amount.
Current employee here. Price will tell you good, better, best. Straightforward.
As for the purple tags, I have seen the 'open box' purple tagged items sold with extra perks that if you are ITC member you get an additional percentage off. I bought the ITC membership so I could get the scaffolding on sale for $30 off. It paid for itself.
Thanks, and yes please do a part 2. ITC member here, and it paid for itself the day I signed up for it, because I needed so much stuff and the discounts are often pretty steep.
Part 2 is up now! ua-cam.com/video/cezv-gDIiBk/v-deo.html
I'm a manager for HF. I have never had a machete returned honestly. The biggest retuned item is the cen-tech 2/10/50 amp charger BY FAR.. We get a decent amount of the Portland pressure washers as well. Generators and compressors come back regularly as well but it's mainly construction companies that use them 24/7 and just get a warranty and new replacement over and over. Open box items(purple sticky labels) are not clearance items. Orange price tags are Clearance items. Not all stores are "As is" stores and don't get refurb as is items. 95% of our returned items get sent back. Small low cost items get "disposed". Car canopies are dispose as well. Tool boxes that are damaged get Open boxed. We never throw away a damaged tool box. Also a big thing people don't understand is the warranties are a ONE TIME replacement not over and over as many times as you like for the 1-2 years. Last thing. We can not control open box prices. They print automatically and we can not adjust them. I understand some items like extensions missing 3 pieces should be marked down more than what they are priced at. It can't be marked down more until 14 days later and again its a price we can't edit. We will haggle on the price though just ask a supervisor/manager. :)
Yup, after warranty time expired, my cen tech charger turned into a paper weight, oh well, live n learn.
My HF tip... don't forget you can't get parts. They exchange items, but if you just bust a thing, HF won't be providing parts. So, here's the tip: a lot of this stuff is the same as other tool stores. I had a 10k jack combo set...the one with the ram and all kinds of bars and ends for pushing and pulling. I broke the 90 degree end. The EXACT same jack kit was sold by northern tool and they DO sell spare parts. Voila..new end was an exact match. Yeah!
As for HF receipts mine are automatically emailed to me and since I'm an Inside Track Club member coupons aren't needed, if any coupon applies to something I'm buying they take it off the purchase. ;-)
A couple of corrections, orange sticker as is merchandise are non negotiable per company policy- now the purple open box sticker merchandise is up to the manager to reduce . Secondly I strongly do not encourage the use of old coupons with no expiration dates from 3rd party sites. Our registers will decline them 99% of the time.
Would love to see a part 2 . I love harbor freight and recently found out that the managers have the power to offer you items returned or sold as is at a lot lower of a price. And I love the track membership. They always tell me things like “ oh come in this weekend because of your membership status you can just walk in and get this, this or even this! No purchase required. What other stores do that ? Just happened onto your video . I loved it ! Was not overly long but full of helpful tips . Thanks 👍
Dumpster digging at harbor freight is key. Have gotten a lot of awesome items. For example: Concrete Mixer, torque wrenches x5, tap and die set, tire changer, ball joint press x2, dollies x7, foldable truck, 5" table vice, ratchets, wrenches, caster wheels, and several other items.
I'm the same way I'd rather buy a tool to own it, not just keep it for a few days & return it.
Exactly. It's not worth the hassle, in my opinion.
I agree. I just bought the Bauer wall sander for $99 last week to do home project vs renting one that was going to cost me around $80. With buying it I can take my time vs racing to finish the job before the rent time runs out
I agree. However HF is nice for a few items
I feel it's good practice ethically and practically to buy and build the shop. Some specialty items may make more sense to rent, but if it has more applications, it makes sense imho to buy and keep
UA-cam algorithm got me this video. That was very well done and hope you get tons of subs 👍🏼
What a great compliment, thank you!
I'm a lead auto tech at a shop, been working on cars for 10+ years, most of my box is HF tools. They might be cheap and break more often than tool truck tools, but they are cheap and almost never break on the first job so they always make their money back FAST. Since tools are how I make money, the less I spend on tools the more money I get. I've only ever had a problem with Central Pneumatic die grinders and the impact adapters breaking. I will recommend Harbor Freight over snap-on every day all day. Let the hate and ignorant comments begin!
Your a smart guy who is responsible with their money. I am a DIY mechanic and have been for years. The only harbor tool I have broken is the ratcheting wrench, which was my fault and I knew it was going to break it. Other than that there impact sockets are on point, I have beat the shit out of mine and they never break.
@@dustinryan9671 I got a full set of HF impact sockets. I even have 2 of the Hercules impacts and have yet to have issues with them, aside from over torqued and super rusted stuff. Only ever had a problem with the CN brand and the impact adapters breaking. Specifically the 1/2 to 3/8 impact adapter. Funny enough the adapters never break when used on an impact wrench but when used with a breaker bar they snap right in half.
CN angle grinders are pretty weak too
The better quality Harbor Freight hand tools are fine. Whether tools break or not depends on how they're used or abused. Ratchet wrenches are not breaker bars. A little mechanical aptitude can go a long way in life. Common sense is an uncommon trait often too it seems. Just reefing on everything like a strength test isn't always the best strategy to do things.
@@1pcfred I have never broken a harbor freight tool by miss using it. In fact I have only ever had 2 things break, as I stated above. Those were being used in their proper functions at the time they broke. Stay away from Central Pneumatic tools, they will break with proper use and do so quickly.
I’m a previous HFT employee. We never threw away anything. Instead, our “scratch-and-dent tools” were sold at the parking lot sales, and you can haggle with the managers. I can’t advise checking the dumpsters out back (unless you’re already there for some reason….)
The single product I see most people buy there is the Predator series generators/inverters. A great value, but put a magnetic dipstick in it BEFORE STARTING. It's Chinese machining and one sliver of steel can tear-up a lot of aluminum.
I would love to see part 2!
Part 2 is up now! ua-cam.com/video/cezv-gDIiBk/v-deo.html
Love to see part 2!!
Part 2 is up now! ua-cam.com/video/cezv-gDIiBk/v-deo.html
Really good research and tips - thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
I really like the employees at my nearby store. Always helpful in locating an item in the store. I’ve looked over the entire place and they walk me right to it. I’ve only broken one item in all the items I’ve bought there. A small tailpipe expander. One of the cast rails just snapped. It was exchanged without question. Great value tools for those times when you need it once or twice and it doesn’t make sense to spend a fortune.
Please, I want to hear more ! !!
You can see part 2 here: ua-cam.com/video/cezv-gDIiBk/v-deo.html
Please part 2.Can you do a video of HomeDepot and Lowes with the yellow tags i think.Especially with the holidays coming up
The deal guy on yt does a really good job and his videos on home Depot and Costco secrets are second to none.
Part 2 is up now! ua-cam.com/video/cezv-gDIiBk/v-deo.html
I also did one on Home Depot that you can find here: ua-cam.com/video/eLqzAyzxUMc/v-deo.html
Harbor Frieght is great, they won me over when they replaced a broken tool I bought 2 years ago with no questions or hassle.
All excellent, helpful, info. Glad that you took the time to interview resources available to you...past employees. Thanks!
Glad it was helpful!
This video is exceptional! Thanks so much for all the tips. I love harbor freight and had no idea you could get these discounts. Thanks for the great content and please make more!
Glad you liked it! I'm working on part two now.
Part two is up now! ua-cam.com/video/cezv-gDIiBk/v-deo.html
Part 2 for sure!
You can see part 2 here: ua-cam.com/video/cezv-gDIiBk/v-deo.html
@@DIYwithDave Thanks!
Well , Harbor Freight didn't mind your video I guess , they put an add on it !
Lol... that's hilarious!
I would always try to make sure I had all the tools I needed for a project and HF would be pretty clutch in helping me not break the bank. My rule of thumb was when buying a new tool I would look for it at flea markets, yard sales, or Harbor Freight before running out to Lowe's or Home Depot to buy a set of Dewalt or whatever. If I broke a tool or wore it out, then I would go buy a nicer main stream brand. This way if I only needed a very niche tool for a very specific project, I wouldn't break the bank, and would only spend money on tools I knew I would ware out or break from heavy use.
This strategy has helped me have any extremely well stocked tool garage, while saving money on niche things, like AC vacuum pumps for example, I might only use once or twice in a blue moon. Whereas the tools I use all the time very quickly got upgraded. Doing this also really made me realize which tools I used most frequently.
I have found that alot of Harbor Freight merchandise is not that much of a bargen, even when on sale. I appreciated the information about product disposal
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I was thrilled when Harbor Freight opened a store nearby a couple of years ago. I was like a kid in a candy store. However, my opinion of HF has dropped dramatically over the past few years. Everything they sell is made by the cheapest manufacturers in China. Simply put, the quality of many of the products they sell range from "It will do for now" to complete and utter garbage. Products I have bought started to rust within weeks to months of purchase, broke after a few uses, or just didnt work at all. I recently bought a set of Pittsburgh (made in China, not Pennsylvania) screwdrivers on sale for next to nothing. The price was the best thing about them. While I expect them to work for light indoor use, they feel so cheaply made that I wouldnt trust them if my job required their everyday heavy use. Because of HF's lack of quality control, I would never buy a power tool from them. I have no faith they would last and would even be slightly worried that if they failed while being used, I could be hurt. I am not the only one who feels that way. Their product reviews on their website are filled with people complaining about how bad they are. Dont get me wrong, I will still buy the occasional item there, but not if it something I need to last or depend on.
It's just like any retailer...it has it's good products n it's junk. No retailer could survive having it all one way or the other. N FYI, literally almost everything u already wear and own...is made in China
Restocking fees generally only apply to items that need fuel, oil, grease, or other fluids added. Generators, motors, chain saws, or SDS Max rotary hammers are some examples.
Harbor Freight's website ordering needs to get with the times. Free ship to store options are at most retailers that have both an online and brick and mortar presence. HF still doesn't have basic buy online and store pickup for in stock items.
Maybe you could inquire about their plans to implement a program like that if you do a part II.
The ship to store makes sense to me. Not sure why they haven't implemented yet.
Ship to store would be excellent, many times the store is out of something I need, being able to have it shipped to the closest store for free would be great...and not like an extra cost to the company as they just send it on the next shipment to the store.
I agree about ship to store having free shipping... also, no matter how big/expensive your order is, they literally won't give you a discount or free shipping; in fact, the shipping gets outrageous!
A simple tip I was taught awhile back is, that harbor freight has fine tools. Dont expect them to stand up to daily abuse like you would find in careers like automotive repair or firefighting, but for your average person, they are great. As long as it is not something you are trusting your life with, there is no reason not to go there for it first before looking at more expensive options.
Seems to hold up well too. I use old sears craftsman jack stands and tools for automotive work, and an old Milwaukee fuel drill for.... drill things(?), and they still all perform as if brand new. Go over to my grandparents house, where they think the cheapest harbor freight special is just as good as a Milwaukee or dewalt, and well, they aren't, their HF and B&D drills can barely screw something into a pre tapped hole in particle board, but as for just basic hand tools, one of my favorite ratchet sets is at there house, and is one bought from HF. There is a noticeable difference in quality between HF tools and other cheap tool brands too. Tools ive gotten at Menards are OK, and whatever the hell my grandparents find at Lowes for the cheapest price possible always feels terrible in the hand (but in the words of my grandparents, they are the same exact thing as my expensive tools, but they didn't get ripped off like I did, because it was cheaper!), but the HF stuff is alright relatively speaking.
I once got a lifetime supply of table saw blades at about $2 per blade just by working a deal with the manager to buy the whole stack from that front clearance rack.
That is amazing!
Great stuff - one of my biggest gripes is how even their Bauer line isn't all that great. It's like Russian Roulette. Sometimes you get a great tool at a really great price, other times, not so much. I've had Bauer tools break on first use and while I got a new replacement right away, it was a HUGE hassle and time waster. Now that experience actually STOPS me from being interested in buying from them, even the Hercules line. Because if they care so little about quality that a tools on/off switch is broken right from the factory (this happened to me on the Bauer line) then why should I feel good about their other brands AT ALL?!! I don't.....especially when you can buy a similar tool, better quality for the same price from other stores.
Where do we need to send the cheese, to go with all that whine? I've had great success with all the Bauer tools I've got, and if you've got this magical store with really cheap but super high quality tools, why are you shopping at HF?
Harbor Freight is definitely rolling the dice when it comes to power tools. But if you like to gamble then it's fun.
I am a big fan of HF, ever since I bought my first brad nailer for $19! Your tips were very helpful, thanks...and absolutely "yes" to part 2. 😃
Brad nailer was my first HF tool, that thing is gotta be close to 20 years old now, and still works.
Part 2 is up now! ua-cam.com/video/cezv-gDIiBk/v-deo.html
Short to the point...Dave,yeah man ...Harbour Freight..yes.... To the employees in Blue Ridge Ga. ... Y'all are great..