Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Harbor Frieght Pittsburgh Tools?

I use some of their 1/2" drive impact sockets - they have (at least?) two grades - i buy the " better" one and haven't cracked a socket yet. Lately my truck has been requiring those pesky periodic suspension maintenance items so lots of rusty and/or heavy torquing bolts/nuts so the impact stuff is getting used regularly.

Bought one of their 3-ton floor jacks and it does the job as do the sets of 6-ton and 3-ton jack stands.

I will not buy their cordless electric tools - period - but have bought a heat-gun and the corded electric 1/2" impact. It's not very powerful, but once the bolt is broken loose it is quite fast.

They are what they are. If you only need something to use occasionally they fit the bill. I bought an 18v 1/2" drill a couple years back to run the jacks on the trailer up and down, it's skookum. On the other hand I bought one of their dremel type tools and it was junk but it accomplished the task I needed it for at $9.99.
As for the hand tools, I haven't had any trouble with the ones I've bought but I haven't used them hard.

They put in a Harbor Freight near my work about 15 years ago. I spent my lunch hours in there for a couple of years. Now there's one about 5 miles away.

I've got a big honking belt sander from them. I went into the store to claim a coupon for a small table top model. They were out. They gave me the big floor standing model for the same price.

I have a nicad screwdriver that worked for one summer and then died. Don't buy battery operated stuff from them.

My favorite Harbor Freight tool?



This pull saw in $7.99. It goes through deer pelvis and sternum like butter.


Watch for their tent sales. You can get some great stuff. Get there early. If you didn't think there were any Mennonites or Amish around you'll be surprised. They come out for a HR tent sale like cockroaches.

Professionally, I only use consumables from HF. For hobby/at home use, some of their stuff is pretty decent.

When the mood strikes, I walk into HF while my wife shops nearby.
I like to look around and say, "what do I sometimes need, and don't have?"

I have bought pullers, various pry bars, that kind of thing.


So far, most has done fine. I love the pullers Being something I don't often use,
I would never pay the several hundred $$ good ones would cost.
I spent under $100 to get the stiff for most of my needs.

Someone mentioned allen wrenches. I would hesitate to buy those or Torq drivers
from any Hong Kong Charley type place. Those things need to be heat treated properly.
Allen's in particular cause enough trouble with high quality tools.

I use a bunch of their stuff for around the house. I'm not a rancher or auto mechanic by trade, so they're not hard use items. Their stuff has, for the most part, served me well enough.

I have a set of the T-handle Allens with the ball ends. Those are pretty craptastic. They break at the ball pretty easily. I just grind them square again and keep going.

I also have a corded angle grinder from them. That thing has been used a bunch and keeps on ticking.

Its already all been said but to recap,

I feed my family with my tools. No HF at work.

Hit and Miss. Bought a 1/2" impact for home use and it worked for 7 years before failure. Pretty good.

I've bought some tools from them. I use them around the house and shop area. Nothing very heavy duty is needed. I like them for basically 'one-offs' where I can sacrifice a tool and grind it or do whatever is necessary for some particular use and not use a high quality tool. I used to have some conversations with Crossfireoops about them.

I've been told multiple times to stay away from their welding equipment.

I have a set of their large 'General' brand tools chests and have been well pleased. Their fine-toothed ratcheting wrenches are pretty nice and are holding up well. Surprisingly, the $10 angle grinder I bought from them is still hanging in there.

I narrow crown staple expanded lathe or 1/2" chicken wire to plywood... then mortar and lay tile...

Standard operation is to have two guns running... wife or son is reloading one as I empty the other one as fast as I can... may shoot 2,000-3,000 staples in a bathroom.

They are also dandy hammers if a staple hangs high in a nail or screw below the lathe... just turn them over and wack away.

Those POS HF staplers have never let me down... they do get oil every couple of months.

I agree with the summary: Nothing critical, nothing professional, and nothing battery.