Harbor Freight Tools Or Name Brand?

GridRunnerFloor

Lets get a discussion going on this subject i've seen both sides myself. my brother is a harbor freight kinda guy. my father is a name brand tools kinda guy.


on one hand you have the reliability of name brand tools for high costs.

harbor freight you can burn them up and go through a couple every now and then. but for still cheeper then the name brand tools


what is your guys take on this.

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RobertF

Depends on what it is and how often I will use it. It also depends on what coupons I have to Harbor Freight at the time

If I'm going to use it day in and day out I'll buy the name brand tool.

I'll buy Harbor Freight for certain projects, for example and plumber left all the old galvenized hanging after a copper repipe. Customer wanted it out. Went and bought a $9 recip. saw from HF to drag and toss around under the house. It barely lasted through the job, but I didn't mind trashing the $9 one versus my $125 Milwaukee one.

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GridRunnerFloor

we should start listing Harbor Freight tools that have actualy lasted us well.

when my brother bought a roofing coil nailer from Harbor Freight i didnt think that it'd be any good constantly jaming and such it was only 99 dollars

he has had absolutly no problems with it, i used it myself for months when we contracted togeather. it was a very nice surprize. now HF has a magnesium version out thats under 6lb's for 99 dollars im thinking of buying it.

any other tools you can name from HF that have held up in the contracting world?

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Teetorbilt

I'm with everybody so far.

I was on a job where I needed a 36" pipewrench and a 24" adjustable, off to HF as these are not common tools for me. For everyday use, I buy the best that I can.

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joasis

I hired a framer that brought his own gun along...a HF clipped head nailer...to me it was how can I say this...rough?...but it shot fine, never jammed and was some ridiculously low 49 bucks or so...it was also heavy....but if I want to tote the weight around, i'll carry my bullit proof Duofast....

I bought some pony clamps from them and swore I wouldn't be back, cause they were junk...you do get what you pay for.

Always Greener

40 different size bungee cords for 5 bucks... Can't beat that.. I would never buy pneumatic tools from them...

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Blackhawk

well depends how much u use them i got name brands for daily use..but i got into tile bought there tile saw for like fiftysome buck s ive had it for two years so far and still going also there pipe threader and when mu bostich brad bailer got stolen i grabed a brad nailer from them for twentybucks so far so good .. i have no complaints for the money spent and i have ben hard on that tile saw lol

asbestos

I am always on the 'left' side of debates in here.
But I say Screw that chinese junk!
Buy American.
I know the air nailers are all imports now, but still
We all complain about lowballers and people who 'only want the low price'
When you buy that that is what you are- a lowballer; a customer that does not care about quality. We need American industry, and American jobs. The first thing I look for is 'made in the USA' and I have friends that call me liberal.

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smadercarpentry

quality tools do help lead to quality work...it is worth the money...but when practical i feel no shame in entering the home depot and picking up the cheap one. especially for those never to use again for fifty years tools (NUAFY).

oldgoat

I tend to agree with most that HF is good for the spare tool or throwaway, but if used on a daily basis then brand name is usually better. However I know of one guy that bought a HF miter saw to cut alum frames for windows and hasn't had a bit of trouble with it. I have a straight die grinder that people would borrow all the time instead of the high dollar Dotco brand. That poor grinder has been to the woodshed and back and is still working. Could buy 10 of them for the cost of a Dotco.

IHI

Same repeating habits here, I'll buy the seldom used tools from HF and daily used tools-name brands only and locally purchased. Plus I have to admit other than tools usedin the garage toold box (car tools) I've never purchased a construction type tool from them. Would have no problem buying anything HF as long as it was'nt cordless or corded....but that's just me and obviously from stated above even a few of their pwr tools seem to work alright.

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rservices

On occasion I get things from Fasenal tools and acording to them the tools at HD, and other box stores are the as the more expensive stores IF they have the same model number. Its worth shoping around. Granted they do carry lower end items of the same brands

GridRunnerFloor

im considering buying HF's 12 inch compound miter slide saw with laser guide for 179 just for doin laminate flooring.

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snapper21

Yeah you can buy 3 for the price of one name brand, but how much is your day worth when you have to replace a tool to continue the work. I bought a harbor frieght roll cab toolbox and took it to about 4 sites before it busted welds and started jamming up the bearings on the shelves. For that box I paid 500.00 or so. Now I have a Snap On that I paid 1600.00 for and it has made it on and off my truck to over 15 sites and has not picked up a flaw yet. That's what makes it worth the money for me. The box would have cost 3,000 if I were to buy it retail, and I would still buy it if I had to go retail. As stated above, it depends on what kind of a life this "item" is going to live, and what you're going to expect from it. What you carry on your truck also says something about you/your work to customers, allthough not all.

Big Dave

Name brand all the way. The people I work for don't want to see cheap tools. I think it makes a craftsman look like he doesn't know what he's doing.

It's just my opinion and it comes out of my pocket book.

Dave.

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littlefatdog

two guys i work with were having this very argument today.

marvin: you buy a 10 dollar HF grinder and break it 9 times, you might as well buy a 90 dollar one and do just as much work with it.

jim: no, because the 90 dollar one will be stolen before then.

- i live in an urban area

(edit: i wouldnt spend more than 100 bucks there though)

Blackhawk

I tell ya when my tile saw from them spends the night on the job i dont loose any sleep lol.i dont lke renting it was cheaper for me to buy this saw from them and besidesa rental sign on small tools like that doesnt look good to customers either.if i start doing a lot more tile then i will upgrade then.but Hf. is a gamble keep the odds in your favor..i know i got it good on there tile scoree when u score the tile and hit the handle to snap it the tube guides flex and u cant break the tile as u push down they go up lol but still buy tools i dont use often there..but for daily use i get the best name brands..

FCPWLLC

I have a few HF tools. My compound miter saw has held up very well, however I do buy DeWalt blades and never use a dull blade. That will make even the most expensive saw die prematurely. Same with the tile saw... new sharp blades. Shhhhh.... It's a secret..... Keep those blades sharp.

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asbestos

If it ain't Scottish, it's CRAP

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You want absolutely security? You want to be totally protected against terrorism? I have a proposal for you: A one way ticket to Panmunjom in North Korea. Guarantee you, they have absolute security. You will have absolute protection against terrorism. There is no terrorism in North Korea except the terrorism, of course, that is wielded by the state itself. Because there is no privacy, there are no constitutional rights, there is no freedom. But you've got security.
Ted Koppel