well i bought a good bit more tools today from HF...... spent 120 bucks, and now almost everything i have in my tool box is new.... i got a ton more sockets i gotta finish putting in the tool box but heres some pics to give yall a idea of what ive got now.... i also bought alot of other stuff, its just going directly into the truck or the car...









and these things are awesome!!!!!!!!

 

Is that organizer off the shelf or a catalog item? I have to go to Idaho Falls in the next couple days, if it's on the shelf I might have to grab it.

 

its an off the shelf item, part number- 99717.

should be in stock... typically is...

 

I'm over-qualified to run the cash register at HF.

I can't wait til they hire for floor. I wanna see if i'm over qualified for that too.

 

Girls typically Run the registers

 

As most people have said, HF is hit or miss. I had some of their stuff break, but some of their remarkably cheap garbage is actually holding up for years. I have a couple of torque wrenches and wrench sets that are in great shape. I also had some of their wrenches deform and round out.

I'm in the market for an air compressor for all around usage, and certainly for working on my truck. Does anyone have any experience with the this Central Pneumatic 3 HP, 21 Gallon, 120 Volt 115 PSI Cast Iron Vertical Air Compressor? (3 HP, 21 Gallon, 120 Volt 115 PSI Cast Iron Vertical Air Compressor) All of my research points to their air compressors being fine, with some caveats that people worked around. The compressor supposedly has a year warranty (unlike all of the others which are 90 day), and there is the extended warranty, but I only have one vehicle and probably won't be able to move it around if it breaks.

 

Thats a good compressor. just remember to get oil for it. Also get the extended service protection. That compressor comes with a 1 year manufacture warranty. The ESP will extend after the 1 year for 24 more months. If that compressor has any trouble, even if you kick it over, HB will give you a new one no questions asked. You will then also have the option of getting an ESP on the new compressor for the same price as the last one. Then in 24 months, if you decide to kick it over again and break the compressor off the tank, you get a new one unit. and the cycle go over and over as long as you want. Let me know if you have any more questions. Off to work, we have a damn truck today, hurricane on our back and its raining. Gonna be a good day.

p.s. they also make that same compressor in black at 240 volts. if interested.

 

My experience with HF is the same as the other posters...only buy if the price makes sense for one-time use (at home.) No way is this stuff professional quality! Air compressor works like a champ, but a pressure washer 1/2 the price of the competition worked only twice then quit dead...junk.

I don't think anything in the store is made in US either...sad.

 

how many others stores truly have anything thats made in america? next to none.......

 

I've said it before on here, but will repeat now. What everyone has said about hit or miss is right, but I'll go a little deeper... I buy only top quality hand tools for daily use. I have two jobs and use tools at both to make a living. I don't have time for cheap tools that will break, bend, deform, round out, etc. I also have an aversion to busted knuckles, etc. That being said, there are plenty of things that are well worth getting at HF. Usually larger stuff that I know I won't use a lot and don't want to spend hundreds of dollars on to collect dust in my box. Also, there are some things that I inevitably break or lose frequently. Those things I buy there too. Something that comes to mind right off is diagonal cutters and needle-nose pliers. The HF ones with the black plastic on the handles that they sell individually are actually REALLY good pliers and they are only a couple of bucks each. I'd actually rather have them than most of the name brands. I have seen over the last couple of years that the Chinese-made stuff has improved in quality greatly, while the stuff built in India should be avoided like the plague. My electric hoist has been some of the best money I've spent on a toll. The 5Hp compressor replacement pump has been excellent. It will fill my 20 gallon tank from completely empty to 120PSI in 45 sec! My dad's vertical 115volt compressor, on the other hand is a complete pile of crap. The best advice I can give is to pick it up, look it over really good. Check out the weight, the finish, and so-on and you can usually tell the good bargains from the cheap crap. If you are going to use it every day, spend the money to get it elsewhere. On the subject of the great neck stuff at the parts store, I'd agree that it has gone downhill. Something that I have really had good luck with however is the Ampro stuff that Advance Auto Parts sells. Also the Kobalt and Husky hand tools are really good for the money, although some of their other things are nothing to write home about. At the other end of the spectrum, for stuff to make a living with, I'd say the best wrenches and sockets are Snap-On. I prefer SK ratchets though. IMHO nobody makes a better pair of pliers than Knipex, and nobody makes better screwdrivers than Wiha. Gotta love those Germans!

 

Awesome. I just added it to my shopping cart. It's on sale for $129.99 right now and shipping is only $12.99, but I am going to call the [somewhat] local store to see if they will honor the 20% coupon, too. Then, I'd have to figure out a way to transport it...

Are the Central Pneumatic air tools generally good, as well? I probably won't be in any immediate need for tools that consume more than this compressor will supply, but what about the others? If not, I'll just spend twice as much for something I won't have to replace. I almost always prefer to do that. I want my grandchildren to give anything I buy to theirs, whether or not it's obsolete!

Yeah, if you surf!

I'm going to stick with 120 for better versatility, in case I need to wheel it to the front of the house or the curb for something. Thanks for the heads up, though!

 

they will Honor ANY coupon you have thats a legit coupon.....

 

I have the Cental Pneumatic D.A. sander and airboard sander for bodywork. If I did it for a living, no way in hell. For what I do with it, for example weld in patch panels on quarter panels and general body work on 4 different trucks, they work great.

Everyone said hit or miss. I agree. You kinda have to get the "feel" for what to and what not to buy from there. I have one about 10 blocks from my house- 5 min. drive. That's both a good thing and a bad thing. My welder and my big compressor came from there as well. Oh yeah, one more thing- all of my tools get punished, and I'd say I have good luck with probably 80% of what I buy from there. Just my $.02

 

yep... im being more and more impressed with the hand tools i bought... ive rebuilt a Chebby 3.1L v6 top end with em, and am currently doing a head swap on my truck with only harbor freight tools... and they have impressed me...


and btw.... im sure some of the other guys here can attest to this, well corporate is making changes to the management structure at each store, adding a couple new titles...

and im getting the nod for the warehouse supervisor position...

 

im not a fan but sometimes there is a good deal, mostly on consumables