cut your build cost way down , A few weeks ago I bought a 4 inch angle grinder at HF the young woman cashier tried to sell me the extended warranty , I asked what the regular warranty was , and she said every thing in the store has a 90 day warranty . So being a ball buster I asked about the flapper disks that I was buying , se responded , If I used them up before 90 days they would be replaced , I then asked about the cut off wheels , and again she said if they didn't last 90 days they would be replaced . Ok she was young and didn't know these where items that ware out . Last week I again was in HF and was cashed out by a long time employee , So as I was buying more flapper disks , I asked her about the replacement policy , She told me anything that is brought back for any reason , is replaced . That they are told not to ask questions just replace the items . Again I am not believing this . Today I am again in HF , and this time the manager checks me out , I said to her , two of your employees have told me that every thing in the store has at least a 90 day warranty , and if I ware out a flapper disk , grinding wheel , cut off wheel or even get a hole in a pair of gloves they will be replaced . She told me that is HF policy , So I asked if I brought in a empty spool of mig wire would they replace it , She explained that if there was any thing left of the original item it would be replace but if it was gone [ empty spool ] it would not . So I now have a bag of used up disks , gloves and wheels that have been bought in the last 90 days that are going back to be replaced , next time you are in HF ask , think of the $ you could save on your builds , I have to ask about DA paper

 

Same here but I keep forgetting to bring the stuff in before 90 days. Don’t have to find your receipt because they email you one if you give them your e-mail address one time.

 

Wish I had a Harbor Freight near me...

 

My wife works at COSTCO and they're pretty much the same. Last Christmas a person brought in a prelit tree they bought three years before. Some of the lights stopped working and they took it back. My kid was pretty smart with our pond pump. We bought a 3/4 hp pump and bought the extended warranty for a few bucks. The pumps run from as soon as the water thaws until it freezes again. Every year, about mid spring it'll stop working. I take it to Menards, place it on the counter and without a question I go get a new one.

Many years ago I went to the local Sears store with a cracked 1/2" deep socket to get it replaced for free per their tool replacement policy. The salesman started giving me a hard time on how the tool was broke. I literally told him I ran it over with an army tank but that didn't matter, give a new one. That might be one of the reasons Sears are drying up, plus the quality of their Craftman tools really suck.

 

a few years ago i brought back some tools that said SEARS on them.they would only replace craftsman on them.i said but they are your tools.they said that it did not matter,we only except craftsman tools.

 

The Sears tools were a lower tier tool, they were not lifetime warranty like the Craftsman tools.

 

I remember going to auctions and looking at Craftsman tools as new. It didn't matter what shape they were in. You could always get them replaced for free.
I only had to get one or two replaced, but it was nice to know that was available. I don't use my tools enough to break them often.
Don't Kobalt tools have a lifetime warranty as well?

 

How many of you remember JC Penney selling tools?

 

I do, I do!

My Dad bought a 3/8 drive deep socket set from them when I was a kid. I still have the swivel from that set, not sure what happened to the rest of them. I was told they were made by Snap-On, and the lifetime warranty was honored by Snap-On after JCP quit selling tools.

 

The JCP stuff was made by S-K, not Snap On. So it's still good stuff, and the JC Penney ratchets are the same internals as the S-K.

 

I bought a 1 1/2 ton bottle jack in 71 out in Fresno Ca when I was in the Navy and just used it last week. Back then it was probably around 10 bucks. I miss the J.C. Penny auto store.

 

I managed to crack the casting on a large Craftsman vice. The clerk said "we don't warrenttee vices. I responded that yes you do. After several rounds I showed him the original paperwork when I bought the vice probably 20-25 years back. He responded that he would need to get his manager. The manager reluctantly agreed and said never again. My response was that I purchased a lifetime vice and he would need to annotate on the paperwork that the replacement vice was lifetime and record his employee number and store #, which he did. I am confident that the vice will outlast Sears as a store.

For another vehicle I have the paperwork for a JC Penny lifetime battery and a Midas muffler lifetime guarrantee. I have owned that vehicle since 1976. I do not expect to collect on either one of them again.

 

When I was younger 99% of my dad's tools were Craftman. When I got into the auto body trade I bought all Craftman just like dad who was a mechanic for over 30 years. I had the Snap On man come into the shop I worked and give me a hard time because when people looked at my tools they wouldn't think highly of me because my tools were low quality. Basically told him to go jump off a bridge. I always bought Craftman but the last few times I bought Craftman the quality was really down. I bought a brand new set of socket with what I thought were etched on lettering only to have the lettering wear off in short time so now I really have to look at the side of the sockets to know what size I have. Their rachets, all sizes, start to skip. The last 1/2" drive rachet I bought as I was using it the directional lever, which is plastic, caught on part of the car I was working on and brought off. I took it to the Sears tool store near me and asked for replacement. The guy reaches under the counter and hands me what I could tell was a ratchet that was slightly used. When back my shop to finish my repair and the same part broke off. Went back to the store, the same counter guy and he hands me another used wrench. That was it, I told the guy I originally bought a new ratchet and I want a new one to replace it. We walk over to the new tool display and he gives me a new ratchet. Their quality and service just stinks. I buy tools from a couple of other places near buy not that at one time I wouldn't have thought about buying tools from but their quality have greatly improved while Craftman has gone down.

I'm not a huge fan of Harbor Freight, always seems like a cheapo tool place. I do go in once in a while just to see what they have and buy cheap disposable type tools and equipment. The last tool I can remember buying there was a stud dent puller. My kid messed up his brother-in-law's car, put a crease in the front right door and fender. It wasn't the most valuable car but the B-I-L is a total PIA so to make things easier I volunteered to pull the dents and paint it. One crease was in the front lower part of the door and I couldn't get at it without removing the door or fender, neither I wanted to do. I checked into a stud dent puller and everyone wanted $800+ for one. For the heck of it I checked Harbor Freight and they had one for, I think $125. They also had a 25% off coupon for anything over $100 so I got it for around $100. It worked great and I've used it numerous times without a problem. I probably wouldn't want to use it daily in body shop but for a weekend warrior body man it's the perfect thing.

 

I think this pretty much sums up the success of harbor freight. Most people don't use tools enough to warrant the high dollar stuff.
There are also some tools there that have tested as good as the high dollar stuff as well. I was watching videos testing some tools and it is very interesting.

 

Just FYI, A couple year’s ago I stripped one of my craftsman ratchets internals. I took it in, went to the shelf, picked up a new one and took it to the counter. The salesman said you don’t wanna do the exchange, so I asked why. He said I can put new guts inside and it will be like new or I can exchange your “Old” (US Made) for a Chinese made one like we carry now.
i too have several Craftsman tools but the Sears stores are closing like crazy. It’s becoming harder to trade them in.
Something else that may be of interest is the other day I went to Lowe’s (where I use to buy Kobalt) they are changing there tool line to Craftsman (the Chinese ones).