Harbor Freight Off Their Rocker?

[bonneyman]

Yeah, pickens overall are going to get thinned down to HD, HF, Lowes, and whatever Craftsman outlets one can find (K-mart, Ace, etc). Though I have not walked into a NAPA lately looking specifically for tools. Auto Zone and O'reileys tool offerings don't do much for me.

I wonder if HF is "upping" their quality as the trade tariffs are going to increase prices anyways. Maybe they're trying to make the most of the lemonade situation?

[Uncle Buck]

I think Proto and Williams deserve a hard look online at this point. I will buy the cheap stuff where impacts are concerned.

[pep]

Auto Zone and O'reileys, never have crossed my mind as a place I'd buy tools. NAPA, I did pick up this cable operated water hose clamp deal ........ Took it right back, would not open the clamp up no matter how much I tweaked the cable stops.

They do have a wide selection of large axle nut type sockets. The general hand tools are over priced I think. In saying that i mean they do not do anything different than a Craftsman wrench.

 NAPA's do look a hell of a lot better, like Snap on. Being someone who's interest in tools is user driven i pass on both.

Did buy a 3 ton Hein-Werner  floor jack, caught on sale, when NAPA was having a floor jack black friday type of sale......

I can tell you this .....it's one hell of a nice, robust floor jack, the poor mans Milwaukee floor jack.


Pep

[34Ply]

Let me get this straight, You won't buy tools at HF because there all cheap Chinese made. Now you won't buy tools there because they are more expensive US made. If you would stop looking down your nose at all tools except your favorite tool truck stuff you might see that some other brand is as good if not better regardless of where it's sold. If you think SO or Mac is not having stuff made in China you better pull your head out of of what ever tool truck it's stuck in. Changing my strut the other day I broke a Craftsman 2" made in the USA extension (from a set 20 years old or so) using a Hf breaker bar and a PT rental socket from Oreillys. I'm thinking now it's more the name of the tool or store that you don't like. If I bought a $100 set of 4 extensions of a truck and the guy next to me has a set for $15 doing the same job it would bother me to. I'm not trying to riel some people up but lets buy tools where we want and don't put down someone that buys from another source than you do.    Oh boy am I in trouble now!!!!!

[goodfellow]

Back in the early 2000s i visited two of the largest tool forging and finishing complexes in Taiwan. At the time they were all making tools for many name brands across the entire globe. They also were ISO 9000 compliant in their manufacturing processes and had the best chrome and finish of any hand tools manufactured anywhere - bar none. 

They made tools for all the major American brands and offered to manufacture to any price point the customer wished. At the time HF had two lines -- the cheapest was the Chinese budget line which was absolutely atrocious, and the HF Professional line which was a quality manufactured product. These days I see the Taiwanese manufactured lines at HF and they are absolutely on par with any of the imported offerings of Snap-On, MAC, Cornwell, or MATCO. I also speculate that the imported American brand tools from Taiwan are probably made in many of the same factories as the Taiwanese offerings from HF -- just manufactured to different specifications and price points. The quality is definitely there.

I'm old enough to remember when Japanese tools were considered junk back in the 1960s, and by the 1980s the premium Japanese brands were equal or better than most of the leading US brands. I believe the same thing is happening with the Taiwanese tool companies.

[Uncle Buck]

Let me get this straight, You won't buy tools at HF because there all cheap Chinese made. Now you won't buy tools there because they are more expensive US made. If you would stop looking down your nose at all tools except your favorite tool truck stuff you might see that some other brand is as good if not better regardless of where it's sold. If you think SO or Mac is not having stuff made in China you better pull your head out of of what ever tool truck it's stuck in. Changing my strut the other day I broke a Craftsman 2" made in the USA extension (from a set 20 years old or so) using a Hf breaker bar and a PT rental socket from Oreillys. I'm thinking now it's more the name of the tool or store that you don't like. If I bought a $100 set of 4 extensions of a truck and the guy next to me has a set for $15 doing the same job it would bother me to. I'm not trying to riel some people up but lets buy tools where we want and don't put down someone that buys from another source than you do.    Oh boy am I in trouble now!!!!!

I will look again, but I don't think I saw anyone passing judgement on others in this thread, but like I said, I will take another look. If I am wrong I do apologize.

I have bought few tools from the truck, though I do own a good number of truck brands. I am not too good to own import tools and do own a few, I will likely add a few more. That said, import tools will never be my go to brand and when economically feasible I do avoid them. Some rarely used tools bought import are a no brainer due to cost.p I do make those concessions at times, but only when used or new brands cannot be procured within my price range.

All that said I make no apologizes for avoiding imports as much as possible, but also do not judge others for their brand decisions in tools, to each his own that is their business. All serious tool buyers know that import tools are now found in virtually all tool brand product lines.

[pep]

Who you talking to... me? You may be misreading what I'm saying. I simply have my preferences, as do others, do not care what others buy and use.

Statements are learned observation  from my own experience. My Lathe and Mill are both offshore produced, and not HF.

If a product, manufacture or POSale can not be discussed or scrutinized, what is the point of a conversation. This is not high school my school is better that your school.

The question becomes would someone stop buying a tool from HF, because I'm not a fan?
Does that not really sound stupid when put into words?

I tell folks what I know, the knowledge comes from a users prospective........  take it of leave it.

Pep

[wreckercologist]

Eh, I suppose time will tell if this is a smart move for them, but I remember the "high end" boxes Sears had......they flopped iirc.

I'm sure their marketing people have numbers to support the idea, but I'll let somebody else be the guinea pig.

This smells of "Edsel" to me....... trying to fill a market segment that doesn't really exist...jmho.

[bonneyman]

Back in the early 2000s i visited two of the largest tool forging and finishing complexes in Taiwan. At the time they were all making tools for many name brands across the entire globe. They also were ISO 9000 compliant in their manufacturing processes and had the best chrome and finish of any hand tools manufactured anywhere - bar none. 

They made tools for all the major American brands and offered to manufacture to any price point the customer wished. At the time HF had two lines -- the cheapest was the Chinese budget line which was absolutely atrocious, and the HF Professional line which was a quality manufactured product. These days I see the Taiwanese manufactured lines at HF and they are absolutely on par with any of the imported offerings of Snap-On, MAC, Cornwell, or MATCO. I also speculate that the imported American brand tools from Taiwan are probably made in many of the same factories as the Taiwanese offerings from HF -- just manufactured to different specifications and price points. The quality is definitely there.

I'm old enough to remember when Japanese tools were considered junk back in the 1960s, and by the 1980s the premium Japanese brands were equal or better than most of the leading US brands. I believe the same thing is happening with the Taiwanese tool companies.

I have been hearing more and more about the quality of certain Taiwanese tools (mainly impact sockets) that are so good people are switching to them apart from the less expensive price. As big name tools just go outta sight on price - and Craftsman has been doing their thing - other smaller companies are rushing to fill the vacuum.
Tekton comes to mind. Some of their stuff is US made, some imported. After buying a tool and putting it through the paces I gotta say I like it and will probably be buying more from them. And Pro America has some dang nice pliers.

Maybe I'm just getting older and less ornery, or maybe I'm just tired of fighting, but I'm not as hardnosed toward foreign tools these days.

[bonneyman]

Eh, I suppose time will tell if this is a smart move for them, but I remember the "high end" boxes Sears had......they flopped iirc.

I'm sure their marketing people have numbers to support the idea, but I'll let somebody else be the guinea pig.

This smells of "Edsel" to me....... trying to fill a market segment that doesn't really exist...jmho.

I think Sears' problem was they had pounded the line "Made in USA, guaranteed forever!" so long that people expectations were skewed. "Why should I pay more for such and such when all their stuff is USA? The cheaper box will work just fine!"

With HF they're universally known as the "cheap" or Chinese place. Some of their stuff was OK, but the overall perception was it was kinda cheesy. Now that they're advertising better quality (at higher prices) it might not smack them like it did Sears.

[34Ply]

I never said anyone was passing judgment on anyone. I have my preferences also. I own all SK stuff. Do I buy from HF for stuff I use once a year or so, sure. I don't think I was out of line with my post. Just my observation.   By the way, my high school was better than yours.  HE HE HE

[fatfillup]

HF socket rails are junk!!!  There I said it,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,I feel better now

[skfarmer]

i was at hf yesterday. i was also at several other places. i am seriously considering making a very large purchase there as it appears to fit my needs best at a good price.

[gtermini]

i was at hf yesterday. i was also at several other places. i am seriously considering making a very large purchase there as it appears to fit my needs best at a good price.

If you get one of these boxes, you better put a bunch of pictures up, especially of the hang tag. I'm genuinely curious how nice they are. I have one of the 44", and it's wicked deal.

Greyson