I'm a Harbor Freight addict

[Woody]

I have been using a US general box for at least 12 years I actually replaced a cornwell with it. It has been a great box

I use a u s General also.
I've had mine for 12 years also. Great box.all drawers still work like new.even the one that's full of hammers.

 

[dgamber0]

Being a full time auto tech for 30 years my box is full of 95% snap on tools. But the last 7 years or so I have been buying HF stuff. I have the motorcycle lift, air compressor, generators, Wood work bench, sand blaster, welder, electric drill, tie downs, and many other stuff. The price you pay is well worth it. HF took the place of what Sears was to the American people. Of corse there are some things that the professional tool truck have that HF don’t, but what pay more of less. The ICON line is a copy of the snappy stuff. The wrenches feel great! I bought a set just to compare quality and I blew me out of the water. I could use them in a professional set up all day and you get a bigger set then snappy for I think $85 usd. I always encourage the younger auto techs to check out HF first and then save the rest of your money for something else.

 

[sdt354]

Choice is a wonderful thing isn't it??
I buy Craftsman for every tool I buy with a few minor exceptions. Some say Craftsman are a bad choice you should get Mac or Snap On... can't please everyone all the time. I think I will stick with Craftsman and from time to time if I see something that can't be bought at Sears I will take my chances with HF.

Ron

Mac & Snap on, if your using the tools to make a living, yes. The truck rolls up and your account skyrockets too. Their stuff is good quality but incredibly expensive. Working on your own stuff, Craftsman, H.F. both make sense for a lot of tools. Things like measuring tools, torque wrenches, I'm glad I didn't go cheaper there. I don't like China for many reasons, and try to avoid spending on things made there. It's almost impossible now, and it's a shame!

 

[Screwloose]

Just about all my mechanical tools are Snapon, and i’ve had about a quarter of them from 1975. The teeth on two ratchets had worn but Snapon repaired them no bother. Some of the balls had fallen out the extensions but again no bother for Snapon to replace the extensions. I’ve had scaffold poles on the end of these ratchets and sockets working on old cars and never burst one yet.
I would say that their electrical equipment from elec screwdrivers to test meters are way over priced and no better than most high level elec tools like Megger. So I think that Snapon mechanical tools are worth every penny as it’s for this life and your next, if you can take them with you (and as long as no-one nicks them) you will never need another.
It appears that you guys in the US have a much larger choice of manufacturers than the UK.

 

[Woody]

Added the top to my box.this sucker was heavy.(empty)
They now have 2nd generation of the original boxes.

 

[TN_Max]

My name is Bryan...and I too...have the addiction...

At least this place ain't like a damn AA meeting...can I get a beer please?

 

[Foreverblue]

My name is Wei and I do have the addiction.... Last week I dropped close to 300 in Harbor Freight....

 

[Fire-medic]

My name is Wei and I do have the addiction.... Last week I dropped close to 300 in Harbor Freight....

That's nothing, here. On some tool forums, you would be roasted because you said, "HFT."

I was just looking at an old Kennedy machinist's chest I have, it needs barnacle scraping and repainting to look fresh. I dunno what it's worth redone, I'd guess maybe $75-100. I have several Kennedy tool storage pieces including a workbench.

I have HFT purchases, and their stuff usually is not a disappointment, not for-me, anyway. It seems they keep improving their offerings, their prices ascend too, but since Sears is out of business, HFT is a convenient place to shop. The Cornwell truck stops at my friend's air-compressor sales/service business, and I can order whatever's in the catalog, and he takes delivery for me. That's where I got these, an item currently in discussion for how to remove buggered fasteners.

 

[Screwloose]

My name is Wei and I do have the addiction.... Last week I dropped close to 300 in Harbor Freight....

One day at a time.

Try reducing to $250 the next time.

 

[norcalAF]

My name is Wei and I do have the addiction.... Last week I dropped close to 300 in Harbor Freight....

did you buy one of everything?

 

[Redrum]

One big annoyance I had in buying the top and bottom US General toolbox was the lack of on-line, or even phone ordering. I called 4 stores to try and get a top and bottom in blue. None of them had matching sets. So I said OK, I'll buy it on-line and have it shipped to your store so as not to pay the outrageous shipping - Sorry, you can only pay at the store - WHAT!!! The nearest store is 40 miles away. I was not going to drive in there, just to hand them my credit card, then wait weeks to drive in again. I got through my anger, sucked it up and settled for a black top and bottom.

And the top is very heavy. I barely lifted it on top the bottom box. When I looked at the weight, like 220 lbs, I was surprised I got it up there myself.

 

[Zeus36]

The Cornwell truck stops at my friend's air-compressor sales/service business, and I can order whatever's in the catalog, and he takes delivery for me. That's where I got these, an item currently in discussion for how to remove buggered fasteners.

View attachment 76335

When I was working at a the steel mill in Ohio in 1982, we had a freight train pull into the melt shop and dump a full railroad car of Cornwell tools. These were factory seconds, returns and damaged hand tools. The melt shop had a football field sized area for the scrap metal. It looked like a sea of chrome under the sodium vapor lights when I came in for the midnight shift. I ended up getting two five gallon pails of ratchets, line wrenches, combo wrenches and sockets. I was able to build several working 3/8" and 1/2" ratchets from the ones I picked up. Some of the wrenches only had one good end, others had chrome peeling off. Sockets were often cracked, but some just had a bad chrome job. I was a Millwright and we all had a wooden tool box with matching lower chest built by the carpenter's shop. All the Cornwell tools in the two buckets got transferred to my tool boxes. Guys on the day shift got stopped by security when they tried to carry their loot out to the parking lot. Fortunately, no one mentioned our crew on the midnight shift managed to load their tool haul into their work boxes.

 

[Redrum]

So I went to an auction to try and get a set of 14 metric Snap On 3/8 impact metric deep well sockets, used. They went for more than you would pay for on eBay, $160.

So, should I pay $49 for the HF set - 3/8 in. Drive Metric Professional Deep Impact Socket Set, 13 Pc.

.... or like $120 for use Snap On's on eBay. I see Icon has a life time warranty but when I'm working on something I don't want my tools to break in the middle of the job.

 

[PATMAX]

I got what I believe to be a sturdy set of metric black impact thick wall set from Northern Tool. Very reasonable.

 

[MileHayabusa]

So I went to an auction to try and get a set of 14 metric Snap On 3/8 impact metric deep well sockets, used. They went for more than you would pay for on eBay, $160.

So, should I pay $49 for the HF set - 3/8 in. Drive Metric Professional Deep Impact Socket Set, 13 Pc.

.... or like $120 for use Snap On's on eBay. I see Icon has a life time warranty but when I'm working on something I don't want my tools to break in the middle of the job.

I would think the HF should work just fine...I've actually taken to buying some Kobalt junk from Lowe's as I can't imagine they're too much different than HF and, should something break, I'm 10 minutes from picking up a replacement.

You'd have to be hammering on an impact socket pretty good to get it to break.

 

[patate657]

I agree. Harbor Freight is 5mins from my house. Worked there for a month when I retired. I get good deals from my friends when I go there. I like to walk around and get ideas. Ole' Guy thing. Check out what I made.

Bought 2 car wheel dollies at HF for $49. Rated 1,220lbs each. Made it a bike dolly for my Vmax. Added 3" wheels and cut out the back for the back wheel to fit. Works great.

 

[desert_max]

Got a Pittsburgh 1/2" drive swivel ratchet I've had for years. It's my "go to" 1/2 drive. (Pre_Icon)

 

[Fire-medic]

I agree. Harbor Freight is 5mins from my house. Worked there for a month when I retired. I get good deals from my friends when I go there. I like to walk around and get ideas. Ole' Guy thing. Check out what I made.

Bought 2 car wheel dollies at HF for $49. Rated 1,220lbs each. Made it a bike dolly for my Vmax. Added 3" wheels and cut out the back for the back wheel to fit. Works great.

Can you post a pic of the VMax on the dollies please? I have these, 4 of 'em: PITTSBURGH AUTOMOTIVE 1500 lb. Capacity Vehicle Dollies 2 Pc – Item 67338 / 60343 – Harbor Freight Coupons I have a Handy-Lift so I don't need the dollies, but I'm interested to see how you use the HFT product.

I like the Condor motorcycle dolly, adjustable for a variety of motorcycle sizes, but it's much more-expensive than the HFT dollies. Amazon.com: Condor Motorcycle Garage Dolly for Wheel Chock: Automotive I spoke with the mechanical engineer who designed it and who manufactures it at Daytona Beach Bike Week, several years ago. It's very sturdy and secure, and the bike loaded onto it is easy to move. You should see his trailer, it's worth it to see how it configures to work as a pick-up ramp you can ride-up onto the bed of your pick-up, and then adjust to make a trailer to haul more bikes.

 

[patate657]

I sure will get some over to you as soon as I can. You'll notice I had to cut away part of the rear of the Dolly. Thus making it clear the rear wheel. The cut was 7" wide x 5" Deep. This was needed to give travel space for the back wheel. Then I was able to maneuver the dolly between the wheels setting up for the center stand to come down. That worked fine. And I was able to roll the bike around however I needed it. Now that was done on a low wooden deck we have at the back of the house. It was a bumpy ride moving it around because of this, but still worked. I will set it up on smooth cement, should work much better and take some pictures. The only problem was getting it off the dolly. It finally came off the center stand and I was able to kick the dolly to the side. I was thinking of using some mini wheel chocks to keep the dolly from rolling forward while trying to get off the center stand. Any ideas appreciated...

 

[patate657]

I was able to find a couple of so-so pictures with the bike on the dolly when I had started work on it. You can just make out the dolly under the bike. But I'll still get you some fresh pictures. I'll like to figure a way of off loading it 1st more easily.