# I Love You Harbor Freight, But You Smell Like Plastic Hell



## Ashful (Jan 28, 2014)

Very entertaining read... wish I wrote it:



			
				Mike Spinelli on Jalopnik - Rants said:
			
		

> As I'm typing this, somewhere nearby is a transmission jack that I own. There's also a mini tire changer and a portable wheel balancer and a five-ton gear puller. Five tons! That's a frigload of tons!
> 
> Someday I may use these tools for the purposes intended, but if I don't, so what? I bought them at Harbor Freight, which means no one would care if I used them at all. Least of all, perhaps, me. And it's probably safer that way.
> 
> ...


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## Seasoned Oak (Jan 28, 2014)

The only cure for this is a hefty import tax.


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## Ashful (Jan 28, 2014)

Seasoned Oak said:


> The only cure for this is a hefty import tax.


"Cure"?  You want to cure blissful joy?

... and I quote: "Will this $5 brake bleeder douse me in fluid? Who cares? It's five bucks, and I just bought 38 of them. Know what you're getting for your birthday this year? Maybe a bath in brake fluid, maybe a workable one-man brake bleeder. Cross your fingers. Or at least, count them."


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## bassJAM (Jan 28, 2014)

Yeah, personally I'm thankful for cheap crap from HF.  Most of the tools I use a lot of Craftsman or Kobalt with some Snap-on and Mac thrown in, and my power tools are all Bosch, Makita, ect. but every now and then I'll need something that's normally expensive that HF sells for cheap.  Got a set of aluminum loading ramps, and the quality is actually really good.  The ATV lift is decent too.  While my dirt bike stand works, the metal is similar to the plastic described above and bends remarkably easy.  But luckily, I have a cheap HF dead blow hammer to straighten it out, and if I need a little more oomph I've also got a 20 HF shop press.  I normally only go in there for those cheap items that are expensive everywhere else, but typically pick up a few extra cheap items like rubber mallets whenever I stop in.


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## Jags (Jan 28, 2014)

I have HF pneumatic tires on my two wheel wood dolly.  Does that count??


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## Ashful (Jan 28, 2014)

I'm like bassJAM... two garages full of vintage Proto (the west-coast mechanic's Snap-On of the 1960's), Snap-On, and Craftsman mechanics tools, with mostly Bosch and Milwaukee handheld power tools... but I do have some bearing and gear pullers from Harbor Freight, along with a few other very infrequently used items.  They're great for tools that you know will be one-time use, or used too infrequently to invest heavily.

Doesn't change the fact that this article was funny as hell.  I wonder how many of those commenting (razerface) took the time to read the whole thing.


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## razerface (Jan 28, 2014)

i hate that place. My son bring junk home from there once in a while. I hate cheap junk that passes for tools. I have to drive 50 miles to get to HF,,so i own good tools that do not break every time i use them. 

Yes it costs more,,,,but I can do a 10 minute job in 10 minutes with a good tool,,, or drive 100 miles and waste 2 hours replacing the junk i just broke, having a temper fit the whole time. no contest.


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## bassJAM (Jan 28, 2014)

Honestly I'm sure we've all cursed HB a time or two, but I've yet to find a part that was absolute crap (beside an 18V cordless drill somebody gave me that had a battery life of about 20 seconds).  They've got a store on the way home from work so it's easy, and I've never had to return anything yet.

It does have that odd smell, I'll have to be sure to remember to not eat the plastics or paint chips just in case the OP's story has a point.


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## Seasoned Oak (Jan 28, 2014)

HF sell the tools you dont mind lending out when you know you wont get them back. Bought an oscillating tool ,lasted an hour,i liked it so much i bought another ,but this time i bought a craftsman. Have quite a few hours on it already ,works great.Even though it cost twice as much ,it will last 20 times longer.  They should change the HF name to "china freight" .


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## velvetfoot (Jan 28, 2014)

TSC smells the same.


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## jharkin (Jan 28, 2014)

I thought it was hilarious... and very true.

For disclosure, I own a HF bench top drill press (won it in a raffle) that works halfway decent, and I have a quite nice rollier chest from them that I paid real money for (and got better reviews than craftsman).  And I think I have a bearing puller set someplace.

Other than that I dont make a point of shopping there.  Ive learned the buy cheap buy twice lesson and try to buy better brands now. Power tools are mostly DeWalt and vintage 60s Crafstman hand me downs from dad. Hand tools are lot of Craftsman (wish I could afford SnapOn), but I do have some of the Kobalt/Lowe's house brand stuff that's not too bad.


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## razerface (Jan 28, 2014)

Joful said:


> I wonder how many of those commenting (razerface) took the time to read the whole thing.


i read the whole thing. Did not make me love HF reading about buying 38 of a brake bleeder,,,,,which implies the writer knows he is buying junk,,and buys 38 of them to get the job done,, which I know the number is embelished, but typical of HF tools. 

LOL,,, Not my style.  

I still hate HF.

38 funny stories would not change my mind.


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## Seasoned Oak (Jan 28, 2014)

Just to be fair HF business model is not much different from Wal-mart . Buy dirt cheap from 3rd world slave labor countries and sell to the masses at big markups.


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## Delta-T (Jan 28, 2014)

i bought some glow in the dark rope from HF to make a cool hammock...took weeks for the smell to go away. kept hoping it wasn't the actual rope fibers...eventually faded away. Very curious combo of plastic, machine oil, rubber and lead paint.


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## bag of hammers (Jan 28, 2014)

Funny article.  We have Tool Town here - variation on the same theme.  Cheap crap abounds....


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## 1750 (Jan 28, 2014)

I'm not a fan of cheap tools for the reasons already mentioned.  This gentleman, however, can really turn a phrase!


Joful said:


> Now, if you compared the cost of those keychains, polished rocks and rubber-band-powered grist mills to the value of love bursting from your heart, it would have microwaved Milton Friedman's skull.


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## Retired Guy (Jan 31, 2014)

HF tools have their place - at the bottom of the tool bag. Not because they don't work but because I use them once every couple of years. Except their speed squares - I use that quite a bit.


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