Harbor Freight Coupons

[Rich Engelhardt]

I thought of this thread yesterday.
I got a message on my cell phone that I had some coupons from HF.
I'm pretty sure the message came via the Harbor Freight app I installed on my cell.

Speaking of HF - they are putting in a new one near me - about 100 yards away from a Home Depot.

[Curt Harms]

I've pretty much heeded the advice that if a Harbor Freight item has a power cord or cutting edge, beware. I did buy a dark red Harbor Freight buffer for a single use. It worked but if I were going to use it much I'd have wanted some sort of anti vibration gloves. Labor and production costs have gone up in China which I'm sure squeeze Harbor Freight's margins. I do have open end/box end wrenches and sockets from Harbor Freight which seem fine for occasional use.

[Jim Becker]

I used to feel that way, Curt, but my actual experience has been very good with the Bauer 20v stuff I've purchased. Surprisingly good for the money. Of course, these are not heavy use tools like my Festool stable, either. With a store in Warminster now, they are a lot more convenient to visit. If there's been anything I was unhappy with, they immediately issued a refund without any extra effort on my part.

Which reminds me...I need nitrile gloves as I'm down to the last few pair of the thinner version in the shop.

[Matt Day]

I was in my local store a few days ago and the cashier said that they are no longer doing 20% coupons or freebies. Sad to see that go away!

With all their new upper shelf stuff they’ve been releasing, I think they are trying to be more of a legitimate tool shop instead of the cheapest of the cheap.

[Alex Zeller]

I had a rule that I broke. I wouldn't buy anything from them that had an electric motor that was one of their brands. I had seen some of their tools let the smoke out after light use so I figured I wouldn't even tempt it. But I needed a tile saw while building my house and couldn't find one to rent close by. So I broke down and bought one from HF. It had a motor on top of it and belt driven so I figured I could always replace it. The saw may not be industrial quality but it has tiled over a dozen houses now and still going strong. Since then I've added more HF stuff.

I use to get emails and magazines from them with coupons but I haven't gotten either lately. I suspect that with COVID shortages they have no need to offer discounts. Even before the 20% coupons went away they had so many restrictions that I hardly used them. The funny thing is I rarely go tot he store now. When I do it's for a specific thing or two and nothing more. Without the coupons to draw customers in I wonder if business has dropped.

[Jim Becker]

They are doing their promotions via email these days and there are still "coupons" as well as occasional sales that even include offers on their brands that were not participating in the 20% type coupons anyway.

[Stan Calow]

Anybody have reviews on their new higher level line of power tools?

[Jim Becker]

Anybody have reviews on their new higher level line of power tools?

I'm really happy with the Bauer so I'd think that the next level up (blue I think) should be similar or better. I've not tried them because, well...I already have the red ones.

[Curt Harms]

I used to feel that way, Curt, but my actual experience has been very good with the Bauer 20v stuff I've purchased. Surprisingly good for the money. Of course, these are not heavy use tools like my Festool stable, either. With a store in Warminster now, they are a lot more convenient to visit. If there's been anything I was unhappy with, they immediately issued a refund without any extra effort on my part.

Which reminds me...I need nitrile gloves as I'm down to the last few pair of the thinner version in the shop.

It sounds like the Bauer stuff is perfectly adequate for typical weekend warriors. HFs air tools get pretty good reviews, I bought a T50 thin wire pneumatic stapler from Harbor Freight and it seems to work just fine, will sink 1/2" staples flush in oak no problem.

[Jim Becker]

It sounds like the Bauer stuff is perfectly adequate for typical weekend warriors. HFs air tools get pretty good reviews, I bought a T50 thin wire pneumatic stapler from Harbor Freight and it seems to work just fine, will sink 1/2" staples flush in oak no problem.

I don't have any of their pneumatic tools but, yes, folks have posted favorably about many of them over the years. The first Bauer I bought was the impact driver as I had what I thought was a one-time need. I use it a lot more than I expected, although not in the shop. More for home improvement, etc. Then I got the blower. That begat the weed whacker and later the hedge clipper. Somewhere along the way, the portable circular saw came along, too. I use that a lot more than I expected, too...'got it so I could break down long boards at my rental storage for transport, but it's been a trooper for backyard projects since there's no readily accessible power back there without a really long extension cord. Oh, and the little 10" chain saw.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Everything from HF is just like voting.
You hope the idiot you vote for is better than the idiot you didn't vote for.

At HF, you hope the stuff you get there is better than the low end stuff the big box stores carry.

In the end it doesn't matter - all of them will let you down one way or another.

[Stan Calow]

Rich, true enough, but I look at it a bit differently. Value being considered as the cost for the expected usage. If I'm buying a tool I may only use once or twice a year, than yeah, some things are "good enough" even if they are cheap. But I'm not a professional, and my livelihood doesn't depend on it, so I can "afford to be cheap".

[Kev Williams]

7 years ago I spent less than $30 total for THREE of their cheap angle grinders to work on our houseboat. While I don't exactly work them to death, they DO still work just fine...

[Rich Engelhardt]

Stan,
I can do the same with some things.
Other things, like cordless tools, add another dimension.

If I just want a cordless screwdriver, then HF might be a good choice.

I can't really say I'm a professional - but - I do use my cordless tools for a business reason most times.
Putting that aside, I have far more than just a cordless drill. I have a cordless router, track saw, impact driver, hammer drill, mf tool, circular saw, weed whacker and ..I can't remember what all else.
HF doesn't - as yet - offer all the cordless tools Makita, DeWalt, Milwaukee or even Ryobi offers.

For the most part - I like HF - but - quite a few things rom there have left me disappointed - air fittings for example - HF has terrible air fittings. Far worse than Lowes - which are pretty bad.

[Curt Harms]

For the most part - I like HF - but - quite a few things rom there have left me disappointed - air fittings for example - HF has terrible air fittings. Far worse than Lowes - which are pretty bad.

True about air fittings. I've had some HF air fittings too prone to leaking, in particular air couplers.