Harbor Freight changes
 

Yes; the 20% off coupons have disappeared from their new printed adds,. They claim to exist on-line, but they are trying to harvest your e-mail addresses, and your personal information now. Prices are creeping up also. Your choice fellows. Newc

Re: Harbor Freight changes
 

Re: Harbor Freight changes
 

This is true. Was given a benchtop HF drill press 17 years ago. was looking for one and had my eye on a Craftsman, until this one showed up. Went back to Sears to look at their offering again, and lo and behold, it was the same thing. Fancier paint and red pompoms on the handles were the only difference. Both made in china. It has drilled a lot of holes.

It is going to be supplemented by a turn of (last) century line shaft driven Champion 2 speed blacksmith drill. 400+lbs of American engineering complete with loose clothing-grabbing open gears. It is going to be powered by an electric motor through a Model A transmission. Should have some knuckle-busting fun with it, once the restoration is done.

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Used to be, if you played the coupon game you could get some deals. Now that the flyers are gone, and those discount coupons are gone, I just don't feel the same. They are going upscale with a lot of new "names" on their tools and are more expensive. Seems like the "Inside Track Club" doesn't have as much to offer either. Cordless power tools, NO interchangeability on batteries across at least 4 or 5 different "brands". Different voltages and different batteries, what is the logic here for the poor consumer?
I feel better now that I got that out. :)

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The old bait and switch

Re: Harbor Freight changes
 

https://go.harborfreight.com/cpi/dig...stant-savings/
https://go.harborfreight.com/wp-cont...7074-56617.png

Re: Harbor Freight changes
 

I may have enough 20% coupons saved up to last me my lifetime. At one point, I was getting two to three a week in mailers, newspaper, etc. If I recall, they had along time before expiration.

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Hi; read the fine print on them. My last 20% er expires this week, so I bought a 2 ton eng stand. Newc

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I used to have a bunch too, but they expired. Actually, all the coupons that I’ve seen lately, seem to expire within a month.

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Now if you do get a 20% coupon, there's a list a page long of exclusions. It never seams to work on their good stuff.

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Fellas, my comment was a bit tongue in cheek. Never had an issue using the 20% coupon on anything in the store.

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biggest problems here are lack stock on the best deals, can't sell eggs from an empty basket

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amazing, people bitch about the quality of H.F. tools and then when they upgrade to better tools, people bitch. "different batteries across 4 or 4 different brands" , well naturally

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As a 80 year old hobbyist, Harbor freight tools do the job for me. I have bought many items over the years, including the large compressor, sand blast cabinet, and many hand tools. Everything works as it should, nothing has broken or failed. I acquired many of their blue plastic flashlights, and have them all over the house so I don't have to look for a flashlight at the time of need. If they get dim, I just replace the batteries from their battery deals that I got when they were available. The same with their screw driver sets, now my wife doesn't have to bother me for a screw driver, she has her own. Don't knock their price increases, doesn't every company increase their prices now and then. Harbor freight supplies tools for the hobby person, and homeowner. If you want the big buck " professional " tools, just step up and pay the price. I don't try to impress anybody with my tools, they are for my use only. I go to a few local auctions, and I have bought several high dollar tools for pennies on the dollar. I don't just buy them because they are in-expensive, I buy them for a particular use. I recently bought a small tool box at an auction for less than $ 10.00 full of tools. There were 3 Carter carburetor tools in the box, and I use them almost every day on Stromberg carburetors.

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I thought about this comment as well. No big name cordless tool has an interchangeable battery system with another brand's tools.

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Back in the day when I was a service tech for the local cadillac dealer and chrysler I purchased a lot of snap on and mac tools and paid a good price for them also because we didn’t have a harbor freight but then the Sears store came with the craftsman brand very good tools and reasonably priced and also guaranteed replacement

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I still look at the Harbor Freight as an "emergency" at 3:30 on a Sunday afternoon type of tool OR a tool you maybe will need twice in your life time BUT when you need it, you NEED it!! I personally like NAPA for most of my hand tools (Evercraft & Carlyle).......By and large, its doesn't matter how small of a town OR how rural it is, there is always a NAPA or NAPA affiliated parts store. NOT so with all the rest!!! I found most "craftsman" tool to be very hard/uncomfortable on you hands UNLESS you have the "Professional" line of Craftsman and NOW I have a broken wrench and nowhere to get it replaced!!! BUT I am not a "brand snob"....IF I feel it to be of good quality, I buy it!

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Harbor Freight has allowed the average hobbyist/homeowner to own tools that would normally be out of reach if they were Snap On or Mac. When I was growing up only gas stations and repair shops had compressors and air tools. Now anyone can have them. They perform just fine for the average Joe. And if you're a professional the new Icon line of HF tools are pretty nice IMO. On a related note, a friend owns a cabinet shop where DeWalt is the go to brand for cordless tools. When a new hire showed with Ryobi cordless tools everyone was razzing him about the crap Ryobi tools. His reply was that the biggest issue with cordless tools was that they either got dropped off a ladder and broke or where lost on the job site. Ryobi cordless tools were a heck of a lot cheaper as where their batteries than DeWalt. Turns out that they performed just as well as the much more expensive Dewalt's and lasted as long as well. Just something to think about.

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I really like the end wrenches. When I need a special tool to reach the otherwise unreachable, I have no problem butchering (I meant modifying) one of them.
Wayno

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The "brands" I'm talking about are HF brands created by them unless I'm mistaken. I have spent plenty with them over the years and don't really have any complaints until the recent changes, they are perhaps going to a different business model which is certainly their right. I do miss the old flyers though.