Anyone buy anything from Harbor Freight? (Germany, best, price, Ford)
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I am needing a creeper and some extra jack stands and maybe a new floor jack. I noticed a sale ad for Harbor Freight Tools and their prices seem reasonable. That said, am I going to get stuff that breaks? I understand that their stuff is more China junk, but even Craftsman is starting to sweatshop it in China. Anyone have experience with Harbor Freight or do I just need to bite the bullet and go brand name?
I have used harbor freight tools and some are good and some are not so good
as my father always said......."poor people cant afford to buy cheap tools"
Craftsman has gone import for a while now, which begs the question - why bother? I don't mind paying more if it's made in the USA, but not if it's the same stuff with a different paint job. With that said ...
Jack stands ... many come from the same factory in China, so those are fine. I have the 3-ton and the 6-ton sets.
The floor jack ... don't get the really cheap ones with the tiny pads - they're narrow, so they can easily get unstable. The one I have is a 3-ton low-profile one that was $60. I don't see it on the site now, however.
Creeper ... the casters are crap on the steel ones. I have no experience with the HF plastic ones. I use one I bought at an AutoZone - it was Made in the USA. Paid $40, IIRC.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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I buy there all the time, just inspect the item closely, you can tell if it's crap. They seem to do a good job of screening the Chinese manufacturers and buy the better quality stuff. I needed a wheelbarrow pneumatic wheel/tire and it was $39 most places, they had one for $7 and it's been fine.
I just went to the Lowe's website and they want $120 for a Kobalt creeper!!! LOL...that's the best laugh I got all day long! Even the Snap-on is cheaper.
Location: Where nothing ever grows. No rain or rivers flow, Texas
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i buy there all the time. when it comes to aluminum 'racing' jacks , just make sure you always place the jack perpedicular to the car and/or not apply weight at an angle. their weakest point is the rear casters which is not designed to hold that much weight
I bought a metal creeper and the wheels busted after using it a couple of times. Jack stands are ok Large floor jack started leaking fluid after a couple of years. Unless you need to use their stuff all the time I say why pay 3 times the price for extra quality stuff.
I forget that I have a Sears here. I guess I could check out their prices tomorrow. But like someone said, it's probably the same crap with different paint.
I have a 2-ton Lincoln made in the USA. I also have Lincoln jack stands as well.
Are you sure? This is from the Lincoln Website:
"Lincoln builds precision lubrication equipment and components, state-of-the-art electronic controls, and the industry's top-performing pumping systems. Our quality systems in the United States, Germany, the Czech Republic, India and China are ISO 9001 registered."
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