Harbor Freight smells

[aczlan]

My wife says that the smell in HF gives her a headache.
It works great as she goes out to the car fairly quickly and I am left unsupervised in HF

Aaron Z

 

[eagle107]

I think HF tools are great if you need to buy a tool and use it once in a while. However, some of their tools, such as the "Earthquake" series air tools, seem to be really good like the impact guns or air ratchets. Also I have purchased their bigger tools cabinets and carts and, boy, they are heavy duty. Even the 6ton jack stands and some of the low profile floor jacks are very good.

To be honest I really never noticed the smell in the stores in Western NY or in NJ.

 

[skspurling]

I did, and they will send me one monthly catalog with a note saying if I want anymore it will be $2 a year. Even for $2, I will not pay for their advertising...

If you take that catalog in, I think there is a barcode on the cover, they will scan it and record you as a victim. Then you will never get rid of them, or all the little fliers. Also sign up for the coupons online. They will make sure you get the standard sale price on those items even if they aren't on sale when you need them.

 

[skspurling]

...

To be honest I really never noticed the smell in the stores in Western NY or in NJ.

You probably wouldn't. I know what they are talking about, and I always liked the smell. It's the rubber products like hoses, belts, bungee cords, and wheels/casters. Smells like a tire store, auto parts store, or the tire section of Wal-Mart/Sams Club. That's why some notice the smell and some don't. It's how it is supposed to smell. All these whiny people probably don't like the smell of diesel fuel burning either. I love firing up the little tractor. The smell reminds me of working in the barn in the winter as a kid, or going with my dad when he hauled the hogs to the stock yard.

 

[wedge40]

I did, and they will send me one monthly catalog with a note saying if I want anymore it will be $2 a year. Even for $2, I will not pay for their advertising...

Kyle.. Buy ONE THING from their catalog and they'll send you flyers till you draw Social Security. :laughing: :laughing:

Wedge

 

[zzvyb6]

Its not natural rubber. Its un-natural rubber. Not even close to quality natural rubber. Its especially strong where there are tires, tie-down straps,batteries and caster wheels. TSC has the same smell in the tire and battery section. These products don't hold up well in the presense of sunlight because the butadiene (in the 'syn-pathetic-thetic rubba' is watered down with vinyl and has low carbon black content. This makes the 'rubber' brittle and weak. The smell is the vinyl evaporating off.

But, you guys just drool over cheap overseas made goods and ignore the USA made stuff because of cost and 'quality' issues, so have at it boys. You can save a lot of money making stuff if you can afford to have your workforce drop dead from cancer and fumes and put it into extra cost high lead paint and inspection stations and shipping to the suckas in the US.

 

[Soundguy]

I think HF tools are great if you need to buy a tool and use it once in a while. However, some of their tools, such as the "Earthquake" series air tools, seem to be really good like the impact guns or air ratchets. Also I have purchased their bigger tools cabinets and carts and, boy, they are heavy duty. Even the 6ton jack stands and some of the low profile floor jacks are very good.

To be honest I really never noticed the smell in the stores in Western NY or in NJ.

yep.. i have a 3/4" air impact gun from them. they no longer sell the same model.. but it is awesome. can spin the head off a 5/8 hard bolt if you look at it sideways, and I've damaged 3/4 hardware with it.

was under 100$ and has paid for itself many times over. I have a 3/4 socket/ratched/breaker bar set from HF and the extended socket set going up to like 2 5/8" . sets were 30$ each a few years ago. very hd stuff.. i use it occasionally, never let me down yet.

i got a nice hd roll around cart and multi level tool chest too.

sometimes you find good deals on clearance items too!

soundguy

 

[5030]

since I have a farm.. I'm more or less immune / tolerant of most smells people consider foul. though I can sure tell ya.. a bloated hog ya find trapped under a fence in may will about take yer breath away..

soundguy

I can relate to that as well. Cattle really smell after a few days in the hot sun. Amazing how fast they get nasty.

I keep one of those car air freshener things in the tractor cab and try to stay upwind...but don't always work.

 

[5030]

I think HF tools are great if you need to buy a tool and use it once in a while. However, some of their tools, such as the "Earthquake" series air tools, seem to be really good like the impact guns or air ratchets. Also I have purchased their bigger tools cabinets and carts and, boy, they are heavy duty. Even the 6ton jack stands and some of the low profile floor jacks are very good.

To be honest I really never noticed the smell in the stores in Western NY or in NJ.

My wife is from Cherry Hill and everytime we visit I swear the whole state stinks.....:laughing:

Now that I've insulted you..........

I'll let out a little secret.

That roll around cart with the lid that HF sells for a buck twenty not on sale (I got one for less than a hundred).... well, Snap-On has the exact same one in their catalog but it's blue and says 'Snap-On' on the front, same exact cart, right down to the drawer hardware (and I bet from the same Chi-com sweatshop) for appreciably more than a buck twenty, more like 3 and a half.... Go figure.

You could go to the farm store and buy a rattle can of NH Blue and have yourself a Snap-On knockoff for a buck thirty......:thumbsup:

 

[CompactTractorFan]

If you take that catalog in, I think there is a barcode on the cover, they will scan it and record you as a victim. Then you will never get rid of them, or all the little fliers. Also sign up for the coupons online. They will make sure you get the standard sale price on those items even if they aren't on sale when you need them.

I'll have to look into that. It's weird, I never get a catalog, but we get their sale papers all the time...

 

[CompactTractorFan]

Kyle.. Buy ONE THING from their catalog and they'll send you flyers till you draw Social Security. :laughing: :laughing:

Wedge

Maybe I'll have to give that a try...:laughing:

 

[Soundguy]

I can relate to that as well. Cattle really smell after a few days in the hot sun. Amazing how fast they get nasty.

I keep one of those car air freshener things in the tractor cab and try to stay upwind...but don't always work.

I found a hog like that earlier this year.. was backed up under a fence in a corner I couldn't get a tractor too.. was a biggun.. 250# or so... I had to get back there with a shovel, and I just dug a whole right next to / under him, and then caved the lil bit of dirt under him away and let him drop in and try to jump back in case he popped. man the black flies were everywhere.. tons of buzzing. I threw a scoop of lime on him to cut them a bit.. but they were determined.. buzzing sound was quite loud. smell.. i can't even describe. I put a smear of vapor rub on a bandana and tied it around my face... was still bad.

soundguy

 

[jonyyuma]

How about the poor employees who have to breath that stuff 40 hours a week.

I agree, I thought the smell just just our dirty store? Will the odors harm them? But it does favor a Tire retailer smell?

 

[eagle107]

My wife is from Cherry Hill and everytime we visit I swear the whole state stinks.....:laughing:

Now that I've insulted you..........

I'll let out a little secret.

That roll around cart with the lid that HF sells for a buck twenty not on sale (I got one for less than a hundred).... well, Snap-On has the exact same one in their catalog but it's blue and says 'Snap-On' on the front, same exact cart, right down to the drawer hardware (and I bet from the same Chi-com sweatshop) for appreciably more than a buck twenty, more like 3 and a half.... Go figure.

You could go to the farm store and buy a rattle can of NH Blue and have yourself a Snap-On knockoff for a buck thirty......:thumbsup:

Nah, you did not insult me. Cherry Hill, NJ is near Philadelphia and I live about 30 minutes from NYC. As you get into Newark and then NYC, it can really smell bad. I am from Buffalo, NY, that is where my family farm is and I still consider it home. Actually when I am back in Buffalo, I feel better. Maybe there is something in the air down here...

Did not know Snap-On had a replica of the HF red heavy duty tool cart. I thought I heard MAC Tools had something similar to the HF heavy duty tool cabinets, but they wanted a lot more for the same cabinet with their name on it. However, not sure if it is true... The HF heavy duty tool carts and cabinet are very good for the money, especially when they use to let you use the 20% coupons on those items....

 

[shownuff]

go to the store in poughkeepsie ny there is a blonde working there that smells and looks real nice...

 

[Soundguy]

I'll tell you this.

the 299$ 3 tier tool box that lowes has ( that I got for 139$ scratched/dented ).. is the exact same, as far as I can tell as the hf unit that hits 150$ now and then with special coupon.

has all the same hardware as well that I can tell.

mine actually wasn't scratched.. the back lip that the 2nd teir sets against was folded down a bit. piece of 2x4 and soft whack with a hammer fixed it to 99.9999%.. AND it's on t he back side so you don't see it anyway...

good cheap 3 layer tool box..

I'll buy functional scratch n dent stuff at 50% off all day long.. suits my needs just fine.. and I'm not trying to prove anything to anybody with flashy tool names...

soundguy

 

[Short Game]

.. and I'm not trying to prove anything to anybody with flashy tool names...

Yeah, what's so great about having a snap-on tool?

 

[deereman75]

Yeah, what's so great about having a snap-on tool?

:laughing: :laughing: :laughing: That can be read two ways.

 

[Soundguy]

Yeah, what's so great about having a snap-on tool?

here's how 'bad' HF tools are:

this is the remnant of the cast iron ( good quality 50's cast iron.. american made ) pulley and hub on my farmall C

That is a harbor freight bearing splitter.. cost 7.99$ pitsburgh brand or something like that. ..

i used a 16 ton bottle jack, 1/2" bolts and a flat plate as a puller..

hub broke.. NOT thge hf puller.. which is in a-1 condition.

soundguy