jyoutz
Super Member
There are fixes to keep SS from going bankrupt. The most obvious is removing the earnings cap on contributions.
HF Icon vs. Pittsburgh line
- Thread starter homedad
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QRTRHRS
Elite Member
I bought a set of HF 3/4" sockets mail order around the late 90's. While the ratchet was "clunky", I did not break it. I used the set on my Case tractor to adjust the single rear wheels out as far as possible on the wide axle. I recall the torque spec to be around 600 ftlb's or so? Anyway, I used a six foot piece of pipe to break the nuts loose and retighten them without breaking a socket.
QRTRHRS
Elite Member
I bought a set of the Pittsburgh wobble extentions. When I got home, I was missing one. Went back to the store and lo and behold, the missing extention was on the clearense bench. Another fell off on the counter while I was speaking to the manager. The extentions work great, the plastic tree just does not grip them very well so watch for that.
JeepHead
Platinum Member
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My brother who is a 30 year master mechanic and has a massive tool box full of tool truck tools worth as much as a house, loves the Ikon wrenches and ratchets. He won't even buy the tool truck ones anymore. A few weeks back I texted him saying Harbor Freight winches were on sale. He read the text quickly and left work over lunch and drove straight to the store to buy him some "wrenches". When he called, I had to tell him to read the text again - winches, not wrenches. 
ultrarunner
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My harbor freight chains for the farm purchased cheap and a great value.
Many years ago I bought a large 1” socket set that I use several times a year and also a great value because it does what I need and we’re also very inexpensive.
Tarps are also a bargain prices and their welding gloves are cheap enough I use them for firewood work.
Bought dozens of their 4 wheel dollies… cheap enough so when they don’t come back not a big deal.
The $7.95 heat gun made great stocking stuffers.
Many years ago I bought a large 1” socket set that I use several times a year and also a great value because it does what I need and we’re also very inexpensive.
Tarps are also a bargain prices and their welding gloves are cheap enough I use them for firewood work.
Bought dozens of their 4 wheel dollies… cheap enough so when they don’t come back not a big deal.
The $7.95 heat gun made great stocking stuffers.
jyoutz
Super Member
Every time they have a sale on the disposable neoprene gloves I pick up a box of 50. Very handy for dirty jobs.
LightningCamaroGuy
Gold Member
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- Dec 31, 2016
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Rarely do I buy HF anymore. HF has become too proud of their products. Your reputation is built on being budget, cheap tools. You better stop pricing yourself in the same league as other name brand tools that are now made in the PRC or Taiwan. Why would I buy a set of Icon wrenches for the same price as Craftsman, SK, Gearwrench, etc? Even if it's as good, it certainly isn't as sexy. Look my 1/2 Earthquake has been great for probably 20 years that I've had it, but I'd rather spend similar money on an AirCat, or open box IR, NAPA Carlyle, etc. Why switch to HF couplers and fittings, when budget V-Style or HF European (high flow, not Harbor Freight) ones are plentiful on Amazon. My HF spot welder and 20 ton press do the job of building AK's and they're cheap, but they sure aren't fancy, and way rough around the edges. The Bauer cordless tools I own work well, but so do Caftsman V20, Dewalt, Milwaukee, Makita, Rigid, Ryobi, Kobalt, etc, and I won't spend similar money on Bauer or Hercules tools as I would on one of these brands. My cheap central pneumatic compressor sucks compared to the Kobalt ones, which are way smoother, and quieter. If I want a good, budget welder or plasma cutter I'll buy an ARCCaptain, otherwise I'd rather pony up for a Miller/Lincoln/Hobart/ESAB. Understanding your value is important, as is staying true to your roots and the market that you wrote the book on. No one's wanting to buy a Porsche 911 that is made to compete with a Nissan 400Z or a Mustang GT. No Toyota fanboy wants to buy a Toyota that doesn't at least give the impression of prioritizing reliability. My HF tool box works fine, but if money ain't a thing then give me a Snap On, Craftsman, Kennedy, Waterloo, etc over a U.S. General any day.
JMHO, but HF has been moving from their lane into other tool OEM's lane for the last few years, and while many of their tools work really well, I've become less than impressed as their costs have gone up, as their value goes down as a result. Yes their store is convenient, and fun to browse, but Amazon is plenty as convenient, and your selection is bigger, and you save on gas and time.
JMHO, but HF has been moving from their lane into other tool OEM's lane for the last few years, and while many of their tools work really well, I've become less than impressed as their costs have gone up, as their value goes down as a result. Yes their store is convenient, and fun to browse, but Amazon is plenty as convenient, and your selection is bigger, and you save on gas and time.
jyoutz
Super Member
The key thing to shopping HF is to wait for sales. They have them going continuously and sometimes they offer 20-40% off prices. If I see an item that I like, but don’t need immediately, I’ll just monitor their website for the item to go on sale or one of those 20% off anything ads.
I almost bought a Vulcan multi purpose welder for around $1k as opposed to the Miller for more than 2x and just couldn’t unsee the reviews where theirs suddenly failed after a year or 2. I’m still using a reeeeeaaaalllly old Forney arc welder that never stops. It’s about as convenient to transport as a giant tombstone but I also inherited it. Some day I’ll get that Miller.