how can northern tools compete against harbr freight?

[Soundguy]

when did the GV store open up? last time I was looking, I thought casselberry was the next closest one..

 

[MasseyWV]

These days just about everything is the same China-made crap anyway, so I compare the available options to make sure that something of better quality isn't available at a decent (IE: affordable) price, then buy whatever is cheapest overall.

Recently, I was comparing portable shop cranes and looked at TSC, Sams Slub, Autozone, Northern Tools, Sears, Harbor Freight, and half a dozen other vendors. Needless to say, the prices were all over the place, with the cheapest (Harbor Freight) being just $179 (on sale) and the most expensive being over $500, but they were EXACTLY the same, except for the color.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have one that is made in the USA, but the ones I looked at were $1000 (or more), which makes a paltry $200 (or less) look mighty good by comparison, even if there might be some... issues.

 

[s219]

In my experience, Northern is frequently overpriced. I bought a few items there before I caught on. Now I always check prices carefully. Most recent example was some chain -- Northern was over twice the price of Lowes, and I actually think the Lowes chain was better quality. I have not shopped at a Harbor Freight yet, but one recently opened near my work so I will check it out.

 

[aczlan]

Northern was over twice the price of Lowes, and I actually think the Lowes chain was better quality

Lowes 5/16 20' long US made GR70 chain is one of the best deals in then store... Cheaper than anywhere else I have found GR70 chain.

Aaron Z

 

[s219]

Lowes 5/16 20' long US made GR70 chain is one of the best deals in then store... Cheaper than anywhere else I have found GR70 chain.

Aaron Z

Yep, that's the stuff. It was such a good deal, I bought two packs!

 

[crazyal]

Remember it is the marketing guys at HF who specify what quality tools they have made. The Chinese can build superb tools and they certainly have mastered cheap crap. HF chooses the price point and from my experience they are slightly increasing both cost and quality over the past year or so.

I use to think so but now I'm not so sure. I think the companies that make these tools have a preset design and offer it to anyone who wants to buy them. I bet they give you a choice in color of plastic, what sticker to put on it, and the box but anything more than that will cost you both time and money. I'm sure that some importer set a quality standard and that's the standard they use. I bet there's nothing but cosmetic differences between any of these stores or ebay sellers selling what looks like the same item. It's just a guess but I bet if you wanted to you could also buy in bulk from the same mfg and join the ranks of sellers.

 

[Qapla]

when did the GV store open up? last time I was looking, I thought casselberry was the next closest one..

Do you mean "when did the Gainesville HF open"? The HF in Gainesville opened about 2-3 years ago. It is on North Main and 23rd Ave in the shopping center with Winn Dixie.

If you are looking for a HF near you, I would think the one in Ocala out on 40 (Silver Springs Blvd ) in the Publix Shopping center would be much closer then Casselberry.

 

[IslandTractor]

I use to think so but now I'm not so sure. I think the companies that make these tools have a preset design and offer it to anyone who wants to buy them. I bet they give you a choice in color of plastic, what sticker to put on it, and the box but anything more than that will cost you both time and money. I'm sure that some importer set a quality standard and that's the standard they use. I bet there's nothing but cosmetic differences between any of these stores or ebay sellers selling what looks like the same item. It's just a guess but I bet if you wanted to you could also buy in bulk from the same mfg and join the ranks of sellers.

I agree with most of your points but there are many tool manufacturers in China. While HF is a big customer and could specify better manufactured goods from the companies they deal with now, they could also just source from better manufacturers if they chose to improve quality beyond what their current suppliers can produce. Milwaukee and a number of other high quality companies produce in China so there are better quality factories for HF to use if they want to.

 

[MasseyWV]

high quality companies produce in China

As far as I'm concerned, if it's made in China it's not high quality, no matter who's name is on it..

 

[IslandTractor]

As far as I'm concerned, if it's made in China it's not high quality, no matter who's name is on it..

Let me see, they can put a man in space and build virtually all the products of our most valuable company (Apple)... Is there an explanation other than racism or wingnut political philosophy to explain your chauvinist view?