Harbor Freight Tools

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Originally Posted By: jcwit
You got it all wrong. Its because of people like me you have a free country to work in. Thanks for supporting my service. Your post says a lot about you!

I met many with your attidude during the Viet Nam war.


Thank you for your service to our country jcwit. The sacrifices that you and many others have made for our country are noted by many of us and we are grateful for those.

I'm all for good quality (made in USA when possible) tools, and own such in tools that frequently use.
However, there really is a niche for Harbor Freight Tools. There are specialized tools that many of us will never use on a daily basis (such as my $59 tile saw) that has been used by me on several occasions, as well as several friends and family members. Rental fees for this saw for all of us would have far surpassed my initial investment. If I made my living with this saw or used it more frequently, I would buy a better saw. However, it meets my needs at the lowest possible price point.

The marketplace will ultimately determine the fate for this store and others like it (such as Homier and other traveling tool shows.) There are many people that suffer from budget limitations, that make vendors like these their only viable option. Judging from my observations, I'd say that they are meeting the needs of many people and will be doing so into the future.
 
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Originally Posted By: mechanicx
Absolutely right, JHZR2. For instance, some people criticise the former pay level of US manufacturing workers and autoworkers. But the thing is their spending and taxes paid from that pay were lifting all boats. We didn't have deficits, police and fire and other public services cutbacks, rough roads, empty stores and restaurants closing etc. There's a high hidden cost to "cheap" imports and low wages. It's false economics.


Well put sir.

The slippery slope that exists here apparently is invisible to some. Harbour Freight employs Americans? Yes, in jobs you can nary afford to live off the wages of and have no benefits. These are not careers. It is like the job of a Walmart worker.

Manufacturing jobs in North American and other first-world nations pay livable wages and often come with a variety of health benefits (and perhaps dental) as well as having a pension plan. Yes, this increases the costs of goods, but that is relative to the quality of life of the country in question.

When you have people that would have traditionally worked in decent paying manufacturing jobs now making slave wages at dead-end retail jobs, there is not the same influx of money from tax and spending being put back into the system. You have a downward spiral, as none of this is sustainable. And this IS a SYSTEM, retail work provides no GOODS, nothing of VALUE, it is simply a "service industry", and a country cannot live, let alone thrive on a predominantly service-based economy.

Feeling good about shopping at Harbour Freight and other predominantly off-shore product-type stores because they "employ" Americans is akin to peeing in an outhouse at a toxic waste dump and thinking you are helping the pollution situation.
 
Originally Posted By: Tdbo

The marketplace will ultimately determine the fate for this store and others like it (such as Homier and other traveling tool shows.) There are many people that suffer from budget limitations, that make vendors like these their only viable option. Judging from my observations, I'd say that they are meeting the needs of many people and will be doing so into the future.


No, it won't, because many people blindly follow the "disposable society" mindset that goes along with shopping for bargain basement junk at places like HF and Walmart. They end up spending MORE money in the end on items that ultimately end up in a landfill somewhere because they are consumer whores with no concept of "value".

People USED to save up for a tool and buy it once. People used to buy quality appliances using the same yardstick. Consumerism is a virus that has infected society on all levels and cons people into thinking they need the latest and greatest at the cheapest possible price. That leads to off-shoring and cost cutting, and subsequently the loss of VALUE. Quality tools have VALUE, because they can be passed on through generations and won't break the first time you try and really use them. People used to buy QUALITY with PRIDE, now we buy VOLUME with GREED.

It is all connected.
 
Most all of my tools are older and US made, however recently I needed a bench top 10" disc sander. I first went to Lowe's but all they had was a 6" sander that was made in China. I checked around and couldn't find what I wanted until I longed on to HF web site. They had what I needed(however it's made in China) and as it seems to be a fine machine. I would prefer a US product, but some things are just very hard to find.
 
Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
Originally Posted By: Tdbo

The marketplace will ultimately determine the fate for this store and others like it (such as Homier and other traveling tool shows.) There are many people that suffer from budget limitations, that make vendors like these their only viable option. Judging from my observations, I'd say that they are meeting the needs of many people and will be doing so into the future.


No, it won't, because many people blindly follow the "disposable society" mindset that goes along with shopping for bargain basement junk at places like HF and Walmart. They end up spending MORE money in the end on items that ultimately end up in a landfill somewhere because they are consumer whores with no concept of "value".

People USED to save up for a tool and buy it once. People used to buy quality appliances using the same yardstick. Consumerism is a virus that has infected society on all levels and cons people into thinking they need the latest and greatest at the cheapest possible price. That leads to off-shoring and cost cutting, and subsequently the loss of VALUE. Quality tools have VALUE, because they can be passed on through generations and won't break the first time you try and really use them. People used to buy QUALITY with PRIDE, now we buy VOLUME with GREED.

It is all connected.


Yes it will, because Harbor Freight will either have a successful business model or they will cease to be in business.

I agree with your philosophy but the "values" of much of the buying public have changed.
 
Originally Posted By: Tdbo
Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
Originally Posted By: Tdbo

The marketplace will ultimately determine the fate for this store and others like it (such as Homier and other traveling tool shows.) There are many people that suffer from budget limitations, that make vendors like these their only viable option. Judging from my observations, I'd say that they are meeting the needs of many people and will be doing so into the future.


No, it won't, because many people blindly follow the "disposable society" mindset that goes along with shopping for bargain basement junk at places like HF and Walmart. They end up spending MORE money in the end on items that ultimately end up in a landfill somewhere because they are consumer whores with no concept of "value".

People USED to save up for a tool and buy it once. People used to buy quality appliances using the same yardstick. Consumerism is a virus that has infected society on all levels and cons people into thinking they need the latest and greatest at the cheapest possible price. That leads to off-shoring and cost cutting, and subsequently the loss of VALUE. Quality tools have VALUE, because they can be passed on through generations and won't break the first time you try and really use them. People used to buy QUALITY with PRIDE, now we buy VOLUME with GREED.

It is all connected.


Yes it will, because Harbor Freight will either have a successful business model or they will cease to be in business.

I agree with your philosophy but the "values" of much of the buying public have changed.


Well we all know the business model works, look at Walmart, LOL!
wink.gif


And yes, the values of the public have certainly changed. And not for the better I fear.
 
I decided to have my computer fixed recectly by the Geek Squad at Best Buy instead of buying another foreign made machine. At least someone in this country got the job.
 
Originally Posted By: tig1
I decided to have my computer fixed recectly by the Geek Squad at Best Buy instead of buying another foreign made machine. At least someone in this country got the job.


Super Micro makes boards in the USA FWIW. Intel and AMD are both American companies.
 
I have had some good luck with some HF tools, and as well as some with not so good luck. I generally don't buy HF hand power tools.
Sockets, ratchets, breaker bar, one of the screwdriver sets, I really can't complain.
 
At this point in my life I'll just pruchase what I can afford and take into account how much use it will be subjected to. Other than that I no longer care, anymore.
 
So the Goodyear air hose at harbor freight is suddenly made in china....


they arent all chinese tools.

in fact their worst tools are usually the made in india ones.

I'm not "proud" to shop at HF but its certainly no worse than sears IMO. Not sure where I can get a digital kitchen scale to weigh coffee beans at for 11.36$

if there was an american one it would be assembled in america with all chinese parts anyway.

I do shop used and try to buy american when practical. If not american at least first world production.
 
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When was the last time Sears had a sidewalk sale that people were excited to go to?

HF's tools are all over the quality map, but their marketing is pretty consistently good. They get a lot of word-of-mouth, too.

If one wants to fight HF and Walmart, demonstrate how a consumer can get the same stuff elsewhere for the same money, even if it means buying good-used. One will have to advertise for free for those who chose not to or are somehow silenced but still offer a quality product with more of its sale price staying in a 1st world nation.
 
Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
Originally Posted By: Tdbo
Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
Originally Posted By: Tdbo

The marketplace will ultimately determine the fate for this store and others like it (such as Homier and other traveling tool shows.) There are many people that suffer from budget limitations, that make vendors like these their only viable option. Judging from my observations, I'd say that they are meeting the needs of many people and will be doing so into the future.


No, it won't, because many people blindly follow the "disposable society" mindset that goes along with shopping for bargain basement junk at places like HF and Walmart. They end up spending MORE money in the end on items that ultimately end up in a landfill somewhere because they are consumer whores with no concept of "value".

People USED to save up for a tool and buy it once. People used to buy quality appliances using the same yardstick. Consumerism is a virus that has infected society on all levels and cons people into thinking they need the latest and greatest at the cheapest possible price. That leads to off-shoring and cost cutting, and subsequently the loss of VALUE. Quality tools have VALUE, because they can be passed on through generations and won't break the first time you try and really use them. People used to buy QUALITY with PRIDE, now we buy VOLUME with GREED.

It is all connected.


Yes it will, because Harbor Freight will either have a successful business model or they will cease to be in business.

I agree with your philosophy but the "values" of much of the buying public have changed.


Well we all know the business model works, look at Walmart, LOL!
wink.gif


And yes, the values of the public have certainly changed. And not for the better I fear.


AMEN!

The issue about the values of the public at least in the USA changing...well first of all the media has waged a campaign to celebrate the "throwaway society" that we have today. Also because folks that once had good paying manufacturing jobs in the USA now because that work has all be outsourced to third world slave wage nations like China, are literally forced to buy cheap because that is all they can afford now with there [censored] 8.50 /hr service job.

Keep preaching OVERKILL. Even if some folks don't like it, you are correct, 100%.
 
If you are in the business, then go for the expensive name brand stuff. If a shadetree mechanic, you get a mixture. I have HF wrenches, but also like true box-end and they have none, so I have Craftsman. I would not get a welder there, or HomeDepot either. The HF brand of air hoses are [censored], but the GoodYear (from HF)are fine. I will try and buy American, but cannot afford to get everything to be made in America.
 
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