I agree with what is said down there, and that is my general strategy
for dealing with HF, and even when I buy tools at Sears, HomeDepot, etc.
I used to be a tool snob but I've gotten over it somewhat. I started
working on cars in my father's garage over 40 years ago. He used mostly
SnapOn tools but some of his mechanics had other brands and occasionally
I would see other brands. SnapOn tools were excellent even back then,
but most other brands were very inferior. For sockets, ratchets and end
wrenches they were inferior IMO to the point of being unusable.
When I was going away to college I carefully made a list of tools that I
needed. Being somewhat aware of the cost of SnapOn tools I was frugal
with my list, but it was still a pretty expensive little box of tools.
Since then I've gotten my own job and family, and I've had a few
occasions to buy new SnapOn tools. I also decided that different tools
required different levels of quality for professional use. IOW you can
buy a pretty good hammer for a lot less than SnapOn charges, but SnapOn
ratchets, sockets and end wrenches are worth their cost. I've also
noticed that other brands of tools have improved to the point where some
of them are adequate for me now that I'm not a full time mechanic. I
decided that my SnapOn tools were too valuable to carry around in the
trunk of my car so I bought a set of Craftsman for that purpose. For
most of my use they have proven to be plenty good enough.
Never having enough tool budget for the tools that I want to buy, I
carefully consider what price level I need to consider for each
expenditure. This leads me to occasionally shop at Harbor Freight. It
is an interesting place to visit because they have such a large variety
of tools. I can find things there that I don't see anywhere else. Also
their tools are cheap enough that I sometimes buy something that I think
I might need rather than wait until I definitely need it. I have bought
various tools there that I thought performed well. I have bought other
tools there that didn't turn out to work so well. I also see lots of
things in their store that I am afraid to buy because I question if they
will work or not.
Recently I decided I wanted a new 12V tire pump to carry in my car. I
decided I should be able to find a good one because my old one seems to
be worn out. After a lot of internet searching I found pumps ranging
from about $20 to almost $100. The one with the best ratings seemed to
be the $30 pump from HF. I bought one and so far it seems to be working
well.
> FWIW, my personal feeling is that it is not a place where I would want
> to buy tools with which to earn my living.
> OTOH, there are tools there that should not be purchased under any
> circumstances.
> There are also tools there suitable for single use.
> There are even tools there that will outlast me.
> The challenge lies in trying to determine which category a particular
> tool belongs in.
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