Horrible Freight?...Nice Jack!

[Rbertalotto]

Most things available at Horrible Freight (Harbor Freight for those of you not in the know) are really pretty bad, but I love wandering around in their stores. I buy rubber gloves, a pack of 100 cheap paintbrushes for $5, 10 rolls of electrical tape for $3, and other commodities like that.

But every once in a while they just hit a freak'n home run on something. The motorcycle lift with a 20% off coupon was one of those hits. They had a 4" angle grinder for $15 that was a real winner. I bought a couple thinking they would be disposable and they are still going strong two years later!

Recently I decided to do some work on my little sports car. Change the front ball joints and the four shocks.

One of the problems with this car is it is extremely close to the ground. My big, 3 ton, heavy duty floor jack will not get under any of the lift points. So I happen to be in the Fall River area, with a 20% off coupon for HF in my shirt pocket.

They are having on sale a 3000 pound "Aluminum Racing Jack" for $59. It must be crap, right? Well I checked it out and decided to buy one. Heck, the aluminum is worth more than $59 at the scrap yard!

I'm here to tell you, this jack is great. Extremely smooth in operation. I've never owned a jack with such controllable "down".
So light weight that you might want to take it with you on a trip if you felt the need. It's all anodized and the handle is in two pieces and quick removable from the jack itself, so your grandkids don't bump into it and drop the car on your foot!

And when you are working on your favorite sports car, it just looks so cool and professional........:lol8:

What have you bought at HF and found to be a "real deal"?

 

[seanz0rz]

i have their super reach long frame jack. works great on my frame that starts at 19 inches off the ground. and it hasnt pissed itself like my crapsman jack has

 

[dustboy]

That looks pretty nice.

One thing to watch out for if you go into the store is shady checkout clerks. I bought a tube bender that was on sale for $89. I declined the extended warranty as always. When I looked at my receipt, it read $71 for the bender, and $20 for an extended warranty.

I thought that was weird, so asked the clerk about it. He said, "I don't know why it rang up for $71, but I decided to give you the warranty anyway, the total price is the same". I called BS, I want the $71 price with no warranty. He told me I couldn't, and I'd have to pay full price with no warranty.

Anyway, the guy who carried my stuff to the truck told me they make commission on the warranty, so they have shifty ways of discounting the product and sneaking it in. I guess I should be happy that I got the warranty for "free" but it seemed like a shady deal.

 

[Socal4X4]

I have that jack as well and it's been great for the last 1 1/2 years. I keep it in a bag in my truck at all times. MUCH better than my stock bottle jack.

 

[R_Lefebvre]

I have a jack like that, and failed after not too much use. Just be careful.

 

[TLMotorsport]

I've had one for about 6 years now and its lead a rough life being transported to and from a track for tire changes, even went through a flood (under 3 feet of flowing water) and is still working. Although back then it was 79 bucks!

 

[rusty_tlc]

I like the HF angle grinders, mine has lasted five or six years.

Also a good place to get stuff like hammers and brass drift's.

I have Central Pneumatic 1/2", 3/8" air ratchets as well as a 3/8" impact wrench, they are probably five years old.

 

[Martyn]

So how is it that their stuff is so cheap?

As one person posted he thought the scrap value of the aluminum jack was worth more than he paid for the jack.

Doesn't seem to add up.

 

[iigs]

Anyway, the guy who carried my stuff to the truck told me they make commission on the warranty, so they have shifty ways of discounting the product and sneaking it in. I guess I should be happy that I got the warranty for "free" but it seemed like a shady deal.

FWIW you might not have paid sales tax on the warranty, so I suspect you saved a token amount of money at least.

No idea how they have that much margin in stuff as cheap as it is, however.

 

[R_Lefebvre]

So how is it that their stuff is so cheap?

As one person posted he thought the scrap value of the aluminum jack was worth more than he paid for the jack.

Doesn't seem to add up.

I wonder that too sometimes.

I dunno if you guys have "dollar stores" in the US but we do up here, my wife goes a lot. Some of the stuff she comes back with has me scratching my head. Like... say a cutting board. A hunk of plastic for $1. How it possible that they even SHIP that from China for about $0.50, leaving enough money for the store to make a profit? I don't get it.

I think the glory days of cheap Chinese stuff is ending. We don't have Harbor Freight up here, but we have Princess Auto which is very similar. I've stopped buying tools there anymore. For the past year or so, every tool I've bought there has been either A) unusable, or B) not cheap enough to really make it matter.

 

[Rbertalotto]

The same advertisement showed a 1 Ton engine lift "shop crane" for $99.

This thing weighs about 80-100 pounds, has a long reach hydraulic cylinder, 6 heavy duty casters, a piece of chain and a snap lock hook, comes in a box with packing and owners manual...........all for $99

You can't buy the steel and the components for anywhere near that price. How can it be made in China, the factory makes a profit, the middleman makes a profit and HF makes a profit and it's shipped all the way from China. Amazing!

 

[Life_in_4Lo]

The prices aren't amazing. Everything is made in China. When you pay employees $1 a week, you can make a $60 jack.

Volume and low manufacturing cost = cheap prices.
We help build China up as our industries are gone. We support unethical business practices there.

However, I know the reality of buying stuff and sometimes there is no other real option except HF or anything Chinese these days.

 

[rusty_tlc]

So how is it that their stuff is so cheap?

As one person posted he thought the scrap value of the aluminum jack was worth more than he paid for the jack.

Doesn't seem to add up.

There are a few of reasons stuff made in China is so cheap.
As one poster mentioned wages are low, but that's only part of the story.
They are also very good at low volume high mix manufacturing. This is something most industrial nations haven't really gotten on to.

They also spend less on overhead. As anybody who watched the pre-Olympic drama in Beijing knows they really don't put a lot of emphasis on environmental practices. You can only imagine how much they care about workplace safety. All the environmental and occupational safety stuff we do here adds cost to products. Not to mention benefits like health care, retirement plans, vacation and sick leave. I'm guessing their not real big on any of that stuff in China.

 

[Wes Craiglow]

...Not to mention benefits like health care, retirement plans, vacation and sick leave. I'm guessing their not real big on any of that stuff in China.

They're communist. I'm guessing those services are either taken care of by the "people," or simply not taken care of. Hunch tells me it's the latter of the two. Communism has proven itself a failing model time and time again.

 

[Life_in_4Lo]

Communism has proven itself a failing model time and time again.

Keeping up with current events, Communism is doing very well. China, being subsidized by worldwide consumerism, has grown to be a powerhouse and in some markets, taken over the USA in sales importance.
The USA being such a consumer powerhouse, that says a lot.

China has thrived on the explotation of its people, resources and greed of other countries.