Harbor Freight: Coupons, and recommended tools

California

Super Moderator
Staff member
Site Supporter
HF's occasional Parking Lot Sale is this weekend. In the past I've found the lowest price of the year on their usual stuff and really good closeout prices.

Online ad: Parking Lot Sale Friday 3/7 through Sunday 3/9/2008.
Example:
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the blue angle grinder, $8.88. I use one for a wire-cup brush, and haven't burned it up yet.

Recommended: Garden Lopper compound leverage, telescoping handles pruning shears. I thought this was a bargain when I bought mine for $20. It works well. $8.99 this weekend.

Tools to avoid: I looked at the $5.67 digital caliper claimed accurate to .001 and discovered its display shows .01 increments. Useless.

Also here's the only discount coupon (10%) that I'm aware of. It's for a store opening in Jonesboro so it's not clear if it is valid everywhere. It's worth a try!
 

California

Super Moderator
Staff member
Site Supporter
Beware.

I went to use the 15% coupon on their 2-car canopy. $169 on sale.
45211-t.gif


Because I had just used another coupon, one that shows the specific item, to buy a $4 item, my 15% coupon was refused for the larger purchase.

The manager over rode it so it appeared to go through. The receipt had a line showing $25 reduction (the 15%) so I signed it and loaded the item in my car. Then I looked at the receipt again.

Regardless of the detail printed lines, the grand total was without the discount!

I went back in. The manager told me it wasn't supposed to be $25 off because that was not a 25% coupon. Hunh?? He said look at the coupon, it says 15% right there.

I told him 15% of $169.99 was $25 so my price should be $145 plus tax. He was too dense to understand that.

Finally after lots of alternate explanations, I got him to see if I got a substantial discount off $169 then the total should not be $180. After a lot more paperwork I got out of there with the proper cost, $145 plus tax.

Buncha idiots!
 

Spiffy1

Member
Beware.

I went to use the 15% coupon on their 2-car canopy. $169 on sale.
45211-t.gif


Because I had just used another coupon, one that shows the specific item, to buy a $4 item, my 15% coupon was refused for the larger purchase.

The manager over rode it so it appeared to go through. The receipt had a line showing $25 reduction (the 15%) so I signed it and loaded the item in my car. Then I looked at the receipt again.

Regardless of the detail printed lines, the grand total was without the discount!

I went back in. The manager told me it wasn't supposed to be $25 off because that was not a 25% coupon. Hunh?? He said look at the coupon, it says 15% right there.

I told him 15% of $169.99 was $25 so my price should be $145 plus tax. He was too dense to understand that.

Finally after lots of alternate explanations, I got him to see if I got a substantial discount off $169 then the total should not be $180. After a lot more paperwork I got out of there with the proper cost, $145 plus tax.

Buncha idiots!

Now just how are they supposed to maintain those low prices if they hire quality people?! :rolleyes::yum:
 

kenmac

Member
if you

want to really see their eyes roll back into their heads. Give them the change after they total the item or items . They can't count how much to give you without the help of the computer.
 

Spiffy1

Member
Reminds me of fast food joints! No HF around here, but I'm not exactly sure about a few of the people at Menards, Lowes, or HD either; of course I have seen a few good ones at each of those too.
 
N

Nicahawk

Guest
Sad thing is that folks like this are becoming the norm rather than the exception. :pat:

Jim that's so true. Not very many clerks can count out change correctly, let alone figure out a discount when a percentage is involved and not programed into the computer. They simply don't know how. Sad. :eek:
 

justnewell

New member
I have 3/8 and 1/2" deep inpact sockets that on sale work out to be about a dollar a peice. They have been abused and have held up better than my American made Craftsman impact sockets. Except for my nailers all my air tools are HF. Had one 3/8 drill to fail after a couple of years but I figure I got way more than $10 worth of use out of it.
 

Doc

Admin
Staff member
Gold Site Supporter
My son is starting his air tool collection and has bought a good bit of it from HF. No complaints so far. All have worked well.

Welcome to Net Tractor Talk Newell. Glad you found us. If you have a tractor already we sure hope you'll post a picture for us to admire.
Enjoy and post often. :thumb:
 

quincy

Member
I bought a 21° framing nail gun in HF about 5 years ago. Made by Grizzly. Fires up to 3.5 inch full round head nails.

41X7RPNJ38L._SL500_SS130_.jpg


I recon I've put 100,000 nails through that gun and it has not given me any problems at all.

The only issue I've had with it was when I dropped it off a ladder from 15 ft up, I managed to bend a bracket on it which was an easy fix. That of course was stupid operator error.

It still works like a champ.

For $100, I was really impressed.

Last time I was in HF, I bought a die grinder and an impact wrench. I was impressed with the die grinder but the impact wrench was crap.
I nearly always pick up a welding magnet every time I'm in there for some strange reason. for like $1.99 you cant go wrong. I have quite a collection. lol.
 
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olcowhand

Member
My son is starting his air tool collection and has bought a good bit of it from HF. No complaints so far. All have worked well.

Welcome to Net Tractor Talk Newell. Glad you found us. If you have a tractor already we sure hope you'll post a picture for us to admire.
Enjoy and post often. :thumb:

Most of my air tools came from HF. I have about a dozen or more different air tools & have VERY good service & never has one failed. Number one thing with air tools is proper care. Oil as directed or add an inline oiler. Also, I run some carb spray through mine once a year to wash out the gunk. First carb spray, then oil, then carb spray again...as many times as it takes till the crap coming out isn't black. Finish off with oil & she's clean as a whistle inside.
 

justnewell

New member
My son is starting his air tool collection and has bought a good bit of it from HF. No complaints so far. All have worked well.

Welcome to Net Tractor Talk Newell. Glad you found us. If you have a tractor already we sure hope you'll post a picture for us to admire.
Enjoy and post often. :thumb:
Thanks for the welcome Doc. As far as maintence goes, and I am big on PM but about the only time I oil my HF air tools is when I notice the performance is slipping. I have a air grinder that has no telling how many miles on it and it is as good as the day I got it.
 

California

Super Moderator
Staff member
Site Supporter
Another 15% Coupon, good through 10/14/2008

Another 15% Coupon, good through 10/14/2008. Maybe future ones will be coupon4, 5, etc.

I recommend write those numbers under the bar code, onto your printout. I have had coupons refused when they couldn't scan the barcode or read those digits.

http://www.harborfreightusa.com/TV/coupon3.html
 
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