I've shopped at the local retail store several times and the service is always great. I honestly expected the online experience to be the same... Well, it's been over a week now and the package still hasn't been delivered to UPS, the CS rep directed me to a faq that states processing can take up to 4 days, delivery to the carrier 2 weeks and another 2 weeks in the hands of the carrier. Thats worst case time in real days vs. business days, But either way a month to get a product from CA to TX????? It reminds me of that commercial of the fat guy running with the Gateway box! Their prices are great but if you really need the product I'd suggest looking for a local supplier.  
Thanks again to the guys at the San Antonio store for amazing service, I wish corporate new the value of customers!

Placed the order on 1/12  
Today is 1/25, and it did not arrive yet.  
Emailed their customer support: please advise if you shipped it, and the tracking number  
Their response:  
Your order number is <> and it was shipped on 01/15/04 please allow 14 business days for delivery.  
 
14 business days, huh. I wonder what shipper would take 14 days to deliver. No wonder they "forgot" to provide the tracking number.  

On Log #1036632 I ask for part #14 from the owners manual of item SKU97622 on page 16. I received only a partial of this part. It was returned with a letter of explaination of its defficiency and a complaint of the lack of capability of their Customer Service reps. The complet part was received Feb 8, 2009  
 
On Log #1036633 I ask for part #39 from the owner manual of item SKU45861 shown on page 33. When the part finally arrived it was part #33 from page 33. The complete information must have been too complicated for their Customer Rep to understand. The wrong part was returned with a letter of explaination and a complaint of their utilization of incompeten help. No further word has been receive on this order.  
 
I rate their customer service at an absolute zero for their lack of ability to understand the English language and product their knowledge

This review on HF is generalized since i have placed several orders with them. I like the prices and selection. I also have had no problem with support. My gripes are the fact I have to call or use the online support in the first place. Orders are very slow taking usually 3 weeks (sometimes more) here in Michigan and the online order status doesn't always work. When you need a tool thats a long wait. I have experienced a sorted order this time around on a fuel injection tester I realy needed. They did ship it without a hastle once contacted but again had to wait. Always had english speaking support calls which helps. Products are usually beter than expected for the price.

You get what you pay for most of the time. It all depends on how you look at it. If your life depends on a tool or you are going to use it every day, you might want to look elsewhere for there non brand name tools. However they sell Dewalt, Makita and Skill tools CHEAP. I bought a 4 tool Dewalt 18v combo set for $399 and could not find it anywhere else for cheaper than $460 plus way higher shipping. There shipping is sketchy and slow as hell. If you order something under $10 and its not in stock, they will remove it from your order and never ship it. It will take up to 4 weeks to get there and some of there stuff is crap. I have had very good luck with the stuff I bought during the re-modeling of my house. I bought a nail gun that can hang with the best for 1/3 the price and lots of hand tools as well as supplies that have saved me mucho denero! I am a priority club member and it has paid off many times over. I have mixed feelings but if you set your expectations accordingly, you can feel comfortable that you can return your stuff and you wont get screwed and just might save a Chinese boat load of money.

I HAVE ORDERED $THOUSANDS FROM THIS CO. IN GENERAL, THOSE THAT ARE DISSATISFIED 1)HAVE ORDERED CHEAPEST (THEY HAVE A TAP AND DIE SET $39 THAT WILL CUT THREADS IN HARD WAX, BUT NOT MUCH ELSE, THEY ALSO HAVE SETS THREE TIMES THE PRICE!), 2)GET CHEAPEST SHIPPING, ALMOST FREE, (THEIR HANDLING CHGS ARE AUTOMATIC BUT CHEAP) AND 3)HAVE BAD EXPERIENCES WITH TECH HELP (BAD) OR CUSTOMER SERVICE (ATROCIOUS), OR BOOKEEPING DEPT (MINIMUM WAGE, WORKING ON THEIR GEDS).  
I AM STILL TRYING TO GET MY SEWING MACHINE TO WORK BUT I'M ALMOST THERE BECAUSE I GOT AN OPERATING MANUAL FROM SEARS (GENERAL INFO VERY HELPFUL, I DON'T KNOW HOW TO SEW!). ON THE OTHER HAND THEIR SMALL TOOLS ARE TOPS EQUAL TO ANY HARDWARE STORE, ALL CHINESE MANUFACTURE. MY LATEST ACQUISITION IS THEIR PLASMA CUTTER FOR $599. I FEEL BAD BECAUSE I ORDERED THIS IN NOV04, I EMAILED THEM AFTER 5W, NO ANSWER! I FINALLY SAW THIS ON THE WEBSITE FOR $399, SO I ORDERED AGAIN. AFTER A FEW WEEKS, UPS DELIVERED TWO UNITS! I CALLED HF FOR A RETURN #, AND NEXT DAY UPS CAME TO MY DOOR. GOT RECEIPT FROM UPS!  
MY CREDIT CARD STILL SHOWS ME CHARGED FOR TWO, AND AT $599 EACH! THE EQUIVALENT MACHINE IS OVER $2K HERE, & IF ONE OF THESE CHARGES DISAPPEARS I'LL BE HAPPY, IF NOT I'LL GO THE DISPUTE ROUTE WITH THE CRED CARD CO! YOU MUST HAVE ALL YOUR DOCUMENTATION.  
HAVE YOU EVER DEALT WITH THE PHONE CO? I HAVE BEEN TRYING FOR MY DSL FOR 1Y NOW FROM THREE DIFFERENT, VERIZON TWICE, AND ONLY WHEN I INQUIRED OF GWS WAS FINALLY TOLD IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE AND WHY. I HAVE TWO SETS OF MODEMS AND FILTERS, FROM VERIZON & ATT, NEVER ASKED FOR EITHER BACK.  
AFTER ALL I FIGURE, ON THE WHOLE I'M EQUIPING A MACHINE & WOODWORKING SHOP FOR AROUND $10K, ENRICHING HF, AND MAKING THE CHICOMS HAPPY. WHAT MORE COULD I ASK FOR.

I have ordered several products from this company and am now have a Inside Track membership with them. I have been very pleased with the products timely shipping in most cases, and well packed boxes. I have had contacted customer service on at least 3 occasions and I've had very good service. I have one item with my one order which is on back order status. Most B.O's come in in a very reasonable time frame. I order most of the time online and they keep me updated on prices regularly by send me catalogs in the mail or with my order. I am very pleased with this company and will continue to make purchases form them because of value, prices and service. I am a website owner and I noticed the ease of use of their website and the way it tracks any sale items or free items as you shop. On the back of the catalogs they post dated items that you can get free for a purchase of $50 or more. That is easy when you buy tools. The lower prices allow you to purchase more items for less money.

Not great, not terrible. Sort of like what J.C. Whitney used to be (haven't ordered from those boys since I was a lad). Good prices on tools and gizmos, if you pick and choose carefully. Bear in mind that even if they say "free shipping," they also charge and handling fee. When I placed an order in January, one of the items was back ordered until May 31 (they don't have a clue about real time inventory systems). In the process of following up on that one item, I was told multiple different stories about when (and if) they would fill it. This company seems honest enough, just not very competent. Ultimately had to re-order the one item.

If you want cheap tools at a cheap price, this is the place. Many tools if they break, throw them away and buy a new one from HF. You'll still be way ahead. Ordered several torque wrenches and they seem just fine. Got order in about 10 days...not the quickest. One wrench is back ordered. Oh well. Prices are great. I'd shop here again for sure.

Ordered some tools from them. It took a little bit long for them to ship, but I received the order in good condition. Will recommend this company to others.

I HAVE BEEN BUYING FROM HF FOR THE PAST ALMOST 25 YEARS NOW. STARTED WITH A BENCHTOP DRILL PRESS  
I BOUGHT FOR MY FATHER,A PROFESSIONAL CARPENTER. IT HAS SEEN ALOT OF USE AND NEVER A PROBLEM. I RECENTLY HAVE BECOME ITS NEW OWNER AS MY FATHER IS RETIRING.HE BOUGHT A BANDSAW FROM THEM A COUPLE OF MONTHS AFTER I GAVE HIM THAT DRILL PRESS. BOTH ARE STILL GOING STRONG. I SHOP THERE ALL THE TIME AND HAVE NEVER HAD A PROBLEM. I DID HOWEVER CREATE A COUPLE OF MY OWN, BUT THEY ARE THE DUE TO INFERIOR PRODUCTS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT, IT WAS ME.CONTINUE TO SHOP STILL- A COUPLE OF TIMES A MONTH.HIGHLY RECCOMMEND THEM.

I have been ordering tools from Harbor Freight since 1980. My family owned a small lumber remanufacturing plant. We made mostly cedar siding, but also manufactured specialty products such as hardwood flooring, paneling, moldings, and did lumber grading and trimming.  
 
At that time Harbor Freight was sending out flyers with tool specials. I was skeptical that tools that were so inexpensive would actually give good service, but I decided to give them a try. As expected the quality wasn't quite as high as the name brands we had been using, but the tools seemed to work and last just fine. My expensive tools seemed to disappear at an alarming rate at times, but the Harbor Freight tools didn't seem to have the same appeal to employees with sticky fingers.  
 
Over the years I have spent thousands and thousands of dollars on Harbor Freight tools. Maybe I am easier to please than some people. I don't buy tools to impress others; I just want them to work. Obviously one can't always expect a tool that costs multiple times less to be everything that the more expensive tool is. But, I have been pleasantly surprised on numerous occasions.  
 
My best advice is to spend the $9.99 on Harbor Freight’s online Insider Track Club. You will probably save the money on the first tool you order. Normally, I shy away from discount club schemes, but I have saved thousands of dollars over the years on their Insider Track specials. At one time Harbor Freight’s shipping was always free, but now they add shipping charges that make it cheaper to wait until you can order several tools at once.  
 
In conclusion, Harbor Freight tools are not going to make prestigious displays that will impress your friends, but they do get the job done for far cheaper than one could have imagined in previous times.

I've been a Harbor Freight customer for long time and I can say that considering the price of the tools. I don't really expect their brand tools to go head-on against a Makita, Milwaukee or at least the Ryobi tools. But it's always fair to expect a drill to be able to drill holes and a saw to be able to cut. Their tools are just fine or meet the requirement for non-professional use. I always used ground shipping and I always get my stuff within the alotted time-frame. Back-orders can easily cancelled via email if it cannot be delivered within your expected time-frame. I also like the once-in-a-while free ground shipping offers on any order or the standard free ground shipping on orders over $100. My thanks to Enrique Rally

Harbor Freight found me about a year and a half ago.  
 
I ordered online only once from them, a 9" metal grinder and a box of nuisance dust masks, both on sale for $40 or so and $1, respectively. Package arrived promptly, but contained only the grinder. I used it to cut concrete, wet, and it is one of the best buys I ever made. The way things tend to go, I never called the web sales support about the dust masks. I learned my lesson, though, and now drive to their Newark, CA, outlet about 20 minutes from work.  
 
I suggest you subscribe to their email list, check their catalogs, and buy stuff in the store, when it's on sale. Stack it with a 10% email coupon. If items are on sale on the web site I just print the article page and go to the store. Have them write you a rain check if they are out of stock. Give the tool a workout when you're home and return it if it breaks. Keep the receipt. I returned several items, and only one of them because it was broken. Much better bang/buck than any other tool outlet I know of.  
 
I bought several cordless tools there, and the tools themselves are very good quality, including the NiCd batteries. The chargers are the usual junk and tend to overcharge the batteries, which will ruin them. The manual actually states not to charge the battery over 5 hours. My little older 12V Ryobi drill kit is just as bad, at over twice the price. I think you have to spend $200+ for a name brand hammer drill to get a smart charger.  
 
For instance, I bought an SDS rotary hammer at HF to bolt our newest fixer upper to its foundation. I wish I had bought this thing years ago. Sixty bucks plus Arnold, on sale, less than renting one for a long weekend. I got a set of Chinese 16" bits at a fraction of what Home Depot charges for one Bosch SDS bit. I tend to have a couple hours here or there to get things done, and running to rent specialty tools does not make sense for me. I am a serious DIYer, not a contractor, and while I love to ogle the Dewalt and Rigid eye candy on the shelves I just don't see myself buying their gear (yet).  
 

This review was modified by its author, jochenroth, on 11/7/06 1:37 AM.

I have ordered from Harbor Freight many times and until now have been VERY satisfied. Shipping time, cost and service have all been very good to excellant. This last order however has been a nightmare. While cost is good, order has not arrived after 9 days (UPS still does have physical package, but billing occurred 1/17/06 - only 1 day after order was placed). Realizing H/F says upfront that delivery may take 7-10 business days I contacted the on-line customer service rep to find out when UPS would have physical custody of package. I think this customer service person has a standard response, "7 to 10 business days". She was no help in locating the UPS hub the shipment was sent to and absolutely no help in assurring me that order is not lost. While I recommend purchasing from Harbor Freight, I would recommend they invest in some customer service training before letting their employees deal directly with the consumer. Had I not had several good prior experiences with this company I would never order from them again and would not be recommending now. Over all I would rate the company "9" on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being most highly recommended. I would rate their customer service a "2".