Tool chest on sale at HF

[DGDevin]

In the belief that you can never have too many tools or enough places to keep them, I was interested to see this 11-drawer 3-piece tool chest in a Harbor Freight coupon flyer that came a couple of days ago. I wondered if the usual in-store price really was $300, and apparently it is. When I got to the local HF to check it out there were several other guys trying to get one too, and of course HF had run out. The weird thing is there is another flyer out there advertising the same set for $200, the display model in the store (which they wouldn't sell) had a sale tag for $180, but I was the only one there with a coupon with the double secret probation price of $150. Since I was the only one not being rude to the HF employee taking hits over them being out of stock, guess who he was willing to phone around to other locations for? So while it meant a 20-mile drive to another HF store the chest was waiting for me. I'm very pleased with the quality, it might not be for a heavy-duty diesel mechanic, but to clear some of the tool clutter that had been getting out of control around here it's just fine. Hey, even my wife likes it. If you have or can get your hands on their current coupon flyer this seems to me to be one of the better deals at HF for awhile. An added bonus is I discovered the store where I picked up the chest is twice the size of my local HF and appears better-stocked too, fewer wasted trips for out-of-stock items in future.

[-MIKE-]

Be discerning when picking it out. The one *on display* at my local store about as thick as a tin can and is all crooked like a trapezoid.

[DGDevin]

Mine came in three boxes, the handles and wheels went on with no problems and it is on the job in my garage as we speak. As I said, it isn't a heavy-duty professional piece of gear that will be bashed around in a shop that repairs bulldozers. But for organizing a bunch of woodworking tools in a hobbyist's garage it's working out just fine. And at 140lbs it's maybe just a bit thicker than a tin can.

[B A R R Y]

I've found "consumer duty" rollaways to be great for me, too.

Good find!

[-MIKE-]

Maybe just a little. :-)

I'm sure it's about the same quality as the little jobbie I picked up at walmart. But for 200 bucks, I wish this HF one was one sale at the time, because it's about 4 times the volume. And yours very well may be a little more heavy duty than the one at my store. I've seen variation in quality on the same model and parts number, from store to store, state to state, heck even in store year to year.

[DGDevin]

Exactly, I didn't think I was getting Snap-on quality, but then I didn't pay a Snap-on price either.

[Andrew Barss]

DGDevin wrote: : In the belief that you can never have too many tools or enough places to : keep them, I was interested to see this 11-drawer 3-piece tool chest in a : Harbor Freight coupon flyer that came a couple of days ago. I wondered if : the usual in-store price really was $300, and apparently it is. When I got : to the local HF to check it out there were several other guys trying to get : one too, and of course HF had run out. The weird thing is there is another : flyer out there advertising the same set for $200, the display model in the : store (which they wouldn't sell) had a sale tag for $180, but I was the only : one there with a coupon with the double secret probation price of $150.

How did you get this coupon?

-- Andy Barss

[mac davis]

Which exactly why HF is a good place to shop, IMO.. You get what you pay for, and most of the things that I've bought at HF have been better than I expected, for the price..

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

[Ed Edelenbos]

I think that is exactly where the whole beef with HF lies. People think they are going to get a $150 tool for $19.99, or a $1000 tool for $149.99.

If you go in expecting a $20 for $20, and if you realize that some jobs call for a $20 tool, you'll be pleasantly surprised. In my experience.

Ed

[DGDevin]

I'm never under any illusions about what I'm buying at HF. But there are things like glue brushes or spring-loaded clamps or bench dogs where top-quality doesn't seem to be an issue. With power tools--which I select and purchase carefully--I'm willing to pay the price of U.S. or European mfg. because in the long run it's more economical to pay for quality. So while I'm well aware that my new tool chest wouldn't be up to the demands of a professional mechanic, it's going to be tough enough for the limited demands I'm putting on it. I've almost run out of tools to put away, two benches are now clear enough to be used without first moving a bunch of stuff! And with approval from SWMBO that's a good use of a hundred and fifty bucks. ;~)

[DGDevin]

It was in a flyer mailed to me, I apparently got on their mailing list by doing a return awhile back. The other guys trying to get the same price in the store were told there were no more of those coupon flyers, however I noticed a stack of them under the counter behind a checkout stand. That might be the case at your local HF, perhaps it's worth checking out.

[Ed Edelenbos]

I think we're on the same page, here. (grin)

Ed

[DGDevin]

Could be, the display model in the first store looked like hell, in the second store it looked so good it was gone when I went back in two days for some other stuff. I checked out some of their better tool chests on the second trip, certainly nicer quality but also way more money for the same number of drawers. I just couldn't justify $700 to store chisels and planes socket sets unless I was planning on sleeping out in the garage with the shiny new stainless steel tool chest if you know what I mean.