Harbor Freight Tools is a retail tool and hardware company that started in 1968, primarily selling through its mail order catalog, which still exists today. The Camarillo, California-based company offers more than 7,000 varieties of tools on its web site, mail order catalog, and retail stores. Harbor Freight Tools has over 230 retail store locations nationwide.
Harbor Freight Tools sells power tools under its house brand names Chicago Tool, Drill Master, Central Machinery, Central Pneumatic, and U.S. General. They also sell hand tools under the Pittsburgh Tools name. Despite the American-sounding names, the products are virtually all imported from China or, in some cases, Taiwan. They are typically significantly less expensive, and of somewhat less consistent (although not necessarily worse) quality and/or fit and finish, than comparable American-made tools.
Many of the Asian imports, such as machine tools, available from Harbor Freight are also imported and sold under different brand names by other United States tool distributors, usually at somewhat higher prices (sometimes justified as buying better quality control). Several of these products, such as the perennially available 7"x10" metal-cutting mini-lathe and the 4"x6" horizontal/vertical metal-cutting bandsaw, have achieved near-legendary status among metalworking hobbyists.
External links
- Harbor Freight Tools
- Harbor Freight Tools Retail Stores
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