No individual tools at HF

[BarnyardEngineering]

Mark, it seems to be everything and everywhere. Around me there is very little individual items it's all packaged. Window screen they used to cut it per foot or yard, no more it's in a prepackage roll. O rings and hardware type items used to be individual all the stores now sell some assortment.

Companies have computers analyzing inventory churn all the time with the goal of maximizing profit. The stuff that moves gets more shelf space. The stuff that sits gets phased out in favor of more profitable inventory.

I don't recall HF ever having much of a selection of individual wrenches. Just a few more common sizes. But why pay $3 for one wrench when you could get the entire set for $7.99?

Home Depot and Lowes have always had a better selection of individual wrenches.

 

[Texasmark]

I needed to cut the box end of a 22 mm wrench to make a flare nut wrench, and I didn't feel like wrecking my Craftsman wrench. So I stopped off at Harbor Freight (The Store I Love to Hate), to pick up a cheap wrench. What I found was a very large display of all kinds of end wrench SETS, but NO individual wrenches. Same thing with the socket wrenches: Sets only, no individual sockets. Even the things normally sold individually, like socket wrench extensions, are only sold in sets. An HF employee confirmed that they don't sell individual wrenches anymore.

I suppose the HF bean counters did the math and realized they were losing more individual tools to pilferage than they were selling, so they discontinued selling them. I have no idea what they do if you try to return a tool for warranty replacement. And if you lose a wrench, I guess you're supposed to buy a whole set.

I went down the street to HF and picked up a Husky 22 mm for ten bucks. It worked just fine.

I had a set of ratcheting box end, open other end and one of the latches on a wrench ceased to catch making that end useless. I took it back to a local HF and the manager went over to the rack where those sets were sold, picked up a pack, came back to the cash register, opened the pack, pulled out a direct replacement, handed it to me, took the bad wrench and that was that. HF is the only place I buy tools and shop equipment. Have had extremely good luck with their products. The other thing is they are now selling some upper cut wrenches made in Taiwan, really first class quality.

 

[Texasmark]

Mark, for that kind of purchase, I go to my local, large Pawn Shop. They have racks and bins of individual tools. Some may even not be stolen. steve

"Some may even not be stolen." Just the reason I don't shop pawn shops....either (suspected as being) stolen or worn out tools like what construction companies use regularly.

 

[Goose]

I needed to cut the box end of a 22 mm wrench to make a flare nut wrench, and I didn't feel like wrecking my Craftsman wrench. So I stopped off at Harbor Freight (The Store I Love to Hate), to pick up a cheap wrench. What I found was a very large display of all kinds of end wrench SETS, but NO individual wrenches. Same thing with the socket wrenches: Sets only, no individual sockets. Even the things normally sold individually, like socket wrench extensions, are only sold in sets. An HF employee confirmed that they don't sell individual wrenches anymore.

I suppose the HF bean counters did the math and realized they were losing more individual tools to pilferage than they were selling, so they discontinued selling them. I have no idea what they do if you try to return a tool for warranty replacement. And if you lose a wrench, I guess you're supposed to buy a whole set.

I went down the street to HF and picked up a Husky 22 mm for ten bucks. It worked just fine.

Why complain? It's not their fault that your expectations don't meet their game plan.

 

[T.R.K.]

I get individual sockets and wrenches at Autozone. I never see large mm at the home improvement places. Autozone says they say they have lifetime replacement on hand tools but I haven’t tried. Also looked like Menards only sold 12 point sockets.
Dave

I have a set of Autozone torx bits. I broke one and took the set back to the same store. They asked "do you have the receipt?" I went home and looked. I still had it but their receipts are printed with a disappearing ink. so I guess their 'Lifetime warranty" is as long as the receipt lasts and is still readable.

 

[Goose]

I had a set of ratcheting box end, open other end and one of the latches on a wrench ceased to catch making that end useless. I took it back to a local HF and the manager went over to the rack where those sets were sold, picked up a pack, came back to the cash register, opened the pack, pulled out a direct replacement, handed it to me, took the bad wrench and that was that. HF is the only place I buy tools and shop equipment. Have had extremely good luck with their products. The other thing is they are now selling some upper cut wrenches made in Taiwan, really first class quality.

I once bought a laser measurer at HF. It wasn't at all accurate. I took it back and they gave me another one. It was as bad as the first. At that point the store manager went to the display, pulled all of them off of the hook, and gave me a cash refund. She said there was no way they'd try to sell any more of them.

 

[710ltd2002]

I have a set of Autozone torx bits. I broke one and took the set back to the same store. They asked "do you have the receipt?" I went home and looked. I still had it but their receipts are printed with a disappearing ink. so I guess their 'Lifetime warranty" is as long as the receipt lasts and is still readable.

I also took in a broken torx bit, one from a 1/4” drive set. The manager noted that they were not sold individually there. He opened up a set and took out the one that I needed replaced. I know he wasn’t happy about doing it, but he was completely professional. Not all locations are the same. I particularly prefer the one that happens to be nearest where I live. And they know me pretty well in there.
Dave

 

[Phillip Tibbetts]

I think if you need a warranty replacement, they just pull the tool out of a set that it comes in. At my local store there are always tool sets with a piece or 2 missing for sale in the clearance section.

Yes the HF store here has a rack of tool sets with 1 or 2 missing pieces. They sell them at just under the complete set price. Usually it is the most commonly used size that is missing, so why not just buy a complete new set instead of a set with one missing? they do replace broken tools that way here. I had a snap ring plier set that one tip got broken off on. I took it back and they said we don't stock that set any more but I can give you a discount of the original set price on a new set that costs 3 times as much or refund the original price. I took the refund and bought a Proto replacement.

 

[Phillip Tibbetts]

HF does have some sizes of sockets available 10mm for example, the catch is they come with every extension, adapter, deep sockets, plus a lot of things I already have 3 of $15.99. I can buy a whole set of sockets there for less than that.

 

[chvet73]

Home Depot sells individual Husky tools and Lowe’s sells individual Craftsman. I have got a few very old Craftsman sockets warrantied at Lowe’s. Although they only sell 6 point. No new 12 points. But I prefer the 6 point.

 

[kencombs]

I understood HF's set only plan when all they sold were cheap(er) tools. But now with the advent of the new brand, Icon, and the MUCH higher prices, I think they need to stock replacements for the inevitable lost pieces. No way would I buy a full 1/4 drive set at 99 bucks for every lost 10mm!

 

[chvet73]

Since they have a lifetime warranty at HF on most tools, I’m wondering what they do to replace tools.

 

[moresmoke]

I have found that Harbor Freight does sell a few individual tools. At least they used to. I remember getting a spare 21mm impact socket there, and I seem to remember that there were a few other common sizes available individually.
In the "old days" when they first opened their store in my area, if you broke a socket, you had to bring in the entire set and exchange it for another set.
I never heard about that 5-day warranty on a 5-year warranted tool. If they tried that on me, we would be having a BIG problem because I would be calling every consumer protection agency I could find. Then we would see about that 5-day stuff.

One thing I don't understand about store employees, though. Since they don't lose anything, and money does not come out of their pocket, why should they give you a hard time about replacing a lifetime warranted item? Even if it is a $6.99 screwdriver. A defect is a defect, and you are at least entitled to get what you paid for. It isn't like you bargained them down on the price. You paid the asking price and expected a properly made product. What could possibly be wrong with that?

Some snap on guys pull the same attitude if you don’t buy enough stuff from them.

 

[caterpillar guy]

I seldom buy tools by the set if buying new since I am mostly just adding a piece or so to what I already have. I seldom go to harbor freight either. Parts hurt to much anymore when wrenches slip and so a good 6 pt doesn't slip much. Air impacts have also solved a lot of the problem with slipping wrenches since they pretty much either turn the nut twist it off or it strips from rust or whatever caused it to strip.

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

Since they have a lifetime warranty at HF on most tools, I’m wondering what they do to replace tools.

All you have to do is walk to the back corner of the store to see what they do. They take a set off the shelf, take the piece you need out of the set, and then put the set on the purple-tagged clearance shelf in the back corner of the store.

You're not going to catch them in a lie that easily.

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

I understood HF's set only plan when all they sold were cheap(er) tools. But now with the advent of the new brand, Icon, and the MUCH higher prices, I think they need to stock replacements for the inevitable lost pieces. No way would I buy a full 1/4 drive set at 99 bucks for every lost 10mm!

They still sell the Pittsburgh brand tools, and they show no signs of slowing down on that.

 

[Caryc]

I seldom buy tools by the set if buying new since I am mostly just adding a piece or so to what I already have. I seldom go to harbor freight either. Parts hurt to much anymore when wrenches slip and so a good 6 pt doesn't slip much. Air impacts have also solved a lot of the problem with slipping wrenches since they pretty much either turn the nut twist it off or it strips from rust or whatever caused it to strip.

These sockets don't slip either. They work off the flats of the nut or bolt. Don't need an SAE and a Metric set either. They work on either one.

 

[kencombs]

All you have to do is walk to the back corner of the store to see what they do. They take a set off the shelf, take the piece you need out of the set, and then put the set on the purple-tagged clearance shelf in the back corner of the store.

You're not going to catch them in a lie that easily.

Yep, they also charge a 25% restocking fee on some return items. Things that people buy, use and return for some reason. What they are actually doing is using a tool they will only need once, then returning. roofing nailers, flooring nailers and such. So they now have to pay the 25% to 'rent' a tool. They will be on the purple tagged shelf discounted by, guess how much?

I bought an extra nailer off that shelf a couple of months ago when my old Senco developed a problem mid-job.

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

Yep, they also charge a 25% restocking fee on some return items. Things that people buy, use and return for some reason. What they are actually doing is using a tool they will only need once, then returning. roofing nailers, flooring nailers and such. So they now have to pay the 25% to 'rent' a tool. They will be on the purple tagged shelf discounted by, guess how much?

I bought an extra nailer off that shelf a couple of months ago when my old Senco developed a problem mid-job.

At the stores I visit, it's only about 12.5%. There are no real buys in the purple-tagged items especially since they stopped letting you use the 20% off coupon on them. Half the time there's a coupon on the same item new and complete which makes it less than the purple tagged item. Plus you can't buy extended warranty on purple tagged items anymore.