I'd rather buy Chinese stuff at the local Harbor Freight than US made stuff that is not sold locally. At least the Harbor Freight is paying property tax, hiring locals, and contributing to my local economy.

The next problem is really determining what is US made and what is not. There are plenty of examples of companies that lead you to believe you're buying a US product when you're really not. I learned in the safe business that there were Chinese products built better than their US counterparts.

Re: Harbor Freight

They have some stuff that Snap-On also sells under their own brand for 3x the money. Check out the yellow Daytona floor jack at HF. I think it's $270ish and is always exempt from all the HF sales flyers. It's on my list to buy. I've had some of HF's cheapo aluminum floor jacks and they were great for many years, but we all know they're gonna die before we do and usually on the day when we need them most. Yeah, they're light and cheap, so easy to carry in the car. But to get one of the ones that will be around a long time, it's gonna have to be stupid heavy steel and not aluminum.

Edit - this is it, and it's cheaper than I thought.
https://www.harborfreight.com/...uper-duty-63183.html

I’ve got this one: https://www.harborfreight.com/...mp-Orange-64241.html

It’s awesome!

I have the HF low-pro steel jack, works like a charm. If the Daytona's were out when I was shopping for it I would have purchased that one instead. Very well reviewed all around, it isn't junk.

Yes, Harbor freight low profile steel quick pump jack. I have had mine over 5 years now and use it at least once a month, up to 5 or 6 times a month. No leak downs, no problems.

That said, use good jack stands no matter what jack you choose. Any jack can easily fail, or your jacking point may not be ideal.

I have a Craftsman 3 ton that is going on 10 years now and still working great.
I will likely replace it with the HF one that PowerSurge linked. The Craftsman only has about 18” of lift and not enough without using a wood block on my Expedition

Thanks for the recommendations. Looks like for my use, the HF jack will suffice.

CT

quote:

Originally posted by rkight3:
Yes, Harbor freight low profile steel quick pump jack. I have had mine over 5 years now and use it at least once a month, up to 5 or 6 times a month. No leak downs, no problems.

That said, use good jack stands no matter what jack you choose. Any jack can easily fail, or your jacking point may not be ideal.

100% agree. I had to buy mine to jack up a Porsche because my other jack wouldn't fit under the car. Zero problems after 5 years.

quote:

Originally posted by MNSIG:

RANT ON: Because if you buy something decent, it will be around as long as you are, work well during that time and keep jobs/money here in America. People (not necessarily you) bitch about the lack of quality tools that are available to the retail consumer, yet support that decline by purchasing cheap Chinese crap. :RANT OFF

Beyond that, a quality jack may prevent an accident that could damage your vehicle or squish some body part you'd rather keep intact.

You are right, I don't walk around complaining about the quality of tools. Just like I never get under a vehicle if a floor jack is the only thing holding it up. That HF jack is a quality tool and has lifted up countless vehicles including my tractor.

I would love to take a walk through your garage or your kitchen. Nothing made in China or any other Asian country...right?

I have harbor freight steel and lightweight floor jacks, as and their low profile, and they've held up for many years, without problem.

The jacks shouldn't be bleeding down if serviced properly, but in any event, one has no business crawling under a vehicle that's held up by a hydraulic jack alone. If you're not putting a jack stand under there, you're taking a mighty gamble.

Don't do that.

With that in mind, there's no reason not to use the harbor freight jack, and install jack stands.

You know, not everything made in China is “crap”.

I am also a happy HF floor jack user. I have jacking rails on my Mustang and it has no problem lifting half the car at a time to swap summer tires/wheels for winter and vice versa.

If nothing is made in America anymore, than what option is there? Buy nothing for 10 years until manufacturing sees a profitable market and starts again? That’s not realistic.

You think HF would survive the US legal environment if their jacks and jack stands were collapsing left and right crippling, maiming, and killing indiscriminately?

Some folks need to switch to decaf...

I've got two from Napa that I use. Not every day like before but still weekly. One is ten years old and the other is thirty. No problems with them.

Jim

quote:

Originally posted by Rick Lee:
Re: Harbor Freight

They have some stuff that Snap-On also sells under their own brand for 3x the money.

What of harbor freight's products does Snap-on sell under their own brand?

I just spent $40 for a rebuild kit from Lazzar's (Long Beach, CA) for my 20-year old Craftsman floor jack. Having looked at the rebuild videos on Youtube, it looks pretty straightforward.

Hein Werner Jack and stands for me.

No regrets spending the extra $$ for American made

quote:

Originally posted by sns3guppy:

quote:

Originally posted by Rick Lee:
Re: Harbor Freight

They have some stuff that Snap-On also sells under their own brand for 3x the money.

What of harbor freight's products does Snap-on sell under their own brand?

Enjoy.
https://www.biztimes.com/2017/...tle-floor-jack-case/

Got a Arcan jack from Northern Tool I’m pleased with.

quote:

Originally posted by MNSIG:

quote:

Originally posted by Bassamatic:
I have a Harbor Freight 3 ton low profile, high lift jack and it is now my go to floor jack. With a coupon it was 59 bucks.

You can spend more...but why?

RANT ON: Because if you buy something decent, it will be around as long as you are, work well during that time and keep jobs/money here in America. People (not necessarily you) bitch about the lack of quality tools that are available to the retail consumer, yet support that decline by purchasing cheap Chinese crap. :RANT OFF

Beyond that, a quality jack may prevent an accident that could damage your vehicle or squish some body part you'd rather keep intact.

The problem with “Buy American” when it comes to automotive floor jacks (among other things) is that there isn’t a single Made In America jack priced at a level of your regular DIY home mechanic; they’re all priced for professional users.

I read many reviews before buying a new floor jack last year but in the end, the consensus was clear, Harbor Freight gives you the best bang for your buck. I ended up picking up the YELLOW Daytona floor jack... the one that was disputed by Snap-On as a carbon copy. Time the sales right and you can get it for around $180 out the door. Haven’t used it enough to give an accurate review but my first impression was it rolls around as smoothly as butter on a hot skillet but lift rate seems a little slower than my old Costco jack.

I'm another with a Harbor Freight 3 Ton floor jack. I've had it over 10 years with zero issues. I've lifted fullsize suv's and my F-250 with it with zero issues.

Always use jack stands!!!

quote:

Originally posted by PowerSurge:
I’ve got this one: https://www.harborfreight.com/...mp-Orange-64241.html

It’s awesome!

I've got the same one and agree it is awesome for what I use it for.