Big home improvement retailers accept each other?s coupons . No big deal, right? But did you ?know that they also accept smaller less known retailers?coupons? Harbor Freight Tools is a small retailer that started their business as a mail order tool supplier. I believe most of their tools come from China. I have been doing business with them for some time now, usually for smaller hand tools. Particularly the ones that my kids insist on leaving in the yard or other places where I can never find them again.
The quality of Harbor Freight tools varies. There are some items that they sell which are of extremely high quality and others that I wouldn?t touch. The hand tools they carry such as screwdrivers, pliers and other small tools are of reasonably good, and sometimes exceptional, quality. The power tools are another story. They are ok if you only use them occasionally for a DIY project but are?definitely?not for anyone involved in the trades. It’s not a bad place to build up a stock of tools at very reasonable prices.
Here’s the kicker. Harbor Freight?Tools routinely publishes coupons for 20% off their tools. Considering that they probably have a very low cost for the tools they sell, they can probably afford to do this fairly easily. I?regularly?get fliers from them with a 20% off coupon and the make printable coupons available online.?The nice surprise is that Home Depot and Lowes Home improvement will accept their coupons! That’s correct, they will!
My son is a budding automotive?technician?and has developed quite a collection of tools, unfortunately he?didn’t?have a tool chest or cabinet so was in the market for one. Last month the HD advertised a 9 Drawer stainless steel tool chest for $219.99. This chest was normally priced at $249.00. If that seems like a lot to 
you, it isn’t, high quality commercial grade tool cabinets are fairly expensive. This looked like a good opportunity to see if they would accept the Harbor?Freight?Coupon.
Coupon in hand, we went to the HD, put the tool cabinet on a?dolly?and headed to the check out. I handed the coupon to the cashier and waited with baited breath. She had to call a manager over to approve but neither of them blinked an eye and took the 20% off. The total came out to 175.99 plus tax. My son saved $75.00 over the original price. That was a fantastic deal for my him, especially since he was in desperate need for a tool cabinet.
Whenever I budget a large DYI project, I usually will include some tools that may be specialized for the particular project I’m tackling. And in case you’re wondering, yes, I collect tools,?Confessions of a Tool Junkie. If you’re planning a DIY project where you may need some tools to complete, here?s an opportunity to get the tools you need and save some money while doing it.
Here’s a link right to Harbor Freight where you can print a 20% off coupon valid through 3/31/13, Harbor Freight 20% Off
One possible drawback is that Home Depot and Lowes have got to be losing money on this. I suspect that if this were to become an “epidemic”, smart management at both companies will eventually make a decision to no longer take Harbor freight coupons or to limit competitor coupons to a specific ?limit. But until that time comes, you can enjoy a nice fat 20% discount on tools you may need for any upcoming projects.? Enjoy!
Wise Dollar
Latest posts by Wise Dollar (see all)
- 8 Investing Tips That All Beginners Should Know About - May 11, 2021
- 5 Reasons Why Freelancing Should Be Your Next Career Move - March 9, 2021
- 5 Ways to Improve Your Sales Pitch and Get Funding - February 22, 2021
Jose, I just discovered Harbor Freight Tools about 6 months ago, it is a great place. Got a set of ramps to enable me to get my lawn mower into the bed of my pickup. Great tools, lots of different ones I had never seen before!
Ramps, jacks and jack stands are another set of items they carry where the prices can’t be beat. Since I do a lot of my own automotive repairs I have a set of Jacks and Jackstand from them that have worked out pretty well for me, and they were reasonably priced too!
Also, buying cheaper tools means they are less likely to ‘walk away’, and also give you something to lend out when you don’t want people using your expensive tools. I’m just saying!
Yep, give them the cheap tools. Or in my case, lock up the expensive ones and leave the cheap ones on the work bench so the kids can lose those instead!
Wow, I did not know this! I am definitely going to have to take advantage of this. Not that I do a whole lot of DIY work, I have no allegiance when it comes to where I’ll buy from. I typically look for the best quality and value. Thanks for the info Jose!
No problem John, I wouldnt worry about the existing coupon expiring at the end of the month. Those 20% off coupons come out several times a year and there seems to be no rhyme or reason as to when they expire. I have one that’s good until July!
I’ll be sure to read the fine print on those UK coupons in future!
Just curious, is harbor Freight available in the UK as well?
What a wonderful tip! I will certainly look for one of these coupons when we need something. I only wish I’d known when we were buying stuff to work on our rental. Better late than never, I guess.
Thanks Kim! Better late than never is good, lol. Wait until your next project, the odds are they’ll have a good coupon available since they seem to put them out fairly regularly.
Thanks for the great tip, Jose! We purchased a 117-year old house last fall, so home improvement stores are now our new BFFs, and we will take all the discounts we can get. 🙂
20% off is nothing to sneeze at, and if you have an old home and are renovating, I’m sure you’ll be buying tools!
I was completely unaware of this. Thank you for sharing Jose.
Back around Halloween there was a Facebook game through HD. If you played it to a certain point you received coupons for $5, $10 and $15 off your “outdoor” purchase, no minimum requirement.
My wife enjoyed playing, so she ended up getting us 2 of each, through our two Facebook accounts. We bought mulch and some gardening tools and a few Christmas lights all for about $7.00, not bad for $60+ worth of stuff that we needed. People looked at us funny because it was the middle of December, but we were happy.
I must have missed that one, that sounds like a great deal! Then again, I have been avoiding facebook games of any kind. At one point I was
spendingwasting a few hours a day on pointless and mindless facebook games. I call them the “Time Vampires”.Thanks for sharing this, Jose! Yes, Harbor Freight keeps the coupons coming almost all year long. We have a good collection of their free mini-flashlights. I keep one in the car & in my purse. We have given them to our kids and nephews. My husband does a lot of work on our cars and around the house, so those 20% off coupons come in handy!
Your Welcome Maggie! I’m glad there are others out there that take advantage of Harbor Freight and their coupons!
Hmmm….I was unaware that they did this. I have to see if their is a harbor freight near us. Never mind, just found one. Thanks Jose!
They’ve spread out quite a bit, when I first started using them it was mail order only (what an anachronistic term!). Now there’s two of them within driving distance from me. I’m glad you glad you found one too.
Hey, that’s great news. One thing I learned fairly quickly on in life is that if you don’t ask you will never know the answer. Don’t be shy to ask for a deal or if you can get a deal. Heck make a phone call if you are shy to ask, right? I’ve used coupons at other retailers that accept them from competitors. Money saving is what it’s all about! Great story.
Thanks! YOur absolutely right. The worse that can happen when you ask for something is to get a no. The same aplies whether you are buying a car or selling something. Ask for what you want!
I haven’t seen this brand north of the 49th parallel but I’m by no means knowledgeable about this anyway. American companies are so awesome when it comes to coupons. Up here, that’d be a hopeless endeavour. There’s no coupon doubling, no “bonus bucks” like you’d find at a RiteAid — just no possibility that a person could get hundreds of dollars of free stuff by “extreme couponing”. But when in Rome.. congrats and kudos to your son on a great buy!
Thanks Joe! I’m pretty surprised that the Canadian retails environment doesn’t have many coupons. Don’t let American retailers and manufacturers in on that, they might try to stop the flow of coupons here!
[…] A Coupon for the Man (or Lady) Cave by Jose @ The Simple Dollar […]
[…] Nieto @ The Wise Dollar writes A Coupon for the Man (or Lady) Cave – This article introduces “Harbor Freight” as a supplier of tools for the average […]