I Agree. Do not buy tools from Harbor Freight.

 

We bought the coil spring compressors from harbor freight...their a little bulky but they get the job done.

 

you can get this rental tool from autozone. Its what I used and had no problems and in the end it cost nothing.
http://www1.autozone.com/servlet/UiBroker?UseCase=

 

The one in the link looks like the one I borrowed from NAPA, the "hooks" kept slipping off of the spring coil.Didn't like it much.

 

Why not? What percentage of tools have you purchased from Harbor Freight that have failed?

FWIW, I've broken many ratchets and sockets from Craftsman as well as a $100 torque wrench. It is then that I discovered that just because it has the Craftsman name on it does not mean it has a lifetime warranty. [:@] Harbor Freight, however, had no problem warrantying a broken torque wrench.

 

All hands tools can be replaced, though you have to goto a Class A or B (the big stores, not local stores) to get replacement. We replaced several broken screw drivers just weeks ago, and while trying to replace a broken bit they explained its only the hand tools carry the lifetime warrarnty.

 

I also borrowed a spring compressor from Autozone. I think Kragan (Schucks) loans tools as well. I looked a t a spring compressor at Harbor Freight and was glad that Autozone had a loaner tool program. Are you sure you don't have an auto parts place local to you that loans out tools? If not, I would go ahead and order one rather than try to cobble something together. The penalty for a spring compressor failing is almost as great as for a jackstand failing; there's a significant chance of death in both cases.

 

To each his own. Go take a look at this heft of this tool before you throw it under the bus.

 

Craftsman tools are warrantied for life. Although I have only had to take a ratchet back and they replaced it at no charge, my craftsman tools are tough and I don't baby them. My father-in-law however uses the cheapest tools he can buy, and that includes many Harbor Freight tools. They are crap.

 

Not all Craftsman tools are warrantied for life! I, too, used to buy Craftsman tools for their "no questions asked lifetime warranty". Boy was I pissed when the handle broke off of my $100 torque wrench and they wouldn't honor the warranty. It was explained to me that it was not a"hand tool", but instead a "precision tool". [:@] I sure as heck didn't see that advertised anywhere nor did the salesman tell me that when I bought it. I even had a friend of a friend who worked at Sears try to warranty it for me to no avail.

I don't deny that many of the tools you can get at Harbor Freight are of less than stellar quality, but for that matter, so are a lot of Craftsman. I've broken plenty of Craftsman ratchets and powertools myself. For me to make a blanket statement, however, that all Craftsman are crap because I've broken severalis no more fair than saying all HF are. To each his own I guess.