Harbor Freight and the COVID-19

[Johnnu2]

I just saw this on another forum; I don't know anything about it, but thought I'd post it here. Hope it's legit:

"Dear Harbor Freight Community,
As we’ve been following the news over the last few days, we’ve heard about the severe shortage of protective gear for hospitals, healthcare workers and first res ponders as the impact of COVID-19 is being felt across the country. America depends on these heroes every day and in the days ahead we will depend on them even more. At Harbor Freight, we want them to know that they can depend on us too.
So we’ve decided to donate our entire supply of the personal protective equipment items listed below to front line hospitals with 24 hour emergency rooms in the communities served by our stores.
• N95 Masks
• Face Shields
• 5 and 7 mil Nitrile Gloves
If you work at a hospital with a 24 hour emergency room in need of these items, please ask the office in charge of procurement at your hospital to click here so they can provide us with the information we’ll need to determine if we can make a donation. If you’re not with a hospital, but would like to give us the name of a hospital with a 24 hour emergency room in your community that might need our help, please email us at [email protected], identify the hospital’s city and state in the subject line, and our team will follow-up.
PLEASE DO NOT MAKE REQUESTS AT YOUR LOCAL STORE OR OUR CALL CENTER AND PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT HOSPITALS—THEY’RE BUSY HELPING THEIR PATIENTS.
For hospitals we’re able to help, we’ll email them a voucher when the supplies are available for pick up at their local Harbor Freight Tools store.
Although we certainly won’t have enough of these supplies to fill everyone’s needs, we’re going to donate everything we’ve got. We also recognize that there are so many other critically important people responding to this crisis and that there is need everywhere. We’ve chosen to focus our efforts on hospitals with a 24 hour emergency room with the hope that we can help as many people as possible right now.
Thank you and God Bless,

Eric Smidt
Owner and Founder
Harbor Freight Tools"

 

[daveg.inkc]

That’s the USA coming together! I have a HF close by. It’s always busy. Their quality has much improved over last few years. My first choice when I need a tool. I bought an upright air compressor from them. Many hand tools, too.

 

[powder smoke]

We have one in Bangor bout an hour from me. Next time I head there I'll check em out!
There tools seem to be low end I like buying quality tool I make my living with them.
Something crap the bed in the middle of a project, that would really stink! ps

 

[tunnug]

Yup, went by the local HF and the shelves where the PPE stuff used to be were empty, sign saying why was there asking us to understand, very cool I thought.

Edit; I'm sure these items were shipped from China way before anything hit, only their latest order would be questionable, they would know the timeframe.

 

[jimbo1096]

Went by my local HF this morning and the shelves were bare of these items. I asked why and when they would get another delivery and was told they had donated all items to hospitals. I was impressed that a store would do that. I will continue to be a customer. Did buy some Hardy brand nitrile coated nylon work gloves that will suit me just fine until this is all over.
Jim h.

 

[rimmer1]

Good on them. A nice place to browse and shop. I've got about 6 boxes of their gloves on hand. I always buy them when their on sale and I gotta say their the best nitrile gloves on the market.

 

[kramden]

That's very AMERICAN!!

 

[smoke-eater]

Going there this weekend to buy a creeper for working on the Xterra. Can't crawl around under there like I used to.
Probably pick up another free blue flashlight as well. I've got them all over the house.

 

[Mike J]

I wont go to Harbor Freight for a tool I expect to use a lot. If it is something that I am going to use around the house a couple of times & then have it sit for a long time before I need it again I will buy from them. With that said some of their products seem to be better than I recall them being when I first learned of them. Back in the 90's my dad was running two service stations with mechanic stalls. The deal was pumping the owners gas payed his rent. Anything he sold-any payment he got for work done was his. He had people working for him & his Snap-On & Mac tools started driving off under car hoods. His solution was to start ordering the Harbor Freight Pittsburgh tools. They worked well enough for what he needed them to do.

I prefer to buy American when possible but it is harder & harder to do. Good on them for helping out.