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The Haole Queen and I will be arriving in 6 weeks  and I'm planning on bringing a minimum amount of tools (initially). Where do you folks buy your tools? I would prefer to patronize the local shops, the big box stores will get plenty of our business anyway.
Aloha
Richwhiteboy
"Give us the tools and we will finish the job."- Winston Curchill
“Sometimes the truth hurts. And sometimes it feels real good.”
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Local: Largest selection of tools not in a big box, HPM on Hwy 11, just down from the airport, in Hilo. There are also True Value & Ace hardware stores, & some tools at Trojan & Central Supply for some specialty stuff....then there are the big boxes, Sears, WalMart & Home Depot
Edited by - carey on 08/30/2007 18:04:22
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Carey pretty much covered it, but I'd also suggest shopping around if possible. I've bought from HPM, HD, Lowes, Central Supply, Costco, Sears, Ace, ICI, Walmart, Ebay, Hilo Wire Products, Harbor Freight and selectively second hand. Watch for sales, holiday specials, etc. Worst case is needing to buy ASAP, because you know you'll see a better price soon after.
David
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I don't like Harbor Freight. Their tools are low quality, but they are cheap, at least some of the time. Make sure that you know what you're getting from them. I bought an impact wrench that I couldn't use because there were no bits available anywhere that would fit it. One redeeming thing about them was that they did refund me my money when I returned it. But they made it clear that it was a one-time thing. And then, the catalogs don't seem to stop coming. I found a refurbished Makita online that was very reasonable.
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Garage sales for heavens sake! You can get a shovel for $1, make a big pile of assorted tools and offer them $5 or $10. Weed whackers are usually around $20 and lawnmowers around $50. We got a brand new ax, bow rake and hoe at a garage sale two weeks ago and had to pay $2 for the ax (the plastic guard was still over the blade along with the shiny stickers and not a single mark on it since it had never been used even once!) and the rest were $1 each.
To find garage sales, on Saturday morning drive along the highway and look for signs. Follow the arrows. Garage sales are even better than a box of chocolates because even though you don't know what you'll find, you probably won't gain weight from it.
"I like yard sales," he said. "All true survivalists like yard sales."
Kurt Wilson
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I kinda miss Paradise Auctions, fun as long as you bid with reason.
David
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Thanks for the info everyone. Probably will bring handtools and guns, buy whatever else I need locally.
There's a very real danger in exposing the Haole Queen to garage sales.
Aloha
Richwhiteboy
"To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk."
~ Thomas Edison
“Sometimes the truth hurts. And sometimes it feels real good.”
- Henry Rollins
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You can sometimes find tools at the Keaau Tranfer Station garage sales on the 1st & 3rd fri & sat.
OH... Haole Queen will need to steer clear of the Keaau Transfer, as they usually have a garage sale type area open during the day, most days, as staffing allows....
Hubby & I recovered a full Craftsman tool kit from the metal recycling for their garage sale last spring - he just couldn't see letting that go to the smelter...& had a handy dandy magnetic retrieval tool.....& WAY too many Craftsman tools & I wouuldn't let him add any more & this was his way to give back...(the tool box was toast from the toss into the dumpster.....can only speculate that this was a revenge of wife/lover thing...even a landlord would have tried to sell it...)
Today a guy picked up 2 gas weed eaters with the same gas engines at the Transfer Station.
What would it take to get all of the transfer stations to have the services that are at Keaau...only donated money & volunteer time....luckily for us, there was & is a strong group of people backing the Keaau program...
Always remember a quote by Margaret Meade, Anthropologist;
"Never doubt that a small group of committed people can change the world; indeed it is the only thing that ever has"
Edited by - carey on 09/01/2007 10:18:12
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I'm not big on Harbor Freight... but why did you add that to your list? Do the ship for free or is there an out let in hawaii that I don't know about?
Thanks... BTW, I bought an all in one Boshe tool set... Brought it over... It was fairly new so, I didn't want to sell it. Actually packed it in a rubbermaid container and used that as my second baggage.
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Hmmm, why did I add Harbor Freight? Not because I'm in love with their quality, but...
Once you've been to all the Hilsoside stores you might come to realize that assortment and availability are sometimes lacking - either you cannot find sometime you know you need or the price is just mind boggling. HF will ship to Hawaii via Priority Mail, a pretty good deal on some items, definitely cheaper than an unplanned trip Konaside (where there is greater assortment/availability). I'm about ready to do an order again.
Note on HF quality: About 9 years ago, I bought one of their $50, 10 inch drill presses to build kitchen cabinets during a complete kitchen remodel. I've used it on quite a variety of projects from wood to plastic to 1/2 inch steel. I've worn out a number of bits, regular twist, forstner, step etc, but the drill press itself lives on - not sure I could kill it if I tried. 
David
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Edited by - David M on 09/01/2007 23:44:51
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