I've had one really bad experience with Harbor Freight tools. I got a "great deal" on a 15 piece, 1/4 inch shank router bit set - about $25 or $30. I was using one of the bits to cut a pattern, and a piece of carbide came zinging off the bit. I chucked another bit from the set, and the same thing happened. I promptly took the remaining bits outside and put them in the trash. Lesson learned, no more cheap router bits.

However, I've had good luck with other tools they sell that are only for occasional use: heat gun, laminate router trimmer, 4" angle grinder, 4'x8' utility trailer (was a pain to assemble, but is a great value), and lots of hand tools (hammers, files, etc.).

I just bought a 7" benchtop tile cutter that I haven't used yet, but postings on other forums said it was a good value.

Also, two years ago I bought one of their General Machine brand wood lathes. I love it. The castings are identical to Jet's lathe that costs 4 times more, the quality of finish is good (the castings are actually cleaner than many Jet's I have seen), there is almost no vibration when it runs (you can stand a nickle on edge on the rails), and it was affordable. I did, however, go top-quality on my turning tools, and ended up spending more on a set of gouges than I did on the lathe.