Hall Tool Company

Nice selection of tools, but two times out of four visits I’ve been treated to a givashit attitude. They may have a vast network of good ol’ boys who buy there regardless, but if they want us home guys (me, that is), they need to improve their average customer game. Two words: Home Depot. Two more words: Harbor Freight. And if they think those aren’t serious competition, I await their going out of business sale. I’d rate Hall at 2−½ stars if I had that option.

They are a little bit expensive but they had what I was looking for when nobody else did. They also have a lot of US made stuff which is always a plus in my book.

I would give them zero stars if I could. We brought a tool in to get fixed, and after not hearing back from them for weeks, we called to see if it was ready. They couldn’t find the tool we had brought in, and were told that it was tossed in the trash. Now, maybe I’m mistaken, but when you bring something to a business to be FIXED it generally does not end up in the trash. If it was unrepairable, they should have let me know and I could taken it else where or used the warranty that the tool was under. After several emails and calls, they told me they had found the tool, which was a bag full of parts (was it even our original tool, you tell me with a bag of parts?). They were not easy to work with, and were rather rude. I would NEVER bring a tool here that needs to be fixed, or do business with them again.

Good place for high quality tools.
Great staff, good dog, and they have endmills. They’re one of the few places you can find quality endmills in Portland.
Only gripe, I couldn’t find a US made ball-​peen hammer there once.
Vaughn makes hammers in the US guys… Just a tip.

You might not be familiar with Hall Tool Company unless you’re a professional mechanic or contractor, since those are the markets they generally cater to, but that’s kind of a shame. The home handyman or casual mechanic such as myself can usually handle most jobs with tools bought from mainstream sources, but if you like to try and tackle increasingly complex projects, eventually you’re going to be in need of a specialty tool that you just won’t find at a big chain store.
In my case I needed an inch-​pound, beam style torque wrench for measuring bearing preload on a rear axle I was rebuilding. You can find foot-​pound torque wrenches just about everywhere, but for this precision job I needed something that would measure in much smaller increments. After searching in vain at the big retailers I had almost placed an order online when I decided to check out Hall Tool. They had the exact same wrench I was planning on ordering, and at a cheaper price to boot. Now when I need a specialty tool for automotive work I know to look here first.
Although Hall Tool stands out for specialty items and high-​end, professional grade tools, they sell more basic items as well. Maybe you just need a basic framing hammer, cordless drill, or circular saw, but you want to buy something high quality that will last. Before you assume a home improvement store will have the best deals, I’d check this place out. All of the brands they carry are top quality, but their prices are competitive. Best of all they’re family owned and have been around since 1935 so you’ll be supporting a local business.