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Old 06-25-2011, 02:23 PM   #91
blime81
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Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Oceanside CA
Posts: 277
Re: The Good, The Bad and Ugly from Harbor Freight

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mxracer202 View Post
Anyone tried their welders? chop saws? air compressors? dies? torque wrenches? winches? tube bender? drill presses? haha sorry spent a while looking for things I need.
Welders: The little 110 inverter stick welder is pretty cool and you can easily turn it into a scratch start TIG if you need such a thing. Not so impressed by the others I've seen there mainly because they have coarse adjustments and just plain look cheap but I have very little time on any of them.

Chop saw: Caged a desert truck and every cut was made with the chop saw. Had to be careful since it will loosen up and make crooked cuts but if you check it before every cut it works pretty good. The blade is soft so just buy a new one when you get it.

Dies: I manufacture a product that involves threading rod. Trust me you are better off collecting the sizes you need in quality taps and dies over time than buying the "every size included" HF set.

Drill presses: These are seem OK. A friend has the big one and it seems to be holding up. I suggest buying an old American made press. They last forever and a used one will cost about the same a new HF one.

Compressor: Had a little 10 gal one for a couple years. Worked OK but it got really hot and I had to replace the cheapo breaker. My shop quickly outgrew it. I wouldn't get one again simply because for the cost of a HF big one you can buy a name brand with an on-site warranty.
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Jeff
'72 C10 - lays frame
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