The Good, The Bad and Ugly from Harbor Freight

[blime81]

Originally Posted by Mxracer202

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.

[7T2]

Originally Posted by blime81

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.

I know this is a Harbor Freight thread, but since you mentioned them I thought I would throw out my ever-loving praise of CRAFTSMANS tap and die sets. I got both complete sets (standard and metric), along with the extra bigger add-ons that fit in the SAE case, and I think I was still under $200 after everything was said and done. That was 10+ years ago, and I honestly don't know what the return policy is on them because I don't think I have ever damaged one! Easily one of my top ten "most used" tool purchases. When working on an old vehicle it is so nice to just go to my tool chest and be able to fix, or even just chase and clean up, the threads on a nut or bolt. Buying new ones can nickel and dime you to death between buying the part and driving to the store, when probably 80% of the time they can be reused. It may sound like a lot to get the whole kit, but it definitely pays off over time. Put it on your Christmas/Birthday list if you don't want to spend the money yourself.