The Good, The Bad and Ugly from Harbor Freight

[orbot]

Anyone here has used their co2 tanks???

[FrankieD]

Originally Posted by ETsC10

Haha. I'm with you on that. I've got one in the shop with all four wheels but one of the wheels is laying on wheel cradle.

Thanks guys I guess I will save the $100 on those and buy some beer.

[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.

[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.

[leddzepp]

My HF 3/8 drill just crapped out yesterday....after many years of HARD labor. I tossed it, and went and got another 3/8 drill for $15

[GmtGmt]

We have most of the same stuff just diffrent color

The Good:
Palm sander
1/2" deep well impact set
4.5" grinder that thing has been used and abused
Gas less MIG welder that thing has been used and abused
2½t floor jack this thing has been bent out of shape twice and works like it allways have it has been really abused
2Ton engine hoist
6Ton Jack Stands
Creeper
Wirebrushes
Wrenches with ratched heads
Oil Drain tank
Engine stand


The Bad:
cut-off wheels dont last very long
Drill Bits break easyley and ware quickley out
angle magnet for welding it cant really keep things togther


Ugly
vice grips what a joke i took the cardbord of the ziptie while doing that i broke in two
Cable stripper the first wire i tryed to strip it with it broke the handle

[a.c.ward]

I have a 9000 lb winch from them, bought when it was on sale for $299. Mounted it to my shop made receiver hitch and use the heck out it. I made a receiver mount for the front of my 00 Z71, so that I can use it front and back. Also made a receiver mount for my 20 foot trailer, so I can use it to load and unload vehicles. Bought 50 feet of welding cable from Craig’s list, some heavy duty jumper cable ends, and fixed it so that I cannot hard mount the winch to any one location. Works great, only problem is the control switch is very short. I took a 16 gauge extension cord (50’) cut the ends off, and took apart the control head, and extended the controller so that I can work by myself loading and unload vehicles from the trailer, need to steer it on….

I have one of the big gas powered air compressors, model 99918. Use it at my home shop. Electric bills were killing me using conventional air compressors. More than capable for my needs, 18CFM at 100 PSI. only drawback is the fuel tank size, just about 2 gallons. Can get about 10 hours of run time from one tank, so not so bad.

I have one of the little 90 amp wire feed welders, works ok, flux core only, not able to convert to gas. Works good for thinner materials, requires the area to absolutely flawlessly clean to work…. Good for around the farm, but not much else.

I have a tube bender, but still in box, not used yet.

Had one of the stand up 12 speed drill presses, but traded it for a Craftsman 6 speed older model. Had no real issues with it, but the guy wanted the ability to “control” his drilling speed better.

Taps and dies, get name brand stuff, if they break, they are hell to drill and extract….

Torque wrench? Are you going to trust your motor to something that cannot be calibrated? I have used HF torque wrenches, and the teeth are not very strong in the ratchet. Tried to have it calibrated, required for my work with the Army, and it could not be brought into spec, so I bought a Craftsman ½ on sale for $79, and it passed first time.

Sorry for the long rant, but there are good deals at HF if you are willing to make it work for you….

[Mxracer202]

thinkin about gettina brandnew craftsman 6" bench grinder for $35...but im worried that its cheap quality now sonce kmart bought them out, any input?

[NONHOG]

Originally Posted by Mxracer202

thinking about getting a brand new craftsman 6" bench grinder for $35...but im worried that its cheap quality now since kmart bought them out, any input?

Mine is 15 years old and it was made in China. Never even looked till the capasiter smoked on it.
Been working fine since. Year or two.
Probably better then HF?

[lilpoindexter]

I have (had?) one of those pretty little light weight blue and silver 3000 lb floor jacks from HF...It worked fine, but my truck wasn't completely up on the ramps...I was doing something with the jack, that was probably unsafe...Long story short, the jack acted as a "stop" to keep my truck from rolling completely down the ramps....The jack got bent into a parallelogram, and now it doesn't collapse all the way, but it still works fine!...I guess they haven't idiot proofed their tools yet.

[54Caddy]

So the big red tool box from them is good quality. How does it do with the weight of a lot of tools in the drawers. Are the drawers big enough to put some 36 inch long pry bars. Im a tech at nissan and been looking for a box, cant get my self to buy a mac or snap on box. The price of one of those can get my truck looking a lot better.

[gringoloco]

The 'purple' paint gun, 47016. This thing rocks, and is only $14.99. It sprays better than MANY other much more expensive guns I've used. I figure, if it wears out, I'll go get another...

[Sub-versive]

I admit, I avoided HF like the plague.
Then I landed this new job, over half the guys use a fair amount of HF stuff. After witnessing, borrowing and trying it out for myself, a few things are not bad.

Air tools:
1/4" die grinders-straight and 90*
1/4" cut-off tool
-just add oil and they last a long time

I bought mine for 9.99, can't beat that. In fact, one of the guys killed an IR 1/4" before he killed his HF grinder, go figure.(treated equally) Same guy has one grinder he refuses to oil, 9 years and still going. We use these daily too, I would have NEVER bet they would hold up as well as an IR unit until actually witnessing it.


Sockets:
3/8" and 1/2" sockets
deep impact sockets
impact extensions
allen head sockets
breaker bars
They all work great. I bought a newer Crapsman set that rounded a socket recently, I couldn't believe it. So I replaced it with HF stuff, no problems yet.
I prefer my SK set, but if one goes missing the company replaces it with stanley/Proto, so my SK stays at home.


car dollies
I have the car dollies too. As I've said before, grease them liberally and they perform fine. A set of 4 was ? $70-$80 when I got them, can't remeber exactly, they were on super sale.

[karlbenz]

drill bits suck
step drills work good
welding helmet works good unless what you are welding is in line with fluorescent lights(auto darkens from the light)

[Altec]

FAIL

Pittsburgh
Item # 47902
"40 Piece 3/8" and 1/4" Drive Socket Set"

I opened the package, and when I grabbed a socket to see how it felt. I noticed a rough feeling edge on it. Grabbed another, and felt the same. Then I stuck the socket on my new Pittsburgh Composite ratchet, and it wouldn't stay on... Because the sockets don't have proper holes/grooves for the detent. Just a tiny lip that won't let a push button release engage. Now, the true failure is when I took the socket off the ratchet. When I grabbed it, that rough edge let go of a sliver of metal...Right into my finger... So I had to pick a 1/4" long chunk of chrome coated steel out of my finger (Read: Not chrome flakes...)...

Other then that, I don't understand why a set that is 95% 1/4" uses a 3/8" ratchet with a adapter...

$4 isn't worth picking metal out of your finger... Thank the lord it was a freebie...

http://www.harborfreight.com/40-piec...set-47902.html




PASS

Pittsburgh
Item # 66313
"3/8" Heavy Duty Composite Ratchet"

Purchased this from a tip on GJ. For $9, and a Lifetime Warranty I figured at worst it will be a loaner... First impressions are sturdy, comfortable, and the 72 tooth ratcheting action is very smooth! Had a chance to use it once since getting it, and it has good grip. I use mainly Snap-On ratchets, but this one has my respect so far!

The one, and only problem I have is because of the internal design... The reverse lever is backwards from damn near every other ratchet made! I am not finding this to be as big of a problem as I thought it would be, but I am still considering re engineering it a bit...

http://www.harborfreight.com/3-8-eig...het-66313.html

[1LowToy]

Just wondering if anyone has tryed out the stud gun for the dent puller. any good? I gotta do something soon and I hate using hammers

[gringoloco]

Originally Posted by 1LowToy

Just wondering if anyone has tryed out the stud gun for the dent puller. any good? I gotta do something soon and I hate using hammers

I have used it and it works fairly well. You will need to hold the trigger for a bit to get them to set properly, and it pulls a lot of amperage, but will get the job done...

[FrankieD]

SALE
http://widgets.harborfreight.com/wsw...9&keycode=1002

[Dunenutt]

Best $150 bucks I've ever spent on a tool box. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of this box.

[Shane]

that same cart has a coupon out currently that has it for $99

[lunati397]

The good
12 ton press
blast cabinet
free screw driver sets (coupons) even if they break and they will they were free
engine stands
jack stands
vise grips
solar walkway lights
bug zapper wand thing (awsome when the gaurd is removed)
and lots of little stuff the trick is to go with a hand full of coupons last time i went I spend 280 on 500 worth of stuff

The bad
air tools
sockets
ratchets
I would use thier sockets for getting wheel locks off a car

[6 Door King]

I have purchased alot of tools from HF. When I started out and needed tools they helped me fill my toolbox. I still have many of them and the ones that I have managed to break were my fault for asking more of a tool than should be expected. A pipe placed on my half inch breaker bar ended that one, wet air ruined a grinder and using non-impact sockets on air tools ruined a few light duty sockets. I have many specialty tools that Snap-On and Matco wanted as much as 18 times as much for. I buy from just about any tool brand if it appears good quality and the price is right.
Good=
Impact sockets, all sizes
Vacuum Bleeder
Die Grinder
Angle Grinder
Air Shears (Light use)
Welding magnets
Locking Pliers/Clamps, have about 40 pairs for big panel work
Terminal Pliers (Heavy version)
Pitman Arm Puller
Multimeter
Pry Bars
Tarps (cheap but keep water out for a while)
Rope and Stretch cords
Trailer lights
Pipe Bender
Short wrenches Standard and Metric

The Bad=
Just about every electric tool I have bought
Sawzall
4" grinder
1/2 inch drill
after these died I didn't risk any more money.

Plenty of good tools at HF and you get what you pay for. I used many of these tools on a daily basis for 6-7 years. Everyone has wished they had a shorted wrench to get in that little spot or a different extension to reach that bolt way back there, at least with HF tools you can load up your box with all those once in while tools without breaking the bank.

[pat 70/71]

I bought a 4 1/2 grinder lasted maybe five minutes! what do you expect for $25.00 ? My bad & never again. just junk thats it! cheers, Pat

[SteelMohawk]

They sell a new winch that you can mount on bumpers that is supposed to be very good. But I did read that in an airport from like offroad or peterson's so it could just be a clever add.