The Good, The Bad and Ugly from Harbor Freight

[Shane]

I got 3 of those 4 1/2" grinders ... all of them at least 5 years old ... still going strong. Orange ones (Chicago Electric), NOT the blue ones (Drill Master).

[VA72C10]

Originally Posted by Shane

I got 3 of those 4 1/2" grinders ... all of them at least 5 years old ... still going strong. Orange ones (Chicago Electric), NOT the blue ones (Drill Master).

Same here....actually my blue one has held up well....they had a sidewalk sale and they were $4.99 so I couldn't pass that up! I only use it for sanding/wire wheeling but it's been a nice backup to my $9.99 orange HF grinder and allows me to have two different sanding/cutting discs at the same time. Probably will grab another one the next time it's on the 4.99 sale....and i need to go through my mags to find the $99 coupon for the rolling cart. I need more toolbox space and that's a killer deal at that price. A friend of mine has one and it is just as nice as another friend's 299 craftsman cart....

[FrankieD]

I just bought this tool box for $369 click on the link and wait 30sec. and the price will change from 399 to $369. The Harbor Freight I went to took the page print out in place of the coupon I told them I couldn't find it.
Looks pretty good and it is a few inches longer, 60 lbs heavier and $120 cheaper than the one at Menards

http://www.harborfreight.com/13-draw...IxOTAifQ%3D%3D

[Marv D]

this was $650 a couple of years ago when I bought mine. If you do much fabrication it's great for a poh-dunk hobbiest like me. Now that I have it I'm amazed how much it get's used.

http://www.harborfreight.com/garage-...oll-43353.html

[mcbassin]

Good:
Jack Stands
$45 "variable speed" Buffer
$50 "1/2" table top drill press (works great for polishing small parts drilling up to 1/4")
$10 air hammer
Bad
any abrasive product
air hose and quick connect fittings

[ya it is a classic]

i love harbor freight! i always hear "ohh harbor freight that stuff must be crap?" and i tell them about all my tools and show them a couple and most go to harbor freight and buy some stuff

[FrankieD]

So far I love the new tool box and the plastic trim tools work great, but they do have somethings that are crap

[rpmerf]

I've bought alot of stuff from harbor freight, I think the only things I've ever had problems with were:

corded drill - NO POWER!
tap and die - one of the handles broke

I'm sure theres a few more, but those were the biggest ones that I can remember.

I've had a 3/8" socket set from them that has lasted several engine and transmission swaps over the years.

I got the 120 amp welder thats been working pretty good

[Palf70Step]

I have quite a few items from HF also. Most everything seems to do what I expected. I am really pleased with my replacement air compressor motor and tool chests. Only thing I had a problem with was a cordless drill and they replaced it on the spot. I been using the replacement for 2 years now. Some of the air tool fittings seem to wear out quick in my mind, but I am not the most careful person as I plug the tools in and out.

[rpmerf]

Few more...

cordless screwdriver - battery lasts less than 5 minutes
hooks that go in the ladder rack holes - they are held in place with over sized drywall spring clips, so the hook sits at a weird angle.
leakdown tester - weird sized air compressor fitting, haven't tried changing it out yet

[chillware]

i bought their metal polishing kit and used it on my new alum radiator, polished it up to a mirror finish.. check out my thread here: http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=481896

[48richard]

Just threw out my $10 14.4 volt drill after 5 years because the battery died. Bought an 18 volt drill/light combo for $10.72, with a second one just to get the battery (just to buy the battery was about $15!). % years out of a $10 drill works for me!

[dmarty]

The 6" digital calipers are great at $9.99 on sale and are very acurate. Has anybody tried the non contact infrard thermometer?

[TIM86]

Picked up the ultra sonic cleaner they have. $74.99. Used the 20% off coupon on it. I have to say Im thoroughly impressed! Cleaned some jewelry for the GF and some gun parts. Now Im looking for more stuff to clean. Going to use it on my bumper guards I found @ the junkyard for $5.00. I give it @ thumbs up!

[usmcchevy]

Originally Posted by dmarty

Has anybody tried the non contact infrard thermometer?

Yep, $19.99 on sale. Works great!

[dmarty]

thanks, gonna get me one.

[k1rodeoboater]

Man I've killed 3 of the orange grinders on my truck...so that's 3 in 3/4 a year. Still can't complain since I only paid for 1 of them seeing as they all die within the 90 day return window, and I find myself going back to HF for other expendables.

[Cue-Ball]

I try to only buy stuff from Harbor Freight if I know it's a tool that won't get much usage and won't get me killed if it breaks. I've had some bad luck and some good luck with their stuff.

Good:
Silver and blue aluminum jack: It's built to a price, but I've had mine for probably 7 years and it still works great. There's a little slop in the jacking mechanism, but it still pumps up fine and holds well. I've even dropped a car on it and it still keeps on working. Good buy. Just be aware that it's not exactly designed for use on tall trucks.

1/2" torque wrench: Great tool! I was ||this close to buying a $300 "nice" wrench, but figured that I wouldn't use it often enough to justify the expense. Pretty sure I only paid $10 for this on sale and it worked perfectly for reassembling and torquing everything on my Camaro engine. I even went to the trouble to check the calibration on it multiple times and it was bang-on every time. Very, very good deal on this wrench.

Low profile creeper: I use this all the time and have never had a problem with it. It's nice and low, comfy, and has pockets for holding tools and nuts/bolts. Think I paid $20 for this on sale. I'd buy this again and would recommend it. I'm about 180 lbs. If you're substantially heavier you might want to avoid this and buy a metal frame creeper instead.

Digital multimeter: Works great and never had a problem with it. Considering the price (you can usually get this free with coupon), it's a hell of a bargain.

Fair:
3" cut-off wheel: I think I paid $10 for this a couple years ago. Bought it to cut down some u-bolts on my Camaro's rear end. Works well enough for $10 and is still working to this day. I used it last weekend to cut my bed supports for longer shackles. Not a bad tool, and definitely worth what I paid, but it's an air hog. My 33 gallon compressor has to run non stop to keep it supplied with air. It's just really inefficient. Had I known I'd get as much use out of it as I have, I'd have bought something nicer.

1000 lb engine stand: I used this when rebuilding the 350 for my Camaro. It works well enough as a stand, but because it doesn't use bearings, rotating the engine is a real bear (not bad with a shortblock, but once you put the heads on...it's a pain). I also never really felt that it was all that strong. 1000 lb rating or not, it didn't seem built to last and doesn't like to roll once it's loaded. Not too expensive and it'll work, but if you're going to use it more than once I'd suggest ponying up for something stronger, with better wheels, and with bearings so you can actually rotate the engine without giving yourself a hernia.

Avoid:
Pitman arm puller: Bought this because I *needed* one and Schuck's was out of rentals. It's a piece of crap. I can actually see it bend during use. But, having said that, it hasn't broken yet and I've pulled two pitman arms and at least a half dozen tie rod ends with it. I'd gladly pay 4X the price for a stronger tool and would recommend staying away from this one.

Air chisel set: Stay away from these. I tried using them to get off the rivets when installing lowering hangers. ended up grinding the chisel bit to a nub, and the ripper bit dulled very quickly. Spend a little more and get a set of GOOD, hardened bits that will last.

249 piece rotary tool bit set: I would not recommend this. The cut off wheels are flimsy and fragile, the brass brushes fly apart (90% of the bristles were gone within a matter of a few minutes use), and it is just generally of bad quality. Unless you're doing a very small project, you'll use up the bits before you finish and will have to make a second trip.

Small blast cabinet: It's pretty hard to mess up a blast cabinet, but I am pretty unhappy with this one. The light is terrible. The way the cabinet opens on the side causes all the media to spill out when you open it. It's not vented properly, so media tends to blow out in places where you don't want it to. And the nozzle that it comes with is complete junk. Spraying walnut shells constantly clogs the thing, and the feed tube is poorly engineered. The bigger cabinets look like they might be better, but this one is junk.


I personally tend to avoid anything with an electric motor and air tools. Also, anything that is a high wear item (I learned the hard way with the chisel bits) or needs high precision (tap and dies and such). I'll buy consumables like sandpaper and wire wheels there, but there are still a few things I avoid (dremel bits, some wire/brass wheels).

[hairlesshobo]

Good:

• 3 ton aluminum racing jack - this thing is cheap and works well while it lasts. Its well worth buying the 2 year warranty for like 10 bucks, because when it dies, just go swap it out each time.
• 6" digital caliper - works great, but I recommend paying a few bucks more for the one with a case.
• grinder - had mine for years, abuse the crap out of it. I mainly use it with wire wheel and cant complain. Has survived numerous engine builds.
• infrared thermometer
• LED flashlights (free)
• 900w 2 stroke generator. It has enough kick to run a skill saw or other electric power tool.. not bad for 80 bucks
• 2/10/50 amp battery charger/starter

Decent

• 110v mig welder - good for light jobs, doesn't feed the wire well and because it isn't gas it doesn't penetrate very welll
• air die grinder - very hit or miss. Get a decent one, it will last, otherwise it dies quickly. Went through 3 to finally get a decent one
• pipe bender - has trouble bending heavier pipes

Useless

• grinding wheels
• vice grips

[NorrisC10]

Good
Drill Press
Impact sockets got both metric and sae
Mechanics gloves work for what i've put em through and were decently priced
Those free little flashlights sure come in handy

Bad
Cutting wheels i did not like

[blime81]

Love the free flashlights! I've a bunch of them in the toy hauler and a couple in each glovebox.

Kids are always burning up batteries or losing flashlights when we are camping so I found it easier to just have a bunch of those. Plus they run for a long time on those cheapo batteries they come with.

[lilpoindexter]

Those 4 1/2 angle grinders are great.
I bought a reciprocating saw with a handle you can twist 90 degrees, seems like it works ok, but the ring you twist to put blades in feels like it has a really weak, sticky spring that probably wont last too long.
The black air impact sockets that come in a metal case are decent too.

Oh yeah...I have the blue and silver jack too..It did a parallelogram when I was abusing the jack, doing something I shouldn't have, and the car fell, but the jack still works...it just doesn't collapse all the way.

[Chad215]

I've rarely had problems with anything I've bought from HF. I don't consider them high quality tools, but generally if I use them for what they were designed for, I don't have problems

Good-

Drill press
Angle grinder
nail guns
1.5 hp pancake compressor (abused for years, works great)
heat gun

BAD

HVLP paint gun- got the one with a can to do some painting around the house and nothing sealed properly, splattered horribly and after about 5 min the gun wouldn't stop spraying and ended up with a large mess.

I've been debating getting the little sandblaster with the 50lb hopper.

[orange 71 chevy]

i bought some goodstuff there you just gotta be aware of what your purchasing.
THE GOOD
2 ton engine lift i used it to pull the long bed off worked great.
3 ton jack stands
spot weld removal tool
welding helmet (solar)haven't used it enough yet so far ok
and a 90 amp chicago mig welder it works good but just learned i need something better
no bad stuff yet

[k1rodeoboater]

I keep killing their grinders like crazy. Been through 3 of them now. Granted it is several months between each one but still...
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