Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck

[Harry c]

I have a 3+ year old HF floor mount metal bender that looks to be a neat way to do some decorative iron work, if I figure out how to use it. The manual is essentially worthless. OK so I haven't spent over a couple hours messing with it due to frustration with the manual. One day when I get time I will figure it out from brute force and awkwardness without the manual.

Pat

I have one of the benders as well. You're right about the worthless manual. I needed to make some specific repetitive bends and managed to figure out a way to do them. Probably not the way it was intended but bent them anyway. I don't think I'll ever have enough time to figure out how that thing is supposed to work.

 

[patrick_g]

I have one of the benders as well. You're right about the worthless manual. I needed to make some specific repetitive bends and managed to figure out a way to do them. Probably not the way it was intended but bent them anyway. I don't think I'll ever have enough time to figure out how that thing is supposed to work.

Thanks for sharing, Harry. Misery loves company. Maybe one day we will find someone who knows how to use it and we can share the knowledge. I was hopeful I was going to receive a bit of help on the instructions in the main but it didn't come.

Pat

 

[flusher]

I bought one of those HF $80 pressurized grit blasters (40 lb capacity). Tried it with HF's walnut shell grit and glass beads. Not very reliable. Lotsa time spent removing clogs. My $15 unpressurized grit blast gun from TSC is much more usable and reliable.

 

[Ken Cunningham]

I also bought a set of the digital calipers and wondered how acurate they are. We had some 3 mill poly bags laying around and I measured the thickness with them. They read .003 every time and we had some 2 mill bags and it read .002. So they are plenty accurate for most things.

 

[patrick_g]

HF stores around here have a 3 1/2 cu ft cement mixer on sale for $189 (reg $249) and I bought one. We had a storm blow off the 14x14 ft overhead doors on one of our buildings and in the process the one door hit my mixer and turned it over bending shafts and sprockets. It is a "some assy req" situation on the new one so haven't run it yet but the assembled display looked OK, especially compared to the mixer that took the hit (even before it took the hit.)

I'll report later, after I have used it.

I was intending to buy what they call an asphalt cutter (5 inch) for $28.95 at HF. It is a "chisel tip" tool that goes in a large "Breaker Hammer" (small electric jack hammer thingy.) I was going to be in OKC anyway to pick up a sprocket for my Dewalt 13" planer at the factory warranty station/parts store and drop off a 4 1/2 inch angle grinder for repair. While there I looked around the small retail space for BARGAINS. They had a Dewalt brand chisel tip for the breaker on the close out table for $14 which I snatched in a heartbeat. It is a 3" rather than a 5" but that is not all bad news as in hard digging a smaller chisel penetrated better.

My intended uses include getting holes started for my PTO powered auger when digging is hard.

Pat

 

[Wayne County Hose]

I just had a 2 year old HF log splitter in my shop for repairs. The valve went bad. This thing is junk. While replacing the valve, I noticed that they use a pipe nipple to mount the valve to the cylinder. The pipe nipple they use is not even rated for the hydraulic system pressure. Lawsuit waiting to happen. There is no filter on it at all. It has a 9 gpm pump and a 2 gallon tank. OMG. They use a cheap tie-rod cylinder and the hoses on the machine were -8, pressure, and return. Suction was this cheapie -12 fish tank hose. Buyer beware.

But, they guy told me it was the least expensive he could find. He thought he did good. He did do good, for me anyway, as long as he keeps bringing it to me everytime it pukes.

 

[YM-135trac]

I just had a 2 year old HF log splitter in my shop for repairs. The valve went bad. This thing is junk. While replacing the valve, I noticed that they use a pipe nipple to mount the valve to the cylinder. The pipe nipple they use is not even rated for the hydraulic system pressure. Lawsuit waiting to happen. There is no filter on it at all. It has a 9 gpm pump and a 2 gallon tank. OMG. They use a cheap tie-rod cylinder and the hoses on the machine were -8, pressure, and return. Suction was this cheapie -12 fish tank hose. Buyer beware.

But, they guy told me it was the least expensive he could find. He thought he did good. He did do good, for me anyway, as long as he keeps bringing it to me everytime it pukes.

What lawsuit? Who's going to China, to find the litle@home slave/sweatshop to serve then notice to appear in court?HA-HA buyer-beware for sure! That's what the little piece of paper/came-in-the box, written in chinese says "buyer beware" HA-HA.

 

[Bedlam]

funny mine is a Kelly splitter made in USA and it uses a nipple to connect also.

 

[Skyco]

hey WCHose---what HF log splitter is that? Mine has a filter in the return line, 30 ton with a 9HP Robin. The nipple connecting the valve and the cylinder is a stout looking hex center steel one. The pressure hose is marked for 4000PSI.

 

[YM-135trac]

funny mine is a Kelly splitter made in USA and it uses a nipple to connect also.

Don't want to speak for Wayne, but I think?he
meant a household hardwarestore plumbing nipple rated @2-300psi? Yours(USA) got hyd pipe nipple, made different (seamless) High-burst-pressure rated. probally cost .62cents more but......thats 2weeks wages Maybe old ones done blew sombodys hand off.&so they make em w/proper components(ie knock-offs)HA-HA......even drug/airline/autobody/U-name-it industry isn't exempt from that! It's wild west with parts these days....Caymans are a cold uninviting place for nosy lawers. USA only a sticker.HA-HA I'll bet, a dollar to a dime WcHose has seen lots of knock-off stuff in his buisness??&works hard keeping it out of his inventory??? It's OUT THERE EVERYWHERE-wild west, really.