Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck

[The Deerslayer]

Mine worked for about 6 months, then the trigger switch became erratic. Haven't taken the time to work on it yet.

Bruce

Whoa.....that doesn't sound good; especially since it is only warrantied for 3 months. Did you use it much prior to the problem?

 

[bcp]

It probably had more use than the average homeowner would have in a year or two, but not what I would call excessive. The blade has never needed sharpening yet.

Bruce

 

[Iplayfarmer]

...I wonder if that compressor, "120 volts, 2.6 amps", would run from the HF 400/800 watt inverter I just bought?

On paper it works. I'm always hesitant, though, running anything from HF at or near capacity. I like to have a little more of a safety factor when using HF products.

 

[5030]

2.6 amps running is NOT starting amps. Typically, starting amps are 4 times running amps.

 

[California]

That's what I was concerned about. The manual for the '400/800' watt inverter says it will turn off if a load exceeding 750 watts hits it. And of course a compressor starts hard. (because it is starting against existing air pressure, at least these small ones).

Well I bought the inverter to power cordless tool chargers. It should be fine for that.

Hmm... I wonder if the inverter would power HF's corded pole chainsaw? I don't see that listed online so I don't know what it draws.

 

[chopped]

Ill add nippers. Although I dont do tile work,I recommend these I use them to re-claim lumber. They work great to grab the nails for removal.
Remember to pull finish nails all the way though and not the way they went in.(head). this prevents tear out of the wood surface.
10" Heavy Duty End Nipper

 

[BigE_]

My $100 HF metal cutting 14" chopsaw that I got on sale for $50 years ago was still running strong up until a few days ago. Clicked on the trigger and *nothing*.

Pulled out the brushes. They looked good, but I turned them around just in case. While tightening up the second brush cap with the screwdriver, I went a touch too far and it busted off. (No, I wasn't twisting hard).

But, since the cap was still in place, I plugged it back in and tried the trigger. It worked!

While this chopsaw works OK for cutting metal, be aware that there is excessive wobble and vibration in the saw (bearings are horrible), and the cuts are not clean at all.

For me, I got it to cut rebar, and it works great for that. It pretty much sucks for anything that requires precision.

 

[CompactTractorFan]

ALSO this pry bar. A friend of mine called it a bonzeye(sp) either way its a good but Mine was 1.99 a few years ago. Its quite sturdy. Great for removing trim and a great scraper
9-3/4" Multipurpose Pry Bar

A while back I bought their 'Heavy Duty Pry Bar' (we used to call them flatbars back in my Journeyman Carpenter days) and it was junk. This is the type of bar that looks like it was fabricated from a tempered leaf spring. I bent the HF one the first time I tried serious prying with it - just pulling hard with both hands, which shouldn't be abuse. It was nowhere near the quality of my Craftsman and Stiletto versions that I've used for 40 years and never damaged.

I have both of the above, and they seem pretty good for the price...

 

[California]

I expect that the quality of steel or tempering or something, varies from batch to batch. I didn't expect to bend the HF flatbar but it really wasn't adequate for my project which was tearing down an old outbuilding. After I finally found my old 1960's Craftsman flatbar to use instead, I had no further problem.

I've bought a couple of the HF fiberglass handle hammers. I use them all the time and I like them, especially the one with a magnet to hold the nail while you strike the first blow.

 

[jpm1]

I have 2 HF quick Hitches, Excellent! IMO . . . no need to pay more. . .
I also have a 14" cut off saw that paid 19.95 for and works good . . .John