Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck
- Thread starter Travelover
- Start date
BigE_
Platinum Member
Be careful with this electrical tape. The glue isn't that good and will degrade quickly outside. I used to buy the cheap electrical tape, and it works in some areas, but the critical areas I use my $5 a roll tape.
Once I run out of my cheap electrical tape I won't be buying it anymore. The money savings isn't worth the headache 3 years down the road when the trailer lights aren't working properly.
It still works great for quick repairs that you know you'll need to remove later on. Actually, its kind of like blue tape in that it releases easily...
Just my $0.02.
patrick_g
Elite Member
Silicone caulk and shrink tube. If you can find it get the shrink with heat setting seal inside already. There are crimp-on terminals and butt splices with the sealant inside and the shrink built in. This stuff is used underwater in well water pump installations and will sure work for trailer lights, even if a boat trailer that gets dunked.
Pat
BigE_
Platinum Member
Thanks for the tip. I've used heat shrink quite a bit, but I've never seen any with sealant inside. Where do you find it?
Never thought about putting silicone inside the tube before shrinking it.
I have used the cheap plastic dip from HF to seal off wires before. That works pretty good.
The heat shrink containing sealant is good stuff- I have made my own, make your splice, slather it with hot glue then cover it with heat shrink tubing, heating it to shrink the tubing remelts the hot glue and seals really well.
As for electrical tape- I never buy anything but Scotch 33+, never have found another tape even close to its quality. I have outside wraps of it that are still good and holding after 25+ years on my amateur radio tower!
As for electrical tape- I never buy anything but Scotch 33+, never have found another tape even close to its quality. I have outside wraps of it that are still good and holding after 25+ years on my amateur radio tower!
Barnone
Silver Member
BigE,
Yep, you would be better off with shrink wrap over butt connectors to do a proper job instead of electrical tape.
I've had a good experience with the HF tape when it is used in the right environment.
Yep, you would be better off with shrink wrap over butt connectors to do a proper job instead of electrical tape.
I've had a good experience with the HF tape when it is used in the right environment.
patrick_g
Elite Member
Back in the days when I took a sabbatical from my regular routine and for a few years wore a tool belt and climbed towers, boat masts up to the crow's nest and such doing field service work in marine electronics (RADAR, SONAR, depth sounders, VHF radio transceivers, single sideband transceivers, and such) we used to put silicon rubber over the top of black electrical tape. The black electrical tape wraps stayed together longer that way. If it survives going to sea for months on end it is definitely good for a long time in automotive service. Tinned solid copper ring terminals screwed to metal plates with stainless steel screws would corrode right off if not well sealed with silicone or other terrific material.
Scotch is good tape. Under a coating of silicon the el cheapo Harbor Freight tape will last as long or longer. If you do a conservative tape wrap
and then cover with silicone and shrink you get a flexible water proof joint that if opened up can be soldered later as the silicone didn't get on the copper conductor which makes tinning it for proper soldering nearly impossible.
I like silicon inside the shrink as it is flexible, water proof, and if you use the good stuff lasts 50 yrs or more. I bought some waterproof connectors and splices with insulation that is shrink and has the heat activated sealant at (dare I say it?) Harbor Freight. They are also available at Lowes and who knows where all else.
In general if it is intended for making waterproof connections that are under water, often 200 ft or more at pressures of several atmospheres then it is water tight enough for boat trailers and exposed automotive applications.
Pat (ex Kn5DBP, ex N6AYR, now AF5CK as of last Friday)
OP
Travelover
Elite Member
I've found that once it is soldered, there is no need to hermetically seal it - just shrink wrap to electrically insulate it. Different of course for underwater / underground with higher voltages.
5030
Epic Contributor
- Joined
- Feb 21, 2003
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- SE Michigan in the middle of nowhere
- Tractor
- Kubota M9000 HDCC3 M9000 HDC
Very satisified with the HF 10" disc sander that I posted about earlier.
I've really put it through it's paces the last week or so, I've been doing some fabrication work for a customer and it's involved heavy deburring and weld grinding and the disc sander has done everything I've asked it do do...never even gets warm, plus for a change, the exhaust port actually fits my shop vacuum hose.
I would buy some real 3M 10" PSA discs because the supplied ones don't last a very long time but other than that little thing, I'm a happy camper. Even Enco's Chi-com disc sander (10") is 60 bucks more than HF's.
I've really put it through it's paces the last week or so, I've been doing some fabrication work for a customer and it's involved heavy deburring and weld grinding and the disc sander has done everything I've asked it do do...never even gets warm, plus for a change, the exhaust port actually fits my shop vacuum hose.
I would buy some real 3M 10" PSA discs because the supplied ones don't last a very long time but other than that little thing, I'm a happy camper. Even Enco's Chi-com disc sander (10") is 60 bucks more than HF's.
5030
Epic Contributor
- Joined
- Feb 21, 2003
- Messages
- 24,646
- Location
- SE Michigan in the middle of nowhere
- Tractor
- Kubota M9000 HDCC3 M9000 HDC
It's a good buy. One of the Techinicians at work has one.
Interestingly, Snap-On has the same exact cart but their's is blue (Blue Point) and their's says Snap-On on the front. It's 300 bucks.:confused2:
Must be the Snap-On name........
