Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck

[Charlesaf3]

HF really is annoying me lately, I gotta throw in. I just went to use my HF quick clamp cargo bars in the bed of my pickup - helping a buddy move what must be the worlds largest TV. Put some pressure on it and the handle snapped right off.

I've found their clamps to be pretty consistently junk. Even shattered a pipe clamp. I'm not that strong!

On the other hand, I just took delivery of 240 pounds of stuff from them... there shipping is amazingly cheap, and there are none anywhere close, so I put in big orders. Always interesting to see what's good and what's junk...

On the flip side, used my HF tow strap to tow a UPS truck out of a ditch by my house, no problems. And their huge cheap bolt cutter worked fine. And my cheapie chinese grinder (not HF, bought at woodworkers warehouse before they went belly up, but I'm sure its the same factory in china) has always done what I needed it to, though I wouldn't be surprised if I went to repoint a bunch of brick and it died.

 

[TXCYCLE]

California:
I see a lot of the house framers here use a spare tank for more air volume. They have the compressor, then run a line to the spare tank, then manifold it to three or four nailers. Seems to work good for them. They call it a "pig".

 

[workinallthetime]

Does anyone who depends on tools everyday all day long shop at Harbor Freight?

jmf

as a gm tech for years the only thing i would buy needlenose plyers from them and 1/4 " bits, gloves, and a few little things. We have a place here called "steves wholesale tools" that i have gotten a few things from. they have some name brands and china stuff to.

by far the best purchase for me at HF was a 4' air hammer to remove flooring, this thing is sweet and works great. the first one broke the 1st night but im still on the second one. i have removed tile, linolium and glue down wood with the thing, love it and only 89.00

 

[Iplayfarmer]

Does anyone who depends on tools everyday all day long shop at Harbor Freight?

I don't have a job like that, but my uncle in Salt Lake City is an ornamental iron worker. He uses a lot of HF tools on installs. The philosophy he shared with me is that a $9.99 drill will turn a screw as good as a $200 drill, and it doesn't hurt so bad when it comes up missing on a job site.

I don't know that I've seen many HF specials in his shop, but I've seen at least a few on his truck.

 

[California]

And I'm still curious about the following: I have a 30 gallon compressor tank with its compressor gone. Will it work to put a T fitting on the output of the little guy then use this larger tank as additional buffer to provide more air to tools before the pressure sags? Will this be usable (after adding filters) for hobby-level painting?

Yes... but it will take longer to recover.

.. depends on your gun... but for hobby painting I would strongly suspect yes. For the cost of fittings I would certainly try it.

I see a lot of the house framers here use a spare tank for more air volume. They have the compressor, then run a line to the spare tank, then manifold it to three or four nailers. Seems to work good for them. They call it a "pig".

I got the little compressor and 'pig' tank set up this weekend. The whole setup seems to work as expected. It takes maybe 4-5 minutes to bring both tanks (10 + 25 gallon) up to 115 psi from zero. This should power a 50 psi HVLP detail gun fine, since the compressor's cfm exceeds the gun's requirement.

For 90 psi air tools I may be down to a 50% duty cycle, waiting for the tanks to recharge, but it should be sufficient for hobby-type use. I plan to get the HF needle scaler first. This would be for cleaning slag between weld passes, which wouldn't be continuous duty.

Thanks for the advice! That encouraged me to go ahead and try this.

 

[stub]

I never take the easy way out of remodeling. In my 2nd bathroom (slab) I decided to move the shower and toilet drain so I could add another closet. To clean the tile and thinset off the slab and to cut the holes, I bought the 2hp Demolition hammer # 93853, SDS max, on sale for $139. It worked great. For scaling the thinset off the slab I bought a wider chisel, that was the worst job. The 3/4 chisel goes through concrete real nice. The tool weighs about 40 pounds, which helps on cutting but it's hard on the back.

Also bought the 41983 SDS hammer drill @ $69 just to have a smaller hammer drill. Comes with a few drill bits and a pointy chisel. I drilled a few holes in the slab to outline the slots I needed to cut and it worked well. Probably could have done the whole job with it. At that price I couldn't see renting one for $40 a day.

The bid I got for doing the demolition and cutting the slab was $2000 so I figure I got a good deal on the tools.

Also have a floor model drill press #38142 @ $199. It's been nice but I need a better vice for it.

 

[HiTekRedneck]

I've pretty much supplied my shop with HFT products, however I buy Gearwrench wrenches and most my sockets are Craftsman. I've only had to refund a couple of items. The biggest thing I've noticed is their pumps suck. Everytime I'm in there someone is returning one of their pumps. My 26gal part washer from HFT stops pumping intermittently and then starts pumping again. Most of their automotive tools are the same ones you'll pay 3x the price for at your local auto parts store. I'm a technician by trade and my company has bought a few HFT products that have held up to industrial abuse. One example is we've had a HFT air grease gun ($10 on sale) for 4 years now and she still works reliably every day and makes greasing a cinch. Here's a partial list and my rating....

Hammers, 4lb sledge & ball pein -------- Awesome never let me down

Parts Washer ----- Pump intermittently stops --- Still got my money worth

Propane Weed burning torch ------- Excellent sounds like a jet engine

Impact sockets --------- 3years of extreme use and ain't killed one yet

4 1/2" electric angle grinder - 8 bucks used it like crazy and still kicks butt

Air Tools - ratchets, grinders, angle grinder, cut offs, roofing nailer, staple,
needle scaler, sanders ----- None have ever failed me

Quick Hitch ------- Awesome and way cheaper than John Deere's Imatch

Slide Hammer, heavy duty strut spring compresser $30 -------- excellent

A/C venturi vaccuum ----- works good but takes a while to pull vac down 15
inHg

A/C Manifold gauge set --- Sucks! cheap valves inside the couplings

6ton long frame jack ---- Awesome

Spark plug cleaner ---- doesn't work if you have any moisture in the air line

Multimeters -- The cheap $2 ones get the same DC readings as my Fluke. I
carry one in each vehicle for electrical breakdowns.

Mini Tire Changer -- This thing works great!

US General Industrial Tool Chest ---- I got the tool storage comparable to a
$5000 Snap On Setup. Double ball bearing slides. I got $500 in a setup that would cost $1000+ at Sears. It even comes with drawer liners!

8" Bench Grinder --------- Don't underestimate it's power. Took my RH middle finger to the bone in less than a second.

Wheel dollies ---- Work good! I move a K1500 chevy around my shop with em.

Garden Hose couplers - Suck! Female coupler blew apart in my hand

Micro Torches ----- Okay! Get em on sale! O rings wear out then they leak

Auto Wire Strippers ---- Blew apart first time I used em!

Survival Knife ---- Don't have to worry about my 10yr old son gettin cut

Hardware ---- no issues yet - I've bought pins, keys, snap rings, e-clips,
nylocks, cotters, washers, o-rings, etc. Not bought any
screws though!

 

[Dargo]

Obviously you must be trying to be funny. Some of the items you mentioned are positively dangerous besides poorly made. My trash man won't even bother to pick about half of the items you mentioned out of my trash anymore. I can give someone directions to my local dump if they want to stock up. But, hey, I have listed all the winners available in the store right in my signature.

 

[patrick_g]

HF has a few different types of roller stands. The ones with the collet that is tightened by a surrounding plastic nut are a PITA to adjust in height. The ones with two little articulated rollers are too flimsy. BUT... the ones with the handle that turns a bolt to secure the square tubing stand are pretty darned easy to use and work well.

I finally got around to putting my hand held HF band saw into action again and then with something like 5-10 minutes total cumulative run time it lost power and sounded like something inside stripped a gear or...

About $338 dollars later (gee thanks Lowe's) I am cutting like a pro. Didn't have time to wait for delivery via an internet sale so let Lowe's gouge me a bit. I wonder... If I spent the same $ on a bunch of saws at HF if in aggregate they woild last as long or work as well as the DeWalt. I went with the intention of buying a Milwaukee but they don't sell the big M at Lowes now.

Pat

 

[Sherweld]

Son-in-law who is chief engineer in high end multi-state recycling business with 150 employees uses several HF products, and avoid many others.

The best tip he gave me is the HF 4 1/2" angle grinder (specifically item #91223) He claims that he has extensively tested all brands from high end to low, including all HF models. These grinders are in continuous use all day long cutting apart everything from computers to refrigerators.

Surprisingly (to me anyway) the HF model above lasts as long or longer than any other brand or model. He waits til they go on sale and buys several dozen at a time. If one breaks down and takes more than ten minutes to fix, it's gone.

Also cut-off wheels #45430 (by the pallet).

I now have four for less than I paid for my one deWalt. Each one has a different wheel, disk or brush and the only time I change wheels is when one wears out.