HF tools that suck

[forester2]

I bought one of the small tire changers to do mower and ATV wheels. Works OK. Do not buy the super cheap socket set to leave on the tractor or in the truck- 1/2 inch ratchet busted first time. Small stuff work OK and is nice to have around. I agree with some of the other posters; garage sales and auctions can be great.

 

[patrick_g]

I have had the cheap Chinese socket set in 3/4 inch drive for at least 10 years (15?) and I don't use it often but when I do I often abuse it. It has never failed me. The first couple times I put a 4 ft cheater on the breaker bar I knew I was boldly (stupidly?) going where no one should go but no ill effects. Maybe If I were a pro and used the set to the limit every day it would fail but I don't and it hasn't and I am glad to report it cost $39.95 and has a lifetime guarantee.

I also have a click type torque wrench in 3/4 drive from HF. It is nearly 4 ft long and goes up to 600 lb-ft. I use it for a breaker bar (not to exceed 600 lb-ft) and it holds calibration and is still a good torque wrench. My upgrade wheels on my one ton Dodge Cumins take 450 lb-ft on the lugs. so I carry "Excaliber" with me for just in case.

Pat

Pat

 

[bjr]

#59, I had a Coats Rim clamp tire changer and I sold it and bought the HF manual. Once you get some tire spoons of various sizes and 25 lbs of tire and tube compound you'll do fine with manual one. Get the manual one mounted to a large steel plate or bolted solid to the floor and away you go. I did buy air tank called Cheeta for inflating and setting the beads and it works great. The Coats machine had jets that were supposed to pop the beads but they never worked from the get go. I use the HF static tire balancer also. My adult children can never seem to afford tires and so good ol' dad comes thru with some garage sale or Flee market second hand tires that I can mount and balance myself. I alway have get new patch cement though, 'cause the stuff get stiff and old every time I go to use it. Oh yeah, There's a web site called PatchBoys that seem to have deals on patches and cement. bjr

 

[Dargo]

I have had the cheap Chinese socket set in 3/4 inch drive...

3/4 inch drive set used by hand, yes, 1/2 inch stuff, no. I've never used any cheater bar so my 3/4" breaker bar, ratchet and sockets have held up okay for me. I can easily destroy their 1/2" stuff though. If the sockets don't split the ratcheting part of the ratchet breaks. All of my 1" drive stuff is IR though. Working on heavy equipment I do use cheater bars and I think my 1" anvil drive impact would destroy any Horrible Freight sockets they may carry in 1" (and I don't know if they even do).

 

[tallyho8]

#59, I had a Coats Rim clamp tire changer and I sold it and bought the HF manual. There's a web site called PatchBoys that seem to have deals on patches and cement. bjr

I went to patchboys.com and they sell patches that you put on jackets not ones to patch tires with. The correct website is www.patchboy.com.

 

[Sackett2]

I'm a auto tech, so some tools from HF have surprised me
1/2 inch drive metric impact socket set 10. Never broke one (yet)
1/2 inch thinwall lug socket set, 10. Was told it would last 6 months, just broke #2 (of 3) after 7 years.
sawzsall, "0" lasted 1 trigger pull
battery operated lugwrench "0" didn't even take off the 1st lugbolts on a Subaru in the shop.

 

[Runner]

Not really a tool, but the HF 12 inch long receiver hitch tubes are made of tubing that has the seam on the inside. This interferes with the drawbar when you install it.

Anyone have any good ideas on what kind of tool one might use to grind out this metal ridge inside the receiver tube? I can't get my die grinder in there far enough.

 

[Danno1]

Not really a tool, but the HF 12 inch long receiver hitch tubes are made of tubing that has the seam on the inside. This interferes with the drawbar when you install it.

Anyone have any good ideas on what kind of tool one might use to grind out this metal ridge inside the receiver tube? I can't get my die grinder in there far enough.

Dyna file, air file, hand file............. in order of preference.


.

 

[Skyco]

Not really a tool, but the HF 12 inch long receiver hitch tubes are made of tubing that has the seam on the inside. This interferes with the drawbar when you install it.

Anyone have any good ideas on what kind of tool one might use to grind out this metal ridge inside the receiver tube? I can't get my die grinder in there far enough.

Noticed the same thing when looking at some on sale at HF a few weeks ago, noted the seam and grabbed one of their drawbars for a test insertion. No go. They used the wrong type tubing for their product, http://www.allmetalsinc.com/steelsquaretube/T250250238.html It also looked a little thin walled compared to what I usually buy....not sure I'd trust it for high load even if I could get the seam out

On another note- picked up the 10 lb reel of their .035 flux core welding wire. Took it back after using 2 feet of it...stuff was terrible, very porous welds. Tried some name brand I had on a small 2lb reel, welded much better. Now have a 10 lb reel of name brand (Hobart) on the way, found it on the net from a welding supplier even with shipping for less than I can buy it locally.

 

[Sherweld]

On another note- picked up the 10 lb reel of their .035 flux core welding wire. Took it back after using 2 feet of it...stuff was terrible, very porous welds. Tried some name brand I had on a small 2lb reel, welded much better. Now have a 10 lb reel of name brand (Hobart) on the way, found it on the net from a welding supplier even with shipping for less than I can buy it locally.

On the same note, Just ran out of HF 10# spool .035 flux core in the middle of current fork lift project. Looked for something closer to home for a quick replacement. Lowes has Lincoln brand for substantially less money than HF, and the real bonus is that I simply can't believe the difference. The welds look far better, and seems to penetrate better, not to mention how much more smoothly it puddles and flows as well as a much more stable arc.

As a long time stick welder, still getting used to this wire feed business with a little Lincoln 135 Plus.

 

[Skyco]

Thanks for the tip on Lowes...I had no idea they stocked flux core at such a good price- $39.97 locally, did have a note it was a locally lower price.

 

[johnnylight]

here's my first tool that suck:

Do not buy:

Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices


Cheap plastic bearing for wet wheel.
Unbalanced.
poorly design.

 

[EddieWalker]

I'm going to add wheel pullers to the list of tools that suck. I bought the three pack, and have throughn two of them away. They either strip out, or the metal snaps on them. I still have the smallest one, but that's because I don't have a use for it. The metal in them is just too soft and brittle!!!

Eddie

 

[patrick_g]

Thanks for the heads up on the grinder. I will be getting the sharpening tool from the makers of the Drill Doctor. I am convinced it is a good deal.

One of my worst HF buys was roller stands with collets to adjust the height of the round tube supporting the roller. They are a ***** to adjust and if you really hand tighten them the collets sometimes break.

A similar stand with square tubing and a bolt with a handle on it that tightens in from the side of the tube is a really nice and handy easily adjusted stand. I have several of these.

I will probably rework the ones I have with round tubes and collets so they are more useful.

Pat

 

[2manyrocks]

We did one of those week long community playground projects a couple of years ago. For some reason, the organizers bought a few of the HF drills and miter saws. Many of the volunteers brought in their own name brand power tools, and that's when you could really tell which tools were the real ones. The HF stuff was really weak by comparison, in my opinion. Make one cut with a chinese miter saw and make one cut with a dewalt and see the difference. Save your money to buy real power tools.

 

[patrick_g]

We did one of those week long community playground projects a couple of years ago. For some reason, the organizers bought a few of the HF drills and miter saws. Many of the volunteers brought in their own name brand power tools, and that's when you could really tell which tools were the real ones. The HF stuff was really weak by comparison, in my opinion. Make one cut with a chinese miter saw and make one cut with a dewalt and see the difference. Save your money to buy real power tools.

DeWalt vs Chinese... an interesting comparison.

Do you have a DeWalt chop saw? Pull the cover and read the molded into the plastic wording--> MADE IN CHINA

I have the EXPENSIVE DeWalt compound slide miter saw. Under the cover it says MADE IN CHINA.

What you are really saying whether you know it or not is that there are different levels of quality in Chinese tools, the typical level of HF and the slightly better some of the time DeWalt.

I just got my Chinese DeWalt (should that be De Wart?) chop saw back from the factory authorized repair station where the repair was nearly as much as a new saw. I have 2 so I can have one to use. I have 3 failed Ryobis, and 2 failed HF. In my spare time (yeah right) I will consolidate them to try to make a couple running saws.

The one HF lasted about 5 min. Luckily I had the DeWalt along too as I was up by Tulsa buying pipe which had to be cut to 25 ft lengths to go on my trailer.

A couple weeks ago I had 3 each 4 1/2 inch angle grinders, two DeWalts and I forget the other brand but the tool is ABSOLUTELY IDENTICAL except sticker and color. The two labeled DeWalt died and the min charge for repair is the new price at a discount store so they are throw away Chinese junk now.

I heard that some Milwaukee tools are still made in the USA (just not Milwaukee) but some are made in China.

When you recommend buying American power tools what brand(s) if any can you count on being American?

I agree with quality tools being superior to cheapies but buying a familiar "American" name does not guarantee you are not getting cheap Chinese goods.

I have a Skill brand skill saw, a worm drive 6 1/2 inch with good bearings not bushings, a Milwaukee 3/8 corded drill (Magnum Holeshooter), and a Milwaukee 2 speed corded Sawzall. I traded a home built computer (pre IBM) for them in the mid 70's They are all still going strong. Only maint has been to change a twist lock cord on one and new brushes for another. These are American built good quality tools.

It is getting harder and harder to buy quality power tools. I'm at the point that I may just buy 2-3 HF angle grinders (at the price of a single DeWalt even with HF extended warranty) and let HF give me free replacements under warranty. I'd be $ ahead and not down waiting for repairs since I would have multiple spares.

My radial arm saw is a Craftsman (circa the late 50's) really heavy, lots of cast iron, and still running really well.

Pat

 

[Travelover]

...................

I will probably rework the ones I have with round tubes and collets so they are more useful.

Pat

This is the fun part of owning HF stuff. I like to think of their stuff as prototypes, as opposed to a truly finished product. A few tweaks and a little work and you've got something that works.

 

[patrick_g]

This is the fun part of owning HF stuff. I like to think of their stuff as prototypes, as opposed to a truly finished product. A few tweaks and a little work and you've got something that works.

Well, sometimes... Sometimes it is just not good stuff and no reasonable and cost effective approach is available to make it right.

I bought the larger of the two battery testers they sell. It is the 500 amp one. I thought it was DOA right out of the box (instructions were useless) but when I opened it up and figured out how it worked I knew how to use it and it is a darned good battery tester. With diesel trucks with a pair of 100 AH batts in parallel you need a really good HD load tester to get it right.

I will either drill the concentric tubes of the roller stands and use pins or split the enclosing tube and use a hose clamp to secure the moving tube. Either will work.

Pat

 

[SnowRidge]

I'm going to add wheel pullers to the list of tools that suck. I bought the three pack, and have throughn two of them away. They either strip out, or the metal snaps on them. I still have the smallest one, but that's because I don't have a use for it. The metal in them is just too soft and brittle!!!

Eddie

I returned the very same after one broke. They are junk, marked made in India, not made in China.

 

[SnowRidge]

We did one of those week long community playground projects a couple of years ago. For some reason, the organizers bought a few of the HF drills and miter saws. Many of the volunteers brought in their own name brand power tools, and that's when you could really tell which tools were the real ones. The HF stuff was really weak by comparison, in my opinion. Make one cut with a chinese miter saw and make one cut with a dewalt and see the difference. Save your money to buy real power tools.

I bought an expensive DeWalt bench grinder. It turned out to be absolute garbage, made in China. I could have bought a HF unit for half the price, and it would have been better built.

I have not purchased a single DeWalt or B&D item since.