Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck

[SuperNinja]

Item: Irrigation Drip Kit
Assessment: Sucks

Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

Anyone who thinks the Chinese have no sense of humor will be convinced otherwise after trying to make this kit work. I can envision them rolling on the floor laughing as they imagine the crazy Americans trying to fix the leaking fittings, getting squirted at one junction and puzzling over by no water is coming out of another.

At $7, I guess I shouldn't have expected much. My first clue was that the instructions stated "in case it leaks" do this and in case it doesn't work, try that. All the better to draw one into the challenge. Which I was.

Seriously, though, if you have a couple of plants on a patio and want to run a trickle system to them it might work, but I would never leave it unattended. The hose is of such small diameter, there is no way it can deliver water from all the emitters they supply, which by the way, leak water in varying amounts depending on how they were glued together. The "T" fittings work OK, but the inline barbs are of a smaller diameter and leak faithfully. There is a built in vacuum breaker on the hose bib adapter and it leaks steadily, which might be a good thing is you have a plant located there.

I got the same thing a year or two ago.

It leaked worse than a gross, dirty baby.

I quickly gave up on it and returned it.

 

[SuperNinja]

Fine marketing tradition. Is there a Haagen Das (Danish sounding) where ice cream is made?

Maybe they could have used a knock off name instead of Pittsburgh. How about Snap Off tools?

Stack-On | Tool Storage and Security Cabinets

 

[Travelover]

Any body have any thoughts on these. I bought a set but I am concerned on the accuracy of the values.
- Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

I haven't tried these, but if you bought a set, you could test their calibration by inserting their extension between a bolt locked in a vice and a regular cantilevered bar torque wrench. Just note the reading on the known wrench when the HF extension clicks.

 

[ragkar]

flashlight-9 led A little very bright 3.5 inch flashlight
that's great for emergencies. It comes with non-alkalines
batteries but it you put three AAA alkalines in it and store
it in your glove compartment, you're good for five years.
pn 97036-3VGA
$4 for two of them plus shipping

 

[dex3361]

I haven't tried these, but if you bought a set, you could test their calibration by inserting their extension between a bolt locked in a vice and a regular cantilevered bar torque wrench. Just note the reading on the known wrench when the HF extension clicks.

I tried something similar to this. On large high torque lug nuts I used a much lower torque extension and what I found is if you spin them on fast the torque was a bit higher than what the extension was rated for but if you went to sng then hamered on them they seemed pretty accurate. I guess the momentum adds a bit to the torque.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

Fine marketing tradition. Is there a Haagen Das (Danish sounding) where ice cream is made?

Maybe they could have used a knock off name instead of Pittsburgh. How about Snap Off tools?

The US copyright and patent restrictions are such that a company like Snap-on could go after someone even for a knock-off name. That's how Victoria's Secret was able to go after a sleazy red-light style lingerie shop called Victor's Little Secret even though the guy who owned it was named Victor. The courts concluded that the name was intentionally chosen to create association with VS's brand, therefore infringing on the copyright. I'm sure there are other examples, but my distorted mind just happens to remember the sleazy lingerie shop example.

In other countries, though, the copyright rules are not so protective. I spent a few years in Thailand, and I got a chuckle every time I walked through a market and saw tables of products like "Rebook" shoes, "Lives" jeans, and "Timax" watches.

 

[Sackett2]

Any body have any thoughts on these. I bought a set but I am concerned on the accuracy of the values.
- Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

These are used heavy in the auto industry. What you do is set your air gun, tighten a lug bolt down and verify it with a torque wrench. When you have calibrated the gun to the stick, you should note this. the torque value varies with each gun so that is the important part.

 

[California]

I've discovered a majorly sucky HF item: the 'ball bungees', Ball Stretch Cords that come with the 20'x20' tarp-carport.

Half of mine have rotted, snapped, and fallen to the ground in a year. The rest are badly frayed and about to let loose. Replacements seem to be headed the same way.

The rest of the canopy is holding up fine. The canopy is extremely useful aside from this aggravation. [HF picture:]

 

[Iplayfarmer]

I've discovered a majorly sucky HF item: the 'ball bungees', Ball Stretch Cords that come with the 20'x20' tarp-carport.

Half of mine have rotted, snapped, and fallen to the ground in a year. The rest are badly frayed and about to let loose. Replacements seem to be headed the same way.

The rest of the canopy is holding up fine. The canopy is extremely useful aside from this aggravation. [HF picture:]

I saw the picture before I read your post, and I just knew you were going to list those as a "don't suck". I guess I was wrong.

I would guess that those don't hold up well for a carport, but I buy them by the dozen to hold the cords on all of my power tools. I love them. I haven't thrown one away yet, but then again mine aren't really under any stress.

I guess they're like most things at HF: if you use them for something a few steps lighter weight than what they're designed for you'll have no problem.

 

[California]

It's pretty clear that weather exposure is killing those ball cords. The dead ones are powdery.

Most likely its the combination of stretching and sun. I'm 10 miles inland from the ocean so salt-air exposure could be a problem too. But the silver tarp and the pipe structure are holding up fine.

I like your example of using them for power cords.