Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck

[Skyco]

re the circular saw sharpener- Bought one a few weeks ago to sharpen the saw blade on my new Echo 42cc Brush Trimmer....it is ok and does the job, not real precise but then I'm not sawing fine woodworking cuts with a brush saw either...

 

[chopped]

I too am curious about this sharpener. I was alwasy told that you couldnt sharpen carbit blades without special equipment. But I took one blade in the vise and used the hand held grinder on it.Had nothing to loose.. I didnt pay much attention to angle etc. just ground awya.
When I mounted the blade it cut almost as smooth as new.
But Id think this machine would keep the angles, and be alot more preise
and BTW ive seen 59 99 as lowest price.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

In another life I was in tool and die work for a short while so I know the need for good tools. While I have not used the circular saw sharping gig I can see where Skyco's view could be on target.

I passed on a vice this week because I did not thing the jaws opened very smoothly but some lube may have fixed it.

In the real world many that shop at Harbor Freight are the DIY types to the max or we would not be in there shopping. So any aids (if cheap enogh) can be of value to us because we can "work around" the limits of most tools unlike the guy charging $100 per hour for his services. Part of that $100 is to go to Snap-On, etc.

I got the 3/4" drive socket set that goes up to 2" I think for about $40. I would not take a $100 for it if I could not get a replacement for it and I have only used it a couple times but it let me do things at the house instead of taking it to a shop.

Yes I do take stuff out of my shopping cart before I check out because of need/quality concerns. Like someone mentioned some of their tools make look crude but they do seem to last better than expected.

Hey HF can be a good place for a tool junky to get his "fix".

 

[crazyal]

Maybe I'll try the sharpener. I have lots of carbide 7 1/4 blades around to practice on and some 10" and 12" blades that could use touching up. I'm not really too worried about fine woodworking quallity of sharpness but it would be nice to get some more life out of a blade without sending it out to be sharpened.

I have one HF vise around here somewhere. The casing was so poor they used body filler to make it look 'correct'. Since then I found a 1908 BullDog American made vise at a garage sale for $2. So the HF one got set in a corner somewhere.

 

[Travelover]

I was watching that TV show "Hoarders" and thought to myself, "Hey, someday someone is going to clean out my shop and barn and find all this HF stuff I bought and think - What a goof ball!" :laughing:

But, someday I might need it. :confused2:

 

[clemsonfor]

What do you do when you knock the carbide of a carbide blade? I bought an IRWIN blade at lowes for a replacement years ago on an old ( i mean old like 30 years old) circle saw that only gets used sometimes now, it was my only one 5 years ago. It was like $5 and it was still sharp till my flooring project and sawing through the plywood floor ( i could not even push the new circle saw and non carbide OE blade it was so dull, and i worried i was going to se the house on fire it was burning so bad) and the old Hardwood, and i would hit the old square head nails that held the HW down. I did not realize how sharp/good that Irwin blade was. Its still 100 times better missing every 3rd or 4th carbide bit than that dull B&D blade.

 

[California]

re the Jump Start jumper batteries...

I got the big yellow one, the one where the back of the case is extended for an oversize battery inside. I think it's 600/1200 amp, 24 AH. It works fine. I don't see them online now so maybe that was a closeout.

I just now noticed the label on the Jump-Start battery I got earlier this year. HF Model 40615. 650 amps 'starting power' (??), 1200 amps peak, 24 AH battery inside. (That's 40% larger than their present models.)

Here is its owner's manual on HF's website.

I wonder how those specifications compare to the same thing from NAPA etc?

 

[crazyal]

What do you do when you knock the carbide of a carbide blade? I bought an IRWIN blade at lowes for a replacement years ago on an old ( i mean old like 30 years old) circle saw that only gets used sometimes now, it was my only one 5 years ago. It was like $5 and it was still sharp till my flooring project and sawing through the plywood floor ( i could not even push the new circle saw and non carbide OE blade it was so dull, and i worried i was going to se the house on fire it was burning so bad) and the old Hardwood, and i would hit the old square head nails that held the HW down. I did not realize how sharp/good that Irwin blade was. Its still 100 times better missing every 3rd or 4th carbide bit than that dull B&D blade.

If you send the blade out to a blade sharpening service they can braze on new teeth as needed. Usually it's not worth the money unless it's an expensive blade though.

 

[clemsonfor]

If you send the blade out to a blade sharpening service they can braze on new teeth as needed. Usually it's not worth the money unless it's an expensive blade though.

Good to know but like you said only an expensive blade would be worth it. I can buy an exact replacement at lowes for$6 with tax so shipping my current blade out will cost that alone.

Im amazed at how well it cuts (not cleanly though, just fast, again im doing demo now) with the teeth knocked off of it.

 

[1-3-2-4]

I print as many 20% coupons as I need and buy the items individually if needed. Never had one refused yet.

Same here I've used the same 20% off coupon and never had an issue.. my question is what happens after it expires on 12/31/10