Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck

[Oaktree]

Electric Impact Wrench - 1/2"

It seems to be $10 off much of the time and I would rate it a buy based on our first to uses of it this week. It is heavy but it saved us a ton of time.

Good to know. Was thinking of getting one of those myself.

 

[LD48750]

Good to know. Was thinking of getting one of those myself.

I have one & it has become my "go to" impact.
If it doesn't do the job, then I will get the air gun out.
Most of the time, if the electric doesn't do it the air doesn't either & I have to go borrow thew neighbors big pro gun.

 

[petegoud]

Anyone try one of these? Air Punch Flange Tool

I've been using one for 17 years now. Not used daily, but it has worked continuously with no problems.

 

[frugalangler]

The cfm rate at the needed psi is far more important than the tank size or the max rated pressure output of the compressor. Folks would come in and ask me all the time "what size compressor do I need?" My answer EVERY time was "It depends on the tools you want to run." Just like pto hp on a tractor, you have to have enough hp to drive whatever tool you attach to the driveshaft.

The one thing I noticed on the older HF air tools was the cfm demand was usually quite high. Most "hobbyist" home shop compressors wouldn't put out enough cfm to keep up with the tool. Constant air demand tools were worse, like air sanders, needlers, air chisels, air ratchets, impacts, etc. Even an 80 gallon air tank will get bled dry if you're trying to run an air sander on it that the compressor can't keep up with. I think some of their newer tools are now being made with less air demand requirements. I have an old 1" impact that takes 12-14 cfm @ 100 psi to even get the impact hammer to hit hard enough to do any good with it. Most home use compressors won't even spin the thing up to speed.

You also have to look at the cfm rating at the psi level your tool needs. Some compressor labels can be misleading. If that impact needs to run at 90 psi, then that cfm rating at 40 psi is irrelevant. It's easier to make a compressor "look good" in the stats if you're only looking at it's low pressure cfm rating. It takes a lot more comressor "grunt" to get high cfm at high psi than it does to get high cfm at low psi. Most of my big demand tools need at least 90 psi to run, so I look at cfm ratings at the 90-100 psi flow rate. That is what will tell me if that compressor will drive my tools. Also, the "max" psi of the compressor is usually meaningless. Who cares (normally), if that compressor has a max psi of 150 psi? Most tools don't need that much, and unless you're doing a lot of blowgun work that actually requires that high of psi (most of the time you're not blowgunning at that much psi anyway), then it's again, a "worthless stat" that just makes the marketing sheet look good.

I can agree with the pump CFM needed but only AFTER you use the reserve in the tank and tank pressure has dropped to the operating pressure required for the tool. The bigger the tank, the bigger the reserve of air available before pressure drops below working pressure for the tool, AND THEN the pump CFM comes in to play, it's now actually supplying the air to run the tool, not the tank. If you ran the tool tankless, then the pump CFM @ PSI is crucial that it exceeds the tool requirement. I've run 450# 1/2" impacts off of a 1/2HP 3gal compressor, yep I get one lug nut then have to wait for the tank to return to max for another burst, if I use that same impact off my 30 gal I get 5 lugs and the compressor never kicks on, cause I've only used the tank reserve. Next lug and the compressor kicks in.

Another forgotten fact, hose size plays a major factor in impact performance (or any high CFM tool), it doesn't matter what CFM your compressor runs, if you can't get the volume of air through a long skinny hose, it's not gonna perform. I've seen many a folk complain about performance and when you check, you find they have a 50' skinny hose - drop down to a 25' 1/2" and it runs great. Or, if you need to run a long run from the compressor, put a small portable tire inflation tank at your job site, and a short hose to your tool, then the tool runs off the reserve of air in the small local tank and is replenished in between bursts. It's just plain physics at play.

 

[California]

hose size plays a major factor in impact performance (or any high CFM tool), it doesn't matter what CFM your compressor runs, if you can't get the volume of air through a long skinny hose, it's not gonna perform. ... you find they have a 50' skinny hose - drop down to a 25' 1/2" and it runs great. Or ... put a small portable tire inflation tank at your job site, and a short hose to your tool

Couplers too.

I got the air I needed for the Earthquake (original) impact wrench when I upgraded to HF's Automotive series couplers.

I posted the following comment and photo here a year ago: I measured 7.5mm ID for the Automotive Series air coupler, vs 5mm for HF's common brass coupler. That's 2.25 x the cross section area.

 

[DFB]

Couplers too.

I got the air I needed for the Earthquake (original) impact wrench when I upgraded to HF's Automotive series couplers.

I posted the following comment and photo here a year ago: I measured 7.5mm ID for the Automotive Series air coupler, vs 5mm for HF's common brass coupler. That's 2.25 x the cross section area.

Yup that's pretty amazing really!

 

[PhysAssist]

I have one & it has become my "go to" impact.
If it doesn't do the job, then I will get the air gun out.
Most of the time, if the electric doesn't do it the air doesn't either & I have to go borrow thew neighbors big pro gun.

As I have no near neighbors or ANY useful ones, that's when I go to this:
https://www.harborfreight.com/12-in-drive-25-in-breaker-bar-60819.html

Never failed me yet!

I also plan on eventually getting one per vehicle as the one time I ever tried to use one of the lame lug wrenches included in the spare kit, it wouldn't even budge the properly torqued lug nuts on my Fit, then when the "Help" road services truck stopped to help, his mobile compressor and impact wrench wouldn't budge it either- and HE had to resort to HIS breaker bar.:confused2:

 

[PhysAssist]

I can agree with the pump CFM needed but only AFTER you use the reserve in the tank and tank pressure has dropped to the operating pressure required for the tool. The bigger the tank, the bigger the reserve of air available before pressure drops below working pressure for the tool, AND THEN the pump CFM comes in to play, it's now actually supplying the air to run the tool, not the tank. If you ran the tool tankless, then the pump CFM @ PSI is crucial that it exceeds the tool requirement. I've run 450# 1/2" impacts off of a 1/2HP 3gal compressor, yep I get one lug nut then have to wait for the tank to return to max for another burst, if I use that same impact off my 30 gal I get 5 lugs and the compressor never kicks on, cause I've only used the tank reserve. Next lug and the compressor kicks in.

Another forgotten fact, hose size plays a major factor in impact performance (or any high CFM tool), it doesn't matter what CFM your compressor runs, if you can't get the volume of air through a long skinny hose, it's not gonna perform. I've seen many a folk complain about performance and when you check, you find they have a 50' skinny hose - drop down to a 25' 1/2" and it runs great. Or, if you need to run a long run from the compressor, put a small portable tire inflation tank at your job site, and a short hose to your tool, then the tool runs off the reserve of air in the small local tank and is replenished in between bursts. It's just plain physics at play.

Yes- As the diameter of the tube/hose [or in my business- airway] halves, the resistance to flow SQUARES!
This is why kids with asthma have so much trouble.

 

[frugalangler]

I DO carry one of those big boy breaker bars in every car, I'm not a big hefty guy - I'm 6'3" weigh in at a paltry 143# on a good day, so imagine a male 'Twiggy' (showing my age) and have very little muscle mass, so leverage is my friend. I had a trailer bearing fail one time, hub got so hot it galled the lug nuts to the studs, but that bar and a floor jack handle as a cheater allowed me to 'break' it loose, once it moved the cheater wasn't necessary, but a 4-way wouldn't work, had to back it off w/ the big boy bar. I also now carry a impact 13/16" - I broke the standard Craftsman doing this. Standard equipment plus a 2-ton bottle jack any time I tow.

 

[PhysAssist]

I DO carry one of those big boy breaker bars in every car, I'm not a big hefty guy - I'm 6'3" weigh in at a paltry 143# on a good day, so imagine a male 'Twiggy' (showing my age) and have very little muscle mass, so leverage is my friend. I had a trailer bearing fail one time, hub got so hot it galled the lug nuts to the studs, but that bar and a floor jack handle as a cheater allowed me to 'break' it loose, once it moved the cheater wasn't necessary, but a 4-way wouldn't work, had to back it off w/ the big boy bar. I also now carry a impact 13/16" - I broke the standard Craftsman doing this. Standard equipment plus a 2-ton bottle jack any time I tow.

Sounds like a plan to me- and I also have a 12-V "impact" wrench I got for free from TSG [https://www.sportsmansguide.com/] with a purchase- it won't move a tight or frozen lug nut, but it saves me a lot of hand pain after they're broken free.

Speaking of which [hand pain] I'm heavier, but a little shorter than you, but with carpal tunnel from computer work, bad shoulders from rugby, and nerve damage from a cervical disk, I can't muscle things around anywhere as much or as well as I ever used to either.

Which as you said makes leverage one of my very best friends.

I also have the old version of the HF Electric Impact Wrench - the orange one, and from the comments lately it sounds like they have upgraded to the current version, because while my old orange one will take off lug nuts put on [and supposedly torqued to spec] by my local garage- it will not take off the ones that I or my tire guy do specifically torque to spec.

That's why I bought the cheaper Earthquake from HF [the Pro, but not the XT one] for $79 on coupon.