Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck

[Rock Crawler]

You'll have a devil of a time finding a good Diablo product.

I had thought that with it being the most expensive option in air lines that they carried, maybe it was good to go for a home user who may only use it a couple times a week and that it might last 10 or so years with that light use. I never expected it to blow apart upon it's initial exposure to compressed air!

 

[lostcreekranch]

That reminds me I recently had a bad experience with a Pittsburgh caliper, pictured. I left my good Mitutoyo caliper at the other place and needed something here in Sacramento so went to HF and got this. How bad can it be, I thought to myself. Well pretty bad. The OD side reads about .020 more than the ID side, that is about .5 mm, enough to see by eye.

If you have my experience, the battery will be dead the next time you pick it up. I take the battery out once I’m done using it.

I did not find the accuracy issue though.

 

[California]

never expected it to blow apart upon it's initial exposure to compressed air!

Well there's your problem right there!


I went to paint a lot of outdoor iron furniture and collected all my HF hoses - all at least a few years old but with little use - to run air out to the work area. (photo) All through the project hoses kept failing near their air fittings. With the regulator set to only 120 psi! I kept shortening hoses and putting in threaded clamped fittings continually.

Recently I bought a Diablo hose to replace one of the junkers, but your post is discouraging.

HF had Goodyear-labelled hose a while back. We all should have stocked up then.

 

[Code54]

Well there's your problem right there!


I went to paint a lot of outdoor iron furniture and collected all my HF hoses - all at least a few years old but with little use - to run air out to the work area. (photo) All through the project hoses kept failing near their air fittings. With the regulator set to only 120 psi! I kept shortening hoses and putting in threaded clamped fittings continually.

Recently I bought a Diablo hose to replace one of the junkers, but your post is discouraging.

HF had Goodyear-labelled hose a while back. We all should have stocked up then.

I have had 2 Goodyear hoses go bad in less than 2.5 years. They were both new hoses, used inside all the time, and they were the shorter hoses between hard lines and eqpt. These hoses are not moved around, pull on or anything so I have no idea why they went bad so quickly..... Hard to get a good hose anymore.

 

[Rock Crawler]

The one black rubber hose that I just removed was a 1/4" x 25' Goodyear that is the older backup hose, it's at least... At least and every bit... 15-20 years old. That said, new Goodyear house from today may be total trash compared to one from that long ago.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

I've had a 50' HF Diablo hose for over a year now (maybe 2?). It's been fine. I keep it coiled up in my unheated garage all the time. Last time I had it out was a month ago, airing up truck tires.

 

[lexluther]

I don't know Goeduck but they look about as worthless as the electronic flyswatter.. Lol

The electronic fly swatter works and is fun...

 

[PJSprog]

If you have my experience, the battery will be dead the next time you pick it up. I take the battery out once I’m done using it.

I did not find the accuracy issue though.

That was my experience with the HF (Cen-Tech) digital calipers, too, Rick. I never had any accuracy problems, but it ate batteries like a cookie monster. I eventually bought a dial caliper to replace it. No more batteries.

 

[Garandman]

That was my experience with the HF (Cen-Tech) digital calipers, too, Rick. I never had any accuracy problems, but it ate batteries like a cookie monster. I eventually bought a dial caliper to replace it. No more batteries.

Many of the digital calipers on the market do not shut off: they just shut off the display. You must remove the battery if you want it to last.

 

[California]

That was my experience with the HF (Cen-Tech) digital calipers, too, Rick. I never had any accuracy problems, but it ate batteries like a cookie monster. I eventually bought a dial caliper to replace it. No more batteries.

Interesting. My HF digital caliper is seldom used. Its on only its third or fourth battery in 10+ years.

My favorite remains a plastic 'General' dial caliper with .001 graduations that I bought back before digital calipers. I doubt it has the absolute accuracy of the Cen-Tech but its more convenient to use and there's no need to protect it from corrosion.