Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck

[newbury]

Any comments on their pipe wrenches?

 

[/pine]

Any comments on their pipe wrenches?

No experience with their wrenches but the quality/hardness of tool steel is germane to the overall quality of the tool...as soon as the teeth on a pipe wrench get rounded over the wrench is basically worthless...just sayin...!

 

[Code54]

I have one of their large pipe wrenches and have used it a couple times a year for 5-6 years without issue.

 

[California]

Any comments on their pipe wrenches?

The ones I got were definitely NOT tradesman quality. If you will use it frequently, avoid frustration and pay far more for pro tools. That said, if you need one for a special project, these inexpensive wrenches will do the job. I bought the first 24" aluminum pipe wrench just to unscrew the end off a loader hydraulic cylinder. I had to add a cheater pipe, and got the job done.

Later I replaced all the 1.5" plumbing around the house and barn, 50 to 100 years old and rusty. I bought their 36" aluminum job, added the cheater pipe back on the 24" and broke the last 4 inches off its handle. Rammed the cheater pipe onto it permanently and bought another 24" for general use. And bought one HF 48" iron monster pipe wrench. (the aluminum 48 was too expensive for a single project).

After completing the farm plumbing replacement I took the photo below comparing the first 24" HF wrench against an 18" pro pipe wrench - Blackhawk brand- that I bought in an auto parts store (comparable to NAPA) in 1966. The teeth on this wrench I have used for decades in occasional automotive-type work (against hardend steel) are in better condition than the rounded off teeth on the HF that maybe has seen a week's work. After that photo of the rounded teeth I swapped in the tooth set from an ancient rusty Ridgid 24" pipe wrench since those 50 year old teeth were in better shape than the two-project HF wrench.

Summary buy HF pipe wrenches if they will pay for themselves in the first project. But not for daily tradesman work.

Here's the post where I originally posted this photo.

 

[newbury]

<snip>
After completing the farm plumbing replacement I took the photo below comparing the first 24" HF wrench against an 18" pro pipe wrench - Blackhawk brand- that I bought in an auto parts store (comparable to NAPA) in 1966. The teeth on this wrench I have used for decades in occasional automotive-type work (against hardend steel) are in better condition than the rounded off teeth on the HF that maybe has seen a week's work. After that photo of the rounded teeth I swapped in the tooth set from an ancient rusty Ridgid 24" pipe wrench since those 50 year old teeth were in better shape than the two-project HF wrench.

Summary buy HF pipe wrenches if they will pay for themselves in the first project. But not for daily tradesman work.

Here's the post where I originally posted this photo.

Are you saying the teeth on the left (pittsburg) are the ones you swapped in from the old Ridgid?
The Blackhawks teeth on the right look pretty rounded.
Your link doesn't get me anything about pipe wrenches.

 

[PILOON]

You don't need more space,you need an intervention...:laughing:

That or let your wife control your 'tool budget'.

 

[California]

Are you saying the teeth on the left (pittsburg) are the ones you swapped in from the old Ridgid?
The Blackhawks teeth on the right look pretty rounded.
Your link doesn't get me anything about pipe wrenches.

The teeth on the left are the original HF and the tips of the middle teeth are flattened to where they slide instead of bite. You might need to download and expand the photo to make this more visible.

Later I was assembling a bunch of Dad's old junk tools to trade in at a used tool store for something I could use, and salvaged the teeth from a Ridgid 24" which fit the HF perfectly. The HF now works as well as the iron Ridgid did and I like the much lighter weight.

The post I linked is #2777 - June 2012 - in this HF thread.

 

[Tractor Seabee]

They are heavy and cumbersome compared to a Rigid brand,same as a lot of the imports. As an old pipefitter we would have thrown them in the dumpster. As previously, OK for the once in awhile job but not often use. I miss my old 14" offset Rigid, that was my go to wrench.

Ron

 

[tjkubota93]

The teeth on the left are the original HF and the tips of the middle teeth are flattened to where they slide instead of bite. You might need to download and expand the photo to make this more visible.

Later I was assembling a bunch of Dad's old junk tools to trade in at a used tool store for something I could use, and salvaged the teeth from a Ridgid 24" which fit the HF perfectly. The HF now works as well as the iron Ridgid did and I like the much lighter weight.

The post I linked is #2777 - June 2012 - in this HF thread.

Fyi, you can still buy replacement teeths for ridgid. I stripped, re-painted and replaced teeth on 3 old ridgids a friend inherited and gave me.

 

[newbury]

Fyi, you can still buy replacement teeths for ridgid. I stripped, re-painted and replaced teeth on 3 old ridgids a friend inherited and gave me.

Do you have a link for the ridgid teeth?

FWIW I bought the HF 18" for $8. I really needed to get an outside faucet off. My only other "immediately available" choices in that size were $20@ Lowes, and $43 at Home Depot. Based on 50 years of home repairs, (plus the fact I have a better one about 1,000 miles away) I expect to use this maybe 3 times. But it's good to know I can buy quality replacement teeth.

Of course before I went to HF I perused the hfqpdb coupons and ended up getting a lot more stuff I've been needing. :laughing: