Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck

[KubotainNH]

I'm not sure if this belongs in the don't suck or do suck thread..but I just stopped into my local HF and picked up a side locker that hangs off the side of my tool box. It's about 18" wide, 5' tall and 18" or so deep. The good is that the hanger clips worked on my Snap-On box, and the finish on the new box is a close match to my big box ( Black ) ..the bad... the latch pins don't seem to work well .... may have to dril, twist, ..massage it to work. Also picked up one of their 229.00 rolling carts... nice draw layout and nice casters..but the directions suck. ...really bad. And the side tray was bent, and I didn't notice that until it was 1/2 together. Once it was 95% together I noticed the bottom draw has a outie dent in it. It's fairly small but a dent none the less. Loading the thing up and driving all the way back down there is a pita.. and it certainly won't be going back in the box it was in... which was garbage to begin with.

Call the store and see if they can refund you some money on it because of the shipping issues. I'm sure they don't want it back either, they'd have to discount it to sell it so worth a try. My sons toolbox was heavily discounted because of a dent.

 

[John_Mc]

There's a calibration screw inside the meters, visible when you replace the battery. I borrowed a real bench multimeter (HP) from a friend and calibrated my four free meters back when they were yellow. Then I've used those for reference on the later red ones.

I thought of that and opened two of mine up. Could not find a calibration screw.

 

[California]

I googled 'HF multimeter adjustment screw' [images] and found this article with several pictures.

HF Cen-Tech Multimeters | Mr. ModemHead

The adjustment screw is large, white, round, upper right.

The article says some of the meters don't have that 'calibration trimmer'.

He says DC can be calibrated to be accurate but not the AC scales. His photo down in the Comments section: a 9v battery showing 20vac.
(The author concludes the meter is cheap junk).

 

[Travelover]

What? You want it free AND good? :laughing:

I've noticed that HF is really weaning us off the free stuff. For awhile there, you could choose from about ten items. I've also noticed that everything is not perpetually on sale - this may be a result of the class action suit which said their "regular prices" were bogus. It does make the percent off coupons a lot less attractive, though. 20% off a "regular" price is not as much of a bargain.

 

[California]

I discovered 20% off with a coupon was cheaper than the Inside Track Club monthly special, when I bought an expensive item - the ~ $400 prunings chipper/shredder. And I see now the regular and coupon prices for it are some $100 more than I paid a few years ago. Their price games are a nuisance.

 

[Travelover]

I googled 'HF multimeter adjustment screw' [images] and found this article with several pictures.

........

I just opened one up that wouldn't zero. It had a lot less inside than the one in your picture - no fuse and no adjustment screw.

 

[5030]

Just picked up a Portland electric pole trimmer today. Inside Track price... 60 bucks. Coupon price.... 80 bucks. I'll uit it together and give t a road test and report back.

Have / had a gas powered one that has been nothing but issues. Time to landfill that one.

 

[5030]

They NEVER put my 3 jaw hydraulic gear puller on sale. If they did, I'f buy the 5 ton to go with the 12 ton I already have. What an awesome puller. You can pull frozen on brake rotors (I mean rusted on frozen ones you beat with a hammer all day and they don't budge), with 3 pumps. First pump tightens the puller on the disc, second makes it creak and third either pops it or it breaks the rotor in two. Most wicked puller I've ever used, hands down. Pulls frozen drums, wheel spindles, harmonic dampers and anything else you can get the puller jaws on.

 

[California]

I just opened one up [multimeter] that wouldn't zero. It had a lot less inside than the one in your picture - no fuse and no adjustment screw.

Sounds like they're making them even cheaper now. Rip Van Winkle here, I haven't taken one home since shortly after the yellow-to-red switchover - 5 years?

 

[hunt4570]

Just picked up a Portland electric pole trimmer today. Inside Track price... 60 bucks. Coupon price.... 80 bucks. I'll uit it together and give t a road test and report back.

Have / had a gas powered one that has been nothing but issues. Time to landfill that one.

Who made your gas one?