Harbor Freight tools that DO suck

[crashz]

Barely unpacked a 4" grinder and it crapped out at the first flick of the switch. Wasn't worth the gas to drive back to HF and return it. Grinding wheels, welding consumables, all suck. I haven't found anything I really like there. Its all very cheaply made crap. But I seem to lose screw drivers. So I buy them at HF so that my good ones wont disappear. Now I have a tool box full of pristine HF screw drivers.

Two things that have surprised me. I recently used a HF electric pressure washer to clean the second floor exterior of the house. Worked very well. And my air compressor is OK. Better now that I have a synthetic oil in it.

But some of the junk I've received from Amazon is even worse. Makes HF look like Snap-On.

 

[newbury]

I bought a bunch of HF dollies on sale. The little 12x18's and some 18x30's. All supposedly rated for 1000 lbs. I had my doubts, but lots of people use them and they're cheap, so why not?

Lol, here's why not: View attachment 651087
Turns out the "wood" hiding under those black covered ends is just thin plywood withs some veneer:
View attachment 651088

It broke under one corner of a 745 lb rotary cutter when I was setting it down. To be fair, the cutter did drop hard the last inch or so (but there were three supporting endpoints, one being the rear wheel).
The way I ended up using it was like this: View attachment 651089
with the wood piece in the opposite direction of the one that broke.

So... some dollies have survived their first day of use, others ... not. Live and learn, managing these tractor tools is all new to me. Meanwhile it's been 2.5 weeks and I'm still waiting for the 18x30 dollies, which are in stock per repeated phone calls but HF cannot seem to get their act together. Last time I buy from them mail order I think.

You've still got 4 casters 3" in diameter, add a few feet of 2x4 and your back in shape.

I've got 30 or 40 of them bought in the last 10 years. So far I've broken one when a 4x8x3/4 sheet of marine plywood slipped and dropped about 6 inches across the middle and another when my bush hog came down hard. If I'm putting something on it that has an edge like in your pic I use a scrap piece of 2x4 or 3/4 plywood.
I've my rotary cutter, my tiller, my chipper and lots of heavy woodworking equipment on them.
I've heavy duty worktables on and stacks of bags of concrete.
I've about 5,000 sq feet of flat concrete in my shops and I should have bought 100 of them when they were $5@ a decade ago.
For $8 it's hard to get four 3" casters.

 

[5030]

Barely unpacked a 4" grinder and it crapped out at the first flick of the switch. Wasn't worth the gas to drive back to HF and return it. Grinding wheels, welding consumables, all suck. I haven't found anything I really like there. Its all very cheaply made crap. But I seem to lose screw drivers. So I buy them at HF so that my good ones wont disappear. Now I have a tool box full of pristine HF screw drivers.

Two things that have surprised me. I recently used a HF electric pressure washer to clean the second floor exterior of the house. Worked very well. And my air compressor is OK. Better now that I have a synthetic oil in it.

But some of the junk I've received from Amazon is even worse. Makes HF look like Snap-On.

Ah, letting the smoke out of the HF grinders. I always buy a couple, that way when they stink I have another and when that one stinks as well, they both go back. I have zero issues with their grinding wheels or cutoff wheels. They sell the best and softest twist drills and screwdrivers. Pure junk.

I really don't care much for their cheapo corded tools. That rice paper insulation smells putrid when in burns.

My all time favorite HF junk is their tarp straps. They stink for one thing and rot in the sun quickly. Something about Chinese rubber I think.

 

[Bullwinkle123]

Barely unpacked a 4" grinder and it crapped out at the first flick of the switch. Wasn't worth the gas to drive back to HF and return it. Grinding wheels, welding consumables, all suck. I haven't found anything I really like there. Its all very cheaply made crap. But I seem to lose screw drivers. So I buy them at HF so that my good ones wont disappear. Now I have a tool box full of pristine HF screw drivers.

Two things that have surprised me. I recently used a HF electric pressure washer to clean the second floor exterior of the house. Worked very well. And my air compressor is OK. Better now that I have a synthetic oil in it.

But some of the junk I've received from Amazon is even worse. Makes HF look like Snap-On.

The HF 4" "heavy duty" angle grinder has performed flawlessly for me, and has some pretty serious hours on it. Someone did a youtube video breakdown of it and found it was surprisingly well constructed (for the super cheap sale price). Which isn't to say other stuff isn't junk but this one thing has done well for me. I also like the HF cutting disks because they have a thinner kerf (and are inexpensive).

 

[Bullwinkle123]

I posted a longwinded bit about this on a blog years ago. Bought the 4.5lb axe (which was a weight I really liked in my axes) from HF, only to have it come flying off the handle on first use in the woods. Turns out it wasn't even remotely connected to the handle.



There was a little blob of black resin in there, and a bit of ... fluff ... of unknown composition. No wedge at all, just a hollowed out shaft stuck in the heavy axe head waiting to drop it on my head. Takes serious talent to screw up an axe to this degree.

 

[Diggin It]

Takes serious talent to screw up an axe to this degree.

Or a simple flub on the assembly line.

 

[fried1765]

I bought a bunch of HF dollies on sale. The little 12x18's and some 18x30's. All supposedly rated for 1000 lbs. I had my doubts, but lots of people use them and they're cheap, so why not?

Lol, here's why not: View attachment 651087
Turns out the "wood" hiding under those black covered ends is just thin plywood withs some veneer:
View attachment 651088

It broke under one corner of a 745 lb rotary cutter when I was setting it down. To be fair, the cutter did drop hard the last inch or so (but there were three supporting endpoints, one being the rear wheel).
The way I ended up using it was like this: View attachment 651089
with the wood piece in the opposite direction of the one that broke.

So... some dollies have survived their first day of use, others ... not. Live and learn, managing these tractor tools is all new to me. Meanwhile it's been 2.5 weeks and I'm still waiting for the 18x30 dollies, which are in stock per repeated phone calls but HF cannot seem to get their act together. Last time I buy from them mail order I think.

If I put something heavy on those HF dollies, I use a piece of 3/4" scrap plywood to span the rails.
That will distribute the weight evenly.
I love those dollies. Use them for everything (usually with plywood).

 

[5030]

I posted a longwinded bit about this on a blog years ago. Bought the 4.5lb axe (which was a weight I really liked in my axes) from HF, only to have it come flying off the handle on first use in the woods. Turns out it wasn't even remotely connected to the handle.

View attachment 652296

There was a little blob of black resin in there, and a bit of ... fluff ... of unknown composition. No wedge at all, just a hollowed out shaft stuck in the heavy axe head waiting to drop it on my head. Takes serious talent to screw up an axe to this degree.

Only Fiskars for me.

 

[rangerfredbob]

I bought one of the retractable air hose reels cheap and mounted it to the outside of my garage, I use the thing ALL the time when I'm working on projects but this post isn't about the hose reel, it's handling things fairly well other than some rust from the not exterior rated paint or powder coat... The hose on it kept going, I think I had it on for about 2 years outside under the north facing eave of the garage (only covered half of it), it was cracking and was almost white on what was exposed to the sun so I changed it with a Diablo black hose about 6 months ago, that's where this post is going... that hose is cracking already... it's relatively flexible but not as hardy as I'd hoped for... best spring the few extra $$ for a good hose...

 

[TMGT]

I bought one of the retractable air hose reels cheap and mounted it to the outside of my garage, I use the thing ALL the time when I'm working on projects but this post isn't about the hose reel, it's handling things fairly well other than some rust from the not exterior rated paint or powder coat... The hose on it kept going, I think I had it on for about 2 years outside under the north facing eave of the garage (only covered half of it), it was cracking and was almost white on what was exposed to the sun so I changed it with a Diablo black hose about 6 months ago, that's where this post is going... that hose is cracking already... it's relatively flexible but not as hardy as I'd hoped for... best spring the few extra $$ for a good hose...

I hate all the HF hoses, bought one of the "higher end" hoses a couple years ago and don't like it, kinks way too easy.

Northern Tool sells USA made goodyear hoses for about the same price as the HF hose, even cheaper if you get them on sale.