Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck

[IndyJay]

Years ago some other outfit sold angle grinders on the WWW for something like $4.95 a pop. I ordered five. I was lucky to get two hours of light intermittent use out of them. One failed in less than two minutes. After a while I quit bothering with them. There's probably an unopened one around here somewhere now.

A great stocking stuffer... (for someone you don't particularly like).

 

[stuckmotor]

A great stocking stuffer... (for someone you don't particularly like).

Someone said that when they wanted a quote on a run of a product to be manufactured in China, the factory representative asked how good he wanted it on a scale of one to ten. Those junk grinders have to have been a one.

 

[IndyJay]

Someone said that when they wanted a quote on a run of a product to be manufactured in China, the factory representative asked how good he wanted it on a scale of one to ten. Those junk grinders have to have been a one.

Maybe it lost something in translation...
"Do they want us to make #1 quality"?
"No, they said they want #10".

 

[BravoXray]

You have the patience of a saint!

Those are throwaway tools, I would make a first repair myself but replace it with another cheap one if it failed again. Then retire the new one to lighter-duty work, a wire brush wheel to clean finished welds or something.

Hey, $29 is $29.

I got about $5 in it in parts for repairs, and about $200 in labor.

 

[stuckmotor]

Maybe it lost something in translation...
"Do they want us to make #1 quality"?
"No, they said they want #10".

I took one to be worst quality and ten best.

 

[California]

Today I bought the Earthquake (version 1) long-nose impact wrench (62746) that is on Closeout for $52. Claimed 800 ft. lbs. of bolt breakaway torque.

I like it! I tried it out today, ten lug bolts - to grease the wheel bearings in the utility trailer.

I check the lugs every year or so with a beam torque wrench so they had to have been close to the '85 to 95 ft lbs' molded on the heads of the bolts.

Zip and it was off. Every lug. Far better than the HF $29 impact (claimed 250 ft lbs, ya sure) that couldn't start some of these lugs the last time I used it.

Tightening, same. At lowest of 3 settings, it easily did 100 ft lbs if I let it hammer for an instant after the socket quit spinning. I used a gentler touch and finished torquing the lugs with the beam torque wrench so as to not overtighten them.

HF got this one right, it's a keeper. I don't own anything that this tool can't do.

 

[Oaktree]

HF got this one right, it's a keeper. I don't own anything that this tool can't do.

Which means that by this time next year it'll be discontinued...

 

[jthibodeau89]

As already discontinued and on closeout.

 

[Midniteoyl]

Which means that by this time next year it'll be discontinued...

They already are. These have been around for quite a few years. Not sure if the replacements are as good or not.

 

[IndyJay]

I took one to be worst quality and ten best.

I guess it lost something in translation...