Harbor Freight tools that DO suck

Threepoint · Oct 19, 2018

Diggin It said:
The black and yellow batteries (the ones on the free coupons) may be the most useless batteries I've ever encountered. Sometimes free items aren't even worth that.

YMMV. Alkaline they're not. But the AAAs work fine for me in the free flashlights. The double AAs are ok for other small battery devices. I've not tried the C or D cell versions; no coupons for them, that I know of.

dragoneggs · Oct 19, 2018

Threepoint said:
YMMV. Alkaline they're not. But the AAAs work fine for me in the free flashlights. The double AAs are ok for other small battery devices. I've not tried the C or D cell versions; no coupons for them, that I know of.

HF batteries are one thing I have never tried. I just assumed their lasting power isn't top notch and when I turn on a disposable battery powered thing, I generally don't have spares laying nearby.

California · Oct 19, 2018

I got a batch of the free yellow AA's some 5 years ago and the first few I tried were completely dead. I gave the rest to a kid to try out in his toys.

Recently I got the free Yellow AAA's and they work fine in my cordless mouse. So they should be ok for the tv remote etc, anything that uses little power.

And today I got the free AA's. I'm going to try them in the free flashlights. We shall see... Nothing lost if they won't power the flashlights.

Be careful with any of HF's batteries. I've had a couple of the alkalines sweat, expand, release corrosion fuzz in tv remotes while the remote still worked properly.

fried1765 · Oct 24, 2018

I always store my 3400 TLB on blocks for the winter (I go to FL.)
It is a mid size old TLB, and probably weighs almost 4T.
I only need to jack up one side at a time.
Got out my 25 year old 10T bottle jack, and it would not even lift one side (2T).
Decided I need a new jack. Drove to nearest HF (60 mi. round trip), and bought a new 12T HF jack.
12T should be serious overkill for 2T..... right?
Nope! The new HF 12T jack would not even lift 2T
Checked the hyd. fluid level, and even added a little bit more.
NO DIFFERENCE!
Used a Wally World 6T jack that I had forgotten I had.....it worked fine.
The HF POS is going back for a full refund, but I will not make a special 60 mile round trip just to do so.
I still need a new 12T jack, but don't know what I will get.
They are all made in China, and many sellers probably get them from the same supplier/factory.

4570Man · Oct 24, 2018

Why were you using a jack to put a tlb on blocks?

fried1765 · Oct 24, 2018

4570Man said:
Why were you using a jack to put a tlb on blocks?

The TLB has turf tires, and I don't like the soft turf tires sitting on a concrete floor for 6+ months.
I also jack up my Jeep, as well as my equipment trailer with a Cadillac stored on it.
I leave my Corolla, Suburban, and Ford 1920 stored, with just higher than normal tire pressures.
Maybe none of it is necessary,.... but it is just me!
The poor old 8n looks good, but just sits in the back, getting no attention at all.
I did not even start the 8n this summer.

4570Man · Oct 24, 2018

fried1765 said:
The TLB has turf tires, and I don't like the soft turf tires sitting on a concrete floor for 6+ months.
I also jack up my Jeep, as well as my equipment trailer with a Cadillac stored on it.
I leave my Corolla, Suburban, and Ford 1920 stored, with just higher than normal tire pressures.
Maybe none of it is necessary,.... but it is just me!
The poor old 8n looks good, but just sits in the back, getting no attention at all.
I did not even start the 8n this summer.

I knew why you did that. I meant why not use the backhoe stabilizers and loader to lift it up?

fried1765 · Oct 25, 2018

4570Man said:
I knew why you did that. I meant why not use the backhoe stabilizers and loader to lift it up?

TLB was already sitting in my Morton bldg. snug against an outside wall.
Could not put one of the stabilizers down without moving the machine away from the wall, thus sacrificing some floor/wall storage space.
I could have used one stabilizer, and just jacked the other side.
Either way though, I still needed a jack that would do the job, and the HF 12T was a complete flop.
HF POS will be returned tomorrow, as I have to go near HF tomorrow anyway.

Threepoint · Oct 25, 2018

fried1765 said:
TLB was already sitting in my Morton bldg. snug against an outside wall.
Could not put one of the stabilizers down without moving the machine away from the wall, thus sacrificing some floor/wall storage space.
I could have used one stabilizer, and just jacked the other side.
Either way though, I still needed a jack that would do the job, and the HF 12T was a complete flop.
HF POS will be returned tomorrow, as I have to go near HF tomorrow anyway.

Kinda wondering if that 12T jack failure was a fluke. Maybe just a leaking seal on that unit. They seme to get good reviews, although I understand how you might not want to take a chance on another one if the nearest store is so far from you.

FWIW, my 20T HF bottle jack has worked very well. And five years ago, my 4T HF floor jack had no trouble liftjng each wheel (one at a time!) of a 15,000 lb motor home for brake service.