Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck

[orangebluegreen]

I have this reciprocating saw and have been happy with it. Thought if it just made it through the rebuilding of my pole building I would be happy which it did with no problems and no signs of trouble or wear. Plenty of power and speed adjust works well. Only complaint is more slack in the bearing to shaft fit than seams like there should be but doesn't wobble when the blade is on the surface and really is not noticeable in use.
I only paid $16-19 (forget which) and not a remanufacture. The advantage of having a local store is there are often lower prices and sales in the store than online.
Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

Have bought some varying bar clamps and c-clamps all of which have been ok, not great but ok, probably no worse than anything you'll find anywhere else.

Deep well impact sockets absolutely recommended.

Bought a low to the ground roll around padded seat with small tool shelf below the seat. Got it home and found all the plastic for the tool shelf was broken. Cheaper to rivet it all back together than drive back to return but ticks me off that the box was opened so they must have known the condition.

I have looked at this digital caliper and will likely be my next purchase, appears to be well enough made. Looks like the exact same caliper the parts store sells at double the price of HF. If anyone has experience with it good or bad please post.
Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

 

[patrick_g]

I have looked at this digital caliper and will likely be my next purchase, appears to be well enough made. Looks like the exact same caliper the parts store sells at double the price of HF. If anyone has experience with it good or bad please post.
Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

The digital caliper looks like the one I got from HF. Mine works fine. I got over a year out of the battery and then installed, just this week, the spare they provided. I also have an all stainless steel dial caliper, American made, high quality, works fine but I use the HF digital now. Easier to read and has all the same features otherwise. I ordered the digital fractional caliper recently. Well see how that goes. I'll report my experience with it.

Pat

 

[California]

I ordered the digital fractional caliper recently.

Keep your eyes open. There's one rated only 1/10" precision (or maybe 1/16", .0625??) that I decided I couldn't use for anything. I took it back.

I have a 'General' dial caliper, made of tool-quality plastic. It's excellent. Since I'm not a machinist, it's all I need. I wish I could find another. Call me old fashioned, but I'm not about to replace this with something that needs a battery annually.

 

[gemini5362]

Keep your eyes open. There's one rated only 1/10" precision (or maybe 1/16", .0625??) that I decided I couldn't use for anything. I took it back.

I have a 'General' dial caliper, made of tool-quality plastic. It's excellent. Since I'm not a machinist, it's all I need. I wish I could find another. Call me old fashioned, but I'm not about to replace this with something that needs a battery annually.

Unless yours has a digital readout the advantage to the HF one for us old guys is not having to try and see little bitty close together marks. It is a lot easier to read that nice digital display

 

[Dargo]

Deep well impact sockets absolutely recommended.

Ooh, that one had to go on the "sucks" list for sure with me. My IR 1/2" impact absolutely shatters them. I have to list HF impact sockets as flat out dangerous. Sorry, but HF impact sockets are yet another item from there that nearly got me injured. If they are dangerous they're not worth "free" to me.

 

[orangebluegreen]

Ooh, that one had to go on the "sucks" list for sure with me. My IR 1/2" impact absolutely shatters them. I have to list HF impact sockets as flat out dangerous. Sorry, but HF impact sockets are yet another item from there that nearly got me injured. If they are dangerous they're not worth "free" to me.

I'm using a half inch IR composite IR-2131A (600 ft-lbs rev 450 ft-lbs forward) and no problems, so far at least after about 3-4 years of intermittent use.

Mine are deep wall and very thick. I know they have a lot of different sets so not sure if they're all built the same? Been a while since I've looked at them in the store but memory seems to make me believe the shallow ones were not as thick. I've used it on motorhome nuts that have stalled the gun at over 100 PSI and so far no prob. The smaller ones never come close enough to torque that would hurt them. I've had non-impact sockets of any manufacturer shatter before with an impact and it's no fun, good way to lose an eye.

 

[RobJ]

These are cool if you don't lose them, I bought 4 and gave 2 away. $.99

Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

 

[Dargo]

I'm using a half inch IR composite IR-2131A (600 ft-lbs rev 450 ft-lbs forward) and no problems, so far at least after about 3-4 years of intermittent use.

I walked out to the barn to see the model number on my impact. It's an IR 2135Ti. The manual says it has 780 ft. lbs reverse and 550 ft. lbs forward. Here's a link I had stored from where I looked it up before I bought it 2135Ti-2MAX 1/2" Impactool™ Ext. Anvil

Maybe that's just enough of a difference to shatter their deep well impact sockets in the 1/2" range. The ones from HF don't look any thinner than the set I bought from Snap On except the ones from HF look like pot metal when they shatter. I do have a 3/4" IR impact that is a real beast. I use it for heavier equipment I have. I honestly never considered buying any impact sockets from HF for it.

 

[patrick_g]

Keep your eyes open. There's one rated only 1/10" precision (or maybe 1/16", .0625??) that I decided I couldn't use for anything. I took it back.

I have a 'General' dial caliper, made of tool-quality plastic. It's excellent. Since I'm not a machinist, it's all I need. I wish I could find another. Call me old fashioned, but I'm not about to replace this with something that needs a battery annually.

I have a good American made dial caliper I can use if the battery dies at an inopportune time in the HF unit. I can read the dial on the caliper but the LARGE digital readout on the HF unit is way easier.

HF site currently lists two digital readout fractional calipers. Accuracy on the both is +/- 0.001 and that is certainly good enough for me. I can use a micrometer if I need better. I want the fractional unit for woodworking to save doing all the math converting from decimal to regular fractions all the time.

Pat

 

[Iplayfarmer]

Ooh, that one had to go on the "sucks" list for sure with me. My IR 1/2" impact absolutely shatters them. I have to list HF impact sockets as flat out dangerous. Sorry, but HF impact sockets are yet another item from there that nearly got me injured. If they are dangerous they're not worth "free" to me.

Come now, Dargo. If you use them with the HF impact wrench as they were intended, there's no danger of breaking anything... Including breaking loose a nut that's stuck.