Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck

[newbury]

My neighbor had one and sold it to get the 1" version. No mention of quality, only that the 4" was too wide for most metalwork applications.

This is what you want to sharpen knives. It does a great job.
Diamond Hone Block - Four Sided Diamond Hone

I respect your opinion but I've got to sharpen from machetes down, a fair amount of kitchen knives, "work knives", hunting knives etc. There are a number of videos on Youtube pushing 1" belt sharpeners and it looked better than the hand held. Then there's the axes, hoes, mower blades etc. also.

I keep a few Smith's CCKS 2 step knife sharpeners around for my pocket knives and the small stuff.

 

[hutchman]

QFT, QFT....

I keep looking at their mills and lathes. I want a mill and metal lathe but do not want to spend a small fortune for an occasional use item. I have a friend who swears by them but he is a retired machinist, he bought them and used them to remake a third of the parts on them and also make a bunch of additional pieces. He claims they are now super accurate high end machines....


I do not have the skill nor the patience to fight one of them while using it to make parts to make it better. I might still give in one day and buy one, or both, or the small combination one.

Little Machine Shop has reviews on all of them ... most come from the same factory. I've had my eye on the mill for years but don't currently have room for it. A friend has the HF mill and he put a CNC kit on it and a real fancy DRO. I've watched some pretty impressive things get cut out with it.

 

[hutchman]

I know I have to cover the front porch and do gutters on the house for the wife before I go back to collecting tools that do not put food on the table again. Should have that done in the next few weeks. I keep bouncing back and forth over this 7x12 and the 7x12 from Grizzly. I had several Grizzly machines in the past, for what they were they did very well for a very good price.

I was able to score a Logan 11" lathe years ago. Old iron! I put a 3 phase motor and VFD on it. Pot to control speed too. It's a nice setup. Friend has the Grizzly 4003G lathe and it is sweet too! He's got a fancy DRO on that too!

 

[sleepybozo]

You must have just seen the coupon price for $59.99. Personally no experience with it though but price is hard to turn down if you need one for occasional use. My old craftsman is ready to be replaced. Let us know your findings if you pull the trigger. I will do the same.

I dont use the disc, don't remember why. The motor is very weak, especially starting, often have to help it start by hand. But the belt portion is O.K.. I use it for knives, sharpening drills, and general metal shaping. Just need to be patient. Or replace the motor.

 

[sixdogs]

I respect your opinion but I've got to sharpen from machetes down, a fair amount of kitchen knives, "work knives", hunting knives etc. There are a number of videos on Youtube pushing 1" belt sharpeners and it looked better than the hand held. Then there's the axes, hoes, mower blades etc. also.

I keep a few Smith's CCKS 2 step knife sharpeners around for my pocket knives and the small stuff.

/QUOTE]

No problem. Yeah, for axes and machetes you sure do need a belt sander or something rugged like that. A diamond sharpener is pretty much limited to pocket and light duty kitchen knives. Useless on much else but great for the light duty stuff. A belt sander on an exe or machete would be great.

 

[tjkubota93]

anyone got one of these? Borrowed a friends Makita
that worked well. Now I am thinking of getting this one. Very occasional use. Hate renting. With 20% coupon it's less than $300.

 

[Threepoint]

View attachment 476176anyone got one of these? Borrowed a friends Makita
that worked well. Now I am thinking of getting this one. Very occasional use. Hate renting. With 20% coupon it's less than $300.

I'm curious to hear feedback as well. The online reviews look very good. FWIW, I have had one of its little brothers: HF's 1-9/16" SDS Max rotary hammer for three years. 1-9/16 in. 1.5 Amp Heavy Duty SDS Max Type Variable Speed Rotary Hammer. I think it was only around $89 with a 20% coupon. It drills quickly through masonry, but I've mostly used it for heavy masonry and light concrete demo with HF's 3-piece spade chisel set. 12 in. SDS Max Type Masonry Chisel Bit Set 3 Pc I've been real impressed with the tool. If the breaker hammer is equally well built, it's worth the money.

 

[Jim Nelson]

I have the older version of that hammer and it is indestructible, I've used and abused it and loaned it out to a couple of neighbors,both of whom wanted to buy it from me. I bought mine in 2010 I think and as I remember it was the only one they had,I paid $120.00 with a coupon and consider it one of the best deals I've ever found. Now that I see what they are getting for the new models I guess I better be a little nicer to it.

 

[300UGUY]

Stopped by HF today to get a tarp. Spent $8 on that. But my wife saw a 24x46 poly cart that she wanted. We got up to the register with the little ticket, but they had trouble finding the right cart. Waited about 10 minutes, they found the right cart, but it was labeled as a smaller, cheaper cart. The manager apologized, gave us the cart for the cheaper price, and gave us a 20% discount as well. Now my wife is going to be a HF junkie!

 

[CreekyB]

Anyone use one of the OBD II scanners? I need to look at a code in WRX and clear it now and then, until it gets tuned.

I have one of these.

Amazon.com: BlueDriver Bluetooth Professional OBDII Scan Tool for iPhone, iPad & Android: Automotive

works really good and has worked on everything I have plugged it into so far. It lives in my F150 right now, not because of problems but just because