Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck

[scootr]

The 120 volt Titanium Flux 125 welder $99.99 TODAY 10/2 ONLY, in HF's email promotion.

In-store only. I wonder if they're closing them out.

I have one of these. It's okay for light repairs at the end of a cord like corral panels and gates. But it is no substitute for a good mig. Nice discount

 

[California]

I have big ancient stick welder, and a HF MIG-180 that cost $25 used. But I wanted a little welder that was simpler to pull out of storage and set up, for small tasks. So I almost bought that little 120v Titanium. But at the time, 2021, the order led to 'order now for delivery next June'. So I went to Amazon and bought the equivalent except its dual voltage.

After using this little Amazon one (Amico Mig-130A) I now appreciate that dual voltage opens up a lot more welding power in a small portable unit. At 120 volts, welding is limited by the 20 amp breaker you likely have in your shop. The advertised specs need a 30 amp breaker and nobody has that.

There are now many units on Amazon comparable to the Amico I bought. Just read reviews and include the $20 3 year warranty advertised alongside the welder.

I suspect HF will supersede this little flux welder with a similar dual voltage unit, to catch up with the new competition.

 

[5030]

Better get the Amazon, made in China stuff while you can because the port strike is gonna put a helluva dent in all the stuff from China that Amazon sells as in when it's gone, it's gone and if it comes back. it will increase in cost substantially if the port workers get what they are striking for.

Keep in mind it all comes here in containers and no containers are being offloaded and no containers in the ports presently are being shipped out either as there is no one to load them on trucks or rail cars. I understand why they are striking but I think their demands are unreasonable.

Right now, the only ports that are operating are the west coast ports and I suspect they will walk off in solidarity as well.

Like I said, better get it before it's gone.

 

[5030]

On bargain's at HF, I needed a set of substantial pop rivet puller tool as I'm pulling large diameter (1/4" and larger) pop rivets for a project I'm working on so I went to HF yesterday and perused the pop rivet tools. The toll I own presently don't provide enough mechanical leverage to pull the big rivets even using 2 hands..

So I cruised over to the pop rivet tools with the intent of buying the Doyle, compound leverage pop rivet tool for 30 bucks and lo and behold, hanging right next to the Doyle too is a Pittsburg 58612 pop river too with interchangeable nose pieces as well as compound leverage and the handles are substantially longer that the Doyle for 18 bucks with a 'lifetime warranty' as well.

Needless to say, the Pittsburg tool came home with me and when I got home, first thing I did was pull one of the largest rivets I'm using and it pulled and popped the rivet shank effortlessly. Comes with a nice assortment of rivets as well.

Very impressive tool and much cheaper than the Doyle.

Must be a new addition as It's not on the HF website at all, or at least was not yesterday.

Put together good as well with nylock nuts securing the arms and a nice aluminum casting carrying the nosepiece and a collection bottle for popped shanks.

The smaller pop rivet tools are ok for small rivets but lack the leverage for the big rivets. The Pittsburg tool pulls them all, steel or aluminum rivets.

Well worth under 20 bucks and lifetime warranty to boot.

 

[jyoutz]

On bargain's at HF, I needed a set of substantial pop rivet puller tool as I'm pulling large diameter (1/4" and larger) pop rivets for a project I'm working on so I went to HF yesterday and perused the pop rivet tools. The toll I own presently don't provide enough mechanical leverage to pull the big rivets even using 2 hands..

So I cruised over to the pop rivet tools with the intent of buying the Doyle, compound leverage pop rivet tool for 30 bucks and lo and behold, hanging right next to the Doyle too is a Pittsburg 58612 pop river too with interchangeable nose pieces as well as compound leverage and the handles are substantially longer that the Doyle for 18 bucks with a 'lifetime warranty' as well.

Needless to say, the Pittsburg tool came home with me and when I got home, first thing I did was pull one of the largest rivets I'm using and it pulled and popped the rivet shank effortlessly. Comes with a nice assortment of rivets as well.

Very impressive tool and much cheaper than the Doyle.

Must be a new addition as It's not on the HF website at all, or at least was not yesterday.

Put together good as well with nylock nuts securing the arms and a nice aluminum casting carrying the nosepiece and a collection bottle for popped shanks.

The smaller pop rivet tools are ok for small rivets but lack the leverage for the big rivets. The Pittsburg tool pulls them all, steel or aluminum rivets.

Well worth under 20 bucks and lifetime warranty to boot.

I bought that tool last spring and am likewise satisfied with it.

 

[KubotainNH]

This one? I bought some SS rivets recently and my little rivet gun is tough to use on these rivets. This looks like a good deal and I've wondered how well they work. Thanks.

https://www.harborfreight.com/17-12-in-hand-riveter-with-collection-bottle-58612.html

 

[jyoutz]

This one? I bought some SS rivets recently and my little rivet gun is tough to use on these rivets. This looks like a good deal and I've wondered how well they work. Thanks.

https://www.harborfreight.com/17-12-in-hand-riveter-with-collection-bottle-58612.html

That’s the one I have. It works well with heavy duty 1/4” rivets.

 

[5030]

Interestingly, it didn't show up on my HF app at all but it showed up on my bench, after I bought it. Only thing I see is there are no replacement jaws available but for the price, I'll buy another one when the jaws wear smooth.

Either that or return it and get another one as it has a lifetime guarantee and I kept the store receipt as well.

Like I said, pulls 1/4" STEEL pop rivets, no issue, no strain. I bet the aluminum rivets are a piece of cake.

Not real trusting of the Pittsburg stuff as it's the low tier of HF tools but it appears to be quite robust. I usually buy Chief or Icon stuff.

So far so good and I set over 15 steel rivets yesterday with no issues at all and I have a ton to set today. It comes with an assortment of aluminum blind rivets but I have plenty as is.

the only downside I can see is, there is no place to store the nose wrench on the tool but I'll probably just use a metric box wrench anyway. Comes with 4 extra nose pieces plus the one in the gun for 5 total.

Looked and passed on the Doyle. Cost more, shorter handles and no replacement jaws either.

 

[California]

Better get the Amazon, made in China stuff while you can because the port strike is gonna put a helluva dent in all the stuff from China

Looks like there won't be a problem. WaPost:

"Striking dockworkers reached a tentative agreement with port operators on Thursday for a 62 percent wage increase and have extended their contract through Jan. 15 to bargain over remaining issues.”

 

[5030]

With the large rivets you can pop about anything together. I'm working on the front and rear bulkheads for our Generac propane fired house generator that the cabinet went south on (rusted out) and I was not about to buy another 20KW generator for 13 grand so I special ordered a new cabinet from Generac. The new cabinet is aluminum, not steel but the bulkheads are NLA and both were rusted out on the bottom edge so I fabbed up new bottoms on my press brake and I'm pop riveting the new bottoms to the existing tops. The metal is too thin to even braze let alone MIG so the pop rivets are the correct solution. I would have fabbed the entire bulkheads but the existing ones have threaded inserts in them that align with the aluminum cabinet. I figured 5 grand for a new cabinet was cheaper though I did have to wait for 2 months for Generac to make it for me.

The bulkheads are about done so all that is really left is reassembling everything and I took pictures of all the wiring and terminals and there is a bunch. Gonna pour a new concrete pad for it as well. The old pad cracked, this one won't. Putting concrete screen in the cement and I finally get to use the 3 point cement mixer I bought 20 years ago. I knew at some point I'd use it...lol

Winter is coming and we need the house standby as power goes south here in the winter, quite often.

For the life of me, I don't understand why Generac made them with steel cabinets instead of aluminum. Being out in the weather, they corrode. The Township has one by the Township hall and it's rusting away as well.

The diesel fired Generac I have to run the shop came with an aluminum enclosure, go figure.