HF tools that don't suck

[triffid_98]

Instead of the usual 'does this tool actually work' or 'HF tools suck', how about a list of genuinely useful tools they sell. I'll certainly buy quality if I can afford to, but knowing where you can save in order to finance the shiny tools is more than half the battle...

Anyway, here's my personal list

HF tools I really like
============
4 1/2" chicago electric grinder
heavy duty sawzall (*not* the cheaper one, which won't cut a damn steak)
18ga. brad nailer
3/4" pipe clamps

HF tools I tolerate
============
8" 3/4hp (yeah right) grinder
3 piece 'large' locking C-clamp set
auto-darkening helmet
8 ton comealong

HF tools I promise never to buy
============
anything with an integrated blade
anything with rechargeable batteries
any of their 2% duty cycle welders
any of their pot-metal vises

[TEK]

triffid98,welcome. HF gets a lot of bad press so thanks for the heads up.

[halbritt]

The anvils they sell are referred to by blacksmith's as "anvil-shaped objects" good for a doorstop or a paper weight. I am amused by that fact.

I bought one of the 4-1/2" angle grinders for $15 and it died when it was the only one I had, so I gave up on that. However, as a backup it might be fine. I have a chop saw from there I bought at one point which has actually worked pretty well. It's light on horsepower but has worked ok. One of the auto-darkening helmets they have is supposed to be pretty good, but I don't recall the model.

[Sandy]

My simplified gauge for guying HF tools is this, 'if your life or income depends on it, don't buy it ay harbor freight'.

I buy their vice grip knock offs. They do oakay.

I bought their chicago angle die grinder. It runs good.

I bought their 20 tone press to do four or five bends a year. It's just fine for me.

I bought one of their cordless drills. It drills. That's about all I can say about it. I wouldn't put it up in any competition.

I've had bought for me a lot of items in the hand tool category like end wrenches, ratchets and such. Those all fall in the total failure group.

[hvacman]

Originally Posted by Sandy

My simplified gauge for guying HF tools is this, 'if your life or income depends on it, don't buy it ay harbor freight'.

I buy their vice grip knock offs. They do oakay.

I bought their chicago angle die grinder. It runs good.

I bought their 20 tone press to do four or five bends a year. It's just fine for me.

I bought one of their cordless drills. It drills. That's about all I can say about it. I wouldn't put it up in any competition.

I've had bought for me a lot of items in the hand tool category like end wrenches, ratchets and such. Those all fall in the total failure group.

Totally agree about your life or income depend on it!!

[SmokinPRanch]

I got a set of snap ring pliers with interchangeable heads specifically for the snap rings when rebuilding my Milwaukee porta band saw.

They worked fine for that and seem like a fair set but can't vouch for durability yet.

On sale for $2.99 so if that's all they ever do they were worth it to me.

Al

[triffid_98]

Originally Posted by halbritt

The anvils they sell are referred to by blacksmith's as "anvil-shaped objects" good for a doorstop or a paper weight. I am amused by that fact.

I bought one of the 4-1/2" angle grinders for $15 and it died when it was the only one I had, so I gave up on that. However, as a backup it might be fine. I have a chop saw from there I bought at one point which has actually worked pretty well. It's light on horsepower but has worked ok. One of the auto-darkening helmets they have is supposed to be pretty good, but I don't recall the model.

I guess I must be lucky then, I've run through at least 40 disks on my grinder and it's still working great. Quite the deal for around $15-20.

The auto-darkening helmetl I have is great for what it cost me (#46092), it reacts quickly to darken up. The downside is the viewing area isn't as nice as the $200+ miller, etc. units. For the money it's a great alternative to a fixed shade helmet.

-David

[tundrawolf]

Originally Posted by triffid_98

I guess I must be lucky then, I've run through at least 40 disks on my grinder and it's still working great. Quite the deal for around $15-20.

The auto-darkening helmetl I have is great for what it cost me (#46092), it reacts quickly to darken up. The downside is the viewing area isn't as nice as the $200+ miller, etc. units. For the money it's a great alternative to a fixed shade helmet.

-David

I have really abused my poor $20 grinder. I have had to cut out the switch on the bottom so I could turn it on because the flimsy connector broke.

Let me fill you guys in on a little secret to the longevity of ANY mechanical item manufactured in CHINA:

Take it apart, get ALL the grease out, and PUT GOOD SYNTHETIC GREASE IN.

That's all. I took a $99 18v "Firestorm" (Black and Decker) flashlight, reciprocating saw, drill, vacuum, sander, and circular saw and took them all completely apart (Sander didn't need any grease and the flashlight, well, I couldn't find the zerk fitting ) and put a bunch of Lucas grease in every nook and cranny.

The Recip saw had *no* grease in it, the circular saw had a convenient port for blowing the grease out that I blocked, and the drill had precious little grease in either transmission.

I took my blue Harbor Freight grinder apart and cram packed it with Chevron (I think) full synthetic general purpose grease. I have been hard on it, leaving it in the snow, rain, exceeding the duty cycle, etc. It's not failed me once. It doesn't squeak or squeal, and has the same amount of play (which is to say, a bit more than a quality grinder) today as it did when I first bought it. I inspect the transmission of it every once in a while and I find no metal shavings.

It's been a good grinder. But I would suggest anything, no matter what it is, if it is the least bit mechanical, even down to a socket wrench, to be disassembled, cleaned, and re-greased. You may even find that in Chinese they have a word for "Oops I forgot to put any grease in it at all. Oh well, you didn't pay much for it, did you?".

[eastcoasteddie]

Originally Posted by halbritt

The anvils they sell are referred to by blacksmith's as "anvil-shaped objects" good for a doorstop or a paper weight. I am amused by that fact.

I was considering getting one of their anvils...I really want to find an authentic one somewhere in the country, but I haven't had any luck. I'll keep searching. I recently checked HF for the anvils, and they are no longer available. Is it safe to assume that anvils from Northern Tool are the same as the door stops???

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/w...atchallpartial

[redrmmk]

I've bought some crap but I wanted to buy a pair of electronic ear muffs, I liek to wear them when I am out in the shop grinding or making other noise. I wore them to the trap club and they seem to work pretty good. Real good for the 5.99 sale price. Drill master 4 1/2 angle grinder has also been real good, the 5.99 put me into free shipping once. Nitril gloves and EAR foam plugs are same as anywhere. The scroller has been fun and has taught me some things for cheap.

I would like to try a pipe bender but am to cheap.
Later

[Sparkeee24]

I have great luck with Harbor Freight....
- C-clamps
- nitrile gloves
- impact sockets
- auto darken helmet (very specific model)
- load leveler (for engine hoist)
- 8" npeumatic wheels
- 10" npeumatic wheels w/ castors (awesome price at 10$/ea! )
- foam/rubber wheelbarrow wheel (blackberry proof! )
- wire brushes
- welding magnets
- split leather gloves
Thats about it for the happy with list. I have just as long a list of the negatives. But I will only give my Worst HF purchase.... that 50$ CRAP chop saw! It's like trying to cut a knife with butter.
Good luck with your projects! Brian Lee Sparkeee24

[halbritt]

I must be the only person that's ever had any luck with the chop saw. I got it on a whim and have since made hundreds of cuts with it. The only time I've ever had a problem is with stock that is laying flat and giving a large bearing surface to the wheel. At that point, it becomes apparent that it's just underpowered. Unfortunately, it hasn't died yet. Maybe I'll give it away and get a decent one.

I've had the C-clamps explode on me if dropped. I prefer better quality ones. Other folks have complained about the pneumatic wheels. So much so that I'm considering 10" hard rubber wheels for a new welding cart.

[Sandy]

I've had the C-clamps explode on me if dropped. I prefer better quality ones.

Yeh, I only bought two and one just opened up in the middle of the 'C'. I understand there is a difference between just clamping two pieces together and performing a work load function. Occassionaly you need to pull two pieces of warped metal together, compress a caliper, hold for hammering, lots of things. Quality C clamps are a must.

Other folks have complained about the pneumatic wheels. So much so that I'm considering 10" hard rubber wheels for a new welding cart.

I have one pair of the pneumatic tires on a welder cart. They roll great on gravel but you have to put air in about once a month. Course I've never seen a wheel barrow tire that didn't need air either. A wheel barrow absolutely has to have a pneumatic but for anything else I'd use solid if I could. A friend of mine put two HF pneumatics on a mixer. Two years in the sun and they split out.

[DGB]

Originally Posted by halbritt

I must be the only person that's ever had any luck with the chop saw. I got it on a whim and have since made hundreds of cuts with it. The only time I've ever had a problem is with stock that is laying flat and giving a large bearing surface to the wheel. At that point, it becomes apparent that it's just underpowered. Unfortunately, it hasn't died yet. Maybe I'll give it away and get a decent one.

I haver a really nice Millwaukee chop saw and I often encounter the same problem when cutting into a flat surface. I do recommend using good cutting disks. I have found that the SAIT brand disks work the best. They cost more but it's worth it. Even the DeWalt brand disks suck in my opinion.

[wizard69]

Originally Posted by halbritt

Other folks have complained about the pneumatic wheels. So much so that I'm considering 10" hard rubber wheels for a new welding cart.

That is good as I was taught that it is not good to have pneumatic wheels where metal working is being done. The problem being molten metal causing a failure of the tire.

Dave

[Sparkeee24]

OK, gotta add another goodie. I just got the 40 lb "medium" sized pressurized tank sandblaster kit they sell, for a "deal" price of I think around 80 bucks. normally 140 or something silly. I was skeptical, as always, but WOW! This thing really works 10 times better then the 20$ siphon unit I was using. It could still use (as silly as it sounds) a cordless vibrator throw in the mix to keep the sand from clogging, or moving less then freely. I think that would be the case with any unit, regardless of model though. I am using cheep "big orange store" silica sand. 8$ for 100 lbs, and its safe enough to just have the grass grown in around it. Probably why it clogs every so often. but not bad. Uhm, lets see.... what else... oh yeah, the cheezy magnetic welding holders for your stinger and mig gun. Tried those out today, kinda nice for 3 or 4$. uhm... Something about 2 years of being in the sun, for 5$ (there every other week sale price) for 10" pneumatic tires, isn't bad at all. You leave bike tires in the sun for 2 years, they crap out too, even 80$ mt bike race tires with kevlar belts, beads and the works! So say, 700 days +/- divided bye 20$ (for 4 tires lets say) , and your still less then 1$ / mo for 4 wheels with bearings. I'm not saying there killer awesome, but you get what you pay for. In this case, you get alot more. IMHO. lets see... Oh yeha, the guy threw i an old stock 10" long fence/linesmans pliers that will work just fine for "hot tongs". Gave em to me for 3$. (I picked them out, it's not like he had 10 boxes of defective ones behind the counter...) anyway, even more disgusted with my chopsaw, after having such good results from my "foremost brand" taiwan gravity feed metal cutting band saw. NOT from HF. same castings, but stiffer stand, mine has bigger motor, and cast steel roller guides, not stamped thin steel. The table adjustment is alot better on the "formost brand" also. HF has theirs on sale for around 180$ right now I think, still WAYYYYY better then that chop saw. There stuff is just luck of the draw I guess. For my gravel/rough lawn/farm acreage, there lil 10" wheeled garden cart works awesome. for 50$, wheelin around welder, bandsaw, 80cu ft cylinder, and set of tools, I'm happy. Free chopsaw in the greater seattle area less then 20 cuts! 10 pack of HF discs too! :P Happy welding folks! Brian Lee Sparkeee24

[triffid_98]

I've found that chop saw actually useable if you get the nicer norton blades for it and adjust the fence. It's still a piece of junk (the bearing slop is laughable, and so is the cheap base) but it will cut small/medium tubing/angle just fine. It ain't no Milwaukee, but it ain't no $300 either.

[MarkL]

I've never had a problem with any HF air tools and I have quite a few of them. Die grinders(3), cutoff tool, air body saw, nibbler, impact wrench, air ratchets(2), air hammer, air drill, pressure sand blaster all work great. Just oil regularly and no probs. Only one I wouldn't recommend is the mini die grinder ( air dremel ) not enough umph.

[nelsonic58]

Bought lots of stuff from HF over the years. Some items:

1. 220 volt spot welder - you gotta be FAST on the trigger, or you'll blow a hole. Works fine though.
2. Corded hand drill $9.95 special - would have worked fine if they had better brush holders rather than the cheap plastic ones that melt. Chucked it into the garbage after a few meltdowns.
3. Tire changer - saved tons of money changing my own tires, and even MORE money after I bought the motorcycle attachment. That thing paid for itself on first use.
4. 100 amp welder - made in Italy, the thing welded like a charm. Finally sold it for $50.00 because I upgraded to an Lincoln multi process.
5. Chicage Electric 4.5 inch disk grinder - I keep abusing that thing and it keeps going - amazing for $12.95 on special.
6. Various air tools - mostly junk except the high speed cutter. The impact wrenches slip too much.

Lot of other stuff on my way to making my first million in my garage. Have fun.

[smithboy]

Nelson,
Do you have the needle scaler? I have been eyeballing that thing for a while, wondering if it's worthwhile.

[Teddco]

Originally Posted by smithboy

Nelson,
Do you have the needle scaler? I have been eyeballing that thing for a while, wondering if it's worthwhile.

I just bought a HF needle scaler and spare needles today - both for about $50 on sale. Tried it out briefly on some really horrendous practice welds on some steel plates. It removed the slag well, but beat the weld surfaces up to a point that some would find objectionable on a nice smooth bead. It does beat a manual welding hammer in my world.

[Nortonfan]

Originally Posted by smithboy

Nelson,
Do you have the needle scaler? I have been eyeballing that thing for a while, wondering if it's worthwhile.

I bought a needle scaler and it works good for my limited applications. I am always careful to lubricate with a few drops of air tool oil before and during use.

[thumbs]

Anyone use the multitool yet and if so how did it work out? How long do the blades last?

[steve45]

Originally Posted by thumbs

Anyone use the multitool yet and if so how did it work out? How long do the blades last?

No, I haven't tried it. I bought a Fein MultiMaster, which is a similar heavy duty unit made in Germany. It's not fast, but it does a lot of things that no other tool can do. I wish the HF blades were interchangeable. One blade for mine costs more than the entire tool kit from HF. Some of the Fein blades are over $100!

[MrRodeoCC]

Originally Posted by thumbs

Anyone use the multitool yet and if so how did it work out? How long do the blades last?

I have it and have used it. It does the job okay, the blades are not the greatest but will work for wood but thats about it. I have tried the Craftsman brand blade (straight 1 1/2 inch straight) it fits with a lil slop but if you get it centered it works well, even cut 3" finishing nails as a test. The HF blades dull real fast cutting a nail, but the Craftsman blade held up well. I've used it to under cut door jams for new wood flooring. Just one thing but it pertains to any vibrating saw, just make sure there isn't anything close that can vibrate off the wall, I had a porcelin piece fall off a shelf tonight and break, needless to say the wife isn't happy. The tool works as advertised and for the price it has paid for itself already.