HF tools that don't suck

[dhardin53]

I just picked up a lot of HF stuff this winter. Lover it all for the most part. Like others have said, If I was making a living depending on my tools some of HF would not be my choce. But really some of there stuf is so low prices I can buy 2 and last as long as a high dollor pro line tool.

HF is miles better than some of the other truck load sales like Cummis and the like. You know the ones that set up in towns and have a quick sale at the Eagles Lodge hall. How thats sheap. Sad to say I have some of that stuff to. But HF gives a guy like me that really could not afford to have the vas amount of diffirent tools that I have. If all i bought was proline stuff my funds for tools would go rather fast and have 1/2 what I do now. I say thank you HF.


My moto is " If the only tool a man has is a hammer, everything would look like a nial".

[jamlit]

I have been buying some HF tools for a some time now. I use them more for seeing how handy the tool would be at a low cost. If I find out that I use it alot, I go looking for a good one. On the other hand, allot of the tools I bought over a year ago are still working great and I must say for the price I paid for them if the blew up today they have done me well. Here is a list of some of the tools I really like from HF.

Auto darking welding helmet 94214
90 degree air die grinder 32046
Tig welder 91811
Sheet metal fab kit 34104
And more.

I just got a powder coating kit but havn't tried it yet. will let you know how I make out later.


J Little

[steve45]

I like their keychain LED flashlights. They normally sell for $1.99, but they've had them for $.99. They're so cheap, it costs less to buy a new one than to replace the batteries.

[BD1]

hi, I just bought their GOODYEAR air hose 3/8 X 50' MADE IN USA on sale for 15.99 than used my 20% off coupon so around 13.00 bucks out the door. That was cheaper than Farm And Fleet import stuff.

'

[tresi]

The boss bought a HF electric chain saw for our people to cut down a load of 7 " diameter cardboard tubes down to size for recycling. The boss's wife bought a wal mart electric chain saw for the same job. In side by side comparison the HF saw sucked less than the wal mart saw. We went down and got a sthil gas powered saw to finish the job.

[HardCharger]

The Chinks are smart. They know us "rich" Americans will plop down the money on a cheap knockoff tool to try and "save" a dollar. ....and then cry on a tool forum about how sorry the China tools are. Im sure they probably log in to these sites just for a good laugh. ....and yeah, Im a Harbor Freight-aholic too.

Ouch... So true, so true

[Doolittle]

I bought this to grind tungstens on, works pretty good! heh...
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=94071

[enlpck]

In side by side comparison the HF saw sucked less than the wal mart saw. We went down and got a sthil gas powered saw to finish the job.

Interesting review. "sucked less" pretty much tells me everything I need to know about not making that purchase.

[cricman]

I've got a few HF things:

MIG 90 Fluxcore Welder (My first welder): Still tinker with it for Sh**s And Grins.
Plastic Saw horses: still holding up, in spite my repeated attempts to saw through'em.
Welding Clamps (The vise-grip copies): Work fine, and 1/3 the price of the genuine article.
Stubby ratchet socket drives: Working fine.
Narrow crown stapler/nailer: so far-so good.
Hand siphon pump: Bought it to move 30 gallons of gas,...its moved about 75 so far, without a problem.
Welding Blanket: What's to break?
Mig Pliers: Work fine.

I do see some corny things in the store, when I browse, but there are some things I'd like to try:

Bench Mill/Drill
7" Angle grinder
9x20 Lathe


I have noticed that some of the Northern Tool branded tools look like they are made in the same factories as the HF tools, and packaged differently. Either way, ya' buy what you can, to get the job done.

cricman

[deadman11699]

Most times you can look at the tool and see if it will work or suck. The only thing that you have to remember is that made in china and heavy duty do not go together. So most of it is for home use.

[dds78910]

60 air compressor
wobbly sockets
die grinders
needle scalers

These are some of the tools that I have had grest luck with. The die grinders are awesome. I have had a few needle scalers and the only thing I have had go wrong is a o-ring inside goes bad, you just need to pull it apart and replace it. The compressor has been really good. Also the gravity feed paint guns work pretty good.

I have had back luck with the 18 volt hammer drill. So I broke down and bought a 19.2 volt craftsman drill set.

And heard alot of bad things about the 4 1/2" grinder.

[Patriot Performance]

I used my first harbor freight tool yesterday.

My cousin is a concrete contractor. He brought over his HF electric jackhammer for us to use on a basement floor. We had to knock out around a toilet drain to repair a flange. Worked real well. He has only used it a handful of times though.

Also he told me about the HF tools store down the road from the house I'm re-doing to sell. I never knew we had one around here. So I may venture in tomorrow.

[maxyedor]

The air tools are great for the money. My 90* angle die grinder, wich I always forget to oil, rattles itself apart once a month, but it's simple to put right back together, and has well over 200 hours of use on it.

The $79 impact wrench is great also, I own 2, keep one in my truck and one in my shop and it never lets me down.

I also just picked up a swivel couple for my impact gun, it's not quite as nice as my Amflow one, and the flow adjuster is a little poorly designed, but for $6, I'm not complaining.

[Mouse]

Attn Gearheads ---

These work great for compression fittings used on older cars (vacuum lines, brake lines, fuel lines, trans lines, etc...). Mine have received some heavy use with great results:

5 PIECE DOUBLE END FLARENUT WRENCH SET - ITEM 5125-7VGA
5 PIECE DOUBLE END METRIC FLARENUT WRENCH SET - ITEM 5126-5VGA

I would NOT recommend this item:
BRAKE BLEEDER & VACUUM PUMP KIT - ITEM 92474-0VGA

[Welders_Grandson]

Anyone have an opinion on their 43768 Industrial Ear Muffs (Western Safety) ?
They're $1.99 right now. Might get a pair at the 'parking lot sale' this weekend.

Worst thing I ever bought at HF, is a roll of cloth backed abrasive (240 grit, I think.) After just a few strokes, all you got in your hand is a strip of plain cloth.

[moyersmobile]

Borrowed a friends HF floor transmission jack (special order item at stores). Did 2 trans swap-outs with that jack. It worked flawlessly. When it came time to line up the internal studs the jack was a real life-saver.

[Mantis]

I've purchased quite a bit from HF recently and have good luck with most everything. However, stay away from the jig saw blades. They might be OK on wood, but metal - forget it. I tried to cut a piece of 3/16" mild steel plate last night and the HF blades wouldn't even scratch it. I put in a US blade and it ate right through.

[steve45]

Just bought the Hydraulic ATV Lift (# 2792). I bought it to lift my mower to service the front wheels, mowing deck, etc. Works very well!

[thumbs]

Over the years I've bought a bunch of stuff from HF. I can't remember haveing any problems with anything except the tentioning wheel on a welder. I took it back and they replaced the welder with a better one. I bought their wet saw for a couple of walks I had to put in and with works great. Their digital calipers work great. I have there vert hor band saw and it has held up very well. The 18 volt drills for 15 bucks work better and last longer on a charge than either one of my two Dewalt drills. The 4.5 angle grinder has been through hell and still works like new. Brad nailer works great but on occation will jam but it may be my fault. Yeah I don't know about there saw blades but the one I bought for the wet saw was fine. Auto darkening welding helmet is fine. Like I said I just must be lucky.

[IrishBrewer]

The two dollar ear muffs are nice. I have two pair so my helper can wear them. Very comfortable.

[DGB]

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.

[3 weelin geezer]

Worst thing I ever bought at HF, is a roll of cloth backed abrasive (240 grit, I think.) After just a few strokes, all you got in your hand is a strip of plain cloth.

about the only (and that up in the air) tool that I think works from that place is the sandpaper rolls. But only the 240 grit. I tried a 80 grit thinking it would cut faster but after about 5 minutes and what seemed to be polishing the work, I looked on the gritty side and only found.....Nothing. The damn grit had fallen off. I took a new peice and rubbed it on my thumb. Right away it fell apart. I can't believe this. how can they screw up sandpaper??? Well, they did. however, the older roll of 240 works better just takes longer. Gotta find me a better supplier.

[sewiv]

I bought an auto-dark welding helmet (46092) recently, and it just plain didn't work. It never went dark, which was annoying to say the least. They replaced it, and the new one worked.

[69 chevy]

I have been doing limited business with HF since 1978, when their only advert was 'mimeographed' letters sent in an over-stuffed #10 envelope.
Anyone remember those bygone days when they called themselves Harbor Freight Salvage Company? And they had free freight if you spent at least $50. I was sorry to see that perk go by the wayside.
There was a hierarchy in air tools: Japan=best quality, Taiwan=serviceable, China=junk.

I've probably been using their wet\dry, 7x12" vert\horiz metal cutting bandsaw for 25 years. The plastic coolant reservoir cracked after about 15 years...so I made one out of sheetmetal.

Years later, I used their plastic welder to repair my welding helmet headgear. Worked good on plastic auto dash parts, too.

I lucked onto a real deal at their retail store 2 years ago. A chicago Electric 8000# 12VDC winch, normal price, $400. Unadvertized manager's special, $179. I needed to replace the handheld remote control switch that got stuck in the 'on' position permanently. I also chose to replace the fairlead with a roller fairlead. I welded a fixture to a blank quick-tach for my ASV Posi-Trac machine. (http://www.asvi.com/)
Works good so far, and lots cheaper than a Warn or Ramsey.

The complete set of numbered, lettered and fractional titanium nitride coated drill bits was a great bargain at $40. So was their 2 ton engine stand and 20 ton hydraulic press.

Also, so far, so good on their 35# 1.5 ton aluminum floor jack. It's a lot easier to heft in and out of a pickup bed than an all steel jack. It's not a one pump NASCAR jack, however. I have lots of their jack stands.

I had some 3/8" deep impact sockets crack and they replaced the whole set for me, not just the two that were junk. Nice to have a retail store nearby.

Over the years I've learned to steer away from certain HF branded tools as just not reliable enough for everyday hard use. I thought their electric motors would be useful as they list the specs. WRONG!

I designed a vertical log splitter, powered by a 5hp electric motor to hang on the 3 point hitch of my farm tractor. The HF motor would not run the hydraulic pump. I had it checked and the tech said it worked perfectly--absolutely no problems. WTF? Yeah, if it was labeled as a 3 horsepower motor, cause it put out just under 3 horse. Once I spent enough $$$ on a Baldor 5 horse motor, the splitter put out its designed 32 ton of splitting power. Never again for any HF motor.

Oh yeah, my Quincy air compressor came from HF. No problems for more than 20 years.

[eastcoasteddie]

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