Re: HF tools that don't suck
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.
Last edited by 69 chevy; 03-27-2007 at 12:19 PM.
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