HF Tap & Die sets

[thooks]

What is the general feeling about these? I won't be making parts for the space shuttle nor rebuilding the Roush-Yates engines for Talladega and Daytona.

Heck, I've only ever used a tap 3 times before to clean out some threads...but feel like a kit would be good to have around while getting on up in years.

 

[93sr20det]

I have a friend that uses one exclusivly on his car and retapped almost all the bolts on it with his kit. Make sure you use some sort of cutting ol when you use them. He has the large metric kit.

 

[fr0mastaj]

I have this kit... it's pretty crappy. But does fine in a pinch. I've used it a few times for non critical bolts/fasteners and the bolts dont feel as 'snug' as they should when tightened down.

I'm going to upgrade to the Irwin self centering kit when I get the funds.

 

[A_Pmech]

In the sets I have had the misfortune of being in the same room with, the quality of the taps and dies was so universally horrible the only thing they're usuable for is scrap bin ballast.

 

[gorilla]

Harbor Freight drill, taps, dies, saw blades and abrasives are all of very poor quality. Save your self a trip to the store and just throw your money directly into the trash. BTY threads should be cleaned up with thread chasers not taps or dies.

 

[Danglerb]

At least one of the tap and die sets was pretty bad, said right on the box not for steel or some such, just soft metals. They would not be my choice for taps and dies, but I haven't looked into any further.

Drills and saw blades vary, some at least seem fine, but again would not be my choice. Good drills don't cost that much, $100, and ONE breaking in the wrong spot can ruin a whole day fixing it. OTOH I don't think I own a set of drills I have paid more than $18 for.

 

[oldtools]

Use only the titanium coated one. Avoid the rest.

 

[Outlawmws]

Harbor Freight drill, taps, dies, saw blades and abrasives are all of very poor quality. Save your self a trip to the store and just throw your money directly into the trash. BTY threads should be cleaned up with thread chasers not taps or dies.

Can you elaborate on why please?

 

[antinym]

I looked at them once. There wasn't much taper to the taps or dies. I figured that would make it harder to use them. I went to Sears and bought the taps I needed. I would suggest them or the irwins.

 

[SpiderGearsMan]

they don't cut threads very well
handy andy tools at hubcap freight

 

[soob]

For $9 or whatever I paid for the metric set it's been fine. It's tough going on steel but for aluminum they've been great. That's with the qualification that I've only ever used it maybe three or four times.

 

[Griff93]

They absolutely ****. I tried to tap a hole in a piece of 1/4 in 1018 with one. the teeth came off the tap instead of the tap cutting the piece of 1018. The other one I tried to use in a pinch twisted the tap. They do make decent ***** punches if you grind them a bit. That's what I've ended up using my set for.

 

[oldtools]

Can you elaborate on why please?

Tap and die are cutter. They will shave off part of the thread making the thread more sloppy and weaker. Chaser is not cutter. It just remove nick, Dink, dirt, etc. Anybody has more experience about chaser than me want to chime in?

 

[CatCow]

Last time I used one of those kits, I had to go to a store to buy a better quality version and a tap remover... Two trips actually. First the tap handle snapped in half on the first hole. Second hole, the tap snapped in half. I then proceeded to break the fingers on the tap remover before finally getting it out! What a day THAT was. Drilling and tapping motorcycle handlebars to mount grip brush guards. What brand do you guys use for stuff? I usually just pick up the Vermont American stuff since it's common in the stores I go to. I still have lots of HF parts left, but I try to go easy on them. But if I have a project that I don't want to mess up, I'll probably go buy the size I need in another brand.

 

[Lhorn]

I will join the bandwaggon and say that HF taps and dies are worthless. I tried to thead a rod and after an hour of frustration gave up. I went to Kragen's autoparts and bought their cheapest brand die ("Mechanix" I think) and it worked like a charm.

My point is not that autoparts off-brands are a good buy. My point is that HF dies are infintely worse than even the cheapest chinese stuff you can buy.

 

[CHRIS LUCKYMAN]

Tap and die are cutter. They will shave off part of the thread making the thread more sloppy and weaker. Chaser is not cutter. It just remove nick, Dink, dirt, etc. Anybody has more experience about chaser than me want to chime in?

That about sums it all up.

 

[B17E1943]

I have no experience with the HF T & D sets, but I can take a wild guess as to the quality.

Do yourself a favor and find a good quality used set if you don't want to spend for new.

I have a Craftsman set my dad bought over 30 years ago and it is like new.

 

[IanG]

There are like 8 different tap and die sets sold by Harbor Freight. The prices for the set range from like $8 to like $80. I am guessing most of the reviews are for the absolute cheapest set and the expensive ones are actually probably pretty good.

 

[SpiderGearsMan]

Doubt it

 

[greybeard]

I just ordered the $39 60 pc set. I'll let you know how it does when it comes in.

 

[dankicksass]

Cheap tap and die sets are worth avoiding. I wound up with AAP's cheap set because it was the only way to get a 1/8 NPT tap on a Sunday in town. Works fine in aluminum but I wouldn't want to trust it for doing hard work. I trust Kastar for rethreading and V/A USA for the rest. Don't know how long Vermont American will keep making USA tools though.

 

[MAD]

C Don't know how long Vermont American will keep making USA tools though.

Vermont American will continue to manufacture tools domestically until around two an a half years ago.

( I Wish I could put a smilie after that)

 

[dankicksass]

Well then, I guess I'll just have to replace my taps as they break with a decent USA-made brand. I'm sure the good folks at Snap-On purchasing can handle picking an OEM for that.

 

[remileblanc]

In the sets I have had the misfortune of being in the same room with, the quality of the taps and dies was so universally horrible the only thing they're usuable for is scrap bin ballast.

he pretty much hit the nail right on the head. ive never been in a harbor freight but the princess auto stores we have in canada probly buy from the same chineese factory.

 

[earlthegoat2]

A co worker of mine has the HF big set.

I have used them before to tap aluminum and they worked great. I have busted quite a few taps in aluminum so this says a little something about them if only a little.

Yes I am defending the HF taps here BUT I would probably not buy it for myself.

 

[porcupine73]

I have what I would guess is one of the 'mid range' HF tap and die sets. I have used it a few times for light duty stuff and it worked OK. It included thread pitch gauges for standard and metric; I've probably used those the most. I've used a few of the taps and dies to chase out bolt holes and go over threads (have not actually tried to use them to make threads).

 

[MadMark]

I do not have a whole set, I order the tap sizes I need when I order the steel.
But I am working off a drawing.
For the small taps always use a cutting oil like tap magic. I have broken a lot of 6-32 and 4-40 taps. 6-32 seems to be the worst, I read that it has a smaller cross sectional area than the 4-40.

I have had better luck with 2-flute taps, the chip spirals out the bottom, if its a through hole. Most sets only come with 3-flute.

 

[kartracer55]

threads should be cleaned up with thread chasers not taps or dies.