The Harbor Freight PASS/FAIL Thread...

[Joelfke]

I briefly went through the thread and didnt see a review on these snap ring pliers...has anyone used them? Any thoughts?

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=92374

 

[econoaddict]

I briefly went through the thread and didnt see a review on these snap ring pliers...has anyone used them? Any thoughts?

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=92374

I bought that set for use at the house (mostly on the quads) and so far they have been ok. Not to sure they would hold up under heavy/ daily use though.

So at this point in time I have gotten $20 worth out of them and give them a pass for casual usage.

 

[jteck75]

I didn't notice the air line swivel adapters in the list. I've had a few and all I can say is, stick a dollar in them before you throw them away,that way you can say that you've thrown something away. Absolutely horrible.

 

[Kjbakke2]

Ive personally banned Chinese aluminum jacks from my garage. 2 have failed on me under moderate use. Id own one for the paddock only! Never in a garage. FAIL

ive used this jack four times now and the front is already seized on it
its nice because its such low profile that it can actually fit under my car so i may find myself at the lathe making a steel front caster soon but i havent had any leaking problems or actual jacking mechanism failure so i give it a 60pass/40fail because its pretty

 

[mkdive]

I picked up a hand truck a while back.....

It was on clearance for $25, that and a 20% off coupon dropped the price to $20. I have used the heck out of it, not much that can go wrong with it I guess.

For the price.......Pass!

 

[c.schulz]

Anyone have a 20% off coupon? I need to purchase a couple 8ton air over hyd. rams. They just dont go on sale very often.

Thanks Chris

 

[create]

Anyone have a 20% off coupon? I need to purchase a couple 8ton air over hyd. rams. They just dont go on sale very often.

Thanks Chris

There is one in the back of this months maxim magazine.

ben

 

[Joelfke]

Anyone have a 20% off coupon? I need to purchase a couple 8ton air over hyd. rams. They just dont go on sale very often.

Thanks Chris

ive got an extra lying around somewhere from a car magazine i have...ill email a scan or mail it to you if youd like

 

[Danglerb]

Just go back a few pages in this thread for a coupon.

 

[xroad]

Chain Breaker

HF have a $12.** chain breaker. Saw a coupon in a magazine for $7.**. Searched this thread and the forum, no mention of chain breakers. Anyone have any experience with the HF breaker?

Chain breaker is one of those item I probably need at most 2x in my life time. This is going to be my 1st time needing one. So I don't need it to take apart 100 chains. I ride a road bike, no stone or mud bath in the woods. I don't put that many miles on a single bike before I get another one, or the bike is a shaft drive.

 

[c.schulz]

Found the coupon!!! Thanks for the help guys.

Chris

 

[straight65]

90 degree die grinder- FAIL. I went through four of these in a year and the bearings kept blowing out. that's why I bought a cornwell. no problems in a year and a half

 

[stovall]

Re: The Harbor Freight PASS/FAIL Thread Wireless Inspection Cameras ITEM 66550-0VGA

Does anyone have one of these Wireless Inspection Cameras? the ad says:

[FONT=arial, sans-serif]Make easy visual inspections, even in hard-to-reach areas.[/FONT]

[FONT=arial, sans-serif]Mini waterproof camera with 3 ft. flexible extended tube

• 4 ft. night vision range
• 2.4" TFT-LCD (thin film transistor liquid crystal display) wireless color monitor with rechargeable lithium ion battery
• LCD monitor can detach from hand hold for easier viewing
• Lightweight handheld design to easily find, diagnose and solve problems

Requires four AA batteries (sold separately). [/FONT][FONT=arial, sans-serif]Monitor Dimensions: 3.93" x 2.75" x 1.18"; [/FONT]
[FONT=arial, sans-serif]Adapter input power: 100-240 volts; Adapter output power: 8 volts DC; [/FONT]
[FONT=arial, sans-serif]Color configuration: R.G.B.delta[/FONT]

ITEM 66550-0VGA?
I am contemplating purchasing one so that I can see inside of my motorcycle engine via the oil fill hole. I want to diagnose any problems so I can order parts that are needed before I tear into it. I figure it will come in handy when I need to run electricity or network cables through walls that are already finished too. It will be nice to know if there are pipes, cross braces & other cables in the wall before I start drilling & fishing them through!

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Thanks
Brian

 

[lametec]

Bead Breaker - PASS
ITEM 92961-4VGA

I bought this things a couple of years ago before having machines in my garage. I part out old 50's-80's motorcycles that have been sitting in barns for years. This thing popped plenty of beads off for me with minimal effort. Never tried it on car tires but did do a couple ATV tires with it.

Bead Breaker

I've used it on car and light truck tires. While it does do the job, the base is a little too short and the end lifts off the floor inside the rim when putting pressure on the handle. I solved this by putting a board on top of the base, then the tire on top of that.

 

[Danglerb]

A few places have inspection cameras cheap right now, amazon has the Milwaukee for about $100 depending on vendor.

Actual use and utility vary, if you need it, I guess you need it. Snapon is the only one I played with, and it did the job of making sure a cylinder didn't have any junk in it.

 

[tpolley]

has anyone used the appliance hand truck? i searched this forum and found nothing. http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=65685

i bought one yesterday to move a fridge. the little rubber track things don't move at all by hand. i wasn't about to stop and look to see if they were moving or just sliding while i had the fridge on the stairs. other than that it worked. i'll probably replace the cheap-a$$ nylon strap with plastic couplers with some ratchet straps.

 

[slacktide]

Finger Ratchets- items 96216-ADA (3/8) and 96091-DDD (1/4)

Pass... They go on sale often for 2 bucks or so. Good feeling ratchet action. If you stamped Snap-On on them they could easily charge 10X the price.

 

[Joelfke]

Finger Ratchets- items 96216-ADA (3/8) and 96091-DDD (1/4)

Pass... They go on sale often for 2 bucks or so. Good feeling ratchet action. If you stamped Snap-On on them they could easily charge 10X the price.

that might not be far off from what they do

 

[thelews]

Re: The Harbor Freight PASS/FAIL Thread Wireless Inspection Cameras ITEM 66550-0VGA

Does anyone have one of these Wireless Inspection Cameras? the ad says:

[FONT=arial, sans-serif]Make easy visual inspections, even in hard-to-reach areas.[/FONT]

[FONT=arial, sans-serif]Mini waterproof camera with 3 ft. flexible extended tube

• 4 ft. night vision range
• 2.4" TFT-LCD (thin film transistor liquid crystal display) wireless color monitor with rechargeable lithium ion battery
• LCD monitor can detach from hand hold for easier viewing
• Lightweight handheld design to easily find, diagnose and solve problems

Requires four AA batteries (sold separately). [/FONT][FONT=arial, sans-serif]Monitor Dimensions: 3.93" x 2.75" x 1.18"; [/FONT]
[FONT=arial, sans-serif]Adapter input power: 100-240 volts; Adapter output power: 8 volts DC; [/FONT]
[FONT=arial, sans-serif]Color configuration: R.G.B.delta[/FONT]

ITEM 66550-0VGA?
I am contemplating purchasing one so that I can see inside of my motorcycle engine via the oil fill hole. I want to diagnose any problems so I can order parts that are needed before I tear into it. I figure it will come in handy when I need to run electricity or network cables through walls that are already finished too. It will be nice to know if there are pipes, cross braces & other cables in the wall before I start drilling & fishing them through!


Thanks
Brian

I just bought it yesterday, $99 minus 15% with my coupon. It's pretty cool, seems to work fine. I haven't really "used" it yet other than to check for hemorrhoids Just kidding, directions say "not intended for medical use." But, it should come in handy for those occasional times when looking in awkward or otherwise inaccessible places. Can't say how it would stand up to daily use.

 

[tslabaugh]

Pittsburgh 11 pc deep wall impact sockets (Item 7383) - FAIL

Bought a set the other day and go to open the case and put them in my box and WOW. The 21mm was in full bloom! Spread open like a flower. I don't know how it happened, but I returned them and got a few small things I needed.

 

[Bush]

I briefly went through the thread and didnt see a review on these snap ring pliers...has anyone used them? Any thoughts?

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=92374

FAIL- I used them once and broke them all. I was using the largest size and broke it, then went for the bent and broke it, and just kept going down the line. I was working on my truck at a location nowhere near a parts store, let alone a HF to replace it. I had better luck with two awls.

 

[tj90]

Thanks Kevin! Here's the link for everybody. I'll try to update it every once and a while, or if you feel up to the task let me know and I'll send you the excel.
http://www.bozemanwebdesign.com/harbor_freight_pass_fail.htm

Thanks for putting the list together. Eventually, Id like to add item #s and # of votes for each category like pass or fail. Maybe we could put the list on google spreadsheets and create a "wiki" so that one person doesnt have to manage.

See this link: What do all yall think?

http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0Amp3GQpy0DoodFE4YzBTOGgtUXNyTzQxUFlNak5JSGc&hl=en

 

[VegasBruce]

I bought these today, took them apart and lubed them and they feel pretty good.

 

[mkdive]

Thanks for putting the list together. Eventually, Id like to add item #s and # of votes for each category like pass or fail. Maybe we could put the list on google spreadsheets and create a "wiki" so that one person doesnt have to manage.

See this link: What do all yall think?

http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0Amp3GQpy0DoodFE4YzBTOGgtUXNyTzQxUFlNak5JSGc&hl=en

Great idea!

 

[Bull]

Has anyone ever tried these battery powered LED motion activated security lights?

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?itemnumber=99938&Submit=Go

I have a small garage that will not get power this year...if these are any good I'll mount a few inside so that when I go in there to get something, I will have at least some light. I have one dark porch that could use a cheap and temporary light, too.

 

[Joelfke]

Thanks for putting the list together. Eventually, Id like to add item #s and # of votes for each category like pass or fail. Maybe we could put the list on google spreadsheets and create a "wiki" so that one person doesnt have to manage.

See this link: What do all yall think?

http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0Amp3GQpy0DoodFE4YzBTOGgtUXNyTzQxUFlNak5JSGc&hl=en

GREAT IDEA indeed....that way we can still give stories of why things pass or fail here but for a quick reference we could goto the page and quick search

 

[Danglerb]

I appreciate everyones input, but DOA problems from the easiest place to exchange said tools doesn't seem like a fail, just a its a cheap tool, you got a bad one, try again.

 

[stovall]

You might consider putting a couple of "instructions for use" at the top of the page, like the format for part numbers (all caps, no hyphens, etc). Having all data in a specific fromat makes it easier on the eyes & easier to search for what you are looking for. Maybe a Advanced Word Cloud gadget would suffice?

 

[sickytwisted]

I picked up some wrench organizer from HB a while back. 5 bucks a piece and they're still kicking ***. Oh yeah, and a mig welding cart which hasn't fallen apart yet despite the abuse. I wouldn't get anything too serious from there though. Like I wouldn't buy a pair of linemans. Even if they have a lifetime warranty!

 

[car99r]

GREAT IDEA indeed....that way we can still give stories of why things pass or fail here but for a quick reference we could goto the page and quick search

I like this as well.

I just added the Bead Breaker with part number that I posted about earlier. I did not see a "save" option. I closed the doscument and when I opened it later it was still listed.

Now we just need to work on getting the missing part numbers filled in.

 

[usmc_noma]

I picked up some wrench organizer from HB a while back. 5 bucks a piece and they're still kicking ***. Oh yeah, and a mig welding cart which hasn't fallen apart yet despite the abuse. I wouldn't get anything too serious from there though. Like I wouldn't buy a pair of linemans. Even if they have a lifetime warranty!

what organizer did you buy? only ones i found in the store here is the thin large one that holds many and fills the entire drawer. i'm trying to find the smaller racks similar to what most wrench sets come with.

 

[Cameronl]

what organizer did you buy? only ones i found in the store here is the thin large one that holds many and fills the entire drawer. i'm trying to find the smaller racks similar to what most wrench sets come with.

You talking about those triangular holders? My local HF has them hanging with the wrenches, not over with the storage stuff.

 

[usmc_noma]

You talking about those triangular holders? My local HF has them hanging with the wrenches, not over with the storage stuff.

yea those are the ones. i'll look there then. i don't normally go down that aisle unless it's a quick glance. thanks.

 

[tj90]

You might consider putting a couple of "instructions for use" at the top of the page, like the format for part numbers (all caps, no hyphens, etc). Having all data in a specific fromat makes it easier on the eyes & easier to search for what you are looking for. Maybe a Advanced Word Cloud gadget would suffice?

Great idea - feel free to add the instructions and gadget. Everyone can modify.

 

[tj90]

I like this as well.

I just added the Bead Breaker with part number that I posted about earlier. I did not see a "save" option. I closed the doscument and when I opened it later it was still listed.

Now we just need to work on getting the missing part numbers filled in.

Thanks for pointing this out. I verified that everyone can modify the sheet but for some reason the SAVE button is grayed out... It doesnt seem to matter as you figured out - it will save anyway.

BTW - The 20% coupon was uploaded to this document so its always in easy reach. Just copy the image to your PCs word processor and print.

http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0Amp3GQpy0DoodFE4YzBTOGgtUXNyTzQxUFlNak5JSGc&hl=en

 

[Joelfke]

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=90802

Folding Locking Back Utility Knife - PASS for quality FAIL for this reason

on the back on the piece that holds the blade it clearly says "WARNING Extremely Sharp Blade" with AN ARROW POINTING TO THE BLADE! like the blade might be randomly inserted somewhere

really? I bought a knife and i expected it to be dull and useless. Silly me

 

[tj90]

I just bought the 8" polisher / grinder 94327-0VGA today and love it PASS. Polished up an all-clad pan that was on the brink of disaster from char that was baked on after wifey forgot she left the cook top. She commented that it looked better than new. Also bought a second buffing wheel. Its not balanced well and caused the grinder to vibrate 39406-2VGA FAIL.

 

[norry]

I just bought the 8" polisher / grinder 94327-0VGA today and love it PASS. Polished up an all-clad pan that was on the brink of disaster from char that was baked on after wifey forgot she left the cook top. She commented that it looked better than new. Also bought a second buffing wheel. Its not balanced well and caused the grinder to vibrate 39406-2VGA FAIL.

Interesting, I remember someone commenting before that it seemed like their replacement abrasives were markedly inferior to the "original" ones supplied with a given machine.

 

[jeepnut24]

Blue Welding Cart PASS
Plastic Wire Brushes PASS
Cheap Wood Wire Brush FAIL
Electric Impact (For the medium duty and the price, needed gears lubed) PASS
2 temp Heat Gun (Cord ***** though) PASS
Welding **** clamps HUGE PASS (exact same thing as others for 1/4 the price)
Ball Joint Press HUGE PASS (For the price and abuse it has taken and still works)
12 TON press PASS (So far...)
Spot Sand Blaster PASS
High Speed Wire Cups FAIL (WAY off balance)
Spot Weld Cutter PASS (For the price I can get 4 to 1 "better" tool)
Gear Pullers PASS (Light duty use though)
Abrasives PASS/FAIL (Some have been ****, and some have been pretty good)
3Tray Steel Service Cart PASS

$$$$ Saved to use on the various next projects and the ability to do the job myself HUGE PASS

I haven't had any major failures so far, but I don't buy anything there that I use all the time either. Then again, I can't justify paying 2,3,4 times as much for a tool that wont get much use after the intial job. Id rather get the tools I need and learn how to do something myself than pay someone else to do the job, or never get the job done waiting to pay for the "better" tools.

 

[porphyre]

2 temp Heat Gun - FAIL on quality PASS on price.

I needed a heat gun to shrink some wrap around some wiring. Got the gun on sale for like $7.99 + tax. It DID in fact work for the 2 days I needed it to work. Smoked and smelled when I turned it from 700* to 1500*, though. So I used the 700* setting.

When I went to use it again about 2 months later, the second I turned it on the fan broke. BRRaaapp-BAP-BAP-BAP-BAP. Took it apart and it's this tiny little clear plastic POS. They didn't even spring for pigment in the plastic. But hey, 8 bucks and it got my job done. I didn't feel bad about tossing it out.