The Harbor Freight PASS/FAIL Thread...

[Mickey O]

how is this helmet .......


Kobalt
Autodarkening Helmet

Item #: 190724 Model: SGY-A2
$138.00







same helmet as the HF one ...............

price does not tell all

For welding helmets I wouldn't buy the Kolbalt or anything but the best and definitely not imported. Don't think because they are approved that they are okay, they send in nice ones for approval. You want to buy cheap stuff, whatever, but for your own sake don't skimp on a welding helmet. I'd use a decent non automatic before trusting a Harbor Freight auto.


.

 

[tcianci]

One of the things I have noticed about the cheaper auto-darkening helmets is that they respond more slowly to the arc. I'ts all milliseconds or fractions thereof but know how fast is fast enough.

 

[Danglerb]

Some comments, mostly negative on using HF auto darkening.
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/build-yourself/159265-auto-darkening-welding-helmet-3.html

Other places say they work fine, basically if you use them and your eyes feel ok, they work.

One of the longest welding welders I have met, uses a pair of sunglasses.

 

[trythis]

On this helmet topic, (way off topic) stay away from the new Selstrom stuf. I ordered replacement parts for my 10 year old autodarkening. The replacement parts fit horribly. They leaked around the insert. They were made in China. I tossed them, used the old parts and just went back to using tape.
I am not saying the HF units are ****, just be careful about the light leaks.

If it doesn't leak, they should be safe.

 

[ATTappman]

580 Lb. Capacity Four Drawer Roller Cart - conditional PASS.

Doesn't fit together perfectly, needed some lubrication to quiet some squeaking, but the drawers and casters work fine. Got it with a $99 coupon - definitely worth the money since I'm not too picky. Probably would not stand up to daily use and abuse.

 

[Chris Adams]

On the auto darking helmets, got a E-mail from someone in the know.
All the circuit boards in every brand are imported.
Surprise surprise (in my best Gomer Pyle voice)

 

[Mickey O]

On the auto darking helmets, got a E-mail from someone in the know.
All the circuit boards in every brand are imported.
Surprise surprise (in my best Gomer Pyle voice)

Apparently he doesn't know too much.

Yea, I don't think you could even buy an "American Made" auto darking helmet.

Yes you can.

 

[ATTappman]

It's not imports that I hate. It is cheap quality tools. I buy a lot of stuff from HF but with a very discerning eye. They sell a lot of junk but at the same time they also sell a lot of stuff that is OK to great. I'm just very careful. I have a US made auto dimming helmet and to be honest with you, it doesn't work very well.

How about posting the HF stuff you like and don't like, and help other people out? That's the purpose of this thread.

On that note, 2 Piece 11" 20° Offset & 45° Angle Long Reach Needle Plier Set - PASS. A little rough around the edges, but they work. The steel rusts quickly if not kept oiled.

 

[Joelfke]

OK, let's get back on track, please: Pass/Fail for HF items.

Thanks!

ill REstart

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=41875

PASS...great for when you lose that codder pin for that POS castle nut

 

[CamarosRus]

Dont listen too ".............", I bought and use the HARBOR FREIGHT (Item # 91214) Flame Design (Ive removed the flame stickers) Auto Darkening Welding Helmet.

The darkening works fast and its safe......and it cost $39 on sale!!!!!

You want a professional helmet like a MILLER, or Speed-Glas spend the $300.

 

[2002maniac]

In my experience, the HF auto darkening hood works ok, but takes a split second to darken. This really isn't a big deal if you are laying down a handful of long beads, but if you do a few hundred tack welds you will feel it! After experiencing this, I went out and bought a miller hood.

My eyesight is pretty important to me.

 

[Bull]

Keep it on-topic, please.

The thread has a specific, informative purpose. It's not Fight Club.

 

[myridge]

Picked up a Harbor Freight 92652 Plasma cutter today. Its discontinued from HF but if you can buy a used one I recomend it. PASS These are made in Italy and are nice the torch is an ALPHA 3 pilot arc and its a quality unit. Consumables are readily available as I picked up 10 tips and electrodes still sold at HF on my way home from picking it up. It cuts 1/2" and is 40amps 35% duty at 40 but 100% at 20amps which is what I'll be using 95% of the time.

Very nice solid unit. Not the Cheaper Chinese one they sell now.

 

[nate379]

I have a couple of those cotter pin sets from HF and they are "ok" but they are made very cheap. I can easily bend them with my fingers, where a real "made in USA" pin usually takes pliers to bend them.

ill REstart

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=41875

PASS...great for when you lose that codder pin for that POS castle nut

 

[Scooterfish]

HF has the #3000 lb. lightweigt alum. jack reg $99 on sale for $59. Is this a decent jack for home owner use? I know it`s not an old high quality rebuildable USA jack which I continue to look for. Has anyone been able to use a 20% off on a purchase like this?
Thanks

 

[Scotto]

HF has the #3000 lb. lightweigt alum. jack reg $99 on sale for $59. Is this a decent jack for home owner use? I know it`s not an old high quality rebuildable USA jack which I continue to look for. Has anyone been able to use a 20% off on a purchase like this?
Thanks

Looks like a pretty good jack, but the 14" height wouldn't fly for me. You can't get a 6 ton jack stand under the car at that height without using some 3 ton jack stands first and then putting the car up higher with wood blocks on the jack. I'd spend the extra $$ and get a higher lifting jack.

 

[Joelfke]

I have a couple of those cotter pin sets from HF and they are "ok" but they are made very cheap. I can easily bend them with my fingers, where a real "made in USA" pin usually takes pliers to bend them.

agreed. but for 6 bucks its not bad

 

[jschu121]

Spot weld cutter. $4.99 and it comes with two cutters. I used it on ~30 spot welds taking off my radiator core support and it cut like butter throughout. A pack of $3.50 (10) 1/8" bits makes for a useful spot-weld cutting setup.

 

[M900]

Spark plug boot pliers

32867-ADD

They work but the rubber coating on the handle and gripping part feels like its coated in sugar. Sticky and gross.
They werent like that when I first got them.
I went on vacation for two months and when I got home and used them they were sticky. I have no clue what happened to them sitting in my climate controlled house to make them feel like that.

I used a razor to cut the rubber off and I coated them in plasti-dip.
Much better now.

 

[Art From De Leon]

Spark plug boot pliers

They work but the rubber coating on the handle and gripping part feels like its coated in sugar. Sticky and gross.
They werent like that when I first got them.
I went on vacation for two months and when I got home and used them they were sticky. I have no clue what happened to them sitting in my climate controlled house to make them feel like that.

I used a razor to cut the rubber off and I coated them in plasti-dip.
Much better now.

Mutating.

 

[Danglerb]

I've seen plastic seemingly at random turn to goo. Usually its something like a rubber "foot" or pad on the bottom of something. I had a modem stack once, all the same, and three of the pads were good when I took the system apart and the rest were fine.

 

[mkdive]

Has anyone been able to use a 20% off on a purchase like this?
Thanks

Yes

 

[Ttankersley]

580 Lb. Capacity Four Drawer Roller Cart - conditional PASS.

Doesn't fit together perfectly, needed some lubrication to quiet some squeaking, but the drawers and casters work fine. Got it with a $99 coupon - definitely worth the money since I'm not too picky. Probably would not stand up to daily use and abuse.

I agree with the fit and finish of it. I got mine for $99 + 20% coupon. I will disagree on its durability though. I have been using and abusing mine for the last 10 months or so in a shop environment. Knock on wood. It's loaded to the gills too.

Timmy

 

[sanddrag]

94100 3-in-1 Riveter
Kit http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?function=Search

FAIL!

The 6-32 pull stud was slightly bent upon opening and pulled the rivet nuts crooked. After straightening and installing about a dozen nuts, it snapped right off causing the handle to violently slam shut injuring the operator.

 

[Fujisawa Rob]

PASS:
3-ton Super Heavy Duty Floor Jack #34271. I found a $60 coupon for it. Works great,very solid (weighs about 100#). This was probably already mentioned, so +1 if it has.

Can anyone tell what the difference is between their two 8" bench grinders (other than the price)? 39798 and 90022.

I've got a lot of HF stuff, and my experience has mostly been positive. Only a few things were horrible, and they were so cheap it's not worth worrying about. One that comes to mind is

FAIL:
Electric Paint Spray Gun #47274. Got on sale for $12. Totally and completely useless. I couldn't even get it to spray plain water, let alone any water- or oil-based stain, and certainly not paint.

I'll go through my list and post the good and bad.

 

[djjsr]

Rotary Hammer - PASS++. Can't beat it for the price ($50 w/coupon) but the bits it comes with aren't too good. Had better results with the Drill Master bits.

Multi-Tool- PASS. Handy little gadget that I probably won't use much but it was only $35. Works good for scraping, cutting wood and light sanding in tight places.

 

[mossyboy6]

Multi-Tool- PASS. Handy little gadget that I probably won't use much but it was only $35. Works good for scraping, cutting wood and light sanding in tight places.

BIG PASS
Use this almost every day and hasn't failed yet.
I have used the fein tool and the dremel version, this one is almost as good as the dremel, and about half as good as the fein. Great value.

 

[Fujisawa Rob]

Rotary Hammer - PASS++. Can't beat it for the price ($50 w/coupon) but the bits it comes with aren't too good. Had better results with the Drill Master bits.

Multi-Tool- PASS. Handy little gadget that I probably won't use much but it was only $35. Works good for scraping, cutting wood and light sanding in tight places.

I had a $30 coupon for the multifunction tool. I haven't used it yet, but it looks promising. They also sell a variable speed model. I believe Dremel and Craftsman accessories MAY work with it.

I also have the rotary hammer, and it rocks. I don't recall how much it was but I want to say $35. I bought a chisel bit for it and it made quick work of breaking up a travertine countertop.

 

[olds88]

PASS 1 ton engine hoist. Successfully swapped a 5.4 Triton on an 04 F-150. On sale $130, can't beat that w/ a stick!

 

[jwitt]

Got one of these for Christmas


And added one of these to it


Pass on both, my knees and back are thankful

Jim

 

[jeepnut24]

Multi-Tool- PASS. Handy little gadget that I probably won't use much but it was only $35. Works good for scraping, cutting wood and light sanding in tight places.

How well does the scraping action work? I want one of these to remove the factory sound deadener in my project car.

 

[djjsr]

How well does the scraping action work? I want one of these to remove the factory sound deadener in my project car.

Works real well on hardened stuff. Probably not so well if it's sticky/gooey.

 

[arvidj]

Got one of these for Christmas


And added one of these to it


Pass on both, my knees and back are thankful

Jim

I've had the 1200 lb air powered version

for about a year. Replaced the front wheel vice with with this wheel chock

.

The 750 GSXR rolls on and off without any problems and it saves space in the garage because I store the bike on the table. The platform is just wide enough so I can use my Pit Bull rear stand on the spools to raise the rear wheel off the table for chain maintenance. I've also used both a fork stand and a triple tree stand on the front for front end work but the incantation is to put the bike on the Pit Bull rear stand, I can then remove the front wheel chock to get it out of the way, then use which ever front end lift I need depending on what I am doing. Yes, a minor PITA but still easier to have the bike on the lifted table than to work on the bike on the garage floor.

And as part of the bonus benefits, the wife is willing to lift up the bike to a level that she can easily clean it when it is a little dirty. She would not do that when she had to stoop down .

 

[jeepnut24]

Works real well on hardened stuff. Probably not so well if it's sticky/gooey.

Thanks, That *****, guess Ill be getting some dry ice when I take that job on.

 

[Gizzy]

Has anyone tried this air compressor pump yet.I need one for a weekend compressor,not an everyday user.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=93786

 

[GregJW]

I like my US General compressor from there

 

[j-easy]

Watchmaker's Hammer with 6 Heads FAIL
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=99895
I bought this to do a little home gunsmithing and the screw on plastic tip busted off within the first minute of trying it out.

Three-Way Tacker Staple Gun Kit FAIL
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=96755
this thing is just kind of a POS, it never really worked great and would always jam up or not staple.

 

[tcianci]

Just got the HF 2000lb remote control utility winch. Tentative pass. It's model#92860. I bolted it to a piece of 2x4 to span the door jamb at the back of my garage. I'm going to use it to pull my hobby truck back in to the garage when I need to roll it out for using the garage for other repairs (it's not easy to push the truck back into the garage in the snow.) I hooked it up and ran it, actually sounds nice and smooth. Since this is a pretty light duty application, I expect it will work fine. I will report back on my experience after I tow the truck back in tomorrow.

 

[toxicz28]

Just got the vehicle dollies. Mixed review.
Cradles, nice heavy gauge steel: PASS
Casters, with .106" of slop in them:FAIL

 

[onebadtwo]

Just got the vehicle dollies. Mixed review.
Cradles, nice heavy gauge steel: PASS
Casters, with .106" of slop in them:FAIL

These are a major FAIL! I put some under a Ford ****** and the wheels fell apart within the first 3 feet.