The Harbor Freight PASS/FAIL Thread...

[Kenstone1]

So I wonder why there are such different results for the same item? I have a couple but to be honest I don't use them very much now. So, with little usage they seem fine....once I start welding I imagine I'll be using them a lot more...is that when they're gonna let me down?

I watched a utube vid where the guy took apart several HF cheap grinders and showed the differences between them and recommended buying the one that has the round red button pushed to lock the spindle for wheel changing.

That visual (round button) makes it easy to identify the better grinder when shopping, easier than trying to remember the sku number(60625) .
Here's the vid:

there's lots more vids, mostly dealing with greasing, something I do on every new one I buy.

Like others, I have bought several over time so that I could have a different wheel on everyone.
That also lowers the time of use for every grinder and should increase the life span of them all.
jmo

 

[bigcreek]

I use their shipping blankets all the time for shipping signage in crates with success. PASS. I bought some 4.5" angle grinders on sale for $9.95 several years back. FAIL!!!! Even at that price they weren't worth it. Dumped them at the auction first chance I got. LOL Also used some of their driver bits. FAIL!!!! break, snap, twist, must have been made from the softest junk alloy they could find.

 

[fartymarty]

I watched a utube vid where the guy took apart several HF cheap grinders and showed the differences between them and recommended buying the one that has the round red button pushed to lock the spindle for wheel changing.

That visual (round button) makes it easy to identify the better grinder when shopping, easier than trying to remember the sku number(60625)
That also lowers the time of use for every grinder and should increase the life span of them all.
jmo

Thanks for pointing that video out to us.

 

[slackdaddy1]

I literally got les than an hour run time out of any of the 3 I bought.

I'd say it depends on how many hours a day and how hard you push them. I've got a couple of the $9.99 HF grinders, one almost 15 years old, and they do as good a job as the MUCH more expensive Milwaukee grinder hanging next to them. Is the Milwaukee nicer? Sure, a little. It was also a whole bunch more expensive. If you're grinding 8 hours a day and pushing it hard, spend the money on a better grinder if that floats your boat. If it's something you only use occasionally and you aren't pushing it to the limits? The HF grinders are awesome. Even if it dies after a dozen jobs or a few years, you're out a whopping $9.99. It paid for itself.

 

[jgromada]

If you have an oscillating tool , this is great for cutting out electrical boxes. I added a strip of masking tape around the perimeter of the square at the thickness of the dry wall. This way you won't go too deep. Great tool even if you have a roto zip.

$15 Harbor Freight Bauer brand PASS

 

[dagofast]

I literally got les than an hour run time out of any of the 3 I bought.

Damn. You must have used up all of your good luck elsewhere.

 

[techieman33]

If you have an oscillating tool , this is great for cutting out electrical boxes. I added a strip of masking tape around the perimeter of the square at the thickness of the dry wall. This way you won't go too deep. Great tool even if you have a roto zip.

$15 Harbor Freight Bauer brand PASS

Nice to see one that's affordable. I looked a couple times at the ones that are closer to $40 and just couldn't justify the expense for how rarely I need to cut a hole for a box. This is cheap enough it'll be worth having around.

As far as this vs. a roto zip they have different uses. A roto zip is for new drywall covering already installed boxes. This tool is for installing a new box in existing drywall. Either one would do a terrible job if they were used in the other role.

 

[Kenstone1]

Thanks for pointing that video out to us.

wow, OK
someone actually read something I posted...
thanks for that and you're welcome.

 

[gearhead1960]

Got the Universal Bench Grinder Stand for Christmas last year. Put it together last night. Once you tighten up the 24 screw/bolt assemblies to the legs, it seems very stable and solid. I still need to mount grinder to the top and try it out, but so far it feels like a PASS. I'll update this post as I use it.

 

[Kenstone1]

Yep I have a few of those stands
I have found them to be short for some apps, so I build a riser for some, like this drill press a riser to get it closer to eye level, yes a HF drill press.

 

[gearhead1960]

Yep I have a few of those stands
I have found them to be short for some apps, so I build a riser for some, like this drill press a riser to get it closer to eye level, yes a HF drill press.

Some of us are vertically challenged.. so not an issue...

 

[Loose Ctrl]

Some of us are vertically challenged.. so not an issue...

Hell, I'm challenged in every plane of existence.

 

[dscheidt]

I literally got les than an hour run time out of any of the 3 I bought.

I bought three of them about 15 years ago. Wanted one with a wire wheel, one with a flap disk, and one with a cut off wheel for a fabrication project. One of them failed after a couple hours. One of them made horrible noises, like sand in the bearings, but worked for the project. The other is still going, though it doesn't see much use any more.

 

[rangerfredbob]

You guys convinced me to get one of those low clearance ratchets... bastages

For me my favorite HFT tools are:

CP retractable air hose reel, mounted on the outside of my garage, works great, original hose lasted a couple years, replacement hose (Diablo? HFT rubber) only a few months, need to upgrade to name brand

Adjustable spanner wrench for angle grinders, amazeballs, only need one wrench for all grinders since every model has a different pin spacing...

Titanium MIG 170 and 200 welder, they're great, I paid retail for my 200 but found an open box 170 for $125 a couple years ago and I've been abusing it since, the cups on the ground clamp **** (they're thin brass for some unknown reason) so I would replace that but they weld amazingly even with flux core wire...

The Vulcan welding helmet, got one open box ($105) the other day, welding I can see every detail of the puddle, the flux, everything and no arc flash...

Got a Chicago Electric plasma cutter open box a while ago for like $225 (I luck out at times...) and that thing is amazing, I gambled and lost on a different chinese plasma a couple years ago but this has made up for it...

I'm sure there's more, but those are the ones I've used recently...

 

[Kenstone1]

Adjustable spanner wrench for angle grinders, amazeballs, only need one wrench for all grinders since every model has a different pin spacing...

For all those different pin spaced tools.

I just hook one pin of any spanner into the "wrong" hole, turn the wheel around until the OTHER pins hits the outside of the nut.
Works for tightening or loosening.
Try it,
Thank me later,

.
Edit: Drilled a hole thru the corner of my thin 1/4" table to hold the angle grinder for 2 handed grinding (see pic)
I made a T handle bolt to replace that handle.

 

[rangerfredbob]

I've done that, but it isn't a perfect solution since I usually only find the chinciest of the spanners and sometimes the backing metal bends...

 

[Kenstone1]

I've done that, but it isn't a perfect solution since I usually only find the chinciest of the spanners and sometimes the backing metal bends...

Wow, OK
of course you have...

Sounds like you really torque 'em down.

I've used that mentioned method forever and never had a spanner bend.
I in fact have so many spanners, in a pinch, cut some of them up to use the metal for something else

 

[Wrench97]

Wow, OK
of course you have...

Sounds like you really torque 'em down.

I've used that mentioned method forever and never had a spanner bend.
I in fact have so many spanners, in a pinch, cut some of them up to use the metal for something else

Usually find it is an issue after using/abusing cut off wheels that got stuck in the cut

 

[rangerfredbob]

Didn't mean to be too negative, I do have a bad habit of tightening wheels with a wrench for whatever reason (I do realize they tighten themselves when grinding/cutting) but have been weaning myself, the issue is when the nut and washer rust to the wheel (it's humid in Oregon), and some of the wrenches have narrow pins and thin metal which makes it worse, even though the thin wrench bent I think it still worked, but I like my adjustable one

 

[lolaetype]

An improvement to the 12 ton hydraulic press:

The frame kept racking when I'd use the press. The problem is the four bolts at the top simply squeeze the vertical channels when they are tightened. To more firmly bolt the frame together I cut four pieces of pipe and inserted them in the channel as in the below picture. The pipe sleeves prevent the vertical channel from compressing when the bolts are tightened. I also drilled a small hole and bolted a spring clip to the vertical channel to hold the jack handle. And I bolted the base to a piece of 3/4" plywood.

 

[lolaetype]

And while on the subject I have to give a pass to the following:

4 leg grinder stand, I'm using mine for a drill press stand.

The belt sander I bought about 15 years ago and constantly abuse.

The wheel bearing race and seal driver kit.

The 1.5 ton aluminum floor jack.

 

[ndnchf]

An improvement to the 12 ton hydraulic press:

The frame kept racking when I'd use the press. The problem is the four bolts at the top simply squeeze the vertical channels when they are tightened. To more firmly bolt the frame together I cut four pieces of pipe and inserted them in the channel as in the below picture. The pipe sleeves prevent the vertical channel from compressing when the bolts are tightened. I also drilled a small hole and bolted a spring clip to the vertical channel to hold the jack handle. And I bolted the base to a piece of 3/4" plywood.

Check out my video on 20 ton press mods. I replaced those bolts with eight grade 8 bolts.

 

[Loose Ctrl]

Lots o good vids on improving the HF shop presses.

 

[ndnchf]

Luminar LED 24ft, 12 bulb outdoor string lights, p/n 56869 - pass.

I bought one string a couple weeks ago to try out. They worked fine. So I went back a few days ago and bought another so they would go all the way around my patio cover. They are heavy rubber with LED bulbs that have a bright, but warm glow. The only thing to look for is the center metal contact in the sockets. I had to pull them up a little so the bulbs made good contact.

 

[1Garageman]

Luminar LED 24ft, 12 bulb outdoor string lights, p/n 56869 - pass.

I bought one string a couple weeks ago to try out. They worked fine. So I went back a few days ago and bought another so they would go all the way around my patio cover. They are heavy rubber with LED bulbs that have a bright, but warm glow. The only thing to look for is the center metal contact in the sockets. I had to pull them up a little so the bulbs made good contact.

That looks really good!!! I will be doing some outside work this spring and those will be perfect! Nice review!

 

[tez929rr]

The $5 lanterns saved the day (well, night) during Texas smowmageddon.

 

[ndnchf]

I picked up the Bauer portable bandsaw last week and have already used it a good bit - Pass.

https://www.harborfreight.com/10-amp-deep-cut-variable-speed-band-saw-kit-64194.html


Two things to note.

1 - Get quality blades for it; Dewalt, Milwaukee, etc. Not the HF blades.

2 - On mine the heads of the screws that hold down the blade plate were too wide to fit all the way down in the trough of the stamped blade plate. This caused the plate to be tilted and the saw to cut a little crooked. I reduced the screw head diameter until they set down properly in the trough. Now the plate sits square to the blade and the saw cuts straight.

Before and after screw head modification.

 

[zendriver]

Saw these were a new product, a while back and since my knees are getting worse - not better and I have never been impressed with any knee pads, I thought I'll give them a try.

One thing I did not like about others was that they seem to work their way down, quickly, have to be pulled up.

This design looked like the top strap being above the knee will hold it in place. It does. I only used them while climbing around under my vehicle when installing a hitch receiver, but they were very comfortable and stayed in place.

They are not inexpensive, but very well built and functional. - PASS.

https://www.harborfreight.com/thigh-stabilization-knee-pads-57520.html

 

[Loose Ctrl]

Saw these were a new product, a while back and since my knees are getting worse - not better and I have never been impressed with any knee pads, I thought I'll give them a try.

One thing I did not like about others was that they seem to work their way down, quickly, have to be pulled up.

This design looked like the top strap being above the knee will hold it in place. It does. I only used them while climbing around under my vehicle when installing a hitch receiver, but they were very comfortable and stayed in place.

They are not inexpensive, but very well built and functional. - PASS.

https://www.harborfreight.com/thigh-stabilization-knee-pads-57520.html

Thanks for posting. I hadn't seen those but I will pick up a pair. I have several jobs coming up where I will be on my knees working. One job will be kissing the missus *** when a 29 foot sailboat shows up at the house next week, if the deal goes through.

 

[emeraldcoupe]

chief long barrel air hammer- PASS

https://www.harborfreight.com/professional-long-barrel-air-hammer-56524.html

works great, plenty of power. just used it to cut / drive rivets out of a frame

 

[driftpin]

My 8.5 amp SDS-MAX impact demo Hammer/drill is not the current one but again it paid for itself. I had a rental w/a parquet entry I needed to demo & it did the job quickly. With a coupon & sale it was <$100.

The renter was a smoker, the stucco and plaster and drywall walls and ceiling were yellow with nicotine. I used good old Pine-Sol and a stiff bristle brush on a pole to wash them and then wipe them down with a hand sponge and Clorox bleach, it looks and smells much different now

 

[DadsTools]

BAUER 4-1/2" 8 amp corded Angle Grinder=FAIL
When decelerating after releasing the switch, it made a metallic banging noise with each revolution. Sounded as if the wheel had a spot where it would make contact with the wheel guard on each revolution. After examining the inside of the guard and finding no collision spots, I realized the banging was inside the gearbox. ALSO, no Type 1 wheel guard is available for this grinder.

BAUER 7" 10 amp corded variable speed polisher = FAIL
Gearbox made the same kind of clanging noise as above angle grinder on deceleration, not quite as loud but still distinct. The backing pad wobbled so bad it was like an upside down dinner plate rolling around a surface on its rim just before coming to rest.
[NOTE: this item has since been pulled from the website--I wonder why?]

Warrior 5" sanding discs = FAIL
They wear out so fast it's ridiculous.

Chicago Electric Safety Guard for Angle Grinders = FAIL
Essentially a Type 1 wheel guard with an added fence for guiding along a surface. Adjustable for 4" or 4-1/2" grinders. Great idea. But HF claims it will fit 4" or 4-1/2" grinders. It doesn't. Manual says will fit all these size grinders sold by HF. Also false. Only fits the Chicago Electric grinders.

I ended up going to Lowes and buying brand name stuff at similar pricing and all worked great (Lowes didn't have the wheel guard).

I've purchased lots of other items at HF over the years and they have been serviceable. Not this stuff.

 

[joey1320]

Thanks for posting. I hadn't seen those but I will pick up a pair. I have several jobs coming up where I will be on my knees working. One job will be kissing the missus *** when a 29 foot sailboat shows up at the house next week, if the deal goes through.

LoL!!!
Pucker Up!!!

 

[fasteddie]

My 8.5 amp SDS-MAX impact demo Hammer/drill is not the current one but again it paid for itself. I had a rental w/a parquet entry I needed to demo & it did the job quickly. With a coupon & sale it was <$100.

The renter was a smoker, the stucco and plaster and drywall walls and ceiling were yellow with nicotine. I used good old Pine-Sol and a stiff bristle brush on a pole to wash them and then wipe them down with a hand sponge and Clorox bleach, it looks and smells much different now

Was he a musician? There's a pick guard from a Telecaster stuck in the baseboard under the table in photo #2.

 

[Renegade1LI]

Harbor freight service, pass, it took 3 tries to get a good 26" top chest,3rd one was perfect, manager gave me a 15$ gift card for my troubles.

 

[Renegade1LI]

Another great HF value is the 2000lb hyd cart, I never new how much I needed one & it rolls nice on concrete.

 

[GeoBruin]

Another great HF value is the 2000lb hyd cart, I never new how much I needed one & it rolls nice on concrete.

Agreed. At max height it's just level with the tailgate of my pickup. Great for moving things in and out of the bed and into the shop. The brakes on the stock casters leave something to be desired. I lubed them up and they work better. One day I'll replace them with some nicer (slightly smaller) casters.

 

[zendriver]

FL road Trip in Highlander and folks in the back seat, so needed extra something to haul the fishing equipment.



Picked up up the lightweight aluminum cargo carrier. Seemed fairly sturdy (for AL), it's rated for 500# and although I doubt it could hold up transporting a big-block V8, it felt like it could be loaded up pretty good. Held up fine. PASS



https://www.harborfreight.com/500-lb-capacity-aluminum-cargo-carrier-92655.html



Of course at the last minute needed to decide how to pack on it. Any plastic cases are expensive and unavailable locally, so I rolled the dice, ran to the store, for this $30 water resistant cargo bag. Bilt h ,eavy with a good design and heavy zipper, was nice to protect stuff. It come with nearly useless bungees, that I removed and just used nylon straps. It is supposed to be water resistant, but I did not get the chance to test that. It did have water inside, but I had unzipped it a bit at night (it rained) to hook up a security cable, so otherwise it may have stayed dry during travel.



Great buy for the money PASS



https://www.harborfreight.com/54-1-2-half-inch-long-expandable-nylon-cargo-carrier-cover-95165.html



The hitch lock, seemed like a hitch lock, not bad for $11 PASS





https://www.harborfreight.com/5-8-eighth-inch-hitch-lock-95831.html

 

[Forgottonia]

HF bench grinder: FAIL. So out of balance it's unusable.

HB belt sander: PASS. Good price, and it works ok.

 

[jonesg]

HF bench grinder: FAIL. So out of balance it's unusable.

You're supposed to take it apart, true up on a lathe, not theirs, and reassemble with better hardware.