The Harbor Freight PASS/FAIL Thread...

[mikebramel]

My local store has 6 of them at $99 (!) Have they ever gone on sale?

mine was &70 on sale plus the 20p coupon. good deal

 

[Racr350]

My local store has 6 of them at $99 (!) Have they ever gone on sale?

$99!?!?! My store had them up for $60. I THINK they retail for $80. You may want to ask about that price.

 

[subarub4]

have the same set it works flawless and YES i have used it a couple of times use it in a couple of SHO's and my older f 150 never a problem and subbarub4 you do have to tighten the gauge really good

well it's cheap metal so I don't want to strip the thing.. I was able to get two more full turns on it.. anymore it's going to crack the face to the gauge..

I will do the pressure test again because I can't tell if the pressure dropping is because of the tiny drip or really a leaky injector..

the hold pressure was 26 psi and 5 min later it was 14 psi.

 

[rayzor32]

i had to put teflon tape on mine to stop the leaking and i cracked the plastic a little tightening it. just dont get the tape at the end part or its going to clog it and read zero.

 

[subarub4]

I did four wraps of tape I would test again but it's going to rain for two days

 

[Shadowdog500]

Over the weekend I picked up a 20 Gallon Portable Oil Lift Drain with a 20% off coupon for $118. So far I have about 7 gallons of oil in it and pumped it out to see how well the pneumatic powered drain works. Everything worked great. This is all metal and appears to be very durable.

The only thing I would recommend is unscrewing everything that screws into the pressure regulator and removing the excess teflon tape from within the regulator. Whoever out this together put way too much teflon tape on everything, and i had to pull teflon tape out of the regulator with a pair of tweezers.

Chris

 

[BerninicaCO3]

Hi!

I'm eyeballing the cobalt drill bit set, on sale for $100 (or $80 after that 20% coupon).
Is it any good?
Their still drill bits have been of uneven quality... their holesaws were garbage, their standard drill bits are fine for brass, aluminum, woods but not any real steel.

Now the cobalt set I would get specifically to drill through steel: are they well made? Sharp, precisely ground, and of an alloy that will actually be harder than the mild steel I ask the bits to cut through?

 

[3 at 8]

Saftey style push button air coupler: http://www.harborfreight.com/1-4-quarter-inch-industrial-push-button-air-coupler-66263.html FAIL

I could not get one to work out of four purchased. The reviews on the HF site are horrible too. Tried to save a couple of bucks over the Milton; dont waste your time.

Multipurpose Stainless Steel Scissors: http://www.harborfreight.com/7-inch-multipurpose-stainless-steel-scissors-97042.html PASS

Love em. Use them daily for about three months now. I would call them "shears". Finesse enough to use like scissors yet ridgid enough to cut open plastic packages, cardboard and zip ties. Spring has'nt fallen out and I dont think it will as it is set in the handle pretty deep. I have the 5" for more leverage, and it was slightly cheaper than the 7" model shown. Maybee one of my favorite purchases from HF.

 

[mikebramel]

Saftey style push button air coupler: http://www.harborfreight.com/1-4-quarter-inch-industrial-push-button-air-coupler-66263.html FAIL

I could not get one to work out of four purchased. The reviews on the HF site are horrible too. Tried to save a couple of bucks over the Milton; dont waste your time.

AGREED. doesnt work AT ALL

 

[don-vee]

"Drill Master" 12 volt cordless drill, had it for nearly 6 years, gets beat to hell, still working. I upgraded to a Matco and gave the HF one to my mom. Still works, sometimes it runs slow and smokes, but it clears up after about 5 or 6 seconds. My friend bought the same brand, same voltage, slightly different design, died in 8 months with minimal useage. FAIL FOR MY FRIEND, PASS FOR ME

Balljoint pickle fork, head snapped off after using it for less than 10 seconds. FAIL

Sawzall blades, worst ever, cutting mild steel, dulled in less than 20 seconds. FAIL

Respirator, was pretty nice, but then they switched suppliers and now I can't find the proprietary filters anywhere, so now it's useless. FAIL

Mini air sawzall, seems to work good, but blades ****. Upgraded to name-brand blades and it rocks. PASS

Electric angle grinder, very off-balance, vibrates horribly, I have to smack it against the ground to get it to turn on. FAIL

Dremel-like rotary tool, paid $6, worst Dremel ever, gutless and off-balance, kept the large amount of bits it came with, gave the tool away. FAIL

15lb slide hammer, bent one of the bits, but I really was asking a LOT of it, helped straighten a frame horn and several other tough jobs, PASS

HUGE pipe wrench, used it for some trailer hitches and heavy plumbing work on 3" iron pipe, performed perfectly. PASS

Flux-core welding wire, welds way nicer and smoother than the Lincoln wire from Home Depot, and quite a bit cheaper. Plus, it's made in Italy, not China. PASS

Wood-handle framing hammer, head went flying when handle snapped. Returned it, they offered me a replacement, I asked for a metal-handled one and I'd pay the difference. FAIL

The aforementioned metal-handled framing hammer, my favorite hammer EVER, absolutely awesome, just "feels right". PASS

3-piece step drill bit, broke one first time using it, returned, new ones haven't broken yet and I use 'em pretty frequently. PASS

Ratcheting clamps, the black plastic and orange ones, they break if you stare at them hard enough. FAIL

Goodyear 10ft air hose, had it for 3 years now, never had a problem. PASS

HVLP spray gun set with 2 guns, actually pretty decent kit for the 50 bucks I paid. Did a very nice paint job on my Beetle. PASS

Countless air fittings, never had a problem. PASS

Water separator for air compressor, just flat out did not do its job. Still had water coming through the line to my air tools, and reservoir was barely damp. Returned it. FAIL

6" backing plate for DA sander. Completely blew apart after about 15 minutes of use. FAIL

 

[Bolster]

Welcome, Don-vee. That's a great post, thanks.

 

[rayzor32]

the flux core from HF is better than lincoln? Is it different than the ones that come in their welders? b/c the wire that came in my HF wire blows, someone told me to get lincoln and it will rock

 

[Randy_che]

the flux core from HF is better than lincoln? Is it different than the ones that come in their welders? b/c the wire that came in my HF wire blows, someone told me to get lincoln and it will rock

I have the same question. It is generally acknowledged that the stuff that comes with the welders is junk. However, the rolls on the shelf at least "look" decent. Are the replacement rolls of wire any good? Anyone else dare to try them?

 

[bchee]

Electric angle grinder, very off-balance, vibrates horribly, I have to smack it against the ground to get it to turn on. FAIL

Which model number are you referring to?

 

[don-vee]

Which model number are you referring to?

Well, it's an older one, but it looks almost the same as #91223 except it's blue instead of red. I don't know the model number of mine, the sticker peeled off a long time ago. Could be the same one.

 

[don-vee]

the flux core from HF is better than lincoln? Is it different than the ones that come in their welders? b/c the wire that came in my HF wire blows, someone told me to get lincoln and it will rock

Not sure of the wire that comes with the welders, as I never used one of their welders. I have an old Tweco MIG that I set up for flux-core, and I used to use the Lincoln wire from Home Depot since it was cheap. It worked okay. Then HF moved to town, and they had a pretty great deal on the wire. So, figuring it would probably be total ****, I took a shot anyway since it was dirt cheap. I was very pleasantly surprised. It welded smoother, very nice consistency, and less spatter.
Someone told me their welding wire was made in Taiwan or China, but all the wire I've gotten from my local HF says it's made in Italy. So, I guess maybe doublecheck if you're buying wire from there that you get the Italian stuff.

 

[kc-steve]

Well, it's an older one, but it looks almost the same as #91223 except it's blue instead of red. I don't know the model number of mine, the sticker peeled off a long time ago. Could be the same one.

The ORANGE one works well enough for $18. Mine has lasted 18 months or so after I cleaned out the original grease and replaced it with quality grease. It is my back up or second-string grinder though, for my Milwaukee.

Steve

 

[djb2]

Well, it's an older one, but it looks almost the same as #91223 except it's blue instead of red. I don't know the model number of mine, the sticker peeled off a long time ago. Could be the same one.

The blue one is branded "Drill Master" and has a bad reputation. It's often on sale for $10.

The orange ones get great reviews.

 

[subarub4]

I picked up a few items today..

the auto ranging DMM item 98674... I should of opened it before I left the store because on the back it says the 3 AAA batts don't come with it so I picked up the cheapest I could find at HF and when I got in the car the batts were in the box...

I picked up the black 3-in-1 jump box they would sold out of the yellow cheaper model item 8884

and the vacuum gauge.. now this was funny.. I made the mistake again of not checking inside (it was not with plastic wrap) so I got to the car and I noticed a bunch of pieces missing like the hose and the metal bits.. they had no problem with a exchange

Item 93547

http://www.harborfreight.com/automo...ostics/fuel-pump-and-vacuum-tester-93547.html

 

[Chadro]

Has the quality of their impact sockets gone down? I picked up a set of the 13 pc deep wells in both metric and SAE and they look like ****. I just needed a couple of spare sets but these are pretty terrible. The finish on them is like sandpaper and the size markings are tiny and in a different place on every socket.

The last sets I bought were glassy smooth and had 5 gallons of oil all over them, these are dry and your lucky if you don't cut your hands on the finish. If anyone has the 13 pc set in the blowmolded plastic case, let me know how yours are because I think these are going back.

 

[mtkst19]

Hi!

I'm eyeballing the cobalt drill bit set, on sale for $100 (or $80 after that 20% coupon).
Is it any good?
Their still drill bits have been of uneven quality... their holesaws were garbage, their standard drill bits are fine for brass, aluminum, woods but not any real steel.

Now the cobalt set I would get specifically to drill through steel: are they well made? Sharp, precisely ground, and of an alloy that will actually be harder than the mild steel I ask the bits to cut through?

based off your price of 100 on sale, i assume you mean the 115 piece set. i bought it for 99 plus 20% off coupon. so figure 80 bucks range.

I have been using them lately on a lot of stainless steel and thicker steel. I keep the drill speeds slow and use lube like you should on any drill bit and have been ok. I'm happy with them.

 

[lipadj46]

Has the quality of their impact sockets gone down? I picked up a set of the 13 pc deep wells in both metric and SAE and they look like ****. I just needed a couple of spare sets but these are pretty terrible. The finish on them is like sandpaper and the size markings are tiny and in a different place on every socket.

The last sets I bought were glassy smooth and had 5 gallons of oil all over them, these are dry and your lucky if you don't cut your hands on the finish. If anyone has the 13 pc set in the blowmolded plastic case, let me know how yours are because I think these are going back.

The laser etched shallow set that I bought a couple years ago is great but not sure if it has changed or not.

 

[Chadro]

The laser etched shallow set that I bought a couple years ago is great but not sure if it has changed or not.

I don't know but these are terrible. I think I'm going to return them and get a couple sets of Stanley's instead. Spare sets or not, no excuse.

 

[strnjss]

Has the quality of their impact sockets gone down? I picked up a set of the 13 pc deep wells in both metric and SAE and they look like ****. I just needed a couple of spare sets but these are pretty terrible. The finish on them is like sandpaper and the size markings are tiny and in a different place on every socket.

The last sets I bought were glassy smooth and had 5 gallons of oil all over them, these are dry and your lucky if you don't cut your hands on the finish. If anyone has the 13 pc set in the blowmolded plastic case, let me know how yours are because I think these are going back.

I ordered a set of metric and SAE impacts from HF last year.

The SAE came in a big red blow molded case with a clear window looking in. They were kind of rough textured and extremely filthy. I had to clean them like crazy so my hands didn't turn black just handling them.

For some reason, the metric came in a black bent up metal tin. The appearance was glassy compared to the SAE ones. It was as if I had bought two different brands or something. They were also kind of dirty but not as bad.

I have barely used either set yet though, except for the 15mm, which has not broken yet.

 

[jeffk14]

Has the quality of their impact sockets gone down? I picked up a set of the 13 pc deep wells in both metric and SAE and they look like ****. I just needed a couple of spare sets but these are pretty terrible. The finish on them is like sandpaper and the size markings are tiny and in a different place on every socket.

The last sets I bought were glassy smooth and had 5 gallons of oil all over them, these are dry and your lucky if you don't cut your hands on the finish. If anyone has the 13 pc set in the blowmolded plastic case, let me know how yours are because I think these are going back.

I just received both the 1/2" drive 13-pc metric & SAE deep well sets on Wednesday. The black oxide finish is a little rough and I don't know how well the etched-on size markings will hold out. Both were in blow molded cases with the window. Both were drenched with oil. For what I paid, I'm not disappointed. Time will tell how well they're made.

 

[Chadro]

I ordered a set of metric and SAE impacts from HF last year.

The SAE came in a big red blow molded case with a clear window looking in. They were kind of rough textured and extremely filthy. I had to clean them like crazy so my hands didn't turn black just handling them.

For some reason, the metric came in a black bent up metal tin. The appearance was glassy compared to the SAE ones. It was as if I had bought two different brands or something. They were also kind of dirty but not as bad.

I have barely used either set yet though, except for the 15mm, which has not broken yet.

The old ones are the ones in the metal box, the new plastic box/rough sockets must be the new ones. Maybe I just have a texture issue but I still don't like them.

 

[Indy_500]

The old ones are the ones in the metal box, the new plastic box/rough sockets must be the new ones. Maybe I just have a texture issue but I still don't like them.

i bought 3 sets recently

10 pc shallow 1/2 drive sae on sale
10 pc shallow 1/2 drive metric on sale
16 pc deep 1/2 drive sae on clearance

the 10 piecers came in a metal box and are VERY rough. The 16 piece is no longer sold and is perfectly smooth and came in a plastic box like what you would get with big socket sets like a case type thing.

 

[subarub4]

I posted this on the slickdeals thread so I will post it here..

Inside of the battery jump box.

 

[sickytwisted]

Hey subarub4! What is that?

 

[subarub4]

Hey subarub4! What is that?

This

http://www.harborfreight.com/automo...ry/3-in-1-jump-start-air-compressor-8884.html

 

[Danglerb]

I posted this on the slickdeals thread so I will post it here..

Inside of the battery jump box.

Not bad looking really, but 30 day warranty, best to find out what a replacement battery costs, or is it a common motorcycle etc. battery?

When Costco was selling a bunch of these the return rate was nasty, due to people letting the battery fully discharge. One of the electronics stores bought pallets of them sold as is for $30, but needing a new battery. With a quality gel cell people were very happy with them.

 

[subarub4]

Battery seems to go for around $38

and yeah you can't let these things fully discharge

 

[bochnak]

Any generators mentioned? Pass or fail?

 

[787B]

93888 Mover's Dolly - small size, 1000 lb capacity - FAIL!

They changed the design and/or supplier since I last bought these 5-6 months ago. The wheels are hard plastic and have a mind of their own. There is so much slop in the pivot that they refuse to caster when the dolly is loaded and pushed. The wood and carpet are thinner and poorly put-together. They are junk now.

What ***** is these used to be great little dollies. When they had the solid hard rubber wheels and chamfered corners they were excellent. They rolled smoothly even when heavily loaded. I have a dozen that I used in my garage to store and roll around stacks of wheels/tires, spare transmissions, spare engines, heavy cases filled with gear, and even my Snap On mid-rise scissor lift! I paid the same price for old and new.

I'm going to take the new ones back and take on old one with me and show the manager the difference. No doubt it won't do a damn bit of good, but at least I did something in addition to not buying them anymore. Guess the son who stole HF from his Dad needs to pay for that multi-million-dollar mansion in Cali...

 

[787B]

Any generators mentioned? Pass or fail?

I bought the generator too. You can get it for $64 with 20% coupon through Sunday. Initial inspection found it to be built a bit better than your average HF schlock. Fit and finish is pretty good. There are 80+ reviews on HF.com and most are positive.

Based on those reviews the first thing I did was pull the spark plug and sure-enough, the gap was set to less than 0.010". No wonder they don't run good out of the box! Gap should be 0.025-0.031. Regapped and reinstalled, but didn't have any gas to run it yet. I'll use it for a while and then give it a pass or fail. Break out my Kill-A-Watt and see if Volts and Hertz are right too under load.

 

[subarub4]

93888 Mover's Dolly - small size, 1000 lb capacity - FAIL!

They changed the design and/or supplier since I last bought these 5-6 months ago. The wheels are hard plastic and have a mind of their own. There is so much slop in the pivot that they refuse to caster when the dolly is loaded and pushed. The wood and carpet are thinner and poorly put-together. They are junk now.

What ***** is these used to be great little dollies. When they had the solid hard rubber wheels and chamfered corners they were excellent. They rolled smoothly even when heavily loaded. I have a dozen that I used in my garage to store and roll around stacks of wheels/tires, spare transmissions, spare engines, heavy cases filled with gear, and even my Snap On mid-rise scissor lift! I paid the same price for old and new.

I'm going to take the new ones back and take on old one with me and show the manager the difference. No doubt it won't do a damn bit of good, but at least I did something in addition to not buying them anymore. Guess the son who stole HF from his Dad needs to pay for that multi-million-dollar mansion in Cali...

each store I go in always has piles of them always stacked up..

I wonder if it would work better if the wheels were changed? too bad it's a tad short for a 400lb object.

 

[subarub4]

I bought the generator too. You can get it for $64 with 20% coupon through Sunday. Initial inspection found it to be built a bit better than your average HF schlock. Fit and finish is pretty good. There are 80+ reviews on HF.com and most are positive.

Based on those reviews the first thing I did was pull the spark plug and sure-enough, the gap was set to less than 0.010". No wonder they don't run good out of the box! Gap should be 0.025-0.031. Regapped and reinstalled, but didn't have any gas to run it yet. I'll use it for a while and then give it a pass or fail. Break out my Kill-A-Watt and see if Volts and Hertz are right too under load.

hey I know they have an upcoming sale on these things but is it better to get it now or wait? I have awhile to wait like another year.. I plan on getting it to run two halogen lights that HF sells I think it was the dual 250 W

 

[Danglerb]

hey I know they have an upcoming sale on these things but is it better to get it now or wait? I have awhile to wait like another year.. I plan on getting it to run two halogen lights that HF sells I think it was the dual 250 W

I think cost of the extended warranty would be the deciding point for me.

OTOH with HF good batch, bad batch, you don't want to pass up one now if this is a good batch.

 

[subarub4]

I think cost of the extended warranty would be the deciding point for me.

OTOH with HF good batch, bad batch, you don't want to pass up one now if this is a good batch.

It's hard to say about the batch I've been looking at the reviews on the website but not too much posted here about it, I know the spark plug is **** and with it not gapped right that's another reason why.

 

[subarub4]

I have this digital meter here the cen-tech 98674.. Does anyone else have this?

It's a pass but the sound reading level seems to be way off.. in a silent room it's reading like 50 dB.. if I blow into the sound mic it shoots to 100 dB.

Other then that it works right and the autoranging works and cool how the sockets light up if you don't have the correct plugs in if you give the meter to someone that does not know a advance meter.