The Harbor Freight PASS/FAIL Thread...

[wafrederick]

1/2 drive impact extension bar set PASS.I use this set at work and I am amazed how this set has held up,none of them broke yet.

 

[subarub4]

sweet Im back from HF and I got the last 450 Lb transmission jack and the cheap box was pretty much ripped open so I got a $50 discount off of the jack so it only cost me $50 and they threw in a 2 year replacement for it as well

I love the store it's a bit slow because it just opened and people are trying to get used to the operations but it's good.

I picked up the nut splitter and some cheap gloves and a rubber mallet and some knee pads.

question on the nut splitter I did not know it was threaded but from what I guess I mate the chisel to the nut and keep cranking on it till it breaks off right?

I opted for this instead of the air saw at the moment.

 

[dabirdguy]

I cast another thumbs down on the air saw.
Works on balsa wood. When it doesn't stick.

 

[subarub4]

I'm playing with this nut splitter until I really use it in the morning but it's binding in the part.. it has the little Allen key and I make it so the shaft wont turn but what happens is when I use the wrench on it it pushes the ball pivot more into the part that you turn and it binds the whole tool up

I just really need it for 2 bolts so I might use the impact wrench on it but it's going to need a lot of messing around with it to get it to work right

 

[route246]

HF Twitter follow: Pass
They just sent me a tweet with a 20% off one item coupon linked to it. I'm not sure if it's locked to my customer number or not. You might check their twitter page and see if you can print it. It should be there for all to see.

 

[diggerrick]

I'm playing with this nut splitter until I really use it in the morning but it's binding in the part.. it has the little Allen key and I make it so the shaft wont turn but what happens is when I use the wrench on it it pushes the ball pivot more into the part that you turn and it binds the whole tool up

I just really need it for 2 bolts so I might use the impact wrench on it but it's going to need a lot of messing around with it to get it to work right

I just looked at mine, and it doesn't have an allen key or screw. Mine has a small roll pin that protrudes into the bore of the bigger part as the guide for the slot in the chisel part. It sounds like your newer model at least has some adjustment. It's pretty cheap, chintzy construction, and does cause some binding the first few times. They also use a crappy thread form for this application. I coated the threads and guide groove on mine with antisieze, which helps under load, but some high pressure lube might be better. Also, the last time I used mine I held the body with vice grips while I turned the screw - you don't want to clamp tighter than you need to though.

Good Luck!

 

[subarub4]

well long story short the nut buster was of no good use for me.. So I took out the sawzall and it was like a hot knife cutting butter.

hitch is off finally.

The nut buster is just meh.. but I'm still glad I never got the air saw however.

 

[JohnFreeman]

Grinding disks (4 1/2")--- FAIL

Wailed away with two of these, and it took about 30 min to do with what took TWO minutes to do with a DeWalt version.

The HF disks are ****.

 

[forklift man]

I bought one and I had hard time cutting close cell foam rubber

 

[fxt]

Grinding disks (4 1/2")--- FAIL

Wailed away with two of these, and it took about 30 min to do with what took TWO minutes to do with a DeWalt version.

The HF disks are ****.

what was the item number?

 

[JohnFreeman]

I'll have to look, but it's the thick wheels (~3/16"?) , not the thin cut-off versions.

 

[aar0s]

Not sure if its been mentioned on here yet but the AA rechargeable batteries from HF are ****. charged them up for use in my xbox360 controller and they lasted long enough to get the DVD started before they crapped out. save your money and buy some good rechargeable.

 

[mixxmstrmike]

http://www.harborfreight.com/2-1-2-half-inch-table-swivel-vise-97160.html

PASS

Got this little vise with the 20% off coupon and couldn't be any happier. There was absolutely very little to ZERO slop on the dynamic jaw. It's surprisingly HEAVY for its size and the fit & overall finish is worth the $20 dollars I spent.

-Mike

 

[subarub4]

Not sure if its been mentioned on here yet but the AA rechargeable batteries from HF are ****. charged them up for use in my xbox360 controller and they lasted long enough to get the DVD started before they crapped out. save your money and buy some good rechargeable.

I got the non rechargeable AA's and they **** as well.. they have 1.5V but they can't take anything that puts a load in it.. as simple as a tape player or cd player...

 

[FLACOMAN]

Those heat guns are great for roasting coffee! Heat gun , bowl and whisk
Also start barbecues in about three minutes

 

[GoBlue]

As a shop owner i have tried a lot of their stuff in the past. Most was junk. Some however was awesome...here they are.

1/2 impact sockets...as good as any i have ever used

Chrome sockets deep and standard...good quality, fairly strong...not as nice as Craftsman but they work just as well.

Super Duty Air Hammer...Absolute hit house of power, held up fine as well. Honestly stronger than my Mac hammer...get a chuck and get rid of that hokey spring keeper though.

Die grinders, both angled and straight...as good as any

Air Ratchets 1/4 and 3/8...as good as my IRs and Bps and they take a beating

Obstruction wrenches...pretty tight and very handy


AVOID BREAKER BARS...watched a tech of mine destroy knuckles on both hands when a breaker exploded near ground level while he was getting on it...no cheater pipe either. After he was taken to ER, i broke loose the fastener with my craftsman bar...no problems. I know some have used them with success, but i worry about their consistency...to much of a risk.

Their impact guns, combo wrenches, and gear wrenches are horrid...save your time and money. They gear wrenches have cost me more busted knuckles than alcohol! The combos strip everything and their impacts have failed to bust off lugs in the past for me as well as exploding. Odd that their combo wrenches **** so bad as their obstruction wrenches have been fine for me...less torque when used i suppose.

 

[SQ is the SQUAD]

As a shop owner i have tried a lot of their stuff in the past. Most was junk. Some however was awesome...here they are.

1/2 impact sockets...as good as any i have ever used

Chrome sockets deep and standard...good quality, fairly strong...not as nice as Craftsman but they work just as well.

Super Duty Air Hammer...Absolute hit house of power, held up fine as well. Honestly stronger than my Mac hammer...get a chuck and get rid of that hokey spring keeper though.

Die grinders, both angled and straight...as good as any

Air Ratchets 1/4 and 3/8...as good as my IRs and Bps and they take a beating

Obstruction wrenches...pretty tight and very handy


AVOID BREAKER BARS...watched a tech of mine destroy knuckles on both hands when a breaker exploded near ground level while he was getting on it...no cheater pipe either. After he was taken to ER, i broke loose the fastener with my craftsman bar...no problems. I know some have used them with success, but i worry about their consistency...to much of a risk.

Their impact guns, combo wrenches, and gear wrenches are horrid...save your time and money. They gear wrenches have cost me more busted knuckles than alcohol! The combos strip everything and their impacts have failed to bust off lugs in the past for me as well as exploding. Odd that their combo wrenches **** so bad as their obstruction wrenches have been fine for me...less torque when used i suppose.

what impact guns where u using. i have hear nothing but great reviews from the earthquake line of impacts. i have there chepie $20 unit (the red one) and its no so great. i am definatly getting a earthquake 1/2 impact

 

[12voltguy]

I never noticed you were on pirate4x4 before.

I think this was the original HF good tools thread...

http://pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=434877

and the do not buy...

http://pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=552514

found this place from pirate & signed up to view pics in this thread

I buy some from HF, like those digi dial calipers 6" from page 1, PASS
use them near dayly last 2-4 years

 

[allinon72]

Grease gun:

http://www.harborfreight.com/grease-gun-with-pistol-grip-66664.html

Fail. Hose is stiff as hell and the thing leaks all over the place.

 

[emeraldcoupe]

i bought this air saw a while back with a $9.99 coupon, item 91753. http://www.harborfreight.com/air-tools/specialty-air-tools/high-speed-metal-saw-91753.html

just used it for the first time today. i'm patching the fenders on my mustang and used this to cut the patches out, cut great, worked flawless. i used some cut down hack saw blades in it. i see people have had problems with them but for $9 i think it's worth a shot.

 

[diggerrick]

I've never bought any type of saw or grinder from HF that had good blades, stones, or wheels.

Replacing them with good cutters or abrasives normally makes a very big difference.

 

[greasemonkey44]

got this yesterday, works well if you have sockets with pin holes
http://www.harborfreight.com/10-inch-quick-release-impact-extension-bar-98208.html
works great and used it all day

 

[bchee]

Drill water pump: FAIL

 

[JohnMcD348]

I kinda wonder if any of those actually work. I bought a similar unit from Advance Auto to drain my differentials and TTB and never got it to work either way.

 

[NUTTSGT]

3 in 1 Shear, Press Brake, Slip Roller. FAIL

Regular price, $479.99
Sale price $399.99
20% OFF total $342.00

Although the price was good, it wouldn't shear 22 guage sheet metal. Since it didn't shear, I didn't bother trying the roller or press brake. When I took it back, they acted like it was no big deal and clearly weren't surprised that it was coming back.


added a picture

 

[Alchymist]

OK, who's gonna be the first to buy and review this:
http://www.harborfreight.com/power-..._cut051811&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2011

 

[jdv]

1000 Lb. Capacity Engine Support Bar
http://www.harborfreight.com/1000-lb-capacity-engine-support-bar-96524.html

Pass, works fine. Has good adjustability, but it is a bit wobbly until you get it loaded.


450 Lb. Capacity Transmission Jack
http://www.harborfreight.com/450-lb-capacity-transmission-jack-39178.html

Fail. Massive fail. The ratcheting strap is difficult to use, the ratchet has to be either on the side or on top of the transmission and if you're doing it on jack stands, it's very awkward. The plate isn't flat, which I don't like either.

 

[Kev442]

Those transmission jacks make no sense to me. I bought a ATV/Motorcycle jack and it went perfectly with a transmission, just used a couple 2x10 spacers to get the ****** high enough. Once I had a couple bolts started on the bellhousing, I put a bottle jack on the rear of the ****** and dropped the ATV jack out of the way.
They are all the same, I think mine says Larin on it.

http://www.lowes.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10151&catalogId=10051&cId=SEARCH&productId=3339182&cm_mmc=SCE_gps-_-gps-_-gps-_-Kobalt%203/4%20Ton%20ATV/Motorcycle%20Jack%2085003

 

[PaulR]

4.5" Heavy Duty Grinder

http://www.harborfreight.com/heavy-duty-4-1-2-half-inch-angle-grinder-91223.html

Marginal Pass so far. Used it once.
Used a Blue Norton cutting disc to cut some sections of rain gutter, light duty. The brand new disc seemed to wobble a bit like I clamped it off kilter or it was out of round. I've clamped 100's of discs on my old Craftsman Industrial without a problem, not sure what went wrong. Anyways, it did cut.
The guard is clamped on perfectly in the wrong spot, needs to be adjusted out of the box.

I do not have high hopes for this unit but it serves its purpose as a secondary grinder with a blade set up already so I do not have to take the time to always be switching my primary grinder.

 

[scott37300]

450 Lb. Capacity Transmission Jack
http://www.harborfreight.com/450-lb-capacity-transmission-jack-39178.html

Fail. Massive fail. The ratcheting strap is difficult to use, the ratchet has to be either on the side or on top of the transmission and if you're doing it on jack stands, it's very awkward. The plate isn't flat, which I don't like either.

Those transmission jacks make no sense to me. I bought a ATV/Motorcycle jack and it went perfectly with a transmission, just used a couple 2x10 spacers to get the ****** high enough. Once I had a couple bolts started on the bellhousing, I put a bottle jack on the rear of the ****** and dropped the ATV jack out of the way.
They are all the same, I think mine says Larin on it.

http://www.lowes.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10151&catalogId=10051&cId=SEARCH&productId=3339182&cm_mmc=SCE_gps-_-gps-_-gps-_-Kobalt%203/4%20Ton%20ATV/Motorcycle%20Jack%2085003

I never liked the look of those "scissor" style ****** jacks. I would not want to push real hard to line a trans up using one of them. I bought the 800 pound jack from HF and it works great. http://www.harborfreight.com/800-lb-capacity-transmission-jack-3185.html. I've never used an ATV jack for a ****** but the adjustments on the trans jack are great to get it lined up perfect. Well worth it if even you are going to use once every 5 years, I would even say it is worth it if you are only going to use it once. 130 bucks for a jack that makes ****** installs easy is well worth it to me.

 

[dclassical]

I might have posted already, but I love this transmission jack. Works great (also used to lower and/or remove subframes):

http://www.harborfreight.com/2000-lb-low-profile-transmission-jack-4075.html

Only paid $199 about a year ago... prices have gone up, up, up since then!

 

[subarub4]

I have the 450 Lb transmission jack I'm going to use it within the next few weeks to take the transmission out of my Subaru the only little issue is the ratchet strap the metal binds on releasing the strap..

the transmission is only 150lb only reason I got it is that others have used it without issue.

 

[jdv]

I never liked the look of those "scissor" style ****** jacks. I would not want to push real hard to line a trans up using one of them. I bought the 800 pound jack from HF and it works great. http://www.harborfreight.com/800-lb-capacity-transmission-jack-3185.html. I've never used an ATV jack for a ****** but the adjustments on the trans jack are great to get it lined up perfect. Well worth it if even you are going to use once every 5 years, I would even say it is worth it if you are only going to use it once. 130 bucks for a jack that makes ****** installs easy is well worth it to me.

I went to HF looking to pick up that jack, but they were out and I didn't want to wait for their next delivery. I picked up the scissor jack so I could pull my trans the same weekend and the biggest problem I had with it was infact pulling the transmission, it kept slipping off the saddle. The ratchet was impossible for me to use because I had so little room and was doing it on jack stands. I ended up having to just bench press the transmission out.

 

[787B]

I went to HF looking to pick up that jack, but they were out and I didn't want to wait for their next delivery. I picked up the scissor jack so I could pull my trans the same weekend and the biggest problem I had with it was infact pulling the transmission, it kept slipping off the saddle. The ratchet was impossible for me to use because I had so little room and was doing it on jack stands. I ended up having to just bench press the transmission out.

Yep, I had the same problem. No friggin' way I could use the strap so I just removed it. I almost cut the strap brackets off since they just get in the way. I ended up bolting a piece of 2x10 to the top to give me a flat, less-slippery surface since my transmissions are flat on the bottom.

It does what it says, and the lift mechanism works fine, but the top needs a redesign. I'm thinking of a piece of flat steel with a medium-thick rubber pad on top.

 

[Mr.Nutcase]

How good are impact sockets (For home use):
7 Piece 1/2" Drive Metric Impact Swivel Socket Set
Item #67911
http://www.harborfreight.com/7-piece-12-drive-metric-impact-swivel-socket-set-67911.html
7 Piece 3/8" Drive Metric Impact Swivel Socket Set
http://www.harborfreight.com/7-piece-38-drive-metric-impact-swivel-socket-set-67908.html

 

[pmohr]

How good are impact sockets (For home use):
7 Piece 1/2" Drive Metric Impact Swivel Socket Set
Item #67911
http://www.harborfreight.com/7-piece-12-drive-metric-impact-swivel-socket-set-67911.html
7 Piece 3/8" Drive Metric Impact Swivel Socket Set
http://www.harborfreight.com/7-piece-38-drive-metric-impact-swivel-socket-set-67908.html

Search through this thread and you'll find many reviews on them.

I use that set (with the missing pieces filled in with SO) professionally on a daily basis, and I think I've broken one (10mm) in the last year or so that I've had them. They've actually been much more reliable than their SO counterparts.

 

[subarub4]

picked up the 90 amp flux welder tonight along with the 0.035 flux and some gloves and a ceramic knife lol..

I did not get the auto darkening helmet only because they were showing $79 for the price in the store.. next week I might pick it up.. wont get to test it out until about two weeks from now. I did get the 1 year warranty just for the heck of it.

 

[91bronc300]

4.5" Heavy Duty Grinder

http://www.harborfreight.com/heavy-duty-4-1-2-half-inch-angle-grinder-91223.html

Marginal Pass so far. Used it once.
Used a Blue Norton cutting disc to cut some sections of rain gutter, light duty. The brand new disc seemed to wobble a bit like I clamped it off kilter or it was out of round. I've clamped 100's of discs on my old Craftsman Industrial without a problem, not sure what went wrong. Anyways, it did cut.
The guard is clamped on perfectly in the wrong spot, needs to be adjusted out of the box.

I do not have high hopes for this unit but it serves its purpose as a secondary grinder with a blade set up already so I do not have to take the time to always be switching my primary grinder.

Agreed, my first 4.5 grinder (which I still have, going on 11 years) is a name brand. The HF I just bought as a second grinder is marginal but functional, I'll be keeping it but I will go back to a name brand if I end up getting a third grinder.

Also, the HF magnetic welding clamps are a fail. I'll be returning mine the next time I am in town. I bought two the other day, one is just slightly out of square, the other is way out of square.

 

[tooth]

Search through this thread and you'll find many reviews on them.

I use that set (with the missing pieces filled in with SO) professionally on a daily basis, and I think I've broken one (10mm) in the last year or so that I've had them. They've actually been much more reliable than their SO counterparts.

Really, the hf impact sockets are much much more reliable? I have a really really hard time letting someone get that impression having owned both and cracking many hf ones.

Imo a impact socket should never crack - it should deform.

I'd love to hear a bit more to support your comments. And how the hell do you break a 10mm impact socket?!?

 

[alberto]

Aluminum loading ramps 94057 -- PASS

Used the today to move a tool box. Work as one would expect.