The Harbor Freight PASS/FAIL Thread...

[ck986]

I bought the 10" sliding compound miter saw and love it. I would have never bought one of these at the HD price. Cant beat $79.

 

[srosa707]

Craftsman- Aluminum floor jack, GARBAGE. If I had the paitence to repeat "GARBAGE" on this post 1 million times, I would. That thing *****. So far so good with my HF 3.5 ton floor jack.

 

[Bull]

I'm not seeing the same sku, but generally people have liked the flooring staplers.
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=441083&highlight=flooring+stapler#post441083

Thanks for the reply. I did search this thread for "flooring" and found the couple posts where people say the stapler/nailer is good. But, as someone in this thread mentioned, it would be most valuable to make sure that the specific part number is used in these recommendations, just to be sure. I think I'll try the model I showed. What is the HF policy if a tool like that breaks or works poorly out of the box?

 

[Richard Givan]

Can anyone comment on this particular flooring stapler/nailer? I need to do a small area in the nursery now, and then do the upstairs of my barn later. Pneumatic model at Lowes is about $400!! This thing is only $99 on sale.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=99640

I bought one a few years ago to lay some floor in a house my daughter and son-in-law were building. I got it after using a traditional hand operated flooring machine a few years ago to put down oak floor in my bedroom, then sold.

The HF unit worked quite well, actually better than the Porta-Nails (armstrong-type) nailer I had been used to. I sort of expected problems with it, but it sailed through the usage we put it to without a hitch, and the compressed-air boost was quite welcome after a few hours of whacking away. We did use Bostich staples, but I don't think HF even sells a house brand in those.

I lost it afterwards by loaning it to a neer-so-well son of a friend who wanted to do a quick remodel. I don't know if he ever used it, but I'm pretty sure it got sold cheap for drug money pretty quickly. My friend had so much grief from his punk son (burglary bust with his wife) that I never pressed the matter of his kid returning the machine. I wouldn't hesitate buying one again, although I doubt I will ever need another one.

 

[Bull]

Aahh, good idea on using the branded staples. HF does show some oin their site, but I think I will do what you did and grab some Bosch now that I know they fit.

 

[Chris Adams]

Thanks for the reply. I did search this thread for "flooring" and found the couple posts where people say the stapler/nailer is good. But, as someone in this thread mentioned, it would be most valuable to make sure that the specific part number is used in these recommendations, just to be sure. I think I'll try the model I showed. What is the HF policy if a tool like that breaks or works poorly out of the box?

Bull, they take it back. I am embarrassed to admit I have returned things just because I changed my mind, or after I bought it I decided to go another way. If it broke or doesn’t work the way you want, they take it back.
Watch for time limits on ‘satisfaction’ returns. It’s not Costco.

But I've returned tools that just didn't work quite the way I wanted also.

Keep the receipt, always good advice anywhere, but HF due to the high shop lifting and employee pilfering problems MUST get the receipt.
The guys on the counter have NO authority to return/refund without it.

This is a business decision forced on many places nowadays. In the past you could just let your people exchange or refund things without paperwork if they had reason to believe it was legitimate.
So many crooks have found loopholes to steal from stores that the only way to keep a place from going under is to be **** retentive on the rules.
Wish it wasn't so, but just a fact of life in modern society.

Keep a safe place for your receipts, even keep the small ones, make it a habit.

 

[Bolster]

Found the 20% coupon good till 5/04/09...

http://www.harborfreightusa.com/usa...ue&r=4495_15489&cust=78074039217&keycode=0000

 

[scrubcakes]

PASS/NICE STUFF

HF Impact sockets, Made in India pittsburgh pro wrenches, Zipties, 3 drawer service cart, Brass mityvac, Torque wrenches, Breaker bars, 6 ton jack stands, 4.5 inch orange angle grinder, Metric hex sockets, Nitrile & Mechanics gloves, Tool box liner, 3'' cutoff wheel, 50'' rubber air hose, air pressure regulator, tire inflator.

FAIL: 40 PC hose clamp assortment set; won't tighten enough, bad metal.
Most of their screwdrivers, cheap metal rounds off screws. Buy craptsman for screwdrivers.

I have an 80's Mercedes & a Subaru and HF stuff gets the job done without me bleeding most of the time. I seem to have good luck or I pick the right stuff, none of my HF tools have broken on me.

 

[Danglerb]

I bought the corded electric 1/2" impact wrench that was on sale for $34. Its huge and kinda heavy, and out of the box struggled with a crank pulley bolt. Could be its just brand new and brushes or some such were not fully seated, but several times as I rattled away it just stopped and would not go again until I released the trigger and pulled it again. I was using a plain chrome 27 mm socket (sorry, gotta do something about that) and a 6" impact extension. When the bolt didn't come loose after half a dozen or so 5 to 10 second tries, I took off the extension and put the socket directly on the impact wrench, and the bolt came off on about the third try.

PASS, the bolt did come off, so I expect lug nuts to be easier, and no compressor noise, so mission accomplished.

No clue which of these I got, coupon was good for either I think, and description is the same.

1/2" Electric Impact Wrench Chicago Electric Power Tools 31877-6VGA $49.87
1/2" Electric Impact Wrench Chicago Electric Power Tools 45252-2VGA $59.99

 

[WorkerB]

Electrical connectors-Fail
Small 2 gal. General Compressor-Huge FAIL
Vice Grips-Fail
Work Stool-Pass
3/8 to 1/4 reducer for ratchet rounded tip right away-Fail
Any screwdriver sold-Fail
Pittsburgh Wrenches-Fail
Impact Sockets-Pass
20 ton pneumatic bottle jack-Pass
12 ton press-pass with modifications
Pry Bars-Fail and ouch!!
Air tools-Pass
Sandpaper-Fail

 

[Chris Adams]

Electrical connectors-Fail
Small 2 gal. General Compressor-Huge FAIL
Vice Grips-Fail
Work Stool-Pass
3/8 to 1/4 reducer for ratchet rounded tip right away-Fail
Any screwdriver sold-Fail
Pittsburgh Wrenches-Fail
Impact Sockets-Pass
20 ton pneumatic bottle jack-Pass
12 ton press-pass with modifications
Pry Bars-Fail and ouch!!
Air tools-Pass
Sandpaper-Fail

Can you give specifics on screwdrivers as the blue ones I have, while I hate the color, are as good as any brand.
Also the Pittsburgh wrench thing. They sell five or ten different ones under thatlabel. The shorty gearwrench type seen very good and the super long ones have been holding up under some abuse here.
And which prybars? I have the black handle ones, four in a set, way pass, so I'm curious which ones failed for you.
Thanks

 

[BruceM]

24" tile cutter: FAIL. Dam thing wouldn't cut tile any better than my pocket knife.

16' Measuring tape: pass. This is one of the best values for the buck I've gotten at HF. Its not particularly well made and it has a useful life. But I got tired of replacing my Stanley every 8 months for $16, when on sale, the HF comperable was $2

10 Gallon Air Compressor: Pass. I ran this thing all day, day after day for a full summer. Not a lot of poop, and the guages are junk....but its still running and less than half the price of a PC.

Pneumatic Brad Nailer: FAIL. Now, this is the cheap one ($15 as I recall). First time I shot a brad into an immovable object, the internal alignment pin bent, and I could never get it straight again. The nailer became recycled scrap metal. I stick with top brands for pneumatic nailers.

10" saw blades: FAIL. These are advertised as C2 Carbide...yeah, right. The blades typically start 'smokin' after a few hours of use. These blades are less than half the price of a comperable Freud, but the Freud lasts 10 times as long.

Recip Saw: PASS or FAIL, depending on what you want to use it for. For occassional cutting, its fine. But for serious work, it'll behave like a Craftsman power tool and fail...at exactly the wrong time. My SIL bought one to do some replumbing in his basement that I helped him with. Trouble is, we had to cut out a section of 4" cast iron pipe. Used a good Bosch blade, but the saw only lasted about 20 minutes of continuous cutting...fried it like a trout in a skillet. Finished it with my Milwaukee Sawsall, which didn't even breath hard.

Drywall cutout tool: PASSED, due largely to its low (about $15) price. I've cut out many holes, and has worked fine. Workmanship is crappy, but motor and guide have held up ok.

Having bought lots of stuff from HF, I've kind of figured out that the simpler the tool, the more likely it'll be ok. But the more complex or intricate, and the more you'll require precision, the more likely you'll be dissatisfied.

BruceM

 

[Garage_Mahal]

Long hex wrenches with red plastic handles in a holder. FAIL. Handles crack off under light pressure.

 

[oldtools]

Elroy purchased these Mity-Vac from the "Harbor" at a better price than anyone else in town:

They are also an authorized Channel Lock distributor so anyone who makes the blanket statement that all they sell is junk has demonstrated clearly they don't have clue what they're talking about.

Now granted a lot of their stuff is imported and not exactly "top drawer" but like the old adage says: Buyer beware applies.

They used to sell SK tools. I don't think they carry SK tools anymore.

 

[WorkerB]

Can you give specifics on screwdrivers as the blue ones I have, while I hate the color, are as good as any brand.
Can't remember specs on screwdrivers had tips break and work terrible as pry bars so I just threw them away.
thing. They sell five or ten different ones under that label.
I used the Pittsburgh wrenches at my boat (that way I don't care if they become fish food) I found the fit on bolts to be very loose. Can't remember specs on wrenches either
The shorty gearwrench type seen very good and the super long ones have been holding up under some abuse here.
And which prybars? I have the black handle ones, four in a set, way pass, so I'm curious which ones failed for you.
It was the black handle pry bars I had the little one broke on shaft and hurt like hell!! The larger one just bent on me

 

[Chris Adams]

Can you give specifics on screwdrivers as the blue ones I have, while I hate the color, are as good as any brand.
Can't remember specs on screwdrivers had tips break and work terrible as pry bars so I just threw them away.
thing. They sell five or ten different ones under that label.
I used the Pittsburgh wrenches at my boat (that way I don't care if they become fish food) I found the fit on bolts to be very loose. Can't remember specs on wrenches either
The shorty gearwrench type seen very good and the super long ones have been holding up under some abuse here.
And which prybars? I have the black handle ones, four in a set, way pass, so I'm curious which ones failed for you.
It was the black handle pry bars I had the little one broke on shaft and hurt like hell!! The larger one just bent on me

Thanks for the reply. Seems that one screwdriver set was bad, which I can believe. Out of the 100 or so different ones I've seen there, about half looked like total junk.
Don't understand the loose fit on the wrench thing, but sounds like you got a bad set there.
There must be two different types of black handle prybars judging from the two guys who say the ones they bought bent or broke, the others like them.

Buying from HF is like buying from Costco or BigLots. Everything changes constantly.

 

[bmxr4life87]

my HF long handle wrenches have a fine fit the jaws and box ends were compared to my buddies matco long handle set and the differences in the jaws were minute only a couple thousandths difference but mine have more length they dont have the same felt jaw flex like my craftsmans do. And ive stood on my black handled prybars and hammered the **** out of em before and they are still very useable and show no signs of abuse. If you buy tools and expect them to fail before you ever use them thats all you will find them doing is failing....

 

[The Muffin Man]

If you buy tools and expect them to fail before you ever use them thats all you will find them doing is failing....

...Uh...what

 

[Chris Adams]

...Uh...what

He’s saying "if you expect them to fail, they will fail" I presume either because you will try to fail them or just assume they fail rather than expect success.
The original self fulfilling prophesy.

I see it every day on cars;
This car is junk, it's a Ford (fill in the brand you don't like) so everything about it is terrible. Sure, I got 300k on it, but the ashtray never worked right.

The opposite is the 'halo' effect where ‘this car is Great' it's a Ford (fill in the car you love). It's normal to put a new engine in every 20 thousand miles, but look at the color.

With tools some worship Snap-On, and can't see the glaring faults, other hate HF and can't see the good.

We ain't tracking tools here, we're tracking human nature.

 

[sk farmer]

old school, don't tell anyone sk tools were sold at hf. we don't get any respect now. next thing that you know they will say we are related to the pittsburghians.

 

[bmxr4life87]

He’s saying "if you expect them to fail, they will fail" I presume either because you will try to fail them or just assume they fail rather than expect success.
The original self fulfilling prophesy.

I see it every day on cars;
This car is junk, it's a Ford (fill in the brand you don't like) so everything about it is terrible. Sure, I got 300k on it, but the ashtray never worked right.

The opposite is the 'halo' effect where ‘this car is Great' it's a Ford (fill in the car you love). It's normal to put a new engine in every 20 thousand miles, but look at the color.

With tools some worship Snap-On, and can't see the glaring faults, other hate HF and can't see the good.

We ain't tracking tools here, we're tracking human nature.

Exactly what i mean, im not here saying everything from HF is great cause its not all good. But expecting it all to be junk is the wrong attitude to have. Im not really a tool loyalist my toolbox has everything from HF up to Snap on, mac and vintage cornwell. I would love to have a big truck brand box loaded with the better half of their catalog but i tend to pick and choose too much and also im waaaay to poor for that! Continue thread

 

[Tornado]

3 pc. pry bar set - big time FAIL. The head on smallest one (6 inch) snapped off like a dry twig the first time I used it. Really makes me scared to use the bigger ones. I have had good luck with many HF items but the odds finally caught up with me.

Link to product:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=97387

 

[bmxr4life87]

atleast you got some nice long tapered punches???

 

[Chris Adams]

3 pc. pry bar set - big time FAIL. The head on smallest one (6 inch) snapped off like a dry twig the first time I used it. Really makes me scared to use the bigger ones. I have had good luck with many HF items but the odds finally caught up with me.

Link to product:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=97387

Thanks for the heads up. I was thinking about getting them, since they would be under 5 bucks with coupon.
Well, not suprising they are junk, that price is way low...

 

[Hip2u77]

17 Piece Heavy Duty Slide Hammer Kit - Fail -

Split the crows foot in half after the 3rd or 4th hit when trying to yank the hub bearing on our '07 Jeep JK.

 

[nissan_crawler]

I have the black handled prybars. Yes, I bent one, but I was heaving like a mo-fo on the thing. At that point, I'll take bending over breaking at any day.

 

[Bo Heck]

17 Piece Heavy Duty Slide Hammer Kit - Fail -

Split the crows foot in half after the 3rd or 4th hit when trying to yank the hub bearing on our '07 Jeep JK.

And I thought people were having good luck with these things...

 

[WVU Tuba Dale]

17 Piece Heavy Duty Slide Hammer Kit - Fail -

Split the crows foot in half after the 3rd or 4th hit when trying to yank the hub bearing on our '07 Jeep JK.

My boss had one and it did the same thing on a Suburban bearing.

 

[ZRX61]

Not if it's been mentioned yet:
The post dollies, there are 2 designs (altho ideally there should be 4..) They are of sufficent quality steel that you can machine them to other needed shapes & cheap enough that it doesn't matter if you ****** them up...

 

[Danglerb]

With the slide hammer and pry bar, did you try taking them back?

I use the higher quality 4 pc black handle $8 pry bar set, and its hollow I think, and likely not "real" strong, but plenty useful with those considerations. I'm not really sure that something stronger wouldn't get me into trouble breaking stuff.

Not if it's been mentioned yet:
The post dollies, there are 2 designs (altho ideally there should be 4..) They are of sufficent quality steel that you can machine them to other needed shapes & cheap enough that it doesn't matter if you ****** them up...

One of these type things ...

 

[Hip2u77]

With the slide hammer and pry bar, did you try taking them back?

No problems taking the slide hammer back, but I only bought it about 20 minutes before I broke it.

 

[Tornado]

I got a set of the good Craftsman pry bars with the striking caps when they were on sale for $25 a few weeks ago and those have been great. But I find myself sometimes needing a pry bars with a "foot" on them. Was at HF one day and decided to try those. Somebody my size should never be able to break a 6" pry bar with one hand. I think I will try look for a deal on some index-able pry bars like the Gearwrench ones or equivalent and give them a try.

 

[r0meyrome]

Are there any good tire air pressure gauges good at harbor freight?

 

[Danglerb]

Are there any good tire air pressure gauges good at harbor freight?

One might be good, but every time I have gone in to buy one, something about it makes me decide not to buy it.

 

[r0meyrome]

Mah bad Im talking about tire inflation/gauge a dual foot air chuck...

 

[Danglerb]

Mah bad Im talking about tire inflation/gauge a dual foot air chuck...

So was I.

Got tired of waiting and blew $7 at CarQuest and bought a plain Milton dual head air chuck. No gauge, no on/off, air line fitting on one end, dual head on the other. Needs some caution not to over fill, but its compact and should work fine forever.

 

[r0meyrome]

Couldnt wait also so i bought the 15 dollar one...egh it work OK if you press the trigger all the way down.

 

[Stephenw]

I'll give my endorsement for the black nitrile gloves. They hold up well for general mechanical work and light solvent use.

 

[Reformed]

(PASS) 450 Lb. Capacity Transmission Jack (China). Love it.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=39178

(PASS) 6 Ton Jack Stand Set (China). It's been 10 years now and they still work great.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=38847

(PASS) 1/2" Drive 25" Breaker Bar (Taiwan). I love this thing!
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=30395

(FAIL) Cowhide Welding Gloves. I hate everything about these gloves. Waste of money.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=488

(PASS) OBDII Basic Reader.
Discontinued.

(PASS) Gordon Utility Blades. Not the best.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=93085

(PASS) 6 Piece Wire Wheel. Got the job done.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=1341

 

[kwhitelaw]

Bringing this back up because they are on sale this week...

cant find a pic from harbor freight so ill steal one from the originator..

pretty much identical (maybe a little more pliable) but in black...

$2.79 on sale for 7 pieces. buy a couple sets because you inevitably will break one. I'd rather break one of these then the bojos.