What are good tools from Harbor Freight??

[Raven1911]

Just wondering what all your experience is with tools from Harbor Freight. Have any of you made purchases there in which the tool or equipment has lasted you a long time with no problems? I am always scared to buy there because of the quality. I know someone has said a 4" grinder there was good and even outlasted some major brands. Any other tools come to mind?

 

[brianpgriset]

I usually try to buy things without moving parts at HF, such as welding blankets, bench grinder stands, brass punches, etc. Some things, with proper attention, can work well. I got a throatless shear a few weeks ago that many agree is a good peice, espeically compared to an $800 Beverly.

I've heard some people say the deepwell impact sockets do well, but I have no personal experience.

I do have a number of C-clamps and "Vise-Grip" knock off's that I use only for welding, since they get lots of spatter on them.

 

[TNToy]

Again, I broke three HF impact sockets in 2 weeks total time. But I used them all day long at work, on a very powerful impact.

I buy my welding wire there ($20 for the large spools)... Even though it's messier than the good stuff, it's too cheap to say no.

2 or 3 of their 4.5" grinders are a must for someone who does much welding. They have about half the torque of a good $100 tool, so get one good one for long-term cutting and grinding, and load the HF grinders with flap-discs and wire wheels. They keep you from switching wheels on one good grinder all the time.

They will not outlast major-brand grinders, unless that is Craftsman or DeWalt. Any GOOD power tool, like a Milwaukee, will run circles around them. But if you get 1 year out of one... you got you're moneys worth at $15.

Their 3-piece prybar set is pretty useful. Good for things like popping hubcaps off of wheels and holding small brackets out of the way... but if I need to actually pry HARD on something, I use a much better one. Their long one flexes too much to hang all of your weight on, but the shorter ones are worth buying the set for.

Welding gloves, latex gloves (cheaper at sams, but still an OK price), basically anything that's got no moving parts, and isn't a hand tool you'll use a lot.

If you buy screwdrivers or a ratchet there, we'll disown you.

 

[wilbilt]

I have had bad experiences with sockets, wrenches and ratchets. A 4" angle grinder melted in my hands less than five minutes after coming out of the box.
It's replacement instantly chewed up it's gears, because it was missing a bearing.

On the other hand, OK (for what they are), The $189 concrete mixer. It wouldn't last a day on a jobsite, but for my small infrequent projects, it works.

The infamous 4x6 metal-cutting bandsaw. With a good blade and a few mods, it can be a labor-saver, and IMHO, is worth the $149 price. The motor on mine has held up, although others have not been as lucky.

The mini-lathe has a good reputation, but is considered to be an "unfinished project" as it comes from the box.

I think with anything from HF, you really need to consider the use it will receive. If you are planning to use it professionally, or even as a serious hobbyist, you should shop elsewhere. Be aware that "elsewhere" often sells the same tools in a different color or with slightly different features. The Craftsman benchtop drill press is a good example. It is the same one HF sells for $39 on sale, but the Sears sale price is $89. The paint and stickers are different, but if you look at the castings, it is obvious they came from the same place.

 

[stupidjet]

unless dewalt?? are you kidding me?? i swear, the bashing of so many tools brands around here is complete bs and always contradicting.

oh, craftsman ***** this, ***** that...but then something thats not made in america is ****, well, craftsman is made in america, but it's still ****?

btw, dewalt makes their tools in their own factories that they(b&d) own. they dont outsource unlike Milwaukee who, which is owned by a chinese company.

man, seriously, it's getting pathetic. it's fine to say you have had a problem with a certain product from a certain manufature, but to say everything is **** is like saying all blacks or non white people are bad. end of rant

 

[wilbilt]

Hmm.
B&D (DeWalt) owns factories worldwide, including China.
Milwaukee sells lots of things made overseas, including China.
Craftsman is made in America? If you are talking power tools, that is definitely not the case. Most come from China, and their 1/2" electric impact wrench is almost certainly made by B&D in Mexico.

As far as their hand tools, Danaher (Craftsman) still apparently manufactures a good percentage of them in the US, but that number is shrinking rapidly.

As the globalization of manufacturing grows, it is often difficult to tell where things come from, so generalizations about countries are losing their meaning. Opinions gained from experience, however, are becoming the only real guides to go by.

People b**ch about Cman screwdrivers, I have never had a problem with mine. I have owned many of their ratchets, however, and had problems with every single one of them.

I own the Cman drill press I mentioned, and it is made in China and a marginally useful tool. The worst thing about it is that I could have bought the same tool at HF for $50 less.

 

[mulepackin]

Sum total of HF stuff I've gotten: Set of prybars, roll bars, jackstands, nutdrivers, 2 oilfilter wrenches. Nutdrivers are junk, oilfiter wrenches don't get used (I've got much better) and the jackstands make me nervous.

 

[brianpgriset]

All my hand tools are Craftsman. I have a hard time ponying up the money for names like Snap-On and Macto when they cost 10 or 15 times as much, and then people complain about how the truck gives them a hard time about warranties . Of course if I had the spare money I'd do it.

As far as DeWalt goes, all my angle grinders of thiers are made in china, except for one in Brazil. Everything else (corded and cordless drills, sawzall) were all made in Mexico. I only own DeWalt power tools and have had zero problems.

 

[KCHOTBOAT]

I bought a $60 powder coating gun and a $300 oven, $99 blasting cadinet from Hf and did all my parts, made about 2 grand in work/trade for parts for my boat from others in two years and then sold it all.

 

[wythors]

Their aluminum dust pan kicks ***.

 

[Rory Bellows]

Good HF stuff for me:
-4x6 bandsaw (red one, much better than the old greenie I returned for it)
-Impact deep sockets SAE & Metric
-2 ton foldable hoist
- 4.5 inch cutoff wheels (I won't buy any other! They are as good or better than any other I have used)
- Heat Gun (everyone needs one)
- Ball joint press
- metal casters

The Bad HF:
- Vibratory Tumbler (center stud came loose on 2nd use returned for refund)
- .99 socket rail
- chop saw (don't waste your time! Buy a Ridgid or Milwaukee & be happy)

That's it. I only buy certain things at HF. Some stuff is good most is garbage but all have a weird chinese cardboard smell to them. Also, I don't buy anything there not on sale and with a 15-20% off coupon on top of that.

I'm waiting for their o-ring sets to go on sale to give them a try. They appear to the the same offered by more reputable sellers.

 

[wythors]

Good HF stuff for me:
-2 ton foldable hoist
- 4.5 inch cutoff wheels (I won't buy any other! They are as good or better than any other I have used)

Man, you are a brave man. I wouldn't ever think of trusting a hydraulic product from them. I bought their aluminum jack a while back and it wouldn't even lift ME, much less a car. When I took it back, the manager said "yeah, these all come back".

A while back there was a post on here that had pics of the aftermath when a HF cutoff wheel shattered while in use. Utterly terrifying.

My rule of thumb used to be not to buy anything from them that had moving parts. Of late, that has changed to "Never buy anything from HF. Ever."

 

[kythri]

I know of several Combloc riflesmiths that swear by the Harbor Freight 12-ton press for pressing barrels and riveting receivers.

Based on the number, and the people making the claims, I'd purchase one of those if I saw a need for it.

Other than that, I don't know much about HF, other than the initial drool over descriptions and prices (prior to allowing higher brain functions to scream "DON'T BUY OFF-BRAND!").

 

[KeukaDan]

A while back there was a post on here that had pics of the aftermath when a HF cutoff wheel shattered while in use. Utterly terrifying.

I have seen many high end cutoff wheels do more damage than the pictures that were posted earlier (I am an EMT in a town with many metal fabrication company's). This is a case where It is important to wear safety equipment with any grinding/cutting scenario. Much more important than what brand of wheels you buy, they all explode, it all depends on what you do to them.

 

[ron in sc]

heat gun
brass hammer
brass drifts
copper hammer

 

[Raven1911]

Keep them coming guys! Thanks for the replies. I guess it goes to show you that when it comes to quality tools you just have to pay the money. I haven't been to HF in a long time, but things like hammers and such might not be a big deal, but I will avoid any moving parts tools.

 

[mike944]

You've got to look at most things from HF, as "disposable"

Before i buy something from there i ask myself 2 questions:

1. Am i going to use it enough to justify a better quality tool? or will a disposable tool work?

2. If/when it fails, am i likely to get injured or is something valuable going to get damaged?

If both answers are no, i will buy something from them. Otherwise, i'll buy a better tool.

 

[TNToy]

unless dewalt?? are you kidding me?? i swear, the bashing of so many tools brands around here is complete bs and always contradicting.

oh, craftsman ***** this, ***** that...but then something thats not made in america is ****, well, craftsman is made in america, but it's still ****?

btw, dewalt makes their tools in their own factories that they(b&d) own. they dont outsource unlike Milwaukee who, which is owned by a chinese company.

man, seriously, it's getting pathetic. it's fine to say you have had a problem with a certain product from a certain manufature, but to say everything is **** is like saying all blacks or non white people are bad. end of rant

It's quite simple. And I don't particularly care if you dislike me for it.

I call a tool poor quality when I've used it and it doesn't hold up. I call a tool a good tool when I used the holy hell out of it, and it just will not die. How many different brands of grinders have you used, and how many have you killed by running for over half an hour straight fabbing a rollcage?

I don't particularly care wether it's made in China or not. There are about two brands left that aren't Asian-made when it comes to powertools. And neither DeWalt or Craftsman are one them.

If you don't have the experience to back you little speeches up, and you just like DeWalt because of the pretty back and yellow colors, then you should probably keep your opinions to yourself.

 

[kartracer55]

I wouldnt hesistate to buy a Dewalt angle grinder, but Id also look into metabo. Milwaukee gets me nervous because they are owned by the same company that owns/makes ryobi. COMPLETE ****. My neighboor is remodeling his house, and built his garage. He does ALOT of woodwork, and he buys ryobi tools when he KNOWS it will only be used a few times. Everything else is either bosch, Dewalt or Hitatchi.

As for HF, the only thing I have been truly happy with is stainless steel safety wire and their disposable gloves. You can pick up blue nitrile gloves on sale for like 8-9$ a box. They arnt as good as more expensive ones, but they are still not bad.

Jim

 

[ron in sc]

As the globalization of manufacturing grows, it is often difficult to tell where things come from, so generalizations about countries are losing their meaning.

That sure seems to be the case.

Below is photo of inside of blend air motor for one of my vehicles a Mercedes ML 320. If failed so I took it apart to see what made it tick. Well a Chinese motor was supposed to.

Anyway this part cost only $45. However a significant part of the dash has to be removed to change it. Once the dash is off it takes less than 30 seconds to change the part, it’s held in place by two phillips screws. A better quality motor would be a real plus. Lots of people with these vehicles are starting to have this motor fail and the cost to replace is about $1000. It moves a door in the evaporator/heater case that regulates the amount of heat that can flow thru the system. In other word the heater core always has hot coolant flowing thru it. I replaced mine myself.

 

[ImportTuner]

That sure seems to be the case.

Below is photo of inside of blend air motor for one of my vehicles a Mercedes ML 320. If failed so I took it apart to see what made it tick. Well a Chinese motor was supposed to.

Anyway this part cost only $45. However a significant part of the dash has to be removed to change it. Once the dash is off it takes less than 30 seconds to change the part, it’s held in place by two phillips screws. A better quality motor would be a real plus. Lots of people with these vehicles are starting to have this motor fail and the cost to replace is about $1000. It moves a door in the evaporator/heater case that regulates the amount of heat that can flow thru the system. In other word the heater core always has hot coolant flowing thru it. I replaced mine myself.

Wow, who would have thought that a expensive Mercedes would have parts from China ...

 

[l_bilyk]

To be completely fair, dewalt tools aren't all that great. A disproportionate fraction of my tools are dewalt, but thats usually because i'm poor and dewalt stuff is easy to find at a discounted rate.

Some of the issues i have had:

1. An older style grinder with the top switch (ie: not the flapper) died on me for no real reason. It wasn't old or abused. It just stopped working. I think the switch just got filled up with dust... but camon now.. if you charge 100 dollars for it, put on a better switch! For the record, i've since bought a DW402 after I used someone elses. I really prefer that style of switch. What I don't like is how the casing has flashing everywhere and nothing lines up. The finish on the thing is worse than what you see on those 20 dollar china specials.

2. I ended up with a dewalt jigsaw after everyone advised against it. Problem - the black & decker sourced blade holder had some play in it. If you pushed on the saw too hard for just a second, the blade would shift in the holder and stay that way. So you would be cutting straight one second, and then it would start to pull to the right with no warning. I returned that one and bought a bosch.

3. My framing saw got recalled. Then I had to wait 3 weeks for parts. Turns out this is the second time dewalt recalled these because the blade guard failed and some bloke got cut.

4. I wouldnt say this is a huge flaw, but the nose of their reciprocating saw gets really hot. Almost too hot to hold after a while. This is another case of me buying a tool that I know is inferior because of pricing. This time it was on clearance for about 1/3 of a milwaukee, came with work gloves in the box, and a mail in rebate for a dewalt jacket. I got alot of free goodies, so I can't complain.

5. The fixed base of my router cracked. They gave me a new one, no questions asked, but camon now. That shouldn't happen.

Now to address what jim said, yes TTI owns milwaukee and ryobi, thats true. But overall, milwaukee tools are hands down the most durable power tools. At least the popular stuff, like the cordless kits, sidewinder saws, and various angle drills. As for ryobi tools, I think your neighbour is pretty ignorant. Their tools are probably the best of all the "DIY" targeted brands. Sometimes they rival professional grade tools. For example, the BT3000/BT3100 tablesaws have a huge following because they are really quite good. The combo kits are not great overall, but very good if you factor in what they cost. To be honest, I dont think the ryobi one+ stuff is any worse than dewalts 18v nicad kits. Portable planer is great. Circular saw is good. Router is great as far as consumer grade routers go. Often times when I have used or bought a ryobi tool I have been delighted with it's performance, expecting so much less. Whereas when I buy professional grade tools I usually find annoying flaws that are a real pissoff considering how much more the tools cost.

 

[AndrewM]

Much in the spirit of a repentant sinner, admittedly, I used to buy a fair amount of stuff there. I don't any more though. Back on topic, here's some of the HF tools that I'm happy with:

-20 ton shop press - works as advertised
-Big long 1/2" breaker bar - plenty of uses and I ain't broke it yet
-Black oxide 4-pc crescent wrench set - ditto
-8" yellow bench grinder - 6+ years and lots of grinding on it
-Pneumatic paint shaker - works as advertised
-Ball joint separator pickle fork - works as advertised
-mini HVLP detail paint gun - works as advertised, but borderline quality
-voltmeter - the CenTech one that has a lot of options - I use it all the time, works well
-wobble socket extension set - I've had the set for years, and no parts have broken, and I use them every time I work on the car

Stuff I've bought that *****:
-3 jaw puller set - broke within 24 hrs - JUNK
-40 lb pressurized sandblaster - more like 40 lb pain in the *** - JUNK
-electric hand drill - lasted a few years, but gears finally stripped out
-sandpaper - do NOT buy any of their **** sandpaper
-black split loom for wire - cheap **** that turns white and powdery
-snap ring pliers - good for 1 or 2 uses, then the teeth bend - JUNK
-ball pein hammer set - heads come off - JUNK
-quick connect air fittings - not compatible with any of my other fittings that looked similar - JUNK
-6" extended air die grinder - severe wobble out of the box, unusable - JUNK

The only thing I've purchased within the last year were the paint shaker and HVLP gun. The shaker works surprisingly well. The gun is OK, but the fan adjustment is a cheap POS knob. It sprays OK tho, and can spray down to 5 psi (with VERY low overspray).

I went there not long ago to purchase the big $400 toolbox and $300 top box, even had two 15% off single item coupons in my pocket. But they were so hideously ugly (with rust on the floor model!) that I could not bring myself to do it (that red crackle finish is nasty). I ended up finding a new freight damged Matco box locally for $500. Worth every penny, that Matco box is.

 

[brianpgriset]

That reminds me, I got the small NON HVLP detail spray gun for like 9 bucks when it was on sale and I had a 20% off coupon... works pretty good all in all, I used it to spay thinned out rustoleum and it lays down OK.

Used it to spray that throatless shear (see the pics if you like) and it turned out pretty nice considering it had maybe 10 minutes of prep.

 

[eschoendorff]

Now to address what jim said, yes TTI owns milwaukee and ryobi, thats true. But overall, milwaukee tools are hands down the most durable power tools. At least the popular stuff, like the cordless kits, sidewinder saws, and various angle drills. As for ryobi tools, I think your neighbour is pretty ignorant. Their tools are probably the best of all the "DIY" targeted brands. Sometimes they rival professional grade tools. For example, the BT3000/BT3100 tablesaws have a huge following because they are really quite good. The combo kits are not great overall, but very good if you factor in what they cost. To be honest, I dont think the ryobi one+ stuff is any worse than dewalts 18v nicad kits. Portable planer is great. Circular saw is good. Router is great as far as consumer grade routers go. Often times when I have used or bought a ryobi tool I have been delighted with it's performance, expecting so much less. Whereas when I buy professional grade tools I usually find annoying flaws that are a real pissoff considering how much more the tools cost.

Damn, I couldn't have said it any better. I was gonna try, but then I read your post. I have some Ryobi stuff that WILL not die. And for the record, the Ridgid stuff has been very good so far...

 

[wilbilt]

Wow, who would have thought that a expensive Mercedes would have parts from China ...

That is a surprise, but so were the Rochester carburetors, Frigidaire A/C compressors and Saginaw P/S pumps on Mercedes back in the '80s.

I guess global sourcing has reached critical mass. I just read about a city in China that is the most polluted in the world. Kids wear particle masks to go outside. And another article claiming that 80% of Chinese pre-teens are addicted to the Internet.

I also hear the Chinese are going to be marketing light aircraft...

 

[TNToy]

Back on the powertools kick, especially grinders & sawzalls...

Like I said, I don't like DeWalt or Craftsman all that much. But I should have made clear that DeWalt isn't horrible: It's decent, but you will not get the same life out of it that you would out of a Bosch or Makita unit.

I have a good bit of Makita stuff, and I really like all of it.

I personally feel that Bosch is the king of the drill world, and Milwaukee makes the best sawzall (duh).

 

[imported_banzaitoyota]

Wow, who would have thought that a expensive Mercedes would have parts from China ...

Just like the feed motor on Hobart Welders now. In fact Hobart/I.T.W. lost one of the most regarded employees he was so upset about that change!

 

[jwith68]

I personally feel that Bosch is the king of the drill world, and Milwaukee makes the best sawzall (duh).

Amen, TNToy. I have one of each. I agree with your assessment of DeWalt being "not that bad", but I smile every time I use my Bosch 18V "Brute Tough" drill. I smile a little bigger if I have recently used a DeWalt of the same voltage. (Which I occasionally do at work.)

 

[ImportTuner]

I have a Dewalt drill and a Dewalt saw; excellent quality and have never had any problems with them. What are the big problems people are having with Dewalt equipment?

 

[wilbilt]

I have a Dewalt drill and a Dewalt saw; excellent quality and have never had any problems with them. What are the big problems people are having with Dewalt equipment?

The only problem I have is that they are rebadged B&D at 3X the price.

Pawn shops are full of them, though....

 

[1320stang]

As far as Harbor Freight, I bought a set of four wheel dollies from an individual for $40 that I believe bought them at HF, at least they look exactly like the ones at HF. Eventually I plan on replacing the casters with better ones as it takes a good shove to get all the casters aimed in the right direction, but the built in resistance in the non-bearinged wheels keeps it from rolling off on my driveway which probably has 1/4"/ft fall. I couldn't have built them that cheap.

As far as Dewalt goes, I've got a 12v drill I bought in '92 that still works, I replaced the original batteries with another pair, one only lasted a couple years. The only thing wrong with it now is that occasionally, you pull the trigger and nothing happens, do it a couple more times at most and it works. Annoying, but livable.

I bought a 18v drill/sawzall combo to replace it. I already have a corded Milwaukee Super Sawzall, but I got this one to take to salvage yards to cut body panels off.

I have a B&D Quantum series skil saw that looks exactly like a Dewalt except it's molded in a green color instead of yellow, the buttons are Dewalt yellow though.

I also have a Dewalt chop saw and a 12" miter saw that I don't have complaints about either other than I wished my chop saw had the quick release on the clamp screw. But I bought it for $60 as a display from Payless Cashways when they went out of business.

I also bought a 4" Dewalt grinder with the flipper trigger and aluminum head for $36 at Payless when it was mismarked. I told the tool guy and he said, if you're gonna buy one, you better do it now before I change the price in the computer. I use that with a knotted wire cup brush probably more than any other powered hand tool that I own. I need to replace the cord on it as it has been 'gotten' so many times.

 

[Handyman163]

Earthquake 1/2" Impact wrench - 2623 - rated at 625 torque hasn't struggled with anything I've thrown at it.
Impact sockets (11pc in the metal case - they're Chrome Vanadium, and don't show a bit of wear after 5 years of use) 7383 and 2551
Brass handled spring loaded center punch - 621
50ft Goodyear 3/8" air hose - 2167
Hi Flo Air couplers (female-threaded female couplers only - the male threaded ones seems to restrict flow more than normal) 97631 and 65894
2 ton and 3 ton floor jacks 67022 and 34271(I have the low profile 2 ton one (2-1/4" minimum height)) - the aluminum jacks scare me.
ear muffs - 43768
Automatic Battery Float Charger – 42292
LED flashlight set - 97036

The key to HF is to WAIT until the thing you want is on sale AND/OR use a 15% or 20% off coupon to get it. Go to their website and sign up for email coupons, and they'll send them to you each week if you want them to. If you're going to rely on any tool day-in and day-out, I'd likely look elsewhere. But I don't rely on my tools to this degree, and I haven't had a serious problem with anything I've bought from there.

Coupons:
http://www.harborfreightusa.com/usa/common/displayPage.do?pageFile=magurl1.html

 

[stricht8]

Electric right angle grinders
3 Ton jack
Bead roller but needs reinforcement
Throatless shear
Air chisel
Die grinders
Earthquake impact
bench grinder stands
Magnetic Shelves
Glove box holder
US General tool box
Bench top brakes
Good year air hoses
Drawer liners
Torque wrench
CenTech digital calipers
IR thermometers
Dial indicators
Planishing hammer but needs modification (see metalmeet.com)
Tear drop and football shaped post dollies
Door skin hammer
Shot bags
Tear drop mallets
Leather work gloves
Free LED flashlights
Jack pads
Jack stand pads
Leather welding apron
Leather tool rolls
Tape measures
and more.

I tend to stay away from their hand tools but that is probably snobbery more than anything else. The quality on SOME hand tools seems to be very good. You have to have a discerning eye when it comes to this stuff.

 

[caper]

Sheesh,who brought this relic back to life?THIS THREAD IS THREE YEARS OLD and we have a fresher one about the same thing that's freakin huge.Let this thread die and post in the recent thread.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=27192&highlight=harbor+freight