Harbor Freight - Gems and Junk

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I try to avoid the sanding supplies...theyre paper sucks...but for odds and ends its pretty good... and Ive bought a few of their paint guns...for 15 bucks or so you cant go wrong for shooting primer and stuff
 
inkjunkie said:
No disrespect meant Sir....but huh?
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It's Mandarin for "Good Bye".

Some of the posters seem to think that you can either buy at Snap-On or Harbor Freight, and that there's nothing in the middle. I don't buy much off the Snap-on truck at any rate.


roadrunnerh said:
Jos51700 -
My cars are all American – are yours?
Just for laughs I looked up engine stands made in USA. IF you can find one - $900!!!
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I've owned one Chevy for about 30 minutes, the rest are all Mopar and they all have been, since the first one, which I still own. I did wheel a USA-made MazdaFord for a little while because it was the girlfriend's car.

You really should learn how to shop. Literally the first item in a google search for made in usa jack stands:
http://www.ohiopowertool.com/P-943-hein-werner-3-ton-jack-stand-hw93503.aspx
Shipping was $40, which also keeps Americans hard at work. I bet if I looked around I could find some almost half that price.

I'll crawl under a car on these, and sleep soundly knowing that I kept some guy or gal, Union or not, in a decent job.
 
Jos51700,
No offense, but before you advise me to learn how to shop, perhaps you can learn how to comprehend what you are reading. I looked for ENGINE STANDS not jack stands...Sheesh.
 
roadrunnerh said:
Jos51700,
No offense, but before you advise me to learn how to shop, perhaps you can learn how to comprehend what you are reading. I looked for ENGINE STANDS not jack stands...Sheesh.
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Fair enough:

Google "First-class engine stand"
http://www.cmproductsstands.com/
$480 get you one fancy-dammit engine stand.

Google "made in USA Engine Stand"
http://www.norcoind.com/norco/products/model/78100.html

Find it here for $308:
http://www.handsontools.com/Norco-78100-1000-lb-Capacity-Engine-Stand_p_5836.html

Still fully a third cheaper than anything you didn't bother actually looking for, and that was only two minutes on Google. Give me ten minutes, I can probably get closer to half price.

You want me to get your groceries, too? ;-)

FWIW, that HF 1000lb stand looks an awful lot like they copied the Norco
http://www.harborfreight.com/1000-lb-engine-stand-69886.html

Me? I think I'll be buying the double-roller bearing fancy pants model next. My $2000+ motors aren't deserving of cheap Chinese gravity defiance, nor are my toes. If I decide not to use my USA-made welder and some USA-made, Union Manufactured steel to whip one up, here in Missouri, USA, that is.
 
FISHBREATH said:
I am not a professional mechanic and I usually don't have another pair of hands available when working on my vehicles.

I was telling my wife about how different some things are today compared to when I began working on cars in the early 1970s. To remove and replace an engine, we had to go to a rental store for an engine hoist, remove the engine, return the hoist, work on the engine, rent a hoist, install the engine, return the hoist. Hydraulic engine hoists were unobtainable for us back then. They seemed to be sold only by jobbers to professional outfits. Besides, they were probably way out of our price range, even if we could buy one. However, we weren't pulling an engine every week, so the purchase price wouldn't justify buying one. If I recall correctly, renting a hydraulic engine hoist in those days was about $12-$15 per day, which was rather expensive in those days when minimum wage was $1.80/hour.

Enter Harbor Freight tools. I bought one of their hydraulic engine hoists a couple of years ago on sale, something like $100. I told my wife that I couldn't build one for that price. Two weeks ago, I bought a load leveler for the hoist for about $25. I pulled the 'Cuda engine and trans by myself last week using those two HFT tools. They worked perfectly. I imaging that renting a hydraulic engine hoist would cost a lot more than $12-$15 per day these days.

I have also purchased a number of other "low use" items from them in the ensuing years. Some things seems rather cheaply made and might not stand up to the rigors of every-day professional use, but most compares well to my "good" Craftsman and SK tools. Some HFT items include:

Sheet metal bending brake (3 foot) - works just fine.
Sand blasting cabinet - haven't used yet.
Spark plug tester - plastic light housing separated from connecting probe (I fixed it).
Tire inflator with gage - seems accurate.
Hydraulic press - used a number of times - works fine.
Pneumatic brad nailer - piece of junk - brads keep bending and get caught in feeder.
Cut off wheels and grinding discs - work fine.
HVLP paint spray gun - not used yet.
Freebie multimeter - works fine.
Hydraulic floor jack - works fine.
Jack stands - work fine.
Mig and gas welding carts - work fine in the shop/garage.

It seems that I have actually purchased a number of their items over the years, some not mentioned here, and I have been, on the whole, happy with their performance thus far.

One of the best things is their free coupons. I have gotten one of their 9 LCD flashlights for each of our cars and my tool bags/boxes. They are small and bright and come in very handy.
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I was curious of the 36" sheet metal brake. Its not a high use item but accuracy is important. I will prob buy one and use it until my project supports buying a better unit, even if its a used pexto or mittler bros.


Most of stuff is craftsman, sk, some snap on, mac ectt. Ill buy some cheap stuff once in awhile, consumables are always top quality, drill bits, air saw blades, ect. no junk there.
 
I have had really good luck with their pressure pot sandblaster.
I have run probbably 3 tons of sand thru it and it still works great.

Their small generator 900w that I just bought for camping to light a couple light bulbs, came in real handy last summer when the dedjeko (sp) came thru WV and we did not have power for about 5 days, the little sob ran my refrierator and I did not loose any food, but it ran the fridge really slow. It quit producing power after the 5 day work out, but 90 bucks for the generator, vs $400 loss in food it earned its keep.

Small one use items yes I will buy them, like a bearing puller set that I rebuilt a T-90 jeep trans, and a 833 for $40 ok I can live with.

Hand tools, air tools, or anything with a cord, no way unless I needed to use it only once.

There casters to move cars around are pretty good, I have had good luck with them.

Winches I have not have one fail, I have three small 2000lb ones, one on my trailer, one on my four wheeler, and one new in the box un-used.
For small utility use they seem to last.

I have there 880 lb overhead 120V winch that mounts to the rafters of garage, and it has took alot of abuse, my dad liked it so much I put one in his place.
It will lift a small block out of an A body with no issues, I think I paid like $100 bucks for it.
 
That reminds me- I have the $45 semi-weatherized "hitch ball" 12v winch.

I keep it mounted to my tow dolly, outside all the time with only a mop bucket over it.

It has turned that dolly into a one man tow truck operation, and is still working great after about 5 years. I didn't expect it to last one year.
 
YY1 said:
That reminds me- I have the $45 semi-weatherized "hitch ball" 12v winch.

I keep it mounted to my tow dolly, outside all the time with only a mop bucket over it.

It has turned that dolly into a one man tow truck operation, and is still working great after about 5 years. I didn't expect it to last one year.
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It is like flip a coin, if you get a good one it will last for years, with limited use it is better than pulling on a hand winch.

I keep a Red Dog (USA made) come-a -long in the tool box for back up for the trailer.

My jeeps only get Warns, USA made.
 
So what your saying is to not shop HF? How about the 1000's of people that work in their stores are they not holding American jobs? Are those jobs not important too? So we should put 1000s of people out of work so we can spend more for tools?
 
It would take a REALLY, REALLY dedicated person to make sure every item he buys is made in the USA. Not saying it cant be done but it would be tough and you would spend a lot of money...
 
:coffee2:?? Made in the USA, or Assembled in the USA? :wack:Just sayin... I would love to always buy American, but it's not possible, and not financially feasible for me.

1. Hobart 135 Handler welder (when they still sold them) Got a killer price on it with a coupon and love it.

2. 36" Sheet metal brake, another killer deal with coupon, love it.

3. Fluorescent trouble light - total junk.

4. Bench vice, great.

5. 4 1/2 in. angle grinder, beating the daylights out of it, sounds awful, keeps on ticken.

6. Furniture dollies, have used them a ton, (no pun intended :) Even used one as a base for a BB engine dolly.

7. Floor jack. Have three, and the one from HF is the best one.

As with anything, buyer beware. I have a ton of craftsman, and other american brands, but they just closed a plant here in the south where a lot of craftsman (U.S.) tools were made.:happy1:
 
72ScampTramp said:
So what your saying is to not shop HF? How about the 1000's of people that work in their stores are they not holding American jobs? Are those jobs not important too? So we should put 1000s of people out of work so we can spend more for tools?
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I'm not going to favor that over the hundreds of thousands of jobs, from steel workers to engineers to secretaries, that are lost when you shop overseas, no.
 
Hey! Enough is enough this thread was started to ask what's good and what's not at Harbor Freight.
Not for some pissing contest about buying American or not. If you want to start your own thread about that go ahead. Or join in on the political / news forum I'm sure there are more than enough people to argue with there.

Be sides there are more then the people in the Harbor Freight stores that are Americans that benefit. Such as warehouse people, dock workers, and truckers just to name a few.
 
ive had good luck with hand tools. There engine held my fully dressed all iron 440 for 2 years with no problems. Engine hoist(borrowed from neighbor) did a fine job. The cheap HVLP paint guns ive used for primer and really like them.
 
Off-road light kit is complete trash, hooked it up and turned them on for a few minutes then quit.
Had many hammers break.
Bits break
Lights break
cut off wheel has been in use for 4 years though and is working well and so is the creeper.
 
It has been said that the quality control leaves much to be desired, so I do my own while in the store. I will examine several examples of the tool I am considering buying in the store. I did this recently with their welding pliers.
I have to say, it would be tough for me to buy something from HF on line without checking it out.
Maybe I am just OCD about stuff, but I have come across tools with tolerance issues, but the one behind it was fine. I'll carefully open boxes, remove packaging - no employees have said anything to me about it.
 
Good idea to do that with ANYTHING these days, no matter where they were manufactured, or by whom.
 
...and there's always the toyota owner's argument that they're really made in America, even though the lion's share of the profit's go the execs back in Japan.
 
well most of my tools are craftsman back when they were good tools i have a lot of mac, match, and snapon thanks to my dad after he retired. but i have bought alot of stuff from Harbor Freight some stuff is great others are crappy. their tire bars work great. the roll around stool love it thier vise grips well they work not as good as the real ones but they work that punch toll is great slide hammer puller good hammers, impact sockets, angle gage, like you say some stuff is great some stuff well you take your chances but thats even with the name brand stuff to.
 
YY1 said:
...and there's always the toyota owner's argument that they're really made in America, even though the lion's share of the profit's go the execs back in Japan.
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It's an argument of profits versus wages. Which of the two do you think end up back in the American local economies with our current global market? I don't see many American CEO's and shareholders jumping at the chance to invest in America.

And no, I don't drive a Toyota.
 
I have there three ton jack and the aluminum jack both are great. Had there sawzall for about fours years before the gears finally gave up. I have had there 110 volt and 220 volt welder they work fine. I bought a ratchet from them 3/8on one side 1/4 in on the other, handle adjust in and out everyone always asks where I got it has not failed me yet. There drills where hot garbage but that's the only thing I have bought fromhabor freight that I haven't had luck with.
 
I got one about 10 minutes down the road. Their Screwdrivers are disposeable, heck they give them away, and the little orange jewelers ones for 1.99 on sale are the best I have used, especially the small phillips one. It was the only one I had that could take out some seriously tight camera screws. The black tube bender is kinda flimsy, busted on me but its a hand tool so its guaranteed forever, Manager: "just grab yourself another one, thanks..." I still got a welder from them, buy Miller or Hobart consumables and you should be good to go. Black impact sockets are great, carbon steel tap and die kit makes some sloppy threaded holes, the better one they have is about 10X better, actually can cut threads in stainless. Big breaker bar is great as well as their 1/2 drive ratchets, no complaints. Their colored sockets are nice too EZ to find in your tool bag.
 
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