Harbor Freight Tool

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As far as a compressor the oil less ones are louder, at least the ones I have been around. Buy the highest output/largest tank you can afford. I stumbled accross a reconditioned 80 gallon 2 stage compressor at Home Depot, paid $600 or so for it.
 
inkjunkie said:
As far as a compressor the oil less ones are louder, at least the ones I have been around. Buy the highest output/largest tank you can afford. I stumbled accross a reconditioned 80 gallon 2 stage compressor at Home Depot, paid $600 or so for it.
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Thanks Doug that is on the list but not from HF.
 
Pretty much same experience as others - if you need a quality tool, look elsewhere. Jack stands, in expensive tool box, trans jack - things like that work very well. Screwdrivers, wrenches, sockets, and power tools do not match up well with DeWalt, Ridgid, or Porter Cable.

I probably buy as much at Harbor Freight as I do at Northern Tool, But NT is about 150 mile drive. Would buy virtuaaly nothing at HF NT was closer.
 
shart70rt said:
Pretty much same experience as others - if you need a quality tool, look elsewhere. Jack stands, in expensive tool box, trans jack - things like that work very well. Screwdrivers, wrenches, sockets, and power tools do not match up well with DeWalt, Ridgid, or Porter Cable.

I probably buy as much at Harbor Freight as I do at Northern Tool, But NT is about 150 mile drive. Would buy virtuaaly nothing at HF NT was closer.
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No one is going to contest that you get what you pay for. However this is a thread designed to find what tools from HF work well for broke bastards like us who are balls deep in a project and dont have the luxury of money to buy better tools. Please let the thread roll.
 
Sears is where i would go for the compressor as for the gun man we can always use the mac we have to save cash .... inless u just have to have one lol ...as for 340 said theres alot of junk there really dont buy any of there tools .....but there are some good tools ..... Im a Sears guy now if theres a tool im only going to need one time may 2 times then i will buy hf .... i know cash it the thing with u as much as it is with me so im not knocking the hf way but cl is where i find most of my tools mi like to buy craftman tools off cl and if they brake take them right up to Sears and get a new one for life lol but as for the welder i will have to show u ............hope this helped ya as u know ive been sick so sorry i didnt get in this faster
 
dart_doctor said:
Sears is where i would go for the compressor as for the gun man we can always use the mac we have to save cash .... inless u just have to have one lol ...as for 340 said theres alot of junk there really dont buy any of there tools .....but there are some good tools ..... Im a Sears guy now if theres a tool im only going to need one time may 2 times then i will buy hf .... i know cash it the thing with u as much as it is with me so im not knocking the hf way but cl is where i find most of my tools mi like to buy craftman tools off cl and if they brake take them right up to Sears and get a new one for life lol but as for the welder i will have to show u ............hope this helped ya as u know ive been sick so sorry i didnt get in this faster
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Yea on craigslist a lot, most of my tools are craftsman with a smattering of matco, snapon, and mac when I can afford it.

The crapshoot with HF is the reason why Cliff started this thread, sometimes ya just have to buy from there and its nice to take the guess work out of things :)
 
old tired rebel said:
Maybe cleaning the inside and outside really well will help.
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yea, but the problem is trying to get in between the wheel well and the inside of the quarter panel is a nightmare, with no room.

h.f hand winches.................... garbage
bought one to pull a light car on a trailer, and if you do not keep the cable in the center of the spool at all times, it wounds up just binding inside the mechanism, and the spool hits and jams on the pull handle.
 
xlexl said:
Yea on craigslist a lot, most of my tools are craftsman with a smattering of matco, snapon, and mac when I can afford it.

The crapshoot with HF is the reason why Cliff started this thread, sometimes ya just have to buy from there and its nice to take the guess work out of things :)
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Exactly why I started this. there is a lot of information on what really works and what don't. For some of us hobbyist we can't afford to buy expensive specialty tools. Even CL can be a crap shoot. Look at all the great information that has come from this thread. Some tools work great but are not meant to be used on a professional level.
 
I'm surprised you guys gave that stud welder good reviews. I used it and it was garbage. Wouldn't weld correctly and the studs kept pulling out. Had a friend bring over a $300 one and it worked perfectly.

The only thing I've ever bought from Harbor Freight that I was 100% happy with was a vacuum gauge. Everything else was garbage.
 
ESP47 said:
I'm surprised you guys gave that stud welder good reviews. I used it and it was garbage. Wouldn't weld correctly and the studs kept pulling out. Had a friend bring over a $300 one and it worked perfectly.

The only thing I've ever bought from Harbor Freight that I was 100% happy with was a vacuum gauge. Everything else was garbage.
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My motto in regards to Harbor Freight is "If it has a cord don't buy it". It is over an hour to return crap to them from here and I won't do it any more.
 
Oklacarcollecto said:
My motto in regards to Harbor Freight is "If it has a cord don't buy it". It is over an hour to return crap to them from here and I won't do it any more.
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I have had some good luck with HF and I can't afford the high dollar tools. Now all my hand tools are Craftsman and Tool Box is the same.
 
ESP47 said:
I'm surprised you guys gave that stud welder good reviews. I used it and it was garbage. Wouldn't weld correctly and the studs kept pulling out. Had a friend bring over a $300 one and it worked perfectly.

The only thing I've ever bought from Harbor Freight that I was 100% happy with was a vacuum gauge. Everything else was garbage.
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I agree! I bought that POS last November after my wife wrecked our van. The van was still driveable and I didn't get around to fixing it until about 2 weeks ago. Anyway this tool sits in my basement in the original box until about a month ago. I get to weld 4 studs before it gives out.... 4 studs!!! Knowing that my warranty was long expired(my fault entirely), I took it apart to see if I could fix it. I find out that the welding coil is at fault. I contacted harbor freight to see if they have any service centers or if I could order parts for it. And what I get back is they don't sell that tool anymore and they have no parts for it and cannot direct me to anybody that can help me fix this POS!

If you look at eBay there is usually a few of these HF dent pullers on their, none of them are ever working, just for parts. I would avoid buying one. But my other experience with buying HF stuff is good, but I will never, ever, ever buy a welder from them again.

Dan
 
I've got that stud welder and it works great.

I have the air gun/ratchet/socket kit and they've been beaten to death for about 10 years. I did buy another gun as a spare.

Sawsall died early on.

Some of the cutting wheels are good.
 
I'm not sure if all their cherry pickers do this but after last night ive about had it with it. for the life of me i couldnt get the damn thing to sit flat, left leg refused to sit on the ground, precariously tilting making it impossible to eye ball what size motor mounts i need.

The 5buck spot weld cutter, it works FAST(read: probably too fast) lasts for quite a while, worth 5bucks yup, worth driving to buy it......ehhh... you can use a drill the vast majority of your spot welds and if you cant a cutoff tool or grinder works better. I've gotten my use out of it though, drill bits are expensive.
 
xlexl said:
I'm not sure if all their cherry pickers do this but after last night ive about had it with it. for the life of me i couldnt get the damn thing to sit flat, left leg refused to sit on the ground, precariously tilting making it impossible to eye ball what size motor mounts i need.

The 5buck spot weld cutter, it works FAST(read: probably too fast) lasts for quite a while, worth 5bucks yup, worth driving to buy it......ehhh... you can use a drill the vast majority of your spot welds and if you cant a cutoff tool or grinder works better. I've gotten my use out of it though, drill bits are expensive.
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X I looked at the the cherry pickers at HF and Northern Tool Company and I have to say for a little more money I plan to buy the one at Northern Tool.
Their cherry picker is heavier and looks stronger.
 
old tired rebel said:
X I looked at the the cherry pickers at HF and Northern Tool Company and I have to say for a little more money I plan to buy the one at Northern Tool.
Their cherry picker is heavier and looks stronger.
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We actually got this one from a buddy who was leaving town for a song and a dance. It's a POS and hopefully will be able to replace it soon. Not sure if it was this bad before or after we lifted the entire silverado cab off the frame with it.......
 
xlexl said:
We actually got this one from a buddy who was leaving town for a song and a dance. It's a POS and hopefully will be able to replace it soon. Not sure if it was this bad before or after we lifted the entire silverado cab off the frame with it.......
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You're Lucky I am will have to buy one.
 
Cliff I have used a number of there tools. My car was dissassembled with the majority of there hand tools no problems. The screw drivers and pliers are good enough for most things and there cheap. Buy a few sets when they are cheap.

The 9.99 paint guns as said before throw aways.

There little $30 sand blaster did wonders for me but wouldnt use it for a large job.

Power tools I have yet to burn one up.

1000lb engine stand is good but it doesnt move very easy.

Floor jack and stands I have several of and are great.


The thing with harbor freight is that you never pay retail. They have enough fliers and coupons running around you can often find stuff half price with a coupon. and ALWAYS take a 20% off coupon with you when you go.
 
My HF Sawzall finally gave up the ghoast this year after about 7 years of faithfull service, many summaers of Destruction Derbies. I burned up two of their 4 1/2" grinders this year and replaced it with a Ryobi acct. I needed a grinder ASAP and Home Depot is a lot closer than Harbor Freight. We will see how long the new grinder holds up. I love their Engine Hoist, get the biggest one they have, they are always on sale. Their tire changer is useful too. I mounted mine on a 3'x3' piece of 3/4" steel. Mounting and dismounting radials is a snap, 10 ply bias plys not so easy and mine has been heavily modified and welded up several times after a 10 ply got the best of it. Their sand paper wears out fast but sometimes they do carry Norton so check out what you are buying. I have one of their smaller winches on my trailer and wish it was bigger, it will easily pull a rolling shell up my trailer but a car with a motor needs a bit of help. The blue tack cloths they sell are awesome for a dollar. As far as welders go I stick to Miller or Lincoln. For a couple hundred more you get a way better quality machine, or pick one up used on craigslist. My Lincoln stick AC/DC is a $700 unit that I paid $300 for off of Craigslist, it was practically brand new.
 
Here's my take on HF stuff:

Impact sockets shatter and standard sockets crack and split. Their combo wrenches are so soft that the jaws spread and the handles bend and the enclosed ends seem a hair large and don't grab the bolt/nut correctly. Their vise grips are horrible. I've broke 2 of their 1/2" breaker bars and now it sits under the bench with a taped handle for "uninvited visitors".

Their seal drivers and bearing pullers work great, I've had an 4" angle grinder that essentialy built my Ramcharger and it still works fine although the bearings are starting to get noisy. The die grinder I got from them still works fine after porting two sets of cast iron heads BUT, it uses a ton of air and take one heck of an air compressor to keep up with it. I religiously lube it before every use too.

I have their best quality cherry picker (orange two ton) and it's never failed me. I got it on sale maybe 5 years ago for 120 bucks and I love that thing. Thier dial micrometers are suprisingly accurate and mine have lasted, but i'm very, very careful with them.

Got a spark plug cleaner from them for when I'm jetting bikes/cars and it works fine. I also picked up a 20 lb.tank for my MIG welder and just exchanged it at the local welders supply for a full tank, so no idea how good it was, lol.

I think that about covers my experience with HF.
 
Thanks for all the input,keep them coming. It helps to know what works so i can pick up a tool I will need and what to avoid.
 
Hey cliff you should edit your first post with a complete list from the thread do it like youtube with a thumbs up and thumbs down count next to it :)
 
xlexl said:
Hey cliff you should edit your first post with a complete list from the thread do it like youtube with a thumbs up and thumbs down count next to it :)
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Thanks I wish I could but the time limit for editing has passed.:banghead:
 
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