Harbor Freight: LIST OF GOOD VS BAD.

[NWHTanK]

Air line suck. . It did hemroid in one week then blew. I got the electic cut off tool it was.worthless so i modified it. Got rid of the thermal overload thingy. Wheen it gets hot just set it aside and let it cool. Now it works like a champ.

 

[99gst_racer]

Air line suck. . It did hemroid in one week then blew. I got the electic cut off tool it was.worthless so i modified it. Got rid of the thermal overload thingy. Wheen it gets hot just set it aside and let it cool. Now it works like a champ.

Thanks. That reminded me of two things to add to my BAD list.

 

[jpmxrider489]

GOOD
Aluminum Floor Jack - 1.5 Ton Aluminum Racing Jack
3/8" Air Ratchet Wrench
1.8 Horsepower, 26 Gallon, 150 PSI Oilless Air Compressor
25 ft. x 3/8" Heavy Duty Black Rubber Air Hose
Professional 4 Speed Rotary Tool Kit
1" Surface Sanding Disc Kit

BAD
1/4" Front Exhaust Air Angle Die Grinder
Rotary Tool Kit - 80 Piece Set

 

[knochgoon24]

Bad:

Tail pipe expanders

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It broke after expanding the pipe 1/4". All the critical parts are cast pig iron. It just crumbled even after heating the pipe.

 

[Dhan]

GOOD

20 ton press. My dad bought this a few years back and it's been great for what we've needed it for. My dad's rebuilt probably 40 KZ bike motors over the years and its taken everything we've thrown at it.

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BAD

Their Pittsburgh chrome wrench sets get the job done, but they're similar to Snap-on wrenches. They've got that chrome plating that comes off and gouges your hands. If that's not a pain, I don't know what is. My DSMs definitely got my blood on it. Most of my HB wrenches are wrapped in tape because of the flaking chrome.

10" curved jaw locking pliers (vice grips). I literally just threw this thing away and went inside to this thread to complain. The metal on the pliers was gouged by rusty DSM bolts and after you tighten, clamp, and turn this thing, the jaw just bends. What can you expect for $3.99

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[knochgoon24]

The chromoly ones they sell, marked with a cast Cr-Mo, are much better. They have rubber handles on them tool. They're advertised as the "professional" ones.

I've used pipe extensions to get them to clamp and they've held up fine.

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[TofastForU_99]

IMO, this one only qualifies as good if you are willing to mod the hell out of it. The lights started shocking me through the cabinet after a few weeks (bad ballast), and the gun and hose are absolute crap. I also had to rework the door seal and a few other things.

It's got a lot of hours on it though.

Just laughed my ass off.

 

[Dhan]

The chromoly ones they sell, marked with a cast Cr-Mo, are much better. They have rubber handles on them tool. They're advertised as the "professional" ones.

That's a good tip. Thanks amigo.

 

[Calan]

Just laughed my ass off.

Did you ever see the movie "Down Periscope"? Remember the radio operator that kept getting shocked and looking more and more FU'd as the movie went on?

There ya go.

 

[red1993gsallmt]

GOOD

20 ton press. My dad bought this a few years back and it's been great for what we've needed it for. My dad's rebuilt probably 40 KZ bike motors over the years and its taken everything we've thrown at it.

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+ 1 on the press

 

[housegsx]

Bad:

Tail pipe expanders

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It broke after expanding the pipe 1/4". All the critical parts are cast pig iron. It just crumbled even after heating the pipe.

Damn! I have a brand new one I have been wanting to try out. Guess I won't expect too much.

 

[twicks69]

The 3/8 and 1/2" drive swivel head stubby and long Pittsburgh Pro ratchets have lasted me some time now without issues and regular usage at a business.

On the other hand, I just purchased a cheap plastic tool box as a generic tool holder and it broke before I even loaded it up with tools. The plastic latch catch broke off so only one of two latches now lock the lid. It is almost cheaper to learn my lesson than drive there to Exchange it for a new one as that's two gallons of gas per visit. $6.00 cheap toolbox.

 

[GDNF2ET]

Their coil spring compressor for doing struts are junk..The ones you buy and return from Autozone are much better..
The aluminum 2 ton jack has served me well for 4 years of driveway repairs..
I've never found a vice grip styled plier worth a dam, unless it was made by Vice-Grip..JMHO..

 

[RamenPride]

Their coil spring compressor for doing struts are junk..The ones you buy and return from Autozone are much better..
The aluminum 2 ton jack has served me well for 4 years of driveway repairs..
I've never found a vice grip styled plier worth a dam, unless it was made by Vice-Grip..JMHO..

That's strange, I got my strut spring compressors there and they were the same quality as the ones I rented at Autozone once. Then again, maybe I just got lucky and ended up getting a good set.
Anyway, HF piston ring expanders, flare nut wrenches, telescoping handle broom are crap. Since I'm poor I can't spend a whole lot on tools, so I have a lot of stuff from HF. I go to Northern Tool when I need something cheap and better quality Anyway those are the crap ones I remember, I'm sure I've thrown away a lot of other stuff I bought at Harbor Freight.

 

[GDNF2ET]

That's strange, I got my strut spring compressors there and they were the same quality as the ones I rented at Autozone once. Then again, maybe I just got lucky and ended up getting a good set.

The threads in the cast part with the hooks, stripped out and locked..This was on both sets..I use a battery impact to speed things up while compressing..I had no problem using the Autozone compressor with the same impact on 2 other occasions...
Maybe I was unlucky and got a bad set..

 

[99gst_racer]

Another two things to add to my GOOD list.

This electric grinder is an excellent tool. I already like it more than any of my air powered ones.

Electric Die Grinder with Long Shaft

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Cordless rechargeable LED work light. Very bright and great battery life.

Rechargeable LED Work Light with Magnetic Base

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[laserspeeddemon]

IMO, this one only qualifies as good if you are willing to mod the hell out of it. The lights started shocking me through the cabinet after a few weeks (bad ballast), and the gun and hose are absolute crap. I also had to rework the door seal and a few other things.

It's got a lot of hours on it though.

HOLY CRAP?!?! Is that what it is? I thought the blast media was somehow getting through the gloves and hitting me in the arm!!!

 

[Calan]

Nope... it's 110v AC.

 

[knochgoon24]

If it's post-ballast, you could be looking at a lot more volts than that!

 

[Calan]

I never found out exactly where the problem was, but it sure as hell was lighting me up. It was kind of nice at first, but then it started getting annoying. But I digress...

As soon as I yanked the POS lighting and replaced it with higher quality POS lighting from Home Depot, no more electroshock therapy. And oddly enough, the microwave no longer mysteriously starts up when I walk in the kitchen.