I know they are not the tops in quality or durability but I’ve read a few favorable threads regarding Harbor Freight tools. I thought it would be hear about some of the better HF tools.
I’ve only purchased cheap set of hole saws. Key was a 4″ saw for recessed lighting. Set came with 6 different sizes, a mandrel, and case for $8. More than sufficient for me since I only need it for my own house. If it dies after that, it’s much cheaper than the Lenox hole saws at HD/Lowes.
I was eyeing the rotary hammer and 4″ grinder.
So…which HF tools have you purchased and turned out to be quite good?
Replies
I have some air tools that are good and I have a spot welder that is good. I have a mig welder that is the replacement for the first one I bought that was bad. In their favor, after I returned the welder, they called and we discussed the problems so that they could improve the product. But never pay full price for big purchases as there are 20% discount coupons available, and the discount is on sale prices too.
Fit and finish is not usually up to high quality standards but if that is not an issue, there are some good buys.
Oh my, this could turn out to be a "true confessions" thread.
For power tools, I have a trim router, biscuit joiner, right-angle grinder and a polisher/sander all of which work just fine. The biscuit joiner has a little slop in it, but I don't build furniture so it's fine for me. The trim router might be my favorite because for about $20, I can swap routers instead of bits.
I've also purchased some hand tools most of which I still have, but I do have some screwdrivers from many years ago that are pretty much junk.
I also bought - and gave away to my mechanic - an impact wrench. It worked ok, but the battery was pretty marginal. But it was only about $40 WITH the battery. I gave it away because I didn't really need it, not because of the battery.
It is embaressing to admit how many I have.
Bought a lathe with cast bead, they threw in the 2 yr warentee.
Rotary hammer, HF version of MM. Whole saws, blades for jig saw. hole saw kit(1.99)
Cheap 4" tile saw can't kill! 4" grinder(9.95)
Not to mention air hose, adirondack chairs
I an starting to sound like an adict. (can't wait until sidewalk sale next weekend)
Great tools for occasional use. Can't pull the trigger on their air tools though.
Yea - I bought an air stapler at HF that lasted about 3 months - moderate use. OK, one can reason that "it only cost #### so BFD" but when a tool fails in the middle of a job I'm just not happy...
I buy alot of specialty tools there like auto working ones that would cost a fortune if you bought them from a specialty auto tool house. Like a bearing driver for $29 that goes for over $100.
10" tile saw bought it for 199 ,sold it6 years later dirty but still working good 135.bought another one new 179,on sale with a 20 off 150. you can not beat it for the money.
23 g pin nailer,what more you want for 20.
hf mm, i broke 2 they replaced both ,haven't tore up the third one yet. made me my 40. back first time i used it.
they have a suction feed spray gun for 20. that has more features than a 300.00 binks or sharpe gun.
must of bought 20 of those 2.99 multi testers. i have them everywhere. i would rate these as marginal,but for 3.00?????
not really a tool,but they have 2"brushes ,.49 cents and 4" for 79. these are really good for priming with oil,contact cement etc. i grab a handful everytime i'm there.
lots of small tool stuff, i have never felt like i was ripped off. if you have a problem they will take care of it within reason. the older i get ,
the more people tick me off
I bought a 3 gallon air compressor today at HF for $85It's going on sale next weekend for $55I bought it today and will get a $30 refund next weekend This is what the clerk told me todayI RAN IT TODAY AND IT IS QUIET
whats cool is they give their employees the power to make decisions... I can go in.. they know me... know what i buy... if i say "this broke" they say "leave that one here and go get another one" sometime i have to sign something sometimes not...
try to take back a broken tool to sears these days... you'd think they weren't supposed to replace broken ones... or Lowes... when the girl at the desk and the guy from the TOOL dept. told me "you could have bought that "rigid" tool anywhere....P ;)
Another tool when down this week - my old hand stapler that I've had for probably 30 yearsShe just won't shoot any more staples and maybe one of the guys dropped her or used her for a hammer, but anyway she's out of commission and looking back we've had a good run togetherI was thinking to myself "why should I buy good tools when the guys I work with will be borrowing them and mis-using them""these guys will tear up whatever they get their hands on so why waste my money buying something nice at walmart or home depot?"Anyway I've decided to invest $6.00 in a new hand staple gun from harbor freighthttp://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=96755And was just wondering if you or anyone else has had good luck with these staplers?I'm looking for something at low cost and high qualityI would mainly be using it to staple plastic over windows in preparation for painting, etcThanks for any input
Got one, haven't broken it yet!
eman,
My HF SDS bits have lasted and lasted.
Haven't broken my anvil yet.
KK
tops has to be the multi master...
I buy the 7.25 metal cutting blades @ 17.99 (use to be $9) but i can cut 1/4 steel like i'm cutting wood...
$3 voltage testers...
lots of 18v drills @ 14.99 i leave em everywhere... never broke one battery life isn't great but... they do ok...
code reader for automotive use... i've reset 100 check engine lights...
several small 3 gallon air compressors...
i buy back up 035 mig wire 10-12lb spools.... not great wire but better to have a few spools than run out on sunday... i buy the 23lb spools online... better wire but i still run out sometimes...
hand tools... I keep a pretty good box of tools in about 8 different places... for the 50-80 bucks it costs it's well worth it to me.. normal hand/mechanic tools
tarps...
cheap paint brushes... @ 49cents cost less than the thinner you'd you to clean em...
9 LED bulb flashlights... 2 for $2.99 i like em my 6yo likes em and every boys birthday party i include 2 in with a gift as an "extra" boys love flashlights... (btw my 6yo has had his own 18v drill since he was 4 and knows how to use it)
only suck tool i got from them was the handheld 3/4" beltsander i needed to get in some tight spaces... it sucked but it was $20 so...
they run 6.5hp motors honda knock offs for $99 have a go kart in the warehouse that needs a motor... so i might try one...
have almost purchased the 36" shear/brake/slip roll sheet metal all in one deal a few times... but haven't... yet
I'm sure there is more...
p
Ponytl,
have almost purchased the 36" shear/brake/slip roll sheet metal all in one deal a few times... but haven't... yet
I was looking hard at that machine too! My immediate need for a slip roll has passed, but looks like it could be a useful tool.
Have you ever used one ( any brand )?
If so, how bad is the learning curve??
no never used one... I've used a brake... a shear... and a sliproll just not all in one machine...I'd like to play with one...just to see... many people have sold these over the years and you all but never see a used one for sale... if that means anythingp
I have a contracor friend like you, have every tool you can think of. He has one of those industiral brake, about 15 feet long, weight a couple tons. I keep asking him if I could fondal his snap on tool box.
I posted this question on Knots and didn't know this was going on ,I think. Anyways I bought a General Machinery Morticer at an auction and found out when I got home that I didn't get the chuck key. I've tried several with no luck. Anybody know where I can get one?
Wayne
Until you can order one from C.M., here is a "quick-n-dirty way" . A phillips screwdriver in the hole, with a straight bladed screwdriver to move the geared part. Hey, it works." Although I have the right to remain stupid, I try not to abuse that right"
Great, except HF tools are Central Machinery, not General machinery..two different outfits as far as I knew. Parts may interchange. and also somewhere, someone sells a 4 way chuck key, has the most common on a cross.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
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http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=1745...You are always welcome at Quittintime
I had one of those in my hand and walked up to the cash register and their computers crashed. Shut them down and no sales. Havent been able to find one anywhere alse.
Wayne
I was looking hard at that machine too! My immediate need for a slip roll has passed, but looks like it could be a useful tool.
I had one of those years ago. The brake was pretty useless for my purposes, but the shear and slip roll worked well. It may still be in use. It stayed with the company when I left.copper p0rn
that's good to know.
I was building a dust collection system a while back and could have used the slip roll to make "couplings" for 7" pipe.
Got lucky and found a guy who made them up for peanuts. But it would have been fun to learn for my self, and a guy could always use another tool in his shop.
My wife's uncle has one buried in his basement shop. Hasn't been touched in years but he won't part with it.
I bought some string at Harbor Freight once that was just as good as any I've ever used.
I bought some string at Harbor Freight once that was just as good as any I've ever used.
Yeah, but was it as long?
I bought a 29$ hammer drill that fried after one use. Disposable shop items are good and cheap, but overall, buyer beware.
Expert since 10 am.
I bought one of their five speed bench-top drill presses. The only problems so far has been a missing set-screw in the pulley for the quill. Once that was fixed ( a whole $.49) it has ran just fine. Cost, less the set-screw, was about $70." Although I have the right to remain stupid, I try not to abuse that right"
I have a harbor freight bandsaw, Its almost identical to a delta. and since sears copy delta too, I can order parts from sear. Only paid $180 so I think its a pretty good deal
I have successfully used the SDS roto-hammer for many years. I had one have the hand grip break just about 2 years into use, but that was replaced under warranty, no problem.
Still, even with the supplied bits (a real boon), I easily have spent another $400 on various core drills. I found all this fits neatly into a 30MM ammo can (appx 18L x 4w x 7T).
The 4-1/2 grinder is a bit different. First off: by all means get the 4-1/2" grinder, and not the 4" The 4-1/2 is a more standard size, and getting wheels and accessories will be much easier. Make sure it has a 5/8" (and not metric" spindle for the same reason; many wheela nad brushes thread onto that spindle.
The problem - and somewhere at FHB there's a long thread where I compared my HF to my Makita - with the HF grinder seems to be in the switch. It seems to hang ug, get stuck in the 'on' position. I was only after quite a bit of use that the switch 'wore in' to where you could rely on being able to operate it at will. Even so, I consider the HF grinder to be the best $18 I ever spent. Grinder, wheels, and safety glasses all fit into a 50cal ammo can.
I also have a HF right-angle grinder and a Makita. In operation, they're quite equivalent, but the reason I have a Makita is because the HF switch gave out in the middle of a job so I had to go out and buy another one.
After I got home, I dissembled the HF grinder and discovered a lot of dust in the switch. I had been grinding mortar for a few hours with it so it wasn't totally unexpected. I cleaned up the switch and it works like new. I'll keep the Makita as a backup because I'd rather abuse a $20 tool than a $60 tool.
I can't go in the store for the cosmoline (or whatever it is) smell.View Image
Every time I walk in there I imagine that is what China smells like.
I go in for the cosmoline smell. :)
Jamie
Second on the 10-inch tile saw. Three years of fairly steady use with no problems.
Hmmmm. Got a tile job coming up and I don't do too many anymore. My old saw pooped so I've been renting or borrowing (something I hate doing). Think I'll check it out. Thanks.
That 10" saw, with a good blade,will cut granite slabs, bricks, metal clamps (made a press out of them), pretty much anything. Alignment is way off on mine, but for tile I usually use blue tape and pencil lines to cut to, so I don't really care.
I have the HF 4" grinder - I'm just an elderly (now) HO working on my own house, but it is perfectly suited to my (admittedly modest) needs -
I have been using my brother's flooring nailer, not bad for $139.00.
"Shawdow boxing the appoclipse and wandering the land"
Wier/Barlow
I have 3 or 4 of the 4.5" grinders, I hate changing accessories..LOL. They are all rode hard and put away wet, but keep chuggin along.
I bought a 10" slider saw and left it on the roof all winter covered with a trash can,and AFAIK, it's still a good beater saw.
Air tools I have a stapler for upholstery, a die grinder, a metal cutoff wheel tool, an air body saw, an air chisel, and mini palmnailer, and a rt. angle die grinder, and finally a planisher...all just dandy for the little use they see.
I snagged a cheap HVLP, works fine.
But mostly , I too get impact sockets, and chip brushes, and things that are pesky consumables, like grinding discs for air die grinders and such.
Got the big dust collector, two bagger in my shop..and was eyeing up the lathe..what the hell, everything else anymore is made in china too..Like the Kobalt diegrinder I got at Lowes, that hissed air right outta the box, the HF was operable, with no issues..Hmmm?
Pretty much stay away from MOST of the cordless stuff, and anything like drill bits or sawblades..I just don't trust that quality control.
Oh yeah, a small twin tank Comp..on sale for like 99 bucks, works great, but all the fittings were junk metal plated w/brass..I just swapped out them from my old Camp.Haus. that died after 15 yrs.
Buyer beware,, but they have some decent stuff at pretty good prices.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
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I snagged a cheap HVLP, works fine>
Worth it?
By the way, I bought the lathe with the caste iron bed. Was acccurate to about 2 thous!
Supprised how well it works.
Yeah, I got it and box of gun cup liners for about 50 bucks, the wife uses it to spray waterproofing on her handbags she sells.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
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I got the $40 high power heat gun (looks like a blow dryer). Works just as fast as my buddy's $150 Milwaukee and now I don't have to borrow anymore.
In a previous life, when I worked on charter & commercial fishing boats, I had a nice set of Craftsman socket and combination wrenches. They were always in my car at the dock.
One day when we returned from fishing, I saw my car door was open and my tool chest was gone. Insurance was virtually no help.....how can they depreciate tools with a lifetime warranty (and it meant what it said at that time!)
Not being able to afford a new set of Craftsman wrenches at the time, I ordered a set (actually 3 sets - 1/4, 3/8" and 1/2" drive) of sockets and a set of HF combination wrenches in SAE sizes with most of my insurance money. This was back in the days when they were catalog sales only in my area.
I thought "Well, these are junk, but hopefully they will get me through the rest of this fishing season."
That was in 1978, I still have those wrenches and although they are not used as frequently now, they are still working just fine. The 1/4" drive ratchet went belly up after a few years - other than that no breakage.
I have added the same wrench sets in metric sizes, 3/4" sq drive socket set and their "jumbo" combination wrenches up to 2" size. All good.
Jim
Jim, the hand tools carry a life time warrantee!
Just like the craftsman did!
I didn't know dat!
JimNever underestimate the value of a sharp pencil or good light.
Yep!
May not be the best, but who cares if they break return them!!
Anyone ever buy finish nail gun at HF?
My Dewalt 4.5" angle grinder is dying so I thought I'd buy a highly touted HF grinder, and maybe a finish nailer.
Expert since 10 am.
Edited 9/30/2009 7:19 pm ET by jackplane
The Parking Lot Sale is this week!!!!!!!!Angle grinder.......on sale $9.99......Reg 19.99Air 18 ga Stapler/nailer.......$14.99....Reg 29.99http://parkinglot.harborfreightusa.com/ecom/info/home.do
Edited 9/30/2009 8:01 pm ET by abnorm
thanks!Expert since 10 am.
I never have. If you buy one let us all know how it turns out!
can a guy get that in titanium,i don't want to hurt my wrist.the older i get ,
the more people tick me off
I've bought several nail guns from them. The 23 gauge pinner is a steal at $20. It is identical to the Husky pinner at Home Depot for way less. Just set your air pressure up a little. I bought a framing gun from them way back, but the compressor I bought didn't run it very well. At $70 on sale I would say its a good deal for a banger gun. Set your pressure pretty high for it too. The 2n1 brad gun stapler is weak. If you have a wheelbarrow compressor, it might work fine for you. The 16 gauge trim gun worked really well at my house for pine door casings, but when I brought it to a crown molding job with textured walls, it was embarrasing. The mini-palm nailer is also a great buy.
If you look at the cfm ratings on the guns, they are way up. Much higher than most portable compressors. If you own a really really good compressor, you'll be OK.
ONe of the best sets of screwdrivers I have EVER owned I bought at HF. I have had them for about 15 years now, I would guess, and still work great - I think I paid $9 for a 10 or 12 piece set. I haven't seen that exact set there ever since then, though.
Also bought a portable air compressor for running framing nailers and so on - been using it for over 5 years (some days it runs literally 12 hours, other times I won't use it for weeks on end, so I would say moderate use), and no issues with it. It's heavier than $*&%*&^, but it's been well worth the $130 I paid for it.
Jamie
I got one of the cheaper tile wet saws. Tiled my bathroom, and it held up just fine. Did a good job, actually. The plastic clip-on fence is garbage though. I clamped a board on it instead.
I will buy automotive tools more than anything else from HF. I have higher standards for stuff that I make a living with.
My favorite buy though has to be the OBD II scanner i got for like $70 on sale. I love to mess with cars and this makes life so much easier when diagnosing engine codes.
I refuse to accept that there are limitations to what we can accomplish. Pete Draganic
Take life as a test and shoot for a better score each day. Matt Garcia
they also have another scanner for $39 that I bought thats good too.
Thanks for starting this thread. HF freight takes a lot of heat for having some less than stellar tools and even though I've been quite pleased (after cost is considered), I wouldn't have expected so many similar stories.
Goes to show ya, when it comes to tools, there's a time and place for everything.
and, finally a legal way to drink and drive:http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=97234http://www.tvwsolar.com
We'll have a kid
Or maybe we'll rent one
He's got to be straight
We don't want a bent one
He'll drink his baby brew
From a big brass cup
Someday he may be president
If things loosen up
you think they are so drunk, instead of pulling nails you just beat them over.
or like that old song "she stole my car. and left me a nail to drive"http://www.tvwsolar.com
We'll have a kid
Or maybe we'll rent one
He's got to be straight
We don't want a bent one
He'll drink his baby brew
From a big brass cup
Someday he may be president
If things loosen up
Not sure if all will be able to use this link, but if you signup to get emails with their ads you get 20% coupons about once a week (lately).
http://www.harborfreightusa.com/usa/common/displayCoupon.do?week=4009&campaign=RetailB&page=4009_retailB.html&r=6070_17105&cust=00100742475&keycode=0000
I might buy one of those just for the amusement...
I went by yesterday and picked up a couple of $10 grinders... didn't even think about getting "hammered" LOLhttp://www.tvwsolar.com
We'll have a kid
Or maybe we'll rent one
He's got to be straight
We don't want a bent one
He'll drink his baby brew
From a big brass cup
Someday he may be president
If things loosen up
You guys are a bad influence... I went by and bought a 23 ga pinner, an air stapler (again), and a button cap stapler. The only one that cost any real money was the button cap stapler, but after the coupon it wasn't as bad. One thing I noticed is that the button caps amo for it is the same price as the hand drives which are around $30 for 3000 where as the HF amo is $10 for 1000.
Also picked up some trinkets on sale - gloves, safty glasses, etc.
No bottle opener/hammer though. Besides, that could create a bad image for carpenters... you know - like the "church key" that painters carry. :-)
I would like to be able to camera drain lines and it looks like Harbor Freight has their version
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=56040
I bought a 14" metal cutoff saw. It worked great for 20 gauge steel studs.
Billy
I bought one of those scanner readers for automotive computer. It was $29. Its identcial to those at advance auto for $99. I have had it a year and still works great.
I bought an anvil there a few years ago, and it still works. I'm afraid of hitting it too hard, though, as I suspect it's made out of some kinda glass or ceramic.