Harbor Freight tool review

[wrightcomputing]

I also have the 4 1/2" grinder I have the $90 Dewalt one which is better and faster, however I now have one for cutting and one for grinding I will give it a B
I also use the nylon heads, I actually prefer the flat red disk ones http://www.harborfreight.com/4-80-grit- ... 60325.html which are my favourite item and they are under $5 I clean every piece of metal before it gets welded onto the car and then a light coat of oil to help prevent rust much better then anything else I tried A.

I bought the 12 speed drill press and it was junk D-,http://www.harborfreight.com/12-speed-bench-drill-press-60237-8909.html it made a few cuts then kept falling apart and destroying drill bits due to vibration. I took it back and got my money back though

Floor jacks
I have the 2 ton low profile and love it for home use, especially as my Rx8 in only about 4" off the ground I will give it a B+ (not an A as my tire guy has a broken one in his shop. http://www.harborfreight.com/2-ton-low- ... -8048.html
I have just bought this and not used it yet however virtually everyone who I race with uses this exact jack and it work great and is really light. If you have to change tires at the track this is the jack to use A
http://www.harborfreight.com/rapid-pump ... -7814.html

[geek49203]

I bought the 12 speed drill press and it was junk D-,http://www.harborfreight.com/12-speed-bench-drill-press-60237-8909.html it made a few cuts then kept falling apart and destroying drill bits due to vibration. I took it back and got my money back though

I think that HF has changed its vendor for drill presses over the years, probably a few times. Mine works okay, but the fit and finish was awful -- would it be too much to ask for the hole in the adjustable surface to actually be under the spindle? I also find that mine doesn't really have 12 speeds -- a couple at either end seem to be worthless.

Thanks for the recommendations on the floor jack -- I'm still using one that I bought at some cheap store somewhere over a dozen years ago for maybe $30?

[raceral]

just thought id share i found this today,

http://images.harborfreight.com/hftweb/campaigns/localmedia/general_october2013/images/21.jpg

its a 25% off one item coupon... im going to pick up a 10 lb spooll of welding wire. saws and band saw is not excluded

The coupon that comes up is 20%, and it works very well, just ordered a compact bender that is on sale for $79.00 and got an addtional 20% off.
Thanks greatly for posting the coupon.

Al

[skou]

I got a couple of 25% coupons in the mail. Out of town at the moment, but will scan it when I get home tomorrow evening.

Thinking of using it for a mini mill....

[skou]

25% off any single item coupons. Good until 2/2/14. Confirmed to work online....

WP_20131006_001.jpg

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[Lonnie-S]

Here is a very inexpensive Harbor Freight caliper I find myself using all the time. It's item#7914 and retail cost as of today (03/24/2014) is $2.99.

Simple-Caliper-1.jpg

I have more expensive ones, but this is the one I find myself using this one all the time because:

1) It's non-magnetic for the most part, with only the depth gauge made of steel, so you can use it around your fab jobs held together with magnets;

2) It's pretty darn accurate, as accurate as 95% of the measurements I'm making on the Locost need to be;

3) It's so cheap that it isn't precious or easy to damage or knock out of calibration like my good ones;

4) It's light enough and small enough to go in the pocket of my work shirt, so it's always accessible;

5) It has both metric and Imperial measurements and a Vernier scale for each of those.

Simple-Caliper-2.jpg

I know 90% of the builders here know how to use a caliper, but for the newbies, I've labeled the three primary functions in the photo above.

Cheers,

[962porsche]

I have 6 of the cheap-o plastic calipers from HF .
needless to say they are not the good ones we use for detail work but they are just shop beaters .
the good ones I keep in the box and take real good care of them .
I have had them for a number of years with the thinking when I bought them that they would only last a short time .

for my own personal tools I will buy very high quality ones but not so for the shop tools . this is simply because no one takes care of my own tools as I do . so I buy a lot of the lower cost things from places like HF .
I have been surprised at how long some of the tools from HF have lasted .
on the other hand some of the tools broke in no time .
many years ago some thing like 6 years ? my Makita electric shears stopped work (it needed brushes)
in a pinch I run down to HF and bought a cheap-o one it was like 30 dollars compared to the Makita at 250 dollars . at the time all I had to do is get thru the job I was doing so 30 bucks was fine .
they are still going strong ! the guys in the shop beat the hell out of it cutting gages they should not be cutting . a couple of years back I did replace the cutting head with the extra set that came with the shears .
so it's hit or miss when your buying from HF you just have to know if it's at a low cost chances are it's just cheap .

[horizenjob]

I bought the cheap dial calipers from Harbour freight because, as Robovious pointe out, the metal jaws are good for scribing a line where you measure for various reasons. For $9 I don't mind abusing the tool just a bit for that and they have been holding up for my entire build.

[a.moore]

I picked up the 4,000 watt generator before Thanksgiving since it was on sale for $299. Two 13A plugs seemed like enough for the track and emergencies at the house.

It was a little difficult to start the very first time but after running through the break-in process it has been starting on the first pull. So far I'm happy with the purchase. Here's to hoping its never needed at the house...

[rx7locost]

Why is it that every time I go into HF with one item in mind, in this case, an auto drain for my compressor, and I walk out 70 bucks later with moving blankets, rags, work gloves, a flashlight, ratchet straps........?

BTW, my last auto-drain from HF lasted maybe a year or 2 at the best before an O-ring folded itself over and continuously drained the tank. For 7.19 bucks (with coupon), it wasn't worth trying to find a replacement o-ring.

[geek49203]

I just bought a submersible water pump to drain the water off of my pool cover. For under $60 seems like a steal, 'cept of course its outlet didn't have any adapters for the 3/4" garden hose outlet.

But now that I think about it, probably my pool circulation pump's backwash hose would fit what they sent....

[rx7locost]

I finally killed my LAST ! 4-1/2" HF Grinder. While I am still a fan of HF, it seems that I can only get the grinders to last about 2 or 3 years before something craps out. The brush holders are cracked and the wheel lock ist kaput. I decided to treat myself to a slightly better grade (I hope ?) of angle grinder. I got a Milwaukee grinder for $59 at HD. Still not commercial grade but pretty nice for a small grinder. It has the locking slide switch which I like. If nothing else, it has more power and a whopping 5 yr warranty. Wish me luck.

[geek49203]

I splurged from the $14 HF grinder to the better grade, and was impressed by how much better it felt to use. Will let you know how it goes.

[KB58]

Maybe not directly related, but brushless motors are making their way into consumer tools, cordless drills for one. They're pretty sweet because now the variable speed trigger sets the speed, and the controller adjusts the current to maintain that value. May or may not be available from HF yet but they're on the way.

[1055]

My HF grinder has lasted me ~6 years +.. 3.5 of them getting used in a shop setting. I actually have a second one that I haven't even opened yet. The one that I've used for 6 years is the black plastic one with the sliding switch and pot metal head, the one in the box is the paddle control style.