Harbor Freight

[kaptnkaos]

I've gotten a few tools from HF...

My fav HF tool so far is the bolt through socket set...
It is so handy... no matter how long the bolt is it fits where deep sockets won't.
Almost all of the hand tools I've gotten there have been decent tools.
I got some 1/2 drive impact deep sockets and a set of combination wrenches that have been well used.
I did have to return two compressors that were junk...
I ended up buying a used Craftsmen 30gal 6hp vertical one that pretty much kicks butt on the HF ones.

KaptnKA S

[tsherry]

As much as I dislike buying stuff from China, I have bought a slug of stuff from HF.

I have two 4" grinders, that when equipped with 3M Sandblaster discs, my son and I used to strip a car in four hours, flat. They operated for probably 45 minutes continuously without missing a beat. Only stopped to change discs and to get hydrated.

Engine stand: used for my 200-6's, 289, and 302. Haven't had the need to put an FE on it....might be a bit nervous.

Cherry picker: Pulled and reinstalled all of the above engines. I'm sure the FE would not be a problem either.

Box wrenches: Not great quality, but I did pick up a couple of sets for emergency kits for the cars/trucks/van.

Socket sets: As above, but did blow up two ratchets the very first time out of the box. Replaced the whole set from HF, free. upgraded the ratchets anyway with a couple of 3/8" ratchets from a pawn shop.

Wire feed welder: Maybe my coolest tool. Love it, haven't had a bit of a problem, and it was all of a hundred bucks.

jack stands: 12 ton, twenty bucks. Used them under everything, including my ten thousand pound F500.

Jumper cables: I have five sets, one set for five years now, the others added over the past couple of years. No problem.

Testing meters (VOM) Three or four. At three bucks apiece, it's easier having one in every tool box than going hunting or hiking from the barn to the shop.

Paint guns. Three, including a beautiful clone of my 1970's vintage Binks guns, just used last summer to paint my daughter's base coat/clear coat job on her first car. The gun was all of twenty five bucks. Beat the hell out of the hundred and fifty I paid for the Bink's gun thirty years ago. The other guns are less accurate, but I use them for shooting stain and varnish and stuff on woodwork projects, so they're fine for that.

Impact wrench. Fifteen bucks, use it about four times a year. No problems.

My 'main' set of tools (sockets, combo wrenches, screwdrivers, etc.) are Craftsman, from the 70's before they dropped their standards. For miscellaneous stuff though, HF's not terrible.

[1971fordcustom]

I have a 220Amp StickWelder from them no problems.

We have a lot of stuff from HF and no Problems

[kaptnkaos]

Hey tsherry ..

You have an F500? if so we need to talk...

Dang, I thought of a whole lot more HF stuff I have after tsherry's post...
I bought these from other people who bought them from HF, at a substancial savings I might add... gotta love Craigslist
2-ton cherry picker
20 gal parts washer
750lb engine stand (currenty in the storage unit with a 390 on it)

KaptnKA S

[1971ford]

Paint guns. Three, including a beautiful clone of my 1970's vintage Binks guns, just used last summer to paint my daughter's base coat/clear coat job on her first car. The gun was all of twenty five bucks. Beat the hell out of the hundred and fifty I paid for the Bink's gun thirty years ago. The other guns are less accurate, but I use them for shooting stain and varnish and stuff on woodwork projects, so they're fine for that.
.

Actually i bought a paint gun too, still in the box but will be put to use in a month or so. its the HF purple gun, and i will be using it as a primer gun for my bc/cc paint job. They are popular primer guns, they are great for the money from what i read on the autobody forums.

[fordwannabe]

Actually I have had very good luck with the angle grinders as long as you get the orange one(the blue ones break as you take them out of the box). My favorite HF tool at this point is my blasting cabinet.
Worst HF tool deep well impact sockets rounded the first time I used them-they are in the to go back pile. Great place you just have to be careful what you buy. Tom

[Merlin68F100]

I have a 4 inch angle grinder that I show absolutly no respect for and it lights first time every time. When it dies I will replace it with one just like it.

[72stepside]

Black Goodyear air hoses - Good Product
Air Hose Auto Retracting Real - Same exact thing that Home Depot sells at considerable savings
Bearing Race / Seal driving set - Good tool kit
Impact Sockets - No problems yet and I have wailed on them with my Craftsman impact gun

My father bought one of their purple HVLP spray guns. He's painted a few tractors and primed my F250 bed with it. Good product so far.

Pneumatic flange/punch tool - not bad.

$9 staple gun is just that, a $9 staple gun. I bought it to shoot 'horseshoe' (round top) staples when I re-installed my alarm system. It worked great for the 20 staples I had to shoot.

El Cheapo pop rivet gun - not so great. Works better on smaller rivets, AWFUL on larger ones.

Aluminum level set - uhhh no. You can flex them enough to get a bad reading.

I might have to try out the $100 wire feed welder that somebody mentioned before. I'm also gonna give their $189 floor drill press a shot.

[fordwannabe]

I don't mean that I not happy with a lot of the stuff I got from HF but those sockets put me in a bad way. I bought them to work on my 87 f-150 which has a varying mix of both sae and metric(AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH) fasteners and I have very little in the way of metric tools, so when the first socket I tried rounded off I was a "little rounded off" myself. I bought another set after the first post cause I needed them and they haven't given me a problem so who knows. I am going to go buy a tool cart today it's on sale for 39.99 and I can't build one for that using scrap. Tom

[fomocoguy]

I just recently purchased a stud welder with a slide hammer and a beginners dolly and hammer set for body work. The only complaint I have is that the slide hammer doesn't always grip the studs as well as it should, but I'm not complaining for the price. I LOVE the hammer and dolly set. It's made a better body man of me for sure!

[1971ford]

I just recently purchased a stud welder with a slide hammer and a beginners dolly and hammer set for body work. The only complaint I have is that the slide hammer doesn't always grip the studs as well as it should, but I'm not complaining for the price. I LOVE the hammer and dolly set. It's made a better body man of me for sure!

yep i got the slide hammer, but i didnt get the stud welder. i just welded washers on and used the hook tool (ground it out) to pull them. But the slide hammer is really good for the price, it really packs a punch too

[marxtoys]

....

The less complex the device, the more happy I am with it. ....

That covers their act pretty well, for the most part.


$10 die grinders. can't beat 'em.

MAC quoted me $169 for a 1/4" air ratchet. not solid or even plated gold either. $29 at HF.

Air nibbler has done good but could use a new punch/die set.

I bought the super heavy duty rivet gun from HF and Dave paid more for one from MATCO... his is red, mine blue, otherwise identical right down to the cheesy swivel fitting that we both tossed out because it leaks. works great otherwise.

The China ball joint press is a sorry pathetic worthless copy of the OTC kit - barely usable as a c-clamp let alone its intended purpose. 2 thumbs down. take it back.


Don't forget yard sales for tools!! No complaints about the Sears (U.S.A.) floor drill press $125... Miller Dialarc 250 AC-DC stick welder like new $300(okay some wear on cables but they're oversize and quite long)... Wilton machinist vise $20... Starrett dial indicator $5... Starrett 3' straightedge $2... CO2 bottle for mig $5... Snap-On 3/8" torque wrench in box $10... and so on. Real quality tools that are out there just waiting to be found and brought home.



Happy hunting.

[Ranchero50]

I think the only Harbor Frieght thing I have is the 6" vise, been around for 8-9 years and still works fine. Only gripe is the threads for the jaws stripped out years ago so they flop around a little. Of course, HF is about 60 miles away too. We do have Big Lots and Ollies though.

Jamie

[fordman]

everything i have bought that is made in china i treat like it was breakable. so i treat them with care when i can and they have lasted just as long as my american made stuff. but i have broken both american and chinese stuff. with the chinese stuff i have to pay for a new piece. with american made i get a new one for free.

[tsherry]

Bought the combo panel flanger/hole punch yesterday, on sale for 29.99, minus a 10% discount coupon. Tried it last night on a panel for one of the projects, works like a charm.

Saw today, the Eastwood catalog, where the exact same tool, identical down to the rubber ribbing on the main body and the not-really-well-engineered trigger arm, is selling for $89.99.

Also used my 20% off member coupon to pick up yet another set of 6 ton jackstands. Gotta love that....