The Harbor Freight Pass/fail Thread...

Still have some HF jack stands under stalled projects. If I get back under them I will replace them with others in order to check them.


Dave

 

I've been tickled s(*tless with some of their newer battery powered stuff. For what I do, these three get a big pass for me.

20v Hypermax™ Lithium-Ion Cordless 1/2 in. Drill/Driver - Tool Only (harborfreight.com)
20v Hypermax™ Lithium Cordless 1/4 in. Hex Compact Impact Driver - Tool Only (harborfreight.com)
12v Max Lithium 3/8 In. Cordless Xtreme Torque Ratchet Wrench Kit (harborfreight.com)

I don't know that they would hold up for somebody thats just beating the heck out of them everyday in a professional setting, but I abuse them every bit as much as I do my Dewalt and Milwaukee stuff, and they haven't failed me yet.

 

I've got some bauer stuff. Really like it.

 

I just bought this today, and it worked amazingly well:

2.3 Gallon Manual Fluid Extractor (Holt)

This way, I didn't have to jack up a low to the ground car to do a complete oil change. I haven't tried to open the collection can - oil poured out easily. If I was going to do a coolant pull/reclaim (in case I was doing a thermostat change), I'd want to make sure the guts are scrubbed out completely.

 

I have used the mityvac versions of that both manual and pneumatic and they are worth every cent especially the ones that can dispense fluid also.

 

Has anyone tried the 3 in 1 nailer. I worry it will be finicky and particular to the nails.
I'm borrowing a framing nailer for the current project. I would like to have something of mine but don't need a bunch of stuff to try to store.

3-in-1 Framing Air Nailer

I hate carpentry.

 

Recently the tap handle from my 40 piece tap and die set just cracked in half. The taps and dies work great, but the handle looks to be cheap pot metal. I noticed that the box said lifetime warranty. I just happened to be driving by harbor freight today, and I brought the set in. They gave me a whole new set. No receipt needed. No questions asked.

Carbon Steel SAE Tap and Die Set, 40 Pc.

 

12 ton hydraulic pipe bender-Pass*. If you’re patient, you can make some nice bends. I used this to fabricate some rocker/sliders and a stinger for my son’s CJ7 and it performed exactly as I expected with patience.

Pneumatic flanging tool-Pass. Has worked great flanging sheet metal repair panels for body work. Flanges and pops a hole for spot welding.

 

I had the opposite experience. I recently bought one and it didnt want to work out of the box, box was all oily, so figured that it had all leaked out. went back returned it and got another one, no oil in the box but every time i pressed the trigger it puked oil everywhere. none of them actually worked.

 

That’s a bummer. Mine has worked flawlessly.

 

My wife's aunt needed help cleaning up the shop her deceased husband had.
I came across this and thought I would post it here. I have no idea how old this warranty card is.

 

been to that location many times before , the internet

 

I have one of the 12 ton (I believe) winches in my trailer. I use it weekly and have not had one issue with it in over 5 years. It is in a covered box that I think helps. Also the cordless remote is great as long as I change the batteries.
Jay

 

I have my father's 4' x 8' folding trailer that's probably 25+ years old now. Back then it was $99.99 or maybe $199.99 and had dinky 8" rims. They cost a lot more now and have more car-like 12" rims/tires.
I put it together and he provided the 3/4" plywood for the floor and 24" high side panels which made it a lot heavier. Has hauled a lot of wet, heavy mulch, sand and lighter things in it over the years.

Still going strong except for the lighting kit which has taken a few physical hits (and weather) and no longer works.

 

Those are pretty decent trailers. The trailer I use the most was built from one of those. I removed the folding mechanism, bobbed 2 feet off the rear and moved the axle foward 16 inches then welded the whole thing together. Welding all the joints makes it a very solid lightweight trailer option.

 

I also had the same one for about 20 years . I did all kinds of work with it.......Even over the back roads west of here. I sold it to a pal of mine for $ 75 ........ Great investment / PASS

 

It's PREDATOR Time!

1. Predator Post Hole Digger = PASS
(love that freakin thing. 4 years old and I still beat on it with zero issues)
Paid $169 on coupon



2. Predator 79cc Trash Pump= PASS
(Bought it to drain my pool, and in the event of of flood. Works awesome!)
Paid full price, $219. I needed it when I needed it situation.



3. Predator 3500 Inverter Generator= PASS
(Only used it once for a 10 day period, but it worked great. 3 years later, when I kick it on just to cycle it, it cranks over and runs with zero issues)
Paid $720 on coupon



I have to admit. I've had extremely good luck with the Predator brand overall.

My only advice: Do the break in correctly. Back flush the crank case after break in. And only use non-ethanol fuel. You'll have no issues!

 

A while back I bought a rotary tool for about $20 at Harbor Freight and I thought it was really cool... well for about 5 minutes, when I was taking the bit out, the chuck wouldn't loosen, then when I put more force on it, it broke... took the tool back got my money back then went to Lowe's to get a Dremel. FAIL.

 

Their belt sander belts suck! Whatever glue they use on the seam lasts about 20 seconds. Now iv got to waste my time trying to figure out what glue works best to salvage what iv got. Looks like they might be using a different tape since i bought these but I dont know if id bother trying trying them

 

The KRAUSE & BECKER Airless Paint Sprayer is a definite pass.

• Airless Paint Sprayer Kit

We've had ours for 7 years now and have painted half the interiors of two of our own houses, the entire interiors of two rental houses, two chicken coups, and are now painting a barn with it. It just keeps plugging away. It uses a standardized gun so spray tips and extensions are easy to find.

I notice it's listed as "clearance" now so maybe they are doing away with it.