Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck

[4get gto]

After a year of denial and one of trepidation, I broke down and bought one of those HF riding mower jacks.I've read more reviews on them than there are apples on a tree. Oh man, used it four times so far. It isn't built like a Swiss watch. Of course it is made in China. I haven't abused it. It works. It is really a handy addition to my mostly old school USA stable of tools. What strikes me the most is a parking lot full of pickups blaring "extreme conservative" sentiments. Ya know. "Make America..........

Got one last summer. Works good. $79 I think I paid. Only problem I have with it is seems it's always in the way.

 

[zoedog2012]

Got one last summer. Works good. $79 I think I paid. Only problem I have with it is seems it's always in the way.

Bought one several days ago,wish I had bought it several years ago. Well built and easy to assemble.

 

[Travelover]

Bought one several days ago,wish I had bought it several years ago. Well built and easy to assemble.

I bought this hoist and mounted it overhead. Snatches my lawn tractor right up in the air to change the mower, etc. 88 lb. Electric Hoist with Remote Control

 

[newbury]

I have one and it works great. Had to buy a mat to put down underneath to reduce the friction of the fabric sliding on my LineX coating on the bed of my F150. You still need to clean out the dirt that ends up on the sides by the wheel wells.

I've carried a lot of stone and gravel and find it essential. Maybe 10 dually loads, up to 3,000 lbs but usually right around the 2,000 it's rated for.
I've "brackets" for my Reese 5th wheel/goose neck hitch so I lay in a few 2x4's then put down a sheet of plywood to "level" my bed, then a tarp (HF), then the mat, then the unloader, then have them drop a ton or so on top. The tarp is big enough to go up the sides and I can pull it over so stones and dust do not fly out. And if the "or so" becomes a lot I generally get my son to shovel some off the top first. I don't want to rip the unloader.
After the load is "cranked out" it's fairly simple to "disassemble" and pull the tarp and what is left out.

I've also used it when Lowes mis-priced some 12x12 concrete flagstones and I picked up two bed loads. I used it to crank the pallets they had pushed to the front of the bed back to the tailgate.

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

Any thought on the tap and die sets for occasional use mostly chasing threads?

Are the nitride coated sets worth the premium over the regular "hardened steel" versions?

Search results for: 'Tap and die'

A search of this thread mostly revealed that the case stinks.

 

[Midniteoyl]

Any thought on the tap and die sets for occasional use mostly chasing threads?

Are the nitride coated sets worth the premium over the regular "hardened steel" versions?

Search results for: 'Tap and die'

A search of this thread mostly revealed that the case stinks.

I have the 60pc $38 set and its mostly good. The case is kinda crappy (doesnt hold the taps well) but I haven't broke one yet and I use a drill to tap the threads.. Oil and go fairly slow is the key.

 

[MossRoad]

I have the 60pc $38 set and its mostly good. The case is kinda crappy (doesnt hold the taps well) but I haven't broke one yet and I use a drill to tap the threads.. Oil and go fairly slow is the key.

I'll agree 100% with the case being crappy. Good grief the pieces fall all over the place in there! :laughing:

But they do work for occasional use. Saves your bacon once in a while.

 

[California]

I have the (now $15?) cheap set, I don't think it was the cheapest. Sufficient for cleaning threads before reassembling something, that's about it. Nominal same size tap & die make a sloppy fit if you put them together.

Can someone link to the more competent set? I should have that one instead.

 

[IslandTractor]

I have the (now $15?) cheap set, I don't think it was the cheapest. Sufficient for cleaning threads before reassembling something, that's about it. Nominal same size tap & die make a sloppy fit if you put them together.

Can someone link to the more competent set? I should have that one instead.

Looks like they now have three levels of sets. I have this one: SAE / Metric Tap and Die Set - 6 Piece, Alloy Steel. Cost about $40. I've got both the SAE and Metric. No complaints but I don't use it heavily.

When looking for that version I noticed they now sell a titanium coated version too for about $85. Haven't tried it. 45 Pc Titanium Nitride Coated Alloy Steel SAE Tap & Die Set

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

I have the (now $15?) cheap set, I don't think it was the cheapest. Sufficient for cleaning threads before reassembling something, that's about it. Nominal same size tap & die make a sloppy fit if you put them together.

Can someone link to the more competent set? I should have that one instead.

I have the same old small set but it is obviously limited on sizes/counts. The link I posted above has all their options.

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

One of the HF reviews suggests that the nitride coated ones are quite a bit better with anything harder than mild steel. I do need them to work in "hardened" steel. Any thoughts?

I need both SAE and metric. Wish there was a nitride combined set so I didn't have to pay for two sets of handles etc.

 

[dragoneggs]

I've carried a lot of stone and gravel and find it essential. Maybe 10 dually loads, up to 3,000 lbs but usually right around the 2,000 it's rated for.
I've "brackets" for my Reese 5th wheel/goose neck hitch so I lay in a few 2x4's then put down a sheet of plywood to "level" my bed, then a tarp (HF), then the mat, then the unloader, then have them drop a ton or so on top. The tarp is big enough to go up the sides and I can pull it over so stones and dust do not fly out. And if the "or so" becomes a lot I generally get my son to shovel some off the top first. I don't want to rip the unloader.

After the load is "cranked out" it's fairly simple to "disassemble" and pull the tarp and what is left out.

I've also used it when Lowes mis-priced some 12x12 concrete flagstones and I picked up two bed loads. I used it to crank the pallets they had pushed to the front of the bed back to the tailgate.

Yep same experiences... I hadn't used it for a while and forgot the tarp and the mat last weekend for a load of compost. The tarp saves lots on clean up and the mat saves my back and the chance I will rip the fabric. Like minds, newberry!

 

[DFB]

That 60 pc set with both metric and standard would be worthy for most people tool chests. I have a two Craftsman sets one metric one standard but if I didn't have any tap and dies I would probably get myself one of those. At the motorcycle shop I frequent there is one of the 45 pc sets nice investment and I always though about getting one but most people won't often need those larger sizes. I'm thinking only a few times over the years did I ever need something larger than even 1/2".

Years ago I had a set very similar to that 21 pc in the links but in Metric and I think I came from JC Whitney at the time and I actually did rethread an entire brake rod using one of the dies for on an old motorcycle I was restoring but overall wasn't much of anything to talk about and the taps were very poor quality.


Like someone pointed out using taps and fixed dies to just chase threads or clean out holes isn't what you really want (though with a split die you can adjust some) you do run some risk of over cutting or actually recutting threads.

So I do realize this IS the Harbor Freight thread but I don't think HF sells a thread chaser/restorer kit.

I would recommend them. I also have one, again a Craftsman and the same set is sold under several other brand names and of coarse there are plenty others just look on Amazon.

I use that much more often for cleaning up nuts and bolts. Plus they have the thread files too

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

I bought this hoist and mounted it overhead. Snatches my lawn tractor right up in the air to change the mower, etc. 88 lb. Electric Hoist with Remote Control

Hopefully, you're using jack stands to hold up the mower after you lift it with that electric hoist. There's no way I'd work under a mower with only that hoist holding it up.

 

[Travelover]

Hopefully, you're using jack stands to hold up the mower after you lift it with that electric hoist. There's no way I'd work under a mower with only that hoist holding it up.

Of course

 

[newbury]

Yep same experiences... I hadn't used it for a while and forgot the tarp and the mat last weekend for a load of compost. The tarp saves lots on clean up and the mat saves my back and the chance I will rip the fabric. Like minds, newberry!

And an even better back saver is a 35 year old son!!

 

[dragoneggs]

And an even better back saver is a 35 year old son!!

Not fair!

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Every time I go in the store I wonder if the workers will get cancer from the smell. As for the larger step drills, I burned the big one up trying to make a hole in my stainless kitchen sink to add a soap dispenser. It was fine until I got into the step that went from 7/8" to an inch. I needed to get to an inch. I used a cutoff wheel to sharpen it up and did eventually get through the thin gauge metal but that bit seems soft on the big numbers. For years I beat up the smaller 3 drill set I have from HF and it still cuts well. This was the first use on the larger of the 2 bit set.

I think keeping reducing the drill speed as the hole size increases is key to bit life but not all drills permit one to do that.

 

[KubotainNH]

I think keeping reducing the drill speed as the hole size increases is key to bit life but not all drills permit one to do that.

I tried and used oil but this step drill just seems soft in the 1" section.

 

[bcp]

Welding table on sale.

Bruce