Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck

/ Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck #15,981  
Last free bucket I got lasted about a month. Was filling it with sudsy water to wash the buggy and it was running out the bottom. The bottom was so thin it failed right away. Took the metal handle off it and roasted it on the burn pile.
I find that the 5 gallon tractor hydraulic oil buckets are better made and once cleaned with brake cleaner and then some windex they work just fine as wash buckets etc.
HF can keep their bucket, but wish they weren't out of the free step drill bits a while back, but did get the freebie 300lb tie down straps.
 
/ Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck #15,982  
Last free bucket I got lasted about a month. Was filling it with sudsy water to wash the buggy and it was running out the bottom. The bottom was so thin it failed right away. Took the metal handle off it and roasted it on the burn pile.
Mine failed too.
 
/ Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck #15,983  
Saturday Dec 21 for Harbor Freight's 12 Days of Savings sale, the Predator 9500 Watt Inverter Generator is $800 off (regularly $2300, sale price $1500) and the 3500 Watt Inverter Generator is $220 off (regularly $800, sale price $580).

If the 9500 Watt Inverter Generator were dual fuel, I'd probably jump on it, since I converted my older generator to dual fuel years ago, and had a connection installed on the propane feed to my house to run it.

Something puzzles me about the specs for the 9500 Watt generator. It's rate for 7600 continuous and 9500 watts surge. The 240 volt outlet is rated for 30 amps and has a 30 amp circuit breaker on it. 240V X 30A = 7200 watts. How are you supposed to get 7600 watts continuous out of that, let alone the 9500 watt surge?
 
/ Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck #15,984  
Pretty crazy how much any five gallon bucket costs these days. The ones that seem to have lasted the longest for me seem to be dry wall mud buckets.
Hmm.. I always get those Home Depot and Lowe’s buckets for about $4 and they last about 3 years. The same with TSC buckets. Today I picked up a free HF bucket and it seems about the same as the others.
 
/ Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck #15,986  
Bought the HF illuminated, adjustable magnifying head mounted gear. Actually, bought 2. Good price (under 20 bucks) and wok excellent for this old man (and his wife). Bright LED, battery operated built in headlamp and 3 magnifying ranges. Work excellent for small parts.

Posts complain about the headgear being flimsy but I don't find that to be true. The ones I bought work just fine and stay adjusted and on my head just fine.
 
/ Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck #15,989  
HF really upped their game on tool chests and boxes. I know the Vulcan welding cart I bought is first rate as well and it carries 2 120 cubic foot gas bottles no issue. The tool boxes come in Kubota orange, a big plus.
 
/ Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck #15,993  
My issue is, every time I go to HF, I wind up spending more than I wanted to. My big hit was last year when I blew 4 grand in one shot. I try to keep it under control but I will say overspending is easy with the HF plastic and their deferred payment plan. I don't buy the cheapo stuff either, almost always, Bauer, Icon or Herc.

I've had tremendous good luck with Bauer 20 volt cordless tools and I have about every tool Bauer makes.

Not for everyday, 8 hours a day use but for me, they work fantastic.

One of my favorite Bauer tools is the cordless 20 volt shop blower. I actually have 2 of them simply because, as much as I use it, I fully expect to wear the first one out soon.

It blows the chaff out of my tractor radiators, sweeps the shop floor, sweeps off the decks and provides concentrated combustion air for starting my ever present burn pile plus it will inflate blow up toys and wading pools real quick.

Last fall I got it caught in the tailgate of the round baler (don't ask how) and after some super glue and wood screws it's still tooling along, just fine.

Best part is it fits behind the seat of the Kubota, ready for instant use and a 5AH battery lasts a good long time too.

HF says a 200 mph blast and I can buy that.
 
/ Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck #15,994  
I am wanting the 27" top chest in Kubota orange. I have the 5 drawer tool box which has been excellent.

This is today's sale item which is a good deal.
 

Attachments

  • toolbox.jpg
    toolbox.jpg
    134.6 KB · Views: 101
/ Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck #15,995  
That box is a might large for me. I actually sequester my hand tools in 2 completely separate tool boxes, one is all SAE and the other is metric. Neither are HF boxes presently but will be in the near future and in Kubota Orange as well. All my precision tools for the machine shop are in a pair of Gerstner wood tool chests. One is Oak and one is a Mahogany LS Starrett signature chest that my late father bought for me when I was taking my T&D apprenticeship at Standard Tool in Cleveland, Ohio many decades ago. According to Gerstner, I have one of the very rare and sought after LS Starrett chests in existence. Both chests are lined with red velvet and built entirely with tongue and groove construction, polished and hand rubbed to a mirror finish.
 
/ Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck #15,996  
My trailer wiring seems to be shot so I bought this entire LED lighting kit today at the $30 sale price and bought a spare for which ever trailer needs it next.
I don't know if they've improved, but the last time I bought a trailer light kit from HF it was crap. The lights themselves were OK, but the *&(§¶# chineseium wiring disintegrated after a couple years.
 
/ Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck #15,997  
I don't know if they've improved, but the last time I bought a trailer light kit from HF it was crap. The lights themselves were OK, but the *&(§¶# chineseium wiring disintegrated after a couple years.
Yep - and since the lights these days are low-current LEDs, they have dropped the wire gauge to a bare minimum.
 
/ Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck #16,000  
Yep - and since the lights these days are low-current LEDs, they have dropped the wire gauge to a bare minimum.
It's not even wire...the conductor was some sort of tinsel with insulation that got brittle and broke after less than a year.
 

Marketplace Items

2017 ADDCO ROAD SIGN DH1000-ALS (A60736)
2017 ADDCO ROAD...
2025 Pabreak Hydraulic Vibratory Plate Compactor Skid Steer Attachment (A61567)
2025 Pabreak...
2003 POLAR TANK (A60736)
2003 POLAR TANK...
2015 GENIE GTH-1056 TELESCOPIC FORKLIFT (A52709)
2015 GENIE...
WBrock Meyer 2000S 70'x12' 2000 BPH Grain Dryer W/Legs&Mill Discharge Sylo,Controller is included (A57148)
WBrock Meyer 2000S...
FENCE PANELS (A58214)
FENCE PANELS (A58214)
 
Top