Harbor Freight Tools that DO SUCK II

[diesel85]

I've been a Craftsman hand tool and DeWalt guy all my life. Only because those tools were always readily available to me, and I've never had a DeWalt fail me.

A few years ago I was building a deck, and I got some free rough cut "large" 4x4's and I needed to make them about actual, and I used my DeWalt sidewinder (the one with the brake) for about 30 hours just shaving boards down. I kid you not, I filled my 48" bucket up with saw dust just with that part of the project.

After I got done with the whole deck project, I wanted to check the commutator and brushes, and everything looked perfect. I also got a spare brush set from eBay too for $5 to keep on hand.

I also keep all my electric tools inside in a climate controlled environment too. Includes my gas chainsaws and wackers, mowers, tractors, trucks, etc.

 

[3Ts]

I still have my slide rules although I've not used them for many years. A calculator is more convenient, smaller, and easier to carry. (and the calculators have bigger numbers that are easier to see)

I'm with diesel85 on tools, sears craftsman until their quality started down, then went to Ridgid had a problem with them, and then Dewalt and not had a problem with Dewalt. I also have several of the HF 4.5" grinders and have only toasted one of them in the last 10 years or so.

 

[reb]

...

Anybody out there can still read a slide rule etc?

Just out out my Post Versalog (slide rule) that I bought about 62 years ago, for the outrageous price of around $27. Still works great, but getting more than three digits of resolution is impossible. For that I go to my HP15C, which cost about $125 about 40 years ago.

 

[California]

i have been looking for a caliper with the old slide rule calibrations.

Like this?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074HZ8S21

I bought one, and after a week of frustration, returned it. I thought I knew how to read a vernier because the land survey transits of 50 years ago had vernier, and were obvious how to use.

But this machinist's caliper has the graduations too close together and I was wrong about half the time interpreting the measurement compared to my digital caliper. I would read, and write down, what looked like the reading, Then go to the tic that matched the digital caliper's reading, and find an equally good match at that tic. Several thousandths larger. I don't need confusion like that.

I discovered the far more expensive versions have a vernier scale much longer. So when tics align, there isn't another tic that is an equally good match.

Just a few minutes ago I bought this, for a faucet stem repair I'm working on that I can't find parts for. This one is idiot-proof, and more portable than the digital caliper, I can carry it to the hardware store.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004T7UF/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00

(Better photo)

 

[the old grind]

I have a Craftsman 40257 vernier, B&S and HFT with dials, and a few digitals. I use the HFT dials most often and rarely use mics.

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=craftsman+no+40257

 

[California]

I have a Craftsman 40257 vernier, B&S and HFT with dials, and a few digitals. I use the HFT dials most often and rarely use mics.

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=craftsman+no+40257

Reading that second one

No. 40257 Craftsman 6" Caliper Vernier Inside Outside Made In Italy Stainless | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for No. 40257 Craftsman 6" Caliper Vernier Inside Outside Made In Italy Stainless at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

... makes my head spin. .2 + .025 + .005 = .230" ? Did I read that correctly?

At least this Craftsman caliper doesn't have the ambiguous markings like the one I returned, where there were often two different tics that might be 'correct'.

I've had for years a plastic General dial caliper but I rarely take it out, it could be damaged too easily just kicking around on the workbench. I had hoped to use the vernier caliper like yours for that, it seemed damage resistant, but I've decided the digital caliper plus the simple one I just bought, are sufficient. I have several cheap plastic calipers but none will hold a measurement, they're kinda useless.

 

[the old grind]

The cheap imported dial and digital calipers are reliably/repeatably accurate to a half thou depending on how well you use/hold them. Be aware that with such (<$30) digitals the on/off switch controls the display, but often the internals remain on/active. I don't store any of mine with a battery in them. If I do they're dead within 6 mos or so.

btw, along with one HFT dial in the machine shop, one in the garage, two on the reloading bench, and one in my traveling armorer's box I carry one in the golf cart. Cut bands from m'cycle tubes to keep them closed if the boxes get roughed around or dropped.

Oh, and my 40257 was near $30 back in the '80s when I bought it. With my name engraved on it I wouldn't ask that much, but I don't plan to part with it either. My rollaways are full of tools I don't use but like to have just in case.

 

[IndyJay]

I have a digital caliper similar to this one. Hard to mess that up...

https://www.amazon.com/Neiko-01407A-Electronic-Digital-Stainless/dp/B000GSLKIW/ref=sr_1_3?_encoding=UTF8&c=ts&dchild=1&keywords=Digital+Calipers&qid=1633136083&s=industrial&sr=1-3&ts_id=2476630011

 

[California]

I have a digital caliper similar to this one. Hard to mess that up...

I expect many of us do. Mine's from HF. The precision seems good, it matched the vernier caliper described above (the one I returned) and is far more convenient to use.

But I don't get it out often because, as Old Grind noted, they eat batteries whether switched on or not. I don't leave a battery in it. I frequently found the battery dead before I figured out to remove it.

Might as well buy a card of batteries along with a digital caliper.

 

[California]

Here's another type of caliper that is tough enough to throw in a toolbox and forget about it. I carried one for years. It's graduated in 1/16", with a vernier to read down to 1/128".

And here's a style I found today when I was looking for a simple caliper. Usually brass. I think its marketed to crafters and may be common in the world of handmade jewelry. Perhaps its widely used in India? The scale doesn't start from zero, rather there's a hash mark about 1/8" away that is the zero. For occasional use I expect this would cause many errors.