Harbor Freight tools that DO suck

[crazyal]

California, good to know. For some reason, the short form of your html link for this set rendered in the post as "13 piece small drill set to run in 1/4" hex impact driver"! I'm assuming you aren't really using them in an impact driver. The HF webpage says they are for use in cordless electric screwdrivers.

I've never tried the bits (of any brand) that have a dedicated hex shank. Always seemed to me to be an expensive way to manufacture a disposable item, especially since it's so quick to just use a standard bit in a keyless chuck.

back when I was doing construction having the standard hex shank made for quick changes between drill bits and philips bits to drive a screw in. Now I just have multiple drills and lots of spare batteries. Times have changed. I can remember when a salesman showed up at our ship with a 7.2v Makita cordless drill. We laughed at it but the salesman left it with us and within a month we bought a dozen more. You were lucky to have two batteries and a case. Now try and find a contractor that doesn't have a cordless as their primary tool.

 

[/pine]

back when I was doing construction having the standard hex shank made for quick changes between drill bits and philips bits to drive a screw in. Now I just have multiple drills and lots of spare batteries. Times have changed. I can remember when a salesman showed up at our ship with a 7.2v Makita cordless drill. We laughed at it but the salesman left it with us and within a month we bought a dozen more. You were lucky to have two batteries and a case. Now try and find a contractor that doesn't have a cordless as their primary tool.

The development of cordless power tools was another beneficial side effect from the space program...primarily the shuttle and ISS programs...

 

[California]

back when I was doing construction having the standard hex shank made for quick changes between drill bits and philips bits to drive a screw in. Now I just have multiple drills and lots of spare batteries. Times have changed.

I generally use multiple battery tools. For example in my photo above driving 11 inch lag bolts I had a slender 'telephone' drill bit in one drill for the full depth hole, another slightly larger to drill for the unthreaded part of the bolt, and a third drill and bit to countersink those washers. Along with the small impact driver to thread in the bolts. (And a socket on a breaker bar to turn the bolts in the final inch in that dry unyielding lumber).

But for working up on a ladder, that little impact driver can be carried up the ladder in my carpenter nailbag along with the bits, drivers, screws, and brackets I climbed up there to install. The driver is smaller than my battery drills. It's more convenient up on a ladder where I can pop in various hex shank tools as needed.

 

[Oaktree]

I can remember when a salesman showed up at our ship with a 7.2v Makita cordless drill. We laughed at it but the salesman left it with us and within a month we bought a dozen more. You were lucky to have two batteries and a case. Now try and find a contractor that doesn't have a cordless as their primary tool.

Try to find much of anybody that doesn't use cordless as their primary tool. It's pretty rare for me to grab a corded one anymore. I can only imagine how much easier it is for contractors now that there are rugged cordless tools (I'm thinking mostly drill/drivers and reciprocating saws). Major increase in productivity compared to lugging a corded unit (with loong extension cord) up and down a ladder.

Got one of those 7.5v Makita drills as a gift many years ago. I thought it was a joke...kind of wimpy drill, and the batteries weren't easily replaceable (and were almost as expensive as a new drill). Gave Makita a bad name in my eyes for a long time.

But for working up on a ladder, that little impact driver can be carried up the ladder in my carpenter nailbag along with the bits, drivers, screws, and brackets I climbed up there to install. The driver is smaller than my battery drills. It's more convenient up on a ladder where I can pop in various hex shank tools as needed.

I have one of those Ryobi drill/driver kits, and when I bought it had no idea how handy that driver is!! It's become one of those "how did I get along without it" tools.

 

[dragoneggs]

I see cordless vs. corded hand tools going the way of land lines to cell phones. Won't be too long before corded ones are relics.

 

[4570Man]

I see cordless vs. corded hand tools going the way of land lines to cell phones. Won't be too long before corded ones are relics.

I still use corded drills for heavy work, and a corded skill saw for some jobs and a corded grinder for grinding otherwise I use pretty much exclusively cordless tools. The big corded drills are used to break your wrist, the cordless grinder is a wonderful tool equipped with a diamond cutoff wheel, but useless for grinding. The cordless skill saw is another wonderful tool, but it also has limits.

 

[dragoneggs]

I still use corded drills for heavy work, and a corded skill saw for some jobs and a corded grinder for grinding otherwise I use pretty much exclusively cordless tools. The big corded drills are used to break your wrist, the cordless grinder is a wonderful tool equipped with a diamond cutoff wheel, but useless for grinding. The cordless skill saw is another wonderful tool, but it also has limits.

Agreed but with battery technology progressing, the cord will disappear for all but truly high power stationary needs. Just my prediction. Look at battery powered cars. Wasn't that long ago that people scoffed at them. Now people are buying them in record numbers. It will take longer for trucks but it is coming.

 

[4570Man]

Agreed but with battery technology progressing, the cord will disappear for all but truly high power stationary needs. Just my prediction. Look at battery powered cars. Wasn't that long ago that people scoffed at them. Now people are buying them in record numbers. It will take longer for trucks but it is coming.

I don’t think 100 percent electric cars will ever be mainstream. Hybrids probably. Technology can only improve so far without making it unaffordable. How much more ground can be gained with batteries? At what limit does a battery weigh too much to do the job? Maybe there’s room for comprise with a battery vest or something and a short cord.

 

[dragoneggs]

I don’t think 100 percent electric cars will ever be mainstream. Hybrids probably. Technology can only improve so far without making it unaffordable. How much more ground can be gained with batteries? At what limit does a battery weigh too much to do the job? Maybe there’s room for comprise with a battery vest or something and a short cord.

Until there is another leap in battery technology. I have no doubt we aren’t close to the holy grail in harnessing and storing energy.

 

[4570Man]

Until there is another leap in battery technology. I have no doubt we aren’t close to the holy grail in harnessing and storing energy.

There are practical limits to everything. So the question is how close is battery technology to that? I think big electric motors are like 96 percent efficient. How good are the little cordless tool motors. Non of my tools are brushless so better than what I have is possible.