Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck

Handloader109 · Feb 16, 2020

to remove walnut hucks you need to find an old corn sheller. has teeth that removed dried corn from the cob. works great to remove the husks especially when they are getting dry.

newbury · Feb 16, 2020

Subject - Rolling tool cabinets
I've only a couple, (see pic) but I missed the sales when HF decided to clear out the the narrower 20" cabinets and moved up to the 22" deep cabinets

Now for example the 26" base costs as much as the base plus top chest used to.
Now I see the "Icon" brand being sold at 5 times the price!!
Are they going to clear out the US General?
What makes the Icon toolbox worth 5 of the US General?
/edit - also what's the YUKON 46", 9 DRAWER MOBILE STORAGE CABINET WITH SOLID WOOD TOP like? (besides cheap)

Rock Crawler · Feb 16, 2020

I went and looked at all the new icon boxes, and to me they're really not much different from the old US general. I believe what they're doing is using a change in naming convention and change in the style that the boxes are being built to copy so that they can justify the pricing.

I completely feel that the US general 4 and 5 drawer carts are still a pretty good bargain out there, and honestly the Harbor Freight US general 72 inch base tool box on sale for $999 is still an amazing value. I have the US general 4 drawer cart, and the 72 inch base with the 54 inch topper oh, and I don't think that the icon series is really a worthy step up for the immense money that it would take to do it.

I have the 72 inch base width 54 inch top and a left and a right hang on side attachment 1 being the shelved wardrobe in the other being the tool drawer thing. I have under $2,000 total invested in mine buying when they were on sale. you cannot buy the icon bottom box for under $2,000 or even near that.

As an at-home shop user who works 3 days a week in my garage with my tools I imagine that the US general tool boxes will last me for the rest of my life. maybe the plastic drawer latches will break, and that would not bother me at all. My box is stationary in the back of the shop and I'm never going to roll it around.

I think the icon series boxes to look neat and they have some features that are desirable and make me slightly jealous, but not to the point that I want to sell my $2,000 worth of boxes and replace them with $10,500 worth of equivalent icon boxes. when I was at the store I looked at the prices on the icon stuff to recreate what I have in my shop now and it would move me literally from $2,000 cost to $10,500 cost. And that's the wrong that I'm not able to get past. there is absolutely no way you'll ever convince me that it's worth $8,500 to move up to the icon boxes. Or any other brand of box you want to suggest for $10,000, because again I work on my seven vehicles that I own plus my friends and family vehicles and my equipment for my property. I don't get paid to work on anyting, I paid for the parts that I spend my time. A ten-thousand-dollar toolbox doesn't do anything for me.

crazyal · Feb 16, 2020

hunt4570 said:
That's what your FEL is for..

My woodworking shop is 16x30 built on piers. There's no way to get the tractor inside. But if I can mount a quick attach to the engine lift mount to the loader it'll reach into the door. Since it's the folding style I can lift the legs up.

hunt4570 · Feb 16, 2020

crazyal said:
My woodworking shop is 16x30 built on piers. There's no way to get the tractor inside. But if I can mount a quick attach to the engine lift mount to the loader it'll reach into the door. Since it's the folding style I can lift the legs up.

Just curious, why do you need to lift that big woodworking equipment? And whatcha got that weighs 1000 pounds, big planer or something? All my woodworking equipment is on mobile bases but I don't think I have anything that heavy. I think my 16" planer is my heaviest and about 450 I think.

Diggin It · Feb 16, 2020

Why do they call their 4 pound hand sledge an 'engineer's hammer'? That would be a mechanic's hammer. Mechanics get bigger hammers. Engineers get sharper pencils.

California · Feb 16, 2020

For driving surveyor's stakes.

stuckmotor · Feb 16, 2020

I think I read that in the days of steam, engineers was the term for what we now call mechanics. I think the source was a publication I bought from Lindsay Publications, possibly Echoes from the Oil Country.

dragoneggs · Feb 16, 2020

hunt4570 said:
Just curious, why do you need to lift that big woodworking equipment? And whatcha got that weighs 1000 pounds, big planer or something? All my woodworking equipment is on mobile bases but I don't think I have anything that heavy. I think my 16" planer is my heaviest and about 450 I think.

Kind of wondering the same. I have several tools and a solid workbench that are in the 400lb range. Still nice to have an engine lift to move stuff around occasionally. I too try to have most everything on wheels due to the limited shop space.

lostcreekranch · Feb 16, 2020

dragoneggs said:
Kind of wondering the same. I have several tools and a solid workbench that are in the 400lb range. Still nice to have an engine lift to move stuff around occasionally. I too try to have most everything on wheels due to the limited shop space.

I used my HF portable crane to lift my HF 20 ton press. I built a mobile base for the press so, was going to lift it up, onto the mobile base. I decided, while it was in the air, to remove the angle iron bases and drill them on my HF 13" drill press.