Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck

[5030]

The Pittsburgh Ratchet wrenches are decent quality. I'v yarned on em pretty good with no failures yet. Noticeably better quality than Trac Supply's version, though a little more expensive. But still relatively cheap.

Hmmmmm..... Didn't know Pittsburgh was a province in China? Live and learn.:laughing:

 

[IslandTractor]

Hmmmmm..... Didn't know Pittsburgh was a province in China? Live and learn.:laughing:

Try to find Hagan Daaz in Denmark! Or, any native American workmanship in a Pontiac or Buick. Marketers play the same game all around the world. The Chinese are no worse than we are in that regard..And, HF is actually a US company anyways and they are the ones that chose the misleading "Pittsburgh" branding.

 

[bcp]

MADE IN USA



Bruce

 

[stuckmotor]

Queen Victoria is said to have married off her grand children to royal families all over Europe thinking that countries ruled by relatives might be able to get along. It didn't work.

Now, countries all over the world are dependant on one another for goods and services. Maybe they'll avoid war to keep from destroying their own economies and supply chains.... then there's North Korea...

 

[rbstern]

Bought the 1.5hp 79cc clear water pump to use lakeside for dock and boat pressure washing. It's an excellent little pump. Starts easily, runs smoothly, and pumps enough water to feed a 2.7gpm pressure washer.

A strange thing happened at purchase, though it turned out in my favor. While I was waiting in line, I noticed the box lid was missing staples. It was taped closed. Apparently it had already been opened. Box looked new otherwise. When I got to the counter, the clerk said there was a restocking fee for returns on gas motor items. I said that was fine, except for the fact that this one looks like it might have already been opened. The clerk suggested we open it again to make sure everything was there. We opened it, and I immediately got a whiff of gasoline. Uncapped the tank, and sure enough, there was a bit of gas. Unfortunately, it was the last one they had. Clerk calls the manager over, and he promptly offers it to me for $90 (normally $159). And they took the 20% off coupon. I was out the door for $70. Changed the oil, gassed it up, ran perfectly for the three hours I've put on it so far.

Will be a handy item to have around the property for moving water from place to place.

1.5 79cc 1 in. Gas Engine Clear Water Pump 37 GPM

 

[crazyal]

Bought the 1.5hp 79cc clear water pump to use lakeside for dock and boat pressure washing. It's an excellent little pump. Starts easily, runs smoothly, and pumps enough water to feed a 2.7gpm pressure washer.

A strange thing happened at purchase, though it turned out in my favor. While I was waiting in line, I noticed the box lid was missing staples. It was taped closed. Apparently it had already been opened. Box looked new otherwise. When I got to the counter, the clerk said there was a restocking fee for returns on gas motor items. I said that was fine, except for the fact that this one looks like it might have already been opened. The clerk suggested we open it again to make sure everything was there. We opened it, and I immediately got a whiff of gasoline. Uncapped the tank, and sure enough, there was a bit of gas. Unfortunately, it was the last one they had. Clerk calls the manager over, and he promptly offers it to me for $90 (normally $159). And they took the 20% off coupon. I was out the door for $70. Changed the oil, gassed it up, ran perfectly for the three hours I've put on it so far.

Will be a handy item to have around the property for moving water from place to place.

1.5 79cc 1 in. Gas Engine Clear Water Pump 37 GPM

View attachment 464517

HF seams to waffle between a 79cc and a 97cc engine on these. I got the 97cc engine and it's a great pump. I use it to fill a 275 gallon IBC down at the river in the middle of summer, takes about 5 minutes with the tank about 15 feet higher than the pump. The engine is so quiet you can't even hear it at the end of the hose. You probably won't have the same problem I have though. Each fall I have to drain the gas or it'll go bad and make it impossible to start in the spring. So just like clockwork in the fall I drain any water left in the pump and the gas from the tank and carb.

 

[California]

A winner:

The HF $13 pruning shears are a perfect clone of identical $50 Felco Swiss-made shears that are top-rated on Amazon. I have both, can't tell the difference aside from color. Felco's patent must have run out and now several clones are on the market. Felco is what my neighbor uses who prunes 20 acres of grapes on his home parcel plus more on contracted land so Felco is definitely pro quality. HF's perfect clone of them seems to be a bargain.

Ok that said, I had never noticed before that my hands must be smaller than average. All the shears I've tried from several brands - these two brands, Fiskar, etc, have me holding one of the handles with my fingertips, awkward to start a cut without the shears slipping out of my hand. I then tried several at Tractor Supply. Their $8 angle-head pruners fit me perfectly and an hour working with them is much less tiring. They are lighter to carry in a pocket, the lock is easy to engage with one hand, overall best pruners for me that I've ever seen. They seem a little cheap but I would rather replace these as needed in preference to using a continually uncomfortable tool. I like them that well.

I've gone through several of the classic design pruners that have a wire loop for a closed lock. I'll never buy another. First it takes two hands to engage the lock. Worse, these locks always fail after that wire loop gets crushed and straightened a few times. They are a high maintenance high frustration tool. They cut fine but overall they are a PIA I've come to avoid.

And a note on the $10 Black & Decker pruners I saw at TSC: I had seen these, used, at a flea market and didn't buy them. They don't fit my hand, my hand slips up toward the head before I start to squeeze. And the ones I found were all worn out and sloppy. This is in contrast to my Felco pruner that Dad likely bought at a yard sale 30 years ago which still works flawless and looks near new.

Summary: HF's clone of the Felco's are a bargain assuming the size fits your hand. Small hands, try the TSC pruners I linked.

 

[stuckmotor]

I think I've managed to spring the blade on every bypass shear I've ever had.

 

[sixdogs]

I've always wondered how come all HF stores stink?

Way back in this thread there is a discussion about some floor mats I had that smelled awful. It was like being in a HF store 24/7. Anyway, the smell seems to come from the mats-- and rubber stuff in general--vaporizing. My floor mats actually shrunk by a fair amount before I tossed them. I switched to Husky floor liners and it's all good now.

What are these things made of?

 

[5030]

Way back in this thread there is a discussion about some floor mats I had that smelled awful. It was like being in a HF store 24/7. Anyway, the smell seems to come from the mats-- and rubber stuff in general--vaporizing. My floor mats actually shrunk by a fair amount before I tossed them. I switched to Husky floor liners and it's all good now.

What are these things made of?

They opened a new store in Adrian, Michigan and I visited and it stunk just like the store in Toledo, same smell. Must be the mats. I couldn't work in that place smelling that all day.

 

[5030]

I think I've managed to spring the blade on every bypass shear I've ever had.

I use a Silky folding saw now. I have the same luck with springing bypass shears too.

 

[lostcreekranch]

Anyone have the HF vertical / horizontal bandsaw?

Metal Band Saw - Horizontal/Vertical Metal Band Saw

 

[California]

I use a Silky folding saw now. I have the same luck with springing bypass shears too.

I just bought a Silky saw after snapping a favorite Fiskars. (original version from Scandinavia, not Asia). It's going to take some getting used to if the Silky only cuts on the pull stroke.

I need to carry lightweight shears plus use a saw for pruning anything thick/stiff enough that it wont jump around while sawing.

A while back I discovered another use for the shears: picking wild blackberries. Leather glove on my left hand to pull thorny canes out of the way then pick berries with right hand or cut canes with shears in right hand to get access into the jumble. And an open bucket tied to my waist to toss berries into without looking. These gimmicks made a big increase in production compared to working barehanded without the shears - and far fewer thorn tips to dig out of my hands later.

 

[MossRoad]

Anyone have the HF vertical / horizontal bandsaw?

Metal Band Saw - Horizontal/Vertical Metal Band Saw

Why yes, yes I do. I have a 15+ year old version of the same thing. The motor melted and burst into flames. The blade fell off constantly. There was grit in the gearbox, etc.... There is a large following of that saw on the interweb. Google it up and you'll find several groups with all kinds of tips and tricks to get it working very well. I was lucky in that I found a decent motor at work that came off the exact same saw! It was 30 years old. The gearbox had seized up on that one and they were going to trash it, so they gave me the motor when I asked. Its worked great every since. There are some adjustments to make on the wheels that drive the blade and the guides that make it track straight and true. Find some bi-metal blades for it too. Then it will cut very well.

 

[5030]

Anyone have the HF vertical / horizontal bandsaw?

Metal Band Saw - Horizontal/Vertical Metal Band Saw

I have one (I forgot where I bought it, been so long ago). I paid 150 bucks for mine. It's a good saw, I've cut hundreds of feet of structural shapes, bar stock in stainless and carbon steel with mine over the years.

Couple issues...

One, the motor is typical Chinese junk and sooner or later (probably sooner), you'll find the 'smoke' from the motor. I replaced mine with a Marathon years ago. Second, the bandwheels run on plain bushings with no way to add grease. I drilled and tapped my idler bandwheel for a grease fitring and it lasted a good while. Last year I bored the hub and installed a real double row ball bearing. That should outlast me. Third, the on-off switch is junk, I replaced that years ago with a good one from the hardware store and finally, the gearbox comes with fish oil in it. Drained that and added some real 90 weight.

Overall it's a good saw for 150 bucks. Not sure about 250 bucks. The new one looks exactly like my old one.

 

[5030]

I get my bi-metal bladees from Moss' neighbor, MSC in Elkhart, Indiana. Morse or Starrett pre-welded loops.

 

[flyerdan]

Anyone have the HF vertical / horizontal bandsaw?

Yes, I have an early version of that model that was my dad's. They are a good saw for non-production home use. Mine has a plate, about 8x8 that you can put on the bottom blade guide for vertical use, makes cutting smaller parts a lot easier, or giving something to fixture to for ripping. You'll probably want to opt for a better quality blade once you get it dialed in.
I like it for cutting thick stuff, you can set it and go do something else while it does its thing.
They show up on craigslist fairly often, might snag a good one for a lot less.

 

[MossRoad]

I get my bi-metal bladees from Moss' neighbor, MSC in Elkhart, Indiana. Morse or Starrett pre-welded loops.

I think that's where I got mine, too! :laughing:

 

[MossRoad]

Here's a fun resource for that saw....

4x6 Bandsaw Mods

 

[MossRoad]

And if you scroll down on that site, you'll see the famous melted plastic motor cooling fan that so many people have discovered.