Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck

[Woodeye]

This fell apart after my wife swung it 5 times. I think she is putting the kibosh on any more HF purchases.

View attachment 563961

Well, you can still type so she didn稚 hit you too hard.

 

[TomIre]

Where do y'all get your coupons? I got an Android app "Harbor Freight Coupon Database" but there's so much cr@p in there (out of date) that it's worthless.

 

[Rock Crawler]

Where do y'all get your coupons? I got an Android app "Harbor Freight Coupon Database" but there's so much cr@p in there (out of date) that it's worthless.

That HFQPDB application is about the best go to app going. The other is Struggleville.

 

[newbury]

Where do y'all get your coupons? I got an Android app "Harbor Freight Coupon Database" but there's so much cr@p in there (out of date) that it's worthless.

HFQPDB used to be great. Something has happened recently and there was a LOT of outdated coupons when I looked yesterday, some from 2017.
Struggleville didn't let me run my ad blocker.

/edit - just looked again at hfqpdb, seems they cleaned up the old entries
Also - the way they list them there's a "main entry" and if you click on that you can see expired coupons so you can see if there have been even lower prices on that item.
I don't use an "app", just go direct to the site.

 

[rbstern]

That HFQPDB application is about the best go to app going. The other is Struggleville.

Coupon Code Links | Harbor Freight Hacks

 

[crazyal]

I ended up getting the 5 drawer tool cart in red. The store only had the side shelf in red so that made the decision for me. While I was there I also got the Windsor 60" wood workbench for the wife. The side shelf is more than strong enough to hold my grinder but it's design is a little different than what I'm use to. Instead of two legs that fold down to hold the shelf up this has just one that fits into a small channel. It works well to support the shelf but if it's bumped upward it will easily come out. So I put two small welds to hold it in place. So it's not a folding shelf anymore. Overall I would say it's pretty good deal for the money. The drawers slide smoothly (but I haven't loaded them down yet).

 

[TMGT]

I ended up getting the 5 drawer tool cart in red. The store only had the side shelf in red so that made the decision for me. While I was there I also got the Windsor 60" wood workbench for the wife. The side shelf is more than strong enough to hold my grinder but it's design is a little different than what I'm use to. Instead of two legs that fold down to hold the shelf up this has just one that fits into a small channel. It works well to support the shelf but if it's bumped upward it will easily come out. So I put two small welds to hold it in place. So it's not a folding shelf anymore. Overall I would say it's pretty good deal for the money. The drawers slide smoothly (but I haven't loaded them down yet).

I have the large bottom drawer and the deep narrow drawers on mine loaded down pretty good, one is full of Aloris CA tool holders and boring bars which are pretty much just large chunks of steel, and the bottom deep drawer full of things like 123 and 246 blocks, v blocks etc. No problems with the slides.
You'll love the cart.

 

[downsizingnow48]

Has anyone got this service cart? Thinking about getting one.

Haul-Masterｮ- item#61930

 

[Diggin It]

^^ Not the grey poly one, but I have the blue metal one. Not bad, not great.



One thing I kind of like is the new flashlight line. The little one with the pushbutton in the end is a lot brighter than you might expect.

 

[Oldpath05]

I have HF's $33 'Industrial' Air Filter Regulator.

This is one of HF's 'Some Assembly Required' bargains, apparently a clone of something that costs 4 x as much. Everything leaked. I took it apart and chased the plumbing threads with taps, cleaned the debris out and lapped the sealing surfaces to make them flat, then reassembled using both teflon tape and paste. I configured it with outlet down instead of horizontal for less strain on output hose.

After that I sprayed several gallons of rustoleum. No fisheyes from water getting past the filter and the regulated pressure was steady. Drained a lot of water out of the cannister, discovered the drain handle is flimsy and had to be re-crimped so it wouldn't fall off. After that major project I haven't needed the filter again but it was worth the $33 just for the nice painting results on that one project.

Summary - it's more like a DIY kit. Get it set up properly and it will do what you expect.


Edit: As noted in 3Ts' post below the air needs to be cooled to condense the water to liquid, before it reaches this water filter. I had 25 ft of air hose before the filter which was sufficient in this case. I also had a tiny regulator/filter 5 ft before the gun and never saw water in that one.

3/8 In. Desiccant Dryer with Oil Removal Filter <<<I was thinking of this one, I kinda want to avoid the (Some Assembly Required' bargains) It can be hard to pick a tool/acc at HF when only 3 stars out of 5 are showing. What I dont get is someone will say "Great product", then the next review will say, terrible, junk, some assembly required, buy only if you dont mind taking apart and re-chase the threads....., how can there be that much of a contrast on the same tool acc.......

So am I to understand that an air compressor filter should not be hooked on to the compressor it self but rather like 10' away or so?

 

[newbury]

<snip>What I dont get is someone will say "Great product", then the next review will say, terrible, junk, some assembly required, buy only if you dont mind taking apart and re-chase the threads....., how can there be that much of a contrast on the same tool acc.......
<snip>

you need to remember that they tend to source things from different companies, even different countries. So QC can be all over the place.

 

[Diggin It]

What I dont get is someone will say "Great product", then the next review will say, terrible, junk, some assembly required, buy only if you dont mind taking apart and re-chase the threads....., how can there be that much of a contrast on the same tool acc.......

As noted, their QC isn't all that consistent. Ever notice that the exact same item may have two or three (or more) different item numbers? They're sometimes made by different vendors, or some items may have been updated by the same vendor and both are still in the stream.

But I'd say it's more likely just different opinions. Just like here where some will praise a brand or model of something and others will rail against it.

 

[California]

I think it's more than just different opinions. In my experience quality can vary greatly among HF items with the same stock #.

I've returned maybe 1 one in 50 purchases to exchange for one that works properly - and occasionally for refund if I conclude the design is hopeless.

 

[slckeys]

Has anyone got this service cart? Thinking about getting one.

Haul-Masterï½- item#61930

I just bought that a few weeks ago. Keep my fuel cans on it. 5 gallon ones on the bottom and smaller ones on top for the chainsaw. Just roll it to the thing I want to fill. Added small fuel pumps to the diesel and gas cans so no more lifting other than a hose. 1 wheel I might replace because it has a tight spot on it while rolling it. But it is sturdy.

 

[downsizingnow48]

Thanks for the info!

 

[sixdogs]

3/8 In. Desiccant Dryer with Oil Removal Filter <<<I was thinking of this one, I kinda want to avoid the (Some Assembly Required' bargains) It can be hard to pick a tool/acc at HF when only 3 stars out of 5 are showing. What I dont get is someone will say "Great product", then the next review will say, terrible, junk, some assembly required, buy only if you dont mind taking apart and re-chase the threads....., how can there be that much of a contrast on the same tool acc.......

So am I to understand that an air compressor filter should not be hooked on to the compressor it self but rather like 10' away or so?

I had an older version of this and used it for 8? years with no problems. Mine worked fine but I remember not wanting them again.

After that, I went with ones like this Milton one and coupled it with a water filter. Mine are earlier versions of the same thing.
1/2" NPT Condensate Drain Filter | Milton Industries | Miltonindustries.com
https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_41031_41031

I paint a lot so wanted to err on the side of caution and wanted it to work and work right with no drama.
Everything still works fine and it's been 12 or so years. I have the old fashioned black iron pipe design and mine are maybe 10 pipe ft away yet they are close to the compressor. I have them right before the hose outlet.

 

[newbury]

Has anyone tried their new gloves?



How do they run in size? I've found their other XL's to be a tight fit.

And what does "REISITS" mean other than poor quality control?

 

[4570Man]

Well, nothing will stand up handling firewood or block very long. What other word would you use?

 

[Ford850]

Well, nothing will stand up handling firewood or block very long. What other word would you use?

"Resists" comes to mind.

 

[California]

I've found the blonde leather/red trim gloves serve me well. When they occasionally have a sale, limit 6, I buy several pair.

I write the year purchased on the cuff and see that they typically last me better than a year before the seams start to open up, or blackberry thorns poke through. No complaints.

I tried the pigskin ones but they seemed too lightweight.