Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck

[John_Mc]

Condensation is typical of the Midwest with a metal barn and concrete floor after a wide temperature warmup in early spring. Could only fix that with lots of $$, full insulation, insulated rollup doors and a heating system. Plus, money for the divorce and settlement. For the few times it happens, I cover with tarps but will now also try the moving blanket underneath. Sounds like a good idea and that is my plan after I find my free blanket coupon.

Or you could just ventilate the building.

 

[sixdogs]

Or you could just ventilate the building.

Makes little difference. The cold concrete slab and metal building couple with a rapid temperature change (up) is the problem. It happens quick. Opening doors does help but it takes all day for an incremental gain. Worse, if the wind is coming the wrong way, which it usually is, and is 25MPH, which it often is, I can barely open the doors or everything gets blown over. Condensation is a common Midwest issue. Barn is 42' x 60' and 14' door height so it's s big building.

I could heat the building, but that's a big event, or try some sort of forced air exchange to warm the slab. My thinking now is a couple of those huge floor fans coupled with a huge indoor salamander type heater. Heat the floor overnight (when temp change is expected) with the doors shut and then run the fans in the day with the doors open or partway open. That's my thinking right now. Everyone here has the same problem and the only way that really works is to heat the building.

 

[SPYDERLK]

Makes little difference. The cold concrete slab and metal building couple with a rapid temperature change (up) is the problem. It happens quick. Opening doors does help but it takes all day for an incremental gain. Worse, if the wind is coming the wrong way, which it usually is, and is 25MPH, which it often is, I can barely open the doors or everything gets blown over. Condensation is a common Midwest issue. Barn is 42' x 60' and 14' door height so it's s big building.

I could heat the building, but that's a big event, or try some sort of forced air exchange to warm the slab. My thinking now is a couple of those huge floor fans coupled with a huge indoor salamander type heater. Heat the floor overnight (when temp change is expected) with the doors shut and then run the fans in the day with the doors open or partway open. That's my thinking right now. Everyone here has the same problem and the only way that really works is to heat the building.

If you have metal items that suffer critically from being wetted you can sometimes heat just them using flexible heat sheets. They can conform intimately to flat surfaces and those with a single dimension of curvature. Very little wattage is required to keep an item above the dewpoint. I warm the bed of my lathe in winter with about 100W, and enuf heat spreads from the applied point to keep all sensitive elements dry. I warm the oil reservoir of the shop press as well -- ~30W. The heaters will cost in the $30-40 range from McMaster Carr but dont wear out. I use the non adhesive ones and a non petroleum heat sink paste as coupling agent. Sometimes even dishwashing soap.

 

[sixdogs]

If you have metal items that suffer critically from being wetted you can sometimes heat just them using flexible heat sheets. They can conform intimately to flat surfaces and those with a single dimension of curvature. Very little wattage is required to keep an item above the dewpoint. I warm the bed of my lathe in winter with about 100W, and enuf heat spreads from the applied point to keep all sensitive elements dry. I warm the oil reservoir of the shop press as well -- ~30W. The heaters will cost in the $30-40 range from McMaster Carr but dont wear out. I use the non adhesive ones and a non petroleum heat sink paste as coupling agent. Sometimes even dishwashing soap.

Thank you. It's worth a look.

 

[tungularafishcamp]

The thin blue tarps are definitely for stationary use, any wind whipping covering a pickup load at highway speeds and they self destruct. I try to keep a few around for the "emergency cover" use, like covering an unexpected bargain pile of lumber.

I cover the tarps with old fishnet and then tie the net down, here even stationary the wind rips the tarps up in no time.

 

[Rock Crawler]

Because of you guys, I ran to HF and bought that Lynxx 40V cordless pole saw and the 2 year product replacement plan.

I was not expecting much, but man was I shocked! I ran it on and off for 3 hours cutting a huge amount of over hang branches, then dragged them to the burn area and used it to cut the branches into smaller sections. After 3 hours of on and off use doing a lot of cutting of branches, I had 50% or 2 of the 4 battery LED indicators still showing! Most of what I cut was under 2" thick, but a few were 3" and 4" branches. It never slowed down or complained in the least.

The blade/bar oiler worked great, actually over oiling to the point that the sides of the bar had oil dripping off. I was using the Tractor Supply (non cold weather) bar oil, the thick and gooey stuff.

Overall, for $150 if the thing keeps working that good for a couple years with just normal chain maintenance, it's a fantastic buy! I assume that once I get my trimming to where I want it, the use of this tool will drop to very minimum.

I also got the 1200 FT/LB Earthquake XT impact on sale for $129 and a 1/2" Diablo air line to replace my 1/4" goodyear line. I never realized my line was 1/4" coming off of the 3/8" black pipe I ran. Lets hope that the impact lasts a while. I have not yet used it, but next week I need to do shocks on my fathers 99 F-350, so I'll oil it up and test it then.

 

[Threepoint]

Because of you guys, I ran to HF and bought that Lynxx 40V cordless pole saw and the 2 year product replacement plan.

I was not expecting much, but man was I shocked! I ran it on and off for 3 hours cutting a huge amount of over hang branches, then dragged them to the burn area and used it to cut the branches into smaller sections. After 3 hours of on and off use doing a lot of cutting of branches, I had 50% or 2 of the 4 battery LED indicators still showing! Most of what I cut was under 2" thick, but a few were 3" and 4" branches. It never slowed down or complained in the least.

The blade/bar oiler worked great, actually over oiling to the point that the sides of the bar had oil dripping off. I was using the Tractor Supply (non cold weather) bar oil, the thick and gooey stuff.

Overall, for $150 if the thing keeps working that good for a couple years with just normal chain maintenance, it's a fantastic buy! I assume that once I get my trimming to where I want it, the use of this tool will drop to very minimum.

I also got the 1200 FT/LB Earthquake XT impact on sale for $129 and a 1/2" Diablo air line to replace my 1/4" goodyear line. I never realized my line was 1/4" coming off of the 3/8" black pipe I ran. Lets hope that the impact lasts a while. I have not yet used it, but next week I need to do shocks on my fathers 99 F-350, so I'll oil it up and test it then.

Yup, the Lynxx pole saw is a real winner. One of HF's latest gems. I posted a review on the HF website a few weeks ago. The one minor, but important weakness is with the circlip that retains the chain sprocket. Easy to upgrade it. I'm pasting my full review below, so TBNrs don't have to wade through the reviews on the website to find it. BTW, I also have the Lynxx cordless hedge trimmer, and it is excellent as well.

Quoted from HF review page:

"I give this tool high marks for medium-duty trimming. It will easily handle a 6" branch, and probably even more when used carefully. I borrowed a buddy's to try out,and was impressed enough to go right out and bought my own. It works as well as or better than my corded 10" Remington pole saw, which has been a real workhorse for me for several years. Both sport an Oregon bar and chain, but the Lynxx chain oiler is automatic. I also prefer the cam-design of the locking mechanism for the extendable shaft on the Lynxx, versus a friction-twist design on my older pole saw. I think the newer Remingtons now use the cam-lock design. The biggest advantage, of course, is for remote trimming more than 75 - 100' from a power receptacle. I no longer need to load a small generator and extension cord into the UTV! One potential weakness I've found is the circlip ("snap ring" or "C-clip") that secures the chain's drive sprocket to the drive shaft. The circlip on my buddy's popped off in use and was lost. A 10 mm circlip is required. HF doesn't sell parts for the unit, and the assorted circlips in the bulk-pack they sell in their local stores are S.A.E., so none would fit. He simply ordered a pack of 15 from Fastenal for a couple of bucks, then gave me a few as spares. The Fastenal clips appear to use better steel, hence more "spring", so I replaced the OEM circlip on my unit for a snugger assembly. Another reviewer complained that the shoulder strap is not useful because it's point of attachment to the pole is not adjustable. Wrong. Just use the metric allen wrench that stores on-board the saw to loosen the locking bolt, then slide the balance point (fulcrum) to wherever you want. Also, the neoprene sleeve on the pole that serves as a forward hand grip is easy to adjust. Just twist as you slide it forward or back. The length of strap itself is also adjustable to preference. After an hour or so of trimming, I really appreciated the strap and fulcrum setup."

 

[Michael Aos]

Used the Pittsburgh 225 Pc Mechanic's Tool Set to assemble the U.S. General 30 in. 5 Drawer Glossy Red Tool Cart.

 

[Travelover]

Used the Pittsburgh 225 Pc Mechanic's Tool Set to assemble the U.S. General 30 in. 5 Drawer Glossy Red Tool Cart.

View attachment 531625

I love this cart. Coupons for $159 are available occasionally.

 

[Dutch445]

i have the same cart, but it's a few years old without the side table, nice cart, and drawers are holding up well

i just picked up that 225 piece tool set , and also the 130 piece set (for my son) and it was quite obvious there
is a difference in the quality of the tools... the 130 piece has the cheap non polished wrenches, and the
old school cheap ratchet.. but the 225 set was much nicer, polished open/box wrenches, and nice action on
the ratchets, the hand tools seemed nicer also, (pliers etc).
but , for $29, the 130 is fine for him as he had no tools to speak of, and i'm going to keep the 225 in the
truck, nice to have some wrenches and sockets....
the sockets were quite a bit different also, seemed a much higher quality, and the labeling was much easier
to read for my old eyes!