Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck

[crazyal]

I finally got to the NH HF last week. I picked up some of the tall stands for under a 2 post lift. I used a copy of the 20% for each one, the girl didn't blink one bit. I also got the free screw drivers while there and the auto darkening welding helmet (and a few other steel things). The first thing I did was paint the stands blue. That faded washed orange color just looks so bad. Haven't tried the hemet yet but the jack stands (pretty simple) work just fine.

 

[1-3-2-4]

I saw the sale on the jack stands and noted the price then saw a pile of them in a corner (the same stands) in scruffy looking boxes that looked to have been wet. They were marked $15 so I got a set.

Pat

Ah I see.. speaking about wet boxes.. working for UPS I can tell you Chinese cardboard when wet falls apart on the slightest touch..

Oh the upside I went into HF one day to pick up a transmission jack the 450Lb version and they gave me I think it was 70% off because it had a gaping hole in the box but lucky none of the pieces were missing.

I will get to use it in Aug.

 

[deereman75]

since I live in canada we dont have hf but we do have PRINCESS AUTO and there power fist stuff seems to have a level of cheese:laughing: not too differnt from the hf stuff. My uncle always buys a bunch of stuff there and it normaly works great, but I wouldnt trust there jack stands. (a few pieces of 4x6 would be much safer) The 24 inch long slot head screw driver there makes a good pry bar.:thumbsup:

 

[sixdogs]

Not really a "tool" but their $1 scissors are a great buy. They cut very well and I abuse them terribly.
Happened to get a pair today for free with a coupon and any purchase. I bought their $3 box--sale-- of assorted cotter pins that is also a good deal.
Hard to screw up a cotter pin.

 

[CompactTractorFan]

Not really a "tool" but their $1 scissors are a great buy. They cut very well and I abuse them terribly.
Happened to get a pair today for free with a coupon and any purchase. I bought their $3 box--sale-- of assorted cotter pins that is also a good deal.
Hard to screw up a cotter pin.

I have the cotter pins, and we have tons of the scissors...

Even though they are cheap, the price has gone up in the recent years (can you believe the regular price is like $5 :confused2...Also, the quality used to better...

 

[Natureboy]

The hand held portable bandsaw is great for occasional use. Just get the blades elsewhere. Still trying to figure out what the orange "mystery" plastic is though. :laughing: Paid under $60.00 including tax with a coupon a couple of years ago, still going strong.

 

[patrick_g]

since I live in canada we dont have hf but we do have PRINCESS AUTO and there power fist stuff seems to have a level of cheese:laughing: not too differnt from the hf stuff. My uncle always buys a bunch of stuff there and it normaly works great, but I wouldnt trust there jack stands. (a few pieces of 4x6 would be much safer) The 24 inch long slot head screw driver there makes a good pry bar.:thumbsup:

I have shopped both Princess and HF. Count your blessings that you have Princess.

Pat

 

[varmint]

Interesting that this thread is still alive and growing! Cheap tools must be close to the hearts of many of us. I will add that among my H.F. tools is an air nibbler I bought about 10 years ago, when faced with literally hundreds of feet of steel siding to cut... tin snips weren't an option, since this was Morton 16(?) gauge corrugated siding, and steel saw blades were just too nasty to think about. It not only handled the job nicely, it's still going strong. I just picked up another cutter for $3 on clearance, so I am good. They're a good place for chains and some other things, but their electric drills should be considered only for non critical jobs.

 

[Dargo]

The hand held portable bandsaw is great for occasional use. Just get the blades elsewhere. Still trying to figure out what the orange "mystery" plastic is though. :laughing: Paid under $60.00 including tax with a coupon a couple of years ago, still going strong.

Offer still good; free, you just pay shipping, for my 3rd ORANGE portable bandsaw from Horrible Freight. It's still in it's original box and, just like the two before, it never made it through it's first cut. I figured someone would want it for parts. Another couple of weeks or so and I'm just going to put it in the cicular file. To me, it's not worth the gas money or time to get a 4th that undoubtedly would loose it's factory installed smoke on it's first use.

I bought a nice Milwaukee last year and have made several dozen, if not a hundred, cuts with it and am only on my 2nd blade. Better yet, no smoke and it's still running fine.

 

[chopped]

Here is the nibbler.
16 Gauge Air Nibbler
I wondered how it would hold up before I buy it. Its now on my list ...

 

[JB4310]

How about their OBD2 code readers? they have one for 59. and some more expensive ones up to 139.

I've never owned one so I figured it's about time, with my aging fleet.

Or would I be better off with a better one from Napa.

JB.

 

[rswyan]

After being long overdue for it, the wife's 2000 VW Passat (217K+ miles) is receiving some much-needed TLC - I'm doing the front brakes (pads, rotors, calipers, and hoses), replacing the two right lower control arms/ball-joints, the driver's side CV axle (torn boot), the secondary air injection pump, and the kombi valve.

The axle bolt takes a 14mm hex, so I picked a 9 piece set of metric hex sockets (3/8" and 1/2" drive) newly available under the "Pittsburgh Pro" label , on sale for $12.99:

Metric Hex Bits

.... although they are not impact rated, the 14 mm one held up fine when I ran it on my 1/2" impact to get the axle off.

To remove the control arm balljoints I picked up this separator for $19.99:

This vehicle has one of the best factory metal prep and undercoating that I have ever seen ... from the factory it was undercoated with a combination of typical black undercoat and a heavy yellowish waxy substance (you could see it in the door jambs and under the hood when we picked it up from the dealer new)

About 6 or 7 years ago we loaned the vehicle to a friend and when we got it back the passenger side door had been damaged and there was a small dent (2" x 3" x 1/8" deep) where the paint was scraped off, apparently down to grey metal. It has finally, just this year, started to show some evidence of light surface rust on the exposed metal.

One area which was not undercoated was the front lower frame, which is shaped like a "C" and runs from the passenger compartment portion of the body on side up around motor to the front of the vehicle and then back to the passenger compartment on the other side. It was painted (very well) but the paint had started to come off a few years back and now has some fairly heavy rust and scale on it.

So I picked up the compact needle scaler from Harbor Freight:

and went to town knocking off the rust and scale. It has worked very well and at this point I have all the heavy stuff knocked off, and I'll coat the piece with Loctite Extend Spray Rust Neutralizer and then topcoat it with 3M rubberized undercoat .... which will hopefully preserve it for the remaining life of the vehicle.

 

[crazyal]

Interesting that this thread is still alive and growing! Cheap tools must be close to the hearts of many of us. I will add that among my H.F. tools is an air nibbler I bought about 10 years ago, when faced with literally hundreds of feet of steel siding to cut... tin snips weren't an option, since this was Morton 16(?) gauge corrugated siding, and steel saw blades were just too nasty to think about. It not only handled the job nicely, it's still going strong. I just picked up another cutter for $3 on clearance, so I am good. They're a good place for chains and some other things, but their electric drills should be considered only for non critical jobs.

I have the same nibbler. Mine must be 20 years old or more. I bought it to do sun roofs in cars but you need to have a vacuum right next to it to collect all the little half moon shaped metal pieces. Otherwise they get everywhere and really hurt if stepped on with bare feet.

 

[crazyal]

Offer still good; free, you just pay shipping, for my 3rd ORANGE portable bandsaw from Horrible Freight. It's still in it's original box and, just like the two before, it never made it through it's first cut. I figured someone would want it for parts. Another couple of weeks or so and I'm just going to put it in the cicular file. To me, it's not worth the gas money or time to get a 4th that undoubtedly would loose it's factory installed smoke on it's first use.

I bought a nice Milwaukee last year and have made several dozen, if not a hundred, cuts with it and am only on my 2nd blade. Better yet, no smoke and it's still running fine.

You'll love that Milwaukee. Of course Milwaukee is now Chinese made, at least the parent company, TTI, doesn't seam to be the company making tools for HF.

 

[chopped]

I have their cheapest one. It works fine.. You can clear the codes with it. and will point you in the correct direction with a code number and a ''hint'' of where to start looking.
I consider it worth the money for me..

 

[jinman]

HAPPY 4TH of JULY!

Fireworks and tools from China. . . Harbor Freight will sell you any one item, specially made in China, to celebrate the 4th for 25% off. Valid today only.

Coupon link

 

[CompactTractorFan]

HAPPY 4TH of JULY!

Fireworks and tools from China. . . Harbor Freight will sell you any one item, specially made in China, to celebrate the 4th for 25% off. Valid today only.

Coupon link

:laughing::laughing::laughing: :thumbsup:

 

[varmint]

Re' the OBD code readers... I got an Equus 3030 Innova Diagnostic Code Reader for OBDII vehicles from Amazon a while ago, and I am really pleased with it. $47 delivered, and the available information, updates and instructions are great. It works easily to trouble shoot and reset, so what's to wish for considering the cost?

 

[crazyal]

Re' the OBD code readers... I got an Equus 3030 Innova Diagnostic Code Reader for OBDII vehicles from Amazon a while ago, and I am really pleased with it. $47 delivered, and the available information, updates and instructions are great. It works easily to trouble shoot and reset, so what's to wish for considering the cost?

I've got to agree. Either the Equus or the Actron code readers are not that expensive and I think the support behind them would be much better. If the HF ones were in the $10 to $20 range then I would risk the money.

 

[JB4310]

I've got to agree. Either the Equus or the Actron code readers are not that expensive and I think the support behind them would be much better. If the HF ones were in the $10 to $20 range then I would risk the money.

I ended up buying a better one at Pep Boys for 130. it's an innova 3100.

Then I saw on walmarts web site the same one for 82. so i went to pep boys and they matched the price plus 5% less. even though it was an online price it said in store for pick up, so they matched it.

So for $78. I think this is a great deal, of course now I got to figure it out.

OBD2 Diagnostic Tool - Walmart.com

It has a emissions system check which could come in handy.

JB.