Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck

[aczlan]

Speaking of Dewalts being left outside, the guys found one at work last year that had been left out on a roof all winter with at least four feet of snow on top of it. They brought it inside, dried it off for a day or two stuck a battery in it and it works fine. I'm not sure if the battery that was in it survived, but the drill itself worked for a while.

Aaron Z

 

[PhysAssist]

Did that come with a metal or plastic stand? I have the Bondhus brand T-handles (US made with lifetime warranty) but the stand is now plastic. I want a metal one so I can attach it to my woodworking lathe so I have them close at hand. I have a couple super powerful magnets that would work perfectly for the job.

Mine came with a metal stand: 18 Pc SAE & Metric T-Handle Ball End Hex Key Set



[FONT=&quot]No coupons found on HF Database- you'll be stuck with only 20% off. [/FONT]

 

[Rock Crawler]

Mine came with a metal stand: 18 Pc SAE & Metric T-Handle Ball End Hex Key Set


View attachment 564674
[FONT=&quot]No coupons found on HF Database- you'll be stuck with only 20% off. [/FONT]

I found one... Valid until 11/17/2018.

 

[Rock Crawler]

For what it's worth, we have been almostly literally beating the crud out of my Hitachi 12 and 18V Lithium battery tools [all bought refurbished here: https://bigskytool.com/hitachi-reconditioned-tools.html] as well as several corded angle-grinders, a drywall screw-gun, and a circular saw, and they have been amazingly serviceable. I started buying them in 2012 on the advice of our garage door installers after watching them drop theirs off the stepladder they were using, more than once, onto the hard-packed gravel floor we had back then, and seeing that it not only didn't suffer any visible damage, it kept working.

When I asked their boss why he didn't cuss them out when they were being so rough on their primary tool, he laughed and said that he didn't care, because he made them pay for them, and they didn't care because they bought them refurbished from Big Sky, and they seemed to tolerate a lot of that kind of abuse, because they were pretty klutzy for guys who worked on ladders and used their hands so much.

That said, RC is also right about DeWalt, because my circa-late-1990's 18-V Ni-Cad-battery 5&3/8 circular saw and VSR drill-driver are still working strong, but the batteries aren't holding charges well any more, so until I get the scratch to buy some Li batteries and adapters to make them work on my DeWalts, they're retired.

That drill-driver [and battery] spent a rainy week out in our lawn after my nephew "borrowed it" and left it out there- when I found it there and realized it had been rained on for at least 3 or 4 days, and then sat there damp for another 3 or 4 days, I had little hope that it would work again.

I figured what the heck, and after shaking as much water out of it as possible, I used the high-volume, low heat blow-dryer we bought for our dogs [Newfies at the time] to dry it the rest of the way out, and waited a few days...

Then I plugged the other- freshly recharged battery in, and it worked like it was still new- that was in 2006, and the drill and batteries still work, but as I said, the power cycle is now so short as to hardly be useful.

I've been getting these grey batteries on Amazon with great results.

18V 3.0Ah Replace Battery for Dewalt DC9096 DC9099 High Capacity Cordless Drill (2Packs) 18V 3.Ah Replace Battery for Dewalt DC996 DC999 High Capacity Cordless Drill (2Packs) - - Amazon.com

 

[Code54]

Missed the coupon but a nice set for the money! $12.99 is a great deal.
I sort of stumbled on them yesterday when I was there and just checked the database so I only got the 20%. Good find

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

I need some new drill bits. HF has the Warrior 29 piece titanium set for $9.99. Anybody have any experience with these bits?

I'm always willing to gamble $10, but drill bits made of cheez whiz are worse than no bits at all.

 

[crazyal]

I found one... Valid until 11/17/2018.

View attachment 564675

I'm not sure if I'd get the 18 piece or the 10 piece set in both SAE and Metric. Without the coupon two 10 piece sets are cheaper but they don't come with the key sticking out of the side of the handle. I've only ever used them the long way. Even then I've snapped screws so I can't see needing more leverage.

 

[rbstern]

I need some new drill bits. HF has the Warrior 29 piece titanium set for $9.99. Anybody have any experience with these bits?

I'm always willing to gamble $10, but drill bits made of cheez whiz are worse than no bits at all.

I find they're perfectly serviceable and well worth the sale price. A set usually lasts me two to three years of typical hobby/homeowner use and abuse.

 

[lostcreekranch]

I find they're perfectly serviceable and well worth the sale price. A set usually lasts me two to three years of typical hobby/homeowner use and abuse.

I’ve always bought better quality drill bits that I can touch up with my Drill Doctor.

I bought one of the original Drill Doctors,when they first came out, and upgraded about a year ago.

Drill Doctor 75X Drill Bit Sharpener for High-Speed Steel, Masonry, Carbide, Cobalt, TiN-coated Drill Bits, with Adjustable Angles from 115deg to 14deg, Sharpens 3/32in - 3/4in Drill Bits - Drill Mills - Amazon.com

 

[rbstern]

I’ve always bought better quality drill bits that I can touch up with my Drill Doctor.

I bought one of the original Drill Doctors,when they first came out, and upgraded about a year ago.

Drill Doctor 75X Drill Bit Sharpener for High-Speed Steel, Masonry, Carbide, Cobalt, TiN-coated Drill Bits, with Adjustable Angles from 115deg to 14deg, Sharpens 3/32in - 3/4in Drill Bits - Drill Mills - Amazon.com

Can understand you wanting higher quality and more control. I doubt I'd go through enough HF drill bits in a lifetime to recoup the purchase cost of the tool, the higher quality bits, and the time spent maintaining them. If I was drilling more metal, I might go that route, but most of my drilling is wood, with the rare piece of mild steel or aluminum here or there.