Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck

[Ford850]

I picked up a couple of these 250 lb pull retrieving magnets when they were on sale. One would probably do, but I use 2 in the bottom of a 5 gallon bucket. I drag or tap it over burn piles, project areas, etc, to collect all nails, screws, and scrap steel. Then just lift the magnets out of the bucket and the steel drops off the bottom.
Retrieving Magnet, 25 Lb. Pull

 

[5030]

I just keep beating the **** out of my HF impact socket sets and they just keep on taking it btw. They are indestructable. Broke loose the nuts that hold the U bolts that secure the front leaf springs on a buddy's International 15 ton dump truck. Used an HF impact socket with a 1/2 to 3/4 adapter and a 3/4" drive breaker bar with a 5 foot long length of pipe on the end and they withstood the enormous applied torque, no issue. Previously broke an SK Wayne socket, it exploded. Not the socket in the $19.95 HF set.

Amazingly strong sockets. Lifetime guarantee too, not that I ever expect to break one.

 

[lostcreekranch]

I picked up a couple of these 250 lb pull retrieving magnets when they were on sale. One would probably do, but I use 2 in the bottom of a 5 gallon bucket. I drag or tap it over burn piles, project areas, etc, to collect all nails, screws, and scrap steel. Then just lift the magnets out of the bucket and the steel drops off the bottom.
Retrieving Magnet, 25 Lb. Pull

What a great idea! Thanks for sharing.

 

[hunt4570]

I picked up a couple of these 250 lb pull retrieving magnets when they were on sale. One would probably do, but I use 2 in the bottom of a 5 gallon bucket. I drag or tap it over burn piles, project areas, etc, to collect all nails, screws, and scrap steel. Then just lift the magnets out of the bucket and the steel drops off the bottom.
Retrieving Magnet, 25 Lb. Pull

I like it, great idea!!

 

[Threepoint]

I just keep beating the **** out of my HF impact socket sets and they just keep on taking it btw. They are indestructable. Broke loose the nuts that hold the U bolts that secure the front leaf springs on a buddy's International 15 ton dump truck. Used an HF impact socket with a 1/2 to 3/4 adapter and a 3/4" drive breaker bar with a 5 foot long length of pipe on the end and they withstood the enormous applied torque, no issue. Previously broke an SK Wayne socket, it exploded. Not the socket in the $19.95 HF set.

Amazingly strong sockets. Lifetime guarantee too, not that I ever expect to break one.

I, too, have never broken a HF socket (impact or regular). Nor any of their other wrenches, for that matter: ratcheting, open-end, box-end, crescent, pipe, allen, torx, et. al. Even when using a cheater bar! But I wouldn't describe myself as particularly hard on hand tools. But last week I was talking with another customer in a local hydraulic shop while having some hoses made up. He is a professional mechanic who maintains a small fleet of equipment for his company. He was telling me how he's broken some very spendy Snap-On tools, but curiously the HF tools seem to hold up just as well and are way cheaper. Says they're so inexpensive that he's made up a set of open-end wrenches just for use in extreme situation with a long cheater bar: He cuts them in half, so the pipe can slip on the shank easily! :laughing: His Snap-On vendor just rolls his eyes.

BTW, I've never asked how HF goes about replacing a single socket under warranty, since all are sold in sets.

 

[5030]

I, too, have never broken a HF socket (impact or regular). Nor any of their other wrenches, for that matter: ratcheting, open-end, box-end, crescent, pipe, allen, torx, et. al. Even when using a cheater bar! But I wouldn't describe myself as particularly hard on hand tools. But last week I was talking with another customer in a local hydraulic shop while having some hoses made up. He is a professional mechanic who maintains a small fleet of equipment for his company. He was telling me how he's broken some very spendy Snap-On tools, but curiously the HF tools seem to hold up just as well and are way cheaper. Say's they're so inexpensive that he's made up a set of open-end wrenches just for use in extreme situation with a long cheater bar: He cuts them in half, so the pipe can slip on the shank easily! :laughing: His Snap-On vendor just rolls his eyes.

BTW, I've never asked how HF goes about replacing a single socket under warranty, since all are sold in sets.

Far as I can tell, you break one, you return the entire set and they replace the whole set. Reason I say that is because at my local HF store, on the back wall, they have the 'markdown' stuff and there are always incomplete tool sets there. Usually missing one item. Never seen any of the impact sockets back there however. Seen chrome plated socket sets and some wrench sets however. I do know that HF sells individual impact sockets so maybe the single piece replacement applies to them. Like I said, never broke one and I've really tried, many times being really stupid. So far, zip.

 

[California]

I've never asked how HF goes about replacing a single socket under warranty, since all are sold in sets.

I've twice gotten a whole new set in exchange, after stripping the gear inside the ratchet of the cheapest socket set. I see now there is a better cheapest set - $15 - that has two ratchets. The previous $7.99 set had a 1/2 drive ratchet that was small like a 3/8 ratchet, and was too easy to destroy with moderate force. I substituted an ancient S&K ratchet in that carry case, no more problem. I have enough old Taiwan random sockets to replace this kit's sockets as they burst or strip out - which they do. This little kit is too convenient to carry around, it's preferable to using my old Craftsman sockets for light work.

In contrast to the cheap kit, HF's black $19.99 deep impact sockets are excellent, indestructible.

 

[5030]

I've twice gotten a whole new set in exchange, after stripping the gear inside the ratchet of the cheapest socket set. I see now there is a better cheapest set - $15 - that has two ratchets. The previous $7.99 set had a 1/2 drive ratchet that was small like a 3/8 ratchet, and was too easy to destroy with moderate force. I substituted an ancient S&K ratchet in that carry case, no more problem. I have enough old Taiwan random sockets to replace this kit's sockets as they burst or strip out - which they do. This little kit is too convenient to carry around, it's preferable to using my old Craftsman sockets for light work.

In contrast to the cheap kit, HF's black $19.99 deep impact sockets are excellent, indestructible.

16.50 Inside Track Club.....

 

[5030]

Bought one of the Icon 1/2" drive torque wrenches about a month ago. Have not used it yet but I have a Snap-On 1/2" drive wrench as well and side by side you'd be hard pressed to tell them apart other than the Snap-On has laser etched markings for torque values and the Snap-On logo is laser etched into the handle whereas the Icon has stamped graduations but the logo is etched into the handle. The torque settings line up perfectly with the rotating handle (just like the Snao-On) and it reads in right hand and left hand, again, just like the Snap-On. Where it's different is the price. I paid almost 600 bucks off the tool truck for the Snap-On. The Icon was 100 and change.

Think I'll be selling the Snap-On on Craigs List soon.

 

[dragoneggs]

Agreed, those 'cheap' black impact sockets are awesome.

 

[Oaktree]

Far as I can tell, you break one, you return the entire set and they replace the whole set. Reason I say that is because at my local HF store, on the back wall, they have the 'markdown' stuff and there are always incomplete tool sets there.

Yeah, I've seen those missing-one-item sets and figured that's what the deal was.
Do they expect you to hang on to the plastic carrier in order to return the set, or can you just bring back the one broken item? I generally put the sockets/wrenches loose in my toolbox and toss those flimsy carriers.

 

[hunt4570]

Yeah, I've seen those missing-one-item sets and figured that's what the deal was.
Do they expect you to hang on to the plastic carrier in order to return the set, or can you just bring back the one broken item? I generally put the sockets/wrenches loose in my toolbox and toss those flimsy carriers.

I always thought someone needed that "missing" socket, and then it went missing... and what was left ended up on the back wall sales area.

 

[5030]

Yeah, I've seen those missing-one-item sets and figured that's what the deal was.
Do they expect you to hang on to the plastic carrier in order to return the set, or can you just bring back the one broken item? I generally put the sockets/wrenches loose in my toolbox and toss those flimsy carriers.

I do too actually so I cannot answer that question.

 

[newbury]

I'm not minding my HF portable welding table. I like easy fold up with two levers and it is sturdy enough for light duty and easy to toss in the truck for remote use.

Adjustable Steel Welding Table

I like those. They are TV trays in my "man cavern", and I've a 4 set of

for chairs.

<snip> As usual I'm using text-to-speech so spelling errors do not count!

Text-to-speech??
It reads to you?

 

[Rock Crawler]

Dang it, speech to text.

 

[caver]

I liked that stool too until it failed. :grumpy: I took the stem apart and put a pipe sleeve around it to keep using it albeit at a fixed height.

 

[Alan W.]

Proof that anything can break. Been meaning to take this back for awhile. Its a Pittsburg 21 mm. I had it on an ancient Craftsman electric impact gun when it let go.
Ifn all goes good I will see how they swap it out this Fri.

 

[dragoneggs]

I like those. They are TV trays in my "man cavern", and I've a 4 set of

for chairs.


Text-to-speech??
It reads to you?

I love it... perfect man cave TV trays and stools! My wife would kill me... even though it’s ‘my’ cave.

 

[desertdog71]

Some HF stuff is perfectly adequate for 95% of people that don't make a living with their tools. You do want to probably buy their middle or higher tier of products though. I like their impact sockets, US General tools box I have does the job for me, the torgue wrenches work fine, the Daytona floor jack does a fine job too, the magnetic parts bowl is handy. I think a lot of their hand tools are fine. I do have slightly better stuff for socket sets, and cordless tools though. I have one of their scan tools, does a great job, I forget what model it is, but has been handy in helping diagnose some problems with a couple of our vehicles. I'm a barely capable shade tree mechanic though, which makes me more capable than most people but not anywhere near being good at it. I only know how to do stuff because I'm cheap and not afraid to tear into things and at least attempt to do my own repairs. Every now and then I have to be bailed out. :laughing:

 

[Alan W.]

Stopped by HF tonight with my busted socket in hand, the cashier saw it and told me to get the set it came from. When I brought it to him he ripped the one I needed out and sent me on my way.

Now we know where the missing one item sets come from.