Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck

[5030]

Have the older version as well and it works just fine. MSC sells Lennox pre welded loops for metal cutting.

Mine is out in the shop but I think it's a Chicago Electric.

 

[MossRoad]

I have this little cement mixer. I bought it 20 years ago. Haven't used it for 18 years. Pulled it out today and ran 36 - 60# bags of cement through it 2 at a time for footings. Worked OK. I think it was $129 back when I bought it.

3-1/2 Cubic Ft. Cement Mixer

 

[5030]

Basically last forever Mossy, unless you forget to clean out the drum...... Solidified concrete don't come out very well, if at all.... If you shoot a lot and reload a lot, they also make a dandy brass tumbler.

 

[Alan W.]

the deep cut bandsaw is 89 bucks now... that's very tempting. you guys approve of that tool? ill get a good blade.

First one I had smoked in the first five minutes. Second one has been running fine for a couple of years and it still has the original “wood” blade that cuts steel well.
Im sure a high quality metal blade may do better but this one is still workin.

 

[Alan W.]

Noticed a lot of bare shelves at HF today. Buddy of mine said the one he frequents has not been restocked on a lot of items.

 

[stuckmotor]

I have a few of the Harbor Freight 4 1/2" grinders, I keep differnt discs and wire brushes on them so it is just pick it up and go.
When I have to do some really serious grind i also have a 9" Milwaukee that resides under my work bench a heavy old beast of a grinder
that will give you a workout just manhandling it around. I would guess that it may get a couple of hours use a year compared to most likely over 100 hours on the small ones.
The small HF ones have held up almost as good as the name brand small ones over the years.

I like the feel and balance of the $9.++ grinders better than any they sell. While working on a big project, I tried to figure how many I'd need so that the first that got hot would be cool by the time the last one was hot.

 

[lostcreekranch]

I have this little cement mixer. I bought it 20 years ago. Haven't used it for 18 years. Pulled it out today and ran 36 - 60# bags of cement through it 2 at a time for footings. Worked OK. I think it was $129 back when I bought it.

3-1/2 Cubic Ft. Cement Mixer

I modified mine. I had an old pull type fertilizer spreader that I was scrapping. Made a 5/8 axel and used the bigger wheels / tires. It's really easy to move around now.

 

[Travelover]

I modified mine. I had an old pull type fertilizer spreader that I was scrapping. Made a 5/8 axel and used the bigger wheels / tires. It's really easy to move around now.

Off road model.

 

[lostcreekranch]

Off road model.

Yeah .. but still just 2WD.

 

[ronjhall]

Have the older version as well and it works just fine. MSC sells Lennox pre welded loops for metal cutting.

Mine is out in the shop but I think it's a Chicago Electric.

I have the Bauer saw. Still using original blade. When purchasing new blades. Make sure you get the .025 blades. There have been reports of problems with .020 blades. This is what I bought in 18 and 14 TPI.

 

[5030]

I have the Bauer saw. Still using original blade. When purchasing new blades. Make sure you get the .025 blades. There have been reports of problems with .020 blades. This is what I bought in 18 and 14 TPI.

While not related Ron, how is it going in Oakland County? My BIL lives in Plymouth Township and things are shall we say, tense there.

 

[Gary Fowler]

The cheap $10 grinders have hardly any power. Theyæ±*e easy to burn up if youæ±*e doing much besides just letting them spin. My cordless Dewalt has more power.

I never had that problem with them when using grinder disk. Brushes will stall them for sure, which is what my BIL was using it for and overheating it. I used it mostly with 1/16" cut off wheels and had no issues till it just stopped working.
My new Dewalt 11 amp grinder really spins up, it seems much faster than my HF grinders even the "heavy duty" paddle switch ones. Definitely lots of power, but at 3 times the cost of the HF ones.

 

[Gary Fowler]

This one? Here's the coupon from hfqpdb.

I have the previous version, not as deep cut but it works fine for my occasional use. HF's original blade is apparently for wood. I went to an industrial supply place and got a pro metal cutting-blade for it. Recommended, if the new version is as good.

I wonder how heavy that Bauer is. My neighbor gave me an old Milwaukee deep cut band saw USA made (had to get new tires for it) but I bet that thing weighs 30 pounds or more. I sure dont remember them being that heavy when I used them 40 years ago.

 

[ronjhall]

I wonder how heavy that Bauer is. My neighbor gave me an old Milwaukee deep cut band saw USA made (had to get new tires for it) but I bet that thing weighs 30 pounds or more. I sure dont remember them being that heavy when I used them 40 years ago.

22.5 lbs.

 

[Diggin It]

My older Chicago Electric 4" grinder (red with yellow paddle switch on the side) gave up on me this morning. Worked for a while, set it down. When I picked it up a few minutes later, nada. Acts like the switch, but I suppose it could be the brushes. Pretty sure I have a set of those ... IF I can find them.

Which should I try first?

I would check the switch first - I had the same problem with one of their circular saws, altho it wasn't that old - it worked fine a couple times, then dead. When I opened it up, found 2 of the 4 wires going to the switch connections (socket with set screw) had never been tightened. Couldn't believe it had EVER worked - Tightened ALL of 'em up, been fine ever since... Steve

Turn it on and try playing with the cord near the end of the grinder by the strain relief. I've had multiple HF grinders fail because of a broken wire in the cord. Usually will start up when flexing the cord a bit. I take the grinder apart, trim the wire back 6 inches and reattach.

It's even weirder. Finally got the ambition to open it up. There's this clear plastic thingamabob that goes from the paddle to the switch (green arrows). It had simply slipped off the switch. Hard to see in the pictures, but the switch is at the wires and there's a small black button that is operated by the clear pawl. Also looks like there should be a spring between the two pins (red arrows), but I don't see any sign of it.

Hooked the clear thing back over the switch and it works again. If it comes loose again, I'll glue that suckah!!!

 

[hunt4570]

Hey, I have a Bauer tape measure in the tool box on my tractor! (I just wanted to fit in )

 

[5030]

I keep forgetting to mention my HF compressed air dryer that I purchased about 6 years ago. They are around 1/3 the cost of a comparable IR dryer (same CFM, same pressure, same moisture extraction rate). I see they are still about 300 bucks but I belive they can only be purchased online as I've never seen one in the local HF emporium that I can recollect.

Not as aesthetically pleasing as the IR unit, but it's a tool, not a female....lol

Only thing I've had to do to mine was replace the start capacitor on the compressor, mine took a dump about a year into operation. Digikey had the right one, no big deal. It's R134 so recharging isn't an issue (if it ever needs recharged). Extracts 99% of the condensation and has an automatic drain valve too.

For 300 bucks, versus around 900 for the IR, it's a bargain.

 

[lostcreekranch]

I keep forgetting to mention my HF compressed air dryer that I purchased about 6 years ago. They are around 1/3 the cost of a comparable IR dryer (same CFM, same pressure, same moisture extraction rate). I see they are still about 300 bucks but I belive they can only be purchased online as I've never seen one in the local HF emporium that I can recollect.

Not as aesthetically pleasing as the IR unit, but it's a tool, not a female....lol

Only thing I've had to do to mine was replace the start capacitor on the compressor, mine took a dump about a year into operation. Digikey had the right one, no big deal. It's R134 so recharging isn't an issue (if it ever needs recharged). Extracts 99% of the condensation and has an automatic drain valve too.

For 300 bucks, versus around 900 for the IR, it's a bargain.

Have a link to that? I'm looking for an air dryer, for sand blasting, in our humidity.

 

[ronjhall]

Have a link to that? I'm looking for an air dryer, for sand blasting, in our humidity.

How about this one.

 

[rbstern]

Need a recommendation: I need to do some straight and angled cuts in 2" square tubing, A500, 1/8" thickness. Are teh 14" chop saws at HF up to the task, or should I be investing in a better tool?