Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck

[Wakey]

even the batteries for Rigid power tools can be submitted under warranty for replacement when they start getting weak.

Wakey, that sounds too good to be true. They are providing perpetual batteries for one low price?

thankfully my Makita batteries last a long time and the clones out there aren't bad. I just never charge a clone battery without
keeping an eye on it.

they would really have to build in some extra product cost to pay for that battery replacement. Doesn't seem feasible.

I'll agree.. the employee that told me is in his mid to late fifties and was a retired business owner, I think a machine shop. Next time I'm in that store and it's not very often, I'll ask him because he did tell me that the batteries are covered just like everything else in the rigid line. Going back to the mid-90s, this was the way everything was handled in Home Depot. I've pulled a right angle drill by Milwaukee off of a trash pile on a construction site and brought it back and they said make sure you get a box too!

 

[Midniteoyl]

I think Rigid has a lifetime warranty. I was picking up some DeWalt impact drivers the other day and the associate was telling me about rigid and he used the vacuum as an example. He said he bought one like 15 years ago and has exchanged it since he said even the batteries for Rigid power tools can be submitted under warranty for replacement when they start getting weak.

Just make sure you read up on the problems with Rigid's LSA.

 

[California]

Just make sure you read up on the problems with Rigid's LSA.

???

 

[Diggin It]

New plan.

Found a Porter Cable 12G 6HP wet/dry vacuum at TSC for $99 and I have a coupon for $10 off $50, so I for $89 ordered that one. Yes, I know PC isn't what it used to be.

Then in this morning's emails, I get a 20% off coupon for HF. DRAT! The Bauer would have been about the same price, except Bauer is excluded for those coupons.

But I need chain and HaulMaster is not excluded, so for $39.99 - 20%, plus another % rewards points for the CC I'll use, that should work.

 

[Fallon]

Somebody else will probably jump in and correct me BUT most of your power tool battery packs are composed of individual smaller batteries (almost AA size). quick link
So they CAN tear those apart and replace individual cells.

Ya, usually 18650 batteries.

I looked at re-celling some of my old Ryobi batteries with new decent quality cells. Would have cost me more or less the same as a new battery pack from Home Depot.

I did gut an old Ryobi One+ battery. Put a 18v laptop power brick in there. A corded battery is occasionally handy when you don't have a charged battery around & need to work near an outlet. Not terribly useful, but I had a dead battery & many unused power bricks around.

 

[Suburban Plowboy]

The 20-ton press with an air jack is wonderful. I got their planishing hammer for almost nothing, and it's great. I have a Titanium Unlimited 200 welder, and I rarely touch my Lincoln now. My Vulcan welding cart was truly excellent, but I sold it and made my own. US General tool chests are fantastic. The small wood lathe is pretty much identical to Jet. The 3-shelf red cart is wonderful.

Their impact sockets get tremendous reviews on forums, and they're cheap. Their welding wire costs a fraction of the cost of things from companies like Hobart. Welding consumables are 100% as good as the big brands.

People who knock Harbor Freight are ignorant. You just have to know what to buy and what to pass on.

 

[5030]

That is true with most things in life......

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

Hmmm, I have a $25 off $150 coupon from HD. I was thinking about getting more than one Vac anyways, one for inside and one for the yard/shop.

I could do the 14 and 16 from HD that would put me over the $150 mark and get $25 off, plus the other 10% account discount ... IF they'll stack ....

The Rigid shop vacs are awesome! I have the 16 gal one, came with a car care kit too! The great thing about them is that they have the lifetime warranty, as long as you register them when you get it.

 

[bcp]

My Ridgid battery experience.

I bought a tool set with two tools and two batteries, filled out the warranty form with all information requested and mailed it. Some time later received mail saying it was denied because incomplete. I needed to send part of the box label. That wasn't mentioned on the form. Luckily I still had the box, so cut out the label and mailed it.

I think they are expecting customers to throw away the box so they can deny the warranty.

Bruce

 

[weldingisfun]

My Ridgid battery experience.

I bought a tool set with two tools and two batteries, filled out the warranty form with all information requested and mailed it. Some time later received mail saying it was denied because incomplete. I needed to send part of the box label. That wasn't mentioned on the form. Luckily I still had the box, so cut out the label and mailed it.

I think they are expecting customers to throw away the box so they can deny the warranty.

Bruce

Interesting. I have registered all of my RIDGID tools and batteries on line. Never had a problem.

 

[jjeff]

Ridgid, never had a problem with there corded tools and I own a few. Unfortunately there cordless tools are a different story. Bought a cordless jobmax from HD liked all the right angle attachments for it, such as a chuck, impact, and ratchet.
Kept killing the batteries. Took them to HD, wouldn't fix or replace them, HD would send me to a Ridgid authorized repair shop 20 miles away. I correctly sent in there lifetime replacement warranty which was a pain. After several trips to the repair shop, I wrote a scathing review on the HD website. Ridgid contacted me directly and sent me upgraded batteries and a new charger. Few problems since, however I no longer use my Ridgid jobmax in a professional environment anymore.

 

[J.D.agtech]

Does anyone who depends on tools everyday all day long shop at Harbor Freight?

jmf

I do, I've go both Pittsburg and icon impact sockets. Love the icons the Pittsburg are ust ok. I've only broken one Pittsburg and they replaced it no problem. The only downfall is they don't sell individual sockets if you loose one but you can buy a whole set for what one snap on socket costs off the truck.

 

[California]

Does anyone who depends on tools everyday all day long shop at Harbor Freight?

I see that was posted in 2008.

In the intervening 14 years HF has new management and has set new objectives. It looks like they intend to replace Craftsman as 'America's Tool Store' in their better new lines. And compete with the tool trucks on some items where they sell near-identical at 1/5 the price.

It's random, they still sell a lot of junk alongside the new lines. Go to the tool truck if you need your stuff financed and you don't have the patience to try something new.

Their $12 pruner I described above (August 26) is indistinguishable from the $90 version it was cloned from.

 

[California]

Dang. Another very useful HF item is on Closeout. $3.

Funnel tray. Ideal for pouring a plastic jar of miscellany into, to pick out the specific bolt, washer, etc that you need.

This is the simplest way ever, to then pour small parts back into a peanut butter jar. I recommend buy at least two.

 

[flyerdan]

They're like those magnetic parts dishes, when you need it you remember it's already full from the last project started, that's why the minimum number is three.

 

[thepumpguysc]

I keep a lot of gaskets and seals in coffee cans and I’m constantly pouring them out into the lid for sorting..
When I’m done, I just squeeze the lid together and pour the rest into the can..
BUT.. I like that tray.!!

 

[Suburban Plowboy]

When I was praising my Harbor Freight tools, I forgot a really important one: the hydraulic lift cart. They come in 500-pound and 1000-pound models.

These things are fantastic. I got the little one because there is no way I could put the big one in a vehicle by myself. I use it a lot.

I had a terrible 4' by 8' shelf unit in my workshop. The guy who built the house made it. Each corner post was a 4x4, and the shelves were 1/2" plywood, so it weighed a lot. I decided to rotate it so the short side was against the wall. This made it more useful.

I was able to get the tractor into the shop to do the hard part, but getting it where I really wanted it was not something the tractor could do well. I removed the handle from the cart so I could get it under the shelf unit, and then I jacked the whole unit up and put it exactly where I wanted it. Amazing.

It's also good for moving heavy stuff into and out of cars.

Today I used it to get my tractor into my shop so I could work on it. The rain these days is crazy, so I couldn't put it back together outside. I put a strap on the tractor in the rear, and I connected it to my John Deere garden tractor. I couldn't budge the big tractor. I realized the bucket was anchoring it. And I couldn't use the hydraulics.

I used a floor jack to pick the bucket up a little, and that allowed me to get the bucket off. Then I lifted the quick change attachment high enough to put it on the Harbor Freight cart. I used the cart to jack the attachment up so it wouldn't drag. Then I used the small tractor to pull the big one into the shop. The cart came right along with it.

Wonderful tool. And you can modify them. You can fabricate things like ramps so you can get mowers and generators onto them.

 

[jjeff]

When I was praising my Harbor Freight tools, I forgot a really important one: the hydraulic lift cart. They come in 500-pound and 1000-pound models.

These things are fantastic. I got the little one because there is no way I could put the big one in a vehicle by myself. I use it a lot.

I had a terrible 4' by 8' shelf unit in my workshop. The guy who built the house made it. Each corner post was a 4x4, and the shelves were 1/2" plywood, so it weighed a lot. I decided to rotate it so the short side was against the wall. This made it more useful.

I was able to get the tractor into the shop to do the hard part, but getting it where I really wanted it was not something the tractor could do well. I removed the handle from the cart so I could get it under the shelf unit, and then I jacked the whole unit up and put it exactly where I wanted it. Amazing.

It's also good for moving heavy stuff into and out of cars.

Today I used it to get my tractor into my shop so I could work on it. The rain these days is crazy, so I couldn't put it back together outside. I put a strap on the tractor in the rear, and I connected it to my John Deere garden tractor. I couldn't budge the big tractor. I realized the bucket was anchoring it. And I couldn't use the hydraulics.

I used a floor jack to pick the bucket up a little, and that allowed me to get the bucket off. Then I lifted the quick change attachment high enough to put it on the Harbor Freight cart. I used the cart to jack the attachment up so it wouldn't drag. Then I used the small tractor to pull the big one into the shop. The cart came right along with it.

Wonderful tool. And you can modify them. You can fabricate things like ramps so you can get mowers and generators onto them.

View attachment 761872

Reminds me of my hf MC table lift had it for over 10 yrs used it a lot when I rebuilt and tinkered with older snowmobiles. Welded square tubing on it with removable smaller diameter tubing and angle to put the skis on. Much nicer than being on your knees or crouching working on something.

 

[jjeff]

Forgot about this amazing hf 7x12 bandsaw contraption, returned to hf by whoever initially bought it as non working never wanted one but price was worth my time to try and get it working again a
Few shims, adjustments, and four letter words later it stopped throwing the blade. Great to set the downfeed and do other things while it cuts. Definitely beats a chopsaw, or wafer wheel on thicker/ bigger stuff. Added some scrap sheetmetal to the sides to help catch the cutting fluid which before doing that would go all over the floor.

 

[Midniteoyl]

Forgot about this amazing hf bandsaw contraption, returned to hf by whoever initially bought it as non working never wanted one but price was worth my time to try and get it working again until a few shims, adjustments, and four letter words later it stopped throwing the blade. Great to set the downfeed and do other things while it cuts. Definitely beats a chopsaw, or wafer wheel on thicker stuff. Added some scrap sheetmetal to the sides to help catch the cutting fluid.

Those are good saws to have.. We used a large Jet one in a production environment. Worked great for years..