Harbor Freight stuff - pass or fail?

HMP

HMP

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So there's a thread on GRM about HF tools, and I had a question for you gents and ladies regarding stuff, why not start this.

Maybe this is a place to post about successes and failures of the HF stuff, what you recommend, what to avoid etc.

Have any of you used any of their 10 or 12" blades for a miter saw or table saw? Thoughts? Not a ton of use, just need a new blade for the table saw and thought of @kcult and the bucket, theyre giving away a 'free' bucket if you spend thirty bucks through tomorrow.
 
Also, their circular rolling stool, the hydraulic one - it's 50/50. It WILL break on you, a weld will break and the seat will tilt one way or another. I still use mine, but ended up putting some screws in it to keep it all connected and get a little more use out of it.
 
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Garage journal has a massive HF pass vs fail thread.

Most HF stuff I buy doesn’t get used often so I can’t speak to hard use. Bauer portaband (using Lennox blades) has been great. They are known for quality impact sockets as well (Pittsburg pro). Daytona jacks get rave reviews. Their Honda clone inverter generator (2kw) has been flawless for me as well. Their craftsman lookalike screwdrivers have been fine as well (anxious to see if they will stink like the craftsman’s as well). Their Vulcan welders get great reviews.

Casters on mechanics seats and the creeper I bought years ago were absolute garbage.

They have come a long way in recent years.
 
After the First Friday Lunch, I mosied on down to the HF (a stone's throw from The Pineville Tavern) and bought the battery operated fluid transfer pump and an impact driver bit kit.

The total put me right at that free bucket deal. So yeah, I got a bucket.

To date, the only actual tool I've bought from there was a corded Bauer reciprocating saw. I forget how much it cost, but it should include a saddle because when that thing gets to rolling, you gotta hold on tight. And that's a compliment.

The only complaint I have with it is (and I'm not sure if it's me or the design) if your hand is over the open gaps, it'll steady be popping you with electrical zaps.

Somehow, I always seem to grab it there.
 
In probably the last 10 years every thing I bought there I considered disposable. They used to have an HVLP gun that worked ok and I bought several when I was doing a chassis in POR. Use it and throw it away. Cleaning that stuff is impossible. I bought a platform tile saw when I redid my master bath and returned it with a smoking motor. Fortunately it lasted until I was done.
 
I’ve stood on their breaker bars, and jumped up/down on them. I weigh 220ish. They haven’t failed.
I use the little ICON set of ratchet/bits on my little bikes. They are quality.
 
-Ive got a Daytona jack that works great. It's low-profile, works great for the MR2.
-Ive got two of their 3/8 ratchet/socket combo sets that run about 6 bucks total - I use one in my junkyard bag, other will be going in the FJ62. No issues yet, though one of the smaller sockets stripped out, but, to be fair, it was a 1/4" and I had it hooked up to my 1/2" ryobi impact.... (I was in a rush in the junkyard lol)
-Use their safety glasses and shield regularly, no issues (KNOCK ON WOOD!)
-Use their sandpaper regularly

I am a homeowner, a tinkerer, a DIY guy, not a professional. These things have worked well for me. I got other things like casters (not used yet) and funnels etc too
 
I got a reciprocating saw from them that’s done all I could ask. On the other hand, the reciprocating saw blades I got from them were about a crappy as possible. They’re just stamped metal, no real definition or strength of the teeth and cut like crap.

Play Apache dry boxes are good to go though, the 3800 makes a nice 9 mm ammo can.
 
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i picked up their version of a dremel many years ago. could barely make it through one use because the shaft had all sorts of eccentricity. thing rattled like crazy.
 
HMP said:
-Ive got a Daytona jack that works great. It's low-profile, works great for the MR2.
Click to expand...
I've had good luck with all of their jacks. I have the pre-Daytona low profile and two of the aluminum jacks which are a godsend at the race track when having to load/unload in the back of the truck.

My buddy has one of their old (no longer available) extra long reach truck jacks that has to have dang near 3 feet of lift capability, and it is a flawless tank.

DrScaryGuy said:
i picked up their version of a dremel many years ago. could barely make it through one use because the shaft had all sorts of eccentricity. thing rattled like crazy.
Click to expand...

Their little red Dremel knockoff does in fact stink. Mine broke the little stop that keeps the shaft from turning when tightening with almost no effort, rendering it useless.

I also have the older version of their 12,000 lbs Badland winch. That thing is a hoss. Pulled cars up on the trailer with a seized rear end like it was nothing.
 
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It’s a simple equation.

Are you a production mechanic?

Yes.

Don’t buy harbor freight they won’t last.

No

Buy it. You will get what you paid for but who cares when you’re only going to use the thing a few times.
 
Their blades and abrasives are junk in my experience. I'm not sure I'd ever feel safe underneath one of their jack stands even if I did de-rate their weight limit by the 50% I'd consider prudent.

Speaking of their jack stands... about 10 yrs ago, they had a recall because their jack stands were failing. They offered in trade, a higher rated jack stand at no charge. THEN THEY RECALLED THE REPLACEMENT JACK STAND. (I bought a set of Lincoln made in US stands.... because you can only get squashed once)

I've used their pry bars, and some of their air tools and nozzles and they were OK. I've made a lot of 300BO brass with their flimsy cut off tool.

Speaking of Garage Journal , that's a tremendously good website/forum. I bought a *lot* of quality hand tools (US) through them at prices close to Chinesium tools. Highly recommended!
 
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Their hole saw kit, would make ALMOST one hole with each size before they were dull. Forget using them for anything other than wood. I've used some of their blades in other tools with the same results. Don't think their blades have any heat treatment on them, so they are soft.

Their ratcheting bar clamps have failed regularly, the internal plastic pieces break when you apply force. The black and orange spring clips also break easily.

I think it varies by the particular tool and which supplier makes the items for them. Some Chinese manufacturers are better than others.
 
I buy some of the Icon stuff when it comes on sale. I’ve been pretty happy with it. I’m not a one brand guy by any means except when it comes to electric tools I stick with Milwaukee. My Icon stuff has held up just as good as my Cornwell/MAC/Matco/Snap-On tools. I don’t think I’d trust any type of measuring device if I expected it to be exact like a multi meter or torque wrench.
 
Been happy with predator gen and another predator motor i put on a wood splitter.

There older 1/2 heavier impact sockets were decent but they had some others thiner wall that were junk.

Mixed results with the pull bars. Broke one and still using one but the one i broke did have a pipe on the end in its defense.

Hercules miter saw stand has been good and happy with it.


Im sure many more but thats all i can think of right now. I tend to look at how often i ll use it and the reviews and try to try shop wisely based on my plans or abuse level it needs to handle.
 
Their threadlocker works.

HF is like the butterface of the tool world.
 
I use their circular saw blades. Sheeted a whole building with osb and built shelves in one and the blade is still cutting great. I have some harbor freight hand tools and some icon ratchets and other hand tools. Have a 9000 watt predator generator that always cranks and always runs good. And a 44” top and bottom US General tool chest. They’ve came a long way from the lions hut tool sales from 20 years ago.
 
Might grab a saw blade then from them tomorrow for the table saw. Or maybe not. Honestly, I may just end up buying a dewalt table saw in the next few months.
 
Biggest fail I have had from them was a small handheld paint sprayers I tried when we painted my sons room. Coated about 1/3 of a wall and burnt up. Icon ratchets and Pittsburgh pro sockets have been fine. US General rolling tool cart was fine after I returned three that wouldn’t go together correctly. Daytona jacks and bottle jacks are good to go as well. I also use their 9” bandsaw and a combo sander that has been fine.
 
Ive gotten other items, like their 1/2" air impact, 1/4" angle grinder
Nothing has really let me down, though I put the air impact away and untouched since I got the ryobi battery-powered
 
The only tools I get from Harbor Freight are tools that I might need for just one project, something I don't plan to use very often. If it's something that's going to see regular use I get something better.
 
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