Melt it down and lose money trying

yea, I'm confused about them.
They were a cheap price point for the homeowner or pro (who needed a one time tool). Most pro's would never go , not worth the time...

Now they are entering a high priced middle branded area. I hesitate to buy those better tools, because they are not getting the top ratings. They are getting (less battery life), less capable ratings.. They ARE 10-20% cheaper than the name brands.. but for the small difference from Dewalt, Makita , and Milwaukee it's a tough price to pay. The brands provide parts and service. HF doesn't... Parts are non-existent or months waiting.

Likes:
Tarps SILVER and blue
Nitrile gloves
Cheap safety glasses. (good for weed whacking and hedge triming)
3gal pancake compressor (slow but it's light to do nailing jobs)
pneumatics... I've had good luck with:
needle scaler
die grinder
paint guns cheap hvlp conversion and more expensive hvlp conversion
stapler/brad gun already had a porter cable brad of same size, but I needed the stapler... been solid.. only used for staples.
air regulators w/filters
cheap small regulators
angle grinder (9.99) I don't feel bad, they last a while and I can have many... Not as powerful as my makita that a friend destroyed.
Tool chests... mine is no longer made by them.... its a Kennedy look alike black crinkle cut paint, and works great. it was an entire stack 3 boxes for $84.. couldn't turn it down... wish I bought 3 or 4 more for the price.

WW F clamp.. 6 and 12 inch... a good buy
timers for Christmas lights (interior ) .. I started using it for a piece of shop equip that I kept forgetting to shut down.... They are nice..



Don't Like:
air connectors I can buy Milton for less.. but Milton is not USA made now.
electric impact gun rated at 240 ft lbs... could not break lugs at 80 ft lbs.
welding table (it's zinc coated) welding and zinc don't go together... dumb.
 
Last edited:
One of the best things you can get is a Preditor 212. We have one on our mini-bike. we made it go to 8,000 rpm (its a four stroke), goes to 35 mph in 3 seconds, can do insane burnout and wheelies at any speed. we put that thing throught hell and back and it still works. The things works amazing for the $200 it is. (at 8,000 rpm it has so much valve float it could unsink the titanic and throws the push rods after 5 seconds which is not bad for stock springs)
 
vtcnc said:
@matthewsx Yeah, you are right. I'm just having fun with their alternate reputation on the internet. What they do for trade schools is unique and unheard of nowadays, really.

Marketing-wise they are veritable geniuses. Don't know how they have lasted this long. Maybe the supply chain issues will hurt them here.

I actually have quite a few Harbor Freight tools that I use sometimes, or once, or sometimes frequently...

List of Onces:

Flaring tool, should have just sprung the extra money for a better set.

List of Sometimes:

Sandlbast cabinet
Sheetmetal brake

List of Frequently:

Titanium 125 flux core welder
Wooden tool chests (2 of them) will probably buy more,
Pittsburgh wrenches
Shop towels
Click to expand...
Heck, the 7 amp angle grinder runs forever. I think those can be had on sale for less than $25.
The 4 amps are sometimes $9.99, or am I senile?
 
Janderso said:
Heck, the 7 amp angle grinder runs forever. I think those can be had on sale for less than $25.
The 4 amps are sometimes $9.99, or am I senile?
Click to expand...
Oh god! I totally forgot about those!! I have two setup on my welding table one for grinding, one for cutoff work. The Chicago Electrics. I think I got them for $14.99 each. They are definitely on the frequently used list. You just reminded me I need to pick up another one for the wire brush cups.
 
vtcnc said:
Oh god! I totally forgot about those!! I have two setup on my welding table one for grinding, one for cutoff work. The Chicago Electrics. I think I got them for $14.99 each. They are definitely on the frequently used list. You just reminded me I need to pick up another one for the wire brush cups.
Click to expand...
Harbor Freight has it's place. I needed a hammer drill to mount my drill press. HF is 5 minutes from my house.
It got the job done and then some for $25.

Harbor Freight Tools – Quality Tools at Discount Prices Since 1977

Harbor Freight buys their top quality tools from the same factories that supply our competitors. We cut out the middleman and pass the savings to you!
www.harborfreight.com www.harborfreight.com
 
I just want to know how thick the gold is on the ratchet. Not in microns or such, but in terms of hours of handling the ratchet before it wears through.

Oh, wait, I wasn't suppose to use a tool I bought?!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top