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Thread: Admit it-What Harbor Freight tools do you have?

  1. #16
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Alberta
    Posts
    2,162
    you guys all missed one of the best things they make ....zip ties. Gloves,a couple 12'' f clamps ,bearing puller and one of those hard plastic cases with foam for my handguns.
    Last edited by Mike Kees; 06-13-2020 at 9:44 AM.

  2. #17
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Griswold Connecticut
    Posts
    6,927
    Low profile aluminum floor jack. Great value!
    Vacuum brake bleeder, another good value.
    Pneumatic die grinder.
    Pneumatic 3/8" drive ratchet.- Good for running bolts and nuts in and out, but not strong enough for breakaway.
    Lots of small pneumatic tool accessories. Not their actual fittings though, because they are junky.
    Portable walnut media blaster.
    Aluminum loading ramps for a truck.-Very clumsy product. Kind of works, but unsafe for anything truly heavy.
    30", 500lb., Hydraulic cart.-Best $150.00 I can remember spending.
    Last edited by Mike Cutler; 06-13-2020 at 1:07 PM.
    "The first thing you need to know, will likely be the last thing you learn." (Unknown)

  3. #18
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Location
    Columbia, MO
    Posts
    46
    Pocket hole jig—but I replaced the drill bit with a Kreg.
    heat guns - I use them to roast coffee
    bar clamps - strengthened with a long piece of wood
    paint spray gun + stand + filters
    pin nailer
    dead blow hammer
    cheap square sander - works fine but DO NOT use their sandpaper
    ok - I lied....drum sandpaper kit for drills works fine.
    dust collector - bought on craigslist with a Winn filter and baffle inside—works very very well!
    Mult-tool. This has been a very good purchase.

  4. #19
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    New York, NY
    Posts
    2,203
    I’m starting to think this HF dust collector blower isn’t such a gem. The very marginal motor trips my 20a breaker on startup pretty well every time and cannot be rewired for 220v. It also seems to be an odd non-NEMA frame that cannot easily be replaced with something else.

  5. #20
    Motorized winch. Brooke it the second time I used it.

    Hydraulic press, broke it the first time I used it.

    Number punches and self centering finder thingies.

    I do love their $2 mechanics gloves!

  6. #21
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Location
    Santa Cruz, CA
    Posts
    157
    I have, no doubt, bought a bunch of stuff from Harbor Freight that ended up in the trash, however:
    The vibratory compactor lasted nearly 5 years and I build landscapes for a living. Mine just died-going to buy another one. Those Predatory engines are actually pretty good.
    The concrete vibrators don't last, but for about $80 they were 1/10 the price of the others.
    The tiny F clamps come in handy all the time (they are tiny) and from my recollection, they were pretty much free.

  7. #22
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    NE OH
    Posts
    2,615
    Many of these have been mentioned already, but.....

    I have their portaband and think it's a deal when bought at 20% off. Don't use it that often but when I need to cut unistrut, or pipe or angle iron or anything like that it's a gem.
    The aluminum low profile floor jack has worked well for me; way better than the craftsman cheapie it replaced.
    Couple of jack stands (not the type that was recently recalled, fortunately).
    Little magnetic dishes for holding parts.
    Purple HVLP gun that I haven't actually used yet.
    Flux brushes.
    I think my abrasive cutoff saw came from HF.
    1/2 drive metric and imperial impact sockets
    I have 6 or 8 of their 8" non-pneumatic tires on various lawn/garden implements and my portable generator. Not good for heavy loads but for things like a hose cart and the like they don't have to be topped up with air every spring. They flat spot a bit on the generator, but who cares...
    The little magnetic tool trays that someone here recommended for keeping wrenches and the like close to stationary power tools.
    The pneumatic mechanics stool: another deal.
    Rubber wheel chocks.
    A few of the little hardware assortments, like springs, retaining clips, roll pins, cotter pins. All pretty cheap stuff, but works for the short term in repair situations.
    --I had my patience tested. I'm negative--

  8. #23
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    SoCal
    Posts
    22,494
    Blog Entries
    1
    My gosh, I never knew I had so many until I started listing them.

    1" ratchet straps. They are starting to die after years of hard use.
    $5/foot Acculink Link Belt. Works just like the Powertwist we are used to seeing. I even have sections mixed without issue.
    $few Foxtail brushes. I have one at the bench, one at the spindle/disc and one by the tablesaw.
    $14 Sawzall. Darn thing just won't die.
    $14 Oscillating Multi-Tool. I found so many uses for it I bought a nice cordless Ridgid version. The HF is still in use for the nasty stuff.
    $9 Heat Gun. Still going after over 10 years.
    $10 Angle Grinder. Still going after over 10 years.
    $10 Dial Gauge. I have used this and a 1-2-3 block as a poor man's Rotocator for machine setup since forever.

    Lots of their stuff has served its purpose and promptly died. Some died without ever managing to do the job but, the diamonds in the rough live on.
    Last edited by glenn bradley; 06-13-2020 at 12:21 PM.
    "A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".


    – Samuel Butler

  9. #24
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    NE OH
    Posts
    2,615
    I forgot to mention the wood handle bench brushes. For $4 or $5 they are a deal. Bristles are little stiffer than ideal for fine dust, but at that price I have one hanging by every machine and work surface.
    --I had my patience tested. I'm negative--

  10. #25
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Houston, Texas
    Posts
    32
    A few wrenches, sockets, 4" angle grinder, but the real HF gem I own is their 3000 watt quiet inverter generator. I was seriously considering buying a Honda and in the course of researching that purchase came across a Consumer Reports article that pretty much said the only reason to buy the Honda over the HF unit was the longer warranty on the Honda. Bought the HF unit with extended warranty for about 1/3 of the price of the Honda. I've used it quite a bit for my RV and running power tools when I'm off the grid. It may die tomorrow, but so far has performed very well.

  11. #26
    I have the hydraulic knock out set (needs replaced with a greenlee as the sizes are stupid) and a needle scaler which needs replaced with a IR version asap.

    I have found the few things I tried to be dangerous in use because of the poor quality, some didn't last through one use.

    The saying is true, I can't afford cheap tools.

  12. #27
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    Evanston, IL
    Posts
    1,424
    I walked through the store once with a 20% off coupon, but didn’t see anything I needed or wanted. Maybe I’d have found something if I searched longer, but the smell drove me out of the store!

  13. #28
    I hate to say it, but all I have from Harbor Freight is a couple F clamps and some chip brushes. They didn't come to MN until after I had gotten most of the standard HF type stuff form other places. I do remember being excited to go to the Des Moines one though 20 odd years ago.

    Actually Northern Hydraulics (now Northern Tool) filled the role of HF back then. Even now, there are twice as many Northern's as Harbor Freights here (Northern is based here and started here). They are closer to me, and I think there stuff is a little better, so that is where I still go. Even Menards carries a lot of the HF type stuff.

  14. #29
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    E TN, near Knoxville
    Posts
    12,298
    Quote Originally Posted by dennis thompson View Post
    ...
    So Creekers admit it: WHAT HARBOR FREIGHT TOOLS DO YOU HAVE? Don't be scared we won't, at least I won't, yell at you
    ...
    Dennis, I have none with moving parts. I have a couple of things for welding. I have known too many people who have had things with motors quit and have returned them repeatedly for replacement but I don't want to stop and drive for that. I've never been sorry for buying pro tools for hobby and farm use. More power to those who shop at HF and I'm glad it works out.

    Maybe I'd stop in and look around more often if it wasn't a 1+ hour round trip. However, so far I've shopped at HF exact twice in my life that I can remember, once accompanying my brother who bought an anvil for me. It has no moving parts.

    JKJ

  15. #30
    Tarps, lots of tarps. Good for the guys to do yard clean ups so either way they get trashed.
    hvlp spray guns. Plenty good for shooting DTM on the steel equipment trailers.
    I also picked up a vacuum pump and a pressure pot that has worked pretty good for casting resin.
    seems like the “go to” for one use items or for something on the cheap to eh “experiment “ with. At least for me anyway.

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