Harbor Freight tools that DON'T suck

[obsolete]

I won't ever by Crapsman again the result of poor customer service about 40 years ago, I went to Sears to get a replacement ratchet, not the first time that this particular ratchet had been replaced.

when I got there, they told me they no longer replace ratchets, they give you a rebuild kit instead, great is that fixes it, but when the ratchet head is worn, even a rebuilt kit won't fix it, I proceeded to take the ratchet apart and install the rebuild in the store to demonstrate that it still slipped, and sure enuf, it did, sales person tells me "I'm sorry, we only do rebuilt kits now"

I'm sure I just had a jerk sales person, that's ok, I no longer shop Sears or KMart

Man, can you hold a grudge or what.

I have never heard of a snap on tool brake. My boy is a car mechanic he used ONLY snap on

You're not trying hard enough. You know one mechanic that uses them... ok. Cool story?

The dual temp heat gun comes in handy for shrinking heat shrink loom and softening stickers, and so on. $10 or $15 depending on sale or coupon price.

item#96289

I have that same gun. used it this past weekend and it got hot. That's a win right?

[Garandman]

Anyone have an HF drill press?

[loudbeard]

Anyone have any experience with their roller tool chests? I need to get something for large tool storage but it seems like a bit of a gamble.

[gamorg02]

I got this by mistake for like $99:

http://www.harborfreight.com/11-draw...net-67421.html

i kept the middle and bottom pieces and sold off the top. Its not as nice as my craftsman but i mean its a bunch of sheet metal and some drawers, if you can get it for close to $100-$125 its pretty good id' say, but you might be able to find an open box or similar for cheaper at lowes/hd?

[loudbeard]

Yeah it's the roller mechanism that I balk at a bit. Having heavy tools in the drawers can cause the track to bend and come off line, happened on my Kobalt chest.

[whynot]

Low-end Craftsman chests are really cheesy, Sears makes a mistake IMO by putting the Craftsman name on them. Next time I'll look at HF in that price range.

[Garandman]

I have the 44" roller cabinet in my garage along with the top cabinet. Had it a year, no problems. It's not particularly heavily loaded but now I have all my tools in one place.

[loudbeard]

Good to know, that's the exact model I've been looking at getting.

[golden chicken]

That's probably exactly the same as my NAPA bottom box, just rebranded. My only gripe is it's shallow, so the drawers don't really hold a lot.

[The Snowman]

Right now, I wish their generators didn't suck. I need one due to most of the tracks I'll be visiting not supplying electricity for camping.

[butcher bergs]

Chuck, I've used a 4000W Champion for a few years now....bought it off Brady, actually.

It's not the quietest (not the loudest either) but it has always performed well and for 300 new, they are worth looking into, IMO.

[The Snowman]

I'd be looking more for an inverter type of generator, since I pack.unpack my trailer every time I head for the track. Inverters are lighter, seem to be more portable, and seem to do better on fuel.

I read the reviews of the one inverter that HF sells and it's mixed. For $399, I don't think it's worth a shot.

[MattR302]

I have this dirt bike stand which I use for my DR350, it works pretty good with a couple quick modifications of a beltsander or grinding wheel - you can read about the reviews, and make sure you grease the pivot points and where the inner/outer tubes ride.
http://www.harborfreight.com/350-lb-...and-66552.html

I also have the dual-temp heat gun, haven't had any issues http://www.harborfreight.com/1500-wa...112-96289.html

[GixerJockey]

I'd be looking more for an inverter type of generator, since I pack.unpack my trailer every time I head for the track. Inverters are lighter, seem to be more portable, and seem to do better on fuel.

I read the reviews of the one inverter that HF sells and it's mixed. For $399, I don't think it's worth a shot.

You can't buy a decent inverter generator for your price range. Probably not even used...

[DesmoTull]

$70 ultrasonic parts cleanerr. Works excellent.

I got this from a recc. in another thread from Degs. One of these and some pinesol can clean about anything you can throw at it.

[RandyO]

I'd be looking more for an inverter type of generator, since I pack.unpack my trailer every time I head for the track. Inverters are lighter, seem to be more portable, and seem to do better on fuel.

I read the reviews of the one inverter that HF sells and it's mixed. For $399, I don't think it's worth a shot.

Polaris is making inverters, half the price of Hondas

http://www.polaris.com/en-us/generat...amily-nav-tabs

[jeantarrou]

What kind of stuff are you guys putting in that cleaner? Motorcycle related?

[DesmoTull]

What kind of stuff are you guys putting in that cleaner? Motorcycle related?

I've cleaned my watch, gun parts, misc motorcycle parts (nuts & bolts, brake calipers, carbs)

[Garandman]

Polaris is making inverters, half the price of Hondas

http://www.polaris.com/en-us/generat...amily-nav-tabs

A P2000i is $999.99. Which was what I paid for an EU2000i, although the MSRP is $1,149.95. The Polaris weighs 10 lbs more.

[RandyO]

A P2000i is $999.99. Which was what I paid for an EU2000i, although the MSRP is $1,149.95. The Polaris weighs 10 lbs more.

7 lb more
1db quieter
½ hour longer run time
slightly larger fuel tank
105cc vs 98.5cc

wasn't aware of exact cost, I saw them at my local dealer a couple days ago and asked a couple of questions, was told they are roughly half the cost of honda (my dealer sells both) giving me the impression that regardless of MSRP, what you can actually buy one for is about half


step up to the 3000watt inverter, and while the polaris weighs 50lbs more, it has a fuel tank more than double the size 3.43gal vs 1.56 and a run time of 21hrs vs 7.7 hrs for the honda and the Polaris has electric start, also rated 2800watts continuous load vs 2600 for the Honda, and is 2db quieter than the honda

[nhbubba]

What kind of stuff are you guys putting in that cleaner? Motorcycle related?

Yes. Carbs and funked up brake calipers are my two favorites so far. You don't need funky chemicals either; water and a bit of simple green. It's pretty stunning how well it works for ~$80.

[jeantarrou]

Hmm, seems like I should pick up one of those cleaners.

[nhbubba]

They don't suck.

[RandyO]

You don't need funky chemicals either; water and a bit of simple green. It's pretty stunning how well it works for ~$80.

no, just funky chemicals

Water 7732‐18‐5 ≥78%
2‐butoxyethanol 111‐76‐2 ≤5%
EthoxylatedAlcohol 68439‐46‐3 ≤5%
TetrapotassiumPyrophosphate 7320‐34‐5 ≤5%
SodiumCitrate 68‐04‐2 ≤5%
Fragrance ProprietaryMixture ≤1%
Colorant ProprietaryMixture ≤1%

[Dave603]

HF's $20 pneumatic stapler works great for installing seat covers. A mechanical, or an electric stapler just will not do the job.

Good to know! I went and bought what I thought would be a nice electric stapler from home depot and didn't work for shit putting on a seat cover. Although I'm sure it will be handy for other projects, just didn't work well punching through the plastic backing of the seat.