Harbor Freight Tools: Good and Bad

[have_blue]

HF tools are pretty controversial in my circles. Some swear by them, some swear at them. My personal experience is "buyer beware". Take a close look at them before buying them!

I have gotten some real gems from HF at giveaway prices. I have also got a couple of duds, but the duds did not cost me a lot to find out.

Killer buys:

1 HP 16 speed drill press, $180 Very good tool, 4 years!

2 HP 8 Gal compressor, $100 Excellent for 2 years.

20' grade 70 chain with a 3/8 grab hook on each end, $20!!! Excellent!!!

2 pound hand ax $3. Excellent heat treat! (can't find proper HT in USA axes any more!)

1/2" 260 ft-Lb air impact wrench, $20. Works great for 2 years.

1/4" air die grinder, $8. Works great, 3 years.

1/2" 120v drill/hammer drill, $25. Smooth! Constant companion.

6" drillpress vise/X-Y cross slide $40. Very good for 3 years, Unbelievable price!

Air grease gun, $15. Excellent tool for 3 years.


Now for the bad:

Hand crank barrel pump. Ordered from catalog sight unseen, $20. What a hunk of junk! [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Anyone have good, bad, or just general comments about HF tools?

[RichZ]

I'm not a professional mechanic or woodworker, but as I'm rapidly moving closer to becoming a fulltime farmer, I use my tools pretty hard. I've only started buying Harbor Freight tools in the past few years, but so far, I've never been disappointed with them. I've got a lot of Harbor Freight tools now, and buy even more since they opened a store about 30 miles from here. My HF T-post remover is one tool that no farmer should be without, and just about all of my friends and neighbors have bought one, as soon as they saw how smoothly mine works. I have a HF reciprocating saw that works great, and my 18 volt HF cordless drill is every bit as good as my DeWalt one, at less than 1/4 the price. Harbor Freight tools are great in my book!!! [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[Bird]

I've bought quite a number of tools myself from Harbor Freight and generally had good luck with them. There is one drawback and that is, in the event one should break, Harbor Freight is the only place to get parts, and even that will require a great deal of luck. When I was repairing air tools for mechanics, I got the "800" number to call for parts, and played "telephone roulette" endlessly and never got to speak to a human or actually obtain any parts.

And while Harbor Freight tools were generally good for the price, Homier was another matter. Caveat emptor.

[jwstewar]

I haven't bought a lot from HF. But a few weeks ago I bought a pair of their electronic ear muffs. Wasn't expecting much for $20, but I've been really please with them so far. I've used them while weed eating and then again yesterday mowing and then bush hogging. Put 14+ on the proof meeter yesterday and didn't have any ringing ear problems when done like I normally would have. I got one surprise advantage that I wasn't expecting. If I leave them on when I'm on the tractor (had been turning them off when I knew I was going for an extended period) the cell phone creates an interference and they buzz letting me know the cell phone is ringing. [img]/forums/images/icons/cool.gif[/img]

Haven't tried out my lever barrel pump that I bought that day yet. Can't be any worse than the rotary barrel pump that I got from the travelling Cummins show. On a 15 gallon barrel it won't prime with less than 6 gallons in it and it leaks almost as much as it pumps - but it does pump fast though when you can get it working. [img]/forums/images/icons/crazy.gif[/img]

[gager2002]

I have bought many things from them and so far been pleased. I do one thing special when buying power tools, open them up and add better electrical grease. Last for a long time

[johnday]

haveblue; I usually don't buy anything but the big namebrands, but last year I got a HF palmnailer. I was pressed for time and had just bloodied and mauled my left index finger putting in hurricane ties. I think I paid around $70 for it. It came as a kit with a few different noses and such. I've only used it 2 or 3 times, but it's alot better than destroying your fingers putting in joist hangers and other hardware. I'm really not disappointed with it, but just not totally sold either.
I also bought their auto darkening hood for $50 when I first started welding. Beleive or not, alot of times I grab that before my $250 Speedglas. [img]/forums/images/icons/confused.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[have_blue]

Rich,

That's good news. Always wondered about their 18V drills.

A friend had a 12v and I was not impressed with it at all. Weak as water, and the batteries didn't last long at all.

I played HF roulette with the 120V drill with hammer feature for $25. If it only lasts 6 months, it's still a fair bargain, right? I plugged it in, chucked up a 3/8 metal drill and pulled the trigger WOW! That drill was smooth as silk, and quiet as can be!. Very good power too. I am totally delighted with it.

The reverse lever is a little flimsy, but it should hold up for a few years. Hey, I've already got 2x my money's worth.

When my fine old Makita finally bites the dust, I'll get the 18v HF drill. I wish HF had a mechanical high and low speed selector like my Makita. I love that feature.

Anyone know if the HF drill battery packs fit B&D Firestorm? I do know the B&D packs fit Porter Cable if that's a useful clue.

[have_blue]

Hi Bird,

I hear you. Although you can get some great bargains and really useful tools for peanuts, I will try to avoid the bigger stuff from HF. I have a 1hp drill press and a 2hp compressor that cost enough to be economical to repair. All my other tools are throwaway, and I would like to keep it that way. Sometimes I just can't resist though! I'm looking at a 15gal spray rig for $90. If the tank doesn't fall apart, the rest of the rig is cheap and easy to find, and should be economical to repair.

[jwstewar]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
I'm looking at a 15gal spray rig for $90

[/ QUOTE ]

I've been eyeing the same thing. I saw in the flyer that is had a Sureflo pump, not a bad pump (at least from my experience) not quite as good as PAR, but not bad either. So that should hold up just fine. I'm also considering one of their $15 spray guns for little stupid things around the house where it makes more sense then having to buy 3 - 5 spray cans.

[Pat]

I have been buying HF stuff for over a decade and have found most of what I bought to be just fine, so the job, and last... B U T...I don't buy just anything from them. If it looks to be flimsy crap, I avoid it. I recently had a 18 ga stapler/brad nailer die a premature death. Swapped it for another on sale at $19.95.

I have observed that if you are patient and can wait long enough eventually virtually all their inventory eventually goes on sale at really good prices. I try to buy when on special sale.

Sometimes their internet prices ( www.harborfreight.com ) are better than store prices, especially when they offer free shipping.

There is also an insider's club where you pay an annual fee to access a special member's only portion of their web site as well as receiving special member's only flyers. I have found some spectacular bargains that way, even on name brand merchandise. I have easily saved much more than the membership cost.

A down side to HF stuff is sometimes the manual. Currently I am trying to decipher how to operate a metal bending tool. It is for making decorative wrought iron and other stuff. I got it at a good price but haven't figured out how to use it yet. I intend to use it to build a decorative railing for my back porch (over a 10 foot drop off to patio below.)

About Cummins traveling tool shows... Many of their drills are pure crap. I have bent and broken as many as 4-5 in less than 5 minutes. These are the golden colored titanium coated JUNK that is built to resemble what a drill bit looks like but isn't worth a tinker's ****. Many of their hole saws are not much better. Forstner bits... some are only good for a few holes in soft wood and then they arre toast and create more smoke than sawdust. Likewise some of HF forstner bits.

[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]