Only bought a few things from them.Grease gun that has been excellent.Knock off to a B&D work mate that was a total piece of junk.Only directions to assemble were some dark grainey photos.Never did get it together.Put it back in the box still siting up on a shelf.
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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.
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I was wrong, it is worse than the one from the Cummins show. I was only able to get it to pump a couple of times - and it was much slower than the one from the Cummins show. Now it doesn't work at all. I resorted back to the 5 gallon can and the Hand-D pump until I can either afford or decide I can afford a good pump. I've seen one at TSC for $3X.XX. Not sure if this one would be decent or not.
I have a couple of the $9.99 (on sale) 4" angle grinders, the oldest has about 10 years on it; how can you beat it? They even send you extra brushes for the motors; who does that anymore?
I have mostly Craftsman wrenches but there are many times I needed another wrench the same size (i.e. 2 1/2" wrenches) Instead of springing big $'s for duplicate Craftsman sets, I bought a set of inch and a set of metric combination wrenches for (you guessed it) $9.99 each; I think it's twenty wrenches in a set on sale.
I also have an adjustable torque wrench that I bought for $19.99.
Impact sockets and gear puller sets have served me well over the years too. I've been burned on a few items, but as someone mentioned I didn't spend much to find out it was junk...
I'm a big Craftsman fan as well... only I'm not a fan of the price. After the arrival of my boy this past April, I have had to limit my spending a little... therefore, I've bought a few HF tools... mainly when there was something I needed a tool for that I wouldn't need to use very often. No real problems... and you can't beat the prices. I wouldn't recommend buying tools you plan on using everyday.
- William
Ahhh Harbor Freight , I have their ball joint removal and installation tool, It works OK , also got the bicycle wheeled welding cart, very reasonable works fine for my Oxy-Act setup, My Impact sockets are definately wearing though on the socket side and the impact gun side, but they are quite a few years old and only used for my own work which isn't everyday. A new set would be nice and for the price probably worth it. Retractable airline with hose seams OK so far.
But the one tool that proved to be BAD was their double flaring tool. First use for brake line broke pin on the die , second job on 3/8" line broke the press arm in half [img]/forums/images/icons/shocked.gif[/img] and I was turning it by hand...(must had my wheaties)$14.99 got what I paid for "junk"
First off, you need to understand that the price advantage you have at HF is due to our unbalanced trade agreement with China. I won't dwell on that.
I admit to using some HF tools. I try to buy when they are at half price.
IMHO, HF tools may be okay for those occasional jobs but for a pro, forget it. I had worked with someone who bought everything from HF. They would hand me their HB drill in a pinch and that pos felt so inferior in my hand compared to my Dewault or Porter Cable.
Tell you what, if you are lucky to have access to an HF store as I am, handle the tool you are looking at then go to Home Depot or wherever and handle a comparible make. See what feels comfy.
I personally am a tool junky. I like good tools. I do use them and I use them hard. My Milwaukee SawZall for instance is over 20 years old. I don't figure any HF tool would go that distance.
I second the comments on the electronic ear muffs... I bought a pair, loved them, then bought three more pairs so that my whole family would be able to use them for pistol shooting. I detect a slight imbalance in the sound level between the left and the right side, but they do work well. It is a nice 'feature' that they buzz when the cell phone rings! I'm sure they aren't as nice as the $80-500 pairs that I've seen other places, but for $20... who cares!
The other HF tools that I have uses, have been generally 'cheap' feeling, construction-wise, but worked adequately.
AndrewY
QRTRHRS, I have an even older Milwaukee sawzall and have only changed the cord once and the brushes once and it is good as new. I have a similar aged Milwaukee Magnum Hole Shooter 3/8 corded reversable variable speed drill with enough torque to hurt you if you don't use two hands and get a "DEATH GRIP" on it. It has the twist lock easy to replace cord (replaced once) and has had one set of brushes. Works as good as new.
I also have several HF tools but don't expect any of their tools with moving parts to last like a Milwaukee.
Oh by the way, I traded an obsolete home built Heathkit computer for the two Milwaukee tools and a skill saw (all new...30 years ago.
[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
"I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"
[img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img] I took a chance and bought a Cummins Rotary Hammer that I needed to drill concrete. I used to have a big SKIL that I got for free and reclaimed by welding up the broken crankshaft. When my SKIL finally resisted my further attempts at resurrection, I really missed that tool; it seemed like every time I turned around I had a hole to drill in concrete. There is nothing I hate worse than using a masonary bit in a conventional drill....even a so-called "hammer" drill. It is really a joke. Sooooo.... I gambled a hundred bucks and bought the Cummins from the traveling tool road show. We have drilled a HUGE number of holes with it, and so far, it's been fine. That rotary hammer just BLASTS through concrete. [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
CJDave
Does anyone have any experiance with the HF breaker hammer? HF has them on sale and there are some on Ebay too.
I was thinking of trying one to chip hardpan away in order to set some fence posts. A friend had loaned me an old Black and Decker chipping gun which worked but the bit was too short. I thought I could cut the chisel bit that comes with the hammer and weld an extention on so I can chip down to four feet deep. The soil is clay and brown shale. A bar just bounces off but using that old hammer, I was able to chip a bit loose and scoop it out with my post hole digger a little at a time until I ran out of bit length.
I need to set some posts within close proximity to my barn as time permits so I don't want to rent say a compressor and air drill or hammer. The Bosch is a bit pricey for my needs and budget.
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