Harbor Freight Tools -- What works? and What doesn't?

[Onkel_Udo]

I always look for good tool deals at garage sales. If I see a 70s/80s vintage Craftsman hand tool or power tool. I'll snap it up. I use an old corded Craftsman drill to run my grain mill. It weighs about 10 lbs, but it's a beast.

+1 for HF step bits.

Which part on the step bits...good or crap?

Off topic but I had the most impressive set of totally mismatched tools. I cruised Tulsa, OK garage sales from 1991-1998 as a lot of of the old field engineers and 1950's roughnecks where passing away. I picked up (replacement value) about $10k in vintage Craftsman, Lisle, Snap-on and Mac tools. I spent about $300. My biggest "score" was 50-300# micrometer 1/2" torque wrench in box with calibration label...$10.

Ebay has ruined this and the toolbox was stolen from my garage while I was in Iraq...along with 22 $15 ball lock kegs. Granted it was 9 years ago now and I have moved on.

I am going to go in the corner and cry now.

 

[Dixon9717]

Their step bits are actually pretty decent. I've used them for everything including drilling out a few stainless pots and my keggles.

Just used HF Stepbit to drill 1" holes in my stainless steel fridge for $16 compared to HD for $60. I'm not an advocate for HF but they do serve a purpose for when a high end tool isn't critical for a one time job

 

[Kirkwooder]

I have been very impressed with the "Pittsburgh" brand mechanics tools. I bought a couple wrench sets to throw behind the seat of the truck and have been so impressed that I have added a couple of the small socket sets too. I also bought a set of the large wrenches and a 3/4" drive socket set for those big nuts and bolts on the tractor. I wouldn't want to make my living with them but they work great for hobby type stuff.

 

[ChocolateMaltyBalls]

Had my A/C ductwork replaced the other day and while working in another part of the house I heard the tale tell whine if a small HF motor. The contractor uses the oscillation tool all the time and apparently they hold up well and when they don't (after heavy use) its cheap to replace.

 

[Jwin]

Had my A/C ductwork replaced the other day and while working in another part of the house I heard the tale tell whine if a small HF motor. The contractor uses the oscillation tool all the time and apparently they hold up well and when they don't (after heavy use) its cheap to replace.

Was looking at one of those a few weeks ago and noticed that it was the same housing as my rockwell. Who knows about the guts, but I got my rockwell refurbished online for $25 so I didn't feel to had.

I don't think much of their stuff is junk, but I do feel the qc is poor.
The stepped bits have worked well for me on my upright keeper and aluminum kettle. Odds are if I ever need to use them again, I won't be able to find them so I'd rather loose a $16 tool...

 

[ChocolateMaltyBalls]

I got a 10" 80t carbide tipped saw blade from HF to cut laminate flooring. Put in about 300sq on three bedrooms, so far the blade still cuts like a champ.

 

[GnenieGone]

Used their 12in blade on their 12in miter, sliding, laser saw. Built this and more..

View attachment 1445197946235.jpg

View attachment 1445197969611.jpg

 

[b-boy]

I also have a HF floor nailer that has put down close to 2000 sq ft of hardwood flooring without skipping a beat. It was less than $100. That was much cheaper that $300 for a decent one. It was even cheaper than renting one for the job at $50 per day.

Just did another 450 sq ft of hardwood with my cheapo HF nailer over the weekend. Stills works like a charm.

 

[boneshb]

I haven't had any issue with the tools I've gotten from here. Only power tools I have from there are 12 in sliding mire saw, random orbital sander, 4 1/2 grinder and multi function cutting tool but I have used and abused them all without problem. I recommended buying and abusing immediately, they have a 90 day no questions asked return policy (I've only used once for a bad laser on the saw out of the box)
Hand tools have lifetime return policy. Are they snapon? Not even close, but I have rebuilt a couple of engines and restored a classic bronco with tools from here. I wouldn't trust my professional reputation on their tools, but happy to save for hobby stuff.
Also, their welding consumables and accessories have never let me down, though I've never used one of their welders.

 

[b-boy]

I needed a cheap corded drill to use to mix some thinset over the weekend. My old Sears Craftsman worked, but it was getting really hot and smoking a bit. It's from the 80s, so I'll cut it some slack.

I went to HF and bought their 'heavy duty' Chicago Tools drill. I paid $30.

I got it home, screwed in the handle, and let her rip on the thinset. It lasted less than 60 seconds. The side handle snapped off, the drill started smoking like a chimney, I heard a few pops, and that was it. It was really close to catching on fire.

I ended up using the Sears drill to finish the job.

 

[schematix]

I needed a cheap corded drill to use to mix some thinset over the weekend. My old Sears Craftsman worked, but it was getting really hot and smoking a bit. It's from the 80s, so I'll cut it some slack.

I went to HF and bought their 'heavy duty' Chicago Tools drill. I paid $30.

I got it home, screwed in the handle, and let her rip on the thinset. It lasted less than 60 seconds. The side handle snapped off, the drill started smoking like a chimney, I heard a few pops, and that was it. It was really close to catching on fire.

I ended up using the Sears drill to finish the job.

And this is why i'm still holding onto my old barley crusher and cheap 3/8" ryobi hand drill.

I have a similar drill from HF and i regret buying it. I have no doubt its going to leave me high and dry in the middle of a brew day.

Everything from HF is trash. Everything is junk. Everything.

 

[augiedoggy]

I own a lot of HF stuff... I usually buy the "better" options they sell. I have found that some of the stuff really is only good for a few uses but much of it works pretty well if you use it correctly without abuse.. (a power drill for example is only designed to run in short intervals and not for 5 minutes at a time) I learned that as a kid when I smoked my dads good drill...

I stripped this car with HF razor blades and sanding blocks as well as a HF soda blaster... Built the engine from a bare block I honed and assembled with mostly HF tools on a HF engine stand and installed with a HF cherry picker.... Oh yeah I painted the car with a HF paintgun and air filter system along with HF respirators. like much of what I do this was bult on a tight budget with 8grand including the cost of the car which I would have blown out of the water if I had bought bigger brandname tools... and sometimes its that same stuff as I found out with my $35 advance auto "thorsen" torque wrench which turned out to be the exact same wrench as the one HF sells only I got theirs for $10 with a case... after a side by side comparision and seeing they were both the same generic chinese wrench I took the thorsen back and got my $35 back..

Remember its all chinese stuff now but snapon... even craftsman (which is owned by stanley which is a big seller at the other outlet junk store "Ollies").

On side note...I learned how to gut and build this car mainly from forums and youtube videos.. Theres no limit to what you can learn and do when you really put your mind to it.. like the electric brewery I knew little about it prior to building it. Every time I hear someone say "im no electrician" "and its over my head" I kinda cringe because in most cases that just a person limiting themselves by not taking advantage of the resources they have in front of them.

 

[Jwin]

Remember its all chinese stuff now but snapon... even craftsman (which is owned by stanley which is a big seller at the other outlet junk store "Ollies").

Yea, pretty much.
I have a couple of my grandfather's Craftsman screwdrivers from the 50-60s that have better tips on them than Craftsman ones I bought 5 years ago. If you look at some of the saws at HF, you'll see the same saw with Kobalt or Ryobi branding on it, just with different color plastic pieces.
I'll add, Great Neck is still mostly, if not all, US made and make quality stuff, when you can find it.

 

[GrogNerd]

Harbor Freight... unless your job or your life depends on it

wish I could attribute the quote, can't remember where I saw it

HF has a decent set of quick-release bar clamps. 6", 12", 18" and 24" for 3, 4, 5 & $6, respectively. I'm just starting out woodworking (gonna make and hopefully sell some mash paddles) and these fit in the budget. I will buy more of them too

also got some folding earmuffs. thought I would double it up with some foam ear plugs, but the muffs block out a good amount of sound. downside is they barely fit my huge melon

got a small combination square and an angle square.

 

[Jwin]

Harbor Freight... unless your job or your life depends on it

wish I could attribute the quote, can't remember where I saw it

HF has a decent set of quick-release bar clamps. 6", 12", 18" and 24" for 3, 4, 5 & $6, respectively. I'm just starting out woodworking (gonna make and hopefully sell some mash paddles) and these fit in the budget. I will buy more of them too

Spend the extra couple bucks and get the "better" ones that are (mostly) metal. The ones with plastic parts are garbage, one use stuff. The metal(black and blue) ones I got are good except the handle you turn to tighten them can split and come off if you crank it too tightly. I recommend holding and turning them from the base of the handle, as the rest of it is not anchored to the screw well.

 

[GrogNerd]

got these. the bar is metal, the clamps are metal and the only plastic is the clamp faces & the handle

they are solid

and no ****... $3 for the 6 inch, $4 for the 12

https://www.harborfreight.com/6-in-quick-release-bar-clamp-62239.html

 

[SpeedYellow]

Literally the best $15 I've ever spent on a tool: HF 6" digital caliper. Every man should own one, seriously.

 

[GrogNerd]

correction... I've only had these a few days, so I went to check

the bar is solid metal, the clamps are a very hard plastic, the handle is hard rubber (the grey "trim" is plastic) and the faces are plastic

still... very solid. held together these 2x4s enough for me to assemble my first woodworking project, a pair of simple, stackable sawhorses.

hey! they're level too! by themselves AND to each other!

 

[schematix]

I've learned my lesson the hard way that it's not worth buying less than DeWalt.

 

[Jwin]

got these. the bar is metal, the clamps are metal and the only plastic is the clamp faces & the handle

they are solid

and no ****... $3 for the 6 inch, $4 for the 12

https://www.harborfreight.com/6-in-quick-release-bar-clamp-62239.html

That's the ones.
The handles will shear straight off.
The only part of the handle that is truly anchored to the clamp is the base of the handle. Damn near sliced into my palm.
From there it's just the soft rubber/plastic crap.
In all fairness, I was using it to hold one 4x4 lateral to one vertical. Probably asking to much of it. I built this by myself and 4 of those clamps

View attachment 1502924869409.jpg

 

[Jwin]

Just realized how out of level it looks in that photo
I have a 3°pitch on the upper level so water doesn't stand on it, nothing like what it looks like
Must have been the angle or something

 

[GrogNerd]

Look at you, & look at me and my rinkydink sawhorses

Probably the most force I'll ever have exerting on those things, joining 2x4s. Mostly be using them to glue some cutting boards & jigs

Structures & furniture are a little ambitious for me right now... shiny new as I am

 

[z-bob]

Literally the best $15 I've ever spent on a tool: HF 6" digital caliper. Every man should own one, seriously.

Yup. And the "Pittsburgh" combination wrenches are surprisingly good. The cheap scissors and screwdrivers are worth having; scatter them all over the house so you can leave your good ones locked safely away somewhere.

 

[MaxStout]

Look at you, & look at me and my rinkydink sawhorses

Probably the most force I'll ever have exerting on those things, joining 2x4s. Mostly be using them to glue some cutting boards & jigs

Structures & furniture are a little ambitious for me right now... shiny new as I am

Those HF clamps will always have a place in your wood shop. I have a few, myself, along with a bunch of the light-duty Jorgensens. They're great any time you need moderate pressure, like face-gluing small boards, holding something in place until you can shoot nails into it, etc.

When you get into the big projects, it's nice to have a bunch of big pipe clamps. No matter how good your joinery is, you will encounter a time when that carcase just doesn't pull together, or you want to edge-glue a bunch of boards into a table top.

You can never have too many clamps.

 

[mirthfuldragon]

Yup. And the "Pittsburgh" combination wrenches are surprisingly good. The cheap scissors and screwdrivers are worth having; scatter them all over the house so you can leave your good ones locked safely away somewhere.

And tape measures. I was losing them all the time. Now I have 9 of them, and I only lose them sometimes.

 

[b-boy]

I've learned my lesson the hard way that it's not worth buying less than DeWalt.

Yup Just picked this up a few days ago to replace the HF drill. Mixing thinset is as easy as whipping cream.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/DEWALT-1-2-in-Corded-Hammer-Drill/3032367

 

[argentcorvid]

Literally the best $15 I've ever spent on a tool: HF 6" digital caliper. Every man should own one, seriously.

They're ok. Mine feel like they dragged them through the sandbox as part of the manufacturing process. Still better than trying to eyeball with a measuring tape though.

 

[augiedoggy]

I've learned my lesson the hard way that it's not worth buying less than DeWalt.

Yeah I have a couple DeWalt drills sitting in my garage... Replacement batteries are priced pretty ridiculously. So much so a new drill was the better vaue. They are obsolete now with the newer lithium drills today.. along with the two Ryobi 18v drills one craftman, a 9.6 Makita and even an old Milwaukee..all sitting in a cabinet since myself or my father bought them because I haven't brought myself to recycle them yet.. I did buy some aftermarket batteries for the Ryobi which work ok but not as well as the newer lithium drills that run on the 3.7v laptop style cells.

No doubt there's better tools out there but again it really depends on the owner and thier priorities and use.
Ironically I have a 110v DeWalt variable drill and I found it wouldnt work well to drill my stainless kettles because it was too touchy as far as speed control and ruined the step bit. had to use the Ryobi in screw mode which cut like butter at the right rpm.

 

[schematix]

Yeah I have a couple DeWalt drills sitting in my garage... Replacement batteries are priced pretty ridiculously. So much so a new drill was the better vaue. They are obsolete now with the newer lithium drills today.. along with the two Ryobi 18v drills one craftman, a 9.6 Makita and even an old Milwaukee..all sitting in a cabinet since myself or my father bought them because I haven't brought myself to recycle them yet.. I did buy some aftermarket batteries for the Ryobi which work ok but not as well as the newer lithium drills that run on the 3.7v laptop style cells.



No doubt there's better tools out there but again it really depends on the owner and thier priorities and use.

Ironically I have a 110v DeWalt variable drill and I found it wouldnt work well to drill my stainless kettles because it was too touchy as far as speed control and ruined the step bit. had to use the Ryobi in screw mode which cut like butter at the right rpm.

Battery issues are not unique to any mfr. they are all 3rd party supplied.

Best thing with dewalt is to buy the 3 or 4 pack on Black Friday special. Throw out the old perfectly good tools and get new ones with new batteries.

 

[Pkrd]

They're ok. Mine feel like they dragged them through the sandbox as part of the manufacturing process. Still better than trying to eyeball with a measuring tape though.

Mine seems to need a new battery every time I go to use it.

 

[GrogNerd]

sidewalk sale this weekend. already stopped by got a couple more clamps, a cheap tool bag (if I were still gigging, this would have been my fx pedal gig bag) and a heat gun

$20 total

 

[Jwin]

sidewalk sale this weekend. already stopped by got a couple more clamps, a cheap tool bag (if I were still gigging, this would have been my fx pedal gig bag) and a heat gun

$20 total

All good to have.
The stepped drill bits are good to have laying around as well as the pneumatic accessory kit.
A couple of cheap levels, cause you have to try real hard to make a level that doesn't work. Can it fall down three stories, maybe not. None the less.
I try to take one of the free flashlight or free tape measure coupons each time I go, cause you can never have enough of either.

 

[TheLostBeer]

I've learned my lesson the hard way that it's not worth buying less than DeWalt.

Eh Milwaukee has some very good stuff too, and yet to see a electric tube cutter by dewalt, for what dewalt does t have I have in Milwaukee... those are the 2 I stick with primarily, but rigid which is owned by HD has a lifetime warranty on their batteries.. so really depends what you looking for..


On with the op, was at HF today and looking to get there woodworking table and make that my new brew table, for the time being.

 

[SaltPig]

Recent experience: Do not attempt to use the Harbor Freight knockout punches on stainless steel kettles. I very nearly ruined one of mine trying to punch a hole using them. In fairness, it is only rated for 10 gauge mild steel, so I was exceeding the spec. The HF Step bits saved the day and drilled all the required holes in all three kettles without any apparent damage to the bits.

 

[crane]

Recent experience: Do not attempt to use the Harbor Freight knockout punches on stainless steel kettles. I very nearly ruined one of mine trying to punch a hole using them. In fairness, it is only rated for 10 gauge mild steel, so I was exceeding the spec. The HF Step bits saved the day and drilled all the required holes in all three kettles without any apparent damage to the bits.

I've used my harbor freight punch set to make over 2 dozen holes in various keggles and kettles for myself and others. I also used it to punch out 23 holes on my mild steel control panel. It's showing some signs of wear after all that use, but I certainly wouldn't tell people not to use them.

 

[augiedoggy]

I've used my harbor freight punch set to make over 2 dozen holes in various keggles and kettles for myself and others. I also used it to punch out 23 holes on my mild steel control panel. It's showing some signs of wear after all that use, but I certainly wouldn't tell people not to use them.

I also punched holes in some mighty thick steel for my control panel without issues... just be sure the hole size is correct as Ive heard the sizes are for conduit.

 

[augiedoggy]

Battery issues are not unique to any mfr. they are all 3rd party supplied.

Best thing with dewalt is to buy the 3 or 4 pack on Black Friday special. Throw out the old perfectly good tools and get new ones with new batteries.

They are priced by the company who brands the tool regardless of who makes the tool or battery... You pay for marketing and the brand. This is why a 2 pack of replacement batteries is $120 at lowes for an old dewalt 18v drill and a 2 pack of oem 18v batteries for a ryobi is like $50... crack either one open and you find the same battery cells inside...
Dewalt which is owned by stanley tools (also owns craftman) is just another marketing name along with porter cable, delta, bostich ands others these days which are all owned by black and decker... and who is selling more and more chinese goods with these once american name brand labels on them.... Hitachi also makes some stuff to be sold with their various brandings as well.

did you know Chervon owns skil? That one struck me as kind of odd... I also didnt know that My ryobi tools are made By TTI... the same folks who own Milwaukee and a bunch of other brand names to sell under.

 

[argentcorvid]

Recent experience: Do not attempt to use the Harbor Freight knockout punches on stainless steel kettles. I very nearly ruined one of mine trying to punch a hole using them. In fairness, it is only rated for 10 gauge mild steel, so I was exceeding the spec. The HF Step bits saved the day and drilled all the required holes in all three kettles without any apparent damage to the bits.

My HF step drills didn't get hardened or something, they each worked the first time I made a cut in some sheet metal, and now they are duller than a butter knife.

 

[schematix]

My HF step drills didn't get hardened or something, they each worked the first time I made a cut in some sheet metal, and now they are duller than a butter knife.

That's normal for HF. Use it once and throw away.

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

I used hedge trimmer for the first time the other day. For light weight trimming its probably fine. It got stuck twice on a 3/4ish branch. It instantly started to smoke the second it bound up and smelled like burnt electric if you know what I mean. I'm assuming its going to die in short order as its literally half smoked.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...0.html&usg=AFQjCNFCL8WiHADVcvUmc4PkIoNIpg1TjQ