good luck on ____ at harbor freight...

zukiscott · Jul 1, 2013

I buy ALL my cut off disks,grinder disks,flap discs,heavy sockets, and big wrenches from HF :dblthumb:

Never bought no electric tools from there yet though :dunno:

paparker21 · Jul 1, 2013

Re: Re: good luck on ____ at harbor freight...

I'm 0/2 on their flare nut wrenches holding up. Been the 10mm both times. Also their ratchet wobble fittings fail on me. Pneumatics are a joke the 130 ft lbs impact generates less than 80 ft lbs and the die grinders get bogged down very easily. Decent way to start, but you're going to pay for your savings with sweat...

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TBItoy · Jul 1, 2013

Them 4 drawer roll-around mechanic carts are nice, and are usually on sale for $99.

Big sockets, big wrenches, etc

Anything that is "Pittsburgh Professional" is usually good quality.

I NEVER buy anything there without using a 20-25% off coupon, or the coupon for the item itself.

The oscillating/vibrating multi function cut-off tool makes a badass tire groover.

I've had good luck with their new "Badlands" winches too.

The step bits (drill bits) are great too, especially for $7 for the 3 pack of smaller ones, and $10 for the 2 pack of big ones (great for stepping up holes in brackets/tabs)

Oh, and for cut-off wheels, grinding discs, flap discs, etc go to Lehigh Valley Abrasives. They are a manufacturer that sells direct through their website and it is CHEAP.

patooyee · Jul 2, 2013

TBItoy said:
Oh, and for cut-off wheels, grinding discs, flap discs, etc go to Lehigh Valley Abrasives. They are a manufacturer that sells direct through their website and it is CHEAP.

WOW! You aren't joking! Thank you for that!

I had a HF cutting wheel explode on me once. Shrapnel went through my shirt in several places, cut my face in several spots. I was wearing protective glasses and I remember feeling and hearing pieces bounce off of them. It was a brand new disc and the instant it touched the metal it just blew in a cloud of dust like a damn grenade in my hand. I never used a HF cutting or grinding disc again.

I have 3 grinders that I use at the same time. I keep a grinding disc on one, a cutting disc on another, and a flap disc on the third to save me time switching. I used to buy the cheap HF grinders for the cutting wheel since it doesn't require that much power, but I went through 2 in about 8 months. I switched to the cheapest Lowe's unit, its red, I forget the brand, and its about the same price as the HF ones I was buying. It has lasted a lot longer.

Neal3000 · Jul 2, 2013

I've had bad luck with their cutting disks and grinding disks too, they seem to last about half as long as what i get from home depot.

matth_85 · Jul 2, 2013

I have a floor style trans. jack from HF and have no complaints with it. Think I got it for around $100-150

TBItoy · Jul 2, 2013

Neal3000 said:
I've had bad luck with their cutting disks and grinding disks too, they seem to last about half as long as what i get from home depot.

Try some Lehigh Valley stuff next time, I'm pretty sure they are making the stuff for Home Depot.

They have some COOL grinding discs too, like ones specifically for stainless (they literally last forever grinding mild steel, pretty aggressive though), and ones for aluminum that won't clog up.

I have a 7.5" grinder for the big work and a huge wire wheel for it, 3 4.5" grinders (1 flap wheel, 1 slitter wheel, and one resin fiber disc), plus 2 90* air die grinders that I keep a gasket stripper roloc disc, and a 2" mini flap disc on.

If you've never used this style of disc, it's worth trying.
Use these discs,
http://www.lehighvalleyabrasives.com/servlet/the-Resin-Fiber-Discs/Categories
with this backer/holder
http://www.lehighvalleyabrasives.com/servlet/the-312/4-dsh-1-fdsh-2%22-Resin-Fiber-Disc/Detail

They are dirt cheap, and leave a nice finish like a flap disc, but can be used a bit more aggressively.

Oh, and these "clean and strip" discs are bad-ass for stripping paint
http://www.lehighvalleyabrasives.com/servlet/the-Clean-%26-Strip-Discs/Categories

Neal3000 · Jul 2, 2013

My chop saw is from HF and it has been going strong for about 5-6 years

We built about 3 cages with one of their notchers, but hated every second of it

The Luke · Jul 2, 2013

Re: Re: good luck on ____ at harbor freight...

I'm on my fourth $10 grinder from there. The button on the top of them eventually breaks. I bought the warranty though and got it replaced every time.

I've been running their winches for about 6 yrs, no complaints at all.

Steele3 · Jul 2, 2013

I've been using one of the Chicago electric cordless impacts for a year or so now. The battery dosent last as long as it used to, but its still really nice to have in he tool bag for working away from the shop. With the coupon it cost 90 I think.. I was really impressed with it, figured it would be dead by now. Not got the torque of the name brands, but will usually pull lugs off most anything with a hot battery.
The reamer bits are also cheap and held up to some good use.

Neal3000 · Aug 4, 2013

Don't waste your money on their grill brush, this is after 3-4 uses :-[

smurfy90 · Aug 4, 2013

Roarksupply.com for all your flap wheels cut of wheels. Everything they have is awesome. Also type in GRIT in coupon spot for a discount

TBItoy · Aug 4, 2013

smurfy90 said:
Roarksupply.com for all your flap wheels cut of wheels. Everything they have is awesome. Also type in GRIT in coupon spot for a discount

Roark is the same as Lehigh Valley Abrasives, but about 15-25% more expensive

bgredjeep · Aug 4, 2013

I've got one of the $15 grinders from HF that I've been abusing for years. Once it dies I'll upgrade but it doesn't seem to give up. I also have the porta-ban that's been great for years. I recently converted the saw to vertical and its even better.

Outside of those I've got the 2ton floor jack that lifts something like 23". So far so good. I also recently picked up the 44" tool box. I'm very please with that box for the money. It replaced a 10 yr old cheaper craftsman box. I'll be getting the top box soon as well

85toyo · Aug 4, 2013

I got the 4 drawer roll around toolbox on sale for $109 and its pretty nice for the money.

smbroady82 · Aug 5, 2013

We have a garage full of HF tools.... Jack stands, jacks, tool boxes, carts, a sh!t ton of hand tools, tons of lights, drill press, tons of misc
I've had great luck out of the cheap drills and bigger grinding wheel except for the cheap handles breaking off( replaced em w/ a big bolt, works fine) ,just use Roark discs and nicer bits
Anything that uses a ratchet is junk though.
Sometimes it's hard to pass up the sales

Bumpers · Aug 6, 2013

Re: Re: good luck on ____ at harbor freight...

Anyone tried hf battery chargers? I need a new one and was just gunna see if anyone had tried them. Also saw some jump boxes they had that look nice

leeman1790 · Aug 6, 2013

I buy safety glasses and face shields for next to nothing, toss em once the lenses get too scratched. I bought a roll around/small tool box from there I like. The jackstands are a no brainer. I had a chop saw I bought from there that lasted atleast 4 years before it wouldn't shut off and the motor was throwing sparks. I had
to retire it.

kkoepper · Aug 7, 2013

I've got a 4" grinder I bought years ago that has far outlasted my Makita. I've got a ton of stuff from there in my shop and, for the most part, am very happy with it. Tough to beat the price for something you're not using every day professionally.