tlister67

Pass: chicago electric rotory buffer, the orange one. Have used on multiple jobs and is still going
Pass: microfiber cloths
Fail: pittsburg ratchet wrenches, never seem to fit due to head size
Pass: fuel pressure testing set, has gauge and various connections
Pass: 1 person brake bleeder
Pass: ball joint separator (press not fork type)

danglerb

Link to the mother thread, over 4k posts and frequent updates on Garage Journal.
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/s...ad.php?t=27192

HF, I still only use anything electrical as a last resort and with great care. This doesn't apply to Centech, which is a label brand, sticking their label on stuff others make, but usually pretty good.

HF is not consistent, good this week, may not be good next week. Something like a welder or nail gun may work fine, but the supplied wire or nails be awful. I've heard the welding wire at HF made in Italy is good.

JHowell37

Pass: (99849) Ball Joint Separator. Works on tie rod ends as well. On the 928 tie rods and ball joints don't stand a chance with this thing. It breaks them apart without damage. Worked on the ball joints and tie rods on my truck which were much larger and tougher.

Pass: (31277) 7 Piece Body and Fender Set. Body hammers and dollies. Not perfect, but not junk. For DIY body repair, they get the job done. Can't really ask for more than that when you look at the prices and the alternatives.

Pass: (98357) Stud Welder Dent Repair Kit. Got mine a few years ago when they were still misspelling the label. Had one or two small cracks in the case due to rough handling in transit. Better examples are available, but for the price, it's great for DIY body repair.

Pass: (97143) 18 piece disc brake pad and caliper set. Works great. I broke mine while trying to screw in a piston on a caliper that had seized. I put a lot of force through it before it failed. If the caliper hadn't been seized, I wouldn't have had a problem.

alabbasi

I have a HF within 1/2 mile of me so I buy from there often. Most of the hand tools are OK except for line wrenches which will round seized nuts. Most air tools are OK, most electrical tools are not.

The biggest problem with it is that the quality control is hit and miss but it's so cheap that it's almost disposable. If you want a well stocked garage for not a lot of money, it's a good place to go, but I wouldn't buy a parachute from them.

dr bob

HF has a three-piece set of flex-head stubby ratchets that get used all the time here. Often on sale for less than $10. Fine-toothed ratchet mechanism, and the stubby end is just hand-sized.

They also have a 1/2"-drive extendable-handle ratchet that is pretty handy. If something is a little stiffer than I expect, I just adjust the length a bit to gain some leverage. The similar combo 3/8-1/4 drive unit is OK, but the head is thicker with the opposing drive stub always sticking out. Not sure why I would need a 16"-long 1/4"-drive ratchet anyway.

GlenL

Impact driver: FAIL

Seized on the second blow. I still use the bits that came with it, though.

1/2" Impact sockets: PASS

Still haven't broken one of those metric sockets. My impact wrench is a "medium" size, though.


It is funny that some people love HF while other people hate Sears Craftsman. I guess it's the expectations going in or experience background.

dcrasta

The gauges all had fault orings for me, however once I replace the orings they worked great.

dcrasta

39178-0VGA 450 lb tranny jack: PASS Held the Transmission/TorqueTube/Front bellhousing with no problem. 1/2 worm drive height adjustment held up to air tools.

Item#68051 2 Ton Lightweight Aluminum Racing Jack With Rapid Pump® PASS. fits under car without any problem. Will lift to 18-1/2 and weights less than 50 pounds. Very useful.

Item#95272 700 Lbs. Capacity Five Drawer Tool Cart: PASS : Locking upper drawer, thick sheet metal. THis is nicer than my friends snap on cart,and with a coupon I purchased it for 100 bucks new. Strong Recommend.

EspritS4s

In general, the HF tool chests are great. Why do you feel this one is better than the others? This one is 2X the cost of the 44" chest, which I would suggest is the best value. I'll be buying another roller tool cabinet soon, which is I'm asking.

danglerb

Wider drawers bump the cost a bunch, the slides and drawers have to be much stronger for the greater weight and size. I tend to agree though, the 44 is maybe the better value, but if you need the wider drawers, value isn't the prime issue.

Its also good to track the prices or ask people who do, so you buy at the "real" sale price.

heinrich

X2. I have a 44 and find its mechanism to be far superior to the cheaper black sets they also sell.

EspritS4s

Yes, I bought the 44" for $329 back when you could still use their 20% (25%?) off coupons on their tool cabinets. I don't think you can buy them at that price anymore.

EspritS4s

I agree. The black sets do not have ball bearing slides which is a non-starter for me. Plus they aren't as well made in general (thinner gauge metal).

alabbasi

I did the same, I went in to get the top tool chest but came to find out that 20% coupon no longer applies. Sometimes Costco has good deals on tool boxes. I bought a top and bottom that was about the same size (Stanley brand) for about $500, which I paid for using the rewards from my club membership.

If you're planning to install a lift, get their SDS hammer drill. It can drill through concrete like it was ply wood. Which is a job that would usually burn up motors on their lower quality drills.

http://www.harborfreight.com/3-in-1-...mer-97743.html

vetter59

I have had fairly good success with Harbor Frieght Tools- Pass- General 5hp dual stage 60 gallon tank air compresser, I bought this on sale, and with a 20 percent off coupon about 5yrs ago, for about $500.00 works great, never any issues. Pass- General- heavy duty roll-a-way with xtra side drawer box, with another 15 percent coupon and sale price, about 400.00 for main box and 200.00 for side box- good sliders and heavy gauge metal, nice wheels w/grease fittings not as big or deep as a my big Mac box but a fraction of the cost and good quality. Red wrinkle paint finish. Pass- 90 degree die grinder - use it all the time with no issues. Pass - HVLP paint gun, purple anodized body w/ white plastic cup, inexpensive and if kept clean -spray's good - I use to spray primers. I save my good SATA gun for final finishing. Pass- Auto dark Welding helmut-works great for the price-about 50.00. Pass -lightweight aluminum low profile floor jack -1yr old so far so good, although does not go up real high -good for small jobs. Pass - metric "gear wrench" rachet combination wrenchs- shorties, seem to work fine. Pass -leather welding gloves-low cost, work fine. Pass -large engine cherry picker -I used this only a couple times but works good and very stable -folds for storage.
Fail- large strap wrench- broke first time I used it. Small slide hammer kit- various attachments have either broke or bend easy making it worhless. Fail- 1/2 drive pnuematic socket set, several have cracked or split when used with a impact gun. Fail- scribe -hook set- bend to easiliy. Fail -screw driver set- tips break or deform easily.