The 24 Hours of Lemons Forums → Bench Racing → Harbor Freight Tools
What is the general consensus on the stuff harbor freight sells? There is a store by my house and I need things like dolly's, compresor, some airtools. Is their stuff just junk or is it good enough for the home user?
Our car was built with 90% HF tools. Serious wrenchers will talk crap on it, but it does just fine for my home mechanic work. I have only broken three HF tools in as long as I can remember, but there are several stores nearby to get a replacement if needed. I may not be so enthusiast if the physical store wasn't close by.
Another benefit is that their stuff is cheap enough that I don't feel bad about taking it to a race since it's inevitable that I'll lose a tool or three at a race.
Some of it is great, some of it is not, but pretty much all of it is cheap. That sentence works for Lemons cars too, actually...
We shattered a Harbor Freight half-inch drive T50 bit at the last race breaking loose the bolts to change a rear wheel bearing. Inconvenient, but we managed without it. I replaced it with Craftsman when I got home. I have many other Harbor Freight tools that are still working great.
Edit: Then again, there is that moment where your teammates ask you where you bought the tool that just broke, the lack of which severely hurts your chances of getting back on the track any time soon, and you have to own up...
It's a tough choice to make, but I still buy the cheap stuff when I think I can get away with it.
I am hating my Harbor Freight engine stand (wheels aren't round), but I got what I paid for.
I am hating my Harbor Freight engine stand (wheels aren't round), but I got what I paid for.
That kind of sums up harbor freight tools. Although my welding instructor swore by them, not that they were good but they stand by their warranty so he'd get the warranty if it was still working with a week to go he'd bang it around until it stopped and they'd give him a brand new one, which he would by the warranty on. He would use the tools on jobs that he didn't know everyone at so he wouldn't be that upset if they walked away.
I broke a Harbor Freight 20 ton press trying to remove wheel bearings for a Honda Accord. It was not very difficult.
But I also have used my twin-hammer "Earthquake" impact wrench a ton, including to remove and install crank bolts (181 lb-ft) with nothing but the best results.
So it's hit or miss, just pay attention to the way the tool looks and feels. The press looked like crap, the wrench felt like a nice tool.
Edit: forgot to add - do NOT buy their cheap cordless tools. You will regret it. 400 rpm max on the drill, you might as well be turning it by hand. My dad has a ton of HF tools, including the drill, and it's worse than not having one. I was trying to do some work for him and had to quit and make the trip home and back just to get my drill.
I am hating my Harbor Freight engine stand (wheels aren't round), but I got what I paid for.
Could this be a feature? Prevents accidental rolling away...
My cheapo HF air compressor (bought as a temporary substitute for the ancient-but-indestructible Sears compressor I haven't yet dragged out to my new home in Colorado) does work pretty well. Noisy as hell, but does the job.
We have a few cheapy power tools from them and have actually been suprised. Yet to have one fail... completely.
But the metals in their hand tools leave something to be desired and tolerance are not... exact.
OK I'm a tool snob!
Snap-on are what I proudly own.
However, I admit to buying my share of modestly priced tools.. And often being pleasantly surprised by their quaility.
Decades ago I bought a cheap air compressor from an outfit like Harbor Frieght.
That darn comprssor has worked so well and with so little maintinance it's earned my respect.
In fact when the big shop air compressor broke, I plugged that little 1/2 Hp compressor into it's tank and used only the little cheapy for a couple of weeks.
I still plug the 1/2 HP into the big tank when sand blasting or doing something that uses a lot of air..Adds a significant amount of time before I need to stop and let the compressor catch up..
That's not the only cheap tool that has earned it's place.
Harbor Frieght sells a cheap $5 stethescope. Perfect for detecting problems in engines. You can isolate exactly where the problem is and not go out on the track with a car that won't make it.. Use it to listen to alternator bearings, water pump bearings,.. knocks and other noises that will put you out before the race begins..
Absolutely the Best $5 you can spend..
Some things are worth spending money on - Snap-On flank drive wrenches, 1/4" drive metric impact wobble sockets, etc., and some things are worth going cheap - slide hammers, engine hoises and stands (make sure the wheels are round), etc. Two weeks ago I bought a valvespring compressor for $5. It didn't even get one valve done before it broke (cold weld that didn't hold). Oh well, guess I'll make my own.
I'm still using the same HF floor jack that my dad purchased when I was about 12 years old. I'm about to turn 31 and we've never changed the oil on it and I use it fairly frequently.
Despite maintaining a fleet of 5 cars, I just don't wrench enough to spend the money on Snap On. Craftsman or Husky is as high end as I'll go, and that's usually only if HF doesn't have what I need. *shrug*
So does HF have the same warranty that craftsman does? My problem is I bought a couple of craftsman sets, but now they are a mess (like literally I am a slob).
They have a lifetime warranty on hand tools. Not sure about the rest of their stuff.
One bad thing about HF is that they typically do not sell individual wrenches or sockets. So if you need a single, you'll have to buy a set or go elsewhere for a single. Often, their price for a whole set is similar to the price of a single elsewhere. But a few weeks ago, I needed a big socket for the front hub nut on our E30 and it was either a $50 set from HF or a $9 socket from Sears. Sears won.
The few times I've had to warranty a broken socket, they gave me a complete new set of sockets since they don't sell individuals, so I have a couple of spare sets now.
this looks pretty similar to the hand tools thread I conjured up about 6 months ago:
http://forums.24hoursoflemons.com/viewtopic.php?id=4916
that being said, I think HF is great for need it now for cheap/limited use tools. you have to keep in mind that things like their impact tools and some of their plug-in power tools are built in the same chinese plant that your typical porter cable and ingersol-rand stuff comes from. I have few of their "magnesium body" tools and they're really good for the price. good luck finding them though i think they found out it actually costs money to make them.
their "US General" tool boxes are made by the same people who do Craftsman tool boxes. I actually found their ball-bearing drawers fit and perform better than some of the cheap Kennedy boxes. Like these guys are saying, you can pick and choose with them and you can generally come away fairly happy.
I've got mostly Crafstman, which my mechanic friends ridicule (snap on snobs). However, when you're in Bumfuck Minnesota and break it, you can always find a Sears who will gladly replace it for you.
I've got HF impact sockets, and they work just fine. I don't do a whole lot of impact work, so that's why I went cheap.
if it's something I use often, I pay for the better stuff. If it's an oddball, I try HF.
There is nothing I hate more than to use cheap tools. They either break in the middle of a repair job, do damage to the fasteners, or simply feel like crap and/or don't function well. The only stuff I buy there are single-use disposable items or non-tool items. I have two sets of HF wheel dollies for winter storage and they function fine other than the horrid iron wheels and swivel castors that only swivel with no load.
My teammates have quite a few HF tools and they simply don't work well.
I've got two pair of the HF wheel dollies for that same use. The biggest thing in their favor is that if you look in many of the car mags, you'll find a good 20% off coupon and sometimes even better on that item. I think I paid like $30/pair for my wheel dollies on a couple of different sales. When I see basically the same thing advertised in car mags for $200 for 4 tires I just laugh and say Harbor Freight, beyotches!
So long as you recognize going into it that you're getting what you pay for with HF stuff, you can't be all that disappointed.
I have A HF impact wrench that I have done real bad things to and it still works great. On the other hand, I have a stripped out HF $60 vice on my bench right now so it's really hit and miss. One thing to avoid is their hose clamp assortment set, absolutely useless for anything.
I have A HF impact wrench that I have done real bad things to and it still works great. On the other hand, I have a stripped out HF $60 vice on my bench right now so it's really hit and miss. One thing to avoid is their hose clamp assortment set, absolutely useless for anything.
Had one of their Chicago Electric Impact Wrenches for about 7 years. Worked great up until I ran over it with the forklift, then not so much. I buy a pack of screwdrivers from them when I get there, primarily because it's easier to "modify" a $1 screwdriver for "as needed" uses than a more expensive one.
I keep the "more expensive" screwdrivers intact for the important jobs, meaning when the screw is really stuck, and the crap soft metal screwdriver won't work.
The big air compressor crapped out after about 7 months however, but by that time I had two giant ones instead so it didn't matter. Still, if I'd take the time out to run it back they'd replace it.
I have purchased at least two of their Lifan 4-stroke utility engines, one for a minibike and one for a generator. Provided you keep the oil changed and don't expect it to last forever, they work.
As it's been said, quality is hit-and-miss. If you buy the "cheap" stuff, don't be surprised if it fails.
-=Tom
I have some Craftsman and some HF tools. I've actually had crappy tools in both lots. Yes Snap-On tools are nice, but at $30 for one wrench most of us weekend mechanics can't afford them. If I worked on cars for a living I'd absolutely have them though.
The Craftsman 'lifetime warranty' on 'hand tools' can be misleading, in least in my case it was. The company I used to work for made large diameter FRP pipe and we had to pressure test it in some situations. Most of larger pipe sizes use bolts like 3/4" diameter and up. These bolts need a BIG torque wrench like a 3/4" drive so we bought one at the local Sears. After a two jobs it was broken so we took it back and we were told a torque wrench was NOT a hand tool! WTF? I'm thinking either it's a power tool or it's a hand tool right? According to them a tool with internal moving parts doesn't qualify for the lifetime warranty so we were SOL. We bitched about it and even called the corporate office but to no avail.
I broke a Harbor Freight 20 ton press trying to remove wheel bearings for a Honda Accord. It was not very difficult.
I'm betting You forgot to take out the circlip. We did that too on the Civic. Bu we used a 50 press (at work) and broke the bearing carrier. Blew the small retaining portion of the carrier off along with the circlip. Then the bearing came out fine, could have used my 12 ton press.
For things like chisels, abrasives, bearing removers, engine stands, punches, hammers, all the stuff where tolerances and quality materials don't really matter too much, my take is the stuff works pretty good.
but if you are buying something that needs good steel, like screw drivers, sockets and hand wrenches, or needs good tolerances like ratchet's, get something better like Snap-ON, S&K, Craftsman (USA), or MAC tools.
The upside is most of those come with good warranties and are pretty readily available everywhere in the USA. My vote is for Craftsman (USA). Good quality tools, not to expensive, and good warranty.
for Power tools or air drive tools, I'd stick with the major manufactures, my experience with the cheap stuff is its not worth it.
forgot to add - do NOT buy their cheap cordless tools. You will regret it. 400 rpm max on the drill, you might as well be turning it by hand. My dad has a ton of HF tools, including the drill, and it's worse than not having one. I was trying to do some work for him and had to quit and make the trip home and back just to get my drill.
I concur on this one. I bought a HF cordless drill set for $18 (what did I expect?) It was a complete POS and used it ONCE before I tossed it in the trash.
For cordless tools, Dewalt is hard to beat IMO. Theit tools ain't cheap, but their XR batteries hold up very well after tons of charge/discharge cycles. They also actually do fully charge in less than one hour as advertised. I have a 18V 1/2" drive Dewalt impact gun that I paid $350 for and it has been worth every penny.
dculberson wrote:I broke a Harbor Freight 20 ton press trying to remove wheel bearings for a Honda Accord. It was not very difficult.
I'm betting You forgot to take out the circlip. We did that too on the Civic. Bu we used a 50 press (at work) and broke the bearing carrier. Blew the small retaining portion of the carrier off along with the circlip. Then the bearing came out fine, could have used my 12 ton press.
Sadly no. A few good whacks with a mini sledge (using a big socket as a drift) and the bearing popped out.
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