Best of Harbor Freight!

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: I will be going to get a dayglow orange 20 ton press one of these days.

There was a coupon on those just a little bit ago... Coupon made the press $149....

http://www.harborfreight.com/3-8-eighth-inch-double-sided-rotary-spot-weld-cutter-95343.html

The spot weld remover actually works very well.... and has lasted for a long time! I was worried it would go dull in a few cuts, but has lasted for about 30 so far, and its reversible with another blade.

Not the disc I used, but the one that bolts onto the angel grinder. VERY good and fast at stripping paint and only $6 ($10 at OSH).

aircooled wrote: http://www.harborfreight.com/3-8-eighth-inch-double-sided-rotary-spot-weld-cutter-95343.html The spot weld remover actually works very well.... and has lasted for a long time! I was worried it would go dull in a few cuts, but has lasted for about 30 so far, and its reversible with another blade.

Totally agree with this. I spent a not insignificant amount of money on an eastwood one when they were the hot new thing and all 6 of the cutters crumbled before I had the core support off of a Rabbit. I decided that they were all junk. A few years later I see one for 2.99 at HF and was all. What a POS I should buy one and record it breaking and do a blog review so folks will know they are crap. That damn thing is still going 4 years later and I am not sure I have even flipped the cutter.

Can someone please tell me why not one, but both of the ball foot air chucks I've purchased from Harbor Freight over the past 10 years or so will NOT work on a standard Shrader valve? I've had the things apart, and for the life of me, can't figure why it won't work. Only thing I come up with is that the metal stem in the valve is too long and won't allow air into the valve after fully opening it?

I need to get one of those spotweld cutters. I went with the 26 dollar option from Eastwood just yesterday after reading the reviews on the reversible type discussed above. Can the H-F one be better than the Eastwood one?

figured I'd give it one more reminder if anyone has a 20% off code, I could sure use it today.

Or even a 10% off other than SPRING10 which isn't working...

1988RedT2 wrote: Can someone please tell me why not one, but both of the ball foot air chucks I've purchased from Harbor Freight over the past 10 years or so will NOT work on a standard Shrader valve? I've had the things apart, and for the life of me, can't figure why it won't work. Only thing I come up with is that the metal stem in the valve is too long and won't allow air into the valve after fully opening it? I need to get one of those spotweld cutters. I went with the 26 dollar option from Eastwood just yesterday after reading the reviews on the reversible type discussed above. Can the H-F one be better than the Eastwood one?

http://www.harborfreight.com/air-tools/specialty-air-tools/dual-chuck-tire-inflator-68272.html
i just bought this thing and trashed the whole pressure gauge assy, I'm using only the stalk and it is working well. chuck the gauge and trigger part of it because the gauge is literally like 15 psi off.
I've had the same bad results as you with both HF and northern ball foots.

corytate wrote: I've had the same bad results as you with both HF and northern ball foots.

Yeah, and that has me scratching my head. How can a company produce what appears to be a proper ball foot and make it so it is completely useless? I mean, it's not like it's high-tech or anything. It's hard to have a lot of confidence in your H-F purchase if they can't make something as basic as an air chuck.

1988RedT2 wrote:

corytate wrote: I've had the same bad results as you with both HF and northern ball foots.

Yeah, and that has me scratching my head. How can a company produce what appears to be a proper ball foot and make it so it is completely useless? I mean, it's not like it's high-tech or anything. It's hard to have a lot of confidence in your H-F purchase if they can't make something as basic as an air chuck.

QFT
HF is extremely hit or miss. one of my screwdrivers broke from being inside my matco box, in one of the proper holes for screwdrivers, when I rolled it across a parking lot to the nissan dealership I now work at. It didn't even jounce around that much, I still have no idea how it happened lol
and yet, a seemingly more complicated tool, and much more at-risk-of-breakage tool, a 25" breaker bar with a swivel head, has had all of my weight hanging from it to break loose a nut on the rear of a chrysler for an alignment.
some stuff has been amazing and worth 5x what I paid for it, some of it hasn't even been worth the gas money to go pick it up from the store.

Their Ultrasonic Cleaners, i'm declaring a bust.

Bought the smaller one today on sale for $30.

Too harsh for jewelry, (removes ALL dirt! And the stones in the jewelry, but who's counting?) but isn't strong enough to clean up bolts. Well... it MIGHT be, but it will only run for 3 minutes at a time, which isn't enough.

I'm returning it tomorrow.

I did also buy the 5lb Vibratory Tumbler and 5lbs of Resin rust cutting media for bolts. We'll see how that works. used 20% off coupon, walked out with it for $52 including 2 year replacement.

Also purchased today: 37 piece impact socket set for $25. 60 piece tap/die set for $30. Neat little toolkit in a zipper soft thingy for $15 that will go in the car. Have to go back and get 3 more.

Oh, and i got a free flashlight!

How come HF dropped their ads in The Mag? I miss those. I always used the coupons from GRM, just 'cause, ya know.

I bought one of these:

a long time ago and it still works. Gauge is fairly accurate too, for that matter.

I have the HF 7 inch variable speed polisher/sander. I think it retails for around $30. Funny thing was it came with an extra set of brushes.

Used it on multiple cars and it works fantastic but looks like the second set of brushes is just about done for.

So ill just find some that will work and it'll be back in action.

Love hf stuff, really have never had anything not worth what i payed.

The only thing I've ever bought from them was an OBD-II code reader. Didn't expect it to work, or to not work well. It did. So I can recommend those. Otherwise, I follow the advice of our maintenance guy at work: "If you're going to use it less than every 6 months, buy it from Harbor Freight."

ronholm wrote: Ok... stuff that fails IMO pneumatic tools. Come on... the exception is when a super coupon comes along.. and something which is normally 30+ dollars is on sale for 10 or less... I have picked up a couple that way.. They have all performed better than my low expectations. I hate cheap screwdrivers.. even when buying them a ridicuoulously cheap prices

The air angle grinder is the E36 M3. I have used that thing forever. Also cheap screwdrivers= pry bars/ chisels.

One thing I can recommend against is the long needle nose plyers. The damn things rusted sitting in my dorm room.

Anybody use the old-school strut spring compressers? The screw-and-hook type, not the hinged type.

As much as I like most of HF's stuff, I'm a little iffy on trusting Chinese steel when it's keeping a spring from impacting my soft and damagable bits.

I've used 'em, they're fine.

Just take your time. If it feels uncomfortable, it most likely is.

93EXCivic wrote: One thing I can recommend against is the long needle nose plyers. The damn things rusted sitting in my dorm room.

Considering what goes on in the dorms, consider yourself lucky that nothing else rusted.

ultraclyde wrote: Anybody use the old-school strut spring compressers? The screw-and-hook type, not the hinged type. As much as I like most of HF's stuff, I'm a little iffy on trusting Chinese steel when it's keeping a spring from impacting my soft and damagable bits.

Been using them for 20 years. They work fine. Take your time and ensure they are positioned properly as you compress.

Do they stack coupons? IE Free ____ with any purchase used in conjuction with 20% off?

My c clamp broke after a few years of use, mainly just compressing brake pistons for pad changes too wonder if they'll replace it.

DuctTape&Bondo wrote: Do they stack coupons? IE Free ____ with any purchase used in conjuction with 20% off?

You can use as many coupons as you want. You just can't use more than one coupon per item.

When i was there yesterday i used about 8 coupons, and the savings on my receipt totaled out to $127.83.

I have shopped at HF for so long and used so many coupons I didn't renew my club membership because I pretty much have everything I need to buy from them and the 20% coupons will do me just fine in the coming years.

ultraclyde wrote: Anybody use the old-school strut spring compressers? The screw-and-hook type, not the hinged type. As much as I like most of HF's stuff, I'm a little iffy on trusting Chinese steel when it's keeping a spring from impacting my soft and damagable bits.

I had a set, used them once, lent them out and they came back stripped. Not sure if it was the lendee or the tool, my guess a little of both.

Mine stripped after my last use.. but got my money out of them - used them to replace 4 or 5 sets over the past 10 years..

I was about to piss and moan about how the nearest one is an hour and a half away, then I search for locations and find there is one close to me. It is at the end of the nearest shopping center, the one I was at earlier today. E36 M3.

Well, my next day off is payday.