Hazard Frought Tools...

[Shran]

My hand tools are a mix of GearWrench, Craftsman, Gray Pneumatic and a few random snap-on/HF/Matco/Mac/Kobalt. I buy GearWrench as often as I can - they are not exactly cheap but are owned by the same place that makes Matco tools - and a lot of them are identical.

Certain HF air tools are not bad. The reddish/orange Earthquake ones in particular - I have the 1/2 and 3/8 drive impacts and 3/8 air ratchet - LOVE them and I use them way more than the average home mechanic would. In fact I had Ingersoll Rand and Snapon impacts before and sold them off because the HF ones performed so much better.

I have the ball joint tool too - probably have been using it for 10 years or so. It's OK. I bent it but it still works. I'm in the market for a better one - I bet I've done 50 or more ball joints with it though.

I also have their little 80 amp DC inverter welder - that thing kicks ass. I use my Miller 211 in the shop but if I need to weld anywhere else, that little stick welder will just about fit in your pocket and welds real nice too.

I think I am definitely a tool whore and I usually buy good stuff - 90% of it has come from pawn shops and yard sales though. I would be broke and living in a culvert if I bought all my stuff new.

 

[delaware74b]

I have their ac vacuum pump, ball joint press, brake caliper tool, inner tie rod tools. All work for their application. I also picked up their 1/2" drive Torx bits in regular and impact. I got those this morning after my fuel pump died -at the gas pump-. Pulled the bed bolts with no problems.

 

[adsm08]

I have their ac vacuum pump, ball joint press, brake caliper tool, inner tie rod tools. All work for their application. I also picked up their 1/2" drive Torx bits in regular and impact. I got those this morning after my fuel pump died -at the gas pump-. Pulled the bed bolts with no problems.

I have their Venturi AC pump. I wouldn't use it if I did AC a lot, but for charging my own stuff once or twice a year it isn't bad, especially for $20.

I read the reviews before buying it, and it was pretty funny, two guys were arguing back and forth whether a venturi unit could actually pull an AC system into a proper vacuum or not. One guy was convinced that it would not be able to achieve a proper 30 in Hg, but according to my gauges it does that just fine. I sucked the Expedition down with it last summer and it held 30 in for two full days before I charged it.

 

[Curious Hound]

I usually say HF is fine if you're smart enough to make good decisions. I have a mix of old Craftsman, Snapon, Marco, Mac, Klien, etc. I like to have good tools so I don't have to keep buying replacements. But for something to do one job or rare occasional use, the cheaper tools are sometimes ok. You have to know what you're buying and how you plan on using it. I have bought and used enough tools over the years that I can usually look at the HF stuff and figure out if it's good enough for me.

My wife's uncle goes in and picks up a free meter or tape measure every chance he gets. They're all over the place. But I always walk past those and get the Fluke out of my toolbox. I know it's accurate, durable and is engineered with my safety in mind. And I'm not sure that an inch is always a real inch on those tape measures. I want accurate measurements, even with a tape measure. And don't get me started on their drill bits and cutting blades. I once bought a set of drill bits there and at least half of them were ground off-center. A 1/4" bit would drill a 3/8" hole even if you used it in a drill press. Yuk!

But disposable rubber (nitrile) gloves, cheap paint brushes and acid brushes, pneumatic couplers, box cutters, spring clamps and things like that. They're the place to go for that stuff.

 

[97ranger xlt]

i got a cheapo basin wrench from them the other day it did the job i had to do for 5$ cost and i got a free
tarp lol..

 

[swynx]

my favorite thing from harbor freight has to be that 301 piece "mechanics" tool set. aside from wrenches it has almost everything you would need to fix anything on the side of the road. i bought one just to move into whatever vehicle we take out of town. its way better using that organized thing that has almost everything i need, when im at the pull n save, rather than hunting thru a bag full of crap, or sockets that fall off the rails because stuff hits them. it goes from sizes like 4 to 32, really small to like 1 1/2" has all the torq, e bits, h bits, you would generally need. ive only broken one thing in 5 years, and that was the 1/4" ratchet.

speaking of ratchets, i also really like there extendable ratchets, they break every so often but there cheap enough i have 2, and a drawer with spare parts and they swap them out without questions.

 

[adsm08]

I like those free meters they have to keep in the truck. My truck tool box doesn't lock, so I try not to keep anything of any real value in there. Those HF meters aren't great, but when you break down with electrical problems they are better than licking a paper clip and saying "Well that tastes like its only 4 volts."

Then I can keep the Blue Point and the Power Probe locked up at home in the good toolbox.