Acceptable and Unacceptable Harbor Freight Tools

[NeedaE30]

One stripped nut in an out of the way spot will make you long for a Snap-on.

QFT. I sold my rolling snap on cab filled to the brim with snap on:puppy: now i have walmart and harbor freight garbage

though i must admit, the 2 ton low profile floor jack from harbor freight is great for the e30 and lifts it with ease

[bddog]

Had a pancake compressor burn up after three days of running it constantly with a leaking hose and three roofing nail guns. They replaced it with one I've had for years.
After having many tools stolen in my construction business I only purchase cheap. It hurts a lot less when they disappear.
I have a sawzall that has worked great for years. Tile saw is out back, works great.
I had a floor jack for years. It only gave out when I left it jacked up over nite, like a fool.They are so cheap I just replaced it, instead of even looking at the seals.
A large high beam flashlight only lasted only a day.
A battery powered 1/2" drill stripped out.
Cheap dremel, completely worthless. Good only for the attachments.
Battery charger, worth it.
Table saw, weak but works.
1 1/2HP router works good in the table.
Heat gun works good.
Battery powered caulker, been working for years.
Gear pullers strip very easy.
Spring compressor, always use two.
Cheap screw drivers. I only buy the magnetic ones.
Sliding chop saw. This tool is a little rough but I can make it work just fine.
Their standard impact wrench is only good for standard use, as is most of their air tools. You get what you pay for here.
One of my guys had a big chip come flying back at him from one of their framing hammers. Just a little blood.
I buy their wrenches for the tool sets in my vehicles. I prefer Craftsmen or better. One stripped nut in an out of the way spot will make you long for a Snap-on.

[UpstateMike]

I gotta make a trip to hf and grab some wobble extensions. Anyone have luck with them? Also need some jack stands.

[Hick]

Don't use their coil spring compressor. I had a set do 50% of the job...

[e30vert]

LOL at saying the drill stepped drill bits are junk. You realize you have to drill at the right speed for the material? I've used the same stepped bit to drill several thousand holes for my business.

Agreed! These step drills work excellent! Just used the larger one to drill out a 1 1/4" hole on some powdercoated 3/8" steel. Blue taped around the area that was being drilled so as to protect the surrounding surfaces . Then used a bit of oil on the step drill and drilled just fast enough to remove material so the step drill stayed cool. Drilled through like a champ with perfectly rounded and deburred holes. Thats another benefit to these as they "deburr" the hole as they drill.

[e304me]

LOL at saying the drill stepped drill bits are junk. You realize you have to drill at the right speed for the material? I've used the same stepped bit to drill several thousand holes for my business.

[Kozworth]

Anyone got some reviews on impact 3/8 or 1/2 inch swivels? Sorry I just cant read through all the pages to find them

[squidmaster]

did you guys get the cheapest one or what? they have 2 or 3 models of the engine stand.

I had my m30 on the one with the 2 front wheels (as apposed to the single wheel) and it never tipped.

The casters suck balls, but thats to be expected, really.

I didn't get the cheapest one because I wasn't going to be that guy. but I should have put out the extra for the four-wheel stand. My excuse is that it was a few years ago, and it was my first one, I didn't know!

[jpn]

Yeah, I'd vouch for this one, I used it on my VW mk4s front bearings, great tool!

Good:



The Front Wheel Bearing Adapters make doing the rear wheel bearings on the E30 a quick and painless job. The threaded rod that comes with it is a bit sketchy, but I had a machine shop turn down a new one for me. If your rear trailing arms are rusted to shit, I wouldn't even bother trying with the rod that it comes with because it will probably strip off.

Anyway, I think I got this thing for like $90 shipped with a 20% off coupon.

[chance]

did you guys get the cheapest one or what? they have 2 or 3 models of the engine stand.

I had my m30 on the one with the 2 front wheels (as apposed to the single wheel) and it never tipped.

The casters suck balls, but thats to be expected, really.

[squidmaster]

@bonobo the engine stand IS very sketchy. That's why I went ahead and got one from oriely, but that one had the same issues! The typical t-frame roller chassis obviously is a horrible design.

[UpstateMike]

This thread rocks!

[bonobo]

good:
piston ring compressor
3/8 drive ratchet
wire wheels
$2 flashlight
star head sockets
engine lift straps
harbor freight brand loctite
mallets
toolbox
adjustable wrenches
screwdrivers

bad:
piston ring pliers - useless in every single way imaginable
breaker bars - mine snapped while removing a crank bolt (no cheater bar), probably okay in lower torque situations
metric hardware set - Heads snap off with very little torque, avoid at all costs unless you enjoy drilling out busted bolts
load leveler - constant binding and flexing made my engine swap much more painful than it had to be
engine stand - while attached to my s50, tipped over VERY easily. Approach with extreme caution...

[UpstateMike]

I like my 3$ hf die grinder, my 5$ paint spray gun (use it for spraying rustoleum on car and truck frames as well as painting trailers), I dislike the aluminum floor jack. It has no nuts. And the impact sockets are garbage. Oh I forgot. The red auto darkening welding helmet is a bargain especially when you catch it on sale for 30 or 35$.

[squidmaster]

Good:
Chicago Angle grinder, extremely loud
Chicago 7in orbital buffer/sander, though it's quite loud
Electric impact gun- advertises 250ftlb torque, mine did 275 consistently. very handy
Bad:
18" belt sander- paper doesn't stray straight, and it's extremely loud. ended up borrowing a Ryobi that was perfect and half the volume