Rate the Harbor Freight Tools Thread- Pass or Fail?

Oh yeah!! I had a set of those torque-control wrenches from HF. Forgot all about them until I saw the photo up there.

Many of mine had the twist reversed though.
 
I recently picked up their 500 lb Hydraulic Lifting Table / Cart
It was around $130 with coupon and since the box was mangled and it was missing one of the bolts for one of the wheels, the manager gave it to me for $100.

It seems pretty sturdy, has nice hard urethane 'skateboard' casters that lock.
I wish it was a few inches higher so it would be even with the tailgate on my SUV, but it's saved my back several times already.
I lifted the column and head of my Clausing mill onto the base with it and it handled the load just fine.
 
HF 10inch 12speed Bench top Drill Press,
looked at the one in the store, Had nice Machined cast table, cast clamp on the post, metal adjustment handle, etc. Wife picked one up for me, and when I got it put together and looked at it I had to go back to the store and verify it was the same one, Pressed steel foot, Pressed steal table, poor quality pole clamp for the table, Plastic adjustment handle for the table, etc. The run out on the chuck was bad but not real bad and could have been corrected, but the slop in the table height adjustment was a killer, along with the fact I would have had a hard time bolting a vice to the table. Took it all back apart, wrapped it back in the bags, box etc, and she is taking it back. Even a Ryobi had better setup than that with better warranty, and such, but with only 5 speeds instead of 12. I guess I'm still looking for a new Drill press.
 
I have found if they are tools someone is going to use everyday not the best choice. If its something you use a once in awhile then some of the stuff is great.
 
A large amount of HF tools but most of them are old enough that the part numbers are differet now. If the number is different it isn't the same tool even if they do look the same. I'll try to only include those that are current.

18 Volt 3/8 In. Cordless Drill/Driver With Keyless Chuck, 21 Clutch Settings Item #68239/Item #69651 FAIL

1/2 In. Heavy Duty Variable Speed Reversible Drill Item #3273 PASS

1/2 In. Heavy Duty D-Handle Variable Speed Reversible Drill Item #69453 PASS

3/8 In. Heavy Duty Professional Magnesium Variable Speed Reversible Close Quarters Drill With Keyless Chuck
Item #95877 PASS

1/2" MT2 Mini-Lathe Drill Chuck Item #42340 PASS

12 In. Double-Bevel Sliding Compound Miter Saw With Laser Guide System Item #61969/Item #61970 PASS

5/16 In. X 25 Ft. Chain Coil
Item #47700 PASS

3/8 In. X 15 Ft. Chain Coil Item #47702 PASS

2 Ton Capacity Foldable Shop Crane
Item #69514/Item #60388 PASS

Automatic Battery Float Charger
Item #69955/Item #42292 FAIL

2/40/200 Amp 6/12V Manual Wheel Charger With Start(lated 20 minutes)
Item #62292/Item #69368 FAIL

7 In. X 10 In. Precision Benchtop Mini Lathe Item #93212 FAIL

Carbide Tipped Lathe Cutting Bits 10 Pk Item #2788 PASS

M2 High Speed Steel Mini Lathe Bits For Metalworking 5 Pc Item #40641 PASS

9 Speed Vertical Milling Machine Item #40939 PASS

4 in. x 36 in. Disc Sander Item # 97181 HALF PASS (I only wanted the belt sander so I'm happy but the disk drum has chunks missing)

6 Amp Heavy Duty Variable Speed Portable Band Saw Item # 47840 PASS(you really have to control cutting speed)

1500 Watt Dual Temperature Heat Gun 572°/1112° Item # 96289 PASS

40 Pc SAE & Metric Tap And Die Set/40 Pc Carbon Steel SAE Tap And Die Set (all item numbers)
Item #39391/Item #39391/Item #39384 FAIL
 
chipmunk said:
Assembly of the Harbor Freight Five Drawer Tool Cart
Before you even begin to think about the assembly of the Harbor Freight Five Drawer Tool Cart you should take about seven or eight Valiums then wait for 20 minutes before you begin to unpack the tool cart.

Don’t be fooled by the fact that you were the only person in the continental United States to get a packing crate with no holes or rips in the cardboard. That doesn’t mean a thing, you will find that the Chinese are very adept about shipping a product that appears to have survived a class five tornado with no outward scars on the box.

Once unpacked, you will be faced with a decision…”do I repack this piece of red **** and drive 120 miles back to Harbor Freight to exchange this abortion for another equally as bad abortion or chalk it up as a life experience and learn to live with your bad decision.

If you chose the latter, take three more pills than gather the following tools. An assortment of drift pins or tapered punches, a very large mallet, safety glasses, two pry bars, several clamps, various adjustable wrenches, at least eight Chinese ASA nut drivers (all ½ inch), eight Chinese ASA ½ inch deep sockets, you are going to wonder why you need eight nut drivers and sockets all in the same size…. The reason is simple enough….all Chinese ½ inch nuts are different sizes. Do the same thing again, this time in “Metric” because some of your ASA nuts will be metric.

Additionally you will need a large boom box or construction radio to muffle your language and screams from your neighbors or any small impressionable children. One box of Band-Aid Brand bandages and a roll of ace bandages also, additional valiums and you might consider a Lincoln Arc welder just in case. Lastly, some red touch up paint. (A small warning here, an athletic support with a steel cup may be a prudent purchase prior to assembly)

If you have the money you may want to consider hiring a professional to record your efforts on video for future generations to view as the crowning achievement of your life.

INSTRUCTIONS…… I know what you’re thinking, “I’m a man I don’t need to read instructions”. The truth is in this case it doesn’t matter. Read them if you want, disregard them if you desire, either way it’s not going to go together anyway.

Supposedly you are to start by attaching the castors to the bottom of the bottom tray. Should the tray be upright or upside down during this procedure? Again, it doesn’t matter. You are going to flip the tray about twenty times while attempting to hold the heavy castor in one hand while pressing a bolt through the misfit holes with the other and thumb tightening the nuts with your third hand. I’ll say this much for Chinese lock nuts, they are so precise they lock on the first half turn. I guess tightening them further is optional.

Assuming you’ve assembled all four castors to the tray bottom and been released from the hospital with at least one functioning hand, you may proceed to attach the four corner uprights to the tray bottom corners.

If you read the instructions, you will note that the manufacture has a sense of humor, where he states…”Caution, it is possible to assemble the uprights upside down” (no ****) What that statement really means is that you will be installing the uprights twice. (you may safely disregard the part about measuring the uprights)

Now this is the part where your heavy duty mallet and punch comes into play. (see photo) You will get some relief assembling the uprights in that you no longer must use lock nuts. Lock nuts are now replaced with extremely loose fitting nuts that thread very quickly once the bolt has been forced through both holes.

Once you’ve installed the uprights for the second time you can proceed to installing the four supports that support the box itself. The front and back supports are straightforward enough and require minimal adjustment with your hammer. The side supports are another matter. The instructions show the side supports resting on top or above the front and back supports. The only problem with that arrangement is that it won’t work that way because none of the holes line up. Whereas if you do it just opposite from the instructions at least some of the holes sort of line up some of the time.

Now that you are ready to drop the box itself into place you would think the hard parts done. No such luck. The box is fairly heavy and most people recommend getting some help from a friend or two. The problem with that approach is that at this stage of the assembly (because of your language and bad temper) no one will come near you. Therefore you are left with several options. Option one, lay the half completed assembly on it’s back with the box itself also on it’s back and push the box into the supports. The only problem with that option is the tool cart now weighs too much to tip back upright.

Another option is to pry the box up just enough to get your toes under it then call 911. Or you could do what I did and leave the box itself on the back of your pickup then scoot the frame assembly close to the tailgate and with one fell swoop lift and slide the box over the supports, fart, then just let go and hope for the best. I was fortunate in that most of the box landed on the horizontal supports and the part that didn’t I kicked into submission until the holes nearly matched.

The remainder of the assembly went much quicker when I got out my variable speed drill and drilled my own holes where I thought they should have been located in the first place.

Harbor Freight recommends at this point that you start at the top and go down tightening all the nuts and bolts. In as much as most of the Chinese nut and bolts are cross threaded , I recommend an impact wrench set to about 5000 pounds of pressure and spot welding every one just to be sure they don’t loosen when the struts fail and the lid slams down.

I forgot to mention the side mounted can holder….I anticipated a difficult time attaching that because it requires lining up three holes rather than just two. Fortunately for me I was spared any difficulties because Harbor Freight forgot to include a can holder on with my tool cart.

Anyway, it’s assembled. Most of the drawers open and it’s Red. I’m glad I bought it and my Doctors say I can bring it with me when I check into the sanitarium tomorrow.

IMG_2969.jpg
Click to expand...
 
You could make some nice twisted "wrought iron work".
I have run into a similar experience when assembling some office furniture for my wife. They included a 5 mm hex wrench with every chair. I managed to get the ten chairs assembled with the wrenches supplied but barely.
I tried a spark test on one to see whether they actually were a carbon steel and to my surprise, they have a fair amount of carbon. I heated one to a medium red (until a magnet wouldn't stick) and quenched in water. I polished the surface and slowly heated to a dark straw/light brown color and quenched. The result is a serviceable hex wrench. The steel is not that bad, they just make them soft. Maybe to reduce their liability exposure in case of breakage. Craftsman did the same which is why I stopped buying Craftsman twenty years ago (well, one of the reasons).
 
LMAO
I dang near choked and shot coffee out my nose reading that jimbob.
Hope you recover from that horrendous ordeal and are able to function normally in a few months.
The black one I got went together like it was supposed to and I was amazed all of the holes lined up.
Must have been a good day at the factory.
 
HF quality varies with the time of day or phase of the moon it seems. I give a fail to any poly ropes from them....bad experience. angle grinders are a pass ...at their price how could u go wrong... i've got two...never a problem I never use a hacksaw anymore :<) got their cheapest drill press, and use it daily .. not perfect but functions correctly ..pass.
I had one of their early 3in1 lathes, and while it was lacking in features, it was sturdy, reliable, and reasonably accurate.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top