Harbor Freight Tool/Product Review

[Don5]

I have one of those and have used it quite a bit. It works rather well but requires a lot if air to be efficient. I would suggest getting some spare nozzles for it. It will also wear out the valve on the end of the hose. I was considering installing a dead man valve on the hose end rather than the ball valve that is currently there. I get the best performance with the valve on the bottom of the tank about half open. It doesn't do so good for "spot" blasting due to the fact that media will flow into the line below the tank when off but under pressure so you get a slug of sand with no velosity when you first open the valve on the end of the hose which takes a bit to clear out. I have to point it away from where I want to blast, let the slug clear and then quickly swing into position and do my blasting. I wouls also reccommend either some "tear off" lens covers for the hood or a better hood. I can't see through mine anymore. All in all it's well worth it if you have a big enough compessor.

Thanks George for the tips! I appreciate it.

 

[HotRodPC]

Can't beat FREE. Don't work it to hard. The HF welders usually aren't one of the better units and falls under the category of, You get what you pay for. They're cheap to buy, and yep, Cheaply made.

 

[Skweegle89]

You will love that for welding light stuff. I have a couple big welders, but I wish I had a small wire welder sometimes just for smaller stuff.


Sent from an old rotary telephone.

 

[skysurfer]

Well I picked this up to use on the old truck. I also bought the soda blaster adapter and put it on as well. I don't know how good it works but I will find out and let you guys know. If anyone has one let me know the good and bad about this tool. Also the flyswatter is a must have for anyone that is wondering. Free entertainment.

Just saw this post. I did a review on the pot blaster here: http://www.gmsquarebody.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2699&highlight=sandblaster

 

[Don5]

Thanks for the review @skysurfer . I am going to use soda through it instead of sand. I have a craftsman 5 hp 25 gal tank. I suspect I will have to run it wide open. Hopefully it will keep up. We will see.

 

[greencountry05]

Just bought one of their 3/8 flex head ratchets & it is fantastic! Wish I had bought one years ago.

http://www.harborfreight.com/hand-t...ive-professional-flex-head-ratchet-62321.html

 

[Georgeb]

Just bought one of their 3/8 flex head ratchets & it is fantastic! Wish I had bought one years ago.

http://www.harborfreight.com/hand-t...ive-professional-flex-head-ratchet-62321.html

I like the flex heads too! Handy dandy tool! I have blown up a few of them by abusing them which sucks because you usually take out a knuckle but oh well. If you ain't bleedn you aint workin!

 

[GEB]

20 ton HF shop press
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k9607yTAY8

 

[Mr Clean]

Anyone heard anything about the 21 gal air compressor? My air compressor took a poo poo today, don't have the grand to go buy the one I want. It's on sale for 179.00 thinking about getting it just to get by for now.

 

[skysurfer]

That compressor has generally positive reviews on Garagejournal and Weldingweb, two sites known for cranky ol' guys with high standards. Most common complaint is noise, which is to be expected with any direct-drive compressor. For someone that wants to air-up tires and knock off lugs nuts once in a while it will do the job, just don't expect to be using a da sander or blast cabinet with it, the cfm just isn't there for tools that require lots of air.

I've owned the HF 60 gallon 2 stage upright for a few years and it's one of the hidden bargains at HF. Made in South Carolina in the same factory that makes Belaire compressors, it can supply enough volume for anything you need to do. If there's any way your budget can swing the cost of a 60 I'd pick one up. HF has switched from the Italian made upright pump used on the 60s to a v-shaped style that hasn't received good reviews. There are still some of the old style compressors in stock but they won't last.

 

[Mr Clean]

Thanks John. I ended up buying the oil less 26 gal, 150 psi today. I had a coupon that made the price the same as the oil 21 gal that is on sale. I was pleasantly surprised how quite it is. My other one would scare the hell out of you when it started up. It fills up pretty fast. I looked around for feedback on it, and it had decent reviews, better than the oil 21 gal. I did buy the extended warranty.

I did run a hard line from the new air compressor to the old tank giving me 52 gal of air. I think it will be fine until I can get the compressor I want.

 

[skysurfer]

I'll be curious to see how that works out for you. The oilless model has a little less cfm than the 21 you were considering but is quieter.

The extra storage tank has pros and cons. The pump won't cycle as often but when it does it'll take much longer to reach the cut-off pressure. That may not seem like a big deal but consider the fact that the pump's duty cycle was designed for a 26 gallon tank. Longer run times mean more heat, and heat kills pumps, especially ones without oil lubrication. You might want to consider ditching any non-essential plastic shrouds around the pump and adding an external fan aimed at the cooling fins. I did this with mine and wired the fan into the starting circuit so the fan automatically kicks on with the compressor.

The upside to an extra tank is the ability to drop more moisture out of the compressed air. The more copper (NOT plastic) line you have between the tanks the better, and a drop-out leg with drain valve just before the second tank will keep your air tools in good shape provided you're drawing off the second tank and not the primary.

 

[right2bear]

I have a lot of their tools. I have both SAE & metric impact sockets, some wrenches, and a couple of air tools. I love them all!!!

I picked up this tool box for $449.25 last year!!! Originally priced at $799, sale ad stated with coupon $599, and the girl at the check out offered me a 25% off coupon lol!

This box has been awesome. It is a beast, and is every bit as good as my old Matco box ever was. And at only a small fraction of the cost to boot!

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[HotRodPC]

Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE needs to go get one of these. Let's see who can be the first to break one. I've used this tool on Semi's to break lugs loose. Had a jack handle on it as a cheater pipe and 2 guys at 250lbs or better bouncing on the jack handle and broke those lugs loose and didn't break the breaker bar. It's a must have and for $9, can't go wrong.
http://widgets.harborfreight.com/ws...tml&cust=61388480542&keycode=1017&single=true

1/2 inch drive breaker bar 25 inch length. Coupon Expires 4/11/16

 

[silverscottsk10]

I bought the extending 1/2" ratchet, same thing as you say, broke the bolt, bought another before they changed styles