Tools and accessories to buy from HF

On Saturday, February 16, 2013 11:13:52 AM UTC-6, Larry Blanchard wrote:
> On Fri, 15 Feb 2013 23:22:29 -0800, [email protected] wrote:
>=20
>=20
>=20
> > This is a decent set of HSS lathe tools. A good spindle gouge, two ske=
w
>=20
> > chisels, couple scrapers, and a couple roughing gouges.
>=20
> >=20
>=20
> > http://www.harborfreight.com/garage-shop/stationary-wood-lathes/8-piece=
-
>=20
> high-speed-steel-wood-lathe-chisel-set-69723.html
>=20
>=20
>=20
> As long as you don't believe their description. There are no roughing=20
> gouges shown in the photo - if it is correct what they are calling=20
> roughing gouges are a couple of shallow spindle gouges.
>=20
> That said, I've recommended the set to several beginning turners with the=
=20
> caveat that it's not for bowl turning.
>=20

If you look at the picture, the two gouges at the top of the picture are ro=
ughing gouges. They are about 3/4" or so wide. They are made, designed, s=
haped like roughing gouges sold by the name brand chisel makers. Rolled fl=
at steel, not forged cylinder. Spindle gouges are forged from a cylinder o=
f steel. One 1/4" or so spindle gouge is in the set. I guess I think of s=
pindle gouges as 1/2", 3/8", and 1/4". Cylinders, not rolled flat steel. =
Spindle gouges can be used to make curves and beads of the same size as the=
steel cylinder. A roughing gouge made from rolled flat steel can only be =
used to make wide shallow cuts and make something round. You cannot make b=
eads with roughing gouges.

http://www.harborfreight.com/garage-shop/stationary-wood-lathes/8-piece-hig=
h-speed-steel-wood-lathe-chisel-set-69723.html

This is Penn State Industries 3/4" roughing gouge. Identical to the two so=
ld in the Harbor Freight set. Of course 3/4" is not a very good size for a=
roughing gouge. 1.5" or so is much better. But...
http://www.pennstateind.com/store/LX250.html

On Fri, 15 Feb 2013 02:06:58 -0800 (PST), [email protected] wrote:

> There are certain circumstances that I have found HF to be quite
> handy. For years I sneered at their quality, the origin of their
> tools, and the lack of support for their products. What a difference
> a few years make. Now nearly every tool I see anywhere is made in
> China, or from sourced parts from there so I am buying Chinese whether
> I like it or not.
>
> I thought it would be fun to see what TO buy, and what NOT to buy from
> everyone based on personal experience. Not a Googled experience, but
> hands on.
>
> So, here's few from me on the "buy list". Their multitool kicks ass.
> I have absolutely used the snot out of mine for about three years now,
> and it is still a very stout machine that works as well as it did when
> I bought it. I have found the blades to be >nearly< the quality of
> the Fein blades, which was a shocker. I have bought them and given
> them away as gifts and all the owners have had the same experience as
> mine.
>
> Their 4 1/2" grinder. This tool was bought as an emergency to replace
> a Bosch grind that crapped out on the job. This one can't be killed.
> I have had it for about 6-8 years now, and use it to grind metal for
> finishing, grind off bolts and screws on burglar bars when painting,
> and use the masonry blades on it to cut bricks, pavers, stone, and to
> inlet flashings into masonry chimneys. Paid $13 for this tool.
>
> Halogen light bulbs for my stand lights. Everywhere else, these bulbs
> are 6 - 10 bucks each. When they have a door buster, I buy them for
> 99 cents. Last better in the lamps than the more expensive
> offerings.
>
> Foam sanding blocks. These are $6 for ten, not one for $6. They have
> worked every bit as well as the 3M offerings for me, and now I only
> use them when I need a foam block to conform to an irregular shape. I
> used these by the bucket when I was doing a lot of refinishing.
>
> Nitrile gloves. You can get 100 5 mil gloves for what you pay for a
> set or two from the paint store. I use 3 mil, 5 mil, and for using
> caustic materials (like MEK, etc.) I use their 7 mil. I mix and
> spray, take the gloves off and toss them. I may use ten sets of
> gloves a day, which means it costs me a little over a buck. Best of
> all, the gloves work great for me. And if I tear one from material
> handling, I have so many in the box I just get another. It isn't a
> tragedy as it is when using the paint store gloves that are sold as
> two to three pairs in a $10 pack.
>
> HVLP guns. I only used these to try out new finishes and experiment
> with mixes, but after I screwed up my expensive finish gun I was
> forced to use my practice guns on the job. What a bone head... if it
> was good enough for me to determine my mixes and be satisfied with the
> end results, why wouldn't I like it on the job? I have had several of
> these guns, and the only thing to consider is the build quality can be
> spotty.
>
> Paint gun stuff. They have great prices on HVLP gun filters, material
> filters, inline moisture removal filters and cup liners. Literally,
> their prices are about 1/10 of Sherwin Williams. This is a big deal
> for me because as is he case with sand paper, these are all
> consumables for the guys that do it for a living. Being extremely
> affordable means I am in the habit of changing gun filters every job,
> changing line filters every job and always having cup liner on hand at
> a whopping ten cents a piece.
>
> Woodworking hammers. Good stuff, and while I use my Plumb (made in
> China of course), these are great hammers for helpers or for certain
> tasks like roofing where you don't want tar and gunk on your wood
> working tools.
>
> Bulk drill bits. NOT the crap in the indexes, not in the special
> sets. But once upon a time they had bits from manufacturing that had
> been reground. They were all different lengths and sizes and were
> sold by the pound. I tried a pound, and while I have little idea or
> concern exactly what size they are (for me bits are almost exclusively
> for pilot holes or rivets) these bits have out lasted my Blue Mol and
> Bosch bits by a pretty long stroke. Sadly, they are in store only and
> it is catch as catch can. The bits are something like $5 a pound, and
> I look for the bags that have the 1/8" and similar sizes in them. You
> get a lot of 1/8" bits in a pound.
>
> So some things NOT to buy there. First, they used to have a line of
> air nailers that were perfect back up guns. No longer so. Blew a
> seal on my Bostitch brad nailer, and since the seals weren't in stock
> I bought their 18 ga. It was OK for base and some other work, but
> marked up the wood unless you got it just right. The gun would drive
> a 2" brad into white oak with no problems. It crapped out before the
> job was finished. Three weeks ago, same scenario with my 16 ga
> straight nailer. Piston bumper in the gun broke and it is special
> order. Bought the 16 ga at HF on sale for $39, and it wasn't worth 39
> cents. It jammed up solid after about 1/2 clip of nails. The guns
> are junk and they cost me a lot of down time.
>
> Squeeze clamps. At $2 for a 12" clamp, I couldn't resist. I bought
> four. Two work and two don't. They wouldn't clamp a sock on the
> clothesline. HF told me they had problems with them and they were
> changing manufacturers.
>
> Screwdrivers. Forget it.
>
> Most drill bits. Forget them, too.
>
> Chisels of any type. Cold, or for wood or anything else, a no go.
>
> Hand saws. Nope.
>
> Measuring tapes. No way, they break in minutes.
>
> OK, that's my take on HF after waaay too much coffee and a 3 hour long
> session in the waiting room of the doctor's office typing this out
> with nothing else to do.
>
> Any thoughts?
>
> Robert
I have:
Finish nailer
multitool
nitrile gloves
some clamps
small tires(chinese have somehow learned to make tires from cat shit)

No problems from any of the above, most all the small hand tools are
near junk, IMO.

Even though HF has a good return policy, I live so far away from
them that it is moot. If a 20 dollar item doesn't work, I'm just out 20
bucks, I am cautious buying anything that may not work out.

Online ordering and returns aren't practical, Fedex and UPS
think I am on the Dark Side of The Moon.

basilisk

"[email protected]" <[email protected]> wrote:
> There are certain circumstances that I have found HF to be quite
> handy. For years I sneered at their quality, the origin of their
> tools, and the lack of support for their products. What a difference
> a few years make. Now nearly every tool I see anywhere is made in
> China, or from sourced parts from there so I am buying Chinese whether
> I like it or not.
>
> I thought it would be fun to see what TO buy, and what NOT to buy from
> everyone based on personal experience. Not a Googled experience, but
> hands on.
>
> Any thoughts?

Double sided tape, and 18 ga brads.


--
www.ewoodshop.com (Mobile)

Puckdropper <puckdropper(at)yahoo(dot)com> wrote:
> Leon <lcb11211@swbelldotnet> wrote in
> news:[email protected]:
>
>>
>>
>> Robert is an official honorary auditor of the FIG. Swingman is the
>> president, he has the cap.
>>
>
> If he leaves it at your house, does that make you the president? *g*
>
> Puckdropper

Haven't seen it since he was presented with it. :-)

On Feb 17, 5:27=A0am, "Mike Marlow" <[email protected]>
wrote:
> [email protected] wrote:
>
> > I am not so sure I like all this customer service wise guy crap they
> > are doing now or their proven return policy they seem to uphold with
> > no questions. =A0I am not sure customer service works for me. =A0Yes, I
> > have had it before, but it was a long time ago and I don't really
> > remember what it is like. =A0In this day and age it could be a recipe
> > for disaster.

>
> It can't work. =A0If it could, all of the retailers would do it. =A0Just =
you
> watch - it'll run them right out of business as people get wise to this
> clever ploy...

OK, I have decided I don't like customer service. Not one bit. I had
to return a couple of items to HD today, you know, the store where the
Sunday crew usually wishes they were cleaning stables in the stockyard
rather than to be there.

They couldn't get the SKU to work right on their machine even though I
had a receipt... .even though I just wanted credit back to my
commercial account...

It took a high level conference with a snotty twenty something
"manager" of some sort between two different people do to decide how
to properly handle the credit to my account. After another 10 minutes
of random key strokes, the finally got the account credited properly.
Finally, it came to one of them that they had actually missed a
keystroke along the way. Upon that discovery, the "manager" took it
upon himself to take the young, nervous, attractive young teen under
his nerdy protective wing and make it a teaching moment before he
finalized my transaction.

Total time to return galvanized pipe joint fitting? Almost 25
minutes.

NOW THAT is the customer service I am used to. It was like sitting in
a comfortable old chair to sit down on the water softener salt and
watch the monkeys play with the machines.

My experience with HF is much less irritating and certainly not as
entertaining. I go with a receipt, they take the product back and it
takes less than 5 minutes. I hate it. Gimme 25 minutes and a bag of
popcorn to take care of a routine 5 minute transaction and I will be
happy at my normal outlets. I am so used to shitty customer service I
think it is my comfort zone.

Robert

I am glad to see this get some traction as it is apparent that HF can
be hit and miss.

On the other hand, what tool brand (not saying this facetiously)
besides Festool, Metabo, etc., isn't? And I mean that regardless of
price. Whether it is a piano player, a baker, a welder or anyone else
that uses their tools for a living, the trick is always to match the
price to the utility value.

I wound up at HF to replace tools that I didn't use frequently and to
buy consumables. Since their return and warranty policy is so damn
easy, I find myself looking at their site or latest ad before buying.
When the new 16 ga nailer broke after 1 day on the job, I went back
and got my Bostitch 15 ga angle nailer to use. A bigger nail hole is
the reason it doesn't see much inside trim use, but I gave my latex
slinger a heads up and he was fine. Took the broken gun back to them
and they gave me back the purchase price, the $10 in store replacement
warranty I purchased and they took back the nails too, even though
they knew I used a half clip. These guns are the newer silver/black/
red models.

I have their 23 ga pin nailer that is the old purple model. When I
bought it, I wasn't sure I would use a pin nailer and still don't use
it for much. So when I saw it for $12 - $13, I bit. It occasionally
missed a pin and would shoot nothing, then it might grab a pin and
shear one a the same time. I took the gun apart and found the nose of
the driver blade had a burr on the tip. Removed the burr, polished up
the driver with a bit of emery cloth, put on a tiny spot of vaseline
in the driver guides and it works like a champ and has for a couple of
years.

Their extension cords are nice, too. I only buy 12 ga, so I don't
have any weedeater type cords. A quick price check from HF with their
ubiquitous 20% off coupon got me to $32 for a new cord recently. HD
generic brand price was a made in China offering as well, but was
$50!! (Over 30% price saving...) These work extremely well, have a
great hard vinyl cover on them, and the overmolded plugs stay on.
Their pricing is even better on three taps and 10 ga cords where they
fall to about 50% less than a competitor.

Sounds like most have had better luck with the grip clamps than I
have.

I wouldn't be afraid to try one of their compressors. Our local air
compressor repair shop has a great guy in the back that works on
them. Almost always with any foreign made carry around compressor,
his advice is to throw them away as one part can cost more than the
machine when new. He also told me that their are only a couple of
companies over there that make the head/piston assembly whether oiless
or not. He showed me some of the compressors he had that were the
same head assembly and in some cases were just painted differently
with a badge on them. The ones in his shop he showed me were Sears,
Senco, Makita, Hitachi and Campbell Hausfield. He assured me that was
just the tip of iceberg. However, it is important to remember the
bigger companies carry different quality of lines as well, so YMMV
from actual model to model. I have the $99 Sears hot dog oil splasher
that goes to the job with me for trim jobs and repairs, and at 5 years
or so old, I have gotten back my $99 several times. Same parts as is
found on almost all compressors that size.

I agree with MIKE, their sandpaper is crap unless used for metal, but
you need to try those sanding blocks. Detailing out door panels,
cabinet doors, trim profiles, etc., for painting or refinishing is
much easier with foam, and better when you don't have to break the
bank to buy the right tool.

No luck with their Chinese nail and pin punches. I mushroom out both
ends in no time, so back to Stanley. I mushroom the strike side on
these too, but never the tip. Luckily, HF sells a brand of pin punch
(oddly... made in the USA) that I like at a good price. I like pin
punches to set larger nails on outside trim work when needed, and for
tool repairs.

This is an interesting thread. I had no idea so many folks here used
HF products.

Robert

On Feb 16, 7:06=A0pm, "Pete S" <[email protected]> wrote:

> I will say, however, that they are excellent on return policies.
> Ya know, the people who work at the stores are not necessarily Chinese.
> They are American human beings and their management seems to want to plea=
se
> the customer!!! =A0Imagine that!

You know, they razed the old HF that we had for years here. The moved
to a better part of town, and into a brand new building. It is
spotlessly clean inside and the shelves are always stocked and in
order. I thought I was on a Candid Camera set the first time I went
in.

Then they started this new line of marketing called "customer service"
where they try to make their customers happy and provide great
service. They will rain check anything in sale and even call when it
comes in. Their warranty policy isn't like I am used to where >> I <<
take a broken tool to an authorized repair center and they call me and
let me know if the repairs are covered.

These guys simply look you up on their computer, then when they find
you, you go get a brand new tool off the shelf. And for most of their
products they offer this full replacement warranty (small extra
charge) for up to three years.

I am not so sure I like all this customer service wise guy crap they
are doing now or their proven return policy they seem to uphold with
no questions. I am not sure customer service works for me. Yes, I
have had it before, but it was a long time ago and I don't really
remember what it is like. In this day and age it could be a recipe
for disaster.

Robert

On Fri, 15 Feb 2013 12:04:16 -0700, [email protected] wrote
(in article
<[email protected]>):


>
> Their extension cords are nice, too. I only buy 12 ga, so I don't
> have any weedeater type cords. A quick price check from HF with their
> ubiquitous 20% off coupon got me to $32 for a new cord recently. HD
> generic brand price was a made in China offering as well, but was
> $50!! (Over 30% price saving...) These work extremely well, have a
> great hard vinyl cover on them, and the overmolded plugs stay on.
> Their pricing is even better on three taps and 10 ga cords where they
> fall to about 50% less than a competitor.


I'm wary of these.

Bought a 16 ga. cord and used it until the socket end started making bad
contact. I though what the 'ell and tried to put a new socket on the end.
After cutting away the orange jacket, I saw the wire used was 18 ga. zip cord
with no grounding conductor what-so-ever......

-Bruce

Puckdropper <puckdropper(at)yahoo(dot)com> wrote:
> Leon <lcb11211@swbelldotnet> wrote in
> news:[email protected]:
>
>>
>>
>> Robert is an official honorary auditor of the FIG. Swingman is the
>> president, he has the cap.
>>
>
> If he leaves it at your house, does that make you the president? *g*

Ah yes, "The Cap". ... I am indeed the (temporary) custodian of that
exalted item. It was bestowed (temporarily) by a certain Festool Drug
deal,err Lord for unflagging, budgetary fealty to the cause; termination of
custody immediate upon purchase of any large tool from a Pacific rim
purveyor of inferior products, due to insufficient means to maintain said
budgetary fealty, temporary or otherwise.
--
www.ewoodshop.com (Mobile)

On 2/18/2013 7:57 AM, Swingman wrote:
> On 2/18/2013 7:38 AM, Leon wrote:
>> Puckdropper <puckdropper(at)yahoo(dot)com> wrote:
>>> Leon <lcb11211@swbelldotnet> wrote in
>
>>>> Robert is an official honorary auditor of the FIG. Swingman is the
>>>> president, he has the cap.
>>>>
>>>
>>> If he leaves it at your house, does that make you the president? *g*
>>>
>>> Puckdropper
>>
>> Haven't seen it since he was presented with it. :-)
>
> Briefly, that's because the security requirements are extensive ... it
> must be kept in a temperature controlled, combination lock Systainer.
>


I have one of those. What's the problem?

"[email protected]" <[email protected]> wrote in news:a43a6c1f-
[email protected]:

*snip*

>
> Any thoughts?
>
> Robert
>

The multimeters are great. At less than $10, you get a multimeter that
hits the most important functions and is cheap enough that you don't have
to worry too much about it. Beware readings taken with a weak battery.
I've got 4, but need a few more. (With as much as they cost--especially
on sale--there's no reason not to have one within easy reach... Even if
just to check batteries.)

I bought one of their more expensive ones that read capacitance,
temperature, and frequency, but it was still less than $20. Try finding
a capacitance meter elsewhere for that price. There are some negatives
to this one, though. The temperature bottoms out at 0C (32F), so it's
useless for cold measurements, and the capacitance function requires you
to stick the capacitor in two slots instead of reading it with probes.

The multitool was loud, noisy, and vibrated a lot. I upgraded to the
Bosch version, and "donated" the old one to my local model railroad club.
Believe it or not, I've actually used the old one more recently than the
Bosch.


The 13-Drawer tool chest is a winner. It's built extremely well, with a
good solid feel and drawers that slide nicely. Apparently, it was a
Snap-on design that they acquired the rights to and gave the plans to a
manufacturer and said "build this."

Not sure if that's what really happened, but the only thing low quality
about it was the packaging. The packaging was absolutely horrible. It
was the cheapest of the cheap, the junkiest of the junk. It did protect
the tool chest enough to get it home, but practically fell apart on the
way. (It's only notable because it's so bad.)

Look for a coupon. (I found one in Motortrend.) The "regular" price
seems to have gone up quite a bit recently.



Avoid the 12V window heater. Don't even pick it up, it's not worth it.
By the time it makes any difference at all, the car engine is warm enough
to defrost the windows and start warming the cabin. The employee at the
store told me it was one of their most returned items and it wasn't any
good. I thought it'd be good enough to start defrosting windows while
waiting for the car to warm up enough to do so, but it wasn't.

Their mini chop saw is a pretty decent tool. I'd rather see a
traditional fence setup like a CMS instead of that little clamp that
doesn't sit flush with the base, but that's only a minor issue. I should
look in to getting better replacement blades somewhere, though. (I
wonder if I can get abrasive cut off wheels instead... Might work better
for small tubing.)

Avoid the cheap little hobby airbrushes. I bought one a few years ago
for less than $10, and it was useless out of the package. The only nice
thing about it was the flask.

Their lead-acid battery float chargers seem ok. I can't say it's harmed
the battery, and it's probably helped delay the purchase of a new one for
that machine.

I've had pretty good luck with their acid brushes, but they do drop the
occasional bristle. Fortunately, it's easy to see against the yellow
background of the glue.

That's all I can think of at the moment...

Puckdropper
--
Make it to fit, don't make it fit.

"dadiOH" <[email protected]> wrote in news:[email protected]:

> The things I have or have had that come to mind...
>
> lathe, $240? - works fine, had it now for about 10 years. Drive belt
> broke about a year ago, easy to order new one from HF

Link belt. About $25 for 5' last I knew. Cheaper than anywhere else, and
works quite well too.

*snip*

Puckdropper
--
Make it to fit, don't make it fit.

On 2/15/2013 7:06 AM, basilisk wrote:
> On Fri, 15 Feb 2013 02:06:58 -0800 (PST), [email protected] wrote:
>
>> There are certain circumstances that I have found HF to be quite
>> handy. For years I sneered at their quality, the origin of their

Following the pack...

nitrile gloves
acid brushes
chip brush and others - I HATE cleaning brushes
other miscellaneous consumables
digital micrometers

Many things that they have on sale as doorbusters (I'll have to give
those drill bits and halogen bulbs a check next time...)

I'd also recommend some of their tools (on a case by case basis where
you can at least do a hands on inspection) that will be used once and
then sit on a shelf collecting dust. I had a kitchen and bath job to do
and so needed a tile saw. Bought the cheapest one they had - on sale,
no less - for about $30 -$35 and used it for those jobs and one other.
It performed as good as I needed and it's still like brand new. I could
not have rented one for that kind of money. One of these days I'll get
around to posting it on Craigslist and I'll recoup at least part of the
cost - maybe buy another box or two of chip brushes<g>

So, consider doing the same with one of their tools that fits your shop
for a "special project" and not much else. Compare buying something
that, with luck, will carry you through that project and maybe not much
else vs. renting the same thing. Frankly, I'd just as soon spend $100
on such a tool at HF than to rent one for, say, $45/day but with the
latter, having a "gun to my head" to finish the job in one day.

On 02/15/2013 03:06 AM, [email protected] wrote:
> There are certain circumstances that I have found HF to be quite
> handy. For years I sneered at their quality, the origin of their
> tools, and the lack of support for their products. What a difference
> a few years make. Now nearly every tool I see anywhere is made in
> China, or from sourced parts from there so I am buying Chinese whether
> I like it or not.
>
> I thought it would be fun to see what TO buy, and what NOT to buy from
> everyone based on personal experience. Not a Googled experience, but
> hands on.
>
> So, here's few from me on the "buy list". Their multitool kicks ass.
> I have absolutely used the snot out of mine for about three years now,
> and it is still a very stout machine that works as well as it did when
> I bought it. I have found the blades to be >nearly< the quality of
> the Fein blades, which was a shocker. I have bought them and given
> them away as gifts and all the owners have had the same experience as
> mine.
>
> Their 4 1/2" grinder. This tool was bought as an emergency to replace
> a Bosch grind that crapped out on the job. This one can't be killed.
> I have had it for about 6-8 years now, and use it to grind metal for
> finishing, grind off bolts and screws on burglar bars when painting,
> and use the masonry blades on it to cut bricks, pavers, stone, and to
> inlet flashings into masonry chimneys. Paid $13 for this tool.
>
> Halogen light bulbs for my stand lights. Everywhere else, these bulbs
> are 6 - 10 bucks each. When they have a door buster, I buy them for
> 99 cents. Last better in the lamps than the more expensive
> offerings.
>
> Foam sanding blocks. These are $6 for ten, not one for $6. They have
> worked every bit as well as the 3M offerings for me, and now I only
> use them when I need a foam block to conform to an irregular shape. I
> used these by the bucket when I was doing a lot of refinishing.
>
> Nitrile gloves. You can get 100 5 mil gloves for what you pay for a
> set or two from the paint store. I use 3 mil, 5 mil, and for using
> caustic materials (like MEK, etc.) I use their 7 mil. I mix and
> spray, take the gloves off and toss them. I may use ten sets of
> gloves a day, which means it costs me a little over a buck. Best of
> all, the gloves work great for me. And if I tear one from material
> handling, I have so many in the box I just get another. It isn't a
> tragedy as it is when using the paint store gloves that are sold as
> two to three pairs in a $10 pack.
>
> HVLP guns. I only used these to try out new finishes and experiment
> with mixes, but after I screwed up my expensive finish gun I was
> forced to use my practice guns on the job. What a bone head... if it
> was good enough for me to determine my mixes and be satisfied with the
> end results, why wouldn't I like it on the job? I have had several of
> these guns, and the only thing to consider is the build quality can be
> spotty.
>
> Paint gun stuff. They have great prices on HVLP gun filters, material
> filters, inline moisture removal filters and cup liners. Literally,
> their prices are about 1/10 of Sherwin Williams. This is a big deal
> for me because as is he case with sand paper, these are all
> consumables for the guys that do it for a living. Being extremely
> affordable means I am in the habit of changing gun filters every job,
> changing line filters every job and always having cup liner on hand at
> a whopping ten cents a piece.
>
> Woodworking hammers. Good stuff, and while I use my Plumb (made in
> China of course), these are great hammers for helpers or for certain
> tasks like roofing where you don't want tar and gunk on your wood
> working tools.
>
> Bulk drill bits. NOT the crap in the indexes, not in the special
> sets. But once upon a time they had bits from manufacturing that had
> been reground. They were all different lengths and sizes and were
> sold by the pound. I tried a pound, and while I have little idea or
> concern exactly what size they are (for me bits are almost exclusively
> for pilot holes or rivets) these bits have out lasted my Blue Mol and
> Bosch bits by a pretty long stroke. Sadly, they are in store only and
> it is catch as catch can. The bits are something like $5 a pound, and
> I look for the bags that have the 1/8" and similar sizes in them. You
> get a lot of 1/8" bits in a pound.
>
> So some things NOT to buy there. First, they used to have a line of
> air nailers that were perfect back up guns. No longer so. Blew a
> seal on my Bostitch brad nailer, and since the seals weren't in stock
> I bought their 18 ga. It was OK for base and some other work, but
> marked up the wood unless you got it just right. The gun would drive
> a 2" brad into white oak with no problems. It crapped out before the
> job was finished. Three weeks ago, same scenario with my 16 ga
> straight nailer. Piston bumper in the gun broke and it is special
> order. Bought the 16 ga at HF on sale for $39, and it wasn't worth 39
> cents. It jammed up solid after about 1/2 clip of nails. The guns
> are junk and they cost me a lot of down time.
>
> Squeeze clamps. At $2 for a 12" clamp, I couldn't resist. I bought
> four. Two work and two don't. They wouldn't clamp a sock on the
> clothesline. HF told me they had problems with them and they were
> changing manufacturers.
>
> Screwdrivers. Forget it.
>
> Most drill bits. Forget them, too.
>
> Chisels of any type. Cold, or for wood or anything else, a no go.
>
> Hand saws. Nope.
>
> Measuring tapes. No way, they break in minutes.
>
> OK, that's my take on HF after waaay too much coffee and a 3 hour long
> session in the waiting room of the doctor's office typing this out
> with nothing else to do.
>
> Any thoughts?
>
> Robert
>

I have quite a bit of their stuff including most of what "works" for you.

The one I really like is the infrared non-contact thermometer. I use it
at every stop while towing the 5th wheel to shoot all the hubs and
drums, which was prompted after losing a wheel a few years ago. I also
have their small pancake compressor that was about $40 after coupons.
It has been used quite a bit to air up tires while traveling and will
even run off the 1000W inverter in the 5th wheel.

Their auto compressor drain has worked fine on my shop compressor for
about 10 years after replacing the plastic tubing with copper.

--
"Socialism is a philosophy of failure,the creed of ignorance, and the
gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery"
-Winston Churchill

"HeyBub" <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

> [email protected] wrote:
>>
>> OK, that's my take on HF after waaay too much coffee and a 3 hour
>> long session in the waiting room of the doctor's office typing this
>> out with nothing else to do.
>>
>> Any thoughts?
>>
>
> This very evening I'm off to HF to take advantage of about 20 coupons
> I've cllipped from their recent advertisement. In addition, I plan to
> pick up:
>
> * 1/2" bandfile belt sander (92158 $30) for a pending project.
> * 6" stainless pocket rule for a cabinet remake (93684 $2)
> To augment my new MIG welder (also HF but bought off of Craigslist):
> * Leather gloves (97033 $4)
> * Leather apron (45193 $10)
> * 0.035 welding tips, pack of 10 (98108 $7.50)

*snip*

Their bench brushes are on sale for $1.99. I bought a couple of them so
I can keep one on my bench and another somewhere else in the garshop.

They had mini torpedo levels for $.99, but I tried 3 and none of them
gave me the same reading. I think they should be on the "avoid" list.

Puckdropper
--
Make it to fit, don't make it fit.

woodchucker <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

*snip*

> Dial fractional caliper
> http://www.harborfreight.com/6-inch-fractional-dial-caliper-92437.html
> Wish I had bought this before I bought all my digitals... I bought the
> blind mans unit from Lee Valley, good but digital is hard to work with
> if you are not a machinist, and the HF is accurate w/fractions. I paid
> $17 on sale.. it was $19 plus 20% off coupon.
>
>

*snip*

How have the batteries lasted? For some stupid reason, many models don't
turn off when you press the OFF button. The display goes blank, but it
keeps using battery.

Puckdropper
--
Make it to fit, don't make it fit.

A boat yard presents a totally different challenge to tools than
you would normally see in a woodworking shop.

Tried HF 4" right angle sander/grinder and burned it up in less
than an hour.

Tried a 2nd one, it lasted about 1/2 hour.

About the only one that survives has been Milwaukee.

Sanding fiberglass is a different world.

Also use a right angle sander/grinder for hours on end.

Sander/grinder gets blown out on a weekly basis.

When it comes to corded tools in the boat yard, there
is Milwaukee and those that want to be Milwaukee with
the exception of Fein and Festool.

Have no experience with Festool.

Fein multitool is a sweetheart.

All that being said, buy a lot of consumables at HF.

Chip brushes by the box.

Non sterile surgical gloves.

Quick connect plugs and sockets for air lines.

Air line blow guns.

Air operated drills.

1/2" air hoses.

Once upon an time, 24" bar clamps, haven't looked lately.

Spring clamps.

Feather boards.

Tried and returned a sand blaster.

Lew

"Puckdropper" wrote ...
> woodchucker wrote

>> Dial fractional caliper
>> http://www.harborfreight.com/6-inch-fractional-dial-caliper-92437.html
>> Wish I had bought this before I bought all my digitals... I bought the
>> blind mans unit from Lee Valley, good but digital is hard to work with
>> if you are not a machinist, and the HF is accurate w/fractions. I paid
>> $17 on sale.. it was $19 plus 20% off coupon.
>>
> How have the batteries lasted? For some stupid reason, many models don't
> turn off when you press the OFF button. The display goes blank, but it
> keeps using battery.
>
I got one of those digital calipers from HF when I had a job that needed it.
Since I only use it occasionally, I always take the battery out when I put
it away. It seemed like the prudent thing to do.

On 2/15/2013 11:23 PM, Lew Hodgett wrote:

> Tried and returned a sand blaster.


LOL! Saw one of the sand/bed blasting cabinets in the nearby HF that
just opened in the last couple months. Both of the rubberized gloves
attached to the cabinet had failed. Appeared to have disintegrated (in
part) as opposed to being purposely ripped or torn by some juvenile
delinquent.

HF is caveat emptor playland but as we've all noted they do some things
well - sometimes<g>

"Dave" wrote:

> I've always wondered about sandblasting, the cost of it and the
> effort
> required.
>
> Is special sand required?
------------------------------------
yes
--------------------------------
> Cost of that sand?
---------------------------------
can be pricey
---------------------------------
> Can sand be reused at all?
---------------------------------
it can be reclaimed
-----------------------------------
> How much sand is used to strip a few square feet?
-------------------------------------
depends on how much you are trying to clean, how
thick is the coating being removed.
--------------------------------------------------
> Is there gallons of it to clean up afterwards?
---------------------------------------------
if you used gallons, then yes.
------------------------------------------
> For all the stripping abilities that sandblasting affords, is it
> something the average home shop person might want to use or afford?
-----------------------------------------------
you need a big compressor.

i had a 5hp, 2 stage compressor with an 80 gal tank.

it wasn't enough.

lew

On 2/16/2013 8:04 PM, Larry Jaques wrote:
> On Sat, 16 Feb 2013 10:27:44 -0600, DanG <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> If it says Pittsburgh - buy it. I've not ever broken a socket, chisel,
>> punch, etc with the Pittsburgh logo
>
> I was going to buy a small kit for the truck. 130 piece or something.
> I got to HF and took one look at it. The packaging said Pittsburgh,
> but none of the absolutely reeking potmetal crap in it did. I pointed
> it out to the clerk and she said she didn't know/couldn't do anything
> about it. That's the only Pittsburgh item I've ever turned down buying
> on quality issues. No wonder it was on sale for $3.99...


Was that their 3/4" drive set? LOL!

Leon <lcb11211@swbelldotnet> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

>
>
> Robert is an official honorary auditor of the FIG. Swingman is the
> president, he has the cap.
>

If he leaves it at your house, does that make you the president? *g*

Puckdropper
--
Make it to fit, don't make it fit.

On Sat, 16 Feb 2013 10:31:43 -0600, Swingman <[email protected]> wrote:

>On 2/16/2013 9:14 AM, Bruce wrote:
>> On Fri, 15 Feb 2013 06:06:30 -0700, basilisk wrote
>>
>
>>> small tires(chinese have somehow learned to make tires from cat shit)
>>
>> No shit! (pun intended)
>> I've replaced my hand truck wheels due to goat head punctures and the HF work
>> great..
>
>I've bought a few rubber tires from HF and it generally takes about two
>years out in the elements for the smell of that tire cat shit to subside.
>
>Definitely don't want to keep them in the same space you live/operate.

Bought a 50' 3/8" hose retractable reel. I had to leave it in the
equipment shed over 2 weeks before I could install it in the shop.

Mike M

On Sun, 17 Feb 2013 16:34:53 -0700, woodchucker wrote
(in article <[email protected]>):

> On 2/17/2013 9:16 AM, dpb wrote:
>> On 2/15/2013 8:36 PM, Mike Marlow wrote:
>>> HeyBub wrote:
>>>
>>>>
>>>> I'm waiting for the sale at Northern Tool to start this Sunday where
>>>> I plan to buy a welding helmet for $8.99.
>>>
>>> Holy shit Batman! That can't be auto darkening for that price is it?
>>> Have
>>> you ever used auto darkening? If not - buy one. $39 at HF. You will
>>> never
>>> regret it and you'll whine and piss and moan if you ever have to put on a
>>> conventional helmet again.
>>
>> I don't know...the couple I've tried are too dark at even lightest
>> setting for arc welding to be able to see anything while welding other
>> than just a glow...both of these are similar to the HF (one from
>> Northern, don't recall where the other actually came from). It's nice
>> to see where to strike but after that it's sailing almost blind so it's
>> definitely not a full win...
>>
>> I've not tried w/ a major since do so little welding but I don't believe
>> these cheapies are the complete answer. Maybe for inert gas they will
>> work better, I don't know, don't have a setup for it to try.
>>
>> --
> Not true with mine from HF. It is adjustable, not much, but slightly.
> It is plenty fine to see with.
>

I bought the $49 (sale price) unit from Northern. Thin, flimsy plastic body
but it's nice and light weight (and ooh so comfy and secure head band). Tint
control covers a wide range and it has an adjustable return-to-clear timer so
the afterglow won't zorch you.
After years of using the heavy, narrow slit standard helmet, I'll never go
back.

Nothing is more frustrating than trying to mig weld some steel. I can't count
how many times I've placed the torch, dropped the helmet down, made a nice
clean bead, only to then lift the helmet and see that I missed the seam by
1/4".

Looking at the various auto-dark helmets in the sub $100 range, they all seem
to use the same lens/electronics. What varies is the thickness of the
plastic. If you are not going to be pelted by falling bricks while welding,
the cheap sets are ideal.

-Bruce

Hey, I forgot one that I'm quite pleased with -- the $30 right angle drill, which I use for sanding on the lathe. Corded, variable speed and works great.

Larry

On Feb 17, 10:27=A0pm, Leon <lcb11211@swbelldotnet> wrote:

> Give him the whole contract, not just a short explanation in a nut
> shell. =A0;~)

LMAO!!

Robert

On 2/17/2013 8:03 PM, Swingman wrote:
> Puckdropper <puckdropper(at)yahoo(dot)com> wrote:
>> Leon <lcb11211@swbelldotnet> wrote in
>> news:[email protected]:
>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Robert is an official honorary auditor of the FIG. Swingman is the
>>> president, he has the cap.
>>>
>>
>> If he leaves it at your house, does that make you the president? *g*
>
> Ah yes, "The Cap". ... I am indeed the (temporary) custodian of that
> exalted item. It was bestowed (temporarily) by a certain Festool Drug
> deal,err Lord for unflagging, budgetary fealty to the cause; termination of
> custody immediate upon purchase of any large tool from a Pacific rim
> purveyor of inferior products, due to insufficient means to maintain said
> budgetary fealty, temporary or otherwise.
>


Give him the whole contract, not just a short explanation in a nut
shell. ;~)

On Fri, 15 Feb 2013 16:56:28 -0500, "Mike Marlow"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>Gramp's shop wrote:
>> I'm very happy with the 12" ratcheting clamps at $1.99 each when they
>> are on sale (which seems to be always). I bought their combo
>> disk/belt sander and was disappointed with the fit. I also have the
>> HF wet grinder ($67 on sale) and it is OK. No Tormek, but a fraction
>> of the cost. I also bought a passle of the 300/500 watt halogen
>> bulbs. Some work great and seemingly last forever. Others have died
>> with only a couple of hours of use.
>>
>
>I'm guessing you know the rule about halogen bulbs? That you can't touch
>them with your fingers? If you do touch the glass with your fingers, you
>need to wipe them off very well with a napkin or the oils from your fingers
>will burn them up in a very short time. Very short.

Actually that's just the quartz halogen that operate at about 650 F.
The acid on your hands will etch the glass.

Mike M

On Sat, 16 Feb 2013 10:39:29 -0700, MIKE- wrote
(in article <[email protected]>):

> On 2/16/13 9:08 AM, Bruce wrote:
>> $20 dado blade set
>>
>
> Were they flat?
> I got those and returned them because the chippers were off in diameter
> by at least a 32nd.
>
>
>

Mine were fine for the garage shelves I was/am building and other
'non-furniture' use. Claims on this news group are that quality varies. My
Freud super-dado set produces a nice clean cut, the HF set? great for utility
use but quality comes at a cost.

-Bruce

I'm very happy with the 12" ratcheting clamps at $1.99 each when they are o=
n sale (which seems to be always). I bought their combo disk/belt sander a=
nd was disappointed with the fit. I also have the HF wet grinder ($67 on s=
ale) and it is OK. No Tormek, but a fraction of the cost. I also bought a=
passle of the 300/500 watt halogen bulbs. Some work great and seemingly l=
ast forever. Others have died with only a couple of hours of use.

Larry

On Sat, 16 Feb 2013 13:24:18 -0700, Mike Marlow wrote
(in article <[email protected]>):

> Unquestionably Confused wrote:
>> On 2/15/2013 11:23 PM, Lew Hodgett wrote:
>>
>>> Tried and returned a sand blaster.
>>
>>
>> LOL! Saw one of the sand/bed blasting cabinets in the nearby HF that
>> just opened in the last couple months. Both of the rubberized gloves
>> attached to the cabinet had failed. Appeared to have disintegrated
>> (in part) as opposed to being purposely ripped or torn by some
>> juvenile delinquent.
>>
>> HF is caveat emptor playland but as we've all noted they do some
>> things well - sometimes<g>
>
> Yeah - I've always wondered about their sandblasting equipment. That stuff
> is a lot more demanding than a lot of people realize. Never knew anybody
> that had purchased one, so I've never been able to see one in action, or try
> it. I'd like a decent pressurized sandblaster, and I've looked at theirs,
> but I just don't know...
>
>

I bought the small benchtop unit many moons ago when it was < $100.
It worked well for my purposes (cleaning small car parts, brackets, etc.)

Of course the gloves disintegrated.

It requires a big compressor to keep going (> 5HP). The plastic window gets
trashed instantly if the sand spray ever gets too close.
Basically its a box with a light bulb that holds one of those cheap blasting
guns with the steel tips.
If you are going to be doing blasting regularly, buy a 'real' unit, otherwise
just get the cheap gun and do it outside.

-Bruce

I look for the sale prices and/or coupons of course...

Chip brushes 1", 2", and 3"

Acid brushes for glueups

Foam sanding blocks (only have used the coarse grit)

cheap work gloves

metric combo wrenches to keep in the vehicle.

Air compressor accessories (good prices on the Milton couplers)

$20 dado blade set

4-1/2 diamond angle grinder blade sets

14" metal chop saw blades

The list seems endless.....

-Bruce

[email protected] wrote:
>
> OK, that's my take on HF after waaay too much coffee and a 3 hour long
> session in the waiting room of the doctor's office typing this out
> with nothing else to do.
>
> Any thoughts?
>

This very evening I'm off to HF to take advantage of about 20 coupons I've
cllipped from their recent advertisement. In addition, I plan to pick up:

* 1/2" bandfile belt sander (92158 $30) for a pending project.
* 6" stainless pocket rule for a cabinet remake (93684 $2)
To augment my new MIG welder (also HF but bought off of Craigslist):
* Leather gloves (97033 $4)
* Leather apron (45193 $10)
* 0.035 welding tips, pack of 10 (98108 $7.50)

I'm waiting for the sale at Northern Tool to start this Sunday where I plan
to buy a welding helmet for $8.99.

I've been pleased - or at least amply satisfied - with everything I've ever
bought from HF, the sole exception being the Halloween-colored clamps.

woodchucker wrote:

> Actually the HF by me (1 hour drive) has told me that certain items
> are no longer returnable unless you pay a restocking fee. I found
> this out when I bought the fountain pump for my basement sink. I was
> shocked.
> But then I see all these yahoos buy a tool use it and return it, and
> realize that they are spearheading this restocking fee effort.

"Use" and "try it out" are really two different things.

I bought a log-splitter from HF. It took someone with the muscles of the
Great Atlas to split the logs I had! Certainly not me.

When I returned the log splitter, I told the staff the problem and, even
thought the tool was 'used', they took it back with no dispute.

On 2/17/2013 5:25 PM, woodchucker wrote:
> On 2/17/2013 5:16 AM, [email protected] wrote:
>> On Feb 16, 7:06 pm, "Pete S" <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>> I will say, however, that they are excellent on return policies.
>>> Ya know, the people who work at the stores are not necessarily Chinese.
>>> They are American human beings and their management seems to want to
>>> please
>>> the customer!!! Imagine that!
>>
>> You know, they razed the old HF that we had for years here. The moved
>> to a better part of town, and into a brand new building. It is
>> spotlessly clean inside and the shelves are always stocked and in
>> order. I thought I was on a Candid Camera set the first time I went
>> in.
>>
>> Then they started this new line of marketing called "customer service"
>> where they try to make their customers happy and provide great
>> service. They will rain check anything in sale and even call when it
>> comes in. Their warranty policy isn't like I am used to where >> I <<
>> take a broken tool to an authorized repair center and they call me and
>> let me know if the repairs are covered.
>>
>> These guys simply look you up on their computer, then when they find
>> you, you go get a brand new tool off the shelf. And for most of their
>> products they offer this full replacement warranty (small extra
>> charge) for up to three years.
>>
>> I am not so sure I like all this customer service wise guy crap they'hh
>> are doing now or their proven return policy they seem to uphold with
>> no questions. I am not sure customer service works for me. Yes, I
>> have had it before, but it was a long time ago and I don't really
>> remember what it is like. In this day and age it could be a recipe
>> for disaster.
>>
>> Robert
>>
> Careful Rob, you hang out whith Leon and Swingy... Leon hob knobs with
> the Festoolies, I'm not sure he'll want to associate with you if you
> keep this up. ;-)
>


Robert is an official honorary auditor of the FIG. Swingman is the
president, he has the cap.

On 2/18/2013 7:38 AM, Leon wrote:
> Puckdropper <puckdropper(at)yahoo(dot)com> wrote:
>> Leon <lcb11211@swbelldotnet> wrote in

>>> Robert is an official honorary auditor of the FIG. Swingman is the
>>> president, he has the cap.
>>>
>>
>> If he leaves it at your house, does that make you the president? *g*
>>
>> Puckdropper
>
> Haven't seen it since he was presented with it. :-)

Briefly, that's because the security requirements are extensive ... it
must be kept in a temperature controlled, combination lock Systainer.

--
eWoodShop: www.eWoodShop.com
Wood Shop: www.e-WoodShop.net
https://plus.google.com/114902129577517371552/posts
http://www.custommade.com/by/ewoodshop/
KarlCaillouet@ (the obvious)

On 2/15/2013 9:08 AM, Leon wrote:
> On 2/15/2013 6:23 AM, Puckdropper wrote:
>> "dadiOH" <[email protected]> wrote in news:[email protected]:
>>
>>> The things I have or have had that come to mind...
>>>
>>> lathe, $240? - works fine, had it now for about 10 years. Drive belt
>>> broke about a year ago, easy to order new one from HF
>>
>> Link belt. About $25 for 5' last I knew. Cheaper than anywhere else,
>> and
>> works quite well too.
>>
>> *snip*
>>
>> Puckdropper
>>
>
>
> Excellent! I be getting one soon. Seems I need just over 4' and
> typically 4' is $20~$30.


Ok! I bought that $25 link belt, made it into two belts and replaced
the slightly used ones on my DP. No more vibration so to speak unless I
crank it up to 2700 RPM. I am sure the pulleys are to blame for that.
Any way running at about 400 RPM the belt guard no longer vibrates like
crazy, not even at 2700 RPM.

Bought the 5 mil XL Nitril gloves too. Finally a throw away glove that
fits my hand.

On 2/17/2013 4:25 PM, [email protected] wrote:
> On Feb 17, 5:27 am, "Mike Marlow" <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>> [email protected] wrote:
>>
>>> I am not so sure I like all this customer service wise guy crap they
>>> are doing now or their proven return policy they seem to uphold with
>>> no questions. I am not sure customer service works for me. Yes, I
>>> have had it before, but it was a long time ago and I don't really
>>> remember what it is like. In this day and age it could be a recipe
>>> for disaster.
>
>>
>> It can't work. If it could, all of the retailers would do it. Just you
>> watch - it'll run them right out of business as people get wise to this
>> clever ploy...
>
> OK, I have decided I don't like customer service. Not one bit. I had
> to return a couple of items to HD today, you know, the store where the
> Sunday crew usually wishes they were cleaning stables in the stockyard
> rather than to be there.
>
> They couldn't get the SKU to work right on their machine even though I
> had a receipt... .even though I just wanted credit back to my
> commercial account...
>
> It took a high level conference with a snotty twenty something
> "manager" of some sort between two different people do to decide how
> to properly handle the credit to my account. After another 10 minutes
> of random key strokes, the finally got the account credited properly.
> Finally, it came to one of them that they had actually missed a
> keystroke along the way. Upon that discovery, the "manager" took it
> upon himself to take the young, nervous, attractive young teen under
> his nerdy protective wing and make it a teaching moment before he
> finalized my transaction.
>
> Total time to return galvanized pipe joint fitting? Almost 25
> minutes.
>
> NOW THAT is the customer service I am used to. It was like sitting in
> a comfortable old chair to sit down on the water softener salt and
> watch the monkeys play with the machines.
>
> My experience with HF is much less irritating and certainly not as
> entertaining. I go with a receipt, they take the product back and it
> takes less than 5 minutes. I hate it. Gimme 25 minutes and a bag of
> popcorn to take care of a routine 5 minute transaction and I will be
> happy at my normal outlets. I am so used to shitty customer service I
> think it is my comfort zone.
>
> Robert
>


Next time you are in Houston go grocery shopping at Randall's. Once
upon a time in the 70's and early to late 80's this was a grocery store
that others wished they could be. A little pricey, that has not
changed, but the service was superior and you did not carry out your
groceries at the one near us. Now Randall's is owned by Safeway and is
the only way that Safeway can survive in Houston, they never made it
under their own name. Want shitty service, go to Randall's!

Mike Marlow wrote:
> HeyBub wrote:
>
>>
>> I'm waiting for the sale at Northern Tool to start this Sunday where
>> I plan to buy a welding helmet for $8.99.
>
> Holy shit Batman! That can't be auto darkening for that price is it?
> Have you ever used auto darkening? If not - buy one. $39 at HF. You will
> never regret it and you'll whine and piss and moan if you
> ever have to put on a conventional helmet again.

Don't know. Their sales flyer omits that detail, but I'll find out later
today.

If it IS auto-darkening, I guess I can return my HF helmet...

On Feb 16, 1:22=A0am, "[email protected]"
<[email protected]> wrote:
> This is a decent set of HSS lathe tools. =A0A good spindle gouge, two ske=
w chisels, couple scrapers, and a couple roughing gouges.
>
> http://www.harborfreight.com/garage-shop/stationary-wood-lathes/8-pie...

I have actually seen and used those tools. When giving a sharpening
class to my old wood turning club, I had a chance to sharpen them up
and try them out. They are a heckuva value and were very well made.
Nothing wrong with that M2 HSS either, it is the same steel used by
Penn State on their branded tools. I have a bag full of those PSI
tools and like them.

Robert

This is a decent set of HSS lathe tools. A good spindle gouge, two skew chisels, couple scrapers, and a couple roughing gouges.

http://www.harborfreight.com/garage-shop/stationary-wood-lathes/8-piece-high-speed-steel-wood-lathe-chisel-set-69723.html

On Sat, 16 Feb 2013 01:31:59 -0500, "Lee Michaels"
<leemichaels*nadaspam* at comcast dot net> wrote:

>
>
>"Puckdropper" wrote ...
>> woodchucker wrote
>
>>> Dial fractional caliper
>>> http://www.harborfreight.com/6-inch-fractional-dial-caliper-92437.html
>>> Wish I had bought this before I bought all my digitals... I bought the
>>> blind mans unit from Lee Valley, good but digital is hard to work with
>>> if you are not a machinist, and the HF is accurate w/fractions. I paid
>>> $17 on sale.. it was $19 plus 20% off coupon.
>>>
>> How have the batteries lasted? For some stupid reason, many models don't
>> turn off when you press the OFF button. The display goes blank, but it
>> keeps using battery.
>>
>I got one of those digital calipers from HF when I had a job that needed it.
>Since I only use it occasionally, I always take the battery out when I put
>it away. It seemed like the prudent thing to do.

Mine is a HF 6" digital, does mm/in/frac, and is 8-9mo old. The
battery is still going strong. It came with a spare, too.

--
If government were a product,
selling it would be illegal.
--P.J. O'Rourke

On Sat, 16 Feb 2013 10:27:44 -0600, DanG <[email protected]> wrote:

>If it says Pittsburgh - buy it. I've not ever broken a socket, chisel,
>punch, etc with the Pittsburgh logo

I was going to buy a small kit for the truck. 130 piece or something.
I got to HF and took one look at it. The packaging said Pittsburgh,
but none of the absolutely reeking potmetal crap in it did. I pointed
it out to the clerk and she said she didn't know/couldn't do anything
about it. That's the only Pittsburgh item I've ever turned down buying
on quality issues. No wonder it was on sale for $3.99...

--
If government were a product,
selling it would be illegal.
--P.J. O'Rourke

On 2/15/2013 2:04 PM, [email protected] wrote:
> Sounds like most have had better luck with the grip clamps than I
> have.
Gotta say I had the same luck you had.
I have a few, a few hold better, but all of the quick grip type have
sucked from them.

I don't trust them for clamping. I use one with a carriage bolt through
to hold my hvlp gun near where I am shooting. But other than that I
don't use them.

Their model size ones did work though.

--
Jeff

On 2/15/2013 5:06 AM, [email protected] wrote:
> There are certain circumstances that I have found HF to be quite
> handy. For years I sneered at their quality, the origin of their
> tools, and the lack of support for their products. What a difference
> a few years make. Now nearly every tool I see anywhere is made in
> China, or from sourced parts from there so I am buying Chinese whether
> I like it or not.
>
> I thought it would be fun to see what TO buy, and what NOT to buy from
> everyone based on personal experience. Not a Googled experience, but
> hands on.
>
> So, here's few from me on the "buy list". Their multitool kicks ass.
> I have absolutely used the snot out of mine for about three years now,
> and it is still a very stout machine that works as well as it did when
> I bought it. I have found the blades to be >nearly< the quality of
> the Fein blades, which was a shocker. I have bought them and given
> them away as gifts and all the owners have had the same experience as
> mine.
>
> Their 4 1/2" grinder. This tool was bought as an emergency to replace
> a Bosch grind that crapped out on the job. This one can't be killed.
> I have had it for about 6-8 years now, and use it to grind metal for
> finishing, grind off bolts and screws on burglar bars when painting,
> and use the masonry blades on it to cut bricks, pavers, stone, and to
> inlet flashings into masonry chimneys. Paid $13 for this tool.
>
> Halogen light bulbs for my stand lights. Everywhere else, these bulbs
> are 6 - 10 bucks each. When they have a door buster, I buy them for
> 99 cents. Last better in the lamps than the more expensive
> offerings.
>
> Foam sanding blocks. These are $6 for ten, not one for $6. They have
> worked every bit as well as the 3M offerings for me, and now I only
> use them when I need a foam block to conform to an irregular shape. I
> used these by the bucket when I was doing a lot of refinishing.
>
> Nitrile gloves. You can get 100 5 mil gloves for what you pay for a
> set or two from the paint store. I use 3 mil, 5 mil, and for using
> caustic materials (like MEK, etc.) I use their 7 mil. I mix and
> spray, take the gloves off and toss them. I may use ten sets of
> gloves a day, which means it costs me a little over a buck. Best of
> all, the gloves work great for me. And if I tear one from material
> handling, I have so many in the box I just get another. It isn't a
> tragedy as it is when using the paint store gloves that are sold as
> two to three pairs in a $10 pack.
>
> HVLP guns. I only used these to try out new finishes and experiment
> with mixes, but after I screwed up my expensive finish gun I was
> forced to use my practice guns on the job. What a bone head... if it
> was good enough for me to determine my mixes and be satisfied with the
> end results, why wouldn't I like it on the job? I have had several of
> these guns, and the only thing to consider is the build quality can be
> spotty.
>
> Paint gun stuff. They have great prices on HVLP gun filters, material
> filters, inline moisture removal filters and cup liners. Literally,
> their prices are about 1/10 of Sherwin Williams. This is a big deal
> for me because as is he case with sand paper, these are all
> consumables for the guys that do it for a living. Being extremely
> affordable means I am in the habit of changing gun filters every job,
> changing line filters every job and always having cup liner on hand at
> a whopping ten cents a piece.
>
> Woodworking hammers. Good stuff, and while I use my Plumb (made in
> China of course), these are great hammers for helpers or for certain
> tasks like roofing where you don't want tar and gunk on your wood
> working tools.
>
> Bulk drill bits. NOT the crap in the indexes, not in the special
> sets. But once upon a time they had bits from manufacturing that had
> been reground. They were all different lengths and sizes and were
> sold by the pound. I tried a pound, and while I have little idea or
> concern exactly what size they are (for me bits are almost exclusively
> for pilot holes or rivets) these bits have out lasted my Blue Mol and
> Bosch bits by a pretty long stroke. Sadly, they are in store only and
> it is catch as catch can. The bits are something like $5 a pound, and
> I look for the bags that have the 1/8" and similar sizes in them. You
> get a lot of 1/8" bits in a pound.
>
> So some things NOT to buy there. First, they used to have a line of
> air nailers that were perfect back up guns. No longer so. Blew a
> seal on my Bostitch brad nailer, and since the seals weren't in stock
> I bought their 18 ga. It was OK for base and some other work, but
> marked up the wood unless you got it just right. The gun would drive
> a 2" brad into white oak with no problems. It crapped out before the
> job was finished. Three weeks ago, same scenario with my 16 ga
> straight nailer. Piston bumper in the gun broke and it is special
> order. Bought the 16 ga at HF on sale for $39, and it wasn't worth 39
> cents. It jammed up solid after about 1/2 clip of nails. The guns
> are junk and they cost me a lot of down time.
>
> Squeeze clamps. At $2 for a 12" clamp, I couldn't resist. I bought
> four. Two work and two don't. They wouldn't clamp a sock on the
> clothesline. HF told me they had problems with them and they were
> changing manufacturers.
>
> Screwdrivers. Forget it.
>
> Most drill bits. Forget them, too.
>
> Chisels of any type. Cold, or for wood or anything else, a no go.
>
> Hand saws. Nope.
>
> Measuring tapes. No way, they break in minutes.
>
> OK, that's my take on HF after waaay too much coffee and a 3 hour long
> session in the waiting room of the doctor's office typing this out
> with nothing else to do.
>
> Any thoughts?
>
> Robert
>
One thing you didn't mention is their plastic storage containers..
I made a cabinet for mine and replaced my old parts bin. This is much
easier to find things in. http://imgur.com/a/YbWt2#5 I give these
storage bins a higher rating than the plano (usa made) units. 2.99 on
sale vs 7.99 at home depot.

Dial fractional caliper
http://www.harborfreight.com/6-inch-fractional-dial-caliper-92437.html
Wish I had bought this before I bought all my digitals... I bought the
blind mans unit from Lee Valley, good but digital is hard to work with
if you are not a machinist, and the HF is accurate w/fractions. I paid
$17 on sale.. it was $19 plus 20% off coupon.


I have some old drill bit index from them, pretty good. I agree about
the modern, the grind doesn't look as good.
Tape measures... the free one's are worth the coupon. I also have a
fostner bit set from them about 12 years old. Very good.

The 4 1/2 grinder is awesome... I regreased mine and glad I did, it will
last forever.

I have an older Staple /brad gun, I wanted it for narrow staples.. never
had a problem with it. Thanks for the info on the new ones.
I have both the cheap hvlp conversion and more expensive hvlp
conversion. both are good, the more expensive is a little better, the
holes are drilled finer, and more... very well worth it.

My experience with their sandpaper is mixed. I didn't like their sponges
bought 10 years ago... I did like the 6x48 coarse belt that I just bought.

I like their old blue flux welder... works great with lincoln tips and
lincoln wire.

The welding mask was $34.99 when I got it. The same thing in other
places is over $100 , and no different. I love being able to see before
I strike.

I bought a beam cutter for my drill press. Great for $10 and I saw a
hint online that made sense. Reverse one cutter and cut inside and
outside at the same time... Damn if that wasn't the ticket. The carbide
cutters are great.

The gloves.... well like you said... I want to grab the 7mil next time
since the older light blue were stronger in the past.

I bought the alloy tap set, I wanted metric and for the price I couldn't
go wrong, its good, not great, but good and acceptable.


I normally buy the higher end wheels for carts, but a few carts didn't
need them so I tried their blue wheels, They work better than the rubber
crap wheels of old, and seem to be carrying the load. At $2.99 on sale I
could not beat it.

Their F clamps are good for the price, but were even better when I first
encountered them, I notice the rubber covers not fitting and some of
them are twisted (casting). But I have bought a load of them since one
can never have too many clamps... the wood ones are shit.

Their old Aluminum bar clamps were very good, and so were their pipe
clamp 3/4 heads.. One day I'm going to make a roubo bench top for my
bench so I can raise my work and I'll use those to tighten the vise.

I have a bunch of their free lights.. small and don't cost anything, so
you can put them all around, and when you drop something you don't have
to look far to find a light.

Locking vise grips (Kreg style) 4.99 a piece, bought a couple and are
great. Not as great as Leon's auto sizing clamps (NICE).


LINK BELTS... used to be USA made, now made in Italy They are green, but
as good as the red ones. A little wider, so I am replacing my drill
press one so I can get the two belts closer when needing that in between
speed. But I use these everywhere else. Awesome.

Step drills. The small set was great for $6.99 the larger set for $8.99
I had to return two sets to get a sharp one. Great for cheap sheet metal
cutter. You need the better sales.

Automatic brake bleeder, awesome..
Drifts... bought years ago... awesome

Movers dolly, pick the right one, because most are crap... check the
wheels.... make sure they swivel with weight.. only 9.99 on sale. Should
have gotten another.

Metal hand punch... no longer stocked, worked great, spent $19 looked
elsewhere before hand, same setup was close to $100. Has lasted 13
years. Great for sheet metal work and preparing rivet holes.

Ground fault plug in (used to identify backward wiring and whether the
ground fault trips). The best for next to nothing, compared to name
brands selling at easily 4 times as much.

Glue bottles... $2 easy to squeeze and haven't blown one yet. Take your
gallon and divide it up.



--
Jeff

On 2/15/2013 2:01 PM, Leon wrote:
> On 2/15/2013 9:08 AM, Leon wrote:
>> On 2/15/2013 6:23 AM, Puckdropper wrote:
>>> "dadiOH" <[email protected]> wrote in news:[email protected]:
>>>
>>>> The things I have or have had that come to mind...
>>>>
>>>> lathe, $240? - works fine, had it now for about 10 years. Drive belt
>>>> broke about a year ago, easy to order new one from HF
>>>
>>> Link belt. About $25 for 5' last I knew. Cheaper than anywhere else,
>>> and
>>> works quite well too.
>>>
>>> *snip*
>>>
>>> Puckdropper
>>>
>>
>>
>> Excellent! I be getting one soon. Seems I need just over 4' and
>> typically 4' is $20~$30.
>
>
> Ok! I bought that $25 link belt, made it into two belts and replaced
> the slightly used ones on my DP. No more vibration so to speak unless I
> crank it up to 2700 RPM. I am sure the pulleys are to blame for that.
> Any way running at about 400 RPM the belt guard no longer vibrates like
> crazy, not even at 2700 RPM.
>
> Bought the 5 mil XL Nitril gloves too. Finally a throw away glove that
> fits my hand.


OBTY link belts are directional and the Harbor Freight Accu-Link belts
are Italian.

http://www.jasonindustrial.com/Products/index.cfm?ID=6&Type=Product

On Feb 16, 2:24=A0pm, "Mike Marlow" <[email protected]>
wrote:

> Yeah - I've always wondered about their sandblasting equipment. =A0That s=
tuff
> is a lot more demanding than a lot of people realize. =A0Never knew anybo=
dy
> that had purchased one, so I've never been able to see one in action, or =
try
> it. =A0I'd like a decent pressurized sandblaster, and I've looked at thei=
rs,
> but I just don't know...

I have a friend of mine that does light manufacturing and some metal
finishing that has that HF stand up sand blasting cabinet. He likes
it a lot, but found he didn't have anywhere near the compressor he
needed to run it. He wound up buying a monster, then screams bloody
murder at the price of the different blast mediums.

Likes the cabinet, though. ;^)

Robert

On 2/15/2013 10:42 PM, Puckdropper wrote:
> woodchucker <[email protected]> wrote in
> news:[email protected]:
>
> *snip*
>
>> Dial fractional caliper
>> http://www.harborfreight.com/6-inch-fractional-dial-caliper-92437.html
>> Wish I had bought this before I bought all my digitals... I bought the
>> blind mans unit from Lee Valley, good but digital is hard to work with
>> if you are not a machinist, and the HF is accurate w/fractions. I paid
>> $17 on sale.. it was $19 plus 20% off coupon.
>>
>>
>
> *snip*
>
> How have the batteries lasted? For some stupid reason, many models don't
> turn off when you press the OFF button. The display goes blank, but it
> keeps using battery.
>
> Puckdropper
>


Something to watch out for, I commonly use a Tilt Box to set angles on
my TS, I seldom use it but the battery was almost always dead when I
wanted to use it. I have a cheap brand caliper and the batter goes on
and on and on....

Both have cases, the TiltBox brand has a soft case, the other, a hard
case. I discovered that the soft case does not protect the unit from
being turned on by a simple bump inside a drawer or even in my case
holding the case improperly when putting the tool back in it's soft
case. I found that after putting the unit in the soft case and
immediately pulling it back out that the unit was on again as it came
out of the case. Paying attention to this detail has extended battery
life considerably.

On 2/18/2013 10:13 AM, Leon wrote:
> On 2/18/2013 7:57 AM, Swingman wrote:
>> On 2/18/2013 7:38 AM, Leon wrote:
>>> Puckdropper <puckdropper(at)yahoo(dot)com> wrote:
>>>> Leon <lcb11211@swbelldotnet> wrote in
>>
>>>>> Robert is an official honorary auditor of the FIG. Swingman is the
>>>>> president, he has the cap.
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> If he leaves it at your house, does that make you the president? *g*
>>>>
>>>> Puckdropper
>>>
>>> Haven't seen it since he was presented with it. :-)
>>
>> Briefly, that's because the security requirements are extensive ... it
>> must be kept in a temperature controlled, combination lock Systainer.
>>
>
>
> I have one of those. What's the problem?
+1

--
Jeff

Oh boy, OP. You really started something-----

Sorry, but MY secret of which stuff TO buy from HF is so good that I don't
want anyone to know about it.
If it got around, HF would probably have change things.

I will say, however, that they are excellent on return policies.
Ya know, the people who work at the stores are not necessarily Chinese.
They are American human beings and their management seems to want to please
the customer!!! Imagine that!

Pete Stanaitis
---------------

On 2/17/2013 9:16 AM, dpb wrote:
> On 2/15/2013 8:36 PM, Mike Marlow wrote:
>> HeyBub wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> I'm waiting for the sale at Northern Tool to start this Sunday where
>>> I plan to buy a welding helmet for $8.99.
>>
>> Holy shit Batman! That can't be auto darkening for that price is it?
>> Have
>> you ever used auto darkening? If not - buy one. $39 at HF. You will
>> never
>> regret it and you'll whine and piss and moan if you ever have to put on a
>> conventional helmet again.
>
> I don't know...the couple I've tried are too dark at even lightest
> setting for arc welding to be able to see anything while welding other
> than just a glow...both of these are similar to the HF (one from
> Northern, don't recall where the other actually came from). It's nice
> to see where to strike but after that it's sailing almost blind so it's
> definitely not a full win...
>
> I've not tried w/ a major since do so little welding but I don't believe
> these cheapies are the complete answer. Maybe for inert gas they will
> work better, I don't know, don't have a setup for it to try.
>
> --
Not true with mine from HF. It is adjustable, not much, but slightly.
It is plenty fine to see with.
--
Jeff

On 2/17/2013 1:06 PM, Larry Blanchard wrote:
> On Sun, 17 Feb 2013 06:27:21 -0500, Mike Marlow wrote:
>
>> It can't work. If it could, all of the retailers would do it. Just you
>> watch - it'll run them right out of business as people get wise to this
>> clever ploy...
>
> When I brought back my multi-tool because the blade kept coming loose,
> they actually refunded my money - that's what'll do them in.
> that
> I'm reminded of the sporting goods retailer who told me, several decades
> ago, about all the people who bought a tent before a holiday and brought
> it back with some excuse shortly after the holiday. I just shook my head
> in disbelief.
>
Actually the HF by me (1 hour drive) has told me that certain items are
no longer returnable unless you pay a restocking fee. I found this out
when I bought the fountain pump for my basement sink. I was shocked.

But then I see all these yahoos buy a tool use it and return it, and
realize that they are spearheading this restocking fee effort.

--
Jeff

On 2/17/2013 5:16 AM, [email protected] wrote:
> On Feb 16, 7:06 pm, "Pete S" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> I will say, however, that they are excellent on return policies.
>> Ya know, the people who work at the stores are not necessarily Chinese.
>> They are American human beings and their management seems to want to please
>> the customer!!! Imagine that!
>
> You know, they razed the old HF that we had for years here. The moved
> to a better part of town, and into a brand new building. It is
> spotlessly clean inside and the shelves are always stocked and in
> order. I thought I was on a Candid Camera set the first time I went
> in.
>
> Then they started this new line of marketing called "customer service"
> where they try to make their customers happy and provide great
> service. They will rain check anything in sale and even call when it
> comes in. Their warranty policy isn't like I am used to where >> I <<
> take a broken tool to an authorized repair center and they call me and
> let me know if the repairs are covered.
>
> These guys simply look you up on their computer, then when they find
> you, you go get a brand new tool off the shelf. And for most of their
> products they offer this full replacement warranty (small extra
> charge) for up to three years.
>
> I am not so sure I like all this customer service wise guy crap they'hh
> are doing now or their proven return policy they seem to uphold with
> no questions. I am not sure customer service works for me. Yes, I
> have had it before, but it was a long time ago and I don't really
> remember what it is like. In this day and age it could be a recipe
> for disaster.
>
> Robert
>
Careful Rob, you hang out whith Leon and Swingy... Leon hob knobs with
the Festoolies, I'm not sure he'll want to associate with you if you
keep this up. ;-)

--
Jeff

On Sun, 17 Feb 2013 15:12:46 -0500, "Mike Marlow"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>dpb wrote:
>
>> I don't know...the couple I've tried are too dark at even lightest
>> setting for arc welding to be able to see anything while welding other
>> than just a glow...both of these are similar to the HF (one from
>> Northern, don't recall where the other actually came from). It's nice
>> to see where to strike but after that it's sailing almost blind so
>> it's definitely not a full win...
>>
>> I've not tried w/ a major since do so little welding but I don't
>> believe these cheapies are the complete answer. Maybe for inert gas
>> they will work better, I don't know, don't have a setup for it to try.
>
>I don't do much stick welding - almost everything I do is MIG. You are
>right that they are dark masks, but I can see where I'm welding and I don't
>have mine cranked all the way back. And - my eyesight in low light is
>getting really bad! I can barely see my wife's boobs in a dark bedroom - I
>have to verify things by feel...

I use both stick and Mig and have been eyeballing the self darening
rigs as my biggest trouble with Mig is getting it started specially if
I'm using gas. I don't like the price on some, but afraid to risk my
eyes with HF.

Mike M

On Fri, 15 Feb 2013 07:11:25 -0700, Doug Winterburn
<[email protected]> wrote:

>On 02/15/2013 03:06 AM, [email protected] wrote:
>> There are certain circumstances that I have found HF to be quite
>> handy. For years I sneered at their quality, the origin of their
>> tools, and the lack of support for their products. What a difference
>> a few years make. Now nearly every tool I see anywhere is made in
>> China, or from sourced parts from there so I am buying Chinese whether
>> I like it or not.

Unless you spend 40x prices for a Cherman Festool, you're right.


>> I thought it would be fun to see what TO buy, and what NOT to buy from
>> everyone based on personal experience. Not a Googled experience, but
>> hands on.
>>
>> So, here's few from me on the "buy list". Their multitool kicks ass.
>> I have absolutely used the snot out of mine for about three years now,
>> and it is still a very stout machine that works as well as it did when
>> I bought it. I have found the blades to be >nearly< the quality of
>> the Fein blades, which was a shocker. I have bought them and given
>> them away as gifts and all the owners have had the same experience as
>> mine.
>>
>> Their 4 1/2" grinder. This tool was bought as an emergency to replace
>> a Bosch grind that crapped out on the job. This one can't be killed.
>> I have had it for about 6-8 years now, and use it to grind metal for
>> finishing, grind off bolts and screws on burglar bars when painting,
>> and use the masonry blades on it to cut bricks, pavers, stone, and to
>> inlet flashings into masonry chimneys. Paid $13 for this tool.



>> Halogen light bulbs for my stand lights. Everywhere else, these bulbs
>> are 6 - 10 bucks each. When they have a door buster, I buy them for
>> 99 cents. Last better in the lamps than the more expensive
>> offerings.
>>
>> Foam sanding blocks. These are $6 for ten, not one for $6. They have
>> worked every bit as well as the 3M offerings for me, and now I only
>> use them when I need a foam block to conform to an irregular shape. I
>> used these by the bucket when I was doing a lot of refinishing.
>>
>> Nitrile gloves. You can get 100 5 mil gloves for what you pay for a
>> set or two from the paint store. I use 3 mil, 5 mil, and for using
>> caustic materials (like MEK, etc.) I use their 7 mil. I mix and
>> spray, take the gloves off and toss them. I may use ten sets of
>> gloves a day, which means it costs me a little over a buck. Best of
>> all, the gloves work great for me. And if I tear one from material
>> handling, I have so many in the box I just get another. It isn't a
>> tragedy as it is when using the paint store gloves that are sold as
>> two to three pairs in a $10 pack.

Their latex, leather (roping), jersey, and other gloves are really
great, too.


>> HVLP guns. I only used these to try out new finishes and experiment
>> with mixes, but after I screwed up my expensive finish gun I was
>> forced to use my practice guns on the job. What a bone head... if it
>> was good enough for me to determine my mixes and be satisfied with the
>> end results, why wouldn't I like it on the job? I have had several of
>> these guns, and the only thing to consider is the build quality can be
>> spotty.
>>
>> Paint gun stuff. They have great prices on HVLP gun filters, material
>> filters, inline moisture removal filters and cup liners. Literally,
>> their prices are about 1/10 of Sherwin Williams. This is a big deal
>> for me because as is he case with sand paper, these are all
>> consumables for the guys that do it for a living. Being extremely
>> affordable means I am in the habit of changing gun filters every job,
>> changing line filters every job and always having cup liner on hand at
>> a whopping ten cents a piece.
>>
>> Woodworking hammers. Good stuff, and while I use my Plumb (made in
>> China of course), these are great hammers for helpers or for certain
>> tasks like roofing where you don't want tar and gunk on your wood
>> working tools.

I've had mixed luck with those. The newer ones aren't fitted, the
handles are hacked to standard size and the heads epoxied on. Some
last forever, while others break within minutes.


>> Bulk drill bits. NOT the crap in the indexes, not in the special
>> sets. But once upon a time they had bits from manufacturing that had
>> been reground. They were all different lengths and sizes and were
>> sold by the pound. I tried a pound, and while I have little idea or
>> concern exactly what size they are (for me bits are almost exclusively
>> for pilot holes or rivets) these bits have out lasted my Blue Mol and
>> Bosch bits by a pretty long stroke. Sadly, they are in store only and
>> it is catch as catch can. The bits are something like $5 a pound, and
>> I look for the bags that have the 1/8" and similar sizes in them. You
>> get a lot of 1/8" bits in a pound.
>>
>> So some things NOT to buy there. First, they used to have a line of
>> air nailers that were perfect back up guns. No longer so. Blew a
>> seal on my Bostitch brad nailer, and since the seals weren't in stock
>> I bought their 18 ga. It was OK for base and some other work, but
>> marked up the wood unless you got it just right. The gun would drive
>> a 2" brad into white oak with no problems. It crapped out before the
>> job was finished. Three weeks ago, same scenario with my 16 ga
>> straight nailer. Piston bumper in the gun broke and it is special
>> order. Bought the 16 ga at HF on sale for $39, and it wasn't worth 39
>> cents. It jammed up solid after about 1/2 clip of nails. The guns
>> are junk and they cost me a lot of down time.
>>
>> Squeeze clamps. At $2 for a 12" clamp, I couldn't resist. I bought
>> four. Two work and two don't. They wouldn't clamp a sock on the
>> clothesline. HF told me they had problems with them and they were
>> changing manufacturers.
>>
>> Screwdrivers. Forget it.

I've had good luck with the Pittsburgh 7pc set in my backup kit.


>> Most drill bits. Forget them, too.

I break more (due to hard handling) than I wear out.


>> Chisels of any type. Cold, or for wood or anything else, a no go.

I've had excellent luck with their transfer punches, hollow punches,
nail sets, and 4T porta-power set. I tried re-hardening some of their
chisels but the steel just isn't there. They must be made from rebar
remelts. =:0


>> Hand saws. Nope.
>>
>> Measuring tapes. No way, they break in minutes.

I think I've bought a dozen there (some freebies) in the last decade
and I'm down to 3 or 4 now. They seem to last as well as other brands
I've bought.


>> OK, that's my take on HF after waaay too much coffee and a 3 hour long
>> session in the waiting room of the doctor's office typing this out
>> with nothing else to do.
>>
>> Any thoughts?
>>
>> Robert

>
>I have quite a bit of their stuff including most of what "works" for you.

Ditto, guys. I've been buying there since the early Seventies, so
I've had most of their worthwhile stuff. I'm still beating the crap
out of their 5" swivel vise. Their bar and pipe clamps work well if
not flawlessly. I often use one of their wood clamps to hold work
vertical while I repair it.


>The one I really like is the infrared non-contact thermometer. I use it
>at every stop while towing the 5th wheel to shoot all the hubs and
>drums, which was prompted after losing a wheel a few years ago. I also
>have their small pancake compressor that was about $40 after coupons.
>It has been used quite a bit to air up tires while traveling and will
>even run off the 1000W inverter in the 5th wheel.

I had their little pocket job for years but it died and I didn't
replace it. I'll buy a pistol grip next time.

Another thing to avoid is their metal panel punch set. I later eBayed
a Greenlee and the difference was night and day. The wee HF beastie
stripped before I could -blink-. If you see the number 91201 knockout
punch set at HF, RUN AWAY! They're truly ghastly. I tried 3 other
sets in the store that day before getting my money back.

--
If government were a product,
selling it would be illegal.
--P.J. O'Rourke

[email protected] wrote:
> There are certain circumstances that I have found HF to be quite
> handy. For years I sneered at their quality, the origin of their
> tools, and the lack of support for their products. What a difference
> a few years make. Now nearly every tool I see anywhere is made in
> China, or from sourced parts from there so I am buying Chinese whether
> I like it or not.
>
> I thought it would be fun to see what TO buy, and what NOT to buy from
> everyone based on personal experience. Not a Googled experience, but
> hands on.

The things I have or have had that come to mind...

lathe, $240? - works fine, had it now for about 10 years. Drive belt broke
about a year ago, easy to order new one from HF

hammer drill, $32 - works fine but the chuck rusts easily

4 1/2" grinder, $15 (now 9.95) - I have a better one too but I bought this
because it had an accessory shoe (like a saw) and I needed to cut a lot of
slots in concrete to the same depth with a diamond blade; it works fine but
gets pretty warm and the slide switch has gotten hard to slide. I suspect
disassembly and cleaning out the concrete dust would free it up. OTOH, I
can buy another for $9.95 :)

7" tub tile saw, <$100 - nothing wrong with the saw but I was cutting
Saltillo which makes a lot of mud. In short order the mud would gum up the
slides so the table was very hard to move. Gave the saw to a contractor
friend who was doing some work for me.

7" radial tile saw, about $100 - it replaced the above and I have used the
hell out of it. My only complaints...
1. only about 3/4" from table to motor bottom, wish there were more
2. it is steel, steel rusts
3. the water tray is also steel, don't care if it rusts, but it is hard
to get to and once there it is hard to remove for cleaning

12" bar clamps, $1.99 each - they clamp well. Only complaint, a couple of
the rivets holfing handle to screw had rough heads. A moment with a file
fixed it.

18" bar clamps, $2.99 each, same as above. I also have some smaller German
ones, don't like them as they have no clutch and the teeth on the bar are so
fine that a spot of dried glue makes them inoperable.

assorted hand screws, dont recall the cost but not more than half that of
Jorgensons

assorted pipe clamps, both 1/2" with a toggle and 3/4" with a crank handle.
I prefer the 1/2". Again, don't recall the price but less than $5.00 each.
Probably less than $4.00.

chip brushes by the bundle, great for epoxy, polyester and contact cement

nitrile gloves

Probably other things but that's what I recall off the top of my head. I've
been buying things from HF for 30 years or a bit more, never understood why
it was so popular to beat them up. True, the finish of some items is not as
great as on more expensive ones but you are paying much less, what is
expected? And, IME, the *utility* of their offerings has been just fine.
The same holds true for Chinese goods in general and I'm sure it will
improve with time; better hope so, the Chinese hegemony is a-coming...

--

dadiOH
____________________________

Winters getting colder? Tired of the rat race?
Taxes out of hand? Maybe just ready for a change?
Check it out... http://www.floridaloghouse.net

[email protected] wrote:

> There are certain circumstances that I have found HF to be quite
> handy. For years I sneered at their quality, the origin of their
> tools, and the lack of support for their products. What a difference
> a few years make. Now nearly every tool I see anywhere is made in
> China, or from sourced parts from there so I am buying Chinese whether
> I like it or not.
>

To me, it's really not so much whether something is made in China or not,
but to what standard. For a long time now, China has been manufacturing a
lot of things in our lives, and has produced the quality that we expected
from reliable brands of products. It's about the specifications provided by
the host company, it's about the host company's involvement in the process
(QA, QC), and whether the host company is committed to quality or simply
looking for cheap manufacturing and does not care about quality. The
Chinese will and do manufacture to specifications if required to do so - and
they take every shortcut if allowed to do so.

>
> Their 4 1/2" grinder. This tool was bought as an emergency to replace
> a Bosch grind that crapped out on the job. This one can't be killed.
> I have had it for about 6-8 years now, and use it to grind metal for
> finishing, grind off bolts and screws on burglar bars when painting,
> and use the masonry blades on it to cut bricks, pavers, stone, and to
> inlet flashings into masonry chimneys. Paid $13 for this tool.

I have a couple of these in the garage at all times. I first thought of
them as throw aways too, and in fact they are at those prices, but I have
gotten a lot more life out of them than I ever expected when I bought them.
I roached a SnapOn grinder and had to get a quick replacement - that's how I
got into using the HF grinder. Now I won't ever spend the crazy amounts of
money that SnapOn or anyone else wants for their grinder. Just no good
reason to do so. For those who would say "just wait until that cheap
grinder fails just when you need it most, or that repair parts are not
available"... that's exactly what happened with my expensive SnapOn grinder.
Repair? Warranty? Sure - hand over $175 and they'll put a new grinder in
my hand to replace it.

>
> Halogen light bulbs for my stand lights. Everywhere else, these bulbs
> are 6 - 10 bucks each. When they have a door buster, I buy them for
> 99 cents. Last better in the lamps than the more expensive
> offerings.

Never noticed these - I'm going to have to look for them.

> Nitrile gloves. You can get 100 5 mil gloves for what you pay for a
> set or two from the paint store. I use 3 mil, 5 mil, and for using
> caustic materials (like MEK, etc.) I use their 7 mil. I mix and
> spray, take the gloves off and toss them. I may use ten sets of
> gloves a day, which means it costs me a little over a buck. Best of
> all, the gloves work great for me. And if I tear one from material
> handling, I have so many in the box I just get another. It isn't a
> tragedy as it is when using the paint store gloves that are sold as
> two to three pairs in a $10 pack.
>

I use the crap out of these too. Absolutely no reason to pay any more than
this for them.

> HVLP guns. I only used these to try out new finishes and experiment
> with mixes, but after I screwed up my expensive finish gun I was
> forced to use my practice guns on the job. What a bone head... if it
> was good enough for me to determine my mixes and be satisfied with the
> end results, why wouldn't I like it on the job? I have had several of
> these guns, and the only thing to consider is the build quality can be
> spotty.

Yup! My good guns are all reliable brand name guns, but I do have HF guns
as well. The only time they have not performed well was when I used the
wrong gun for the task at hand. You just can't throw a heavy build primer
through a little touch up gun and expect a mirror finish out of the gun...

>
> Paint gun stuff. They have great prices on HVLP gun filters, material
> filters, inline moisture removal filters and cup liners. Literally,
> their prices are about 1/10 of Sherwin Williams. This is a big deal
> for me because as is he case with sand paper, these are all
> consumables for the guys that do it for a living. Being extremely
> affordable means I am in the habit of changing gun filters every job,
> changing line filters every job and always having cup liner on hand at
> a whopping ten cents a piece.

About all I use for supplies from them is gun cleaning kits, and in-line
(gun attach) water filters. Both are dirt cheap, and work as they should.
In both cases, these are 10% or less, of the amount that other retailers or
paint supply houses charge for the very same items.

>
> Bulk drill bits. NOT the crap in the indexes, not in the special
> sets.

I have one of their indexes and I kinda like it. The sharpness is
inconsistent, and the first time you use a particular bit, it may work like
a top, or you may have to take it to the grinder and put a good edge on it.
I can sharpen drill bits by hand just fine, so it really does not bother me
to have to do so, considering the price of the index. Once sharpened, they
work just fine, and hold their edge as well as any other drill bit I've ever
owned.

> Bought the 16 ga at HF on sale for $39, and it wasn't worth 39
> cents. It jammed up solid after about 1/2 clip of nails. The guns
> are junk and they cost me a lot of down time.

I don't know which one you bought, but my pin nailer has worked just fine
for years now - though I do not put the volume of nails through it that you
do.

>
> Squeeze clamps. At $2 for a 12" clamp, I couldn't resist. I bought
> four. Two work and two don't. They wouldn't clamp a sock on the
> clothesline. HF told me they had problems with them and they were
> changing manufacturers.\

Just looked at these a couple of days ago. I tried a couple in the store -
clamped them down on the shelves, and over squeezed them to see if they
would slip, or fail in some other way. Both clamped well. Might be one of
those hit or miss items that is worth checking in the store before walking
up front to pay for.

>
> Screwdrivers. Forget it.

I have a lot of screwdrivers. I have a couple of HF sets, and a mismatched
selection of what are supposed to be very good screwdrivers. I have never
found any difference in any of them. I am fanatic about not using my
screwdrivers as chisels, or pry bars, or any other similar tool, but I'm not
otherwise delicate with them. Just never had any problem with them.

>
> Hand saws. Nope.
>

The only hand saw I have from them is the Japanese flush cut saw. Very
sharp, cuts like a hot knife through butter, and leaves no mark on the wood.

> Measuring tapes. No way, they break in minutes.

I bought a couple of these when they had 30' tapes for $2.99. Figured it
was worth the time to check them out. Again - I don't put mine to the use
that you do, but I've not had any problem. The one thing I did discover is
that they don't extend out without flexing as well as some tapes do.
Thinner blade or something. As long as I don't try to get more than about
6' (or so...) out of them unsupported, they work just fine for me.

>
> Any thoughts?

None that I can think of...

--

-Mike-
[email protected]

Puckdropper wrote:

>
> I bought one of their more expensive ones that read capacitance,
> temperature, and frequency, but it was still less than $20. Try
> finding a capacitance meter elsewhere for that price. There are some
> negatives to this one, though. The temperature bottoms out at 0C
> (32F), so it's useless for cold measurements, and the capacitance
> function requires you to stick the capacitor in two slots instead of
> reading it with probes.

I have one of these also, and it is great. I don't care that it may not be
as precise as a Fluke, because I don't need that precision. For what it
gets used for, it is precise enough.

>
> The 13-Drawer tool chest is a winner. It's built extremely well,
> with a good solid feel and drawers that slide nicely. Apparently, it
> was a Snap-on design that they acquired the rights to and gave the
> plans to a manufacturer and said "build this."

I own one of those tool cabinets and I agree - it is a real winner. I paid
right around $300 for mine, and there is just no reason at all to have
purchased anything more expensive.

>
> I've had pretty good luck with their acid brushes, but they do drop
> the occasional bristle. Fortunately, it's easy to see against the
> yellow background of the glue.

I use a bunch of these also. Aside from the entire head falling out, what
in the hell can be better or worse about an acid brush? They are cheap, and
they work.

>
> That's all I can think of at the moment...

Well - you caused me to think of some others...

I own a self darkening welding helmet from them. I like it so much that I
bought my son one for Christmas. I've had mine for years and it has never
failed me once. I noticed that it is currently on sale for $39. Try to
find one of these anywhere near that price someplace else.

My torch set came from HF. It operates smoothly, develops the heat as
advertised, and cuts cleanly.

My bench vise came from HF so long ago that you had to order things from
them mail order - there were no local stores. What can I say... it still
sits there on the bench where I bolted it down years ago, still clamps down
on things, and it still thinks it's a vise after all these years.

I have digital dial calipers and a dial indicator from them. They work.

I have misellaneous socket sets from them - both deep and shallow, both
impact and standard. Never broke one yet.

I have hand wrench sets from them. Never broke one, and never found one
that did not fit a bolt head properly.

I have a ton of welding clamps from them. These are a fraction of the price
of name brand stuff. They work as good as any other clamp I own or have
used. I did notice that the local store does not carry the same selection
of these clamps that they used to - must not have been that big of a seller.
Likewise for their visegrip type of tools.

Stay away from their waterpump pliers though. Like all cheap models, these
will only work for a short time and then they begin to slip - at the point
where they adjust for size.

Stay away from their $10 self draining compressor blow off (the sniffer that
evacuates a small amount of air and moisture from you compressor tank on
each cycle). I've tried two of these, and after getting rid of the junk
plastic hose that comes with them and installing brake line in its place,
they still only lasted a few weeks at the most. They will start leaking at
the seal in the blow off valve.

I have a bunch of their bar clamps, and they just simply work. Going to buy
some of their squeeze clamps.


--

-Mike-
[email protected]

On 2/15/2013 5:06 AM, [email protected] wrote:
> Squeeze clamps. At $2 for a 12" clamp, I couldn't resist. I bought
> four. Two work and two don't. They wouldn't clamp a sock on the
> clothesline. HF told me they had problems with them and they were
> changing manufacturers.

I've only bought a few things from HF, but this was the item that made
me swear off anything else that looked "too good to be true". I use
Quick Grip clamps all the time. They don't have high clamping power, but
they are so convenient that I find myself reaching for a couple on
practically every job I do around the house. Working alone, I love when
I don't have to devote three or four of my two hands to the task of
keeping something in place while I work on it.

I had a bunch of the 6" Quick Grips, but sometimes something a little
longer would really have been handy. Along came an HF ad for 12"
no-brand clamps with the Hallowe'en color scheme. I think they might
have been $4 each. I bought two.

I broke the orange handle on the first one within minutes of getting the
clamp out of the package. Damn near put a gash in my finger doing it
too. I had simply squeezed the clamp in the usual way around a 2x4 to
test it. I used one hand; one regular, normal hand not known for its
exceptional grip.

It wasn't worth my time to ship the units back, so I kept the second
one. I thought it might be of some use if I babied" it. Hey, maybe the
first one was a fluke. Nope. The first time I found a need for a longer
one-handed clamp, I applied it very gingerly to the task. Same result: a
jagged shard of orange plastic broke off.

Having said that, I may take your advice on one or two of your "tested"
items. I could us a cheap grinder, for instance. BTW, HD had 12" Quick
Grips on sale 4 for $25 around the holidays.

On 2/15/13 4:06 AM, [email protected] wrote:
> So, here's few from me on the "buy list". Their multitool kicks ass.
> I have absolutely used the snot out of mine for about three years now,
> and it is still a very stout machine that works as well as it did when
> I bought it. I have found the blades to be >nearly< the quality of
> the Fein blades, which was a shocker. I have bought them and given
> them away as gifts and all the owners have had the same experience as
> mine.
>
> Their 4 1/2" grinder. This tool was bought as an emergency to replace
> a Bosch grind that crapped out on the job. This one can't be killed.
> I have had it for about 6-8 years now, and use it to grind metal for
> finishing, grind off bolts and screws on burglar bars when painting,
> and use the masonry blades on it to cut bricks, pavers, stone, and to
> inlet flashings into masonry chimneys. Paid $13 for this tool.

I have their multi-tool and bought their grinder for out tile work and
have had the same great experience. I will add their tile bridge saw to
the list. Bought it with a 20% coupon for $200, sold it for $150.


>
> Foam sanding blocks. These are $6 for ten, not one for $6. They have
> worked every bit as well as the 3M offerings for me, and now I only
> use them when I need a foam block to conform to an irregular shape. I
> used these by the bucket when I was doing a lot of refinishing.
>

I haven't found their sandpaper to hold up at all, plus it clogs in
seconds.
I may try some of the foam blocks per your recommendation.


>
> So some things NOT to buy there. First, they used to have a line of
> air nailers that were perfect back up guns. No longer so. Blew a
> seal on my Bostitch brad nailer, and since the seals weren't in stock
> I bought their 18 ga. It was OK for base and some other work, but
> marked up the wood unless you got it just right. The gun would drive
> a 2" brad into white oak with no problems. It crapped out before the
> job was finished. Three weeks ago, same scenario with my 16 ga
> straight nailer. Piston bumper in the gun broke and it is special
> order. Bought the 16 ga at HF on sale for $39, and it wasn't worth 39
> cents. It jammed up solid after about 1/2 clip of nails. The guns
> are junk and they cost me a lot of down time.
>

I have their orange air stapler and I'm pleased with it.
I don't see it on their site, so maybe they're done with it.
I'm considering their 23ga pin nailer.


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com
[email protected]
---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

On 2/15/2013 1:04 PM, [email protected] wrote:
...

> This is an interesting thread. I had no idea so many folks here used
> HF products.
...

When the 1x30 sander shows up, I'll have _one_ HF device... :)

Never been anywhere where there was a local store and when have walked
thru them on occasion nothing ever grabbed that seemed to be on the "too
good to pass up" list so have never bought anything in a store...

There's one of the traveling-trailer shows that comes around about 2-3
times a year--there's more than enough of that kind of stuff available
from it/them if have the urge... :)

--

[email protected] wrote:

> However, it is important to remember the
> bigger companies carry different quality of lines as well, so YMMV
> from actual model to model.

Indeed. In addition to HF, Sears and Black & Decker are popular no-no
sources.

I have a 7" disk sander, two speed, from Sears that I bought in the late
60s; I have used it and used it and used it. I dropped it on a concrete
floor a few years ago and was heartbroken when the aluminum clam shell
casting broke. I liked it so much I had a local shop weld the casting; that
and a bit of JB Weld and it is still getting used with great frequency.
(Less so since I got the HF 1/2" hammer drill because years ago I bought a
1/2" chuck for the sander and used it for a drill too. I'd use it more if I
could find a decent 8-9" softpad; they all seem to turn to mush in a few
years)

Two of my favorite tools are Black & Decker. One is a 7/8 HP router, 1/4"
collet, that is about as old as the Sears sander, Been used at least as
much too, still do. Used it today AAMOF. The other is more recent - a 3/8
VS drill with a clutch as well as straight drive, circa 1988, from their
industrial line. I use it nearly every day.

> This is an interesting thread. I had no idea so many folks here used
> HF products.

It's called "closet frugality" :)

--

dadiOH
____________________________

Winters getting colder? Tired of the rat race?
Taxes out of hand? Maybe just ready for a change?
Check it out... http://www.floridaloghouse.net

Gramp's shop wrote:
> I'm very happy with the 12" ratcheting clamps at $1.99 each when they
> are on sale (which seems to be always). I bought their combo
> disk/belt sander and was disappointed with the fit. I also have the
> HF wet grinder ($67 on sale) and it is OK. No Tormek, but a fraction
> of the cost. I also bought a passle of the 300/500 watt halogen
> bulbs. Some work great and seemingly last forever. Others have died
> with only a couple of hours of use.
>

I'm guessing you know the rule about halogen bulbs? That you can't touch
them with your fingers? If you do touch the glass with your fingers, you
need to wipe them off very well with a napkin or the oils from your fingers
will burn them up in a very short time. Very short.

--

-Mike-
[email protected]

On Fri, 15 Feb 2013 02:06:58 -0800, [email protected] wrote:

> So, here's few from me on the "buy list". Their multitool kicks ass. I
> have absolutely used the snot out of mine for about three years now, and
> it is still a very stout machine that works as well as it did when I
> bought it.

I bought one and returned it. The blade kept coming loose. And yes, I
*really* tightened it. Others have reported the same problem. You must
have gotten the rare good one.

I've had good luck with their Pittsburgh bar clamps. Anywhere from 6" to
24". The 30" are a bit too flexible, but OK for light clamping.

Single edge razor blades. Not for woodworking, but model building and
cleaning aquarium glass.

Barring future problems, the 1"x30" belt sander I just bought seems well
worth the money.

Agree on the nitrile gloves.

I've also bought the occasional odd size socket wrench there. They don't
get heavy use, but none have broken yet.

--
When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and
carrying a cross.





--
When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and
carrying a cross.

On Fri, 15 Feb 2013 13:17:09 -0600, dpb wrote:

> There's one of the traveling-trailer shows that comes around about 2-3
> times a year--there's more than enough of that kind of stuff available
> from it/them if have the urge... :)

But HF has a liberal return policy - the trailer leaves town :-).

--
When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and
carrying a cross.

HeyBub wrote:

>
> I'm waiting for the sale at Northern Tool to start this Sunday where
> I plan to buy a welding helmet for $8.99.

Holy shit Batman! That can't be auto darkening for that price is it? Have
you ever used auto darkening? If not - buy one. $39 at HF. You will never
regret it and you'll whine and piss and moan if you ever have to put on a
conventional helmet again.


--

-Mike-
[email protected]

On 2/15/2013 6:43 PM, Larry Blanchard wrote:
> On Fri, 15 Feb 2013 13:17:09 -0600, dpb wrote:
>
>> There's one of the traveling-trailer shows that comes around about 2-3
>> times a year--there's more than enough of that kind of stuff available
>> from it/them if have the urge... :)
>
> But HF has a liberal return policy - the trailer leaves town :-).
>

Not to the extent of pay return shipping liberal, is it? That's been
the primary kicker most of the time in decisions against risking HF
stuff since no local (<200 mi "local", anyways) outlets...

W/ the trailer you've got a chance to touch'n smell it first, anyway.
Altho I rarely buy any of it, either...

--

On 2/15/2013 4:06 AM, [email protected] wrote:
> There are certain circumstances that I have found HF to be quite
> handy. For years I sneered at their quality, the origin of their
> tools, and the lack of support for their products. What a difference
> a few years make. Now nearly every tool I see anywhere is made in
> China, or from sourced parts from there so I am buying Chinese whether
> I like it or not.
>
> I thought it would be fun to see what TO buy, and what NOT to buy from
> everyone based on personal experience. Not a Googled experience, but
> hands on.
>
> So, here's few from me on the "buy list". Their multitool kicks ass.
> I have absolutely used the snot out of mine for about three years now,
> and it is still a very stout machine that works as well as it did when
> I bought it. I have found the blades to be >nearly< the quality of
> the Fein blades, which was a shocker. I have bought them and given
> them away as gifts and all the owners have had the same experience as
> mine.
>
> Their 4 1/2" grinder. This tool was bought as an emergency to replace
> a Bosch grind that crapped out on the job. This one can't be killed.
> I have had it for about 6-8 years now, and use it to grind metal for
> finishing, grind off bolts and screws on burglar bars when painting,
> and use the masonry blades on it to cut bricks, pavers, stone, and to
> inlet flashings into masonry chimneys. Paid $13 for this tool.
>
> Halogen light bulbs for my stand lights. Everywhere else, these bulbs
> are 6 - 10 bucks each. When they have a door buster, I buy them for
> 99 cents. Last better in the lamps than the more expensive
> offerings.
>
> Foam sanding blocks. These are $6 for ten, not one for $6. They have
> worked every bit as well as the 3M offerings for me, and now I only
> use them when I need a foam block to conform to an irregular shape. I
> used these by the bucket when I was doing a lot of refinishing.
>
> Nitrile gloves. You can get 100 5 mil gloves for what you pay for a
> set or two from the paint store. I use 3 mil, 5 mil, and for using
> caustic materials (like MEK, etc.) I use their 7 mil. I mix and
> spray, take the gloves off and toss them. I may use ten sets of
> gloves a day, which means it costs me a little over a buck. Best of
> all, the gloves work great for me. And if I tear one from material
> handling, I have so many in the box I just get another. It isn't a
> tragedy as it is when using the paint store gloves that are sold as
> two to three pairs in a $10 pack.
>
> HVLP guns. I only used these to try out new finishes and experiment
> with mixes, but after I screwed up my expensive finish gun I was
> forced to use my practice guns on the job. What a bone head... if it
> was good enough for me to determine my mixes and be satisfied with the
> end results, why wouldn't I like it on the job? I have had several of
> these guns, and the only thing to consider is the build quality can be
> spotty.
>
> Paint gun stuff. They have great prices on HVLP gun filters, material
> filters, inline moisture removal filters and cup liners. Literally,
> their prices are about 1/10 of Sherwin Williams. This is a big deal
> for me because as is he case with sand paper, these are all
> consumables for the guys that do it for a living. Being extremely
> affordable means I am in the habit of changing gun filters every job,
> changing line filters every job and always having cup liner on hand at
> a whopping ten cents a piece.
>
> Woodworking hammers. Good stuff, and while I use my Plumb (made in
> China of course), these are great hammers for helpers or for certain
> tasks like roofing where you don't want tar and gunk on your wood
> working tools.
>
> Bulk drill bits. NOT the crap in the indexes, not in the special
> sets. But once upon a time they had bits from manufacturing that had
> been reground. They were all different lengths and sizes and were
> sold by the pound. I tried a pound, and while I have little idea or
> concern exactly what size they are (for me bits are almost exclusively
> for pilot holes or rivets) these bits have out lasted my Blue Mol and
> Bosch bits by a pretty long stroke. Sadly, they are in store only and
> it is catch as catch can. The bits are something like $5 a pound, and
> I look for the bags that have the 1/8" and similar sizes in them. You
> get a lot of 1/8" bits in a pound.
>
> So some things NOT to buy there. First, they used to have a line of
> air nailers that were perfect back up guns. No longer so. Blew a
> seal on my Bostitch brad nailer, and since the seals weren't in stock
> I bought their 18 ga. It was OK for base and some other work, but
> marked up the wood unless you got it just right. The gun would drive
> a 2" brad into white oak with no problems. It crapped out before the
> job was finished. Three weeks ago, same scenario with my 16 ga
> straight nailer. Piston bumper in the gun broke and it is special
> order. Bought the 16 ga at HF on sale for $39, and it wasn't worth 39
> cents. It jammed up solid after about 1/2 clip of nails. The guns
> are junk and they cost me a lot of down time.
>
> Squeeze clamps. At $2 for a 12" clamp, I couldn't resist. I bought
> four. Two work and two don't. They wouldn't clamp a sock on the
> clothesline. HF told me they had problems with them and they were
> changing manufacturers.
>
> Screwdrivers. Forget it.
>
> Most drill bits. Forget them, too.
>
> Chisels of any type. Cold, or for wood or anything else, a no go.
>
> Hand saws. Nope.
>
> Measuring tapes. No way, they break in minutes.
>
> OK, that's my take on HF after waaay too much coffee and a 3 hour long
> session in the waiting room of the doctor's office typing this out
> with nothing else to do.
>
> Any thoughts?
>
> Robert
>


If it says Pittsburgh - buy it. I've not ever broken a socket, chisel,
punch, etc with the Pittsburgh logo

--


___________________________________

Keep the whole world singing . . .
Dan G
remove the seven

Puckdropper wrote:
> woodchucker <[email protected]> wrote in
> news:[email protected]:
>
> *snip*
>
>> Dial fractional caliper
>> http://www.harborfreight.com/6-inch-fractional-dial-caliper-92437.html
>> Wish I had bought this before I bought all my digitals... I bought the
>> blind mans unit from Lee Valley, good but digital is hard to work with
>> if you are not a machinist, and the HF is accurate w/fractions. I paid
>> $17 on sale.. it was $19 plus 20% off coupon.
>>
>>
> *snip*
>
> How have the batteries lasted? For some stupid reason, many models don't
> turn off when you press the OFF button. The display goes blank, but it
> keeps using battery.
That has been my experience (dead batteries).


>
> Puckdropper

On Fri, 15 Feb 2013 23:22:29 -0800, [email protected] wrote:

> This is a decent set of HSS lathe tools. A good spindle gouge, two skew
> chisels, couple scrapers, and a couple roughing gouges.
>
> http://www.harborfreight.com/garage-shop/stationary-wood-lathes/8-piece-
high-speed-steel-wood-lathe-chisel-set-69723.html

As long as you don't believe their description. There are no roughing
gouges shown in the photo - if it is correct what they are calling
roughing gouges are a couple of shallow spindle gouges.

That said, I've recommended the set to several beginning turners with the
caveat that it's not for bowl turning.

--
When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and
carrying a cross.

On 2/16/13 9:08 AM, Bruce wrote:
> $20 dado blade set
>

Were they flat?
I got those and returned them because the chippers were off in diameter
by at least a 32nd.


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com
[email protected]
---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

Unquestionably Confused wrote:
> On 2/15/2013 11:23 PM, Lew Hodgett wrote:
>
>> Tried and returned a sand blaster.
>
>
> LOL! Saw one of the sand/bed blasting cabinets in the nearby HF that
> just opened in the last couple months. Both of the rubberized gloves
> attached to the cabinet had failed. Appeared to have disintegrated
> (in part) as opposed to being purposely ripped or torn by some
> juvenile delinquent.
>
> HF is caveat emptor playland but as we've all noted they do some
> things well - sometimes<g>

Yeah - I've always wondered about their sandblasting equipment. That stuff
is a lot more demanding than a lot of people realize. Never knew anybody
that had purchased one, so I've never been able to see one in action, or try
it. I'd like a decent pressurized sandblaster, and I've looked at theirs,
but I just don't know...

--

-Mike-
[email protected]

On Sat, 16 Feb 2013 13:58:53 -0800, [email protected] wrote:

> If you look at the picture, the two gouges at the top of the picture are
> roughing gouges. They are about 3/4" or so wide.

Those are *not* roughing gouges, no matter what HF and PS call them. If
you go to:

http://www.robert-sorby.co.uk/gouges.htm

you will see drawings of all different types of gouges. Note that the
profile we're talking about is defined as spindle gouges. The profile
shown for a roughing gouge is almost a complete half circle.

Or look at this site:

http://www.woodcraft.com/search2/search.aspx?query=roughing%20gouge



--
When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and
carrying a cross.





--
When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and
carrying a cross.

Dave wrote:

>
> I've always wondered about sandblasting, the cost of it and the effort
> required.
>
> Is special sand required?

Yes - it is a fine, filtered sand. Not the stuff you find for playgrounds.

> Cost of that sand?

Can't remember now, but as I recall, it wasn't a shocking price. It's been
a while since I bought any.

> Can sand be reused at all?

Yes... kinda. It does lose its abrasive edges with use, and you have to be
careful about picking up undesireable stuff with the reclaimed sand, but it
can be reused some.

> How much sand is used to strip a few square feet?

How much does it cost to get a hot babe drunk enough to... well, you know?
Depends on what you're stripping off, on the delivery of the sand, etc.

> Is there gallons of it to clean up afterwards?

If you're sandblasting out in the open - you bet. The stuff gets
everywhere. If you're using a cabinet, then it's much more contained but
the amount to clean out will be determined by what you're blasting.

>
> For all the stripping abilities that sandblasting affords, is it
> something the average home shop person might want to use or afford?

Not really in my opinion. Sandblasting is a great thing for some things,
but there's enough alternatives for 99.99999% of what any of us do that it's
really not a must have, or even a should have.

--

-Mike-
[email protected]

[email protected] wrote:

>
> I am not so sure I like all this customer service wise guy crap they
> are doing now or their proven return policy they seem to uphold with
> no questions. I am not sure customer service works for me. Yes, I
> have had it before, but it was a long time ago and I don't really
> remember what it is like. In this day and age it could be a recipe
> for disaster.
>

It can't work. If it could, all of the retailers would do it. Just you
watch - it'll run them right out of business as people get wise to this
clever ploy...

--

-Mike-
[email protected]

On 2/15/2013 8:36 PM, Mike Marlow wrote:
> HeyBub wrote:
>
>>
>> I'm waiting for the sale at Northern Tool to start this Sunday where
>> I plan to buy a welding helmet for $8.99.
>
> Holy shit Batman! That can't be auto darkening for that price is it? Have
> you ever used auto darkening? If not - buy one. $39 at HF. You will never
> regret it and you'll whine and piss and moan if you ever have to put on a
> conventional helmet again.

I don't know...the couple I've tried are too dark at even lightest
setting for arc welding to be able to see anything while welding other
than just a glow...both of these are similar to the HF (one from
Northern, don't recall where the other actually came from). It's nice
to see where to strike but after that it's sailing almost blind so it's
definitely not a full win...

I've not tried w/ a major since do so little welding but I don't believe
these cheapies are the complete answer. Maybe for inert gas they will
work better, I don't know, don't have a setup for it to try.

--

On Sun, 17 Feb 2013 06:27:21 -0500, Mike Marlow wrote:

> It can't work. If it could, all of the retailers would do it. Just you
> watch - it'll run them right out of business as people get wise to this
> clever ploy...

When I brought back my multi-tool because the blade kept coming loose,
they actually refunded my money - that's what'll do them in.

I'm reminded of the sporting goods retailer who told me, several decades
ago, about all the people who bought a tent before a holiday and brought
it back with some excuse shortly after the holiday. I just shook my head
in disbelief.

--
When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and
carrying a cross.

Larry Blanchard wrote:
> On Sun, 17 Feb 2013 06:27:21 -0500, Mike Marlow wrote:
>
>> It can't work. If it could, all of the retailers would do it. Just
>> you watch - it'll run them right out of business as people get wise
>> to this clever ploy...
>
> When I brought back my multi-tool because the blade kept coming loose,
> they actually refunded my money - that's what'll do them in.
>
> I'm reminded of the sporting goods retailer who told me, several
> decades ago, about all the people who bought a tent before a holiday
> and brought it back with some excuse shortly after the holiday. I
> just shook my head in disbelief.

In my other life as a photographer, chickie-poos were apt to buy a gown for
their prom then return it. Seems to me that retailers and customers are a
two way street and they should both play fair.

--

dadiOH
____________________________

Winters getting colder? Tired of the rat race?
Taxes out of hand? Maybe just ready for a change?
Check it out... http://www.floridaloghouse.net

dpb wrote:

> I don't know...the couple I've tried are too dark at even lightest
> setting for arc welding to be able to see anything while welding other
> than just a glow...both of these are similar to the HF (one from
> Northern, don't recall where the other actually came from). It's nice
> to see where to strike but after that it's sailing almost blind so
> it's definitely not a full win...
>
> I've not tried w/ a major since do so little welding but I don't
> believe these cheapies are the complete answer. Maybe for inert gas
> they will work better, I don't know, don't have a setup for it to try.

I don't do much stick welding - almost everything I do is MIG. You are
right that they are dark masks, but I can see where I'm welding and I don't
have mine cranked all the way back. And - my eyesight in low light is
getting really bad! I can barely see my wife's boobs in a dark bedroom - I
have to verify things by feel...

--

-Mike-
[email protected]

"dadiOH" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> In my other life as a photographer, chickie-poos were apt to buy a gown
> for their prom then return it. Seems to me that retailers and customers
> are a two way street and they should both play fair.
>
"SHOULD" is the key word. Unfortunately, in this "ME" society, should
becomes "Screw you".

Meanie wrote:
> "dadiOH" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> In my other life as a photographer, chickie-poos were apt to buy a gown
>> for their prom then return it. Seems to me that retailers and customers
>> are a two way street and they should both play fair.
>>
> "SHOULD" is the key word. Unfortunately, in this "ME" society, should
> becomes "Screw you".
>
>
Yes, from what I've observed, people who do this sort of thing don't have a
perspective largeenough to include anyone but themself. If they can get
away with it, then they link it's"fair".

[email protected] wrote:

>
> My experience with HF is much less irritating and certainly not as
> entertaining. I go with a receipt, they take the product back and it
> takes less than 5 minutes. I hate it. Gimme 25 minutes and a bag of
> popcorn to take care of a routine 5 minute transaction and I will be
> happy at my normal outlets. I am so used to shitty customer service I
> think it is my comfort zone.
>

Well - we are creatures of habit, and we do hate change...

--

-Mike-
[email protected]

Mike M wrote:

>
> I use both stick and Mig and have been eyeballing the self darening
> rigs as my biggest trouble with Mig is getting it started specially if
> I'm using gas. I don't like the price on some, but afraid to risk my
> eyes with HF.
>

You won't. They've been selling this same helmet for years and they have
worked well even in production use. I did have the same concern until I
checked with guys who do a lot more welding than me, and they use them fine.
If the shields were not properly effective, the results would show up
quickly.

--

-Mike-
[email protected]

On 2/17/2013 5:36 PM, Mike M wrote:
...

> ... but afraid to risk my eyes with HF.

Valid concern but unfounded...the lenses meet same ANSI Standards as do
the big boys...

--

Mike M wrote:
> On Sun, 17 Feb 2013 22:12:48 -0500, "Mike Marlow"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> Mike M wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> I use both stick and Mig and have been eyeballing the self darening
>>> rigs as my biggest trouble with Mig is getting it started specially
>>> if I'm using gas. I don't like the price on some, but afraid to
>>> risk my eyes with HF.
>>>
>>
>> You won't. They've been selling this same helmet for years and they
>> have worked well even in production use. I did have the same
>> concern until I checked with guys who do a lot more welding than me,
>> and they use them fine. If the shields were not properly effective,
>> the results would show up quickly.
>
> Do you have a model # recommendation.

This is their selection Mike. Either of them will work. I have the middle
one and have used it for several years now.

http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result?q=welding+helmet

I believe they are currently offering all three of these for $10 less right
now - or they were last week. These go on sale all of the time.


--

-Mike-
[email protected]

Mike M wrote:

>
> Do you have a model # recommendation.

Just checked Mike and 91214, which is the model I have, is still on sale for
$39. You might have to print out the coupon from the on-line ad (on their
home page), in order to get the discount. Normally $59. It comes with a
replacement lens, and I still have mine in the paint locker, so even though
the replacement lenses are cheap, I wouldn't rush to buy a pack. Your call.

--

-Mike-
[email protected]

On 2/18/13 7:33 AM, HeyBub wrote:
> woodchucker wrote:
>
>> Actually the HF by me (1 hour drive) has told me that certain items
>> are no longer returnable unless you pay a restocking fee. I found
>> this out when I bought the fountain pump for my basement sink. I was
>> shocked.
>> But then I see all these yahoos buy a tool use it and return it, and
>> realize that they are spearheading this restocking fee effort.
>
> "Use" and "try it out" are really two different things.
>
> I bought a log-splitter from HF. It took someone with the muscles of the
> Great Atlas to split the logs I had! Certainly not me.
>
> When I returned the log splitter, I told the staff the problem and, even
> thought the tool was 'used', they took it back with no dispute.
>

They offer a 100% satisfaction guaranty. That's very subjective and
leaves a lot of room for interpretation. I have returned my fare share of
things to HF. Some where simply crap and no one would ever question it.
Others fell somewhere under that 100% satisfaction cap.

I have a conscience and my integrity is worth more than many people's,
which I bet is the same for most in this group. There have been times
when I've had to wrestle a bit with returning something that I used and
it accomplished the job, but for which I wasn't 100% satisfied. One
parameter I use when deciding, is will I likely buy this tool again,
somewhere, to use again. Meaning, was this really just a "free rental
plan" for me or was this I tool I actually intend to keep and use? Even
if not in the near future.

One such instance was with their bridge tile saw. I bought it and used
it for our bathroom(s) remodel. It workd and did the job, but I wasn't
100% satisfied with it, by any stretch. Its miter fence is plastic and
very difficult to adjust. Its table leaks water too easily and should
have a better gutter system. According to their rules, not mine, it
would've been completely and ethically fine for me to return that saw.
But not according to my rules and my conscience.

In those cases and in cases where I know I'm using a tool for a specific
job that I'm likely not wanting to keep, I will buy the tool, use it for
the job, and sell the thing on craigslist.


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com
[email protected]
---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

On 2/17/2013 10:27 PM, Leon wrote:
> On 2/17/2013 8:03 PM, Swingman wrote:
>> Puckdropper <puckdropper(at)yahoo(dot)com> wrote:
>>> Leon <lcb11211@swbelldotnet> wrote in
>>> news:[email protected]:
>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Robert is an official honorary auditor of the FIG. Swingman is the
>>>> president, he has the cap.
>>>>
>>>
>>> If he leaves it at your house, does that make you the president? *g*
>>
>> Ah yes, "The Cap". ... I am indeed the (temporary) custodian of that
>> exalted item. It was bestowed (temporarily) by a certain Festool Drug
>> deal,err Lord for unflagging, budgetary fealty to the cause;
>> termination of
>> custody immediate upon purchase of any large tool from a Pacific rim
>> purveyor of inferior products, due to insufficient means to maintain said
>> budgetary fealty, temporary or otherwise.
>>
>
>
> Give him the whole contract, not just a short explanation in a nut
> shell. ;~)

In the interest of brevity I left out the part that requires my first
born as collateral for buying Festool products.

--
eWoodShop: www.eWoodShop.com
Wood Shop: www.e-WoodShop.net
https://plus.google.com/114902129577517371552/posts
http://www.custommade.com/by/ewoodshop/
KarlCaillouet@ (the obvious)

On Sat, 16 Feb 2013 13:45:39 -0800 (PST), "[email protected]"
>I have a friend of mine that does light manufacturing and some metal
>finishing that has that HF stand up sand blasting cabinet. He likes
>it a lot, but found he didn't have anywhere near the compressor he
>needed to run it. He wound up buying a monster, then screams bloody
>murder at the price of the different blast mediums.

I've always wondered about sandblasting, the cost of it and the effort
required.

Is special sand required?
Cost of that sand?
Can sand be reused at all?
How much sand is used to strip a few square feet?
Is there gallons of it to clean up afterwards?

For all the stripping abilities that sandblasting affords, is it
something the average home shop person might want to use or afford?

On Fri, 15 Feb 2013 06:06:30 -0700, basilisk wrote
(in article <[email protected]>):


> I have:
> Finish nailer
> multitool
> nitrile gloves
> some clamps
> small tires(chinese have somehow learned to make tires from cat shit)

No shit! (pun intended)
I've replaced my hand truck wheels due to goat head punctures and the HF work
great..

Their large 5-6" castors are aok
-Bruce

> basilisk

On 2/15/2013 6:23 AM, Puckdropper wrote:
> "dadiOH" <[email protected]> wrote in news:[email protected]:
>
>> The things I have or have had that come to mind...
>>
>> lathe, $240? - works fine, had it now for about 10 years. Drive belt
>> broke about a year ago, easy to order new one from HF
>
> Link belt. About $25 for 5' last I knew. Cheaper than anywhere else, and
> works quite well too.
>
> *snip*
>
> Puckdropper
>


Excellent! I be getting one soon. Seems I need just over 4' and
typically 4' is $20~$30.

On 2/15/2013 4:06 AM, [email protected] wrote:
> There are certain circumstances that I have found HF to be quite
> handy. For years I sneered at their quality, the origin of their
> tools, and the lack of support for their products. What a difference
> a few years make. Now nearly every tool I see anywhere is made in
> China, or from sourced parts from there so I am buying Chinese whether
> I like it or not.
>
> I thought it would be fun to see what TO buy, and what NOT to buy from
> everyone based on personal experience. Not a Googled experience, but
> hands on.
>
> So, here's few from me on the "buy list". Their multitool kicks ass.
> I have absolutely used the snot out of mine for about three years now,
> and it is still a very stout machine that works as well as it did when
> I bought it. I have found the blades to be >nearly< the quality of
> the Fein blades, which was a shocker. I have bought them and given
> them away as gifts and all the owners have had the same experience as
> mine.
>
> Their 4 1/2" grinder. This tool was bought as an emergency to replace
> a Bosch grind that crapped out on the job. This one can't be killed.
> I have had it for about 6-8 years now, and use it to grind metal for
> finishing, grind off bolts and screws on burglar bars when painting,
> and use the masonry blades on it to cut bricks, pavers, stone, and to
> inlet flashings into masonry chimneys. Paid $13 for this tool.
>
> Halogen light bulbs for my stand lights. Everywhere else, these bulbs
> are 6 - 10 bucks each. When they have a door buster, I buy them for
> 99 cents. Last better in the lamps than the more expensive
> offerings.
>
> Foam sanding blocks. These are $6 for ten, not one for $6. They have
> worked every bit as well as the 3M offerings for me, and now I only
> use them when I need a foam block to conform to an irregular shape. I
> used these by the bucket when I was doing a lot of refinishing.
>
> Nitrile gloves. You can get 100 5 mil gloves for what you pay for a
> set or two from the paint store. I use 3 mil, 5 mil, and for using
> caustic materials (like MEK, etc.) I use their 7 mil. I mix and
> spray, take the gloves off and toss them. I may use ten sets of
> gloves a day, which means it costs me a little over a buck. Best of
> all, the gloves work great for me. And if I tear one from material
> handling, I have so many in the box I just get another. It isn't a
> tragedy as it is when using the paint store gloves that are sold as
> two to three pairs in a $10 pack.
>
> HVLP guns. I only used these to try out new finishes and experiment
> with mixes, but after I screwed up my expensive finish gun I was
> forced to use my practice guns on the job. What a bone head... if it
> was good enough for me to determine my mixes and be satisfied with the
> end results, why wouldn't I like it on the job? I have had several of
> these guns, and the only thing to consider is the build quality can be
> spotty.
>
> Paint gun stuff. They have great prices on HVLP gun filters, material
> filters, inline moisture removal filters and cup liners. Literally,
> their prices are about 1/10 of Sherwin Williams. This is a big deal
> for me because as is he case with sand paper, these are all
> consumables for the guys that do it for a living. Being extremely
> affordable means I am in the habit of changing gun filters every job,
> changing line filters every job and always having cup liner on hand at
> a whopping ten cents a piece.
>
> Woodworking hammers. Good stuff, and while I use my Plumb (made in
> China of course), these are great hammers for helpers or for certain
> tasks like roofing where you don't want tar and gunk on your wood
> working tools.
>
> Bulk drill bits. NOT the crap in the indexes, not in the special
> sets. But once upon a time they had bits from manufacturing that had
> been reground. They were all different lengths and sizes and were
> sold by the pound. I tried a pound, and while I have little idea or
> concern exactly what size they are (for me bits are almost exclusively
> for pilot holes or rivets) these bits have out lasted my Blue Mol and
> Bosch bits by a pretty long stroke. Sadly, they are in store only and
> it is catch as catch can. The bits are something like $5 a pound, and
> I look for the bags that have the 1/8" and similar sizes in them. You
> get a lot of 1/8" bits in a pound.
>
> So some things NOT to buy there. First, they used to have a line of
> air nailers that were perfect back up guns. No longer so. Blew a
> seal on my Bostitch brad nailer, and since the seals weren't in stock
> I bought their 18 ga. It was OK for base and some other work, but
> marked up the wood unless you got it just right. The gun would drive
> a 2" brad into white oak with no problems. It crapped out before the
> job was finished. Three weeks ago, same scenario with my 16 ga
> straight nailer. Piston bumper in the gun broke and it is special
> order. Bought the 16 ga at HF on sale for $39, and it wasn't worth 39
> cents. It jammed up solid after about 1/2 clip of nails. The guns
> are junk and they cost me a lot of down time.
>
> Squeeze clamps. At $2 for a 12" clamp, I couldn't resist. I bought
> four. Two work and two don't. They wouldn't clamp a sock on the
> clothesline. HF told me they had problems with them and they were
> changing manufacturers.
>
> Screwdrivers. Forget it.
>
> Most drill bits. Forget them, too.
>
> Chisels of any type. Cold, or for wood or anything else, a no go.
>
> Hand saws. Nope.
>
> Measuring tapes. No way, they break in minutes.
>
> OK, that's my take on HF after waaay too much coffee and a 3 hour long
> session in the waiting room of the doctor's office typing this out
> with nothing else to do.
>
> Any thoughts?
>
> Robert
>


Nice Review Robert, Thanks!

On Mon, 18 Feb 2013 07:34:23 -0500, "Mike Marlow"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>Mike M wrote:
>
>>
>> Do you have a model # recommendation.
>
>Just checked Mike and 91214, which is the model I have, is still on sale for
>$39. You might have to print out the coupon from the on-line ad (on their
>home page), in order to get the discount. Normally $59. It comes with a
>replacement lens, and I still have mine in the paint locker, so even though
>the replacement lenses are cheap, I wouldn't rush to buy a pack. Your call.

Thanks, I just happen to have to pass in the area of a HF today so I
will pick one up. That one seems to be the one with the best reviews
and at that price I don't have much to loose.

On Sun, 17 Feb 2013 22:12:48 -0500, "Mike Marlow"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>Mike M wrote:
>
>>
>> I use both stick and Mig and have been eyeballing the self darening
>> rigs as my biggest trouble with Mig is getting it started specially if
>> I'm using gas. I don't like the price on some, but afraid to risk my
>> eyes with HF.
>>
>
>You won't. They've been selling this same helmet for years and they have
>worked well even in production use. I did have the same concern until I
>checked with guys who do a lot more welding than me, and they use them fine.
>If the shields were not properly effective, the results would show up
>quickly.

Do you have a model # recommendation.

On 2/16/2013 9:14 AM, Bruce wrote:
> On Fri, 15 Feb 2013 06:06:30 -0700, basilisk wrote
>

>> small tires(chinese have somehow learned to make tires from cat shit)
>
> No shit! (pun intended)
> I've replaced my hand truck wheels due to goat head punctures and the HF work
> great..

I've bought a few rubber tires from HF and it generally takes about two
years out in the elements for the smell of that tire cat shit to subside.

Definitely don't want to keep them in the same space you live/operate.

--
eWoodShop: www.eWoodShop.com
Wood Shop: www.e-WoodShop.net
https://plus.google.com/114902129577517371552/posts
http://www.custommade.com/by/ewoodshop/
KarlCaillouet@ (the obvious)

On Sat, 16 Feb 2013 11:39:29 -0600, -MIKE- <[email protected]>
wrote:

>On 2/16/13 9:08 AM, Bruce wrote:
>> $20 dado blade set
>>
>
>Were they flat?
>I got those and returned them because the chippers were off in diameter
>by at least a 32nd.

I bought one $20 set, found them to be too off, bought a second set,
and I was able to pick and choose a good set between them, total cost
$40.

Would I do it again? Maybe. The dado bottom is still a bit rough but I
can clean that up quickly with a router plane.

I am a wanna be wood worker. Only a few HFT tools were pathetic to me.
The hand powered water pump, the 16" scroll saw (the issues could have
been the operator) and I forget what the other was (it was many years
ago, cheap and I throw it away.)

All the other items I bought at have done what I need (drill press, hand
drill, 1/3 sander with holes, sawsall-esque, car jack, car stands,
biscuit slot maker, the biscuits themselves, a level, triangles aluminum
and plastic, my tape measures get lost, but not broken.)

On 2/15/2013 5:06 AM, [email protected] wrote:
> There are certain circumstances that I have found HF to be quite
> handy. For years I sneered at their quality, the origin of their
> tools, and the lack of support for their products. What a difference
> a few years make. Now nearly every tool I see anywhere is made in
> China, or from sourced parts from there so I am buying Chinese whether
> I like it or not.
>
> I thought it would be fun to see what TO buy, and what NOT to buy from
> everyone based on personal experience. Not a Googled experience, but
> hands on.
>
> So, here's few from me on the "buy list". Their multitool kicks ass.
> I have absolutely used the snot out of mine for about three years now,
> and it is still a very stout machine that works as well as it did when
> I bought it. I have found the blades to be >nearly< the quality of
> the Fein blades, which was a shocker. I have bought them and given
> them away as gifts and all the owners have had the same experience as
> mine.
>
> Their 4 1/2" grinder. This tool was bought as an emergency to replace
> a Bosch grind that crapped out on the job. This one can't be killed.
> I have had it for about 6-8 years now, and use it to grind metal for
> finishing, grind off bolts and screws on burglar bars when painting,
> and use the masonry blades on it to cut bricks, pavers, stone, and to
> inlet flashings into masonry chimneys. Paid $13 for this tool.
>
> Halogen light bulbs for my stand lights. Everywhere else, these bulbs
> are 6 - 10 bucks each. When they have a door buster, I buy them for
> 99 cents. Last better in the lamps than the more expensive
> offerings.
>
> Foam sanding blocks. These are $6 for ten, not one for $6. They have
> worked every bit as well as the 3M offerings for me, and now I only
> use them when I need a foam block to conform to an irregular shape. I
> used these by the bucket when I was doing a lot of refinishing.
>
> Nitrile gloves. You can get 100 5 mil gloves for what you pay for a
> set or two from the paint store. I use 3 mil, 5 mil, and for using
> caustic materials (like MEK, etc.) I use their 7 mil. I mix and
> spray, take the gloves off and toss them. I may use ten sets of
> gloves a day, which means it costs me a little over a buck. Best of
> all, the gloves work great for me. And if I tear one from material
> handling, I have so many in the box I just get another. It isn't a
> tragedy as it is when using the paint store gloves that are sold as
> two to three pairs in a $10 pack.
>
> HVLP guns. I only used these to try out new finishes and experiment
> with mixes, but after I screwed up my expensive finish gun I was
> forced to use my practice guns on the job. What a bone head... if it
> was good enough for me to determine my mixes and be satisfied with the
> end results, why wouldn't I like it on the job? I have had several of
> these guns, and the only thing to consider is the build quality can be
> spotty.
>
> Paint gun stuff. They have great prices on HVLP gun filters, material
> filters, inline moisture removal filters and cup liners. Literally,
> their prices are about 1/10 of Sherwin Williams. This is a big deal
> for me because as is he case with sand paper, these are all
> consumables for the guys that do it for a living. Being extremely
> affordable means I am in the habit of changing gun filters every job,
> changing line filters every job and always having cup liner on hand at
> a whopping ten cents a piece.
>
> Woodworking hammers. Good stuff, and while I use my Plumb (made in
> China of course), these are great hammers for helpers or for certain
> tasks like roofing where you don't want tar and gunk on your wood
> working tools.
>
> Bulk drill bits. NOT the crap in the indexes, not in the special
> sets. But once upon a time they had bits from manufacturing that had
> been reground. They were all different lengths and sizes and were
> sold by the pound. I tried a pound, and while I have little idea or
> concern exactly what size they are (for me bits are almost exclusively
> for pilot holes or rivets) these bits have out lasted my Blue Mol and
> Bosch bits by a pretty long stroke. Sadly, they are in store only and
> it is catch as catch can. The bits are something like $5 a pound, and
> I look for the bags that have the 1/8" and similar sizes in them. You
> get a lot of 1/8" bits in a pound.
>
> So some things NOT to buy there. First, they used to have a line of
> air nailers that were perfect back up guns. No longer so. Blew a
> seal on my Bostitch brad nailer, and since the seals weren't in stock
> I bought their 18 ga. It was OK for base and some other work, but
> marked up the wood unless you got it just right. The gun would drive
> a 2" brad into white oak with no problems. It crapped out before the
> job was finished. Three weeks ago, same scenario with my 16 ga
> straight nailer. Piston bumper in the gun broke and it is special
> order. Bought the 16 ga at HF on sale for $39, and it wasn't worth 39
> cents. It jammed up solid after about 1/2 clip of nails. The guns
> are junk and they cost me a lot of down time.
>
> Squeeze clamps. At $2 for a 12" clamp, I couldn't resist. I bought
> four. Two work and two don't. They wouldn't clamp a sock on the
> clothesline. HF told me they had problems with them and they were
> changing manufacturers.
>
> Screwdrivers. Forget it.
>
> Most drill bits. Forget them, too.
>
> Chisels of any type. Cold, or for wood or anything else, a no go.
>
> Hand saws. Nope.
>
> Measuring tapes. No way, they break in minutes.
>
> OK, that's my take on HF after waaay too much coffee and a 3 hour long
> session in the waiting room of the doctor's office typing this out
> with nothing else to do.
>
> Any thoughts?
>
> Robert
>