/diy/ - Do It Yourself

>>1617260
Jack stands, bottle Jack, prybar, socket set.

Everything has worked perfectly, but there is nothing to them.
The prybar, however, I am most impressed with and I would recommend it over a snap-on version.

>>1617260
Glass stretcher.

>>1617260
Little workhorse in my knife shop after reseating the bearings, truing the wheel crowns and expanding the workplate.

$50 2 years ago and still going. Used daily.

I broke one of their large c-clamps and had to go the Northern to buy one that was forged. The low profile floor jack and several tool carts I bought years ago are great though.

Gonna go grab a wood lathe on Monday, it has alot of good reviews.

>>1617260
Anything consumable that I am gonna ruin. Wire wheels for example. Or the name brand stuff. Their prices on greases, oils, and stuff is a bit high but you should never buy anything there without the 20% off coupon anyway. That makes them a deal. Thing linked V-belts are quite good also.

Their sandpaper has been mixed. Some of it holds up well some of it sheds its abrasive very quickly. Same deal with their screwdrivers. Basic and well priced but some holdup and others the handles detach from the shafts.

I wouldn't touch anything they have that has to hold an edge though. I bought a set of lathe chisels 'cause I was desperate and they were so soft that I managed to bend one with my bare hands. As you would guess, it held an edge about as well as a dried block of cheese.

>>1617276
The wood lathe is decent enough. Skip the wood turning tools, they cant hold an edge worth a shit.

>>1617293
I have some carbide tools on the way with replacement tips already.

>>1617260
Drill bit sets, 301 piece socket set, high lift jack stands and low profile jack, 50’ extension cords, earthquake tire gun all get used a lot. Haven’t broke a socket yet.

>>1617260
I bought some pneumatic presses. My deck was sinking because of the shitty job the builder did in the 80s, so I pulled up all the boards to expose the joists, sunk new support posts, and jacked the deck back to level.
They worked like a charm. You have to bleed them before your first use tho FYI.

>>1617260
Got me some axle nut sockets a week or two ago. First thing I bought from that place in month.

They have little 3# fire extinguishers for $20 with a coupon, I think I might grab one of those for the garage soon assuming they aren’t complete dogshit. I might spend the extra $10 at Home Depot though because I’m not sure if Harbor Freight is the right place to go for fire prevention, they’re more in the business of selling you things that will start on fire.

>>1617804
>start on fires
Yea.. I'm taking my styrofoam gas can back.

>>1617807
Are you sure it isn’t past the 90 day warranty?

>tfw those axle nut sockets don’t have a lifetime warranty
I think they assume those things are going to get abused at shops so they don’t want to deal with it. Coulda ordered Gearwrench online for only a few bucks more but the HF ones have great reviews and that place typically does sockets well enough.

I want a slide hammer and I’m tempted to use the 25% off coupon tomorrow to pick one up. But I can snag a nice OTC from Amazon for $90. Also might impulse buy pic related next time I stop by there.

Their wrenches are really good. I haven't broken them yet and I use them every day and have been for a years time. If you lose one or break one buy a new set for $15

>>1617260
i bought the $300 greenhouse with a $100 off coupon a couple weekends ago. I added some modifications, but its a nice little semi-permanent greenhouse. Unless the plastic panels start cracking from UV or cold I am happy with it.

mods-
sealed plastic corrugated panels with 3M foil tape over the fluted edge then silicon after installation in frame
raised greenhouse off ground 1 foot with 2x4 frame (pine exterior sheeting walls)

>>1617264
>reseating the bearings
Sorry I'm stupid, what did you do?
I just bought one and the bearings get hot after short use and make a bit of noise.

>>1617934
My mom got one just because that was the cheapest way to buy those specific plastic panels. The construction seems good so we'll see.

>>1617936
I took the whole thing down to the frame, pulled the bearings out of the wheels and pressed them back in to seat them properly.

However, since you just got yours, it sounds like you should just replace it if you still have the receipt, you already janked the bearing a little.

Get a new one if you can and disassemble it to reseat the bearings. Look on youtube for "1 x 30 mods" and how to true the crowns.

You get bad apples at HF, it happens. I run my HF toys through "Infant tool mortality" tests, pushing them to their limits and if they don't fail on the first day, they usually last.

That said, the belt tensioners ALWAYS stick, I sanded the paint off behind mine to get to not stick so when I release it, it will fully tension.

Sockets, wire brushes, reciprocating saw, slip joints (the nicer, non Pittsburgh ones), dead blow hammer, ammo cans, micro flush cutters for zip ties.

>>1617260
Pneumatic slide whistle.

>>1617797
>builder did in the 80s,
well it lasted this long.

>>1617260

The Orange Goop hand cleaner is actually pretty good, though I'll admit half the reason I'm saying that is because I've never had a proper container of the stuff. Just been using dish soap, which works only meh on black, greasy hands and takes longer to rinse off.

Picked up a couple of the roller stands a few days ago. Should have got some earlier, they're stupid cheap with a coupon and make life way easier when dealing with long/wide stock.

The 2-ton chain hoist, load leveler, and various lifting/ratchet straps haven't killed me yet, so I guess those get a pass.

>>1617264

I got the version with the disc sander attached. Don't know if that one's different, but it was hot garbage and I took it back without ever having used it. Nothing's flat or square, and one of the guards broke as I was putting it on.

>>1617934
that one is good. storing garden gear and a few plants for about 6 years now .

>>1617260
What
>>1617261
said except for the socket set.
I bought a Pittsburgh socket set and doing one set of brakes and rotors resulted in two rounded sockets and a bent-as-heck 3" extender.
However, the 20" and 25" HF breaker bars have taken some veterancy and don't have the tiniest curve to them.
Jack stands are sturdy enough (probably same factory as AC delco - can't imagine they want to get slammed with a lawsuit).
1.5t jack.
Older 1/2" shank router.
Another not great one: oscillating tool overheats a touch. However, it was like $15 and I got a fair amount of use out of it so I really can't complain.
Guide bar for circular saw.

I think "could this result in injury if it broke" is a good guideline for buying HF tools. And also, it's good to keep in mind that a lot of their stuff probably comes right out of the same factory as other branded stuff.
>>1617811
Not to be too much of a contrarian, but...
All Pittsburgh sockets have a lifetime warranty, I used it a couple times before saying eff this and buying sockets that didn't round over after their first encounter with a stubborn nut. (Had a 12-pt round over at 70ftlb wth.)

>>1617260
A completely free multimeter I keep in my car to check the battery or for whenever I need one. And the wooden model kit I bought to use the coupon entertained my brother for a few minutes.

>>1617279
Me and my dad use the shit out of their crimpers and wire strippers because car audio rarely requires anything heavy-duty and tools tend to get left in cars.

>>1619453
Yuuuup

>>1617260
Best purchase was a huge US General toolbox set. Upper and lower and side cabinet, was open box special and to get me to take it the manager gave me 2 years of their discount club thing for free. $700 for all and it has saved me countless hours of searching for tools over the last few years. I also grabbed one of their 220v mig welders a few years back, probably best to get better wire than it comes with, but it feeds and makes sparks just fine. Lays a good bead (with spatter) when adjusted properly. Welded the cracked seat pan in my car, that alone probably paid for half of it.

>>1619447
Yeah the free or $2.99 multimeter works just fine for most basic and automotive uses.

One tool that isn't so great is their clone of a dremel. I have one and it has done ok, but it does not reach high RPM's and if you squeezes the plastic case you can almost stop it. I'm sure it is a bearing / bearing alignment issue. Also, it vibrates like mad in use.

>>1620446
I have two of the $30 Wen ones. If you pay attention to the duty cycle, they last.

21 gallon air compressor
Vulcan multiprocess welder
9” Band Saw (after some tweaking)
Any of the Predator engines
Earthquake cordless impact

>>1620471
I keep hearing about the brushed impacts like the Earthquake and Snappy gun losing their balls after a couple of years because the connections in the motors start breaking down. I wonder if the brushless ones last longer, I haven’t heard of that issue with the Milwaukees even though like everybody owns them.

>>1620472
>after a couple of years

Any HF tool that makes it a couple of years is a gem desu.

>>1620476
I mean lots of people with the brushed ones are saying around a year and the gun has half the balls it used to have and the Snappy guys are paying $150 every 12mos to get their $800 impact rebuilt. But Milwaukee has a 5yr warranty and I haven’t seen similar complaints about those ones.

Also that’s a $250 impact from HF, I would hope to get a couple years from it. The $60 Bauer is a different story.

>>1617260
Someone link gallery of non potatoe quality hazard frought gimmick coupons pls

Nothing. It always breaks, even when I'm like "oh how could you possibly fuck this up" it still breaks. I still go when I drive by one though. It's like snorting coke out of a strippers blown out O-Ring.

>>1620497
Best $40 I ever spent

some of their tools are now made in Taiwan instead of PRC. Those hand tools I like alot for the dollar.

the creeper is decent. the led headlamp is something I never knew i needed till i bought it and can't deal without now.