HF tool pass/fail

Got a few new ones. 

Pittsburgh SAE and Metric Stubby Wrenches: PASS


Full set of these little guys was about $12, and at that price, they are a no brainer. You don't always need a stubby, but when you do, these will do the job. I wouldn't have headers on my truck right now without them. 

Central Pneumatic Air Hammer: PASS



I didn't have one of these in the arsenal, and I needed one to help break some bolts. It did its thing. Also about $12. Not bad. 

Some Cheapo Ear Muffs: Pass



These were on clearance for about $3. They helped me not go deaf when I used the above air hammer/chisel and they fit snug. They were about $1.50 more than the really cheap ones, and those ones get a FAIL for falling apart completely after 2 uses. 

Pittsburgh SAE (or Metric) Tap and Die Set: FAIL


I used this set to fix a bass drum pedal last year, and they worked fine. I had to cut some threads into a cast aluminum heel plate, and it worked fine for that. When I tried cutting threads in my cylinder head smog holes on my truck, they got a big fat FAIL. The bit wore out almost instantly. If you are doing anything serious, don't bother with these. 

I have 4 HF 4" angle grinders. I have a cutoff wheel in one, a grinder wheel in one, a flap disc in one and a wire wheel in one. They all hang next bro one another on the wall. For $9.99 when on sale, why change blades. And I have never had one break. Pass

I have a HF bench grinder that is just OK. Not a lot of power. Pass

I have a HF blast cabinet which sucked at first but with upgrades and tweaks it's pretty good now. Pass

I have a HF 36" metal brake that is great if your bending 20-26 gauge. Don't even think about 12 gauge or 14-26 gauge over a foot long. Pass

I just picked up a buffer to polish my boat.  It worked great as long as I kept my thumb off of the speed switch.  They sell several different ones, I picked the cheap one that had the heaviest motor.  PASS, boat is done and it still works.

Pittsburgh creeper.  Epic fail.  Can't even use the entrails for a hammer.  Lasted about 5 hours. The middle wheels literally ripped away from the body.  After that I used the remainder as a bed to wash the tranny on while it's out of the car for a clutch job.

I got the Pittsburgh creeper and had no issues from it, really like it, actually.

hybridmomentspass said:

I got the Pittsburgh creeper and had no issues from it, really like it, actually.

Right now I'm about 196 lbs.  The rated weight limit is 300 lbs.  It didn't even last through one job and I'm pretty easy on my stuff.

Not exactly a tool but I've been using the cheap harbor freight hitch mount bike rack for a while now and I've honestly been really impressed by it especially for barely over $40. I added some padding on the upright bar and a bungee cord to keep the front wheel from swinging around, but it's been remarkably solid. Even the time that I was distracted and forgot to do up one of the straps, the bike never moved around at all. I've had it to um... beyond normal highway speeds with a heavy tall mountain bike on it and it was totally unphased by that. Same for launching over railroad crossings a bit faster than I intended to. Big pass, that said if I had to do it over again I'd pay the extra $7 for the amazon version that's very clearly the same design but includes padding on the upright and looks like it might be built slightly better.

In reply to Jerry From LA :

I tried the plastic creeper and it was junk... didn't last more than a couple of uses.  I bought the steel frame creeper, and before I used it, I tack welded all the caster mounts.  Been working great for years.  IMHO the caster mounts loosen up, there's no way to tighten them, and then everything gets stressed more than it's designed for and they fall apart.  If you can keep the casters tight, they seem to last.

Conditional pass to the Icon stubby 3/8" ratchet.  I like how the 90 tooth mechanism compares to the 72 teeth or less of my other ratchets, and it seems pretty well built.  Time will tell if it holds up to my hobby-level use, but I wouldn't be surprised if it does.  If so, I might actually replace some of my other ratchets before I lose or break them.

Tony Sestito said:

Central Pneumatic Air Hammer: PASS



I didn't have one of these in the arsenal, and I needed one to help break some bolts. It did its thing. Also about $12. Not bad. 

This guy was reviewed not long ago on the Torque Test Channel on Youtube and held up really well against the entry level one from Ingersoll Rand that I was looking to buy (but now didn't). It's often a last resort for me to grab the Air Hammer as it is so violent but usually it gets the job done and I wonder why I didn't use it sooner.

Professor_Brap said:

This bad boy is a tank. Year of almost daily use and zero issues and battery last for ever. 

What! You're kidding me I didn't know there was a battery version! I have been just making do with a dewalt 1/4 90 degree angle tool, but of course I'm afraid to apply any torque. 

I continue to use my Bauer cordless impact around the house all the time. It’s a an MVP for sure.

Picked up a long throw random orbital polisher the uther day to polish a horse trailer for my neighbor.

Worked great once I adjusted the throw to keep the vibration down. Popped the cover off to swap out the Chinese grease. Easy peasy.

Big PASS

Maybe this fits here, maybe not. I was online comparing smallish rolling tool cabinets because my big box is getting crowded. I found that the craftsman boxes from lowes were quite a bit cheaper than the US General boxes in similar sizes. I was just going off of ($÷width).

It's not apples to apples because HF is 22" deep compared to craftsman at 18". Also the HF uses many shallow drawers while the craftsman uses fewer deeper drawers. But using price÷width formula it came out at HF=$11.xx/inch, craftsman=$7.xx/inch for a cabinet in the 36" neighborhood. 

Jumper K Balls (Trent) said:

Stopped in Saturday to pick up an air fitting and walked past a display with this rechargeable led light for $19. 

So far I give it a great big thumbs up. The magnet is as strong as a strong thing. The flexible head is super thin and fits in places none of my other lights will.  USB charge port for convenience.  

The light is super bright. I used it all day on the dimmest setting under cars and never thought I needed more.

Best of all, no silly flashing setting that you have to cycle through to turn it off. That crap drives me nuts. 

Almost 2 years in and all 3 of these that I bought have now stopped charging.  The USB port doesn't feel like it connects well. This is a shame because everything else about the light is still great. I have purchased similar lights at the same price point from Amazon and other places and they are cheap plastic toys in comparison. 

I will likely buy another and just swap batteries and use it to charge them all. 

gearheadmb said:

Maybe this fits here, maybe not. I was online comparing smallish rolling tool cabinets because my big box is getting crowded. I found that the craftsman boxes from lowes were quite a bit cheaper than the US General boxes in similar sizes. I was just going off of ($÷width).

It's not apples to apples because HF is 22" deep compared to craftsman at 18". Also the HF uses many shallow drawers while the craftsman uses fewer deeper drawers. But using price÷width formula it came out at HF=$11.xx/inch, craftsman=$7.xx/inch for a cabinet in the 36" neighborhood. 

I wonder if Craftsman has upped their game or not.  Their lower end boxes seemed to be somewhere in quality between HF's cheapest stuff and their US General line.

HF 4x8 folding trailer. Pass. 

I bought this to haul a tracked ATV from Michigan to South Carolina. I didn't want to tow an empty trailer up there and renting one was going to cost more than buying one from FH. I assembled it at home, took it back apart, and strapped it to the ladder rack on my Ridgeline. I ran it straight out of the box as shipped. I didn't even repack the bearings. 

Once in Michigan, I strapped a 700 pound ATV thingy to it and pointed the Ridgeline south taking the scenic route through the Smokey Mountains. 1500 miles later, 75% of those at interstate speeds, we rolled into the yard. Total problems, Zero. 

Edit: There was one problem. It shed both bearing dust caps within the first 30 miles. I didn't bother to replace them. I'll flush the bearings and replace them this week. If you get one, bend the dust cap flanges so they fit tighter. 

In reply to P3PPY :

It is one of my most used tools. 

Was dragging the jack around today and these are seriously the best Jack's ever. That is all. 

Toyman01 + Sized and said:

Edit: There was one problem. It shed both bearing dust caps within the first 30 miles. I didn't bother to replace them. I'll flush the bearings and replace them this week. If you get one, bend the dust cap flanges so they fit tighter. 

Ok, I have to ask about that ATV and whether there is a thread on it!

In reply to sobe_death :

There will be a build thread forthcoming. Probably this afternoon or tomorrow. It's been too damn hot to work on it since we got back home. 

There is a taste of it here from when I started planning to go get it. 

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/what-is-it-about-odd-vehicles-me-and-northern-states/183369/page1/

I gotta give the coil spring compressors a fail. While they worked all ten or so times I used them, there were many scary moments, and the threads galled this last time, causing much excitement. Spend the bucks, keep your face. YRMV.

Note: may not be the actual tool, but looks identical. 

In reply to wheelsmithy (Joe-with-an-L) :

I've used the spring compressors a bunch of times.  They're scary, but if you lube the crap out of the threads every time you use them they've been OK for me.  Not sure I'd try them with truck springs, or for that matter anything bigger than compact car springs.

In reply to wheelsmithy (Joe-with-an-L) :

You haven't had those fail until it shoots one of the double hooks across the shop. The pucker factor goes from 9.5 to 500 before the shrapnel hits the far wall and you aren't sure if you should reverse the impact, or just drop everything and run like hell.

I bought this 30" sheet metal brake. I say it's a pass. A lot better work then bending along the bench or something. The clamp is not attached (you have to clamp it down) which makes it a little slow to work with, especially if you're used to having a box and pan brake at work but it's a pass.