Never used the handle, or guard. I live life on the edge.

Can't believe nobody posted this one yet:

http://www.harborfreight.com/media/c...mage_10104.jpg

1.5 Ton quick aluminum jack. Serious WIN! Bought my first one in 2004 and used and beat the shiet out of it. Finally stripped out the threads for the release. Gave to my brother and he helicoiled it, continues to WIN!

Bought a new one for $69.00 after a coupon. Continues to win 2 years and counting.

If you buy one, threadloc the SHIT out of everything on it, or it'll literally fall apart.

My dual piston unit is finally starting to leak after 3 years of service. Its been under water, mud, and has lifted everything from the Miata to the front end of an overweight 5.9 CTD. In comparison, the sears unit lasted a few weeks.

Get this instead
3/8" on one side, 1/4" on the other, expendable from 8.5" to 12.5" with a nice grip, $11.99. Big win IMO.
http://www.harborfreight.com/media/c...image_9864.jpg

The little blue jack is the best jack I've ever owned. I used to have a big, heavy, orange Sears piece of shit. First, it started leaking, but it was still usable. I abandoned it a couple of years later after it I bent the chassis trying to move a car with stuck back brakes.

I bought one of these for the garage and added an HF power strip to it. I caught it on sale and had a coupon, so I paid $99 for it:
http://www.harborfreight.com/media/c...image_6012.jpg

The 3" pneumatic cutoff tool has come in very handy:
http://www.harborfreight.com/media/c...image_2064.jpg

Also had good luck with their 5-piece metric flex-head gear wrench knockoffs:
http://www.harborfreight.com/media/c...image_1750.jpg

Their Pittsburgh brand pliers and crescent wrenches aren't bad, but I prefer my off-brand AutoZone channel locks over the HF grabbers.

On the flip side, I bought their cheapo orange jigsaw for a roll bar install. It barely made it through the one install, and then I discovered HF didn't sell the fucking replacement blades for it. FAIL. Maybe that's why I don't see it on their website any more...

Agreed:

Aight guys, I need some WIN in the form of snap ring pliers. The only thing I can find down here are pliers that open up 1", I need at least 2"(lol)

Never ordered anything from Harbor Freight before, so please guide me in this quest. Any one know of any WIN snap ring pliers?

I don't know about HF and don't know about 2" but I got all this for probably $8 at my local hardware store:

http://www.lightweightmiata.com/geo/seat/seat09.JPG

The quality is crappy but I bought them 2 years ago and only used them for 5 minutes.

Guy I work with just bought a wingnut assortment from garbage freight. He opened them up and accidently spilled them on the floor. Some of the wings broke off the nuts on impact. I guess the quality control guy that day was busy watching over 6 year olds that were sewing Nike sneakers together.

This is what I need. Needs to be able to open to at least 2"

http://www.northerntool.com/images/p...2578900_lg.jpg


Any one have any experience with Harbor Freight snap ring pliers?

6" Digital Caliper =Win
Use them at the shop and have verified their accuracy against way more expensive calipers. Work good and when a tire tech runs off with it or you drop it, your not to worried.

I hate reading manual calipers so I use it at the house alot, measure hose, sway bars engine parts. Reccomend it to everyone, I never wanted one til I had one then I used it all the time.
http://www.harborfreight.com/media/c...image_1318.jpg

1/2" extendable Ratchet = Win
A friend of mine is a big tool truck guy and bad mouths cheap tools. Well I love cheap tools so I drug him to HF. He said his master tech had a ratchet like it that was really old and none of the tools trucks had it any more. He got it about a year ago and hasnt had any problems, said it cut his alignment time on trucks in half.
http://www.harborfreight.com/media/c...image_9865.jpg
1/4" 3/8" & 1/2" Composite Ratchets = Super Win
They are like ten bucks now when I got them they were between 6-9. I love them 77 tooth count, smooth, havent had any trouble with the coating and Ive used the shit out of them. The same day bought them a friend paid 80 dollars for a used 1/2 snap on 24 tooth ratchet. Both have lifetime warranties. I think I got the good deal.
http://www.harborfreight.com/media/c...image_1764.jpg

I bought one of their air ratches for under $10 with coupon and I use it constantly. I've been very happy with it.

+1 on the digital calipers. I have had a set for years that still work fine.

I want some of those composite ratchets for the fine tooth action. Thanks for that one.

Mine died after about 5? years of service. Would still jack up, but wouldn't hold weight. I think the seals went bad.

Replaced it with the monster jack I poster earlier in this thread.

I wish I would have seen this post earlier. I just got back from my "once every 4 months" trip to HF. It is probably a 60 mile round trip for me (or at least feels like it) to a part of a neighboring town which I never go to. Anyway, I would have purchased one of those extending ratchets if they had one. I've never seen one in the store but it doesn't mean it wasn't there. I ended up buying an extending tree branch cutter (saw on a long stick), some heat shrink wrapping butt connectors, an air compressor $7 drier/filter, and some 4" and 6" long pegboard hooks. I carried the wife with me (extra person for coupons) so we got two of the items at 20% off and two free flashlights.

06/20/2011

""

I guess I'll have to check this thread a couple of months before each trip to HF <G>.

My dad lives 2 blocks from HF. I used to think that was cool but I would be one broke bastard if I had one that close to me.

Dude.. The 3 jaw, 2 jaw and clamshell pullers are all a huge fail.... I blew the extension arms apart... Literally shattered... I ended up cutting and welding the jaws to mod them to work with other pullers and pulling weird crap... Waste of $.



I'm a huge fan of harbor freight tho

Anyone here have a HF MIG wire feed welder? Any decent? I want a starter welder to play around with and they seem pretty well priced. Somethine like this.
http://www.harborfreight.com/welding...der-97503.html

I don't think I need 140amp one for $100 more...

For light duty steel and alum welding, I imagine 120AMP is enough for getting started? That... and the 90 AMP one is the same price so why not get the bigger one, right? :D

Get the bigger 110v one. Make sure it has gas.. I've used that one and it's not bad.. The flux core mig sucks pretty hard unless you're just tacking stuff in place... And the flux core is messy with spatter.

Sorry, which one? The one I posted seems to be the only one listed as a MIG. Maybe I should just dive right in and get a TIG.

I would use it with gas, not as a flux core.

I've played with the HF cheap flux core welder. It wasn't bad if you use thin Lincoln wire in it. The wire and mask it comes with are horrible. Flux core wire is actually decent if you have to weld somewhere windy BTW. Since MIG gas would get overwhelmed.

Yes. After snapping off the tips on dad's Sears bought set, I needed something in a hurry. So, HF to the rescue. Decent tool at a dirt cheap price. Actually, one of the better quality tools I've ever gotten from them.

WIN.

Just make sure you turn the adjuster full torque to 0 ft-lbs 10-20 times when you first buy it otherwise it won't click. Almost broke a bolt that way. Spent $12 on it.
http://www.harborfreight.com/1-2-hal...rench-239.html

WIN
Same as above. Spent $9
http://www.harborfreight.com/3-4-qua...rench-808.html

WIN
Used for minor body work and heat shrinking wires. Spent $9 on it. It's got two speeds. Burn your hand and burn everything else.
http://www.harborfreight.com/1500-wa...112-96289.html


Poop.
Don't bother. Stopped working after the second use, which is weird considering 2 or 3 of the reviews say the same exact thing.
http://www.harborfreight.com/xenon-t...ight-3343.html

WIN
These work great. I've had them for over a year. They're holding up my car as we speak.
http://www.harborfreight.com/3-ton-h...nds-38846.html

Sorta fail

I broke the socket part trying to remove a hub nut. It had my weight and the force of a person pushing me down on it, so maybe it wasn't made for that much force and should've went with a 3/4 inch drive instead. I bought another one and I haven't had problems since.
http://www.harborfreight.com/12-driv...bar-67933.html

Sorta Win
The resolution on these is pretty bad. But they have reversible switches which is nice on a pair of wrenches these cheap. These are my knock-around, throw-at-the-wall, stress reliever pair of wrenches. So far they've been durable and for the price you can't complain.

http://www.harborfreight.com/hand-to...set-91885.html

Win

Great for the price. I wouldn't use them on high torque bolts or bolts that a wrench has slipped on. They don't hold a bolt as well as the higher priced ones. But if you're competent, you won't have any problems with these.

http://www.harborfreight.com/hand-to...set-94427.html

Win

As stupid as these look, they've helped me get bolts out of super obscure places. I picked up both for $6 or $7 each on sale. Worth every penny

http://www.harborfreight.com/hand-to...set-99563.html

http://www.harborfreight.com/hand-to...set-99699.html

Win
Awful resolution, but if you're working on a bolt this large, I'm sure it doesn't matter to you. Durable as hell and has lived through a few above waist level drops. Good for the price and for what you get.

http://www.harborfreight.com/34-jumb...het-68110.html

I got tired of explaining why I purchased a cheap HF mig and what all I bought so I decided to build a web page describing all of it. Well, I also got tired of building the web page so it is only half completed. It was supposed to have some other info and examples of things I built with it but I never did finish. Anyway, you can go here and see what I have. I have been pleased so far.

http://www.lightweightmiata.com/projects/welding/

http://www.lightweightmiata.com/proj.../welding01.JPG

WIN- 3 ton jack stands work as well as any and they're ON SALE

Harbor Freight Tools offers a Pair of Central Machinery 3-Ton Heavy Duty Jack Stands, model no. 38846, for $12.99. Coupon code "TOOL20" cuts it to $10.39. With $1.99 for shipping, that's $23 off list and the lowest total price we could find. Sales tax is added where applicable. Each jack has a max lift height of 16-3/4" and a weight capacity of up to 6,000 lbs.

You can bring this web price into the store and get the same deal with a 20% coupon... but is it worth $2 to go to the store? :lol:
http://www.harborfreight.com/3-ton-h...2-001b2166becc
http://www.harborfreight.com/media/c.../image_627.jpg

WIN - bolstered hex head screw driver set

kickass- nothing like being able to put a hex wrench on the end of a screw driver for torque a screw loose. Had 'em for a couple of years and no fails.
http://www.harborfreight.com/8-piece...set-94899.html
http://www.harborfreight.com/media/c...image_3097.jpg

re: HF welders - I've used a friend's HF 110v 120amp (highest amp 110v HF welder) and it's worked as well as any other cheap MIG. I had a similar campbell hausfeld way back and the HF is on par with that for far less. IMO excellent for learning- and at the prices they sell for, there's no excuse for not having the ability to stick metal together.

A friend just had his HF jack break at the pivot under the saddle.

I'd try to load them well below their "rating".

6" Swivel Vise with Anvil
 

WIN
http://www.harborfreight.com/6-inch-...vil-67040.html
http://www.harborfreight.com/media/c...image_5844.jpg
I've had this for a year or so and just recently used it quite heavily. It's performed well. I did find it's breaking point through some heavy abuse. I put a 5 ft. pipe on the handle and attempted to bend some formed steel. That was all my weight (190lbs) on the end of the 5ft pipe bouncing and the anchor piece snapped. Not surprising. I got it cherry hot with a torch and welded it back together and it's held fine under normal use since.
http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/k...FE3-640-00.jpg

Oxygen and Acetylene Welding Kit #98958
 

WIN
Oxygen and Acetylene Welding Kit 98958
http://www.harborfreight.com/oxygen-...kit-98958.html
http://www.harborfreight.com/media/c...image_9329.jpg

I've had this torch for well over five years and it's worked flawlessly, though I've only used it for cutting, it yields results:
http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/k...arted720-1.jpg

WIN
http://www.harborfreight.com/media/c...mage_11761.jpg
http://www.harborfreight.com/3-piece...lls-91616.html

These have probably outperformed any other HF purchase I've made- not to mention the reduced wear on my larger bits. If you're drilling holes in metal, I highly recommend them. Just drill a smaller pilot hole that's just bigger than the end of these step bits and you're good to go.

http://toolmonger.com/wp-content/upl...st-heatgun.jpg

Heat gun - WIN Have removed easily my old tinted windows, this thing will melt your hands.

http://hfreviews.com/thumbnails/94190.gif

leakdown tester, its a win/fail deal. Readings are inconsistent, but its common sense when you hear air coming out of the exhaust, forget the gauges, just pay attention to any air leaking. I had two kits where the gauges read inconsistently.

http://www.harborfreight.com/media/c...image_1426.jpg

Win, angle grinder air tool

Any intel on this item?

http://www.harborfreight.com/media/c...image_2039.jpg

WIN = A/C Manifold Gauge Set
ITEM # 92649

Used this on three A/C systems for pulling a vacuum/diagnostics/charging and worked well for all three with positive results. One project was building an A/C system in my 90 Miata from an assortment of leftover A/C parts and a new O-ring set = success.

http://www.harborfreight.com/media/c...mage_11803.jpg

http://www.harborfreight.com/a-c-man...source=linking


WIN = 2.5 CFM Vacuum Pump
ITEM # 98076

Used on above mentioned projects with great success/no failures.
http://www.harborfreight.com/media/c...mage_12009.jpg
http://www.harborfreight.com/25-cfm-...ump-98076.html

How long did you vacuum the system for? I read on harbor freight's website that the motor couldn't run for more than a minute for some. I was going to buy it but those reviews kept me away.

When I built the miata's AC system, it ran for at least four hours. I drained all the used parts by letting them sit/hang so gravity would pull the old oil out. The oil looked clean so I used the parts. Fresh o-rings were used everywhere. Once assembled I set up the pump/gauge and let it go while I did something else. That was at least a half day running. Then let the vacuum sit overnight and was the same the next day so I charged it up. Maybe it's a hit-or-miss product. A lot like those grinders- I've had one for probably 8 years and it's still grinding, but there's a lot reporting failures. I just used the vacuum pump again on another car last week. Pulled a great vacuum, running for about an hour. :dunno:

thanks for the info. I'm going to pick one up this weekend then. There's an a4 with a busted ac compressor that I've been eyeing. Anyone know how much a pain in the ass harbor freight's exchange policy is? I don't want to get stuck with a bad one.

I used the HF venturi vacuum box thing (hooks to your air compressor) when I did my AC work. Worked great. My gauge set worked good one time and then the quick disconnect for the high side stopped working. Never could get it to hook on again (tried a few different vehicles to see if there was just something wrong with the fitting on the car).

http://www.lightweightmiata.com/geo/ac/ac04.JPG


BTW, be eco-friendly and vent your freon to a proper container:

http://www.lightweightmiata.com/geo/ac/ac03.JPG

IF you have your receipt, you're good. fwiw- I bought their wood planer at $200+ to plane some weathered boards I have and it was total fail. I brought it back after running a board through maybe ten times and there were no questions- and a full refund based on my dissatisfaction.

$50 for gauges, $100 for pump, $30-50 for r-134a...

Jiffy Lube charges $139 to refresh that sucker...

I called jiffy a few days ago about this very thing. they told me $199.

Valid point, but in almost every car I drive the a/c system finds a way to spontaneously combust. Over the past two years, I've had 5 a/c failures in 3 cars. One of which I drove for 10 minutes and was built in 2008.

Had I been pessimistic (read: smart), I would've taken the seemingly fiscally irresponsible route and invest in the a/c manifold + vacuum pump and save myself about $650 in r-134a refills. That or it would've been used once, put in the basement, and all the other a/c systems would have magically never failed in the first place.

Right- if you use it twice you've made the right choice.

I have had this one for about 6 years and it is still a tremendous win.

I just had to replace the a/c compressor on my prelude... I weighed it, and said F-it and went to Jiffy. I dont expect to ever have to do it again soon.

That's what I said every time. Unfortunately here I am. Hopefully you have better luck than I did.

Picked up these two last weekend. I don't know how accurate the indicator is, but I'm amazed at how effed everything that rotates on my car is. Definite WIN.

http://www.harborfreight.com/multipo...ment-5645.html

http://www.harborfreight.com/1-inch-...cator-623.html

Win
3" High Speed Cut-Off Tool
Item # 67425
Manufacturer: Central Pneumatic
Current sale price $19.99
LINK

http://www.harborfreight.com/media/c...image_2064.jpg

I have cut a LOT with this and haven't had an issue yet. Also using their pack of 10 wheels for something like $8.

----------------------------------

Win
Two Piece Foldable Saw Horse Set
ITEM # 41577
MANUFACTURER: Not Listed
Current sale price $32.99
LINK

http://www.harborfreight.com/media/c.../image_903.jpg

They work like they should and are great as inexpensive saw horses.

----------------------------------

Win
1.5 Horsepower 7" Bridge Tile Saw
ITEM # 98265
MANUFACTURER: Chicago Electric Power Tools
Current sale price $179.99

http://www.harborfreight.com/media/c...mage_12014.jpg

Stand and blade were not included, but using the $30 saw horses mentioned above, not having a stand was a no issue. Bought a Bosch diamond blade from Home Depot and went to town. Performed without issue and made the job a lot easier, tiled a kitchen, breakfast area, mud room, laundry room, and 3 bathrooms.

FAIL: 10/2/55 Amp, 6/12 Volt Battery Charger/Engine Starter #66783
 

FAIL: 10/2/55 Amp, 6/12 Volt Battery Charger/Engine Starter #66783
http://www.harborfreight.com/media/c...mage_11386.jpg

The charging function on it failed after about a year and half- maybe a dozen uses. Still kicks some amps for starting assist (will not and never did start a Miata w/o a battery with at least some amps).

^FWIW these are currently on sale for $9.99 minus 20% coupon = $8

Fail: Pistol Grip Tire Inflator with Gauge $9.99

http://www.harborfreight.com/media/c...mage_14012.jpg
http://www.harborfreight.com/pistol-...uge-68270.html

Item will still inflate your tires however it leaks air without squeezing the trigger, no longer stays clipped to the valve stem, and the gauge quit working after about ten uses.


Fail: 4 Piece 1/2" Drive Lug Nut Socket Set $19.99

http://www.harborfreight.com/media/c...mage_13728.jpg

This set is different, they discontinued the set I bought. What I bought had nylon plastic covering the outside of the sockets which were supposed to protect the wheel from damage. They didn't fit a single wheel I had with a recessed lug well.


Win: Portable Tire changer and bead breaker $49.99 (Discontinued)

http://images.harborfreight.com/hftw.../image_296.jpg

Win: Motorcycle wheel adapter for above changer (Don't recall cost, also discontinued.)

http://www.whitebikertrash.com/images/TireChanger.gif


Win: Horizontal / Vertical bandsaw ($100 off craigslist)

http://wollschlagerblades.com/Tour%2...s/bsaw_lrg.jpg

The older green model is what I scored for $100, they're typically $249 for the newer model which is better quality than mine. The stand of this saw is made of 18 gauge sheet metal and secured together with fucking piano hinges. The rest of the saw is made of cast iron and pretty sturdy, will actually make some very good straight cuts after it was properly adjusted. The motor needs a different tension mechanism, but works none the less.


Win: 10 Piece Metric/Standard T-Handled Hex Key Set $4.99

http://www.harborfreight.com/media/c.../image_505.jpg


FAIL: Central Pneumatic composite angle die grinder $9.99 (Discontinued model 92995)

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-g...003_163907.jpg

I have a 60 gallon DeVilbiss compressor (150psi unregulated) and that die grinder doesn't have enough power to cut plastic without stalling.



Win: Cummins Tools 4" Angle Grinder $29.99

http://www.bidderone.com/featured_pi...and=1830438357

Hearing so many negative comments about the Harbor Freight version I opted to get one from Cummins tools six years ago. Still running strong!

NOT ANYMORE! I was just installing new locking wheel nuts, sucker broke when I was tightening a nut. It will still loosen things, just wont tighten anymore. :vash:

I think that one's lifetime replacement^^^

I actually like harbor freight ratchets. I use this one at work daily, it feels very sililar to the MAC swivel but about $75 cheaper. Also lifetime replacement. http://www.harborfreight.com/media/c...mage_12685.jpg

this thread made me laugh. lol I've been an assistant store manager at Harbor Freight for a year and a half I'll give you the run down. If your not willing to change a caster, maybe change out some hardware on something or if your stranded if it brakes Harbor Freight isn't for you. But, for the most part it really is good stuff, they rip off the best.

Wins:
jacks, hand tools (Gear wrenches!),most generators, air tools, power tools (except the 12V li-ion), float charger, flashlights, buffers, anything hydraulic, blast cabinets, them paying my bills

Fails:
that stupid little 12v car heater (switch), flooring nailer (cheap metal handle otherwise good, but 1/4 the price of the alternative) batteries, metal blades (don't cut anything medal with any HF metal, abrasives are great), all other battery chargers, wire wheels (use eye protection!) air regulators, tire gauges, vices, inner tubes in the hand trucks, black and orange plastic clamps, PVC air hoses, screw them for ripping off others hard work R&D and paying 12 year olds a bowl of rice a day to build it.

Thanks, I'll see if I can get a replacement. Do you know if I'll have to have a receipt or if I could just put the $ towards a different tool? There's a torque wrench I want...

Automatic Compressor Drain Kit ITEM # 68244
 

WIN but...

The included hose is worthless, so plan on using some properly rated plastic tubing OR getting a compression T and copper tubing for the feed line. The valve alone is worth the $9 IMO. And well worth not having to drain your compressor manually.

Automatic Compressor Drain Kit ITEM # 68244
http://www.harborfreight.com/media/c...mage_14001.jpg

The only things I've bought from HF in the past year were an engine stand which worked well, zip ties, and padded mats for my tool box drawers.

Bringing this back to share my FIRST ever experience with Harbor Freight Garbage.

First up we have the 7 piece tube flaring kit @ $10.99.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1329315206

http://www.harborfreight.com/7-piece...-kit-5969.html

I got this specifically to save me from having to replace the entire front line on one of our trucks. Instead I hacked out the bad area, got a new section of line and went to use this "kit" to flare the old line.

The clamp is a total JOKE and cant hold the line no matter how hard you tighten it. The cutter actually works halfway decent, but it should considering its a brand new blade. I didnt use the benders and probably never would.

Overall I give this flare kit a thumbs down. I would have rather put the $10 toward a good kit.

Next up in the god forsaken multi use transfer pump @ $7.99.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1329315206

http://www.harborfreight.com/multi-u...ump-66418.html

To get to the brake line I needed to replace, you have to remove the gas tank. Well I was in a hurry and didnt feel like wasting time draining all the gas and removed it with a FULL 20 gallons. Needless to say all I did was make it harder for myself. lol

So I got this pump to drain the tank into 5 gallon containers before I put it back in. I also figured it'd be nice to have around the shop for oil, antifreeze, etc etc. Wrong. Its garbage. It ------- blew the "out" end of the hose off about 10 times, shooting gas all over the place in the process. My legs included.

It leaks, it falls apart and to be quite honest I would've been better off sucking on the end of the hose and putting it in the container. I just wanted to feel like a human being and have a tool to do the sucking work, but apparently it was too much to ask. So not only a thumbs down, these all need to come off the shelf and get thrown in the dumpster.

Last item on the fail list is the generic one man brake bleeder @ $4.99.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1329315206

http://www.harborfreight.com/one-man...kit-37201.html

Ok ready for this. Here's how far I got with this thing. I had one of the guys hop in the truck to pedal it for me and I got on the creeper. I opened the package, took it out, looked at it and threw it on the ground. Junk. I wish I took a closer look when I was in the store.

I just cracked the valves and let it spew all over the place. ---- it. lol

Your better of buying a large coffee and a bagel at DD than buying this thing. Stay away!

Now we have the first of the 2 winners. 8" flat file @ $2.29.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1329315206

http://www.harborfreight.com/8-inch-...ile-96626.html

Its just a file, but considering the amount of FAIL I was having with the other tools I expected this thing to just fall apart while using it. In the end it did me well and cleaned up my rough edges nicely.

Lastly is just a pair of needle nose pliers @ $3.49.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1329315206

http://www.harborfreight.com/8-inch-...ers-39635.html

I didnt use these for much, but for what I did they seemed OK. They snip nicely and have a fairly nice grip to them.

So out of the $30 I spent at Harbor Freight Garbage, only the file and pliers prevailed. I'm tempted to go back to return the other ---- and let them know what I think about their store and tools, but I don't have the time really. I still might though. Just because the gas spitting all over my lap really pissed me off. :vash:

Thankfully a buddy down at the excavator's shop let me use his tubing flare kit, otherwise I wouldn't have had the truck finished that night.

I was debating the 3ton jack they have on sale for $65 cause we desperately need a new jack at the shop, but I'd rather spend double and get something for my money. Other than possibly going back to throw my dirty bag of used tools up on the counter for a refund.....I'll never go back.

WIN
Heavy Duty hand Riveter
http://www.harborfreight.com/heavy-d...tle-66422.html
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1329319619

I needed to install some larger rivets that were slightly too big for my small hand riveter so I picked up one of these. Works great. I have used it with aluminum rivets with no problems. The collection bottle seemed goofy at first but if you are installing a lot of rivets it is actually nice to have.


WIN
Nylon Spring Clamp (in various sizes)
http://www.harborfreight.com/media/c...mage_16134.jpg
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1329319619

I bought a few of these in different sizes and it works well for small clamping jobs, like holding together materials while being glued/fastened/match drilled/whatever. Cheap and effective.

Since this is bumped, I'll contribute.

FAIL - pneumatic brake bleeder.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1329322498

It actually DID work, but broke and was actually PUSHING air into the ------- brake lines by the fourth caliper. This was on a 240sx with ABS, and it actually worked well until it failed and did the OPPOSITE of what i wanted.


Win/fail - HF compression tester

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1329322498

Basically I have no idea how accurate it is. Gave me ratings of 150psi on each cylinder, read online that these are notorious for inaccurate gauges. I compared to gauge to another cheap china gauge i had in my garage and it was 5-10psi low compared to that one(which i doubt it accurate either).

However, it DID let me compare the difference between the 4 cylinders, and the difference between wet/dry cylinders - which gave me some confidence. Not a complete fail, i would use it for a reference- but would never trust the gauge.


My only two contributions are basically fails - but i've had good luck with HF in the past and will keep trying their ----. I've got some ratchets and hand tools that are alright from them - and my engine hoist looks EXACTLY like the one posted here earlier and works 100% perfect (although it was an o'rileys special.).

Vash, did you wire wheel the paint off the lines? I know my NAPA double flare tool I used wouldn't grip the lines unless I did that.

I basically stay away from harbor fright until a post here specifically says "buy a $X.99 set of (insert tool name here) for this job". Such as the 11" pliers for my compressor C-ring.
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1329323573
Only $7.99 and after I hack sawed a notch in the tips like others have said, they worked great.

For $8.99 this torch was awesome, although they don't carry the butane.
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1329323573

I've had these forever and they always win. And they're useful for more than just hoses.
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1329334966

These have a their place between C-clamps and the spring clamps. They're good for high clamp force when you need to set your clamp up with one hand. I probably use them more than any other clamp. Win.
http://www.harborfreight.com/6-inch-...ers-39534.html
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1329334966

Honestly, the line was quite nice. No paint no rust. I snipped it past the rusted, rotted out section and that's where I wanted to flare it. Line was nice and clean and almost looked too good.

The Harbor Garbage tool couldnt hold it tight, but the other one did it in one shot. The guy said he's had it since he was in school and he's probably in his 60's, so its pretty damn old.

They just dont make ---- like they used to anymore. Right old bro? lol