If it's a tap I know I'm going to use a lot, I do the same. 1/8" NPT, for instance.

But it's also nice to have a big set of cheap ones for when you occasionally run across an odd hole. Big time-saver.

Same with the dies. You hardly ever need a die, but every now and then you run across a weird problem that can easily be solved by one. I think the only time I ever used a die from that set was to thread the pushrod on a wastegate actuator so I could lengthen it, and I was extremely glad I had it.

I considered that 60 piece set, but nearly everything I work on is metric, so it seemed like the 45 piece metric-only set actually offered a lot more sizes.

Monk, when you broke that tap, would say it was due to a quality issue (i.e. not HSS) or more due to poor handles, not enough oiling, etc?

HF taps blow chunks, huge bloody chunks. I have cracked teeth right off of them, even with a 60% or less thread! im not a moron, so ive never snapped one off in the work... :) The surface finish is so poor, that they will tear and smear the metal. The holders are so shitty, im at a loss for words. Ive stripped them out just taping a 1/4" hole in aluminum.

Having said that, for the occasional use in the home shop, or for thread chasing, I guess they can be adequate. I machine for a living among other things so take my review with a grain of salt.


Joe, real taps are made of, at the "softest", HSS. It says right there in the description, alloy (aka high carbon) steel.... junk.

I would say it was a combination of poor quality and retard strength.
I was babying it.
On the other hand, I use the set frequently, and I've only broken the one.

That's pretty much my concern right there.

I can't think of a situation in which I would rather have a HF die than I would a thread file. I bought a metric and a standard thread file, both with 8 common thread pitches for ~$50 10 years ago. I have used them countless times, and they will live for countless more uses.

Harbor Freight Win-or-Fail Thread
 

The holder is weak but the taps serve the purpose.

I'm betting less than 1% of the population would ever need these, but for the price, i love them.

Transfer Punch Set - 28 Piece

Cheap as hell, effective. Certainly not for continuous use. If you're in a machine or fab shop, buy something a little better. These are no where near file hard, but i wouldn't expect them to be.



Anyone have any experience with the HF bench grinders? I kind of want one for the shop at work, but don't want to spend a lot of money since i go over budget pretty much every month.

I bought the largest of the bench grinders. It was absolute trash. Any pressure resulted in the wheels slowing down. Wire wheel made it slow down until it was worthless. I have a lot of HF tools and I took the time to find another bench grinder on Craigslist. I found an amazing deal on an 8" wassota that was practically new for $20. I gave the guy $40. Almost any craftsman $20 bench grinder on Craigslist will be better.

The transfer punch set is awesome for the price. Only use mine occasionally but worth having.

Damn. Those are awesome. Way better than cross my fingers and hope my shit lines up.

Wish i had seen em before i went to HF this morning.

This is good to know. Looks like i may just have to bite the bullet.

Yeah I use the HF one for only chasing threads and aluminum or emergencies. I buy nice taps from Emco to match the nice tap handles I bought there for important sizes.

transfers punches are so much win, although i have a grizzly set, not HF

HF bench grinder is useless for reasons stated above and the wheels that came with mine were about 1/8" out of round; it will transport its itself across the garage on its stand, or shake everything off the bench its mounted to.



somewhat related side bar
At work the other day i tried to true up an american made transfer punch, i think the set is well over $100, it has literally transferred 1000's of holes. Big rigid lathe, roughing grade sandvik carbide and it blew the entire edge right off, and didnt scratch the punch. oops

good ol american transfer punches are D2 hardened to 60-62, so yeah you aint cutting that unless you know what you're doing or use a wire.

Probably explains why they're less durable in terms of retaining an edge, but more resistant to breakage if you're ham-------- the tap.

Like I said. Those few taps I used a lot, I bought at the local tool store. But having the HF set on hand saved me a lot of wasted time and trips on those occasions when I found myself needing to tap one or two holes to a thread I don't commonly use.

And, to be fair, most of the stuff I did was aluminum.



Totally different applications.

Thread files are great when you need to clean out the thread on an old fastener. Dies are great when you need to create entirely new thread on a plain round rod, like the arm on a wastegate actuator after you cut it, or an aluminum dowel when you need to create custom-length standoffs (we do this a lot on television sets.)



HF taps are like HF everything else. If it's a tool I use a lot, I buy quality. My primary socket-wrench set is a Craftsman, probably about 30 years old. Love it.

But for tools I only need occasionally, HF usually fits the bill.

Except theyre not, because i dont think they even temper them, and if they do, they need to do it better. They are the most brittle little fucker, like glass. Thats why I have snapped teeth off.

TBH, if they tempered them well, they might not even be that bad as far as carbon steel tools go.

I ordered a M6 mandrel from the UK for $10 to try in my HF rivnutter, just realized it still hasn't arrived. Time to go yell at the seller.

i'd like to know if the m6 rivnuts work... please report back.

I'm going to be doing this method for rivnuts

Make Your Own Rivet Nut (RIV-NUT) Tool! - Honda Ridgeline Owners Club Forums

Ebay rivnut mandrel fail. It's close but no cigar. HF mandrel on left, ebay on right.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1454679930