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/

 

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


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


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".

 

WIN
http://www.harborfreight.com/6-inch-...vil-67040.html

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.

 

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


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:

 

WIN

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.

 

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



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.



Win, angle grinder air tool

 

Any intel on this item?

 

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/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/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.

 

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 *** 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).




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

 

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.