Featured Technical Harbor Freight December deals

Those work great but I am such a sloppy worker, I leave them on the floor and step on the lugs and ruin them. I tried the plastic ones but they eventually break too. I bought these 1/2", 3/8" premium racks form HF and these are bullet proof. They have strong magnets on the back too.

 

Did you ever wonder why no one (that I know of) makes a modular insert that fits their toolbox drawers and has slides for sockets that can be screwed in (or magnetic) to get the combo you want and then some depressions for ratchets and extensions . They could sell a "kit" containing a bunch of interchangable inserts in sizes that interchange and fit the combination of tools ***ociated with ratchets and sockets . AND/OR the package the tools come in could be designed to be modular. I know there are a lot of different combos, but they could make their socket sets so they had the correct sockets to fill the spaces........which would encourage buyers to keep purchasing their stuff. I know it wouldn't work for things like pliers and certain things that have specialty shapes, but it seems one is always trying to figure how to organize sockets so the drawer looks right..........

 

I see an opportunity for an creative entrepreneur!

 

That’s funny….
I bought a Bauer cordless angle grinder and it’s been great so far. It’s a little awkward due to the heavy battery in the handle but you get used to it. I put a Dewalt brand cup wire brush on it to de-rust some areas to be welded and it started flinging wires everywhere. I think the cordless HF grinder spins a little faster than my corded one.
I also bought the little Bauer 3” cutoff tool and it’s pretty useless, no power. I’ll use it for cutting tack welds, maybe put a diamond blade on it for cutting little oddball stuff. If I lived closer, I’d return it.
I also have found that the HF two gallon sprayer is a great value. Compared to similar sprayers available at the local stores, it’s way better - more spraying with less pumping. I added my own nozzle because I like the pattern but the one it comes with is ok. Besides weed spraying, I fill one with water to use as a fire extinguisher when welding or grinding behind my shop.
HF is the only place that I have found tire irons or “s****s” as my old boss used to call them. Long smooth bars with a tongue on each end. They are so useful. I have an old manual tire machine and these s****s have made mounting tires on magnesium wheels much less stressful.

 

@ekimneirbo first, because ask 10 techs and get 10 answers and second, the more expensive ones do!
One example
https://newageproducts.com/products/pro-series-3-0-socket-set-tray-53980/?variant=01tOG000008zaKcYAI

 

^^^^ I could never be that organized, my brain couldn’t handle it. Besides, looking for that missing tool increases my heart rate and vocabulary at the same time!

 

Plus you need a wash station next to it so you don't shove a grubby tool in or pick one out with your filthy mitts and clog up the foam!

Here's another option. Basic to fancy.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFl6GDTQ7ow

 

Soooooooooooo............I have been waiting for HF to put the Quinn 1/2" and/or 1/4" MASTER socket sets on sale. I gave up and decided to go ahead and get them today.

As LUCK would have it, they have a storewide sale on from today until Dec 14 (Sunday) and you can get 20 % OFF any SINGLE item. My $150 1/2" Master Set was $30 off !

*%#!"+#@& Take that Snap On ! It was about a kazillion dollars less expensive than Snap On.........

So I'm posting this to let anyone on the Hamb who has been thinking about making a "somewhat" expensive purchase at Harbor Freight, they have a pretty good sale on now because you can buy about anything (1 anything) and get a sizable savings for the next two days.


Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas............

Note: Joining the Inside Track club saves you more than it costs. The clerk pointed out that I saved more today than I paid for my inside track membership a year ago........

 

Great news.
However, I'll give them my info when they provide all the info to me of each person employed in the C-Suite and a list of every en***y they share my information with. It is the Information Age, after all.

 

Its too late..........When that guy scammed me on Facebook Marketplace a while back, I did a "Find Someone" search. I knew more about that guy than I know about myself. I had satellite pics of where he lived and his truck he drives, his son, his son's business, his phone number and the phone numbers of his son, his ex-wife, his criminal record, his work history, the parents of the dead guy whose name he used and p***ed off as "his boy".........and I talked to everyone of them first hand while tracking the guy down. Then I handed it in a neat package to the State Police and they used it in their case to put him away. Look yourself up on line sometime.............you'd be surprised how much they know already.

 

I refuse to acknowledge my past!!

 

Anyone who doesn't have a "past" probably led a very boring life.........

 

I switched to these type socket holding doo-hickies for easy pickins.... Those metal or plastic clip on socket holders can be a pain in the *** to get a socket off, its like a whole other project just to grab a certain socket

 

I can get 3 times as much **** in my toolbox drawers as those organized ones got.

 

That's my problem; I have 3 layers of tools in every drawer!!

 

You're a proud, card-carrying member of the "make it work, make it better" crowd, sort of the backbone of this site. Great work!

 

My tool drawer organization has served me well for sixty years so far. I pretty much know where everything is….
It’s funny when I send the wife or one of the kids to get a tool though, the look on their faces.

I don’t know why that air ratchet is in there taking up space, I don’t think I’ve ever used it.

 

That looks like my toolbox. Funny how I've had wrenches and sockets so long I don't have to look at the size.
They have scars from years of use. Each has it's own look.
If they were organized I would just stare at them. I use my tools.

 

There is truth to what you are saying and can be misleading at times. Anything electronic (cordless tools, welders, most, not all scanners, etc.) are made by someone else. So are some of the hand tools. Their wrenches, ratchets, sockets, anything that attaches to a ratchet, other hand tools are made by them with top quality materials. These items are high quality and worth it in my opinion.

Some other tools are US-made, but made by someone else and rebranded as Snap On (Non-digital beam torque wrenches as an example) with a SO mark-up of course.

That said, here is their business model and the two ways it works. Time is money. Most of the time, you don't have the time to run around to stores looking for a tool or job-specific tool you need to complete a job or can you wait for it to arrive via shipping.

That is why the Snap-On truck comes to you. You deal with your guy and get what you need most of the time that day or get a replacement for a broken tool. You are paying a premium price for your convenience. Right or wrong, that is for the individual to decide.

When you do business with the guy on your route and he's good, you don't need the receipt or other proof of purchase. If it's a Snap-On hand tool, they either fix it or give you a new one. Other items that are electrical, welder, etc., can be a pain in the *** to warranty.

But here is the biggest piece of their business model. Credit-either a truck account or through Snap-On. You can't go to HF and do that. Yes, you can put it on your credit card, etc., but you either need to pay it off at the end of the monthly or let it accrue and pay the interest along with the minimum payment.

Snap-On knows this and that's why they will let a guy pay $10-$50 a week until something is paid off. Are they paying interest? Sure they are. Is it easier for some guys to do it this way? Sure is for a lot of guys.

That is why they are the top of the tool food chain. Not saying it's right or wrong, it's just business.

That was smart of your son to figure out the rebranded stuff and purchase them. Can't fault him for that.

 

I used the 15% off coupon today and got a nice harmonic balancer puller.

 

Me too. Sounds like a great idea.

 

Well written counterpoint..........We have differing points of view but respectfully.

 

I have plenty of broken snap-on tools .... no warranty, "cuck" snap on tools

 

Looking at HF McGraw 21 gal. 175 psi vertical air compressor.. are they any good ??

 

SnapOn used to be the standard for tools, at least in the US. That, along with the service merited the high cost. The lower end credit was extended by the local dealer, the higher credit was by the company.

The markups got to be ridiculous and the company squeezes the dealers hard. They are independent business people that have bought the franchise, floated the truck and all the tools, buy the insurance and gas, and start each Monday way behind. They also get dinged on the warranty returns. At least, that's what I heard back when I was a regular.

https://www.snapon.com/EN/Our-Company/Our-Brands

https://www.allamericanmade.com/where-are-snap-on-tools-made/


I will post this again. HF coupons listing.
https://www.hfqpdb.com/

 

Your comment emphasizes a pet peeve of mine concerning ads for air compressors; They always cite the volume of the pressure tank, and usually the pressure rating. These are interesting but not extremely important specs. Tank volume is always tuned to the compressor size and any compressor can get to 100psig. The MOST IMPORTANT spec of any compressor, CFM, is rarely listed!!!!

 

From the description, it's this one.
https://www.harborfreight.com/21-gallon-175-psi-oil-free-vertical-shopauto-air-compressor-64858.html
Spec is 4.0 SCFM @ 90 PSI
Just looking at the pics, IMHO it's a regular tank with a low end compressor on top.


@rust&patina go out to your shop and check the requirements on the tools you have.
Use their guide to help, but understand it's a guide for their own stuff to sell.
https://www.harborfreight.com/product-selector/air-compressors
That thing is good for pumping up tires, blowing stuff off, limited small air tool use.
I would not expect it to run sanders, do paint with a HVLP gun, or a full time use situation.
A small, light, plastic compressor is going to fail with extended use.
It fills a need, but that is a portable, roll around (on smooth ground, otherwise those tires are going to fail!) light duty compressor.
Darn near every compressor from them won't have replacement or service parts.
If possible, check on that first, and buy the warranty if that is cheap enough.

 

I bought a large 6hp, 10CFM vertical tank HF permanent compressor. I solve the portability problem by stationing 100' rolls of HF hose around my shop! Homemade hose rollers.

 

No............. You will be disappointed if you try to run any air tools very much. Bite the bullet and get a decent air compressor with a separate motor and pump. The cheap ones with the oilless pumps don't last a lifetime. Buying a compressor is like buying a welder, you want one thats going to last you many years if not a lifetime. You need one that uses 220 volts. If you don't have 220, now is the time to install a 220 outlet and then get a compressor thats at least 60 gallons and has a cast iron pump. This is just one of those times when stepping up to a decent unit is the wise choice.

Look on your local Facebook Marketplace and notice that the vast majority of people trying to resell compressors have the cheap ones similar to what you are looking at. The better compressors don't come up for sale as often..........

 

I couldn't agree more. The McGraw compressors are very low end and I would not use them for anything legitimate. I have one of their pancake compressors in my pool house, where I keep it for the sole purpose of inflating pool toys so I don't have to carry a floaty to my garage or shop. For that, it's perfect and worth the $40 it cost. But not much more.