New Tools - woo hoo!

[JPSmit]

Well, not trip to the US of A would be complete without the required Harbour Freight run. Got there the other day, and bought some staples - gloves and a ratchet etc. but, the two big purchases were a DA polisher and a Mityvac.

i have been having no end of trouble getting my clutch bled on Ms Triss, so, decided to get one. The Generic HF vacuum bleeder is half the price at HF than at the chinese tool place in Canada - and 1/5th the price of NAPA. (Interestingly, Canadian Tire - the great Canadian car stuff - and everything else store - doesn't even carry bleeders anymore!) but I digress. Got to HF and the bleeder was on sale for $29.99 while an actual Mitivac was only $10 more - that was a no brainer, especially with my 20% off coupon.

then the polisher. I have been looking at a polisher for a very long time now and had pretty much decided to pony up for a Porter Cable fancy one. The one I got is very well reviewed (doubly so with a couple of slight mods 1 being to replace the grease in the head) and is less than half the price at $59.99 - and again that 20% coupon. The advantage of DA BTW is that it is (apparently) almost impossible to burn the paint or wear through, so, will keep you posted!

oh and, while we won't be there, this is also HF's sidewalk sale weekend.

 

[TR3driver]

IMO the metal HF version is actually better made than the plastic MityVac. But I couldn't get either one to bleed brakes for me, so I gave up on that approach. Hopefully you'll have better luck!

 

[George_H]

Be very carful with harbour freight, along with those coupons it seems to have an addicting affect. I seem to go and buy things that I might use someday. I always look for reasons to go.

 

[PAUL161]

JP, About ten years ago I bought a 4 1/2 inch grinder from HF cheap knowing it was going to get beat up! While doing so, I bought another one, just knowing the cheap grinder would wear out pretty quick and I'd have a spare. I just took the second one out of the box a couple months ago, not because the first one went bad, I was just tired of changing disks from one grit to another. Both grinders still work perfectally! Not all HF stuff is questionable. I just wouldn't buy a lathe or precision type machine from them. PJ

 

[JPSmit]

JP, About ten years ago I bought a 4 1/2 inch grinder from HF cheap knowing it was going to get beat up! While doing so, I bought another one, just knowing the cheap grinder would wear out pretty quick and I'd have a spare. I just took the second one out of the box a couple months ago, not because the first one went bad, I was just tired of changing disks from one grit to another. Both grinders still work perfectally! Not all HF stuff is questionable. I just wouldn't buy a lathe or precision type machine from them. PJ

agreed. I bought a couple of nailers from them a decade ago and they are still great! While waiting to pay, I got chatting with a guy in line, he was a carpenter, figured he had driven 100000 nails with the same nailer - which was as good an endorsement as any.

 

[TR3driver]

I think part of the HF problem is that it is "luck of the draw". I likewise have one of those cheap angle grinders, which sounds awful and vibrates like crazy, but just keeps working. But I bought an electric die grinder from them, which appeared to have the same motor assembly just a different head on it, and it failed within minutes. A quick peek inside showed a wire rubbing on the armature. Took it back, they gave me a replacement with no argument, and it worked fine.

 

[PAUL161]

I've bought some air tools from them and they work very well, but they need constant lubrication. I have a combination wall mounted water separator and oiler for air tools. But I have a designated air hose just for that use. Don't want any oil in the other hoses. PJ

 

[BustedKnuckles]

FWIW...vacuum bleeders will suck air past the threads of the bleeder nipple. Pressure bleeding eliminates this problem and the aeration sometimes cause by pumping the pedal.

 

[DrEntropy]

FWIW...vacuum bleeders will suck air past the threads of the bleeder nipple. Pressure bleeding eliminates this problem and the aeration sometimes cause by pumping the pedal.

This is why I use a Gunson Eezi-Bleed. Many years and many, many cars!

 

[TomMull]

I think part of the HF problem is that it is "luck of the draw". I likewise have one of those cheap angle grinders, which sounds awful and vibrates like crazy, but just keeps working. But I bought an electric die grinder from them, which appeared to have the same motor assembly just a different head on it, and it failed within minutes. A quick peek inside showed a wire rubbing on the armature. Took it back, they gave me a replacement with no argument, and it worked fine.

True enough, but luck of the draw may not be limited to HF. Here's a few examples from my experience: 7 inch Milwaukee sander polisher failed after very occasional use (less than 40 hours total) but 10 years ownership; Porter Cable 5 and 6 in RA sanders last only a year or two, again occasional use as do their palm sanders. I'd expect this from HF but the brand names are 5 to 10 times more money. I'm kind of locked into DeWalt cordless stuff because I have so many $80 batteries but I am no longer reluctant to buy HF. I do try to buy smart though. There are lots of reviews on line for most HF stuff which are well worth checking.
Tom

 

[TR3driver]

True enough, but luck of the draw may not be limited to HF.

I definitely agree. A lot of the old brand names have been bought out, solely for name recognition, and IMO the new owners are only milking the name for what it's worth. I bought a new Milwaukee drill motor and the variable speed control failed within a matter of weeks. Took it back to be serviced under warranty; didn't get it back for two months, and the speed control still didn't work! Took it back twice more, the last time the warranty expired while they had the drill. That time it actually got fixed, but they charged me roughly 1/3 the original price to fix it! If I didn't pay, they kept my drill motor.

That was back when Milwaukee tools belonged to the parent company of Domino Sugar (AMSTAR); they've been sold 3 more times since then (according to Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milwaukee_Electric_Tool_Corporation). And, in all fairness, it was worked well ever since.

 

[59diamond]

HF opened a new store about a mile or so from me and had a grand opening sale.I bought a nice small floor jack for my Bugeye for about 60 bucks. Just in case I ever have to change a tire.

 

[TomMull]

HF opened a new store about a mile or so from me and had a grand opening sale.I bought a nice small floor jack for my Bugeye for about 60 bucks. Just in case I ever have to change a tire.

Wow, a mile away! Much too close. The jack is only the beginning. You may have to move. Tom

 

[PC]

... The advantage of DA BTW is that it is (apparently) almost impossible to burn the paint or wear through, so, will keep you posted!...

Yes, it's pretty much impossible to burn paint, as in raise the temperature above failure point, with a DA, especially with a medium stroke machine like the HF, Meguiar's, Porter-Cable, Griot's, etc.

If you use an aggressive cutting pad with a heavy cut compound it is possible to wear through paint that's thin and/or soft. But you can do that by hand too.


pc

 

[Darwin]

I'm waiting for an HF order as we speak. I have used their stuff for years and have had very little issue with them. I do avoid their comsimables such as sandpaper and such.

 

[JPSmit]

Yes, it's pretty much impossible to burn paint, as in raise the temperature above failure point, with a DA, especially with a medium stroke machine like the HF, Meguiar's, Porter-Cable, Griot's, etc.

If you use an aggressive cutting pad with a heavy cut compound it is possible to wear through paint that's thin and/or soft. But you can do that by hand too. pc

Haven't had the courage to try it yet (nor the compound though I got pads for it) OTOH I used the Mittyvac to great effect to bleed the clutch - finally!