HF tool pass/fail

In reply to Tony Sestito :

That thing looks awesome, is it strong enough to pick up bolts that fell between some gravel?

In reply to slowbird :

The next size up from that one does. Struggles with rust a little bit, didn't do well in grass, but does fine on gravel.

I'll be modifying mine with an electro magnet though, just because I have one

For gravel, I'd go the next size up. This one is primarily used on pavement and concrete, and works well for that.

Stopped in Saturday to pick up an air fitting and walked past a display with this rechargeable led light for $19. 

So far I give it a great big thumbs up. The magnet is as strong as a strong thing. The flexible head is super thin and fits in places none of my other lights will.  USB charge port for convenience.  

The light is super bright. I used it all day on the dimmest setting under cars and never thought I needed more.

Best of all, no silly flashing setting that you have to cycle through to turn it off. That crap drives me nuts. 

Jumper K Balls (Trent) said:

Stopped in Saturday to pick up an air fitting and walked past a display with this rechargeable led light for $19. 

 

These things are awesome... and they just dropped from $25 to $19.  I've got two and will probably pick up a couple more.

My only gripe is the battery doesn't last all that long on the highest brightness.

I'll give the torque wrench a big fail.  I've had a few occasions where i set it, tightened the screw and it didn't click.  Because it's so heavier & longer than my usual ratchet it's tough to get a sense for how much torque you're applying...which means when it fails, you can cause damage.  Mine failed and I was torquing spark plugs to 18 ft lbs and if I wasn't paying attention I would have stripped the head of my DD.  

Any suggestions for a reasonable cost replacement?

In reply to Hoondavan :

Not sure what size/range you’re in need of, however when I needed one last year that would do ~225 ft/lbs for a specific job I picked up a Tekton 24340 from Amazon.  I’ve been very impressed with it so far and will likely be picking up their 3/8” one as well (to replace my HF one… hasn’t failed yet, but has never inspired confidence).

In reply to Hoondavan :

I've heard pretty decent stuff about the Tekton torque wrenches.

When the HF ones failed to do exactly the same thing, and caused me to shear off a bolt in my high pressure fuel pump, I bought a set of Husky torque wrenches from Home Depot. Every time I've had them calibrated (since they see airplanes occasionally) they usually haven't drifted too far.

CDI makes most of the torque wrenches for the tool truck brands. So they're also a good choice.

It's stupid, but I really like the fat lock ring the Husky's have to hold the torque setting in compared to the thin ones that Snap-On and the like have. It makes it easier to operate with gloves on. The molded grip can be a plus or minus depending on your point of view.

I went with Precision Instruments to replace my 30 year old Craftsman 1/2" clicker.  More expensive, but no complaints.

therieldeal said:

In reply to Hoondavan :

Not sure what size/range you’re in need of, however when I needed one last year that would do ~225 ft/lbs for a specific job I picked up a Tekton 24340 from Amazon.  I’ve been very impressed with it so far and will likely be picking up their 3/8” one as well (to replace my HF one… hasn’t failed yet, but has never inspired confidence).

I have the 3/8 wrench, I don't think i'll need anything as high as +200ft/lbs.  Good to know you saw decent stuff on teh Tekton wrenches, that was the first listed on Amazon.   I sheared off an oil pan bolt the first time I thought I had tightened the screw and it was actually stuck all the way "unlocked"  HF does have a lifetime warranty on hand tools...but considering the impact of a failure, I'll probably invest in a better tool.

I would avoid the HF locking pliers, specifically the long-nosed ones.  There is too much slack in the pin that the pliers pivot on.  The nose/graspers have lateral movement which allows them to shift and slip if you're trying to remove a stuck bolt.  A few of the brake hard-lines on my E30 wouldn't come off w/brake line wrenches.  I muscled one off w/my big craftsman vice grips but for where my big pliers wouldn't fit the smaller HF ones just didn't work.

I had an older HF torque wrench for years and it was fine. I lost the lock screw for it and I bought a replacement wrench (I mean, they are only $20) and that one was so far off that I almost lost wheels on two different cars. After I tossed that one in the trash, I replaced it with a Kobalt one from Lowes. Looks like this:

I read somewhere that it was made by Danaher Tools, who makes these for a number of brands (including Craftsman, although this may have changed with the Stanley acquisition). The thing is seriously nice, and was a reasonable $75.

 

Anyone have experience with digital torque wrenches? I feel like an electronic load cell is going to be a lot less prone to drifting out of calibration than a cheapy HF torque wrench.

RE: Torque Wrench

I picked up this kit at TSC a couple weeks ago for $65, and they also had a 15% off that day. So far it seems nice. 

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/dewalt-tire-change-kit-dwmt45012

Other HF Stuff:

PASS - 12 Ton Shop Press (https://www.harborfreight.com/12-ton-shop-press-33497.html) This thing makes PITA jobs so so soo muc easier. 

PASS - 2 Ton Engine Hoist (https://www.harborfreight.com/2-ton-capacity-foldable-shop-crane-69514.html) The 2 ton version has a lot longer reach than the 1 ton, and the casters on all 4 corners are nice compared to the one I previously used. 

Anybody have any good HF recommendation for a fast inflator/deflator for tires?  The compressor I have, takes forever, to go 15 to 35psi on E rated off road tires. 

Pass: Electric pressure washer. Picked one up Friday evening and ran it for about 3.5 hours Saturday afternoon blasting the 1/2" thick layer of dirt and sludge out of my truck's engine bay. For the price ($85 with tax and 20% coupon) it will probably pay for itself in short order on saved trips to the car wash. 

In reply to AWSX1686 :

I've been eyeing that 12 ton. Thanks for the thumbs up.

It's so cheap you just wonder.

In reply to AWSX1686 :

I recently bought the 20 Ton Shop Press. Two big thumbs up, that thing is awesome.

I might have the 20 ton, can't remember. lol

I'm not sure if anyone's talked about the electric ratchet, but I got the HF Earthquake 3/8" ratchet for Xmas, used it several times already and am quite pleased, it's not small but it works and is quite powerful, this is for home use, not commercial.  My hands have thanked me each time I pull it out...

In reply to Raze :

I'm glad you posted that- I had bought one a couple months ago and I needed to do a writeup.

Pass!

One of the details about it- it's decently balanced between the head and the battery pack, so it has a baton-like feel. The ratchet head isn't physically very big, so it can fit into some decent areas (I was able to remove 4/5 bolts on my MR2s 4AGE timing cover) without much manuvering. Power's adequate, probably tops out around it's advertised 45lb/feet. 

Did a whole day of junkyarding removing suspension parts in the cold and the battery held out all day. The one problem I have found- the paint is very thin, and I've already scuffed mine off the head of the ratchet. If you haven't any electic tools at all and this is on sale, I highly suggest picking one up.

In reply to GIRTHQUAKE :

Agree with everything you said, especially the baton part, I was expecting imbalance but it's pretty good.  Between this and my very small rigid electric drill/driver my productivity has shot up, and my pain has reached near zero.

The0retical said:

In reply to Hoondavan :

I've heard pretty decent stuff about the Tekton torque wrenches.

My 1/4"-drive torque wrench is a Tekton. I don't use it more than once or twice a year, but it's never let me down, and it definitely looks and feels like a high-quality item.

Raze said:

In reply to GIRTHQUAKE :

Agree with everything you said, especially the baton part, I was expecting imbalance but it's pretty good.  Between this and my very small rigid electric drill/driver my productivity has shot up, and my pain has reached near zero.

Good to hear about the pain- one of the big reasons I picked it up was hearing Al of the Skid Factory talking about how at his age they keep his hands from hurting so bad, and how he explained they were practically insurance against future arthritis.

Another detail before I forget- the battery packs look like Milwaukee packs. They are EXTREMELY similar, but don't fit the chargers and you cannot trade packs despite their looks.

Raze said:

I'm not sure if anyone's talked about the electric ratchet, but I got the HF Earthquake 3/8" ratchet for Xmas, used it several times already and am quite pleased, it's not small but it works and is quite powerful, this is for home use, not commercial.  My hands have thanked me each time I pull it out...

On sale for $99.99 through 1/31/20