Hot Rods You get what you pay for !

For over 10 years I have used the same 1/2 inch air Impact wrench to take of wheels off cars, and misc rusted on bolts . Finally after years of abuse it was wore out .I might add I,m hard on tools.. I went to our local Harbor - and bought a new one,the heavier duty air Impact . Got home and could,nt even remove a wheel that wasn't on that tight to begin with. No one to blame but myself
Many of us go there for inexpensive items and that's fine but certain tools no.. Gene

 

99% of harbor-freight pneumatic tools are not worth a tinkers damn (I always wanted to say that) HRP

 

I never knew exactly what a Tinker's Damn was , but it always sounded cool.

 

What the hell is a tinkers damb anyway kind of murphys law?

 

I'm always reminded of this..............

 

Damn tinkers are always trouble

 

There's cheap and then there's value. Sometimes it's an expensive ($ and time) lesson to learn.

 

I don't think their much better than my craftsman impact

 

A ring of anything so a plumber can pour solder.My mother used to say that.

 

I use a lot of Harbor Freight tools. Air, manual, etc. I don't have a problem with most of them. My impact gun is 8 years old now. When I do have to take one back, it's typically replaced with no questions asked the same as Craftsman does. But then again, I take care of my tools.

I have to laugh when people put down Harbor Freight's tools. Most don't like them because they are Chinese made. Some are also made in the USA.

HF is like any other place. Sometimes you get a bad tool. Ask SNAP-ON about their bad tools.

 

Their good one is supposed to beat a snap -on.

 

John Ruski was a wise man

 

I had no idea - "In the Practical Dictionary of Mechanics of 1877, Edward Knight gives this definition: "Tinker's-dam: a wall of dough raised around a place which a plumber desires to flood with a coat of solder. The material can be but once used; being consequently thrown away as worthless".

 

You need to take advice from one of your founding fathers!

Benjamin Franklin: . “ The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten."

I actually used as a motto when selling High End Race Car trailers.
Many people in NZ didn't know the historical significance of that quote

 

We put my IR up against my nephews craftsman. The IR whooped it's ass. Then we put a 3/8 fitting on the craftsman, while the IR had 1/4" fitting. That livened up the craftsman quite a bit and at least kept up with the IR.

Then we put a 1/2 line to the craftsman and it was pretty damn good. You'll not be running it off of even a good home compressor though.

 

tin·ker
[ ting-ker]
NOUN
1.
a mender of pots, kettles, pans, etc., usually an itinerant.
2.
an unskillful or clumsy worker; bungler.
3.
a person skilled in various minor kinds of mechanical work; jack-of-all-trades.
4.
an act or instance of tinkering: Let me have a tinker at that motor.

 

Gene, don't feel bad about 2 years ago my in pact gave out.I use it a lot too.I bought one at Walmart for 20 bucks and I thought what a deal. Damn thing couldn't even take the nuts off a wheel. so I bought 1 at home depot that gave out about after 2 years of use in Nov.My 2 step kids bought me a brand new one for Christmas 350 lbs tourk.I think I will be happy with that one. Now some things are good at H.F others are crap you just have to watch what you buy there.Bruce.

 

My current impact is a snap on that bought at the local pawn shop. For the price of Harbor Freight you get the good stuff. I hate to say how many of my tools came form the three globe supply shop.

 

You have had better luck than me.

The 400.00 dollar brake is cheap compared to a quality built one but they should last more than one weekend. HRP

 

I know some of you guys don't want to believe it but some HF stuff is getting VERY good. I too have experienced the HF duds but their service has always been excellent, no quibbles in the store for a return.
Years ago, I bought one of the first "Earthquake" impact guns from them. Admittedly, it's a little on the heavy side for constant use but for under 100 bucks, I have never found anything it couldn't unscrew or snap off with it.

 

I had a Snap on socket break the first time I used it as well. It happens that's why there is warranty.

 

We use air impacts from harbor freight at a tire shop we own and they hold up well. My brother runs the shop and uses them all day every day. We own better brand ones but don't use them on passenger vehicle because they over torque studs and mess up threads. The HB one with the long shaft works great. WE use them to remove lugs and tighten them and then we torque them if customer wants to. WE are always getting new customers who are pissed with big tire shops for messing up their studs and lug nuts.

 

Believe it or not I broke a 1 3/16" deep well socket. HRP

 

I bought an "EarthQuake" from Horrible Fright 1/2 gun 5 years or so ago based upon the recomondation of a friend. It gets beat on regular and hard.

Its been damn good ! I do think most of their stuff is crap though.

Oldmics

 

LOL its funny because I can't honestly think of another tool I have ever broken except the one time I bought a high end socket for a specific need.

 

Sometimes a rant is righteous and the right thing to post.
"And that's all I got to say about that."

 

After my granddaughter came by the shop and ask me to look at the new tires on her OT car I was shocked to see her left rear wheel only had three lugs instead of the normal five,I was furious that they had done the damage and never mentioned there was a problem.

We took the car back to Firestone and I had a word of prayer with the manager.

I listened to his song and dance,first they were already broken off,when that didn't fly he came up with some BS and I showed him a picture on my phone of the car and my grandaughter knelled beside the car with her new puppy just a few days before.

Imagine that,5 lugs and within 20 minutes there were 2 new studs and lugs and a heartfelt apology from the manager and the neanderthal that used the big impact wrench to tighten the lug nuts and at no cost.

I insist no impact wrenches,I have seen too many cross threaded and broken lugs damaged by guys that could car less. HRP

 

Some of the new impacts are indeed quite powerful and care must be used on lug nuts.

At our shop we snug up the lugs nuts with a "small" 1/2" impact on the lowest setting, maybe 90 foot pounds, and then torque wrench from there on every wheel we touch. Been doing it that way from 1982.

 

Everytime I get tire work done, even after telling them to not tighten them too tight, I come home, use my impact to loosen them and re-torque them with a hand held wrench. I don't want to be in Bumfuk Egypt with a flat and can't get the lugs loose.

 

Or the side of the road. Lol