Harbor Freight

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They have a sorting tray that is gtg, I tried their digital scales to check myself while using my Lee beam scale it is junk, I use the digital calipers and the cheap ones from Midway and they seem to work, I have a couple of their rifle cases and like them, the toolboxes and carts I like, I bought a few of the $3 plastic ammo boxes, a friend uses the plastic concrete mixer to clean his brass. I try to stay away from the electric hand tools.
 
There are good tools and passable tool and junk. There are some things from HF that work well. The red powdercoat is one of the products that works well for a lot of people. Zero problems with tumblers from them as well. I would never buy a caliper or mic from them for ammunition ever. But that's just me.
 
wvcardsfan said:
I have seen scattered suggestions to buy this or that from Harbor Freight and I wonder what serious reloaders think about that. Calipers, scales, vices, tumblers, magnifiers, on and on. I'm trying to get into this as cheaply as I can, but I don't want to completely ignore quality. What do the experts say?
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Most all of what you have listed from Harbor Freight will get the job done and do a pretty good job at it too! I don't know anything about HF scales. You really want a reloading scale that measures in grains instead of grams or ounces. I don't think HF has such a beast... but I could be wrong. Mixing up grains and grams would be VERY DANGEROUS!

My GF didn't have ANY tools in her RV (other than a cork screw). After the first time I went camping with her I stopped at HF on the way home and got her very nicely outfitted with tools and it only cost me about $25. For as much as they will be used they fit the bill perfectly!

I have several other "specialty" tools that might only last a single use but I may only use them once or twice in a lifetime. I needed a wrench to mount a new faucet on the utility sink in the laundry room. $50 from Home Depot, $10 from HF... and it got the job done. Compare that to what a plumber would have charged me!!!! YIKES!!!!
 
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MikeInOr said:
Most all of what you have listed from Harbor Freight will get the job done and do a pretty good job at it too! I don't know anything about HF scales. You really want a reloading scale that measures in grains instead of grams or ounces. I don't think HF has such a beast... but I could be wrong. Mixing up grains and grams would be VERY DANGEROUS!

My GF didn't have ANY tools in her RV (other than a cork screw). After the first time I went camping with her I stopped at HF on the way home and got her very nicely outfitted with tools and it only cost me about $25. For as much as they will be used they fit the bill perfectly!

I have several other "specialty" tools that might only last a single use but I may only use them once or twice in a lifetime. I needed a wrench to mount a new faucet on the utility sink in the laundry room. $50 from Home Depot, $10 from HF... and it got the job done. Compare that to what a plumber would have charged me!!!! YIKES!!!!
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yes many places have digital scales that can display grains, grams, etc. my Hornaday scale appears to be the same one as a HF one. Again China Inc in a different box.
 
HF dual tumbler YES
HF digital calipers YES
HF digital scale NO
HF work bench YES
HF work lights YES

HFs new Good, Better Best program is working well for them. Many of their power and hand tools have 3 price/quality levels. THey are going head to head with the big boys with this and are gaining a lot of ground with professionals that are tired of paying exorbitant prices. Sure, they still have some junk n the 'good' category, like the basic battery charger, but there are a lot of things that are simply a great deal for the money..

I'm old enough to remember when 'Made in Japan' was as cheap as it got, like 'Made in China' is now. But Chinesium is getting better, just like the Japanesium did.
 
Their lathes are junk. They kinda work for small soft metals and thats it.

I have a number of automotive tools from there and they all work. Not maybe like a snap-on, but they are much cheaper.

Youtube has a "fix" for pretty much anything bought from HF.

Check estate sales and eBay for used quality measuring tools. I like Starrett, but brown & sharp and mitutoyo are of equal quality. Or find somewhere that sells General tools. Sears used to carry them. They are economical and pretty decent quality.
 
HOWARD J said:
I have purchased a lot of digital calipers over the years---they go bad I get another $10 coupon & am back in business
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There calibers are under there lifetime warranty, so just exchange them. I worked there for 2 years part time when I was working nights, you have to pick thru a few to get a good caliber. There batteries suck tho so I keep the dial calibers around.
 
I use the single-drum tumbler for small batches of brass (F.A.R.T. for larger batches). The HF tumbler also works well to de-tarnish old lots of bullets (projectiles, not loaded ammo); it is slow enough not to deform the exposed lead noses of bullets like partitions.
 
Double drum tumbler, works OK as long as you keep the bearings oiled. I bought this to see if wet tumbling was for me and it's been running fine for 4 years. Back when components were available I'd run 500 9mm every week or so.
Battery powered work lights clipped onto the sun shades of ny chronograph. They work.
Wooden work bench made a nice reloading bench. Bolted to a wall and weighted down with an every decreasing supply of lead bullets.
Clamps are so so. Bought 10, 8 work well, 1 is totally worthless and 1 works when it feels like working.
Bauer drill and impact driver have been working well for the past 1-1/2 years. 20v batteries every bit as good as 18v Makita.
Warrior Titanium drill bit set sucked big time.
Let the buyer beware!
 
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Harbor freight quality is like the old saying
“Sometimes you’re the bug and sometimes you’re the windshield”
With HF, you just never know which you’re gonna be!
 
First ya gotta know something about tools and your needs. I purchased HF tools for my work as a Heavy Equipment Mechanic/Electrician for throw-aways, loaners and modification for one time uses. (there was no way I was going to bend or cut my Snap-On tools). I guess I know enough about tools to decide if the intended use would be successfully done with the HF tools. I used a HF dual drum tumbler for several years (9-10?) until I "fixed" it then I bought another, made some custom drums and have ben using it for 12years. I purchased some machine tools (drill press, wobbler or tumbler) but after I inspected them as much as I could at the store. If you're not familiar with tools and their uses and buy by cheap prices, you may be very disappointed by HF tools/equipment.
 
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Go to Long Island Indicator and read their stuff about dial calipers.

Starrett, B&S aint what they used to be. B&S is Etalon, very good. Just buy Etalon. Starrett is far east and soft metal on most common calipers. Mitutoyo is made in South America, still good, and best value for better quality caliper. Fowler makes nothing, only rebrands.

Personally I like thumb wheel Etalon and Mitutoyo.
 
I like their walnut media. Have bought bolt cutters, iron bar... Tried three times to get a miter saw, each had a broken casting. Air fittings are terrible. Sandpaper and super glue terrible. And finally.... Once you JB Welt the flint babk on the magnesium, the fire starters work great.... lets you play Naked and Afraid in your back yard!
 
hdbiker said:
I buy my walnut tumbling media from Harbor Freight. 25 pound box for 25 bucks with a coupon. Works good & fast hdbiker
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They have two grits of walnut. Get the finer of the two. It doesn't plug flash holes like the coarser stuff does.

Replace it in the tumbler once it stops cleaning in a reasonable amount of time. One box will last quite a while.
 
wvcardsfan said:
I have seen scattered suggestions to buy this or that from Harbor Freight and I wonder what serious reloaders think about that. Calipers, scales, vices, tumblers, magnifiers, on and on. I'm trying to get into this as cheaply as I can, but I don't want to completely ignore quality. What do the experts say?
Click to expand...
Man I never saw so many experts before.
I’ll wait for the results Talley
 
If you do buy at HF, never pay full price. Eventually everything will be on sale or there will be a % off coupon you can use.
 
Digital scale... not just a NO.... their scales that I have played with have not been consistent, and are not adjustable. Sure you can zero them but if one weighs a coin at X and another weighs the same coin at something else then I can’t trust it. Francois Arsenal has a good cheap scale. That’s the route I went.
 
Project355 said:
Go to Long Island Indicator and read their stuff about dial calipers.

Starrett, B&S aint what they used to be. B&S is Etalon, very good. Just buy Etalon. Starrett is far east and soft metal on most common calipers. Mitutoyo is made in South America, still good, and best value for better quality caliper. Fowler makes nothing, only rebrands.

Personally I like thumb wheel Etalon and Mitutoyo.
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Starrett's 120 line of calipers are the only American Made dial caliper. They do make some globally though. Every single piece of Starrett i have is made in America, and hardened. My Mitutoyo stuff was made in Japan. My Mac measuring stuff was from Taiwan and better than the fowler and such brands.
 
My Mitutoyos are from Japan too. However, there are some Chicom calipers that are actually okay, specifically. iGaging and Neiko from Amazon for around $25. I recently examined the Harbor Freight Pittsburgh calipers for a friend. I was not impressed.
. .
 
Otto said:
My Mitutoyos are from Japan too. However, there are some Chicom calipers that are actually okay, specifically. iGaging and Neiko from Amazon for around $25. I recently examined the Harbor Freight Pittsburgh calipers for a friend. I was not impressed.
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The local steel supply sells the iGaging stuff. It appears much higher quality than the Fowler stuff.
 
I' ve usef their pneumatic nailers all the eay from finish nails to framing nailer. All had one thing in common, they looked like they were assembled in a tent in a Gobi Desert sand storm. I disassembled one to clean and oil and found the inside looked and felt like pumice was mixed with the oil...gritty
Then I took the rest apart and found the same thing. They work better now and I'm sure will last longer. The spare parts included did not have that problem.
 
Most of the stuff I have purchased from them is now broken. I still buy from them occasionally, but only things which are either A) dirt simple with nothing to go wrong, or B) needed only once.

Precision tools like calipers, or more complex, frequently used things like compressors? Nope. Buy once cry once, as far as I am concerned.
 
I have had HF single drum rock polisher that I use with Frankfort Arsenal walnut shells to clean my brass. I have had it a long time & replaced the belt once.
I have a HF spotting scope and it works fine for my needs.
I have had several HF digital calipers. My first one worked the best and lasted the longest. Others I have had work fine for a while, then act up. They are not expensive, especially if you have a coupon.
I usually try hard to stay away from Chinese products but do use these for reloading and spotting hits on 50 and 100 yard targets.
 
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