Harbor Freight

Years ago Sears used to have three grades of tools. If you were going to use a tool a lot, then you looked at Sears Best. But if you only expected to use the tool once or maybe twice in 20 years then you looked at Sears worst.

Harbor Freight is kind of like that. They do have a few things that are of good quality, but a lot is good value for the money. Not a lot of money, but also not a tool that you will pass on to your grandchildren.

Dan

I have two sets of those wrenches. One set is in the garage and the other in the basement. It saves a lot of time running back and forth.

Today I took the blades off the mower deck for the first time. My air impact wrench is not a heavy duty one and it did not budge the bolts. So had to go to a breaker bar with a four foot cheater. Could have used a slightly shorter cheater, but a four foot piece of pipe was handy.

=20 Dan

So do I, it works great. That said, I have no complaints about HF sockets and wrenches, and I used them for years. Their electrical tools, though, were mostly bad for me.

The hydraulic crimpers and hydraulic KO punch set they have are exceptions to the "bad" thing, they are very good values especially on sale and with the 20% coupon. Their $3 DMMs inhabit every one of my dozen or so toolboxes and have never let me down for quick measurements and saving chasing after my good Fluke 87. Their mini clamp on DMM/amp probe also works quite well when I don't need to get out my Hall effect AC/DC clamp for the Fluke.

I don't mind paying for decent tools, for example, Klein electrical tools are worth it when you're working in the trade. Unfortunately many of the tools available off the shelf locally are made in China and no better than HF at twice the price.

Those $3 meters have a gain adjustment pot inside. If you have a more accurate meter and a stable low-noise voltage source (a battery) you can set then to within one digit. Before adjusting them mine were off as much as 50mV at 12.8V.

jsw

I also really like the cheapie multi meters. They seem to be fairly accurate, but who can tell? And, if I fry one, who cares. Toss and get another. "Gonna need another Timmy" (line from the old TV show, Dinosaurs)

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

Their $3 DMMs inhabit every one of my dozen or so toolboxes and have never let me down for quick measurements and saving chasing after my good Fluke 87. Their mini clamp on DMM/amp probe also works quite well when I don't need to get out my Hall effect AC/DC clamp for the Fluke.

I've tested the $3 specials side by side with my Fluke 87 and not found any discrepancies. Their update rate is a bit slow, but other than that they are just fine. The only drawback to the HF mini clamp meter is it's use of three CR2032 batteries, but I have yet to replace the originals several years on so it isn't much of a drawback. Again I've compared that meter with my hall effect AC/DC clamp and Fluke with good correlation.

Thanks. I had to replace batteries in my mini clamp on, left it turned on. Since then, I took my yellow marker thingie (liquid yellow enamel paint pen from Napa, like the auto wrecking yard guys use) and marked the rotary switch, so I can better see if it's turned off.

I also mark the rotary switches of my $3 DMM.

Thank you for the field report, I'm glad they are reasonably accurate. I've seen the adjuster pot inside, but never adjusted one.

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

I've tested the $3 specials side by side with my Fluke 87 and not found any discrepancies. Their update rate is a bit slow, but other than that they are just fine. The only drawback to the HF mini clamp meter is it's use of three CR2032 batteries, but I have yet to replace the originals several years on so it isn't much of a drawback. Again I've compared that meter with my hall effect AC/DC clamp and Fluke with good correlation.

SK sockets 7/16 to 1 1/4", ratchet and extension in 1/2" drive, plus Crapsman 9mm - 19mm, plus 27 combination wrenches and misc. screwdrivers, extensions etc. in a good plastic tool box for 10 bux. Junior is jealous!

My last DMM and a neon test lamp stayed in Spain a year ago to help senior son avoid shocks when washing dishes - I told him to at least unplug the garbage disposal before filling the sink but I hear from Junior that he was still getting shocks four months latter. All grounded outlets but no ground wires in the service panel (box containing misc. collection of breakers). Wiring there consists of single conductors direct burried in plaster walls, exposed for connection to fixture wires.

What? Drain pipe or water pipes don't provide grounding?

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

My last DMM and a neon test lamp stayed in Spain a year ago to help senior son avoid shocks when washing dishes - I told him to at least unplug the garbage disposal before filling the sink but I hear from Junior that he was still getting shocks four months latter. All grounded outlets but no ground wires in the service panel (box containing misc. collection of breakers). Wiring there consists of single conductors direct burried in plaster walls, exposed for connection to fixture wires.

O.K. I'm reading that two ways. I presume that you mean:

"Four 1/2 inch impact guns"

and not

"Four-and-one-half impact guns"

:-)

Enjoy, DoN.

ABS conducts shit but not electrons.

I once bought and resold a two and a half inch impact gun. Bought it on ebay and sold on ebay.

And, he's got a 110 Vermont impact gun?

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

O.K. I'm reading that two ways. I presume that you mean:

"Four 1/2 inch impact guns"

and not

"Four-and-one-half impact guns"

:-)

Enjoy, DoN.

I'm shocked! (would be nice if he had copper drain.)

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

ABS conducts shit but not electrons.

Having no specific knowledge in the matter, I suspect that the ground conductivity in the mountain villages south of Granada would be quite low. I do know that, in the purchase of property, water right is a major concern. This is the right to tap into a source of water for whatever use, such as crop irrigation. Non irrigated land supports very little growth of anything other than scrub brush and weed cover. Any drain plumbing beyond the confines of a building is most likey through clay tile o,r more recently, plastic pipe.

"Stormin Mormon" wrote