Harbor Freight Tools - yay or nay

Harbor Freight 1/2 inch drill

Next, I would love to have an air framing nailer.
Just for me around the house. Not for a full
time job. Whatcha think of this one.

Harbor Freight Air Framing Nailer

The drill would get a lot of light duty use.
The air nailer would seldom get used.
But when I need one I really need (want) one.

So whatcha think about these.
Thinking of getting my wife to get them
for me for Christmas this year.

Pooh Bear

• Bostitch

I have not bought the drill. I did however buy a $20 rotozip tool and it has been great, I worked it hard and even put a cutoff wheel in it and am using it to cut bolts and such with.

Pooh Bear

http://www.northerntool.com/retailstores/storelocations/tennessee.htm

I'm gonna have to go check this place out.

Thanks for telling me about it.

Pooh Bear

If you only use it a few times sort of thing, I have 'heard' the air nailers work ok for the price from there. No first hand experience.

--->Paul

• Palm Nailer 2

What I really want is one of them gas cartridge
cordless nailers but there's no way I can afford that.

Pooh Bear

I got one of those D handle 1/2" VSR drills like Jon Hagen wrote about from HF a few years ago. I might be a different one than he got or maybe he only used it full speed so the flukey speed control was not a problem for him. The one I got has a dial type roller in the handle that you can't adjust while you're drilling as you can when the trigger pull varies the speed. It seems to work so that the power varies with the speed---at the lowest speed it has virtually no torque at all. Don't get that kind.

My advice is to buy HF tools only if you have a retail store close to you. Take the tool home and use it a lot immediately. If it doesn't satisfy you right then, return it and get your money back.

As soon as I finish this posting I have to call HF to find out why 15lb of cast iron welding electrodes didn't make it in a mail order delivery that came this morning. So I'd have to call it a less than perfect transaction.

All the best, Stan

The hardest use the drill would see is driving screws.
And I try to predrill for them so it's not so hard.
Most of my drilling is in wood.
For metal I try to use the drill press as much as possible.
I had to drill four 1/2" holes several months back in
something I couldn't mount in the drill press
so I step drilled 1/4, 3/8, then 1/2" holes.
I've learned to go easy on tools that run on electricity.

For the air nailer I will bring it home and
thoroughly test it by driving nails in oak pallets.
Will test the drill by drilling holes in pallets.
I collect pallets and make stuff out of them.

I don't need an air nailer. I just want one.
My 3/8 drill has the trigger stuck on.
I can drill holes but I have to plug it in and
unplug it. I can't drive screws that way.
And I want the capacity of up to 1/2" drill bits.

I wish I could afford the brand name tools but
that just isn't in the budget. We just can't
afford $150 for a drill and $300 for a nailer.
I don't need tools I can leave to my kids.
I need tools at cheap prices.

Thanks for all the advice.
Gonna think about it some more before buying.

Pooh Bear

One way to make screws go into wood with less force is to scrape the threads across a candle before you screw them in. I usually keep a candle in my toolbox for when I have to screw in an extra long or extra big screw which is right at the limit of my drill/driver's capacity. It's also the first thing I try on a sticky closing door or hard opening and shutting double hung window. Right after "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," is "Don't fix it more than you have to (unless you've got all the time in the world.)"

All the best, Stan

Here's one of my 'Best Buys' ever! I've driven a couple hundred 6" hardened pole barn spikes (60d) with it and boxes of 16d ring shanks and it still works great! I power it with a HF pancake compressor which is still going strong and I've got about $150 in the whole shooting match. If I were you I'd go for the HF items you mentioned. Yeah, I don't like the idea that America is importing everything from overseas but when you go down to the local Harley shop to buy a clamp-on rearview mirror for 20-30 bucks that's made in Japan and it looks just like the ones at Wal-Mart for 4.95 and come from China what are you going to do? Buy American? Okay..... ...point me to it.

• Palm Nailer

No experience with HF drills, I tend to use tools like that a lot & have stuck with brand name ones.

Keith

Gerald J.

I looked at Lincoln 12V electric grease guns for a couple of years,but could never justify the $200 price. When HF offered their 12V unit on sale for $50,I thought it worth trying. I have been more than satisfied with its good performance all last season. At an ag show this winter where farmers had a chance to test the 12V Lincoln and 12V HF/Chicago electric side by side,they perfered the HF model.
When I compared specs,the HF and Lincoln had near identical performance specs(pressure and tubes of grease per charge),the only difference was $50 VS $200 When I compared replacement batterys,both were 1300 MAH 12V Ni-CAD units,both made in China Difference was HF,$20, Lincoln $70. It sure would make me feel all warm and fuzzy kinowing I paid 3-1/2 times as much for the same product with an American name like Lincoln on it. :)