/diy/ - Do It Yourself

I did it once a few years ago to get the discount on an air compressor and surveillance system. Never renewed it.

>>1549792
what discount does it give? something more than the normal 20% and rare 25%?

>>1549766
You can get all of those coupons for free from this website. I bookmarked it on my phone and I check it each month -

https://couponshy.com/harbor-freight-coupons-promo-codes/

>>1550677
I'm sure it's obvious but it's all of these. They each open a new window with all of the coupons. I just screenshot what on my phone and crop the image so it's just the one coupon. They accept coupons via smart phone now so just show them the pic at the register and they'll scan the barcode from your phone screen. Don't have to print them out anymore so that's nice.

>>1550680
As much as I hate the idea of carrying a mobile Telescreen (BB is Love, BB is Life, duobleplusgood!), I'm sick of buying HP63 ink all the time and think I should upgrade from my dumbphone that usually has the SIM and battery removed.

>>1550677
Are those the "special inside track only" coupons?, or just their normal coupons?

>>1550680
>>1551074
Sorry I'm stupid and can't read.

Well theres the answer to that, thanks for saving me $30 and getting me the coupons anyway.

>>1549766
>I'm curious, does anyone have the paid $30 a year membership to HF for all the "extra deals" or whatever?

Fuck no

>>1550680
Looked through them, a few "decent" deals but honestly all very lackluster.

Id expect A LOT more for $30 a year

>>1551094
Only really good deal I see is that arbor press for $40.

>>1550685
Wtf am I reading

>>1551231
he doesn't like carrying smartphones, he enjoys his blackberry, But he also does not like his current ink usage of printing coupons, therefore he is looking to bite the bullet and upgrade.

>>1551231
>>1551357

He was making a reference to George Orwell's 1984. Telescreens, Big Brother and "newspeak." Being constantly tracked and invaded upon.

I re-read it recently. It seemed prophetic when I read it in the 90's, now it just seems scarily accurate. We're mostly there already, just need to dial up the socialism and economic redistribution aspects that the Leftists are on their way to winning.

>>1549766
Absolutely, unequivocally not worth it. There might be the odd situation on a higher-ticket item where "joining" will save you more than the cost of membership, if you cancel/nonrenew as soon as you're able. But mostly you can achieve the same with some online coupons for free.

Even if you couldn't, I hate programs like these where they raise costs of every item in the store by a couple of percent, then "discount" a few random items for "special members" who pay to save 10-20% for a limited time.

They get my business because they're cheap overall, and sometimes I need a tool for one-time or occasional use and don't want to spend a boatload on a higher quality model from Lowe's or Home Depot. Flipside, don't buy a Chicago Electric power tool from Harbor Freight and expect that it's going to hold up for even half as long as the one you'd pay twice as much for.

And yes, I'm a little more likely to see a great sale deal on something I don't really need and just buy it because it's cheap.

>>1551357
>>1551368
Worse than a Blackberry, it's an old Motorola clamshell phone. I usually have the battery and card out of it and check for any voicemail from a payphone (I know the location of all 12 left in my county).

Really don't like the fucking things at all.

>>1551388
>tfw you see a payphone still surviving in the wild

I was so close to buying a set of left handed drill bits for $8 today. But then common sense got ahold of me and said “If you’re using a left handed bit, you’re probably drilling out a bolt. How long is this 50¢ bit going to stay sharp enough to actually work?”

Got a couple packs of oribital sander pads and my free multimeter aka free test leads and 9v battery.

>>1551631
Does the multimeter suck that much?

>>1551774
Not him, but do you seriously think a $3 multimeter you can get for free from a store whose air is so thick with chemicals 80% of their employees quit after a week from illness is selling you anything accurate?

>>1551793
I use the cheap multimeter for checking for current on a line or continuity. They are cheap and could save your expensive meter or possibly your life.

>>1551631
DESU, I do machining and the left handed drill bits aren't bad. They won't go through any hardened bolts though.

>>1551774
I like them, I have two or three ready to go, because the plastic where you connect the leads breaks.

They are good enough for a jerk off like me to test for shorts, or see if something is hot.

>>1551774
The readings are actually fine. I think they’re only really made to be used until the shitty 9V battery dies and then you toss it and get a new one for free with a pack of zip ties. If you take the leads in and out too much, you’re going to break it. Everything is barely held together by the shittiest plastic case and a couple tiny screws. If you knock the thing off your workbench, it will crack in half. If you try and change the battery, you may strip out the plastic threads for the screws holding the case together. But they’re free.

I keep one in the emergency kit for my car, but I’m 50% sure it will be dead by the time I really need it. I shoulda scooped up more of these clearance Walmart meters for $7. The HF meter won’t go back together and I connected some alligators to the leads to use on other meters.

You can get a decent meter for $20-$30 that you can expect to work when you need it, and it’s such a useful tool that I would say it’s a good idea to spend more than free on a meter for your tool bag. But the HF ones still work fine... until they don’t work at all.

>>1553282
I got pic related today. For the price, I’m guessing it’s cobalt coated but should be fine for my few emergencies when I need it.

Northern Tool > Harbor Freight. I really want to jump on the big Klutch drill bit set with letters and numbers, it’s kobalt and on sale for $150 right now. They had some 26pc cobalt sets on sale for ~$50 too and that looked sweet but I think I’m more likely to break them than dull them.

>>1556088
>cobalt coated

Thats not how it works
Also knowing the garbage Northern Tool sells, its not 8% cobalt like it should be, probably 3% (which makes almost no difference at that point).
Also the large Cobalt index drill set you are talking about, the Klutch and the HF ones are identical. And every time I have looked at them they are ground poorly and their tolerances are reportedly trash. No real use buying inbetween sizes in the .001s when they arent accurate.

>>1556088

Do the left handed drill bits actually help? I've used screw extractors many times and have always used ordinary drill bits. The hole is the same isn't it? I guess the theory is that a left handed drill will not tighten the screw any further, but in general if you've managed to break a bolt it was already really tight.

Educate me, Dr. Bepper.

>>1556108
>I've used screw extractors

You already know more about it than he does. And yes, there are times where a left handed bit will actually break the fastener free. Regular drill bits and quality square extractors are going to be vastly superior to shitty spiral extractors and shitty left hand drills. You can buy Enderes or Wilde square extractor sets for like $25

>>1556078
Lel I have so many of the $0.50 razor blades $0.41 after tax with the 20% off coupon.

Leave them in places where homeless people trod with a printout showing how to slit wrists properly.

I gotta wonder how many people have been robbed with a harbor freight razor blades I bought.

>>1556106
Meh, they seem to have better reviews than the HF sets, less of those 3 star reviews from people who don’t understand that a 1/16” cobalt drill bit isn’t going to last long with shakey hands and a wobbly drill chuck.

At this point I think I would rather spend $150 on a NT set and another $100 on a Drill Doctor than spending $500 on machinist grade bits.

Was at NT yesterday and they had a good selection of single Jappo made taps, dies, and extractors as well. I’ll be going up there when I start wearing out my Chinese ones.

But with that, for all the shit people talk about getting machinist grade tools or nothing, I was messing with my Craftsman tap set last night for the first time and they were working well as long as I took my time and followed instructions and didn’t try to drive the tap in dry like putting a bolt into a hole.

>>1556108
See >>1556110

Sometimes you won’t even have to move on to the extractor because the left handed drill bit will grab the bolt before you get all the way through. Plus if the thing is really seized up, left handed bit and then start trying to chip away at the rest of the shit until the hole is clean.

I do need a drill doctor or something though. I have a million bits that could use some work, lots of the loose ones I got from my dad are quality bits.

>>1556106
This is stupid. This is the exact same thing NT has for $150 right now. Home Depot doesn’t even sell a real drill bit set beyond the 29pc fractional.

You’re probably right though, maybe the right choice is looking for a decent 29pc 64ths set and a drill doctor because I’m never going to get that .002 difference with a hand drill. Would like to have a 60pc numbered set though.

>>1556308
Those are Greenfield drills, you know Chicago Latrobe/Greenfield/Widia/Cleveland?
Premium, USA made drills.

Thats like comparing the Land Win with the Range Rovers.

I wouldnt use Cobalt drills in a hand drill as my daily driver drills regardless, they are brittle.

>>1556302
>for all the shit people talk about getting machinist grade tools or nothing, I was messing with my Craftsman tap set last night for the first time and they were working well

Thats because you dont actually know what its like to cut threads with a proper tap. Its night and day, and the second you need it for an emergency is when that spongy feeling tap is going to snap on you.

>>1556302
learn how to sharpen them on a bench grinder. one day I decided my drill doctor was useless so without even so much as a YouTube video I just sharpened one. first try sharp. its really pretty easy. it is not as good as new but its way better than completely fucked.

>>1556403
Hand sharpening twist drills is a skill worth learning for sure.
Drills are surprisingly complex, how you approach each drill depends on its flute construction.
Drill Doctors do work, but you have to know the same concepts of hand sharpening and apply them.

>>1556365
So much of the stuff I got from him is Chicago made. Then again he probably worked the HVAC accounts on a couple of those buildings or distributors. I remember he had Cobra electronics and I kept asking him to get me a radar detector but he was like “Hell no I don’t need you wrapping your car around a tree”

>>1556403
This was the other option. You can get jigs for the bench grinder too, but I need a grinder first. That’s another one of those things I kick myself in the ass for leaving behind when I moved out of my old house.

>>1551391
I saw one recently in either Seattle or Bainbridge Island's ferry terminal. Can't remember which.

Used an online coupon to get $20 off their cheapo 90 amp welder, it's awesome so far and only spent $100 if/when it shits out later.
HF and Chicago Electric are ONLY good for that. Figure you'll be only be able to use a power tool maybe twice before it is useless and broken. Everything after that is bonus. Their tools are of insanely shit quality, but can get you by for a little while. If you are fine with probably junking something after a couple of uses, you'll like HF/Chicago Electric.

>>1556484
>spend $100 on a piece of shit you dont expect to last more than a few uses
>instead of spending $100-200 for something old and used, which is far superior in power and longevity

Throwing away $100 shouldnt be something people swallow so easily.

>>1556067
>>1556070

>>1550685
Get a second-hand laser printer for about $40 or free from an office dumpster. The toner prints tens of thousands of pages before needing replacement. When it runs out acquire another used printer because toner is expensive.

>>1556545
Yeah, you don't get it. The HF tools may last a few uses, or for years... The higher price tools are less likely to shit the bed as quickly, but they still often do, and warranties are universally a fucking joke.
So you're paying a lot more for unclear offers in the gamble that the $300 tool will last 3 times as long. Sometimes, your really only NEED the tool for a few uses or a single job anyway. The price differential between a "better" product isn't small. If I need a nailgun this weekend, I can get a $399 DeWalt or an $89 Chicago Electric. If the Chicago Electric shits out halfway through the job, I run back to HF and get a new one free because it's within the 30 days store warranty. After the job is over, I may not need a nail gun for five years, at which point I can repeat if desired.

>>1556627
>Yeah, you don't get it.

"Just enough to get by"
That mindset shows, in your work and in your everyday life.
Using poor quality tools that produce substandard results? Its takes a special kind of someone to justify it.

So no, I really dont "get it". Cutting every single corner you can. Hoping and praying that the 90 amp piece of shit welder you bought lasts for years? Thats the worst possible thing that could happen, it means its going to sit over in the corner of the garage tempting you to use it every once in a while. And of course if you fall into the trap, itll hack up any project you are doing.

>>1556545
harbor freights tools aren't that unreliable. they are more under powered than anything and their are quite a few gems that really can't be beat;

>earthquake impact
>air compressors
>all your consumables
>hand tools
>specialty mechanics tools

that last one especially. everyone either has the orange harbor freight cherry picker or knows where to borrow one. same with the orange electric cement mixer.

>>1556657
Their benchtop tools aren't awful IF you strip them down and rebuild them. Have had their 4 x 36 sander for a few years now and use it at least once a week. I had to take it all apart, actually seat the bearings, the pulleys for the belt drive weren't even screwed down, and the tensioner needed adjustment, but it works fine now.

>>1556694
>>1556657
I agree. Don't know what >>1556652
Is on about. HF told work fine for me because I take care of my tools, use them for the intended application and don't overstress them, and keep them clean/lubricated/maintained where needed. I probably have a couple of dozen HF power tools and a lot of hand tools, no complaints here ever.

>>1556701
I mean, now that I can afford better tools, yeah, I will replace my HF as it dies. The only exception to this will probably be the drill press, which I want to replace badly now because of the slop in the chuck I can't eliminate all together. (I center punch everything, so it's not a huge issue, just annoying.)

>>1549766
I negotiated a 2-year membership with the manager in return for my purchasing a scratch and dent tool cabinet. He gave me the membership price off the matching upper in return for me buying the upper, lower, side cabinet, and the memebership. Over the next 2 years I saved probably another $100 - $150 off various purchases, but I was buying a moderate amount of tools for projects at the time. There really aren't all that many "inside track" deals, and over the 2 year period they never managed to mail me a flyer despite repeatedly mentioning this to cashiers and verifying they had my correct info.

>>1556545
>Throwing away $100 shouldnt be something people swallow so easily.
when you move out of your mom's basement, you'll learn that $100 is not a lot of money.

>>1551388
Your life sounds like a rewarding adventure :)