[willys36@aol.com]

Originally Posted by oldred

They have two very different grinders and the Chicago Electric is the one I was talking about, the Drill Master models are total crap that would be lucky to last through one grinding disc! There are several others here that have had the same kind of service from those Chicago Electric grinders that I have had from mine.



Willys, I have to admit that I have never tried a HF screwdriver and I was talking about hand tools in general, of course I have not tried the wrenches, sockets and ratchets either so maybe I should not have commented on any of them. Actually I was basing my opinion on the appearance of them, the ridiculously low price, the fact they are from China (India in some cases) and the common knowledge about the quality of cheap tools in general. Still I have not tried any of them so I suppose I should not have said anything bad about them but I still can't see me buying or recommending HF hand tools even to the hobbyist. I have a bunch of gadgets from HF and some that I have mentioned have been worth far more than they cost and overall I have had really good luck with the things I have bought from there but then I am real picky about what I buy.

Have to pick and choose for sure. Eg., the adjustable wrenches are not too good, soft jaws and sloppy fit. However the screwdrivers as I said and surprisingly the open and box end wrenches are very good. I have both and as I say they stand right up there with the Craftsman/Kobalt, etc., class of tool.

[milo]

Originally Posted by Stangman196700

i was wondering what you guys think about this welder?
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/...ctId=100596739

thats around a price range i can afford currently.

Yes , that is a good deal and perfect for the project you have going..you'll need another c-note for a refillable argon bottle probably but a better way to go on your Mustang then letting a shop take your dough for something the fella's around here can help you through once they are done with the back and forth that's going on at the moment...

[NEW INTERIORS]

Originally Posted by Stangman196700

i was wondering what you guys think about this welder?
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/...ctId=100596739

thats around a price range i can afford currently.

Sorry but you won't be able to control the heat good on that machine.But if you want to get it.Just remember what I told you.Good Luck..

This one would be a little better then the one you have posted.It's just a little bit more..And will be easier to set then the other one..Only trying to help you from buying something you will regret later..

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/...ctId=100093231

[oldred]

That is a good little machine for general welding but I agree it is not ideal for body work or other really thin steel because of the limited settings. Doing body work can be really tricky, especially on the newer thinner sheetmetal, and good current control is very important.

[dieselherb]

I just bought a 220V Dual mig from HF love it! I had a 110 mig from Astro for years then burnt it up trying to weld alot(duty cycle was 10-15%) This 220 is great, you can weld sheetmetal all day long. Wire speed is the only think odd about it. I paid $188 with coupon, long way from a Miller or Lincoln. They give you 30 days if you don't like it return it for a refund. I was going to do use that, but it does a great job for me and their tech line is very helpful.

[Stangman196700]

thanks for all the info guys i really appreciate it. the other day i went to a body shop to get a estimate on some work to my car. it looks like getting a lincoln welder would be cheap compared to the amount they want for some body work on certain areas.

[oldred]

Originally Posted by dieselherb

I just bought a 220V Dual mig from HF love it! I had a 110 mig from Astro for years then burnt it up trying to weld alot(duty cycle was 10-15%) This 220 is great, you can weld sheetmetal all day long. Wire speed is the only think odd about it. I paid $188 with coupon, long way from a Miller or Lincoln. They give you 30 days if you don't like it return it for a refund. I was going to do use that, but it does a great job for me and their tech line is very helpful.

As I have mentioned here before I have a buddy who bought the "duel Mig" from HF and like you he is quite pleased with it. He has had this thing for several years now and it is holding up just fine so maybe this particular model from HF may not be such a dud like some of the rest of them. If someone buys an $80 dollar Mig and it doesn't last a week the usual response is that all HF Migs must be junk, which very well may be true. This particular one however costs in the neighborhood of $250 and seems to be a lot better than the cheapest ones they have which seems to be the case for a lot of HF tools. I still would be very hesitant to recommend one of these things based on just a couple of good experiences but if the price means the difference between owning a welder or doing without then it might be worth the risk, before going so far as to recommend one however I would like to see a couple of more satisfied owners.

[willys36@aol.com]

Originally Posted by oldred

. . . . . . . but if the price means the difference between owning a welder or doing without then it might be worth the risk, before going so far as to recommend one however I would like to see a couple of more satisfied owners.

Bingo! I have been buying from HF for +25 years (started when they were mail order only) and am in generally very pleased w/ price/value. I'm not a pro but have built several cars from the ground up and could not have afforded the great tools w/o help from HF. Several of my original 25 yr old tools are still going strong. That reminds me, I think I will oil my old HF pneumatic tools. Probably due after 25 yrs.

[oldred]

Willys, I can think of another example of a real bargain from HF since you mention air tools- the "Earthquake" impact wrench. I have heard more than once about the junk impact wrenches that HF has and if you buy one of the 1/2" models for $9.95 or some other ridiculous price it could not be expected to be worth anything but that in no way means the "Earthquake" is junk. The "Earthquake" comes in 3/8", 1/2" and 3/4" and maybe 1" drive but the 1/2" is a brute I know for sure and the others most likely are too. These things are a knock-off of the IR "Thunder gun" but cost about half of the IR price, not saying they are as good as the IR but they are definitly worth the $79.95 they are usually on sale for. I ran a welding shop for many years and I tried to buy the best equipment I could, still would if I had it to do over again, but to recommend that everyone just go out and buy the top-of-the-line equipment for hobby work does not always make sense. That "Duel Mig" is more than just a decent machine as far as performance, at least for the price, and it would be very interesting to see if the durability of the one my buddy has is just a fluke or can it be expected from this particular model? I think HF does themselves a lot of harm by selling the totally junk items because the bad press they get from it costs them sales of the decent items, and they do have some decent stuff. On their larger equipment, lathes, mills, bandsaws, etc they sell the same thing that other importers sell for a heck of a lot more when the equipment actually comes from the same factory but a lot of people will avoid HF because of the bad rap from the junk. An example would be the 14x40 engine lathe lathe I saw recently, this is the same exact machine that Enco and a couple of other outfits sell for around $3995.00 to 4995.00 but HF gets 3199.00 for it with the only major difference being the color. Same for the little 9x20 lathe that they sell for $599.00, some outfits sell the Jet brand of the SAME EXACT lathe for as much as $1300.00 and the HF comes with more accessories than the jet! Some people will argue that HF just gets what the factory failed inspection for everyone else but this is BS and in the case of that little 9x20 lathe I know from first-hand experience that the only difference except price is the color and name. Just because the cheapest tool they have does not hold up well does not mean that everything they have is junk and there are some bargains to be found at HF for the hobbyist and that "Duel Mig" may be one of them

[willys36@aol.com]

Funny you should mention the $9 1/2" impact wrench. That is one of my abused 25 year old tools that is still wrenching!! Only thing wrong with it is the little snap ring at the end of the shaft that holds the socket on broke off, otherwise I have been using/abusing it for decades. I have been meaning to get one of those Earthquake wrenches to replace my old wrench but can't justify it as long as my old machine keeps truckin'.

[oldred]

I have no personal experience with the $9 impact but I assumed it was the one I have heard about falling apart the first day, key word here being "assumed". I think that one is based on the CP 734? At least that's what it looks like. I looked at a US General air compressor that a fellow here got for Christmas recently and that thing was a bargain if I ever saw one! With a discount coupon that HF sent in an E-mail his wife picked it up (what a gal that one must be! ) for less than $340 including sales tax. This thing looks to be very well built for the price and although I did not get to see it run (not wired in yet) it is a 60 gallon single stage cast iron pump with a 3 1/2 HP A.O Smith motor (16 AMPs) that should perform quite well, that is less money than some of those junky oil-less compressors.

[willys36@aol.com]

One thing they seem to do very well all the time is their pneumatic tools. I have virtually a whole set and every one works great, some of them as I say being over 25 years old.

[galaxieguy3]

IMO, you do have to pick and choose what to buy from HF. I bought a flux core wire welder from HF. It works, but not great. Had it not been on sale for a little over $100 I would not have bought it. Sometimes the wire does not feed properly if the cable is bent too tightly, adjustabilty is quite limited. I have used good MIGS and there is no comparison. Does it get the job done? Sure it does, Was it worth 100 bucks, absolutely. But I only use it once in a while.
IF you were loaded ($$$$$ not alcohol), then I would buy a LIncoln or other proven brand name product. But since you are looking at HF brand stuff, you, like so many of us, probably cant justify shelling $500-up for shop equipment. so here is what I recommend:
If you are going to use it infrequently, then go for cheaper MIG.
If you are going to use it ALOT, then save for a good one, maybe a lower end Lincoln or similar.
If the reviews are good for a Clarke, try it out. I have a 8" Clarke bench grinder that is 3/4 hp. Pretty wimpy for a 3/4 hp grinder, so I am not sure how good the rest of their stuff is, made in China too no doubt.

[Kenneth Rhodes]

I need a quote on part #11 Speed Control Circuit Board and #23 Wire Feed Unit and #19 Themostat. For this Welder: MIG-100 Welder With Thermal Overload Model #44567.

[4x4 nova]

chicago elec.harbor frieght or did u say harbor trash...