Best tool from Harbor Freight

[PJ]

There have been so many terrible things I have purchased from the old HF. I think the worst had to have been their leather work gloves. they looked great until I wore them for the first time working outside all day. The leather is dyed yellow and once you get the gloves wet or start sweating in them the dye leaches out and turns your hands yellow. It took me two days to get all of that yellow off my hands! My favorite/most useful  tool is harder to pinpoint because I've had so many little things that have come in really handy. I would guess either my pisttsburgh pro ratchets or wrenches would have to be the ones which have given me the most bang for the buck.

I got their orange and black gloves... I think at one time they were free with a coupon.  Anyway made an online purchase and instead of sending me one pair they sent an entire bundle all wrapped in plastic.  I think it was like 6 pairs.  Too bad they don't do that on a better item.

[Dan The Man]

It is tough to choose a favorite.  How about top 3?
I got the Hercules 12" sliding miter saw on sale around Christmas and I really like it.  Nuts-on accurate right out of the box, and has worked flawlessly.
I also have a BUNCH of the F-clamps from HF.  They are super cheap and work like they're supposed to.  Never had a problem with one of them.
Fortress 2 gal compressor.  Extremely quiet and better built that I expected.

My least favorite was a small rotary tool (like a small Dremel).  I bought it several years ago when I was broke.  I needed it for a project.  It worked for about 5 minutes and just quit.  No smoke, no noise...just stopped spinning.  I think I paid about 5 bucks for it.  Didn't even bother trying to return it.


Honorable mention for favorite is my 13 inch - 16 speed Central Machinery drill press that I bought probably 20 or more years ago.

[PJ]

It is tough to choose a favorite.  How about top 3?
I got the Hercules 12" sliding miter saw on sale around Christmas and I really like it.  Nuts-on accurate right out of the box, and has worked flawlessly.
I also have a BUNCH of the F-clamps from HF.  They are super cheap and work like they're supposed to.  Never had a problem with one of them.
Fortress 2 gal compressor.  Extremely quiet and better built that I expected.

My least favorite was a small rotary tool (like a small Dremel).  I bought it several years ago when I was broke.  I needed it for a project.  It worked for about 5 minutes and just quit.  No smoke, no noise...just stopped spinning.  I think I paid about 5 bucks for it.  Didn't even bother trying to return it.


Honorable mention for favorite is my 13 inch - 16 speed Central Machinery drill press that I bought probably 20 or more years ago.

Was that the little black Drill Master with a bunch of accessories?  

I was so pissed when I bought one of the drill presses during a parking lot sale (orange tag) got it home and it was a return that had been trashed.  Sucked.

[Dan The Man]

Was that the little black Drill Master with a bunch of accessories?  

I was so pissed when I bought one of the drill presses during a parking lot sale (orange tag) got it home and it was a return that had been trashed.  Sucked.

Re: the rotary tool
I honestly don't remember the brand.  I was many years ago and I didn't have it very long.  I think it was maroon or burgundy colored.  At the time it broke, I remember thinking "well...what do you expect for 5 bucks?"


Re: the drill press
I got the drill press on sale, but it wasn't a parking lot sale.  I remember that even on sale, it was a lot of money for me at the time.  I just went out to my garage to check the model number.  It is model #38142, but mine looks very different than the one that shows now on the HF website with that model number.  Mine has a black cast iron feed handle.