How does Harbor Freight tools rate compared to Home depot tools ? I am currently looking for a coordless drill driver capable of driving a 3" screw into a 2" x 4" stud. Any recomendations appreciated.
- posted
14 years ago
How does Harbor Freight tools rate compared to Home depot tools ? I am currently looking for a coordless drill driver capable of driving a 3" screw into a 2" x 4" stud. Any recomendations appreciated.
One screw, or,thousands?
For that kind of driving I suggest an impact driver. I have a Bosch and love it. I tend to stay with name brand tools because I need reliability and I want to be able to get parts and service when needed.
My 12 volt cordless Drill Master from HF should do 3 inch screws. The charging system is not regulated, I have to allow it no more than 3 hours on the charger. That said, it's several years old, and keeps on running. My sense, with the cordless from HF, they are all reasonable, but not great.
The last ones I got from HD were some years ago, can't remember the voltage. But at $20 per drill, it was cheaper than the $28 battery replacement pack for my Skil drills. HD has Ryobi, Dewalt, and some pretty nice cordless. So, if you're looking for one to use on the job, I'd go there.
My work horse cordless drill for the job is Makita 14.4 volt. I've worn out a battery or two. Found a battery at a clearance sale, and bought it. Someday I'll send the worn out batteries to Primecell.
Harbor Freight has this drill motor:-
Hope this helps you.
Lewis.
*****That's the detail I'd forgotten -- that HF has half price sales, frequently. Mine was also about $15 at HF.
It depends on use and budget. You can get some drills at HF, but by and large, they will not have near the lifespan of the brand names you get at the Borgs. If you want to buy one and be done with it, spring for the good ones. If you are going to be driving three inch screws, you want an 18v. A lesser drill will do it, but on the days when you have lots of screws to do, you will notice the difference. Lots of HF tools are a value for tools you don't use a lot or tools that don't have to stand up. Cordless drills aren't one of them.
Check at pawn shops. Things are very reasonably priced there now.
Steve
Just a suggestion: If you're doing something like a fence or a deck, where lots of screws will be involved, consider a 3/8" corded drill.
The extra power and absence of a need for a re-charge may very well outweigh the inconvenience of an extension cord.
I put up a fence using a Makita. After about 30 pickets, I could tell the battery was complaining. I dug out an ancient Craftsman corded drill and a
100' foot extension cord and put up the remaining 150 or so pickets without a hiccup.
Give us the catalog # and the drill # so we can shop online using the catalog price.
Never had a Harbor Freight tool, but the Ryobi or Ridgid brands from HD are acceptable for light home use.
When you buy the screw, get square head ones for the best results. If you want screws that are not going to snap easily, buy from
just go to HD and get you a dewalt. Don't worry about that ferrin shit from Harbor freight. Get something that will last a lifetime.
s
All my DeWalt tools are made in Japan. Did you know that DeWalt is really Japanese Black & Decker?
Joe
Don't even think about trying to drive long screws with a cordless drill. You need an impact driver. I'm on my third year with a Makita and typically drive up to 4" construction screws. Hardly anyone uses Philips screws anymore. Robertson square drive are OK, but for day in day out drive 'em flush and fast, absolutely nothing beats Torx or 'star' drive. Buy a few and try them out (Menards features them) and you'll never go back. Any Li-ion type from 12 to 18 volts should work for you in a DIY setting.
Joe
_MY_ dewalts were made in Baltimore , MD and i really don't GAFF if it works. And dewalt works. And no i don't believe your crap about it being related to B&D.
Boo- Hoo!
Look at the tab for "Our Companies"
Oh, BTW - Black & Decker's world headquarters is in Maryland. Maybe that's how you got confused about where your Dewalt tools came from.
Black and Decker bought Dewalt in 1992.
Coincidentally, I threw a B&D drill in the trash today. It had an infuriating short in the trigger switch. I took it apart to try to fix it.
It turned out the likely cause was cold (defective) solders of the wires going into the switch. They fell out their holes (it was much like a back stab 120v receptacle) as I took the case off, and I wasn't able to be sure which wires went to which connections.
I replaced that piece of crap with a Skil. Even though the Skil was made in China, it has a heft that reminds me of my Milwaukee Sawzall.
I have a Harbor Freight corded Multi-tool (the Fein Multimaster knock off) and a Harbor Freight 12" sliding compound miter saw.
The HF multi tool has served me well. But it is no clone of the Fein. The HF tool runs at one speed, and that is an oscillations per minute rate that approximately matches the low speed setting of the Fein. But for $35, I am happy with it.
The compound saw was was also priced right, about $150. I am less happy with it. Quality is noticeably low. I had to return the first one, due to a clamp screw that was stripped right out of the box. It also had flaking paint out of the box.
The dust collection is a joke. I've made quite a few cuts with the saw, and there is no saw dust in the dust collection bag. It all hits the floor (and me, and the saw).
Worst defect: the saw came with a fence that is out of square. When I put a straight edge against the fence, one side is out of alignment with the other by at least one millimeter.
That makes true precision cuts difficult if not impossible. Still, the saw does cut well, had plenty of power, and the results are much better than I can obtain with a had held Skil saw.
Don't even think about trying to drive long screws with a cordless drill. You need an impact driver. I'm on my third year with a Makita and typically drive up to 4" construction screws. Hardly anyone uses Philips screws anymore. Robertson square drive are OK, but for day in day out drive 'em flush and fast, absolutely nothing beats Torx or 'star' drive. Buy a few and try them out (Menards features them) and you'll never go back. Any Li-ion type from 12 to 18 volts should work for you in a DIY setting.
Joe
Say what? Get one of the sleeve extensions, a good bit, and put your shoulder into it.
Steve
*That's the difference with an impact driver Steve. You don't have to "Put your shoulder into it". The driver does all of the work and is much lighter than an 18 volt drill. I was using my drill for screwing until one of my customers let me use his impact driver. I went out and bought my own the following week and have no regrets.
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