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Thu Sep 06, 2007 2:28 pm

Check this out http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=95310

Anyone own one of these things? It's a Central Pneumatic half inch air impact wrench for ten bucks. Is it worth the money?

Thu Sep 06, 2007 2:49 pm

I had a couple like that. Wouldn't waste my time. I couldn't get them to take the lug nuts off my van(no way was I getting anything near 250 ft pounds of torque. Harbor freight sells one for $79 that works. I think it's called the earthquake.

Thu Sep 06, 2007 2:55 pm

Looks like for $10 you get what you pay for. I'll look at the Earthquake, or see what Sears has on sale. Thanks!!

Thu Sep 06, 2007 3:02 pm

it works for like 10 minutes...

Thu Sep 06, 2007 3:04 pm

toolbarn.com sells a porter cable for $61. This sounds like the way to go, rather than the Harbor stuff.

Thu Sep 06, 2007 3:14 pm

Ha! Ha! I got one of those for Xmas.

It couldn't take off the lug bolts that I could do by hand. :?
$10 is about $10 too much for that!

Thu Sep 06, 2007 6:56 pm

yeah man, there's a reason it's only 10 bucks. 250 ft lbs MAX is really quite pathetic. that means youre lucky to get that out of it. spend more for a halfway decent gun or do it by hand...

Thu Sep 06, 2007 7:06 pm

pantone149 wrote: Looks like for $10 you get what you pay for. I'll look at the Earthquake, or see what Sears has on sale. Thanks!!

Why spend the extra coin for the inferior shit at Sears?

Thu Sep 06, 2007 7:14 pm

Looks like a similar gun you'd get at BJs or Sam's Club. Don't waste your money as I did. The thing wouldn't even loosen lugs but just made noise.

I tossed it and got an Ingersoll Rand gun instead.

Thu Sep 06, 2007 9:13 pm

have you ever heard the phrase "you get what you pay for"? if so then you wouldn't buy from harbor freight. there tools are cheaply made and easily break, there zip ties some time don't work. ask yourself, what can you buy from harbor freight that WILL last, as in cant break?

Thu Sep 06, 2007 9:47 pm

69volkswagen wrote: have you ever heard the phrase "you get what you pay for"? if so then you wouldn't buy from harbor freight. there tools are cheaply made and easily break, there zip ties some time don't work. ask yourself, what can you buy from harbor freight that WILL last, as in cant break? So this is your first post huh?

I've had alot of stuff and supplies form Harbor Freight that have been pretty decent, and of course some things that are junk(clocks, power strips) It just all depends. As for the impact at question... I wouldn't own it.

Thu Sep 06, 2007 10:30 pm

ok my 2 cents and words of wisdom...

i have no problem with cheap tools like my basic cheap kit i got at kragen for like 25 bucks. it was a kit that came with every basic hand held tool i would ever need wrenches metric and American and a big butt load of sockets and some screw drivers. plus it all fits in a case under my baja bugs seat perfect.i wish i had all craftsman tools but i just cant afford them and i really dont think its worth spending the extra money on name brand hand help tools.but on the other hand i must have name brand big tools like i hate working with my friends cheaply made kragen 20 dollar special drill i gotta have a makita.That also gos for my impact wrench i have a craftsman impact wrench which i love to death and the only bolt that it couldn't get off was the rusted shut frame big bolt by the rear end. i was adding a motor cage to my baja and it just couldn't break it loose , so i just welded it on haha thats life. ok well in my experience i would pass on the impact wrench and get a name brand like craftsman there great and itll last u you a life time.

hope this helped ,

chris

Fri Sep 07, 2007 7:25 pm

I bought Harbor Freight open ended wrenches for my emergency tool kit I leave in the car. The only air impact wrench worth anything at Harbor is the Earthquake. Their torque ratings are way overstated.

Scott

Fri Sep 07, 2007 8:53 pm

The only things I buy there are tools that I'll use a few times a year or ones I consider disposable. Although, it's kinda cool coming out of there with a full shopping cart and having only spent $100. :lol:

Fri Sep 07, 2007 9:09 pm

I have that exact same gun from HF. It came in a kit with ratchet and some sockets ($29). I plan on keeping the sockets and the plastic case and junking the gun and ratchet as both are worthless.

Fri Sep 07, 2007 9:20 pm

I bought the front end alignment set from Harbor Freight. For $12.99 it works better than it has any right to:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=30167

Fri Sep 07, 2007 11:04 pm

I have an electric impact wrench ($59) and benchtop 1/2 inch drill press from Harbor Freight cross town from about 10 years ago. Yes, I did once (warranty) swap out the impact wrench as the little ball that holds in the socket fell out. I did have to order ($1) for the drill press the little plastic bracket that limits the depth of drilling if one desires. Nowadays, the chain stores have the electric impact wrenches for similar prices, but mine works fine. Oh yes, I also bought impact sockets there, both metric and standard, swapped one out, just replaced one other. My 36mm and 27mm impact sockets came from McMaster, stronger.

Sat Sep 08, 2007 7:02 am

I had to do a lot of cutting on a metal building to install 3 garage doors, so I bought the high end Bosch angle grinder a few months ago. I burned that son of a bitch out before I finished cutting the first door opening.

Went home, got my cheap Harbor Freight angle grinder, finished the job, and it's still going strong. Go figure.

Sat Sep 08, 2007 9:42 am

making a pilgrimage to the local harbor freight today :D

I've bought small tools there, bought a digital multimeter for 2.99 and the 5 times I have used it, it has worked fine. Timing light from there, vise, air blow gun. Oh, and not to mention I picked up a couple of fake security cameras for $5 each. Those little hooligans up the road don't know the difference 8)

John

Sun Sep 09, 2007 5:52 am

Just because you spend a lot of money on a tool does not mean that you got what you paid for. There are two reasons that an expensive hand tool has a high price. The quality of the metal is not one of them. High end tools have a lot of hand labor envolved. If that labor is American, it is very expensive. The real price kicker is wholesale and retail margin. You can sell a tool that is viewed as high quality for a lot more money.