SOMETIMES its OK to get the cheap harbor freight tool

Pamela13 · Junior Joined: 06 Jun 2020 Posts: 11

Let me start off by saying, if its something that youre going to use alot and its going to take abuse, then buy a quality tool that will last. However sometimes theres no point in spending that extra money if its something thats pretty impossible to break OR its something youre almost never going to use. Its better to use the right tool, even if its a cheap one, than the wrong tool.

Small combination wrenches: If youre doing maintenance youre going to need 1/4 and 5/16 for hard to get screws, 3/8 for thermocouples, 7/16 for pilot tubing, 1/2 for pilot assembly/gaskit nipple. The onsale $10 wrench set from harbor freight is going to be just as good for this kind of stuff as the expensive ones because youre not putting any real torque on it and you wont care if you lose it. Sure you can use an adjustable but id rather have the right sizes to fit in tight spaces.

Finger ratchet: $5 from harbor freight, great addition to your socket set (dont buy a cheap socket set). Why pay $20 for one from sears when youre just going to be using it to get to hard to reach 1/4" and 5/16" screws. I have one and its awesome.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=96091

Pipe wrenches (MAINTENANCE ONLY): If youre going to be using them on a regular basis (like installers), buy some nice ridgid pipe wrenches. However, if youre just doing maintenance/light service then its better to get the $20 (cheaper on sale) pipe wrench set from harbor freight than use channel locks for stuff like changing out a gas valve.

T-Handle hex key set- $6 when on sale at harbor freight
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=37861
Well worth the price for making my life easier trying to get the plug out of gas valves to check pressures. They might snap if you try to use them on really tight refrigeration valves, but its $6 and worth it for the 3/16ths gas valve one alone.

$1 tape measure- Harbor freight has these cheap tape measures on sale for $1 with the coupon all the time. Small, light, cheap so you can keep a few around for the van, bag, job. That way if you go outside to cut something and left your tape inside you dont have to go back to get it, you can just use the cheapo one on the truck. You should also own a nice tape because the cheapo ones bend at a few feet and suck for measuring anything up high where it has to stand out on its own.

Vanity Mirror- not from harbor freight, but you can pick up a little pocket size vanity mirror at the dollar store thats useful to have when trying to read information off condensers some idiot put 4" away from the house. Sometimes they even have ones that are magnifying mirrors.

Steel brissle brush- harbor freight had them on sale for 33cents each a little while back, i use them for cleaning burners and such. Take a decent beating and when the brissles get all bent out of shape i just toss it.

And stuff that comes in massive sizes, like ridiculously long screwdrivers and extensions that youll like never use but are a life saver when you actually need it.

Those are just the ones off the top of my head, but if anyone else has some cheap but useful/good enough tools then lets hear em.

Soogniny · Junior Joined: 07 Oct 2019 Posts: 9

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