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Posted: 8/27/2014 6:57:46 PM EDT
Is the Harbor Fraught 45 watt solar panel kit any good?
I see it's on sale this month for $149 |
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i have 2. they work well but are bulky and a bit pricey for what you get.
you also need to realize that one kit is only 3.75a at full output. if your charging a decent size battery it can take awhile. |
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IIRC, the panel frame needs to be beefed up. Or at least thats what I remember reading about it years ago when it was still $200+.
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Reading this thread reminds me of the cheesy hobby solar panel from Radio Shack that I had as a kid.
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IIRC, the panel frame needs to be beefed up. Or at least thats what I remember reading about it years ago when it was still $200+. View Quote the panels are fine and actually pretty decent for what they are. the frame is garbage. the charge controller and dc lights work VERY well |
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Solar Panel Bundle 100W Monocrystalline: 100W Solar Panel + 30A Charge Controller + MC4 Solar Adaptor Cable by Renogy 170 customer reviews | 68 answered questions Price: $164.99 PRIME better deal. |
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Solar Panel Bundle 100W Monocrystalline: 100W Solar Panel + 30A Charge Controller + MC4 Solar Adaptor Cable by Renogy 170 customer reviews | 68 answered questions Price: $164.99 PRIME better deal. View Quote Linky More for your money, for sure. |
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check out solar panels for a panel and ebay for a controller, look at ACS
per watt $$ is what is the difference coupled with shippijng I am not associated with solar boulvard just buy from them |
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I buy some tools from them. It ain't Snap On but then I'm not in business. I bought a crosscut saw that has served it's purpose many times over for 99 bucks. As long as you aren't using their stuff every day for your business you are ok. Curious as to the solar panel uses???
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Quoted: Not true at all. It's cheap stuff, but there are times when you don't need an expensive, high quality tool for something you'll be doing once or twice. That is where Harbor Freight excels. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: Nothing from Harbor Freight is worth it. Not true at all. It's cheap stuff, but there are times when you don't need an expensive, high quality tool for something you'll be doing once or twice. That is where Harbor Freight excels. Well, I guess this is where we are gonna have to agree to disagree. Everything I have purchased from them has been a hobbyist throw-away piece of shit. When I buy tools I need them to work and noting is worse than a tolo breaking when you really need it. For me, Ill just pay the extra cash for quality, but I liken it to Hesse products, I imagine its okay if you only use it that just once. I can name about 10 things purchased from them that were garbage (up to and including a $400 box)and wasted money that I couldve spent on something nice in the first place, that would last me a lifetime of service. JMO, YMMV.
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You'd only probably get the full 45 watts for, let's say, eight hours a day, 275 days a year. That's about 100kW/year. At $0.11/kW, you'd begin to save money in about 13 years.
It might save you a few hundred in your lifetime. |
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You need sun for those to work --- your AO has more cloudy days than Seattle.
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the last solar panel charging unit I installed cost $4,500. You make the call.
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You'd only probably get the full 45 watts for, let's say, eight hours a day, 275 days a year. That's about 100kW/year. At $0.11/kW, you'd begin to save money in about 13 years. It might save you a few hundred in your lifetime. View Quote thats not really what these are designed for. i use mine to top off emergency batteries during extended power outages to help save fuel on generator runs. for that they work great and in such times are frankly priceless. you will get max output in most areas about 4hrs a day on good days most of the time. my usage has shown they are fairly stabil with around a 2.5-3a out put off peak sun unless you track with them frequently. |
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Quoted: Is the Harbor Fraught 45 watt solar panel kit any good? View Quote I see it's on sale this month for $149 lots of writeups and youtube videos |
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Is the Harbor Fraught 45 watt solar panel kit any good? I see it's on sale this month for $149 View Quote it's OK, I've had one up at my BOL for about 4 years and it works well enough to keep a 4 pack of deep cycles charged |
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You'd only probably get the full 45 watts for, let's say, eight hours a day, 275 days a year. That's about 100kW/year. At $0.11/kW, you'd begin to save money in about 13 years. It might save you a few hundred in your lifetime. View Quote I average about 3.5 hours of peak sun per day here. You would have to be in Arizona, Texas, or NewMexico to get 8 hours per day.. . Last I checked, USA made PV modules were still well under one Dollar per Watt. . Solar Panel Price Survey |
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Solar Panel Bundle 100W Monocrystalline: 100W Solar Panel + 30A Charge Controller + MC4 Solar Adaptor Cable by Renogy 170 customer reviews | 68 answered questions Price: $164.99 PRIME better deal. Linky More for your money, for sure. Got it Thanks |
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i have 2 of them. they work as advertised.
worth it really depends on what your expectations are. these put out roughly 3a at 12v at peak sun. that is a not a lot. for charging small batteries they work fine but there are smaller options out there for more money. i used mine during an extended power outage to help charge my deep cycle battery box. it's no where near being a replacement for a good 40a charger and generator but for a day or 2 it allowed me to not have to burn fuel to charge the batt. keep this in mind. if your expecting to recharge a deep cycle marine battery at 50% your going to need roughly 70ah of charge replaced. at 3a max output that is 20+ hours of peak sun to complete a charge. if your using that battery at night you can get behind very quickly. the 12v lights that come with them work very well as does the charge controller. the frames are crap. where these really work well is for long term battery maint on an rv or similar use. |
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I have it. I leave it hooked up to my trolling motor at the marina. Keeps my battery full, never had to pull the battery all summer.
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I have a set to keep a lawn mower battery charged.
The panels are only going to last 5 years or so. The controller and lights it comes with are pretty cool.
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Well, I guess this is where we are gonna have to agree to disagree. Everything I have purchased from them has been a hobbyist throw-away piece of shit. When I buy tools I need them to work and noting is worse than a tolo breaking when you really need it. For me, Ill just pay the extra cash for quality, but I liken it to Hesse products, I imagine its okay if you only use it that just once. I can name about 10 things purchased from them that were garbage (up to and including a $400 box)and wasted money that I couldve spent on something nice in the first place, that would last me a lifetime of service. JMO, YMMV. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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Nothing from Harbor Freight is worth it. Not true at all. It's cheap stuff, but there are times when you don't need an expensive, high quality tool for something you'll be doing once or twice. That is where Harbor Freight excels. Well, I guess this is where we are gonna have to agree to disagree. Everything I have purchased from them has been a hobbyist throw-away piece of shit. When I buy tools I need them to work and noting is worse than a tolo breaking when you really need it. For me, Ill just pay the extra cash for quality, but I liken it to Hesse products, I imagine its okay if you only use it that just once. I can name about 10 things purchased from them that were garbage (up to and including a $400 box)and wasted money that I couldve spent on something nice in the first place, that would last me a lifetime of service. JMO, YMMV. What tools did you break and what were you doing with them when they broke? I'd like to know the tool and situation so I don't repeat it. |
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Nothing from Harbor Freight is worth it. View Quote I got my money's worth out of the Harbor Freight 18 lb Vibrator/Tumbler. I use it it to clean brass for reloading. I have cleaned thousands and thousands of rounds with it over the last few years and it is still going strong. I recently cleaned 8K rds with it. It has lasted longer than other vibrator/tumblers I have bought. |
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Ditto on the tumbler. Also bought the HF ball joint service kits. Already more than paid for themselves in the labor savings of having to pay someone else. And the torque wrench. And the huge adj. wrenches. And the multimeters. And the breaker bar. And the impact sockets.
Sort of like saying everything at PSA is junk. |
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To respond to the OP.
The solar kit isn't worth it anymore. Check out Amazon for a 100 watt panel for $150. Amazon $159 set Or $159 (right now) for the panel with a charge controller, etc. |
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Understand that only suckers pay listed price at HF....there's 20 and 25% off coupons readily available. HFs are seemingly everywhere and no shipping cost.........that changes an ok deal to a decent one.
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I got my copy of Wildfowl magazine yesterday. There's a HF 20% off coupon on page 119.
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I have been thinking about this for my travel trailer to charge the batteries. Is there a better set-up for the price?
Never mind I just saw the amazon postings |
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HF tools are excellent for the homeowner. The paint sprayer was a god-send when I painted my fiancee's house. I put in a marble fireplace surround first using the demo drill to remove brick, and then the bridge tile saw. The quality of their metal castings and plastic injection molding has really increased in the last few years.
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HF needs to switch that kit to the crystalline style panels and keep the price the same.
And bump it to 100 watts at least.
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I have many tools from HF that have worked for years and I use them daily. One example would be a mini grinder that just goes and goes. A combo belt sander that's seen tons of abuse and the list goes on. I've seen the same mini-milling machines sold online and other electric tools sold at places like Sears and Home Depot with the same housings using different stickers for twice the amount.
Now don't get me wrong, there is some crap there. If you read reviews and know what you're looking at when you see it in person then you can find tons of useful stuff there that can certainly be used way more than once. |
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Quoted: What tools did you break and what were you doing with them when they broke? I'd like to know the tool and situation so I don't repeat it. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Nothing from Harbor Freight is worth it. Not true at all. It's cheap stuff, but there are times when you don't need an expensive, high quality tool for something you'll be doing once or twice. That is where Harbor Freight excels. Well, I guess this is where we are gonna have to agree to disagree. Everything I have purchased from them has been a hobbyist throw-away piece of shit. When I buy tools I need them to work and noting is worse than a tolo breaking when you really need it. For me, Ill just pay the extra cash for quality, but I liken it to Hesse products, I imagine its okay if you only use it that just once. I can name about 10 things purchased from them that were garbage (up to and including a $400 box)and wasted money that I couldve spent on something nice in the first place, that would last me a lifetime of service. JMO, YMMV. What tools did you break and what were you doing with them when they broke? I'd like to know the tool and situation so I don't repeat it. Ok, here goes. Not trying to pursade or dissuade from HF. I personally hate it. If its works for you, rock on. But IME, anything over hobby use and it goes to shit. Welder clamps/vise grips- cheap, soft, Chinese steel. Clamp about 3 items total tight and the bar which creates the leverage will deform. After that not enough adjustment in the screw for proper pressure. Screwdrivers- out of spec and strip fasteners. "L" shape allen keys- out of spec and strip fasteners Portable puller kit- gone through 3 so far at the shop. Not crazy duty work/abuse either. Just using tool as intended. Aluminum square- isnt. Good for a hobbyist possibly. Anyone serious needs a Starett or like. Orange dead blow hammers- A proper circle on the striking head will form until it falls off rendering useless. Routinely, guaranteed. All weights 16oz and up are affected. A coworker had the neck shatter upon first day of use on the 56oz. Wood handle ball peen hammer- head loosened from shaft after 6mo of use. Batteries- a joke. I put them in my kids toys that I find obnoxious Tape measure- Not me, but all measuement/gauging tools at my work need inspected/certified. A kid had a HF tape that was, shit you not, 1/16" out of spec. Maybe ok for some, but .060" for me might as well be a mile. Digital calipers- I will say they measure accurate. But as with most HF stuff steel is soft and one drop will bend the jaws vastly affecting performance/accuracy. I do still use the 6" for my reloading needs, but in a professional setting, no-go. Compare jaw size to Mitutoyo, Starett, or even Fowler to see what I mean. Tool box- lock froze leaving me unable to open. Since figuring out to spray graphite lock lube into it, it has worked fine so far. But those few weeks where I didnt know what the issue was, soured me bad. Who needs to get into their box every morning amirite?! Dremel- LOL Angle grinder- see:Dremel Auto-darkening welding helmet- actually works well... For about a year. Who knows about the actual shade accuracy though. Kept buying them for 3 years for $50 until I realized I could have been half-way toward a Miller or SpeedGlass that would last a lifetime with near unlimited uses and specialty modes and settings. Law of False Economy and all. Bracket holding headgear sheared in same spot, every time. Prybar set- convinced it is made of old soup cans. Not even Campbell's cans either. Someone earlier asked me how they could fuckup a vise. Well depends. What kind of vise? There actually many different vises, with different uses. Ask a machinist if clamping alone is a good enough indicator of performance. This is all I can think of off the top of my head that has straight failed, personally witnessed. Im sure I can come up with more but I guess my point is I have actually used their products and not speaking solely from a pedastool of snobbery. I prefer Snap-On now but wholly understand that isnt the ideal route for everyone. Hell, for ARs, I prefer KAC but, again, I wouldnt recommend them first to your average dirt clod shooter. For me, its simple as this. Tools have a funny quirk where they always break during use. Meaning: The exact time you needs them most. When Im using said tool ,when I need it most, be it hammer or AR, I want the best quality I can afford for the task at hand, and to minimize failure chances as slim as possible needed to get the job done, first time. For what I wasted at HF ($$$), I couldve spent toward real gear. YMMV. JME. Hope this helps to clarify |
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Never had an issue with HF. Chinese crap. Yes, but everything I have purchased has worked and worked well. I have an angle grinder that has failed to break. I've used my electric impact gun from them many a times. Got that thing almost smoking hot and it still works.
Picked up a couple of cheap 60 LED solar motion lights and they are brighter than I thought they would be. Picked up a electric power washer that i have used to clean off my deck, garage floor, patio, and vinyl siding. No issues. Now, I would not go in there and buy tools that I would have to use on a daily basis and expect them to last. But for a cheap alternative , I don't think they can be beat. |
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Is the Harbor Fraught 45 watt solar panel kit any good? I see it's on sale this month for $149 View Quote What's fraught? |
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Quoted: Quoted: Is the Harbor Fraught 45 watt solar panel kit any good? I see it's on sale this month for $149 What's fraught? fraught frôt/ adjective
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That entirely depends on what you're buying and the application you're using it for. I bought a drill press vise for $16 to use as a tabletop vise. Kinda hard to mess up something as simple as a vise. It works. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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Nothing from Harbor Freight is worth it. That entirely depends on what you're buying and the application you're using it for. I bought a drill press vise for $16 to use as a tabletop vise. Kinda hard to mess up something as simple as a vise. It works. HF can screw up a vise with ease. Most of the ones they sell do not have anywhere near parallel jaws. IME their hammers are ok, their tarps are marginal, and their magnetic/hook LED floodlight is fantastic when on sale for $.99. Everything else is pretty much garbage, and higher quality products are usually available for the same or slightly more elsewhere with a little patience and shopping around. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
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Quoted: I got my money's worth out of the Harbor Freight 18 lb Vibrator/Tumbler. I use it it to clean brass for reloading. I have cleaned thousands and thousands of rounds with it over the last few years and it is still going strong. I recently cleaned 8K rds with it. It has lasted longer than other vibrator/tumblers I have bought. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: Nothing from Harbor Freight is worth it. I got my money's worth out of the Harbor Freight 18 lb Vibrator/Tumbler. I use it it to clean brass for reloading. I have cleaned thousands and thousands of rounds with it over the last few years and it is still going strong. I recently cleaned 8K rds with it. It has lasted longer than other vibrator/tumblers I have bought. Ya know... I dont tumble because I have small kids in the house and lead vapor scares me, but I will say my Lyman US cleaner looks an awful lot like the HF US cleaner. I think the heater wattage on my Lyman may be more [vs. HF] but I could be wrong. If I had to do it again, I might pickup the HF. But I did pickup the like-new Lyman on the EE cheaper than the new HF so I went that route by happenstance only.
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Quoted: HF can screw up a vise with ease. Most of the ones they sell do not have anywhere near parallel jaws. IME their hammers are ok, their tarps are marginal, and their magnetic/hook LED floodlight is fantastic when on sale for $.99. Everything else is pretty much garbage, and higher quality products are usually available for the same or slightly more elsewhere with a little patience and shopping around. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Nothing from Harbor Freight is worth it. That entirely depends on what you're buying and the application you're using it for. I bought a drill press vise for $16 to use as a tabletop vise. Kinda hard to mess up something as simple as a vise. It works. HF can screw up a vise with ease. Most of the ones they sell do not have anywhere near parallel jaws. IME their hammers are ok, their tarps are marginal, and their magnetic/hook LED floodlight is fantastic when on sale for $.99. Everything else is pretty much garbage, and higher quality products are usually available for the same or slightly more elsewhere with a little patience and shopping around. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile [in bold] Bingo. Exactly my point above. This is a HUGE deal to some, not to be underestimated.
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<snip> Hope this helps to clarify View Quote The issue is with your initial post--it's silly and certainly NOT true for many. You do as you wish, but many of us aren't using tools to make our living, and don't depend upon them to be fail-safe. Examples in my own case: The biggest cement mixer--paid $189 with coupon and have mixed over 6000# of 'crete, still going strong. Fence post puller--paid $27, had to modify it a bit to make it work right, but used it to pull 75 posts I got used for 1/3 of new cost. Several people wanted them but I was the first to show up with a puller. They are about $60 at farm supply stores. Biggest blasting cabinet they sell--paid $184, use it about twice a year. No issues with it, works perfectly. Impact sockets--dirt cheap and highly regarded on garagejournal.com. I've used them on old farm equipment and can't get the first one to fail. Get the "Pittsburgh PRO" ones and they are bulletproof. The pry bars you say are no good--have the set of four for $8.99, have pried the shit out of junk farm stuff and haven't had one fail, break, bend, or otherwise not work. I did regrind the tips to make them a little sharper. And that was FOUR for nine bucks. How much were your Snap-Ons? Johnson bar--$18 and is strong enough for my 195# carcass to bounce on without bending/breaking. They too are $60 at farm supply stores. It's hard to screw up a thick steel rod, even in India. Heat gun--$9.99, used and abused, still working fine after several years. How much was your Snap-On? Wife's tool set--she picked out whatever she wanted, including screwdrivers, several pliers, wrenches, adjustable wrenches, etc. for about $40. She's happy and stays out of my stuff. That's priceless! That's all I can think of right off, but I have a LOT of their (highly regarded in reviews) stuff, in addition to my name brand stuff (mostly from pawn shops), and I get by. Without having a fortune tied up in my tools. |
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Quoted: The issue is with your initial post--it's silly and certainly NOT true for many. You do as you wish, but many of us aren't using tools to make our living, and don't depend upon them to be fail-safe. Examples in my own case: The biggest cement mixer--paid $189 with coupon and have mixed over 6000# of 'crete, still going strong. Fence post puller--paid $27, had to modify it a bit to make it work right, but used it to pull 75 posts I got used for 1/3 of new cost. Several people wanted them but I was the first to show up with a puller. They are about $60 at farm supply stores. Biggest blasting cabinet they sell--paid $184, use it about twice a year. No issues with it, works perfectly. Impact sockets--dirt cheap and highly regarded on garagejournal.com. I've used them on old farm equipment and can't get the first one to fail. Get the "Pittsburgh PRO" ones and they are bulletproof. The pry bars you say are no good--have the set of four for $8.99, have pried the shit out of junk farm stuff and haven't had one fail, break, bend, or otherwise not work. I did regrind the tips to make them a little sharper. And that was FOUR for nine bucks. How much were your Snap-Ons? Johnson bar--$18 and is strong enough for my 195# carcass to bounce on without bending/breaking. They too are $60 at farm supply stores. It's hard to screw up a thick steel rod, even in India. Heat gun--$9.99, used and abused, still working fine after several years. How much was your Snap-On? Wife's tool set--she picked out whatever she wanted, including screwdrivers, several pliers, wrenches, adjustable wrenches, etc. for about $40. She's happy and stays out of my stuff. That's priceless! That's all I can think of right off, but I have a LOT of their (highly regarded in reviews) stuff, in addition to my name brand stuff (mostly from pawn shops), and I get by. Without having a fortune tied up in my tools. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: <snip> Hope this helps to clarify The issue is with your initial post--it's silly and certainly NOT true for many. You do as you wish, but many of us aren't using tools to make our living, and don't depend upon them to be fail-safe. Examples in my own case: The biggest cement mixer--paid $189 with coupon and have mixed over 6000# of 'crete, still going strong. Fence post puller--paid $27, had to modify it a bit to make it work right, but used it to pull 75 posts I got used for 1/3 of new cost. Several people wanted them but I was the first to show up with a puller. They are about $60 at farm supply stores. Biggest blasting cabinet they sell--paid $184, use it about twice a year. No issues with it, works perfectly. Impact sockets--dirt cheap and highly regarded on garagejournal.com. I've used them on old farm equipment and can't get the first one to fail. Get the "Pittsburgh PRO" ones and they are bulletproof. The pry bars you say are no good--have the set of four for $8.99, have pried the shit out of junk farm stuff and haven't had one fail, break, bend, or otherwise not work. I did regrind the tips to make them a little sharper. And that was FOUR for nine bucks. How much were your Snap-Ons? Johnson bar--$18 and is strong enough for my 195# carcass to bounce on without bending/breaking. They too are $60 at farm supply stores. It's hard to screw up a thick steel rod, even in India. Heat gun--$9.99, used and abused, still working fine after several years. How much was your Snap-On? Wife's tool set--she picked out whatever she wanted, including screwdrivers, several pliers, wrenches, adjustable wrenches, etc. for about $40. She's happy and stays out of my stuff. That's priceless! That's all I can think of right off, but I have a LOT of their (highly regarded in reviews) stuff, in addition to my name brand stuff (mostly from pawn shops), and I get by. Without having a fortune tied up in my tools. Awesome TBK. Rock, on. As I said Im not trying to persuade, nor dissuade anyone from HF. If it works for you, great. Simply giving my experiences with their product because asked. No more, no less. And how much do I have in my Snap-On pry bars? Low blow Ive read the GarageJournal thread and their experience mirrors mine more than yours. But in any case if you got a good set, cool. |
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