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  1. #1

    Does anyone here like the harbor freight pelican style cases ?

    I looked at them in late winter or early spring, I have been waiting to hear someone review them or mention them, I was looking to pick up a couple if they are decent.

    I know the pelican design is great, does HF use crappy plastic or BS fasteners, thats what had me worried.

    https://www.harborfreight.com/search?q=apache%20case

  2. #2
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    Mine havent been put through much use but they feel solid. I can stand on the cases without them seriously deflecting or collapsing. I have the largest case and the rifle case and they are very sturdy. The hinges have actual metal in them, the latches are robust, and the locking lugs are reinforced.

    One thing about the pick-and-pluck foam, a tip I got form Kotaboy32 is when you've finished plucking a profile, take out the foam and spray it down with Duplicolor customwrap/plasti-dip. I spend an entire can on each case. This seals the foam and bonds the blocks together so the forms last much longer.



  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by Nightshade1 View Post
    Mine havent been put through much use but they feel solid. I can stand on the cases without them seriously deflecting or collapsing. I have the largest case and the rifle case and they are very sturdy. The hinges have actual metal in them, the latches are robust, and the locking lugs are reinforced.

    One thing about the pick-and-pluck foam, a tip I got form Kotaboy32 is when you've finished plucking a profile, take out the foam and spray it down with Duplicolor customwrap/plasti-dip. I spend an entire can on each case. This seals the foam and bonds the blocks together so the forms last much longer.
    That's a good idea. I've been thinking about buying a few of those cases for a while now, but the foam seemed like it would come apart after a few uses so I haven't purchased any yet. But Plasti dip sounds like a good solution. I'll have to try that.

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by 93bandit View Post
    That's a good idea. I've been thinking about buying a few of those cases for a while now, but the foam seemed like it would come apart after a few uses so I haven't purchased any yet. But Plasti dip sounds like a good solution. I'll have to try that.
    Coupons. The 20-25% coupons apply to these, but sometimes you can find even better coupons floating around online if you google the sku's.

  5. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by 93bandit View Post
    That's a good idea. I've been thinking about buying a few of those cases for a while now, but the foam seemed like it would come apart after a few uses so I haven't purchased any yet. But Plasti dip sounds like a good solution. I'll have to try that.
    I guess I didn't consider the foam being garbage, i thought the hinge would be the weak point of the product.

    If they are pretty exact clones of pelican do others sell good foam that fits perfectly ?

  6. #6
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    I've seen custom foam sold for these online but I cannot recall any manufacturers. One even let you custom make it with shapes of guns and magazines to click and drag.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by dirtmcgirt76239 View Post
    I guess I didn't consider the foam being garbage, i thought the hinge would be the weak point of the product.

    If they are pretty exact clones of pelican do others sell good foam that fits perfectly ?
    Reviews I have read elsewhere on the interwebs say the major difference between a HF and other brands is the airlock knob/vent. Nothing really negative, just simply the difference.

    As for the foam, I figured if it came apart I could just replace it so it wasn't too big of a deal. I just haven't been in a hurry to get one yet.

  8. #8
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    I have flown with the harbor freight knockoffs that are just one size larger than carry-on about 3 times, a wheel fell off on the second trip, the handle broke, I went and bought a pelican for my own use, and have flown twice as many times with the pelican and it is still going on strong, meanwhile someone else used the knockoff and the hinges no longer function worth an expletive and the latches have to hold the lid on barely do so. Understandably the TSA and major airline checked baggage is rough on everything, but the way I see it, basically it’s an accelerated version of normal wear and tear.

  9. #9
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    Coating the foam with "Duplicolor customwrap/plasti-dip" sounds like a good idea!

    Can anybody direct me to the actual product please? I go to the Duplicolor webpage and there are two custom wrap products and they removable automotive paint whereas the plastidip website has a couple dozen products that may work or not.

    Thank you very much!

    Cranky

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Viking View Post
    I have flown with the harbor freight knockoffs that are just one size larger than carry-on about 3 times, a wheel fell off on the second trip, the handle broke, I went and bought a pelican for my own use, and have flown twice as many times with the pelican and it is still going on strong, meanwhile someone else used the knockoff and the hinges no longer function worth an expletive and the latches have to hold the lid on barely do so. Understandably the TSA and major airline checked baggage is rough on everything, but the way I see it, basically it’s an accelerated version of normal wear and tear.
    I have a tue pelican I use for my MacBook Pro with a daisy chain of drives in it for video editing. It’s been beat on for about a decade and still going strong. I also have a knock off for camera gear that’s been through baggage handling, made by ‘goprofessional’ (which doesn’t matter, since the Chinese use varying brand names for the same product). While it too is doing well, it’s made with a harder less flexible plastic than the pelican. I believe the pelican will handle repeated drops without an issue, while the knock off will be more susceptible to cracking if it takes a good hit. That said, the knock of has a much better seal, and has been submerged on multiple occasions with no issue. There’s a vacuum “SHLORP” when I open it if there’s a change in altitude or temperature. The pelican, even though it has their ‘vortex’ breather on it, doesn’t feel as though it’s nearly as hermetic. The pelican uses a soft foam seal, and the knock off uses a firm rubber o-ring.

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