I hate the way the lids don't open the whole way and want to close on you while you're digging through the bins.
To fix this, look at the hinge-side of the plastic lid, open and close it a few times and you'll see a little plastic tab that acts as a stop for the lid. I used a small razor knife to remove this from all of the hinges. Now my lids open almost flat.

The bins ARE interchangeable from the medium to the small containers.

The bins for the large container will only work with the large containers, due to the extra depth.

I am also noticing a slight different in the quality of the yellow plastic from store to store. I didn't notice if it was a different part number (most HF items have multiple part numbers for the same item).

#3 6 years ago

---

ForceFlow

Pinside Moderator

9y 238K 31,333 268 14

I like the clear plastic ones that walmart has. They're cheap, the walls are adjustable, and there's no gap between the walls and the lid. I never can seem to find an online listing for them, though. They're usually in the aisle with the hangars and fasteners.

#4 6 years ago

CAD

cottonm4

Pinside+ Addict

Wichita, KS

10y 148K 16,564 10 23

I use the ones you linked led plus some smaller clear units. They work OK but are a bit cumbersome when you have them stacked and what you need seems to always be in the container on the bottom.

But I will be buying more of them because they are reasonably priced and do the job.

#5 6 years ago

SMK

TheLaw

Pinside+ Addict

Ann Arbor, MI

12y 162K 48,039 19 30 1

Quoted from ForceFlow:
... and there's no gap between the walls and the lid.

That's the biggest issue for sure.

#6 6 years ago

BJW

PghPinballRescue

PGH Pinball Rescue

New Kensington, PA

10y 72,800 1,497 145

Quoted from ForceFlow:
the clear plastic ones that walmart has.

I outgrew those bins after 2 years, that's why I am upgrading to the bigger HF bins.

I'll probably keep a few around for really small items like resistors, diodes, etc...

#7 6 years ago

---

ForceFlow

Pinside Moderator

9y 238K 31,333 268 14

OP
Quoted from PghPinballRescue:
I outgrew those bins after 2 years, that's why I am upgrading to the bigger HF bins.
I'll probably keep a few around for really small items like resistors, diodes, etc...

I have a whole stack of them. I use them for resistors, small caps, leds, connectors, connector pins, fuses, and a few other things. Screws and other electronic components are in drawers.

4 weeks later

#8 6 years ago

BJW

PghPinballRescue

PGH Pinball Rescue

New Kensington, PA

10y 72,800 1,497 145

My tool set and supplies have to be 100% mobile, so I have to store EVERYTHING in bins for easy transport.

I do leave my PC and ROM burner at the shop when I go out on calls, but all other tools and supplies go with me on every run.

I agree, it seems no matter what, the part/tool I need is in the bottom bin.

I'll be posting some pics soon of some mods I did to my bins that might change your mind a little about the smaller clear bins.

2 months later

#9 6 years ago

BJW

PghPinballRescue

PGH Pinball Rescue

New Kensington, PA

10y 72,800 1,497 145

Some bins I had 3D printed.

bins (resized).jpg

bins1 (resized).jpg

Reply

Wanna join the discussion? Please sign in to reply to this topic.

Hey there! Welcome to Pinside!

Donate to Pinside

Great to see you're enjoying Pinside! Did you know Pinside is able to run without any 3rd-party banners or ads, thanks to the support from our visitors? Please consider a donation to Pinside and get anext to your username to show for it! Or better yet, subscribe to Pinside+!

This page was printed from https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/harbor-freight-parts-bins-club and we tried optimising it for printing. Some page elements may have been deliberately hidden.

Scan the QR code on the left to jump to the URL this document was printed from.