Harbor freight ultra sonic cleaner

[Don the savage]

Anyone have experience with the harbor freight ultrasonic cleaner?

https://www.harborfreight.com/25-liter-ultrasonic-cleaner-63256.html

With coupon the next two days its $60.
What do you think?

[etwinam]

Looks good, size is big enough to clean an entire bcg and handgun barrel.... I wish I had extra cash

[operavoice]

Had mine for years, works great on motorcycle carburetors.
Only problem is that the (model I have) timer maximum is around 4-5 minutes, so you have to check it constantly.
I do not know if this has changed in subsequent models.

[jandmtv]

Had mine for years, works great on motorcycle carburetors.
Only problem is that the (model I have) timer maximum is around 4-5 minutes, so you have to check it constantly.
I do not know if this has changed in subsequent models.

Looks like it goes to 8 minutes now, 480 seconds.

[LCU1670]

Check your local thrift shops, I have found used ones there for $15 and use them all the time. I use a little dishwashing soap, then rinse with hot water, and blow dry, then ultrasound again with synthetic motor oil. Used to use ultrasound oil, but this is cheaper.

To see if the used ultrasonic cleaner is working correctly, fill it with water and put a piece of aluminum foil in it, after the cycle is over, the foil should have small holes in it.

Also, be careful resetting and extending the cleaning times, the timer setting protects the unit from overheating and damaging it.

[operavoice]

Looks like it goes to 8 minutes now, 480 seconds.

That could be the magic number on mine as well, I haven't used it since last year.

[superdave50]

Almost identical to the Lyman, but without a basket. I use the hf one and it works ok. I wish the tray it came with was a basket instead. You get what you pay for and all that...

[Excommunicado]

I wouldn't trust anything "electronic" from Harbor Freight Fools. That being said, I bought a Hornady Lock N Load Ultrasonic cleaner 4 yrs ago and it is still going strong without any issues and it is made in USA.

Anyone have experience with the harbor freight ultrasonic cleaner?

https://www.harborfreight.com/25-liter-ultrasonic-cleaner-63256.html

With coupon the next two days its $60.
What do you think?

[rsrocket1]

I tested one out when I first got into reloading. The ultrasonic action really does work at cleaning everything off of the brass including the primer pockets. The problem was that the transducers were pretty weak and true ultrasonic cleaning action really slowed down with more than 18 pieces of 45ACP brass or the equivalent.

When you add Lemi Shine or citric acid, it helps increase the capacity to maybe 50 cases but babysitting this to restart the timer evrey 8 minutes was a PIA because it typically took 3-4 cycles to clean the brass.

It did work well cleaning an AR BCG and worked great with jewelry but in the end I returned it and exchanged it for their 5 pound vibratory tumbler and never looked back. With the tumbler, I pour in the brass, add a few cut up used dryer sheets, set the lamp timer to 3 hours, turn it on and leave it in the garage. I typically tumble 3-400 cases a week and 50 at a time for 32 minutes resetting it every 8 minutes would have been a nightmare.

Brass is a very good ultrasonic dampener and many "ultrasonic" brass cleaners actually only clean with vibratory action in conjunction with chemical action from the cleaner. If you want to prove it, use plain water with nothing more than 1 drop of Dawn dishwasher liquid and a basket of brass and see how long it takes for an "ultrasonic" cleaner to clean the brass. Secondly hold a small piece of aluminum foil with tweezers and watch it dissolve in an otherwise empty tank with water in it versus a full tank of brass.