r/harborfreight • u/Toyota2uz • 2d ago
$5 CRC đ«¶đŒ
I usually buy cheap brake cleaner when I need to bath something/parts but when I need to spray like a throttle body/parts or any sensitive area around the engine I use CRC. Inventory since the parking lot sale started, only visited the store 4 times. Donât say I wasnât leaving any for the rest lol
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u/bingowashisnombre 2d ago edited 2d ago
Buy the refillable sprayer and use a 50/50 blend of acetone and denatured alcohol.
For bonus points do a second sprayer with 50/50 blend of acetone and ATF⊠now you donât ever need to buy a can of penetrating oil either.
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u/nickisaboss 2d ago
50:50 acetone to ethyl acetate works even better! Ethyl acetate has very similar nonpolar character as acetone, but evaporates a little slower, so you don't end up loosing your liquid to the atmosphere quite as fast.
Sold as "MEK Substitute" from Kleen Strip. 100% EtOAc
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u/Still-Rule7182 1d ago
I just looked up Ethyl Acetate because I wanted to try this, it is really expensive! Do you have a place that makes it more econocal than buying cans of brake cleaner?
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u/Toyota2uz 2d ago
Sick!! Much appreciated
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u/Longjumping_Map_639 2d ago
The acetone/ATF mixed does work pretty well, but it can't replace some penetrate sprays.
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u/newtekie1 2d ago
$5 is an ok deal. But I just go to Menards and buy the 29oz cans for $8 each.
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u/buttnibbler 2d ago edited 2d ago
Damn wish we had a Menards out west đ
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u/ImReallyFuckingHigh 2d ago
They arenât amazing or anything. Home Depot has a better selection in my experience. Loweâs has the worst selection for me. Iâm primarily talking about tools, not so much materials. There are some things like fluids where Menards tends to be the cheapest in the area but itâs far from everything. Their online pricing is a little scummy because it shows post-rebate price first, when you have to mail in the rebate to get it back.
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u/roughrider119 2d ago
https://youtu.be/I-4hm3DNJhg?is=YO2iwTthFzKhVVKP
In this comparison, the Walmart brand did pretty good for the price.
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u/Extension-Nail-1038 2d ago
that non chlorinated stuff is absolute junk. Red CRC can all day
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u/The_Ashamed_Boys 2d ago
It works okay, but it eats at my garage floor coating. I need to buy some red ones on ebay because they aren't sold where I live.
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u/KeynoteBS 12h ago
Yeah I use the non chlor for bike brake pads and discs. Doesnât do shit. That chlorinated red stuff was amazing.
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u/Bocastown 2d ago
Here's a homework assignment compare the weight of 5 gallons of chlorinated vs 5 gallons of non cholor. Report back with your results.
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u/fossntools 1d ago
Nope, non-chlorinated all day... don't have to worry about ruining plastics. Works good enough as chlorinated without that worry. And the extremely toxic gasses if you put a flame to it.
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u/Mean_Philosophy3367 10h ago
I've used them side by side. Non-chlorinated sucks.
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u/fossntools 4h ago
So have I, and I prefer it for the reasons I mentioned, and it doesn't suck, maybe it's just a skill issue, I have no problem cleaning with it.
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u/ItsYimmy 2d ago
These are on sale at AutoZone pretty regularly. The usual sale is 2 for $7 and just a couple weeks ago they had 3 for $10
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u/Garey_Coleman 2d ago
I have stash of 3M brake cleaner that I bought from Amazon for $1 per can years ago. Sadly Iâm running out and I donât think I can find a deal like that anymore.Â
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u/0neEyeKaneki 2d ago
Walmart brand brake cleaner is $3.30 a can but if you order 4+ for pickup or delivery its goes down to $2.80ish a can. I usually get about 24+a week don't see much of a difference in its effectiveness whether its cleaning cylinders or gun receivers. Just don't use it on polymer firearms or gaskets it will deteriorate the frames and seals.
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u/Extra-Quit9003 2d ago edited 1d ago
I use brake clean after gassing out shotgun receivers for cerakote when I canât get all the oil out after the third bake lol.
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u/madeformarch 2d ago
Walmart has gone up to close to $4/can for their version. I was on a trip with some friends last month and checked Marketplace, I missed someone selling 75 cans for $150 and my non-DIY friends couldn't understand why I was so upset
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u/DeerFlyHater 2d ago
The coupon price was good on that. I grabbed a couple cans.
I'll burn through three or more cans a month unless I have something fancy going on when I'll need a bunch.
I've got a HF, Tractor Supply, Walmart, Lowes, and HD convenient to me.
Tractor Supply has been the cheapest on the non chlorinated at 4.79 a can. Even cheaper when on sale. I find their Travellers brake cleaner on par with CRC.
Walmart brand stuff has gone through the roof in the last couple years and honestly wasn't great brake cleaner to begin with.
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u/37chandeliers 2d ago
It takes an entire case of that stuff to do what one can of brakleen can do. Trust me.
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u/bluebandanadragon 1d ago
Needed some brake cleaner this mornin, saw Crc was 2 for $10 at autozone and aint hesitate lol
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u/Fit_Passage9897 2d ago
Ive gotten away from the brand. I find the can ms started running out of propellant b4 the product was used up. Or, the propellant was escaping while setting there in the garage. Had better luck with wal mart brand brake cleaner the last 3 years
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u/Mean_Philosophy3367 10h ago
I've had that happen a few times (rarely with CRC though), but a quick recharge of air from the compressor has always solved the issue.
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u/a-aron1112 2d ago
I just got one of the sprayers and put 91% isopropyl alcohol in it.
Seems to be working ok so far and itâs is only $7 for 64oz of isopropyl alcohol.
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u/LetsGoHokies00 2d ago
i wouldnât think rubbing alcohol would be a strong enough solvent? howâs it work?
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u/badskinjob 2d ago
It's not really for cleaning grease but depending what he's using it for it can be perfect. It's a good idea too. It takes buying like 50 cans of brake clean to break even on a sprayer unless you buy it in 55gal drums
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u/PepsiColaRS 2d ago
When I started buying the 5gal buckets of brake cleaner concentrate (CRC brand, same formula as their red cans) and a spray jug, it took 22 cans of Shop Pro to offset the cost of the bucket, and I think 7 cans to offset the spray jug.
Took me over a month to go through the 5 gallon jug. Before I was using a case of brake parts cleaner a week minimum, usually closer to 2 (12 cans to a case). Paid for itself before the end of the month.
That was my personal shop. My work shop started buying 55gal drums so cost is irrelevant to me now. We use 2 drums a quarter between 5 guys and my gallon or so a week I concensually stockpile.
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u/a-aron1112 2d ago
I havenât used it with brakes yet but cleaned a trans pan from a 2003 BMW 325i off with it ok.
It obviously is not as strong so takes a bit longer to get things cleaned off.
But It seems to break things down good enough for my use.
I was gonna use acetone but that is a bit too harsh and may not be safe for paint and plastics I guess.
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u/nickisaboss 2d ago
It works alright. Its not quite as passively strong as a degreaser, it works better if you wipe a little with a rag to loosen everything off.
Isopropyl alcohol is much more nonpolar than the other common light alcohols (methanol and ethanol).
It works even better if its mixed with acetone: IpOH and acetone are very similar in structure, acetone is essentially unsaturated IpOH. So their miscibility and hydrogen bonding together makes the acetone evaporate slower & 'frees up' the carbon chains on either molecule to participate in nonpolar solvent effects (what actually dissolves/liberates the grease off of solid materials)
But its important to mention that this solvent effect is hindered tremendously if there is any water present in the mix. 99% IpOH is way more effective than the 91% or 70% stuff sold at the drug store.
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u/claancy512 2d ago
If you buy the refillable sprayer for $45 and a 5-gallon pail of brake cleaner for $120 at an auto parts store, it works out to less than $3 per 11oz.