What to buy (and not buy) at Harbor Freight

September 6, 2023 7:50 AM

A Harbor Freight opened up in my town recently. I know they have a reputation for both extremely inexpensive stuff and extremely variable quality. What are your go to items? What do you stay away from?

It's been over 8 years since a similar question was asked, so I figured an updated thread would be ok.

posted by gwint to Shopping (34 answers total)

Are you a professional contractor?

I'd occasionally had trouble with their ratcheting screwdrivers, but for the most part the tools I've bought there are fine. The 'wear' stuff like drill bits possibly last slightly shorter, but for the price I consider it worth it. I'm also hard to the equipment, because even though I use tools, I don't like them very much.

The only tools from there I ever had 'wear out' was this oscillating saw I was using to remove vinyl tiles, but they took it back and replaced it for free, and a sawzall. But the sawzall still lasted many years. It wore out cutting vines, which I have plenty of nice things to say about Harbor Freight but nothing nice to say about stupid vines.
posted by The_Vegetables at 8:06 AM on September 6, 2023 [1 favorite]

Any and all power tools with a cord that aren't specialty (Maybe skip the SDS-MAX Hammer drill from HF) are fair game to buy from HF. Any hand tools you won't be putting under major stress, fair game. Rope, hardware, etc all fine.

I really like buying clamps from HF.

Basically anything electronic, anything incredibly important for safety that is also complex, anything involving batteries is probably better to skip. I would not buy a ladder there.
posted by Geckwoistmeinauto at 8:14 AM on September 6, 2023 [4 favorites]

The quality control for hand tools like pliers is not so good; for example, you'll need to try a few needlenose pliers before you find ones where the tips come together evenly and close fully. Ditto for clippers, and the cutting edges may not be hard enough for sustained use cutting spring wire versus soft copper wire.

Conversely, sometimes you need a specialty item for a one-off job. I needed an extra work surface to hold an oversized job, and their folding workbench was a way more affordable solution than the ones the big box stores offered. Ditto for the the door lock installation kit with hole saws and a measuring jig.
posted by ReferenceDesk at 8:15 AM on September 6, 2023 [1 favorite]

Avoid products for which safety is a main factor (ie jack stands for automobiles, etc).
posted by Jessica Savitch's Coke Spoon at 8:26 AM on September 6, 2023 [4 favorites]

They also carry some non-HF branded products that are pretty good - they have Badlands winches, for example, which are great.
posted by Pantengliopoli at 8:32 AM on September 6, 2023

HVAC pro here. I buy random things like picks (for o rings), ratchet straps/bungees, mallets, etc. Things I don’t use much but still like to have in my truck. I do have a ratchet set from there that has served me very well, and their box wrenches have been really solid too. Echoing other people, I wouldn’t trust anything involved with safety, or anything I use on a regular basis. Over the years I’ve had a couple power tools from them, and they were acceptable quality for the price, but I wouldn’t buy a power tool from there if I expected to use it more than a handful of times. Overall they’re decent quality stuff for the price, but the price is so low that you can’t really expect much.
posted by HVACDC_Bag at 8:39 AM on September 6, 2023 [2 favorites]

I bought a 'Chicago' brand 12" wet tile saw. Chicago in quotes because I'm pretty sure this was Chinese-made. Regardless, I have used this large and heavy saw for many projects and it has not failed me. No regrets!
posted by Don_K at 8:43 AM on September 6, 2023

the Apache hard cases with the pick-foam are pretty decent for the money. basically a knock-off Pelican case. not as high quality as a Pelican but a lot more affordable and will fulfill its assigned tasks.

some folks like to spray the foam with plasti-dip or a similar rubberizer after customizing and they say it lasts a lot longer and keeps its shape better but i haven't done that yet myself
posted by glonous keming at 9:02 AM on September 6, 2023 [1 favorite]

The question to ask with HF is: if this broke after the last step in today's project, would I see myself buying another one? And if not, was this worth it for this project? If the answers are no and yes, respectively, HF all the way.

For me, HF is best for power tools that simplify/facilitate a single job but do not project to be things I use on the regular long term. Heat gun that will make today's project far easier but I'm not sure what else I'd use it for? Sure! Jigsaw I will probably use 15x a year for five years? Absolutely not. This is not to say my heat gun (which isn't a hypothetical, I bought one from HF) is single use garbage. It's in my cabinet and may yet save the day again someday. Those will be bonus uses! But if I depended on a heat gun regularly, I absolutely would not trust a HF one. I did have a jigsaw from HF, too and learned over time exactly where the savings came in. It broke and I have a nice DeWalt jigsaw now.

The hand tools are fine, but since hand tools are exactly the kind of thing that tend to get used over and over, may as well buy something a touch better. Saving 75 cents to buy a somewhat inferior less comfortable/efficient version of something you will use 200x in 10 years is just poor resource utilization.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 9:07 AM on September 6, 2023 [9 favorites]

I love their color-coded socket sets, but since I already have a socket wrench I don't buy. Anything else I've gotten there's been okay.
posted by Rash at 9:13 AM on September 6, 2023

I use their rock tumbler for jewelry tumbling and it has been at least as reliable as the expensive lapidary brand one I used to have.

Also, anything that you plan to use for an "alternate" purpose is great (we use transfer punches for lots of things in jewelry that aren't ... whatever transfer punches are supposed to be used for).

I wouldn't buy anything that depends on precision there - their dapping set was great (just hemispherical indentations machined into a steel block), but their disc cutter was total crap (relies on precise fit between pieces). Also, I had to open all the dapping sets they had in stock to find one that was machined/finished clean enough even for rough work.

Their little short hammers are the bomb for around the house, and their big hammers are made out of very soft steel, so if you need a hammer head you can carve on or that will deform with time, they're great.

I've used HF's big roll-around plastic cart for maybe 8 years now to hold a big heavy tool and it is just now showing its age.
posted by bluesky78987 at 9:17 AM on September 6, 2023 [1 favorite]

Bus grease monkey likes harbor freight.
posted by JohnR at 9:33 AM on September 6, 2023

This is old info, but take it as you will: years ago one of my exes worked at Harbor Freight. He said their tools were so bad that the employees would not and did not use Harbor Freight tools to do their work, they got them from other vendors. I note that I have never shopped at a Harbor Freight after hearing this information and we don't have one in my town so I'm not forced to use them anyway, and that doesn't account for whatever may go on there today.
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:37 AM on September 6, 2023 [4 favorites]

Their top of the (Harbor Freight) line socket wrenches feel quite good.
posted by zippy at 9:47 AM on September 6, 2023 [1 favorite]

Rags, ratchet straps, tarps, rope, cutting devices which I intend to push past their limits and potentially destroy. Also, a good source of cheap carbide you can wreck without feeling bad about it.

Their digital measuring tools are actually pretty decent for the price but I swear to god every single one has a problem with stray current and will drain their batteries over time so you have to install the battery, use the tool, then remove the battery.
posted by aramaic at 9:54 AM on September 6, 2023 [1 favorite]

I'm a woodworker, and HF comes up in woodworking forums from time to time. The best description I've heard is that it's a good place to buy things you're comfortable later disposing of.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 9:58 AM on September 6, 2023 [4 favorites]

I've bought larger things like an air compressor (for tires and occasional pneumatic tools) and pole saw for trimming high limbs. Both have worked fine, but they don't get a ton of heavy use either. I'll usually stop there first if I need a tool that I'm not likely to use often. The last tool I bought there was a rotary cutter for altering a sink we were installing. I bought a floor jack, ASE wrenches, jack stands there for working on the riding mower, and they've also been fine. I knew a guy who owned a commercial painting/coating company (think: water towers and the like) and he used HF as a go-to for spraying tools on a per-job basis and they'd just pitch them afterward.

For something that needs staying power, I'm ok investing in something a little more expensive at a big-box DIY place.

But HF is also good for oddball stuff such as big magnets, magnifying lenses, and other oddball things. My kids have always been fascinated by the $5 machetes.
posted by jquinby at 10:11 AM on September 6, 2023 [1 favorite]

I heard it said that you buy a tool at HF the first time you need it. If you never need it again, you saved money; if you find yourself needing it often, then you will also know a better item to replace it with.

Have bought blue tarps, aluminum rulers, and cheap LED lights there. (Just kidding, the lights were always free.) Also: very cheap screwdrivers & sockets, suitable for leaving in the car/dorm room.

I have read that their Predator line of gas generators are surprisingly good....but I still bought a Champion elsewhere, because the basic warranty was short and the extended warranty...didn't help somehow (I forget the specifics).
posted by wenestvedt at 10:20 AM on September 6, 2023 [6 favorites]

Oddball stuff: I bought a tool there that you use to unscrew the back off of a watch so you can change the battery. Love it.

But, have never had to buy anything else there, so that's my only experience. For that one use case, they had what I needed.
posted by gimonca at 10:43 AM on September 6, 2023

My metal detector from there was fine. I'm no expert, but it functions well enough. I've used. few other metal detectors and it didn't seem any worse than those ones.
posted by The corpse in the library at 12:44 PM on September 6, 2023

I bought a cheap heat gun from HF many years ago. It worked great then and works great now.
posted by obol at 12:48 PM on September 6, 2023 [2 favorites]

My usual rule is: nothing with a motor. But I’ve violated that twice: a big dust collector and a 1x30 belt sander. The dust collector has worked for two years and is still fine. The belt sander has sharpened many a knife (with non-HF belts and leather strops). Both were less than half the price of the competition and seemed functionally identical.

I’ve noted that a number of their items appear to be identical to more expensive brands with a different paint color (see dust collector and belt sander).

Also, they seem to be the place to buy foot switches. A few other places have them but they are surrealistically expensive.
posted by Gilgamesh's Chauffeur at 2:53 PM on September 6, 2023

Ooh, what a great question. I work in lab facilities (and repair electronics as a hobby in addition to at work when needed), and have found HF to be great for stuff like:
- heat shrink
- assortments of crimp connectors (spade lugs, etc.)
- O rings and grommets
- basic banger tools (e.g. screwdrivers)
- fasteners & zip ties

I generally stay away from their power tools, but partner & I got a large bandsaw there about 12 years ago that, despite being a bit fiddly to set up, is still going strong.
posted by aecorwin at 3:06 PM on September 6, 2023

My experience has been for most items they have multiple tiers. For example their cheapest ratchet and socket set is pretty terrible (off center punchings, obvious casting seam lines), but the mid tier really hit the sweet spot for the price, then the most expensive version can be pretty decent but you are paying big box store prices.

I stick to tools I'll use rarely, or tools that I'd replace with a nicer version if it breaks but I found it useful. I have a bottom shelf socket set (pretty meh), a mid tier socket set I really like, screwdrivers I like, a mid tier corded angle grinder I like, and a heat gun I'm moderately satisfied with. Consumables like sand paper, zip ties, plastic clips, and small storage solutions are typical good deals. Also a good place for tools likey to be stolen out of a car.
posted by token-ring at 4:17 PM on September 6, 2023

My brother bought my dad a long shoe horn as a kinda joke. He used the shit out of it. We buried him with it so he can get is shoes on in the after life. My brother always used it when he came over. He keeps saying he should go see if they still have them.
posted by kathrynm at 4:28 PM on September 6, 2023 [2 favorites]

I heard it said that you buy a tool at HF the first time you need it. If you never need it again, you saved money; if you find yourself needing it often, then you will also know a better item to replace it with.

This is pretty much how we approach HF at my workplace.

The heavy duty tarps are good, the red dolly (2-wheeler) is good and you can buy replacement wheels for it.

We own 2 of the Predator generators, the little 2000 watt and the 9500 watt. They're both slightly louder than the Honda equivalents, the 2000 has been fine, the 9500 has been a little persnickety (you really need to keep up on oil changes & air filter cleaning, and we've had to replace the starter switch, and the carbon monoxide shut off is maybe a little too sensitive - even if you're outside placing the exhaust too close to a wall will shut the thing down.)
posted by soundguy99 at 4:43 PM on September 6, 2023 [1 favorite]

I bought a rotary handtool there (think Dremel) and it failed utterly, so cross that one off your list.
posted by Sunburnt at 5:03 PM on September 6, 2023

I bought a large tarp covered tent to use for a party to keep drizzle off my guests in the backyard. It stayed up for a month before we took it down and performed admirably for the $100.

I would not trust it for anything having to do with safety, and have found their nails and screws to be poor quality compared to Home Depot or Lowe’s.
posted by slateyness at 5:48 PM on September 6, 2023

I rarely use a hammer drill and have no complaints with theirs. It will probably fail eventually, but considering how often I use it I may not even see that. (It's a corded one I use for concrete - mostly I use a battery one I got elsewhere, so it doesn't come out very often.)

The trigger clamps are a little bulky, and eventually lose their grip on the bar and won't stay clamped, but not all of them go bad. The 4in ones fail fastest in my experience. They're too cheap to bother returning for a replacement one by one, but I might go in with a handful when I get annoyed. Is till have more of them than any other brand, they're easily less than half the price of the usual brands.

The F clamps have been perfect. Also no complaints on the band clamps, but they're basically glorified truck tiedowns.

Dollies are fine. Oddly the dollies are cheaper than four of the casters...
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 8:48 PM on September 6, 2023

Related to what's good, Harbor Freight is always sending coupons out. If you, like me, would enjoy savings without the email spam, the Harbor Freight Coupon Database has the coupons.
posted by zippy at 9:02 PM on September 6, 2023 [4 favorites]

Furniture/moving blankets but don't expect them to last forever. Mine has a good assortment of replacement wheels with tires, for things like garden carts. A large selection of casters but I haven't tried those (yet)

This is not HF's fault, but the little LED worklights they sell, oval with a hanger on one end, work great until batteries run down. When you swap batteries they won't light again. I really like those lights for working in tight places, but I suspect the manufacturer wants to sell more light by messing with them in this way
posted by TimHare at 9:27 PM on September 6, 2023 [1 favorite]

Things I have from Harbor freight that have been great:

• air tools. I have several nailers that are excellent from the banks line - a stapler and primary framer, and my central pneumatic that is fine
• Air lines & fittings
• Doyle hand tools like their pliers, including my favorite lineman. These are equal to my Kleins or Dewalts for around half the cost.
• impact rated sockets, breaker bar & various adapters.
• gloves, both latex and work
• camping gear like:
  • small hatchet
  • Heat proof gloves
  • Firestarter
  • Paracord (esp the reflective)
  • Tarp
  • Grommet kit
  • log Splitter
  • total cost of perhaps 60$


• AAA flashlights

special list of things that I get no where else:

• Zip ties
• moving blankets

Thinks that are just ok

• shop vac
• wrenches are fine, equal to other store brands at much less cost. But I'm increasingly relying on my wrenches and the basic harbor freight units are not as nice as my old craftsman, and I am switching to Tekton or/and Gearwrench
• I've been replacing the generic harbor freight ratchets with gearwrench, as I see no advantage to HF's fancy Icon line.

Things I avoid are mostly consumables, which are no different than the kit from Menards or Amazon:

• drill bits
• driver bits
• blades
• SANDPAPER

posted by zenon at 9:52 AM on September 7, 2023 [3 favorites]

Oh god, how could I forget? Yeah definitely stay the fuck away from their sandpaper, it is unbelievably bad. Like, so bad I made this comment to re-emphasize how very correct zenon is.
posted by aramaic at 10:19 AM on September 7, 2023 [3 favorites]

Y'all might like this: Project Farm - YouTube. Not specifically HF related but this guy does buy like a dozen different 'tool' like things and tests them pretty well (IMHO). Testing various tools from cheap to expensive seems to be his YouTube gig as it were.
posted by zengargoyle at 10:56 AM on September 7, 2023