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Harborfreight Wrenches Good/Bad?

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TwoSmokeDS

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I'm curious what "real" mechanics think about cheap HF tools...

I got some as gift. So I keep a set in the trunk of my car for emergency use.
One set is Made-in-China. Another is Made-in-India.
I also keep a few critical sizes in my dualsport tool kit for removing wheel axles.
I figure I can lose them or lend 'em out without care.

I keep expensive Sears tools at home, locked away safe. They definitely feel different from the HF's.

I use the emergency kit a lot more than I thought I would; so should I buy some
expensive tools and re-gift away the HF to someone else. :lol2:

image_17027.jpg
 
Biggest issue I have seen is the tolerances of the sizing. A lose wrench will round off bolts. My son has some for working on heavy equipment and does not seem to have any issues. I know HF has had several vendors that they have used and some are better than others. Good tools are getting harder to fine. I have had issue with Craftsman in recent years. Most of my tools now are Snap-on or S-K.
 
I'm like you, I have some HF tools in my boat (Don't care if they get lost or the boat sinks and takes the tools with it) some in my trailer (emergency work on the trailer or dirt bikes that I carry on the trailer), but I DON't use them on a daily basis. I have found that the smaller wrench sizes (8mm & 10mm) quickly round of bolts if used a lot so I have Facom, Snap-On or Sears tools for daily work as they work well. I feel HF tools are great as an emergency backup, or if I need to use a tool just once (and throw it away afterwards) or if I need to make a custom tool, I will buy a cheap HF tool and modify it to suit, if I bugger it up, nothing really lost, but for daily use I use far more expensive tools and have yet to have any issues!! I have worked like this for almost 40 years and dont intend to change now!! :rider:

Gary
 
They are OK, but do have more flex than an expensive name brand wrench. I wouldn't try to loosen or tighten a high torque bolt with the open end. If I can't get the box end on the bolt head, I will seek out a better wrench so I don't round any bolts off from wrench flex. :doh:
 
Cheesy, disposable, and prone to cause personal injury are all the ways I think about HF wrenches.

If you keep these things in mind while you use them, you should escape the experience unscathed.
 
I have bought a lot Snap-On stuff on e-bay, often at half price or so for new unopened or as new stock. People buy sets for the savings and then sell duplicates to further bring down the cost. Go to the Snap on web site, find the stock numbers and enter them in ebay.
 
TwoSmokeDS said:
What's brand should I buy, if I am not ready for Snap-on ?
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Husky and Cobalt seem to OK for the average home user. I quit buying Craftsman because of the declining quality of the brand. Snap-On's discount line, Blue Point seems to be of good quality.
 
I want to approach this at a different angle. Buy your tools used! Garage sales,pawn shops,craigslist, and Sears has sales in the Sunday paper every week. I have had good luck with my Craftsman brand but a bunch of mine are older from years ago. My tools are a mixture of multiple brands. The majority being picked up used or second hand.
 
bad. I had a set as backup for a one-time, one-way cross-country in a vehicle and had two of the tips on one side of the spanner break off with only moderate pressure. lifetime warranty doesn't do you much good if you're stuck on the side of the road and you need that size.

2nd hand/used at yard/garage sales are great, but you'd better be the first one there on the first morning. good tool go fast.
 
As a professional mechanic of 40+ years, my everyday stuff is Snap-On or Mac Tools. My back up stuff is Craftsman or Snap-On's Blue Point. I cannot even recall when the last time I broke a wrench, its been decades for sure. I do occasionally break a socket, ratchet or Allen wrench.

My "cheap" stuff, I use for making specialty tools. Sometimes you need an ultra skinny head to get a backup nut off or something similar. That's when I have no problem digging into my junk drawer and grinding on a $1 wrench, as compared to a $35 Snap-On wrench. You can buy a whole wrench set for less than $10 at a lot of places, for cutting and bending.

The bad part about some of the HF sets, is that they are missing some of the wrenches you need. For example, they might be missing a13mm, 15mm or a 16mm. John Deere uses a lot of those sizes on many of their fasteners. For the most part, motorcycles use 8, 10, 12, 14, 17, 19, 22, 24 and 27mm heads. But, occasionally you'll come across a 13, 15, 18 or 21mm on some stuff.

Here recently I have tried some GearWrench products and have been quite happy with them. I got them on sale at Sears, super cheap. I do have quite a bit of craftsman stuff and I would say that for the average do-it-yourselfer, who just works on stuff occasionally, the Craftsman stuff is just fine. (caution, do not use an impact on Craftsman chrome sockets, they do tend to break.)

The key is to use 6 point stuff whenever possible and sockets before wrenches. All of my daily use sockets are 6 point and my wrenches are 12 point. I do have a complete set of 12 point sockets, but rarely ever use them.

As for screw drivers, don't waist your money. Any I have I use for poking and prying. I use a quality bit/driver set on a ratcheting driver or with my 1/4 drive Milwaukie impacts and drill drivers.
 
The Big Spank Daddy said:
As a professional mechanic of 40+ years, my everyday stuff is Snap-On or Mac Tools. My back up stuff is Craftsman or Snap-On's Blue Point. I cannot even recall when the last time I broke a wrench, its been decades for sure. I do occasionally break a socket, ratchet or Allen wrench.

My "cheap" stuff, I use for making specialty tools. Sometimes you need an ultra skinny head to get a backup nut off or something similar. That's when I have no problem digging into my junk drawer and grinding on a $1 wrench, as compared to a $35 Snap-On wrench. You can buy a whole wrench set for less than $10 at a lot of places, for cutting and bending.

The bad part about some of the HF sets, is that they are missing some of the wrenches you need. For example, they might be missing a13mm, 15mm or a 16mm. John Deere uses a lot of those sizes on many of their fasteners. For the most part, motorcycles use 8, 10, 12, 14, 17, 19, 22, 24 and 27mm heads. But, occasionally you'll come across a 13, 15, 18 or 21mm on some stuff.

Here recently I have tried some GearWrench products and have been quite happy with them. I got them on sale at Sears, super cheap. I do have quite a bit of craftsman stuff and I would say that for the average do-it-yourselfer, who just works on stuff occasionally, the Craftsman stuff is just fine. (caution, do not use an impact on Craftsman chrome sockets, they do tend to break.)

The key is to use 6 point stuff whenever possible and sockets before wrenches. All of my daily use sockets are 6 point and my wrenches are 12 point. I do have a complete set of 12 point sockets, but rarely ever use them.

As for screw drivers, don't waist your money. Any I have I use for poking and prying. I use a quality bit/driver set on a ratcheting driver or with my 1/4 drive Milwaukie impacts and drill drivers.
Click to expand...

I like what you mentioned about making special tools out of the cheap ones. When I am out and about I look for those already bent for my specialty drawer in the tool box. And I will second the six point verses 12 point,way better.
 
kickstand~prophet said:
I want to approach this at a different angle. Buy your tools used! Garage sales,pawn shops,craigslist, and Sears has sales in the Sunday paper every week. I have had good luck with my Craftsman brand but a bunch of mine are older from years ago. My tools are a mixture of multiple brands. The majority being picked up used or second hand.
Click to expand...

Me too...I used to buy new Snap on when I had a friend that was a dealer and he sold to me at cost...which was still high. Kurt, I pretty much quit buying craftsman for the same reason. I really like the quality and feel of Snap on ratchets and torque wrenches so I stay with those for the most part. I have complete metric and SAE Snap-on sockets and older craftsman sockets. I keep the older Craftsman ratchet in the truck. I got a good deal on S-K wrenches at the local surplus store and was able to put together several wrench sets at a bargain, say $2-5 per wrench in excellent shape.I think I gave $8 a wrench for monster wrenches over 1". Same wrench from a dealer would be $40.
 
Forgot to mention Williams tools. The are the industrial branch of Snap On. I can not tell the difference between most of their tools and the Snap On counterpart. Most share the same part numbers and are made in the USA. The do have some foreign made stuff, but their website clearly displays a "Made in the USA" symbol on those made here.
 
i use my h freight tools for everyday things. like others, i keep the cheap tools in the boat, the tool kit on the bike, trailer etc. they are the ones i hammer on and pry with. (i have yet to break one)
i only bring out the sears craftsman for company and special occasions. i consider them my DRESS TOOLS.
 
Gearwrench is a good tool and also not only USA made but Texas made as they are a customer of ours.

I have a mix of Snap On & Blackhawk as good tools and some of the Husky brand for tools that may get loaned or lost.
 
I bought a set of HF hex drivers, and really regretted it.

They were actually pretty expensive because shortly thereafter I had to buy a good set that didn't feel like they were going to break off in my hand.

I think buying HF tools that are not used a lot is probably fine, but for tools you use a lot HF may be problematical.

I have an FJR, that means screwing with plastic all the darn time, so having flimsy hex wrenches just made an unpleasant task that much worse. YMMV
 
I have never regretted buying quality tools. I can't always say that about cheap tools.
 
TwoSmokeDS said:
I don't know. But my dad has. He got his whole box full of good stuff stolen at the junk yard.
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That really sucks. I had a box of quality used tools, many handed down to me by my Dad including the toolbox he used while in the Navy. I still find myself looking for tools that were in that box.
 
Tracker said:
That really sucks. I had a box of quality used tools, many handed down to me by my Dad including the toolbox he used while in the Navy. I still find myself looking for tools that were in that box.
Click to expand...

I would hate to pay full retail for all the tools I have. Let alone we move to power tools or welders:eek:
 
I picked up a set of sockets for free at HF and when they failed immediately, I tossed them. The heat gun for $10 did the job I needed it for and is still work. The $40 electric impact driver I borrowed had rebuilt two motors as has the torque wrench, both from HF, work great. If I was buying sockets or wrenches I buy old Sears Craftsman with lifetime replacements. For a lot of cheap electric tools I buy HF. I have both HF AND Mikita drills.
 
I inherited many of my tools from my uncle. After liquidating the the duplicates and Craftsman stuff, I bought the balance of the Snap-On stuff on ebay for an average of less than 50% of retail. I wasn't out much at all in the end. If I had to go pay retail in one lump sum, I'd go with something cheaper for sure.
 
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