Back in the 70's my dad told me, "Buy small to build big" and it's served me well all my life. If you walk onto a tool truck and drop 10k you'll get just enough to get you started, if you walk into HF and drop 10k you'll have enough to have a full functioning shop that's turning more jobs. The more you turn the more you make to either recoup or upgrade. The stuff that wasn't so good.... still made you the money to buy the better stuff later on. 30 years later you'll walk into your shop/garage and see a crap load of stuff you bought back on day one, because it still works and never needed upgraded.
I would rather have a mechanic with a toolbox full of Harbor freight tools that knows what he is doing rather than a mechanic with a $10,000 toolbox $100,000 worth of snap on tools that doesn’t know what he’s doing. It’s about what you can do with the tools in the box not what name is on the box
"30 years later you'll walk into your shop/garage and see a crap load of stuff you bought back on day one," You'll also look at your 401k and see a larger balance because of all the extra money you invested in the market instead of investing in the Snap-On guy.
You missed the floor jacks... I've had 2 of them for years and they have never let me down..I'm a professional mechanic too.. they get used almost every day
Tech Tip for you. The import car rotors are held on with a JIS screw. Not a Philips. Hence why you rounded the head on that screwdriver. Use the correct bit, maybe with a hammer type driver to help release it, and you wont round over the ends.
Like my Auto Shop teacher said back in the early 80s.. " It's not the tool, it's the person using the tool". And to this day, no truer words were spoken.
patrick mcglone it actually is a combination of both. I know really good techs that don’t like spending money on good tools and their efficiency isn’t great. When you wrench for a living, is worth buying quality tools. In the wrenching industry, time is money.
Went to check out a wrench/socket set from Craftsman today. $200 w/ no life time warranty and a small little sticker on the back that read, Made in China. I’ll pass. Wish I had more of my grandpa and dads old tools before they passed away.
I've broke the craftsman tools made today. Think the craziest one was snapping a Philips screwdriver tip off because I used it in something like 10 degree weather. Just put it in the screw turned it and snap, thought I broke the screw but I broke the screw driver haha
I retired as a heavy truck tech eight years ago. Bought my solid handle half inch breaker bar about twelve years ago for $9.95. I have used it with a five foot cheater pipe on it and stood on it and did not break it! Do not try this at home!!
I got into auto repairs in the 60's and went on to tool and die work. Many times my job took me out to the site of the problem so I needed tools for traveling into the mfg plant. I gave in to temptation and bought numerous HF tools and used them extremely. I had only one failure, minor, a ratchet with a plastic forward/reverse lever, the plastic lever came off. Took it in to HF and ,no questions asked, was given a replacement. To say the least I never babied any of the tools and with that very minor exception, never had a failure. HF, YES!
I agree with your position for the most part. Another item I had great success with was the 3/4 drive socket set. A whole crew of electricians used it in an industrial setting for several years with only one problem. We were trying to disassemble a very large electric motor and couldn't break an inch and 5/8 nut loose. So we put a standard 1 5/8 socket (non-impact) on a 3/4 pneumatic rattle gun. After about 10 minutes continuous use the side of the socket blew out. I called Harbor Freight and told them about the abuse and what happened and they had a new one to us in 3 days. My 3/8 ratchet was a different matter, though. It quickly stated locking up and the whole gear assembly fell out of it. They replaced it but the new one lasted about two months and did the same thing. Both things happened in the '90s.
I love Harbor Freight sockets. I bought the colored sockets as I have a problem with my vision so as I could tell by each color what size it is I don't even have to look anymore that is one of the greatest tools that they have for sale and once again lifetime warranty. The breaker bar is also another great tool JustinDow made his into a ratch type go check out the vid. Of course everybody used to buy from Sears but they are no more and their warranty is crap through Lowe's once again Eric Schmidt has done us right through the icon line but once again I can't afford that so I'll stick with the Pittsburgh Pro that I have used for years
I live in Pittsburgh and, before your video, legit thought they just named their tools after every city they're in. Great video though! Gave me some thought on purchasing some new tools.
@@BrookieCooki84 I think the more vicious cycle is being cheap parts. The least expensive items at Harbor Freight have the greatest risk of not being great but at the cost is it a great risk? I have friends spending $90 on a tire reading and air filling tool for example. A few years later they need a new one. 2 years later I need another Harbor Freight, but over a career I'm going to save a lot of money. In 6 years I've spent maybe $45 and they've spent $180. Try making a lot of decisions like that over a career! Also, the cheap ones fill tires faster. The expensive ones feel smoother because they air tires slower and when toy get paid on what you get done that adds up.
Good video bud, I enjoyed it and think you made some good choices!!! I own primarily Craftsman with some Snap-on, because of the fact of convenience of the truck coming 2 work place, I have way 2 many toolz already, but still can't stay away from my local Harbor Fr8!!! It's always Awesome 2 get some New Icon toolz 4 the New Icon box. Look forward to more of your content😁
Thanks man. I don’t have much of an access to a snap on truck. I do want to venture into getting their tools at some point. I have a couple but I’d like to get some more.
I agree with you I have all of those tools that you shared. One that has broken on me is the screwdrivers. So I got a different Pittsburgh set the one with just red and blue screwdrivers and it has held up better than. The bigger screwdriver set.
With the 25” breaker bar you can modify the Pittsburg pro 1/2 flex head to put on the breaker handle to make a flex head ratcheting breaker bar. I love mine and it only cost me $30 to make after coupons
Nice Vette. Good rundown on tools as well. BTW, the Pittsburgh Pro ratchet looks EXACTLY like a US -made Goodwrench that I picked up at Sam’s Club in ‘94 to work on my college car. I’ve still got it and it works great. I’ve always wondered who made it. Unfortunately, Google isn’t much help since the only Goodwrench tools available now are made in China.
I’ve bought a lot of my tools at garage and estate sales. Craftsman, Proto, snap on, Mac for pennies on the dollar compared to what they would’ve cost new
The fist thing i check out when I'm forced to go (saleing) garage that is. My wife and sister get pissed because I usually will have more stuff, and all of it justified! Found some real gems too.
I have had their socket set for up to 3 years already. Outstanding, always get the work done. Ratchet still kicking ass. Can't complain it was like 20$
Great prices, great discount. To be Honest I bought a set of ratcheting wrenches at Lowe's. My 1/2 ratchet I already replace it twice. Kinda feel like I should have buy it from harbor freight. I love their Pittsburgh stuff
To your list I can add their impact driver, engineer's hammer, pry bars, and ball joint kit. I have used and abused them all for years without any problems. I also buy higher quality tools when precision is needed, but sometimes the cheap stuff that works is the smarter choice.
I really appreciate this. I’ve bought a couple tools from there, one of them being the jack stands that are in your video. And all of these tools are very reliable! Thanks for the coupon!
Whie I am not a HF tool fan, I agree that most of the tools you mentioned here are a good value. Their impact sockets have always held up well, and the cheap items like the rubber mallet and picks are just great value even if you break them after a bit. However, you could not pay me to use their jack stands.
Be careful with Harbor Freight jack stands. They just recalled almost 2 million of them for failure under load. (Your model number isn't one of them luckily)
This is the reason I'll never get anything "life saving" from harbor freight. I've seen chains fail, cables fail, and jackstands fail. Belive me, you don't want to be anywhere near something like that. Your life, limbs and eyesight just aren't worth the money you save.
@@OldNew45 - HF's jack stands weren't the only ones caught up in the failures, there were a lot of other companies (some big names) that had sold the same stands with a different color and label. The DIFFERENCE is that HF was the first and most public about their recall of those same jack stands other brands had sold, which is exactly why I'll trust them for my next set. When they find a critical safety flaw in any of their products it always gets recalled, refunded or replaced. Not so much with other companies. In any case, I always use 2x weight rated jack stands, jack, and either double up with another set or put some tires and/or paving blocks underneath for additional protection because I don't trust my life, limbs or anything else to a single point of failure regardless of the brand name written on the front.
That's why I just drill out those rotor bolts now. Shit they're only used during assembly at the plant. I've destroyed so many tools bothering with those
I have those torque wrench all 3 sizes, and I've used them for about 2 years at the shop once I had to replace the 1/2" because the head un bolted itself lol, but other than that never had a problem with them, I recently bought the same chisel set, and I have 3 years of constant use of the metric impact socket never ever had a problem, and that last breaker bar...I did broke it xD because I used a 6 feet cheater bar xD!!! It was for the Honda's famous crank shaft bolt.
@@victorsanjuan5107 so far so good, I always use it to torque down water pumps, timing chain covers, etc, and have never had a problem, if you doubt of yours you should compare it to a similar one or use a digital adapter torque wrench to tested it adjust it
Order a Vessel Impacta from Japan to remove JIS screws from rotors. They are made to be hit with a hammer and rotate slightly to break the screw loose. BEST screwdriver I have ever owned. If you are going to be working on any Japanese cars, it’s a must because the screws that look like #2 Phillips are not. They are JIS.
Gotta say I have almost all of these at work as a mechanic. Only thing I'd recommend is the quinn screw driver set that goes for 28 bucks alot of screwdrivers for a good price. I'd also recommend the quinn digital tourqe adapter. It takes up alot less space in my toolbox and I throw it on my pittsburg pro 1/2 inchbreaker bar. 50 to 250 ftibs.
Unfortunately, I had all three HF torque wrenches and all three failed. One fell apart in my hand. I returned them and they gave me credit, I then purchased all three ICON torque wrenches and I couldn’t be happier with those ones. I have four of the 6T jack stands, great tools. All my sockets are Kobalt and all my impact sockets are Pittsburg Pro. Love them. I rebuild suspensions with them all the time. I do plan on switching all my sockets to ICON over time. I really like the quality of ICON for the price and warranty. I had the breaker bar. Loaned it out, never saw it again. Got a Tekton one now for Xmas last year. Good tool but my HF breaker bar was awesome, too. I can’t bring myself to pay for truck brand tools when brands like ICON, Tekton and others exist with excellent warranties and a lesser cost. I don’t care what it says on the tool, the car I work on doesn’t care either... only people who care what a tool says is other technicians.... I don’t care what they think. I’ve never actually broken a tool from any brand I’ve had. Just the HF torque wrenches failed and they were less than 8 months old. As for power tools, I’m going milwaukee all the way. Great power. Easy to use. And not absurdly priced. I’m sure folks will complain. Yes, brands like snap on are great quality and the likes, it’s just not the value it once was. Hell, I got a set of pry bars from wall mart that I’ve abused the crap out of without a single problem. Why pay big bucks when you honestly don’t have to? No, I don’t usually get tools at Walmart, they usually are bad quality but I needed pry bars ASAP.
When they weren't making Icon their inexpensive torque wrenches were pretty good. Check out my rant about it. I was livid. Wouldn't work 3 weeks as a pro...used to last 6 months....longer if you wanted to trust them. I wasn't sure. Wish I still had their good ones. Wow. I got the Duralast torque wrench a few months ago. Seems way tough and better priced than the Ican.
I have most of your top ten list and haven't had any problems with them. I'm just a diy mechanic. I do think you should try one more tool and see what you think about it. It is the     PITTSBURGH 1/2 In. Drive Extendable Ratchet. I have had one for 10 years and use it for everything even breaking lugs loose.
The breaker bar without the comfort grip is 25 inches---or whatever size the one with the comfort grip is. I have two of them and I think I paid $8.99 a piece with coupon. I've ran into a few situations where I needed two breaker bars at the same time, lol.
Roughly half my shop is H.F. items. I have no problem with their tools. I always look at the item I'm considering so I get the best fit and finish. In the four years that H.F. has been in my area I have only returned 1 tool, that was their earthquake impact. I went to a big box store and bought there brand of impact and if I had to do it over again I should of tried another earthquake. I am not a professional mechanic and like a lot of people I am on a budget. I am glad H.F. is in my area, they have saved me alot of money by keeping me off of the tool trucks and by having a good priced tool to help me get my auto repairs done at a reasonable price.
@@rogergooden7812 If you are ever curious about where all the manufacturing jobs in the US went, you can definitely find the answer to that at Harbor Freight also.
Picks no matter what the brand weather inexpensive or tool truck brand quality at some point depending upon how much a tool is used and how hard a individual is on them they are all subject to fail at some point just as well as the screwdrivers you demestrated they served the purpose for what you had use them for and the only true ware is do to you doing something that you are aware of which is using a hammer on soft grip handles and extensions and Jack's stands will always be the same pretty much no matter what the brand and Impacts will stand the test of time as long as there not being miss used in any type way but if used daily they can start breaking down and them breaker bars I have herd that they have held up quite well you picked out quite a few good items in this selection Good Video
I’ve snapped 2 or 3 of the breaker bars but still recommend them to everyone. I took the snapped bar back n they said go get a new one. I’ve also been using a Bauer 1/4 inch impact for a few years and it’s still going strong. Harbor freight is my favorite store just stay away from their off brand or generic branded tools
I actually broke the breaker bar. I was doing a backing plate on a t680 Kenworth. The backing plate was held by a frame bolt and nut so I had the breaker bar on one side and a 3/4 impact on the other. Had my co worker used the impact while I held the breaker bar. he would impact it for about 40 seconds each time but only smoke from the boiling PB blaster. After about 10 minutes of tightening and losing up the bolt and nut the bar finally broke. It snapped at the head where the two bolts are at. Overall it held up really well from the beating it took. A week later went to HF and they warrantied the bar no questions asked. They just told me to leave the old one take take another one.
When it comes to hf you gotta know what to buy. A lot of the air tools are hit and miss, you gotta know who actually makes them. The impact sockets are good enough even for professionals. I personally don't like the hf picks though, they tend to break and bend very easily, and as you mentioned, they start to spin.
Hf picks are cheap several different ones can be bought for about the same price as the dental pick set that are as good or better, but even the mini pick set does have it's uses..
The torque wrench is a hit or miss I bought the 3/8 and the 1/2 drive. The 1/2 drive has been good. But the 3/8 doesn't work well on the low end. I broke several bolts off. (Yes torqued them to spec.) I bought it for the low end torque.
Those picks drive me nuts i miss my snap on ones but at the cost of the Pittsburg ones i usualy buy 2 or 3 sets at the beginning of the year and just toss them when they start spinning lol
Tried taking a subframe 21mm off the other day with a 3/8 short wobble in desperation and it snapped like nobody’s business. Broke my 2yo 3/8 4 inch Extension from autozone a minute before also. (Yes I know suspension and frame work need 1/2 inch stuff lol
As a prof mechanic I use harbor freight sockets. 5 years abused daily, hammered on etc. only broke 3. Biggest issue is getting 6 point sets that don’t skip sizes.
Also their air angle grinders are great. Ingersolls are $100, and as with all air tools, only get a 1 yr warranty. HF brand is $20, so I buy 2 or 3 at a time and get at least a year each of heavy use.
the harbor freight waterproofed carry containers (can be used for tools, guns, cameras, etc) are comparable to name brand shock proof water proof cases for waaaaay more money.
I broke the torque wrench on my first job. Can't remember what it was but it was around the 100 ft/lb range and it seized. Basically just an awkward breaker bar now. Luckily I got like 5 torque wrenches from a shop shutting down on the cheap. Ended up buying tools for basically scrap weight price. Ended up with around 150 lbs of snapon, sk, proto, craftman, etc. tools.
@@anticapitalize o I know they have a warranty. Just don't care enough to swap it. Like I said, I kind of just use it as a big ratchet/ breaker bar now.
I notice your chisel & punch set were new. Looks like you haven't used that set yet. I bought a chisel & punch set. They are made of soft metal. I couldn't cut axle bearing retainer with the chisel and blunted the end of the punch when driving in a bearing race. I agree with everything else.
I have had a couple sets of their pick sets. Maybe good for occasional driveway use, but for professional use, they don't hold up. The shanks tend to spin loose in the handles, gets very irritating when fixing cars for a living. Cars are enough of a pain in the ass, I dont need to add tools that fail to the mix.
When I bought my Everlast welder the only other welding tools I could afford were Pittsburgh tools. You gotta be a bit discriminating. Some of their stuff works just fine and some aren't made to nearly the same standards.
I have a us general 44 inch tool box full of hf tools, almost 5k on hf tool that i use to flip cars and only thing i broke was a 3\8 extension and they give me a new one no problem, and the profit return of what i invested was insanely fast, specially that breaker bar, its a fucking beast.
It’s amazing how cheap all these tools are! DIYers don’t need the tool truck tools. We don’t need to pay them to come around every month. We are just not breaking tools as often as a service shop.
The guy who calibrates our personal tools told me that Pittsburgh torque wrenches fail about half the time, even brand new. The Snap-ons, Macs and Matcos check good every time. He’s done thousands of cals. I can’t in good conscience buy a cheap knock-off just to save money. I don’t just say “buy American”. I live it, once spending over sixty dollars for a Cooper Spud wrench rather than thirty for a Kobalt “made in China” wrench.
I own every one of these but that damn torque wrench broke twice but since I don't have to pay I ain't really complaining only inconvenience is me having to drive 5 min to get a new one 😂 but I hope you took the Jack's back and got the red ones due to the recall
The only things I've had problem with are: any and all screw or bolt extractors. They're all trash, as far as I know. Their oxygen sensor socket was also trash, as well as the Quinn snap ring pliers, but I suspect I just got a lemon with those. I've heard others say good things about them. I have a mobile auto repair business that I started back in August. I've only been part time with it so I guess I'm not at the "professional" level of demand on tools just yet. But I've been extremely satisfied with all the Pittsburgh specialty ratchets and all of their sockets and extensions. The set of shallow impact sockets for $23.99 is a steal---the ones that come in the blow mold case. So far, it's hard for me to see a need to get a tool truck brand or even the Icon brand for anything except for the specialty tool stuff---the sets that come in blow-molded cases like the ball joint kit, slide hammer, pulley remover, etc. I probably should've went with something other than generic ebay stuff on that, lol.
Yeah. I try to stay away from box truck except for specialty items which you can't get cheaper elsewhere anyway. ...I was I bit dumb buying my power probe on the truck instead if online...but when I had a few issues he helped warranty it. Amazon forgets your purchase history FAST for a reason.
I actually thought this was a legit video until the impact sockets were shown. When the 10mm socket was present I knew this is a satire video. Who has a 10mm socket that hasn't gone awol? All kidding aside, great video. HF as well as other companies can and do make some good tools. My grandfather worked as a mechanic for around 60 years and never owned snap on. My father turned wrenches for a living for a couple decades also and he didn't have snap on. My brother and I are antique tractor and engine restorers/collectors and do not own any snap on. It gets kind of old hearing snap on fans telling others that their tools are the cats meow while mine are junk and will break prematurely. When you start busting loose big bolts and nuts, not sissy 9/16" and such but 1"-2" you need some strong tools and they don't have to say snap on. I don't have any problem with most (there again look at some of the tool reviews on YTube and see) snap on, but they have some quality issues here and there as well.
They do have some awesome extensions,i hav the impact versions I’ve been hammering on for a few yrs and not one issue with them except for i wish they made some longer ones lije 24 inche and above
Авто/Мото
Back in the 70's my dad told me, "Buy small to build big" and it's served me well all my life. If you walk onto a tool truck and drop 10k you'll get just enough to get you started, if you walk into HF and drop 10k you'll have enough to have a full functioning shop that's turning more jobs. The more you turn the more you make to either recoup or upgrade. The stuff that wasn't so good.... still made you the money to buy the better stuff later on. 30 years later you'll walk into your shop/garage and see a crap load of stuff you bought back on day one, because it still works and never needed upgraded.
Hi, exactly, you hit that nail right on the head with this, for me hf is perfect, thx,
I would rather have a mechanic with a toolbox full of Harbor freight tools that knows what he is doing rather than a mechanic with a $10,000 toolbox $100,000 worth of snap on tools that doesn’t know what he’s doing. It’s about what you can do with the tools in the box not what name is on the box
@@traviseller3770 hi, absolutely agree, let the tools do the work let your experience work the tools regardless of brand,
Well said
"30 years later you'll walk into your shop/garage and see a crap load of stuff you bought back on day one,"
You'll also look at your 401k and see a larger balance because of all the extra money you invested in the market instead of investing in the Snap-On guy.
You missed the floor jacks... I've had 2 of them for years and they have never let me down..I'm a professional mechanic too.. they get used almost every day
Tech Tip for you. The import car rotors are held on with a JIS screw. Not a Philips. Hence why you rounded the head on that screwdriver. Use the correct bit, maybe with a hammer type driver to help release it, and you wont round over the ends.
You absolutely missed the best thing they carry which is their jacks!
Agreed
Those floor Jack's are on par with the $600 pro grade floor Jack's
I think you mean the jack stands
I absolutely love mine. Had it for years zero issues
Yes! Currently use the Pittsburgh 3ton Jack on EVERYTHING
For me, the Pittsburg 3/8 in metric, deep socket with color coding has served me well for almost 15 years. Great for DIY work on my Ford truck.
Like my Auto Shop teacher said back in the early 80s..
" It's not the tool, it's the person using the tool". And to this day, no truer words were spoken.
Incorrect. You can be an awesome tech but if you have shit tools that break left and right you aren’t going to be very efficient.
@@VoskiTheTech well my friend you are definitely entitled to your opinion. And I won't say anything about corrective English.
patrick mcglone it actually is a combination of both. I know really good techs that don’t like spending money on good tools and their efficiency isn’t great. When you wrench for a living, is worth buying quality tools. In the wrenching industry, time is money.
Back in the early/mid 90’s, my shop teacher called me a tool. 😀
@@Ry77x Ummmmmm...I got nothing.
Long live SEARS and the old school Craftsman tools. Never had a problem with those tools or equipment.
The new rachets suck !! They hangup constantly. Not smooth at all
They closed and sold to Lowe's husky brand. Gone to crap.
Correct. Black and decker makes husky too.
Went to check out a wrench/socket set from Craftsman today. $200 w/ no life time warranty and a small little sticker on the back that read, Made in China. I’ll pass. Wish I had more of my grandpa and dads old tools before they passed away.
I've broke the craftsman tools made today. Think the craziest one was snapping a Philips screwdriver tip off because I used it in something like 10 degree weather. Just put it in the screw turned it and snap, thought I broke the screw but I broke the screw driver haha
The breaker bar is a beast!!
I broke mine lol good thing there is a life time warranty
its a 50/50 with some tools
mine has lasted 3yrs. the metal handle
I got my 1/2" drive breaker bar for 60% off. Love it. Keep it in my truck in case of a flat.
I retired as a heavy truck tech eight years ago. Bought my solid handle half inch breaker bar about twelve years ago for $9.95. I have used it with a five foot cheater pipe on it and stood on it and did not break it! Do not try this at home!!
Agreed
I got into auto repairs in the 60's and went on to tool and die work. Many times my job took me out to the site of the problem so I needed tools for traveling into the mfg plant. I gave in to temptation and bought numerous HF tools and used them extremely. I had only one failure, minor, a ratchet with a plastic forward/reverse lever, the plastic lever came off. Took it in to HF and ,no questions asked, was given a replacement. To say the least I never babied any of the tools and with that very minor exception, never had a failure. HF, YES!
I agree with your position for the most part. Another item I had great success with was the 3/4 drive socket set. A whole crew of electricians used it in an industrial setting for several years with only one problem. We were trying to disassemble a very large electric motor and couldn't break an inch and 5/8 nut loose. So we put a standard 1 5/8 socket (non-impact) on a 3/4 pneumatic rattle gun. After about 10 minutes continuous use the side of the socket blew out. I called Harbor Freight and told them about the abuse and what happened and they had a new one to us in 3 days. My 3/8 ratchet was a different matter, though. It quickly stated locking up and the whole gear assembly fell out of it. They replaced it but the new one lasted about two months and did the same thing. Both things happened in the '90s.
Harbor freight is AWESOME for certain things.
I own almost all of those, and I totally agree. Great video.
blautens thanks man!!!
There's nothing wrong with buying what works. I've had Snap On, SK, Mac , Proto, all the way to the store brands and every tool has a purpose
I totally agree with your list. I have many of those tools and have never had any issues at all.
I have several same tools, made me smile! I got bigger an smaller torq wrench for motorcycles.
I love Harbor Freight sockets. I bought the colored sockets as I have a problem with my vision so as I could tell by each color what size it is I don't even have to look anymore that is one of the greatest tools that they have for sale and once again lifetime warranty. The breaker bar is also another great tool JustinDow made his into a ratch type go check out the vid. Of course everybody used to buy from Sears but they are no more and their warranty is crap through Lowe's once again Eric Schmidt has done us right through the icon line but once again I can't afford that so I'll stick with the Pittsburgh Pro that I have used for years
I live in Pittsburgh and, before your video, legit thought they just named their tools after every city they're in. Great video though! Gave me some thought on purchasing some new tools.
Appreciate your work you rock young man
Love Harbor Freight. Leaves more money for parts!
Or let's you afford them at all sometimes!
DE Nichols Right?!
Now that they've cleaned out so many manufacturing jobs in the US, it leaves more room for ghettos.
William Dukane You have a point, but I’ll still go to where I can afford to buy tools. But it is a vicious cycle.
@@BrookieCooki84 I think the more vicious cycle is being cheap parts. The least expensive items at Harbor Freight have the greatest risk of not being great but at the cost is it a great risk?
I have friends spending $90 on a tire reading and air filling tool for example. A few years later they need a new one. 2 years later I need another Harbor Freight, but over a career I'm going to save a lot of money.
In 6 years I've spent maybe $45 and they've spent $180. Try making a lot of decisions like that over a career!
Also, the cheap ones fill tires faster. The expensive ones feel smoother because they air tires slower and when toy get paid on what you get done that adds up.
Thanks for sharing I will try some and get back at you!
Great video! I have several things u mentioned. Can’t beat the price.
Good video bud, I enjoyed it and think you made some good choices!!! I own primarily Craftsman with some Snap-on, because of the fact of convenience of the truck coming 2 work place, I have way 2 many toolz already, but still can't stay away from my local Harbor Fr8!!! It's always Awesome 2 get some New Icon toolz 4 the New Icon box. Look forward to more of your content😁
Thanks man. I don’t have much of an access to a snap on truck. I do want to venture into getting their tools at some point. I have a couple but I’d like to get some more.
Great video. Thank you.
Thanks for this video. 💯 helpful
I agree with you I have all of those tools that you shared. One that has broken on me is the screwdrivers. So I got a different Pittsburgh set the one with just red and blue screwdrivers and it has held up better than. The bigger screwdriver set.
With the 25” breaker bar you can modify the Pittsburg pro 1/2 flex head to put on the breaker handle to make a flex head ratcheting breaker bar. I love mine and it only cost me $30 to make after coupons
That First Blood banner 👍🏻
Nice Vette. Good rundown on tools as well. BTW, the Pittsburgh Pro ratchet looks EXACTLY like a US -made Goodwrench that I picked up at Sam’s Club in ‘94 to work on my college car. I’ve still got it and it works great. I’ve always wondered who made it. Unfortunately, Google isn’t much help since the only Goodwrench tools available now are made in China.
Congrats, the RUclips algorithm has recognized you.
Thank you for factual comments not long drawn out BS talk !
I’ve bought a lot of my tools at garage and estate sales. Craftsman, Proto, snap on, Mac for pennies on the dollar compared to what they would’ve cost new
The fist thing i check out when I'm forced to go (saleing) garage that is. My wife and sister get pissed because I usually will have more stuff, and all of it justified! Found some real gems too.
I have had their socket set for up to 3 years already. Outstanding, always get the work done. Ratchet still kicking ass. Can't complain it was like 20$
Stefano Cubero absolutely man. For the money you can’t beat it.
Great prices, great discount. To be Honest I bought a set of ratcheting wrenches at Lowe's. My 1/2 ratchet I already replace it twice. Kinda feel like I should have buy it from harbor freight. I love their Pittsburgh stuff
To your list I can add their impact driver, engineer's hammer, pry bars, and ball joint kit. I have used and abused them all for years without any problems. I also buy higher quality tools when precision is needed, but sometimes the cheap stuff that works is the smarter choice.
Those sockets are great. I know a tech who has those. He's never replaced em in his 14 years of work
I totally agree on the 10
The impact sockets used to come in a metal case. I miss that case.
New subscriber. Great video for affordable tools. 👍🏻
Kenneth Chaves thanks man. I appreciate it!
Great video bud keep it up
I have breaker bar and it's great I had some hard work with it and still good
I really appreciate this. I’ve bought a couple tools from there, one of them being the jack stands that are in your video. And all of these tools are very reliable! Thanks for the coupon!
Gil Ramos thanks man!
Whie I am not a HF tool fan, I agree that most of the tools you mentioned here are a good value. Their impact sockets have always held up well, and the cheap items like the rubber mallet and picks are just great value even if you break them after a bit. However, you could not pay me to use their jack stands.
Be careful with Harbor Freight jack stands. They just recalled almost 2 million of them for failure under load.
(Your model number isn't one of them luckily)
This is the reason I'll never get anything "life saving" from harbor freight. I've seen chains fail, cables fail, and jackstands fail. Belive me, you don't want to be anywhere near something like that. Your life, limbs and eyesight just aren't worth the money you save.
@@OldNew45 - HF's jack stands weren't the only ones caught up in the failures, there were a lot of other companies (some big names) that had sold the same stands with a different color and label. The DIFFERENCE is that HF was the first and most public about their recall of those same jack stands other brands had sold, which is exactly why I'll trust them for my next set. When they find a critical safety flaw in any of their products it always gets recalled, refunded or replaced. Not so much with other companies. In any case, I always use 2x weight rated jack stands, jack, and either double up with another set or put some tires and/or paving blocks underneath for additional protection because I don't trust my life, limbs or anything else to a single point of failure regardless of the brand name written on the front.
@@anticapitalize I was not aware of other brands having trouble. I mill my own hardwood slabs, so i use blocks, but that is always a safe bet.
I work in a wrecking yard and use harbor freight tools daily. The air impacts last 3 years with daily use. They perform well and worth the money
Earthquake
Looking forward to the next review, maybe do 20 tools?
More more keep posting this stuff
well done ,thank u.
Thank you!
That's why I just drill out those rotor bolts now. Shit they're only used during assembly at the plant. I've destroyed so many tools bothering with those
Good vid. For rotor screws hf sells an impact screwdriver set (#64812) for $8.99 I have an old one from sears that works good on those.
A good review. I own most of those items. BUT! Check out the recall on the Pittsburgh jack stands. Some failures in the adjustment mechanism.
Checked just to make sure someone said it lol.
I have those torque wrench all 3 sizes, and I've used them for about 2 years at the shop once I had to replace the 1/2" because the head un bolted itself lol, but other than that never had a problem with them, I recently bought the same chisel set, and I have 3 years of constant use of the metric impact socket never ever had a problem, and that last breaker bar...I did broke it xD because I used a 6 feet cheater bar xD!!! It was for the Honda's famous crank shaft bolt.
The 1/4 performed well? I have all 3 but rarely use the 1/4
@@victorsanjuan5107 so far so good, I always use it to torque down water pumps, timing chain covers, etc, and have never had a problem, if you doubt of yours you should compare it to a similar one or use a digital adapter torque wrench to tested it adjust it
Great video, one of my go to ratchets is my Pittsburgh comfort grip 3/8" flex head long reach. Item # 62333
Order a Vessel Impacta from Japan to remove JIS screws from rotors. They are made to be hit with a hammer and rotate slightly to break the screw loose. BEST screwdriver I have ever owned. If you are going to be working on any Japanese cars, it’s a must because the screws that look like #2 Phillips are not. They are JIS.
Gotta say I have almost all of these at work as a mechanic. Only thing I'd recommend is the quinn screw driver set that goes for 28 bucks alot of screwdrivers for a good price. I'd also recommend the quinn digital tourqe adapter. It takes up alot less space in my toolbox and I throw it on my pittsburg pro 1/2 inchbreaker bar. 50 to 250 ftibs.
Great video
I’m already pumped on your channel within just 20 seconds because you have a First Blood banner. Props.
Unfortunately, I had all three HF torque wrenches and all three failed. One fell apart in my hand. I returned them and they gave me credit, I then purchased all three ICON torque wrenches and I couldn’t be happier with those ones. I have four of the 6T jack stands, great tools. All my sockets are Kobalt and all my impact sockets are Pittsburg Pro. Love them. I rebuild suspensions with them all the time. I do plan on switching all my sockets to ICON over time. I really like the quality of ICON for the price and warranty. I had the breaker bar. Loaned it out, never saw it again. Got a Tekton one now for Xmas last year. Good tool but my HF breaker bar was awesome, too.
I can’t bring myself to pay for truck brand tools when brands like ICON, Tekton and others exist with excellent warranties and a lesser cost. I don’t care what it says on the tool, the car I work on doesn’t care either... only people who care what a tool says is other technicians.... I don’t care what they think. I’ve never actually broken a tool from any brand I’ve had. Just the HF torque wrenches failed and they were less than 8 months old.
As for power tools, I’m going milwaukee all the way. Great power. Easy to use. And not absurdly priced.
I’m sure folks will complain. Yes, brands like snap on are great quality and the likes, it’s just not the value it once was. Hell, I got a set of pry bars from wall mart that I’ve abused the crap out of without a single problem. Why pay big bucks when you honestly don’t have to? No, I don’t usually get tools at Walmart, they usually are bad quality but I needed pry bars ASAP.
When they weren't making Icon their inexpensive torque wrenches were pretty good. Check out my rant about it. I was livid. Wouldn't work 3 weeks as a pro...used to last 6 months....longer if you wanted to trust them. I wasn't sure. Wish I still had their good ones. Wow. I got the Duralast torque wrench a few months ago. Seems way tough and better priced than the Ican.
I have most of your top ten list and haven't had any problems with them. I'm just a diy mechanic. I do think you should try one more tool and see what you think about it. It is the 



PITTSBURGH
1/2 In. Drive Extendable Ratchet. I have had one for 10 years and use it for everything even breaking lugs loose.
I know this is an older video...I own right of the ten. Great tools.Thank You.
The breaker bar without the comfort grip is 25 inches---or whatever size the one with the comfort grip is. I have two of them and I think I paid $8.99 a piece with coupon. I've ran into a few situations where I needed two breaker bars at the same time, lol.
Since HF put a store near me I've been buying a lot of tools there haven't had a problem yet
Roughly half my shop is H.F. items. I have no problem with their tools. I always look at the item I'm considering so I get the best fit and finish. In the four years that H.F. has been in my area I have only returned 1 tool, that was their earthquake impact. I went to a big box store and bought there brand of impact and if I had to do it over again I should of tried another earthquake. I am not a professional mechanic and like a lot of people I am on a budget. I am glad H.F. is in my area, they have saved me alot of money by keeping me off of the tool trucks and by having a good priced tool to help me get my auto repairs done at a reasonable price.
@@rogergooden7812 If you are ever curious about where all the manufacturing jobs in the US went, you can definitely find the answer to that at Harbor Freight also.
Picks no matter what the brand weather inexpensive or tool truck brand quality at some point depending upon how much a tool is used and how hard a individual is on them they are all subject to fail at some point just as well as the screwdrivers you demestrated they served the purpose for what you had use them for and the only true ware is do to you doing something that you are aware of which is using a hammer on soft grip handles and extensions and Jack's stands will always be the same pretty much no matter what the brand and Impacts will stand the test of time as long as there not being miss used in any type way but if used daily they can start breaking down and them breaker bars I have herd that they have held up quite well you picked out quite a few good items in this selection Good Video
Couldn’t agree more man. Appreciate the comment.
Great video bro 👍
alex garcia thank you!
Loving the Beavis & Butthead poster.
I’ve snapped 2 or 3 of the breaker bars but still recommend them to everyone. I took the snapped bar back n they said go get a new one. I’ve also been using a Bauer 1/4 inch impact for a few years and it’s still going strong. Harbor freight is my favorite store just stay away from their off brand or generic branded tools
Still watching but don’t want to forget, they sell the impact screwdriver at HF, they work wonders on the Honda brake rotor screws, good video
Their recalling those Pittsburgh jack stands
I actually broke the breaker bar. I was doing a backing plate on a t680 Kenworth. The backing plate was held by a frame bolt and nut so I had the breaker bar on one side and a 3/4 impact on the other. Had my co worker used the impact while I held the breaker bar. he would impact it for about 40 seconds each time but only smoke from the boiling PB blaster. After about 10 minutes of tightening and losing up the bolt and nut the bar finally broke. It snapped at the head where the two bolts are at. Overall it held up really well from the beating it took. A week later went to HF and they warrantied the bar no questions asked. They just told me to leave the old one take take another one.
I got my metric impact sockets from my grandfather after he died. They are 25ish years old and I finally broke 2
When it comes to hf you gotta know what to buy. A lot of the air tools are hit and miss, you gotta know who actually makes them. The impact sockets are good enough even for professionals. I personally don't like the hf picks though, they tend to break and bend very easily, and as you mentioned, they start to spin.
Hf picks are cheap several different ones can be bought for about the same price as the dental pick set that are as good or better, but even the mini pick set does have it's uses..
The torque wrench is a hit or miss I bought the 3/8 and the 1/2 drive. The 1/2 drive has been good. But the 3/8 doesn't work well on the low end. I broke several bolts off. (Yes torqued them to spec.) I bought it for the low end torque.
Those picks drive me nuts i miss my snap on ones but at the cost of the Pittsburg ones i usualy buy 2 or 3 sets at the beginning of the year and just toss them when they start spinning lol
I used to do the same. I upgraded to gear wrench and haven’t looked back.
The jack stands may be recalled. Check yours if your have a HF set.
Nice first blood banner
Tried taking a subframe 21mm off the other day with a 3/8 short wobble in desperation and it snapped like nobody’s business. Broke my 2yo 3/8 4 inch Extension from autozone a minute before also. (Yes I know suspension and frame work need 1/2 inch stuff lol
Good info dude....have these tools aswell..
Right on
When you have purchased all 10 of the recommended tools.... Yeah. Good bargains. Good advice!
As a prof mechanic I use harbor freight sockets. 5 years abused daily, hammered on etc. only broke 3. Biggest issue is getting 6 point sets that don’t skip sizes.
Also their air angle grinders are great. Ingersolls are $100, and as with all air tools, only get a 1 yr warranty. HF brand is $20, so I buy 2 or 3 at a time and get at least a year each of heavy use.
Magnetic on end of tool is a must.
I've had all this stuff for 30 years.
the harbor freight waterproofed carry containers (can be used for tools, guns, cameras, etc) are comparable to name brand shock proof water proof cases for waaaaay more money.
I broke the torque wrench on my first job. Can't remember what it was but it was around the 100 ft/lb range and it seized. Basically just an awkward breaker bar now. Luckily I got like 5 torque wrenches from a shop shutting down on the cheap. Ended up buying tools for basically scrap weight price. Ended up with around 150 lbs of snapon, sk, proto, craftman, etc. tools.
The HF torque wrench has a lifetime warranty, swap it out next time you walk in.
@@anticapitalize o I know they have a warranty.
Just don't care enough to swap it. Like I said, I kind of just use it as a big ratchet/ breaker bar now.
agree !
I notice your chisel & punch set were new. Looks like you haven't used that set yet. I bought a chisel & punch set. They are made of soft metal. I couldn't cut axle bearing retainer with the chisel and blunted the end of the punch when driving in a bearing race. I agree with everything else.
Yes they are new. If you watched I said my buddy lost my other set and replaced them for me. 🤙🏻
I have had a couple sets of their pick sets. Maybe good for occasional driveway use, but for professional use, they don't hold up. The shanks tend to spin loose in the handles, gets very irritating when fixing cars for a living. Cars are enough of a pain in the ass, I dont need to add tools that fail to the mix.
When I bought my Everlast welder the only other welding tools I could afford were Pittsburgh tools. You gotta be a bit discriminating. Some of their stuff works just fine and some aren't made to nearly the same standards.
I have a us general 44 inch tool box full of hf tools, almost 5k on hf tool that i use to flip cars and only thing i broke was a 3\8 extension and they give me a new one no problem, and the profit return of what i invested was insanely fast, specially that breaker bar, its a fucking beast.
It’s amazing how cheap all these tools are! DIYers don’t need the tool truck tools. We don’t need to pay them to come around every month. We are just not breaking tools as often as a service shop.
Get you a set of Vesel jis screwdrivers for working on Japanese stuff.
towboatjeff - Yes indeed. I was going to post the same comment. The Vessel Impacta would have been the exact tool to remove that screw.
Harbor freight is okay for things you don’t use often or are good enough for how you use them.
I made the beast with two backs with my icon, flex head long reach 3/8 ratchet
1/2 drive torque wrench is awesome ,, compare to Napa brand.. identical in every detail..Napa price $50 plus dollars
The guy who calibrates our personal tools told me that Pittsburgh torque wrenches fail about half the time, even brand new. The Snap-ons, Macs and Matcos check good every time. He’s done thousands of cals.
I can’t in good conscience buy a cheap knock-off just to save money. I don’t just say “buy American”. I live it, once spending over sixty dollars for a Cooper Spud wrench rather than thirty for a Kobalt “made in China” wrench.
That's a left hander ratchet wrench. There are crescent wrenches that the wheel goes the other way too.
I own every one of these but that damn torque wrench broke twice but since I don't have to pay I ain't really complaining only inconvenience is me having to drive 5 min to get a new one 😂 but I hope you took the Jack's back and got the red ones due to the recall
The numbers on these arnt on the recall list.
The only things I've had problem with are: any and all screw or bolt extractors. They're all trash, as far as I know. Their oxygen sensor socket was also trash, as well as the Quinn snap ring pliers, but I suspect I just got a lemon with those. I've heard others say good things about them.
I have a mobile auto repair business that I started back in August. I've only been part time with it so I guess I'm not at the "professional" level of demand on tools just yet. But I've been extremely satisfied with all the Pittsburgh specialty ratchets and all of their sockets and extensions. The set of shallow impact sockets for $23.99 is a steal---the ones that come in the blow mold case. So far, it's hard for me to see a need to get a tool truck brand or even the Icon brand for anything except for the specialty tool stuff---the sets that come in blow-molded cases like the ball joint kit, slide hammer, pulley remover, etc. I probably should've went with something other than generic ebay stuff on that, lol.
Yeah. I try to stay away from box truck except for specialty items which you can't get cheaper elsewhere anyway.
...I was I bit dumb buying my power probe on the truck instead if online...but when I had a few issues he helped warranty it. Amazon forgets your purchase history FAST for a reason.
advice i give to most hf toools never trust your life to em but abuse first than use good trusted ones if need to
I actually thought this was a legit video until the impact sockets were shown. When the 10mm socket was present I knew this is a satire video. Who has a 10mm socket that hasn't gone awol?
All kidding aside, great video. HF as well as other companies can and do make some good tools. My grandfather worked as a mechanic for around 60 years and never owned snap on. My father turned wrenches for a living for a couple decades also and he didn't have snap on. My brother and I are antique tractor and engine restorers/collectors and do not own any snap on. It gets kind of old hearing snap on fans telling others that their tools are the cats meow while mine are junk and will break prematurely. When you start busting loose big bolts and nuts, not sissy 9/16" and such but 1"-2" you need some strong tools and they don't have to say snap on. I don't have any problem with most (there again look at some of the tool reviews on YTube and see) snap on, but they have some quality issues here and there as well.
They do have some awesome extensions,i hav the impact versions I’ve been hammering on for a few yrs and not one issue with them except for i wish they made some longer ones lije 24 inche and above
I couldn't stand the Harbor Frieght extensions. I like the Duralast. I agree with some of your list. YMMV right? Lol
how are the tools doing now?