For the younger techs getting into the trade; there is absolutely nothing wrong with buying the bulk of your tools from harbor freight, craftsman, tekton and/or gearwrench. Hop on the tool truck from time to time but keep your bill low and manageable. Over time you will phase out some of your cheaper tools and they will be fine tools to keep at home when you need to wrench on your personal vehicle.
Agree with everything you said. Not to mention all of those brands have lifetime warranty these days. So really it all just comes down to convenience and personal preference.
What a journeyman taught me was a tool you use every day you want quality. For something you use only now and then get harbor freight as you'll only be using it so little over its lifetime
The redhead from Mythbusters said it best when he said: If you think you need a new tool buy the cheaest, and when you break it from use, you know you need it, go buy the best you can get.
UK here, When I set out as an apprentice plant mechanic in 1969, I bought the best tools I could afford as I had to earn my living with them. I had a motto, never struggle to undo a fastener, there's a tool to do it easier. So tool kit expanded over the years, 1/2" sockets first, then 3/8" and eventually 1/4" & 3/4" drive. Never had an air impact wrench (electric ones weren't invented then) Mainly Britool, some Snap On, Stahwilli, ETC Industrial (Japanese), all served me well. Only ever broke 1 socket, 17mm undoing a wheel bolt on an Audi car, 1/2" 24" breaker bar plus bit of scaffold tube. Someone at the tyre depot had dogged the bolt up with an impact wrench. We ended up getting a 3/4 drive 17mm and a bigger bit of scaffold tube... I moved into workshop management after 10 years on the tools, Snap On tool box locked up and bolted to the my bench in the back of my garage. Opened the door to get the mower out one day, big space where the box was - Stolen. I was gutted. Insurance asked for details of the contents- how do you remember all the kit over the last decade.. Eventually got it priced up as a replacement. I was shocked, just under £5750 to replace like for like. As I was no longer on the tools I came to an agreement with the insurers re a settlement. Moral... keep an up to date inventory of your tools and get decent insurance..
Thanks for the shout-out, brother! Glad I could make you something for the channel, you contribute a lot to us fellow gearheads, so It's nice to be able to give something back.
I use some Harbor Freight tools. Most are just fine and they will warranty it if it has a problem. I love their extendable ratchets. I can't see spending big bucks on Snap-On and Matco etc.. Socket sets I get from Amazon. Been using Kobalt, Craftsmen, and a variety of others for 20+ years and just fine.
I love my deep metric kobalt 1/2 impact sockets I have abused them and all they have done is waller out a little so the hog ring on my m18 high torque will drop the most worn ones and my 3/8 12 point chrome set has seen some impacting as well for taking out rod bearings of a engine with a broken rod so i can use my air hammer to move the crank and move up all the spun rods off the crank so the torque converter can be removed.
Great video Josh. I too am a Caterpillar mechanic, I work on the machinery side. I would recommend to younger techs that if you are in a school/vocational program use your student discount to purchase a beginner tool set from either Snap-On or Matco. Both are good choices and as a student you get something crazy like 50-60% off list price. Harbor Freight works perfectly fine for the larger wrench sets, like 1 3/8 inch to 2 inch wrenches. Also the slimmer wrench sets for hydraulics fittings, the "martin"" style wrenches that harbor freight has are good/work well. You wont be crying/worried about the price if you have you modify one of them either.
For someone getting started, HF is a LOT better than they use to be. There are other much higher quality brands outside of HF bottom dollar stuff. HF sells Quinn and Icon. Both are major upgrades... as are Tekton and Gear Wrench.
Kind of surprised you haven't broken any sunnex impact sockets. When I started out I had craftsman tools, it's what I could afford and a sears was always close by, infact the first shop I worked at with my own tools was a Monroe and Sears front door was 100 yards away. I always got crap for having craftsman tools. Then I moved on to a diesel truck shop, those coworkers didn't care what brand you had but I needed heavy duty impact sockets and one suggested sunnex and I bought a set, I ended up breaking the 1", 3/4", 11/16", 5/8", and 9/16" deep sockets. To be honest thick chrome taiwanese sockets held up better. I replaced the sunnex with craftsman and never broke a single craftsman deep 1/2 drive impact socket. Their 3/8 drive impact sockets were a different story, they never broke with a 3/8 impact but would break with a long breaker bar. The opposite was true with 1/2 drive, the craftsman breaker bars were weaker than their sockets. At that time in the mid 90's I don't remember having harbor freight stores but there were traveling tool sales like Homeier, they sold cheap tools like Buffalo that were true garbage, though I have a few buffalo 3 jaw pullers, hub pullers, and a bearing separator that have held up for nearly 30 years. I have no snap on, Mac, or matco tools. I only ever bought 1 snap on tool and it was a swivel impact socket, it broke the second day I had it, it was really expensive and the tool truck didn't show up the next week. I walked the 100 yards to sears on my lunch break and bought a craftsman impact swivel, I still have that swivel and it gets used a lot. The snap on was returned for a refund. That one encounter showed me that tool truck brands aren't more reliable, I started noticing that everyone had a stash of broken tools waiting on the tool man to stop by, which was a tedious affair when the truck owner was seemingly always on vacation. With my craftsman stuff I would just swing by a sears after work if I broke something. I think harbor freight Icon tools are a similar deal.
A friend and I have a mechanic friend who is now retired but when he still had his shop open he had a lot of Snap-On tools, about $30K worth or more. He used to work on my old 2004 Silverado for me when I still had it and that truck quite literally showed him how over priced his Snap-On stuff was. He literally broke two of his Snap-On ratchets, three wrenches and a couple of sockets trying to get the exhaust bolts off so he could install the new catalytic converter y-pipe. Regardless of how many tools he broke in the process he said he always liked working on my truck for me. He eventually just started buying his stuff from Harbor Freight and if anything broke he got it replaced same day instead of waiting for the tool truck.
I still use most of the craftsman tools my parents bought for me when I was younger, with various snap on, MAC tools and a few other off brand tools mixed in there. I’ve upgraded my most used tools to snap on and MAC tools over time. I agree with the statement, buy what you can afford and then upgrade as your budget grows. I’ve spent many weekends, lunch hours and evenings after work work at sears, Lowes warranting tools that I’ve broken that day or week.
Harbor freight tools are great for that job when you gotta cut, chop, bend, modify a wrench to fit. You don't want to destroy a good Mac, matco, snapon.
I have 29years as a Mercedes mechanic with his own shop. I love their tools. These are excellent tools. After 2 1/2 impact gunst failed in less than 1 year from the tool truck. I bought the $49 Earthquake 1/2 impact. I still have it and it works. I consider HF over snap on. I have never broken a US General socket. Also HF has way better warranty. If you are a mechanic try the Pittsburgh pro ratchets and Icon. they are awesome. I have had a 17mm deep impact 1/2 from snap on. I have had to replace it 4 times in 25 years. the last time they refused because as an independent mechanic the tool truck refused. when i began as a mechanic i bought the colored sockets from HF. 29 years later I still have them! You can not blame your tools for your work good or bad. I like my Capri wrenches more than my s/o. My snap on ratchet comfort grip broke the first week when the grip slipped off. I was told that part is not under warranty. back in 97 that was 165$ waste of money. My snap on tool box was band new. the paint would wipe off with a rag. no warranty. Looked like crap after 6mo. I now have the Gen 2 US GENERAL 72 tool box and love it. The quality of tools from Taiwan are second to none now. If you are unsure I suggest you buy an Icon or Pittsburgh pro socket set and their flex head comfort grip ratchet. try their inexpensive 1/2 impact earthquake red aluminum gun. I am an older guy. Do not know how to use my i phone. I am about to retire at 54yo. I have worked on the hardest cars made. If you have a question about HF tools let me know and I will give you my advice. Also when it comes to glove. get DIamond grip. No other gloves compare.
Thank you for the shout out Josh. Perfect timing DOTW with the antidotes. Your commentary makes me laugh every time. Very helpful video and straight advice. Cheers Josh. Happy wrenching. 👊💪👍🔩🪛🔧🧰
Josh, I do agree. I like the icon. And yes, I have snap-on , Mac, Matco, Craftsman, SK, Williams, most of my specialty tools are the tool truck brands. There, earthquake air tools are very good. Just my opinion.
The main advantage snap on has is you can pay in installments, in the UK and Europe there are some brands that are equal to snap on. Things to always get the best you can are torque wrenches and cordless. Some snap on dealers are a pain when you have problems. Snap on is good but not worth the premium prices in my view.
I also use the Harbor Freight tool boxes. I have 5 of them and they work just fine. As long as you take care of your stuff and don't let others mess with it it will hold up.
I do use all of mine daily. My big roll around I have had for probably 5 years and no issues. I can no longer roll it around due to how many tools are in it and I added side cabinets and a locker on it(that was not made for it but I made it work). My smaller roll around is 1.5 years old and I use it daily very much and no issues. I am thinking about buying either the ICON or the large US General but not sure yet. My other two roll arounds I have one for electrical and the other for A/C. Then one at home that does not get used that often. @@everyoneinhere
I'm a retired heavy equipment mechanic turned owner operator trucker. I have a"road box" full of harbor freight tools. My snap-on stays home safe and sound. If I happen to lose one, not a big deal.
I'm an OTR car hauler. I have a tool bag full of harbor freight tools. I have never had an issue with them. The craftsman trade stack bag holds a huge amount of tools and keeps them organized. The best part is that it fits in the side box of my 379 no issues.
Started at my local cat dealer a year ago from the bottom now an apprentice. I have never stepped on a tool truck. I probably have 90% of my hand tools through tekton. I try to buy a lot of the "cheap" usa tools. Only get knipex for pliers, aircat or HF chief for air tools. Icon is the exact same as matco, mac, and Cornwell with all their rebrands now.
If you can afford top tier tools especially as a professional completely understand buying them. They have advantages as they are usually best* quality but definitely don't mortgage your life to own them. I know mechanics that get by very well with using majority of non truck brand hand tools. Most Taiwan made hand tools are very good quality imo. As for power tools if it's used often stick to brand names if you can.
9+ years working on heavy equipment semis dump trucks big water pumps etc 75% of my hand tools come from harbor freight till this day I haven't busted any sockets even using all my milwaukee power tools
I'd be great for you to cover the "mid range" for new mechanics or more serious hobbyists. Gearwrench, Tekton, Proto, etc. I tend to gravitate towards these as I don't really have a great line to a tool truck (nor do I want to pay the premium!) but use my tools enough that the bargain basement stuff breaks or wears out. I'm Canadian so our Harbour Freight equivalent is Princess Auto (Canadian Tire is ~1 tier above), and the stuff there is a real mixed bag.
Princess Auto pricing has gone way up over the years. However, so has the quality. I remember a fellow mechanic buying a cheap wrench set from them almost 20 years ago and the wrenches were so cheap almost all of them broke on the first use. Cheap pot metal made in the shape of a wrench was all they were. However I still have a 3/4" impact socket set I got 1/2 off for $20.00 that I still use to this day. I checked a couple years ago and the 3/4" sockets sets they sell now are like $150.00. So, it really depends on the tool.
The ones you listed are the ones you want. I like the tekton because if you brake it just send them a pic and they send a new one. Don’t need to get on the tool unless you like debit. 15 years working on aircraft 20 on heavy equipment and I have hardly any tool truck tools.
I find gearwrench to be a good value price/performance in most sizes. They make quite good ratchets and sockets. Nice ratcheting wrenches and fixed wrenches that are not too thick. I do have some harbor, freight tools, the tools that I pick up from there are tools that are fairly unique to them… Huge 24 inch crescent wrenches, really, large box end wrenches and breaker bars. Sure you can get a really big breaker bar from snap on but you’ll pay so much money for it and it doesn’t do anything that one from Harbor freight won’t do. They also make pretty decent prybars And a perfectly serviceable sledgehammer or deadblow hammer, brass punches, slide hammer, and a number of other things. One rule that I have when it comes to Harbor freight. If I’m only going to need it once or twice and probably never again then I’ll probably buy it from them but if it’s some thing that I’m going to be needing all the time then I’ll probably look for a better one… I generally can figure out what it is that they’ve copied and if the original unit is within 25% more than sometimes it’s just better to get that. One thing they make a particularly good copy of though for a good price is there a three drawer tool cart. I have four of them now, they sell the accessories for them to hold a box of gloves, and a roll of shop towels, and a tray of spray cleaner and inside the drawer, there’s a place to put all your screwdrivers… it really is a great rolling cart to pull out beside what you’re working on. It’s not going to be your only cart, but it’s a good shop cart. I bought one for the shop and one for my shop at home plus one for the garage and one to give to my dad for his shop. They’re just priced to competitively not to jump on.
I miss USA made craftsmans. It was the best option for us back yard mechanics. Craftsman pro were really good quality, especially the screw drivers. One of my favorite tools is a 3/8th drive flex head USA made craftsman ratchet that’s gotta be over 15 years old now and still going strong. I’m buying alot more icon from HF and klutch from northern. They’re good quality and have lifetime warranties.
I’m a Milwaukee tools guy and the only truck I normally buy off of is Cornwell. I have Harbor Freight large wrenches but that’s about it. I’m a heavy equipment diesel mechanic. Honestly I bypass the tool trucks most of the time and order directly from Amazon. The best thing about a tool truck is I can make payments on bigger tool purchases that I don’t want to spend a grand or two right out of pocket. I think harbor freight is great for DIY guys and home use. If you’re in the industry I think you’re better off in the long haul with higher quality tools. I’ve been on service calls hours from the closest tool store and I’d be pissed if a cheap tool I owned broke and prevented me from repairing a piece of equipment. When you’re on a service call in the middle of nowhere, you want tools you can depend on.
I have a mix of Harbor Freight Snap-on Matco Craftsman stuff I've been collecting since I was 17. But you talked about traveling with tools, considering crime the way it is these days I think I'd rather bring the cheap stuff with me so if it gets boosted no big deal.
Josh, it's been a while since you were in the Truck shop here in Vegas. glad to see you are doing well for yourself. I figured I would toss in my 2 cents for your viewers. 25 years ago, before I knew any better about tools and just started getting in to restoring cars. I bought a set of Pittsburg wrenches from harbor freight; I was replacing on a fan clutch on a early 80s Camaro. because the sloppy fit and finish on the wrench, it rounded off the bolt and caused the wrench to slip and jammed my hand in between the cheap aluminum flex fan and radiator. the cheap HF wrench punched in to the radiator, and the hand went into the flex fan and sliced open my mechanic's glove and sliced open my hand. I ended up with about dozen stitches, but had I not been wearing gloves, I would have lost my pinky finger. By the time I paid the bill from quick care for the stitches and paid to re-core the radiator, I could have bought a full set of snap on wrenches. thankfully is was a car i was restoring and not my daily driver. but had I been a pro mechanic in a shop, and that was a customers car, the shop would have been out money for the radiator, plus a worker's comp claim for the injury, plus the time for another mechanic to finish the job while I was getting stitched up. and any time off I would have needed for my had to recover. I am not against Harbor Freight; I just will never use any of their bottom-line tools ever again. and as you mentioned the Icon Line is very good, I prefer Tekton as my new go to tool brand for Hand tool. however, I do not like the no-slip jaws on some the Icon wrench's, they chew up fasteners. I restore old cars as a hobby, and a lot of them use special fasteners on them, and a lot of the time you cannot replace them if you tear it up. I love my set of Tekton wrenches the finish is fantastic, and the fit around the bolt head is incredible and not all loose or sloppy like the HF Pittsburg line. and Tekton has the best warranty I know. you break it, you take a picture of it and send it to them, and they will overnight you another one. doesn't matter if you bought it or if you found it on the side of the road. if it has their name on it, they will replace it. I have never had to use it, but I have heard nothing but good things about Tekton's customer service. if I was new mechanic just starting out, Tekton would be the brand I started with until I could afford to add Snap-On/Matco/MAC/Proto stuff to my toolbox. I also have a love for Proto's Industrial tools. I have a full set of 3/8 and 1/2 Proto Sockets from the 1970s, they are the best set of sockets I own. as far as creepers go, I have on from Big Red that had the Hot Rod Magazine cobranding. I have had them since the early 2000s. they still works great.
One of the plus’s of Snap On is the fact that you can wear out a tool you can break it, and Snap On will replace it without question, done it many times in the last 45 years, I also have inexpensive tools for various reasons, for some reason people like to ask mechanics what tool brand they should buy ,I guess ultimately we / they really want good tools, many years ago I was changing a starter on 3126, cat ,don’t quote me on the engine size it’s been years ago, they use a 10mm 12 point bolt and it’s very difficult to get in there ,so fortunately my Snap On dealer showed up that afternoon and he had a 10 mm 12 point universal socket in 3/8 Drive, I had called a couple of parts houses in town to see if anybody had one and nobody showed that particular universal socket available , I think I’ve only used that socket two or three times ,but without it, it would’ve been very difficult to get that one bolt out. So when you’re bragging about the price of your import tools ,just remember they don’t make everything and they don’t make a lot of special tools or pullers.
I know the exact bolt you're talking about I was on a road service I needed the 10 mm universal. I found a Snap-On truck I was able to purchase one and get the job done. Only to find out when I got back to the shop I had one in my box. Oh well no I have an extra
I appreciate your view that you bought inexpensive and “upgraded”. Some people buy Snap on and swear that is the only and best. They claim to buy them because of the warranty. Spending $1000 on a set of wrenches, they better not break. I think some people abuse their tools and are suckers for spending that kind of money. $100 per wrench is asinine in my opinion. I have Wright and Williams that each set was $220ish. They do the same thing a Snap on set will do. They are USA made and have a lifetime warranty. I think there is a lot of Koolaid being consumed to justify the price. Just my opinion. My father was a lifetime mechanic and had tool truck stuff. But that was in a time before other good options were readily available. We live in a wonderful time where great tools are available off the truck.
I turned wrenches for over 30 years. I have a complete set of snap on tools, I have other makes also. I have one set that I use if I go to a friend’s house, that set is mostly Icon. It has a set on Mac wrenches & 3/8 sockets. I’ve had the Mac set since 1974! They have never broke or bent. I agree with his thoughts on the Harbor Freight tools, & buying a good quality used set. The good quality set will last you a lifetime.
All my sockets and spanners (wrenches) are Bahco, except for a tight access set of Bosch, which I actually have 4 identical sets. But I also only deal with metric.
When I started we had the hard wood creepers with the steel corners and wheels. I still have one or two and at times we would use one to truck an engine across the shop. It would work great until a wheel caught a pock mark in the floor. One of the best ratchets I had was a Champion Spark Plug ratchet. They used to sell a small kit for changing plugs when they could be accessed easily. It looked like a New Britten tool and was a fine tooth.
I've broken and lost every brand of tool. Except my first Pittsburgh 1/2 drive deep impact socket set. I did break the 1 1/8 after 19 years of hard use. It definitely hurts a lot less to loose less expensive tools. I also find it amazing how I was able to purchase snap-on matco and whatever else when I was making $12/ hour. Now all these years later I can't afford to set foot on the truck.
I have owned and used a bunch of Harbor Freight tools over the years. I have split one deep-well 1/2” drive socket - I believe it was a 15/16” size. It was the black impact socket too. I have been generally satisfied with most tools i have purchased there. Now... my homeboy R2 is a man of means and he has a bunch of Snap-On tools. He handed me a box end wrench the other day and I just held it in my hand and stared at it. It was an absolute work of art. So for professionals - the big-name tools make sense. For shadetree guys - Harbor Freight might be the sensible choice.
From a carpenter’s perspective I agree. Wrenches, wire brushes, clamps, etc. Get all your electric tools from the name brands but harbor freight does have some deals for new guys.
I agree with you . I am a full time diesel tech in the marine industry . I prefer snap on ,Matco, Mac, Cromwell ,blue point OTC and Lisle over other tools . Screw driver tips , wrenches and sockets are the best . I buy Snap on . Harbor freight is worth the price if you get one use out of the tool it pays for itself . I give tools the tough test daily . Saltwater really makes things worse . I can tell you for sure first hand , snap on is the best !
You can break any tool if you try hard enough. But as a general rule of thumb, made in the US breaks less often. I've been hurt using cheaper tools and I've seen others get hurt using cheaper tools. So since I do this for a living myself, I have over the years upgraded to good quality tools. My body thanks me every morning. You have to be careful with mac and matco nowadays because so much of their Tools are from overseas And they still want to charge tool truck price for cheap tools so you have to be careful.
Josh summed it up pretty well, if you are a diy or hobbyist, there is nothing wrong with HF, and as a company they have helped make a lot of tools that were out of reach for a lot of folks financially something viable. If i had to rely on them to make a living, HF tools would be a fine stepping stone to get you to where you needed to be to phase them out for some higher quality legacy brands. People point out that HF has the same warranty on their hands tools, but unless your shop is right next to the store, that isnt that helpful. If every time you broke a specific socket you needed for a job, you had to drive across town to replace tbe thing, you have a lot less billable hours for the day vs having spent more on a set, but having it be more robust and reliable. That all adds up over time.
I’ve got all Clarke gear (uk, same as harbour freight) I earn just as much as the snap on tooltarts that I work with. Except I have more money to spend on my family/life. I’d one breaks I’ll just buy another. Snap on is a ripoff
Unless that one that breaks stops you from doing the job that makes you money. Or, some junk socket rounds a bolt/nut and now you’ve lost time having to get a rounded bolt off. You can obviously have problems with expensive stuff too, but the bottom level stuff is not worth it in a professional setting. The icon stuff is typically much better and worth it, but is also a higher price. Now the “high” end harbor freight stuff is about the cost of mid grade name brand. Generally the high end name brand stuff is way overpriced. Most of the premium is paying for the truck to come to the shop.
I don’t even have to buy another if one breaks, just bring it in for a lifetime warranty replacement (hand tools, they’re the only things I buy from the fright)
I have the HF boxes and tool carts and they work well and do what they should. Had them for years, moved shops, moved across the country, still work good. The tools are hit or miss from icon to Pittsburgh. I bought the icon metric ratcheting wrenches and three different sizes started rounding off bolts on the open end size so I stopped using them. Pittsburgh dead blow hammers are junk and will break with little use. Generally the sockets are decent. The different size adapters will break pretty fast. Icon hammers and wrenches seem pretty decent but the couple I have I don’t use day to day. What people forget about is the small details. Snap on ratchets are usually a smaller head so they can reach into tighter areas and they weigh less because they are made from higher quality materials. Look at a Pittsburgh swivel head socket and compare it to the size of snap on. The Pitt is WAY thicker which limits where you can use it. Also figure the wear and tear on your body. You are using more energy if every socket and tool you have weighs more. When you turn wrenches for a living, it adds up.
For my toolbox at the shop I have mostly snap on Mac and Cornwell tools because I like quality tools and there are bolts you can get out with good tools that cheap ones will round over. But what I do like harbor freight for is I stock each of my vehicles with metric and sae wrenches and sockets a couple ratchets and some screwdrivers. It’s amazing what those cheap tools can get you out of in a pinch. Plus there is no great fear of them getting lost or stolen
I have the icon 73 inch tool box with the hutch. It holds all the big and used less often stuff and sets that are in boxes like specialty sockets tap and die set coolant filler and pressure tester. It is awesome for that and it stays in one spot. Everyone I work with was impressed with it when I got it. I work out of a slide top Snapon cart, I would have considered an icon if they made one with a slide top instead of the lid. Always remember though life time warranty is lifetime warranty.
when i started, after the craftsman, made in usa,( with killer warranty), ibought tools of the tool trucks that came weekky to the shop (snapon, matco etc) because they were available and payment terms were easy, there were very few weeks that i didnt get something. If i needed a large wrench, meaning 1- 1/4 and up i would go to wholesale tool and save a bunch of money, lately i have been buying braun battery drills and such and have been pleasantly surprised ( consider myself a milwaukee guy,) but when they started making stuff in china, and still charged usa prices I decided to give hf a shot, their drills impacts etc have been as good as milwaukee. I suggest you get a few of the tools and try them, do a comparison, thx
I started with Harbor freight. It is nice when you’re getting into the trade. I started switching out my harbor freight tool with snap on and Mac . So now some of my harbor freight stuff . I use for my home set
I had been told by some wiser mechanics. After I had been one for 5 years or so. Buy name brand if you use it every day. But you can go cheap, if it’s something you are only going to use, once in a while. Then as time goes on. Replace those cheaper tools, with better ones. And it was great advice. I started wrenching in 98. So it has payed off
In the early 80s, i had tools called mini max, USA, made in Japan under license, was working in Australia in sugar cane industry, best tools i ever owned, unconditional warranty on all
If you are making a living with tools, you need to be buying the best in most cases. I second you on that. But if you are wrenching on your own stuff at home, including lawn and snow equipment, HF tools are just fine. I think a lot of people still think about HF as "pure garbage". And yes, they did kind of create that reputation for themselves up until about 10-12 years ago. But as of today, some HF brands are equalling or beating Big Box Store brands, and even challenging Top-Line brands. Great vid, and thank you.
I work in an industrial setting, a lot of guys will buy cheaper sets. There is no tool truck showing up each week. As the most commonly used items start to break, people generally buy good quality singles of said item. I still have a handful of HF items, but the majority of my tools are Proto, Wright, Williams, SK, etc. now. Mostly purchased off of eBay used, some bought new when a deal showed up. I still break stuff, just a little more rare now.
Im 21 years young and during the summer i run equipment, and during the winter months, im in the shop doing maintenance and fixing that same equipment, and i have a mixed variety of brands, with 1 Snap on item, a little pocket screwdriver that i found in a machine we bought. I have a Craftsmen socket set with a Gearwrench 3/8 ratchet cause i kept breaking the Craftsman one, Gearwrench ratcheting wrenches, Pittsburgh extendable 1/2in ratchet which i love and abuse, Dewalt power tools, Craftsmen impact driver as my 3/8 impact, random screwdrivers and other tools, numerous pry bars/chisels made from Cat bolts Snap On guy comes every friday and i went on it once in my 3 years of working for this company.
Most of my tools are Facom, but I also have off brand/white label just to misuse (cut of and weld a long bar to it) or just to have a second of it when I need one.
Interesting video. Of all the brands of sockets I own, the only ones that have ever broken on me are Snapon. Glad they have a lifetime warranty, which they seem to honor, question free. Tekton is a great budget friendly brand with a great warranty. Just my 2 cents.
I generally buy snap on when I can, BUT I do have a set of ICON 1/4 & 3/8 torx sockets. Tore up a T27 friday, warrentied it today at my local HF. Easy peazy no questions asked. I was in and out in 5 minutes. My Snap on guy comes on thursdays and id bet it would be a 50% chance he would even have a T27 on the truck. So if I was trying to warrenty a Snappy socket I could have potentially waited a couple weeks. That scenerio there is why I like ICON or Pittsburgh for certain things. But if we’re talking wrenches, ratchets, screw drivers, impact swivels, pliers…Snap on are well worth the money.
I was helping someone do brakes, one of the lug nuts was too tight - I snapped a brand new Craftsman socket and right after, my buddy snapped his Snap On socket on the same lug nut - with just that, I'd say buy the best you can afford and always get a warranty lol
I spent many years doing custom chopping and manure pumping, didnt have a whole lot of time to get to the store and buy tools…but the snap on truck never failed to show up when we had a small break in the madness. My dealer would give you the shirt off his back. Never hesitated to warranty any tool that broke, hell he would even drive out of his way to replace or repair a broken tool…and when he wasn’t able to make it to us he would send one of his employees out to the jobsite or the shop to replace the broken tool. He made buying snap on tools easy, yea they’re spendy, but you dont get service like that out of harbor freight. Harbor freight does make a good tool with all that being said, I simply prefer to buy and use snap-on!
Cheap tools have their place. I wouldn't want to be a heavy truck mechanic with a box full of chinesium, but more homeowners/backyarders would have no problem using them. My set consists of mostly 40yr old+ Craftsman, which are far better quality than current Craftsman, a small bit of snap on and a brand called Mastercraft, a store brand here in Canada. It's more important not to abuse the tools you have and if they are cheap really don't abuse them. Great info and content!
My son buys so much stuff from there he should have stock in the place. LOL. For a person that needs tools for home or is just starting out. Harbor freight is fine.
I buy harbour freight specialist tools , pullers , slide hammers ,adaptors for suspension repairs etc these types of tools are very expensive to purchase and don't get used very often had pretty good service from them.
In my opinion, starting out I think HF is perfectly fine, especially if you have a store you can warranty your stuff near by. However once you break something or find it isn't really doing well at what you need it for that's when id upgrade
I have Hazard Fart wrenches 1-3/8" to 2-1/2" just because I didn't want to refinance my house to buy Snap Ons. I also have a stubby 1/2" impact that I picked up over a weekend when I really needed sometihng and couldn't wait for the tool truck to come around. It's actually held up really well and it suprisingly powerful for its size and price.
My rule has always been stay away from anything electrical from HF. When it comes to hand tools HF is great for tools to modify or loose. I agree i buy cheap and upgrade anything i break on use a TON.
I would have to agree with you. With that said I’ve got some really old HF impact sockets (20+ years) and I don’t remember breaking any. They rarely get used anymore since I’ve had all snap on for probably more than 15 years. But I did have an almost new snap on 15/16” deep 1/2” drive impact break right down the middle from a Milwaukee high torque. No problems since it was replaced though
And a field mechanic will carry doubles of some things. 3/8 impact swivels. 16 and 18mm on newer Cat, 9/16 and 3/4 for older stuff. The biggest time saver for me is a 3/8 cordless ratchet. Doesn't have to be real strong, therefore won't bust your knuckles. Definitely need to carry some 12pt sockets and spare T27 and 4mm allen wrenches
Generally I say as long as you dont get the cheapest offering HF has, its a decent tool. I have one of their Icon 1/4 flex head ratchets because about yearly I have to get my Snapon one rebuilt. After getting the snapon rebuilt for the 3rd time, I started using the HF primarily and it hasnt failed yet after a couple years of continuous use.
Im all for snap on tools i have a lot of them but i think snap on sockets and wrenches are a complete waste of money I've used lots of impact sockets that aren't snap on never had a problem i have a few snap on sockets i wish i wouldn't of bought them same with wrenches no wrench set is worth the money snap on wants buy some wright tools wrenches or if you want the best wrenches if you want good cheap wrenches you cant beat tekton, if you get them used or from a pawn shop or a bogo deal that's one thing but i wouldn't pay full price for snap on wrenches or sockets in a million years.
Snap on, MAC, and MATCO also have pretty good student programs for their tools If you're in a trade school or some sort of technical apprenticeship, you can get literally hundreds of dollars off of the list price for most tools. Its a great way to build up a collection of quality tools while not spending nearly as much as you would on the tool truck
The most important tool you need to take care of is your body. Not going into debt is just good sense for your life, except for buying a home. Tool selection is very dependent on task. I have many different brands, and all have their uses. I won't hesitate to cut or bend a cheap tool, or weld something together. Something to remember. Dropped my brand new 3/8 flex head Snap on ratchet in the belly pan of a machine. Couldn't see it. Had to drop the belly pan to find it. Don't know if i would have done that for my old craftsman ratchet. At 9pm at night, in drizzling rain.
My son has what I considered an excellent opinion on this subject. He buys a Harbor Freight tool - if he uses it enough to break it - he replaces it with a better grade tool.
I have craftsman. I like their tools, but I'm not a professional. I work on all my own cars and sometimes on other peoples cars. They've always served me well and lifetime warranty.
Bought a bunch of harbor freight stuff when I first started. 5 years later I still use most of it. A couple tools were pieces of crap, but most of it has given me way more than my money's worth.
We have a store in Canada similar to Harbor Freight. I've bought a few things there when I've need a "specialty" tool or socket that I will rarely use, but need for a task at hand. I'm a hobby mechanic so I don't really need to rely on a specific tool on a regular basis to make a living, and said tool will spend the majority of it's life sitting in a tool box.
I have been buying from harbor freight and santa fe tools. Inpac tools. Some are usable some are garbage. I like their 12 buck crowfoot flare nut wrench sets. Their 1/4" drive torx sockets as it comes with an E-4 size for gm steering column work. The icon 3/8 drive shallow sockets are a good buy. I am going to buy their 3/8 mid depth socket sets.
Since I have been in the business just a little while (43 plus years). I have some Snap - On tools that are like me, obsolete. Maybe when I retire (not long) Josh will come down and buy me out. I will put him on the FIFTY plan. Fifty dollars down, fifty dollars a week for fifty years. One of John's motto's is who makes the best? Answer nobody. Everything sooner or later will wear out or break. Purchase what you have the best luck with. So most of my stuff was new Snap-On, better longevity for me over the years. I have a Snap-On torque wrench that is 43 years old and has passed calibration test every time.
My Cornwell guy, on ceeepers, if it says Cornwell on the creeper, will warranty the thing. It is a Lisle Jeeper creeper and I actually found one abandoned at a shop I worked at. I asked him about just getting some new casters for it. Guy told me he would do the warranty thing and I have never had to pay any money for a creeper.
I worked with a guy and he said at one of the mills he worked at he was always losing snap on tools. So loaded up his box and took a old box and loaded it up with harbor freight tools and he never lost another tool
I’m a retired building equipment mechanic and have used tools from Snap-On to China crap. Overall Harbor Freight has upped there game in the past few years. Undoubtedly Snap-On etc are much higher quality tools, but as he said Do Not go into debt starting out buy what you can afford. The older Craftsman are good tools but overvalued and big and clunky. Due to tools “walking away” from my truck, I purchased a new new set of tools the Quinn and a US General tool box from Harbor Freight, so far so good. Never Buy the cheapest HF tools!! As for an impact wrench the 1/2” high torque Milwaukee is a beast don’t buy a cheap brand.
I worked 45 years as a mechanic. I Was taught to buy good tools as i could afford them a Never-ending process . Never owned hf or tools not made in the USA until two years before I retired . Bought some nice to have but not really needed stuff from hf. Turned out the hf hand tools i got worked quite well the few times i needed to use them. Hf would not be my choice as a professional, but good enough for the shade tree mechanic. Ut
One of my issues with harbor freight tools is that they keep telling you how much you can save vs. Snap On. Yes. Yes, you can. But they only compare to LIST price. I've paid list for a few items, but most of the time the rep has a deal or will give you a break on the price for being a good customer. Or you can buy them used and save even more.
I always told our younger techs to stay off the tool truck unless it’s a specialty tool you need for a job. Even at that, check pricing within the dealership. I’ve found Cat tools that were actually competitive, and in some cases cheaper than the tool trucks. Secondly, it keeps you from paying on tools. Say you move into a different role at work. I went from being a tech to being a TC. You don’t want to be paying for tools if you aren’t using them.
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Best advice given "don't go in to debt getting tools".
For the younger techs getting into the trade; there is absolutely nothing wrong with buying the bulk of your tools from harbor freight, craftsman, tekton and/or gearwrench. Hop on the tool truck from time to time but keep your bill low and manageable. Over time you will phase out some of your cheaper tools and they will be fine tools to keep at home when you need to wrench on your personal vehicle.
VERY well-said.
Agree with everything you said. Not to mention all of those brands have lifetime warranty these days. So really it all just comes down to convenience and personal preference.
Cheap tools with their loose fit and poor quality often ruin bolts by rounding them off causing you more work.
What a journeyman taught me was a tool you use every day you want quality. For something you use only now and then get harbor freight as you'll only be using it so little over its lifetime
The redhead from Mythbusters said it best when he said: If you think you need a new tool buy the cheaest, and when you break it from use, you know you need it, go buy the best you can get.
UK here, When I set out as an apprentice plant mechanic in 1969, I bought the best tools I could afford as I had to earn my living with them. I had a motto, never struggle to undo a fastener, there's a tool to do it easier. So tool kit expanded over the years, 1/2" sockets first, then 3/8" and eventually 1/4" & 3/4" drive. Never had an air impact wrench (electric ones weren't invented then) Mainly Britool, some Snap On, Stahwilli, ETC Industrial (Japanese), all served me well. Only ever broke 1 socket, 17mm undoing a wheel bolt on an Audi car, 1/2" 24" breaker bar plus bit of scaffold tube. Someone at the tyre depot had dogged the bolt up with an impact wrench. We ended up getting a 3/4 drive 17mm and a bigger bit of scaffold tube... I moved into workshop management after 10 years on the tools, Snap On tool box locked up and bolted to the my bench in the back of my garage. Opened the door to get the mower out one day, big space where the box was - Stolen. I was gutted. Insurance asked for details of the contents- how do you remember all the kit over the last decade.. Eventually got it priced up as a replacement. I was shocked, just under £5750 to replace like for like. As I was no longer on the tools I came to an agreement with the insurers re a settlement. Moral... keep an up to date inventory of your tools and get decent insurance..
Thanks for the shout-out, brother! Glad I could make you something for the channel, you contribute a lot to us fellow gearheads, so It's nice to be able to give something back.
I use some Harbor Freight tools. Most are just fine and they will warranty it if it has a problem. I love their extendable ratchets. I can't see spending big bucks on Snap-On and Matco etc.. Socket sets I get from Amazon. Been using Kobalt, Craftsmen, and a variety of others for 20+ years and just fine.
I love my deep metric kobalt 1/2 impact sockets I have abused them and all they have done is waller out a little so the hog ring on my m18 high torque will drop the most worn ones and my 3/8 12 point chrome set has seen some impacting as well for taking out rod bearings of a engine with a broken rod so i can use my air hammer to move the crank and move up all the spun rods off the crank so the torque converter can be removed.
Great video Josh. I too am a Caterpillar mechanic, I work on the machinery side. I would recommend to younger techs that if you are in a school/vocational program use your student discount to purchase a beginner tool set from either Snap-On or Matco. Both are good choices and as a student you get something crazy like 50-60% off list price. Harbor Freight works perfectly fine for the larger wrench sets, like 1 3/8 inch to 2 inch wrenches. Also the slimmer wrench sets for hydraulics fittings, the "martin"" style wrenches that harbor freight has are good/work well. You wont be crying/worried about the price if you have you modify one of them either.
For someone getting started, HF is a LOT better than they use to be. There are other much higher quality brands outside of HF bottom dollar stuff. HF sells Quinn and Icon. Both are major upgrades... as are Tekton and Gear Wrench.
Ive been in the field for 17 years. To sum up this video, they have their place! Its as simple as that.
Kind of surprised you haven't broken any sunnex impact sockets. When I started out I had craftsman tools, it's what I could afford and a sears was always close by, infact the first shop I worked at with my own tools was a Monroe and Sears front door was 100 yards away. I always got crap for having craftsman tools. Then I moved on to a diesel truck shop, those coworkers didn't care what brand you had but I needed heavy duty impact sockets and one suggested sunnex and I bought a set, I ended up breaking the 1", 3/4", 11/16", 5/8", and 9/16" deep sockets. To be honest thick chrome taiwanese sockets held up better. I replaced the sunnex with craftsman and never broke a single craftsman deep 1/2 drive impact socket. Their 3/8 drive impact sockets were a different story, they never broke with a 3/8 impact but would break with a long breaker bar. The opposite was true with 1/2 drive, the craftsman breaker bars were weaker than their sockets. At that time in the mid 90's I don't remember having harbor freight stores but there were traveling tool sales like Homeier, they sold cheap tools like Buffalo that were true garbage, though I have a few buffalo 3 jaw pullers, hub pullers, and a bearing separator that have held up for nearly 30 years. I have no snap on, Mac, or matco tools. I only ever bought 1 snap on tool and it was a swivel impact socket, it broke the second day I had it, it was really expensive and the tool truck didn't show up the next week. I walked the 100 yards to sears on my lunch break and bought a craftsman impact swivel, I still have that swivel and it gets used a lot. The snap on was returned for a refund.
That one encounter showed me that tool truck brands aren't more reliable, I started noticing that everyone had a stash of broken tools waiting on the tool man to stop by, which was a tedious affair when the truck owner was seemingly always on vacation. With my craftsman stuff I would just swing by a sears after work if I broke something.
I think harbor freight Icon tools are a similar deal.
A friend and I have a mechanic friend who is now retired but when he still had his shop open he had a lot of Snap-On tools, about $30K worth or more. He used to work on my old 2004 Silverado for me when I still had it and that truck quite literally showed him how over priced his Snap-On stuff was. He literally broke two of his Snap-On ratchets, three wrenches and a couple of sockets trying to get the exhaust bolts off so he could install the new catalytic converter y-pipe. Regardless of how many tools he broke in the process he said he always liked working on my truck for me. He eventually just started buying his stuff from Harbor Freight and if anything broke he got it replaced same day instead of waiting for the tool truck.
I still use most of the craftsman tools my parents bought for me when I was younger, with various snap on, MAC tools and a few other off brand tools mixed in there. I’ve upgraded my most used tools to snap on and MAC tools over time. I agree with the statement, buy what you can afford and then upgrade as your budget grows. I’ve spent many weekends, lunch hours and evenings after work work at sears, Lowes warranting tools that I’ve broken that day or week.
Harbor freight tools are great for that job when you gotta cut, chop, bend, modify a wrench to fit. You don't want to destroy a good Mac, matco, snapon.
bs. you can not blame your work on your tools
Harbor freight has lifetime warranty that’s the best part.
not only that. they do not mess around. you do not have to find the tool truck and hope he will warranty
I have 29years as a Mercedes mechanic with his own shop. I love their tools. These are excellent tools. After 2 1/2 impact gunst failed in less than 1 year from the tool truck. I bought the $49 Earthquake 1/2 impact. I still have it and it works. I consider HF over snap on. I have never broken a US General socket. Also HF has way better warranty. If you are a mechanic try the Pittsburgh pro ratchets and Icon. they are awesome. I have had a 17mm deep impact 1/2 from snap on. I have had to replace it 4 times in 25 years. the last time they refused because as an independent mechanic the tool truck refused. when i began as a mechanic i bought the colored sockets from HF. 29 years later I still have them! You can not blame your tools for your work good or bad. I like my Capri wrenches more than my s/o. My snap on ratchet comfort grip broke the first week when the grip slipped off. I was told that part is not under warranty. back in 97 that was 165$ waste of money. My snap on tool box was band new. the paint would wipe off with a rag. no warranty. Looked like crap after 6mo. I now have the Gen 2 US GENERAL 72 tool box and love it. The quality of tools from Taiwan are second to none now. If you are unsure I suggest you buy an Icon or Pittsburgh pro socket set and their flex head comfort grip ratchet. try their inexpensive 1/2 impact earthquake red aluminum gun. I am an older guy. Do not know how to use my i phone. I am about to retire at 54yo. I have worked on the hardest cars made. If you have a question about HF tools let me know and I will give you my advice. Also when it comes to glove. get DIamond grip. No other gloves compare.
Thank you for the shout out Josh. Perfect timing DOTW with the antidotes. Your commentary makes me laugh every time. Very helpful video and straight advice. Cheers Josh. Happy wrenching. 👊💪👍🔩🪛🔧🧰
I use harbor freight tools and for the home mechanic they are fine.
Josh, I do agree. I like the icon. And yes, I have snap-on , Mac, Matco, Craftsman, SK, Williams, most of my specialty tools are the tool truck brands. There, earthquake air tools are very good. Just my opinion.
The main advantage snap on has is you can pay in installments, in the UK and Europe there are some brands that are equal to snap on. Things to always get the best you can are torque wrenches and cordless. Some snap on dealers are a pain when you have problems. Snap on is good but not worth the premium prices in my view.
Harbor freight has a zero interest credit card and their tools don't have the interest built into the price like the trucks.
I also use the Harbor Freight tool boxes. I have 5 of them and they work just fine. As long as you take care of your stuff and don't let others mess with it it will hold up.
i love my 72 us general
yeah no.. they're fine for a home mechanic but don't plan on them for a daily repair type situation, unless you keep spares on hand.
I do use all of mine daily. My big roll around I have had for probably 5 years and no issues. I can no longer roll it around due to how many tools are in it and I added side cabinets and a locker on it(that was not made for it but I made it work). My smaller roll around is 1.5 years old and I use it daily very much and no issues. I am thinking about buying either the ICON or the large US General but not sure yet. My other two roll arounds I have one for electrical and the other for A/C. Then one at home that does not get used that often. @@everyoneinhere
I'm a retired heavy equipment mechanic turned owner operator trucker. I have a"road box" full of harbor freight tools. My snap-on stays home safe and sound. If I happen to lose one, not a big deal.
I'm an OTR car hauler. I have a tool bag full of harbor freight tools. I have never had an issue with them. The craftsman trade stack bag holds a huge amount of tools and keeps them organized. The best part is that it fits in the side box of my 379 no issues.
Started at my local cat dealer a year ago from the bottom now an apprentice. I have never stepped on a tool truck. I probably have 90% of my hand tools through tekton. I try to buy a lot of the "cheap" usa tools. Only get knipex for pliers, aircat or HF chief for air tools. Icon is the exact same as matco, mac, and Cornwell with all their rebrands now.
Tekton is great for the money. Have nice sets with no skipped sizes
If you can afford top tier tools especially as a professional completely understand buying them. They have advantages as they are usually best* quality but definitely don't mortgage your life to own them. I know mechanics that get by very well with using majority of non truck brand hand tools. Most Taiwan made hand tools are very good quality imo. As for power tools if it's used often stick to brand names if you can.
9+ years working on heavy equipment semis dump trucks big water pumps etc 75% of my hand tools come from harbor freight till this day I haven't busted any sockets even using all my milwaukee power tools
I'd be great for you to cover the "mid range" for new mechanics or more serious hobbyists. Gearwrench, Tekton, Proto, etc. I tend to gravitate towards these as I don't really have a great line to a tool truck (nor do I want to pay the premium!) but use my tools enough that the bargain basement stuff breaks or wears out. I'm Canadian so our Harbour Freight equivalent is Princess Auto (Canadian Tire is ~1 tier above), and the stuff there is a real mixed bag.
Princess Auto pricing has gone way up over the years. However, so has the quality. I remember a fellow mechanic buying a cheap wrench set from them almost 20 years ago and the wrenches were so cheap almost all of them broke on the first use. Cheap pot metal made in the shape of a wrench was all they were. However I still have a 3/4" impact socket set I got 1/2 off for $20.00 that I still use to this day. I checked a couple years ago and the 3/4" sockets sets they sell now are like $150.00. So, it really depends on the tool.
The ones you listed are the ones you want. I like the tekton because if you brake it just send them a pic and they send a new one. Don’t need to get on the tool unless you like debit. 15 years working on aircraft 20 on heavy equipment and I have hardly any tool truck tools.
I find gearwrench to be a good value price/performance in most sizes. They make quite good ratchets and sockets. Nice ratcheting wrenches and fixed wrenches that are not too thick.
I do have some harbor, freight tools, the tools that I pick up from there are tools that are fairly unique to them… Huge 24 inch crescent wrenches, really, large box end wrenches and breaker bars. Sure you can get a really big breaker bar from snap on but you’ll pay so much money for it and it doesn’t do anything that one from Harbor freight won’t do. They also make pretty decent prybars And a perfectly serviceable sledgehammer or deadblow hammer, brass punches, slide hammer, and a number of other things.
One rule that I have when it comes to Harbor freight. If I’m only going to need it once or twice and probably never again then I’ll probably buy it from them but if it’s some thing that I’m going to be needing all the time then I’ll probably look for a better one… I generally can figure out what it is that they’ve copied and if the original unit is within 25% more than sometimes it’s just better to get that.
One thing they make a particularly good copy of though for a good price is there a three drawer tool cart. I have four of them now, they sell the accessories for them to hold a box of gloves, and a roll of shop towels, and a tray of spray cleaner and inside the drawer, there’s a place to put all your screwdrivers… it really is a great rolling cart to pull out beside what you’re working on. It’s not going to be your only cart, but it’s a good shop cart. I bought one for the shop and one for my shop at home plus one for the garage and one to give to my dad for his shop. They’re just priced to competitively not to jump on.
I miss USA made craftsmans. It was the best option for us back yard mechanics. Craftsman pro were really good quality, especially the screw drivers. One of my favorite tools is a 3/8th drive flex head USA made craftsman ratchet that’s gotta be over 15 years old now and still going strong.
I’m buying alot more icon from HF and klutch from northern. They’re good quality and have lifetime warranties.
I’m a Milwaukee tools guy and the only truck I normally buy off of is Cornwell. I have Harbor Freight large wrenches but that’s about it. I’m a heavy equipment diesel mechanic. Honestly I bypass the tool trucks most of the time and order directly from Amazon. The best thing about a tool truck is I can make payments on bigger tool purchases that I don’t want to spend a grand or two right out of pocket. I think harbor freight is great for DIY guys and home use. If you’re in the industry I think you’re better off in the long haul with higher quality tools. I’ve been on service calls hours from the closest tool store and I’d be pissed if a cheap tool I owned broke and prevented me from repairing a piece of equipment. When you’re on a service call in the middle of nowhere, you want tools you can depend on.
I have a mix of Harbor Freight Snap-on Matco Craftsman stuff I've been collecting since I was 17. But you talked about traveling with tools, considering crime the way it is these days I think I'd rather bring the cheap stuff with me so if it gets boosted no big deal.
Josh, it's been a while since you were in the Truck shop here in Vegas. glad to see you are doing well for yourself. I figured I would toss in my 2 cents for your viewers. 25 years ago, before I knew any better about tools and just started getting in to restoring cars. I bought a set of Pittsburg wrenches from harbor freight; I was replacing on a fan clutch on a early 80s Camaro. because the sloppy fit and finish on the wrench, it rounded off the bolt and caused the wrench to slip and jammed my hand in between the cheap aluminum flex fan and radiator. the cheap HF wrench punched in to the radiator, and the hand went into the flex fan and sliced open my mechanic's glove and sliced open my hand. I ended up with about dozen stitches, but had I not been wearing gloves, I would have lost my pinky finger. By the time I paid the bill from quick care for the stitches and paid to re-core the radiator, I could have bought a full set of snap on wrenches. thankfully is was a car i was restoring and not my daily driver. but had I been a pro mechanic in a shop, and that was a customers car, the shop would have been out money for the radiator, plus a worker's comp claim for the injury, plus the time for another mechanic to finish the job while I was getting stitched up. and any time off I would have needed for my had to recover. I am not against Harbor Freight; I just will never use any of their bottom-line tools ever again. and as you mentioned the Icon Line is very good, I prefer Tekton as my new go to tool brand for Hand tool. however, I do not like the no-slip jaws on some the Icon wrench's, they chew up fasteners. I restore old cars as a hobby, and a lot of them use special fasteners on them, and a lot of the time you cannot replace them if you tear it up. I love my set of Tekton wrenches the finish is fantastic, and the fit around the bolt head is incredible and not all loose or sloppy like the HF Pittsburg line. and Tekton has the best warranty I know. you break it, you take a picture of it and send it to them, and they will overnight you another one. doesn't matter if you bought it or if you found it on the side of the road. if it has their name on it, they will replace it. I have never had to use it, but I have heard nothing but good things about Tekton's customer service. if I was new mechanic just starting out, Tekton would be the brand I started with until I could afford to add Snap-On/Matco/MAC/Proto stuff to my toolbox. I also have a love for Proto's Industrial tools. I have a full set of 3/8 and 1/2 Proto Sockets from the 1970s, they are the best set of sockets I own. as far as creepers go, I have on from Big Red that had the Hot Rod Magazine cobranding. I have had them since the early 2000s. they still works great.
One of the plus’s of Snap On is the fact that you can wear out a tool you can break it, and Snap On will replace it without question, done it many times in the last 45 years, I also have inexpensive tools for various reasons, for some reason people like to ask mechanics what tool brand they should buy ,I guess ultimately we / they really want good tools, many years ago I was changing a starter on 3126, cat ,don’t quote me on the engine size it’s been years ago, they use a 10mm 12 point bolt and it’s very difficult to get in there ,so fortunately my Snap On dealer showed up that afternoon and he had a 10 mm 12 point universal socket in 3/8 Drive, I had called a couple of parts houses in town to see if anybody had one and nobody showed that particular universal socket available , I think I’ve only used that socket two or three times ,but without it, it would’ve been very difficult to get that one bolt out. So when you’re bragging about the price of your import tools ,just remember they don’t make everything and they don’t make a lot of special tools or pullers.
I know the exact bolt you're talking about I was on a road service I needed the 10 mm universal. I found a Snap-On truck I was able to purchase one and get the job done. Only to find out when I got back to the shop I had one in my box. Oh well no I have an extra
You have already paid for the replacement tools up front. Feeding the dog with its own tail.
I appreciate your view that you bought inexpensive and “upgraded”. Some people buy Snap on and swear that is the only and best. They claim to buy them because of the warranty. Spending $1000 on a set of wrenches, they better not break. I think some people abuse their tools and are suckers for spending that kind of money. $100 per wrench is asinine in my opinion. I have Wright and Williams that each set was $220ish. They do the same thing a Snap on set will do. They are USA made and have a lifetime warranty. I think there is a lot of Koolaid being consumed to justify the price. Just my opinion. My father was a lifetime mechanic and had tool truck stuff. But that was in a time before other good options were readily available. We live in a wonderful time where great tools are available off the truck.
I turned wrenches for over 30 years. I have a complete set of snap on tools, I have other makes also. I have one set that I use if I go to a friend’s house, that set is mostly Icon. It has a set on Mac wrenches & 3/8 sockets. I’ve had the Mac set since 1974! They have never broke or bent.
I agree with his thoughts on the Harbor Freight tools, & buying a good quality used set. The good quality set will last you a lifetime.
All my sockets and spanners (wrenches) are Bahco, except for a tight access set of Bosch, which I actually have 4 identical sets. But I also only deal with metric.
When I started we had the hard wood creepers with the steel corners and wheels. I still have one or two and at times we would use one to truck an engine across the shop. It would work great until a wheel caught a pock mark in the floor. One of the best ratchets I had was a Champion Spark Plug ratchet. They used to sell a small kit for changing plugs when they could be accessed easily. It looked like a New Britten tool and was a fine tooth.
Those creepers were great for the wheel spinning around and pinching a finger between the sharp wheel and the creeper
I've broken and lost every brand of tool. Except my first Pittsburgh 1/2 drive deep impact socket set. I did break the 1 1/8 after 19 years of hard use. It definitely hurts a lot less to loose less expensive tools. I also find it amazing how I was able to purchase snap-on matco and whatever else when I was making $12/ hour. Now all these years later I can't afford to set foot on the truck.
I have owned and used a bunch of Harbor Freight tools over the years. I have split one deep-well 1/2” drive socket - I believe it was a 15/16” size. It was the black impact socket too. I have been generally satisfied with most tools i have purchased there. Now... my homeboy R2 is a man of means and he has a bunch of Snap-On tools. He handed me a box end wrench the other day and I just held it in my hand and stared at it. It was an absolute work of art. So for professionals - the big-name tools make sense. For shadetree guys - Harbor Freight might be the sensible choice.
From a carpenter’s perspective I agree. Wrenches, wire brushes, clamps, etc. Get all your electric tools from the name brands but harbor freight does have some deals for new guys.
I agree with you .
I am a full time diesel tech in the marine industry .
I prefer snap on ,Matco, Mac, Cromwell ,blue point OTC and Lisle over other tools . Screw driver tips , wrenches and sockets are the best . I buy Snap on . Harbor freight is worth the price if you get one use out of the tool it pays for itself .
I give tools the tough test daily . Saltwater really makes things worse . I can tell you for sure first hand , snap on is the best !
I went through 2 HF creepers before I broke down and bought a The Bone and no more creeper problems.
You can break any tool if you try hard enough. But as a general rule of thumb, made in the US breaks less often. I've been hurt using cheaper tools and I've seen others get hurt using cheaper tools. So since I do this for a living myself, I have over the years upgraded to good quality tools. My body thanks me every morning. You have to be careful with mac and matco nowadays because so much of their Tools are from overseas And they still want to charge tool truck price for cheap tools so you have to be careful.
made in the usa does not break less often
Josh summed it up pretty well, if you are a diy or hobbyist, there is nothing wrong with HF, and as a company they have helped make a lot of tools that were out of reach for a lot of folks financially something viable. If i had to rely on them to make a living, HF tools would be a fine stepping stone to get you to where you needed to be to phase them out for some higher quality legacy brands. People point out that HF has the same warranty on their hands tools, but unless your shop is right next to the store, that isnt that helpful. If every time you broke a specific socket you needed for a job, you had to drive across town to replace tbe thing, you have a lot less billable hours for the day vs having spent more on a set, but having it be more robust and reliable. That all adds up over time.
I’ve got all Clarke gear (uk, same as harbour freight) I earn just as much as the snap on tooltarts that I work with. Except I have more money to spend on my family/life. I’d one breaks I’ll just buy another. Snap on is a ripoff
I agree except for the snap on ratchets they are above and beyond anything else
Unless that one that breaks stops you from doing the job that makes you money. Or, some junk socket rounds a bolt/nut and now you’ve lost time having to get a rounded bolt off.
You can obviously have problems with expensive stuff too, but the bottom level stuff is not worth it in a professional setting.
The icon stuff is typically much better and worth it, but is also a higher price. Now the “high” end harbor freight stuff is about the cost of mid grade name brand.
Generally the high end name brand stuff is way overpriced. Most of the premium is paying for the truck to come to the shop.
I don’t even have to buy another if one breaks, just bring it in for a lifetime warranty replacement (hand tools, they’re the only things I buy from the fright)
You nailed it!👍👍
Harbor freight offers lifetime no questions asked warranty here.
I have the HF boxes and tool carts and they work well and do what they should. Had them for years, moved shops, moved across the country, still work good. The tools are hit or miss from icon to Pittsburgh. I bought the icon metric ratcheting wrenches and three different sizes started rounding off bolts on the open end size so I stopped using them. Pittsburgh dead blow hammers are junk and will break with little use. Generally the sockets are decent. The different size adapters will break pretty fast. Icon hammers and wrenches seem pretty decent but the couple I have I don’t use day to day.
What people forget about is the small details. Snap on ratchets are usually a smaller head so they can reach into tighter areas and they weigh less because they are made from higher quality materials. Look at a Pittsburgh swivel head socket and compare it to the size of snap on. The Pitt is WAY thicker which limits where you can use it. Also figure the wear and tear on your body. You are using more energy if every socket and tool you have weighs more. When you turn wrenches for a living, it adds up.
For my toolbox at the shop I have mostly snap on Mac and Cornwell tools because I like quality tools and there are bolts you can get out with good tools that cheap ones will round over. But what I do like harbor freight for is I stock each of my vehicles with metric and sae wrenches and sockets a couple ratchets and some screwdrivers. It’s amazing what those cheap tools can get you out of in a pinch. Plus there is no great fear of them getting lost or stolen
Wrenches, sockets and ratches would be the last thing I would buy from Snap-On, Matco or Mac Tools.👍👍
Thank you for your videos.
I bought a Harbor Freight Vulcan Omnipro 220 welder and I think its awesome. Got a great deal on it too.
I have the icon 73 inch tool box with the hutch. It holds all the big and used less often stuff and sets that are in boxes like specialty sockets tap and die set coolant filler and pressure tester. It is awesome for that and it stays in one spot. Everyone I work with was impressed with it when I got it. I work out of a slide top Snapon cart, I would have considered an icon if they made one with a slide top instead of the lid. Always remember though life time warranty is lifetime warranty.
when i started, after the craftsman, made in usa,( with killer warranty), ibought tools of the tool trucks that came weekky to the shop (snapon, matco etc) because they were available and payment terms were easy, there were very few weeks that i didnt get something. If i needed a large wrench, meaning 1- 1/4 and up i would go to wholesale tool and save a bunch of money, lately i have been buying braun battery drills and such and have been pleasantly surprised ( consider myself a milwaukee guy,) but when they started making stuff in china, and still charged usa prices I decided to give hf a shot, their drills impacts etc have been as good as milwaukee. I suggest you get a few of the tools and try them, do a comparison, thx
I started with Harbor freight. It is nice when you’re getting into the trade. I started switching out my harbor freight tool with snap on and Mac . So now some of my harbor freight stuff . I use for my home set
I had been told by some wiser mechanics. After I had been one for 5 years or so. Buy name brand if you use it every day. But you can go cheap, if it’s something you are only going to use, once in a while. Then as time goes on. Replace those cheaper tools, with better ones.
And it was great advice. I started wrenching in 98. So it has payed off
Good video and a well needed for people getting into the trade
Almost 60 years as a truck and mining equipment mechanic. HF has come a very long way from the cheap junk they used to be. Well worth the price.
In the early 80s, i had tools called mini max, USA, made in Japan under license, was working in Australia in sugar cane industry, best tools i ever owned, unconditional warranty on all
My first set at 15 with Cummins was Minimax. Loved them. I had a few sockets peel chrome which were replaced under warranty.
If you are making a living with tools, you need to be buying the best in most cases. I second you on that.
But if you are wrenching on your own stuff at home, including lawn and snow equipment, HF tools are just fine.
I think a lot of people still think about HF as "pure garbage". And yes, they did kind of create that reputation for themselves up until about 10-12 years ago.
But as of today, some HF brands are equalling or beating Big Box Store brands, and even challenging Top-Line brands.
Great vid, and thank you.
I work in an industrial setting, a lot of guys will buy cheaper sets. There is no tool truck showing up each week. As the most commonly used items start to break, people generally buy good quality singles of said item. I still have a handful of HF items, but the majority of my tools are Proto, Wright, Williams, SK, etc. now. Mostly purchased off of eBay used, some bought new when a deal showed up. I still break stuff, just a little more rare now.
Im 21 years young and during the summer i run equipment, and during the winter months, im in the shop doing maintenance and fixing that same equipment, and i have a mixed variety of brands, with 1 Snap on item, a little pocket screwdriver that i found in a machine we bought. I have a Craftsmen socket set with a Gearwrench 3/8 ratchet cause i kept breaking the Craftsman one, Gearwrench ratcheting wrenches, Pittsburgh extendable 1/2in ratchet which i love and abuse, Dewalt power tools, Craftsmen impact driver as my 3/8 impact, random screwdrivers and other tools, numerous pry bars/chisels made from Cat bolts Snap On guy comes every friday and i went on it once in my 3 years of working for this company.
Most of my tools are Facom, but I also have off brand/white label just to misuse (cut of and weld a long bar to it) or just to have a second of it when I need one.
Most of my co-workers wish they started with Harbor Freight boxes instead of burning money on tool trucks.
Interesting video. Of all the brands of sockets I own, the only ones that have ever broken on me are Snapon. Glad they have a lifetime warranty, which they seem to honor, question free. Tekton is a great budget friendly brand with a great warranty. Just my 2 cents.
I generally buy snap on when I can, BUT I do have a set of ICON 1/4 & 3/8 torx sockets. Tore up a T27 friday, warrentied it today at my local HF. Easy peazy no questions asked. I was in and out in 5 minutes. My Snap on guy comes on thursdays and id bet it would be a 50% chance he would even have a T27 on the truck. So if I was trying to warrenty a Snappy socket I could have potentially waited a couple weeks. That scenerio there is why I like ICON or Pittsburgh for certain things.
But if we’re talking wrenches, ratchets, screw drivers, impact swivels, pliers…Snap on are well worth the money.
I was helping someone do brakes, one of the lug nuts was too tight - I snapped a brand new Craftsman socket and right after, my buddy snapped his Snap On socket on the same lug nut - with just that, I'd say buy the best you can afford and always get a warranty lol
And waste $$$$$
I spent many years doing custom chopping and manure pumping, didnt have a whole lot of time to get to the store and buy tools…but the snap on truck never failed to show up when we had a small break in the madness. My dealer would give you the shirt off his back. Never hesitated to warranty any tool that broke, hell he would even drive out of his way to replace or repair a broken tool…and when he wasn’t able to make it to us he would send one of his employees out to the jobsite or the shop to replace the broken tool. He made buying snap on tools easy, yea they’re spendy, but you dont get service like that out of harbor freight. Harbor freight does make a good tool with all that being said, I simply prefer to buy and use snap-on!
Cheap tools have their place. I wouldn't want to be a heavy truck mechanic with a box full of chinesium, but more homeowners/backyarders would have no problem using them. My set consists of mostly 40yr old+ Craftsman, which are far better quality than current Craftsman, a small bit of snap on and a brand called Mastercraft, a store brand here in Canada. It's more important not to abuse the tools you have and if they are cheap really don't abuse them. Great info and content!
My son buys so much stuff from there he should have stock in the place. LOL. For a person that needs tools for home or is just starting out. Harbor freight is fine.
I have some icon gearwrenches and some sockets had no issues and picks are ok
been a hd mechanic for over 20 years and own very little high end tools it is the skill of the mechanic not the brand of the tool
I buy harbour freight specialist tools , pullers , slide hammers ,adaptors for suspension repairs etc these types of tools are very expensive to purchase and don't get used very often had pretty good service from them.
I've been extremely impressed with their latest power tool offerings, and the warranty on those is much better than it used to be.
I'm sure someone already said this, but that throttle pedal is a trick for drivers with short legs. Works ok, and not much else does.
When I worked in the coal mines all the mechanics and electricians loved Proto tools kind of expensive. Come to find out they were made by Stanley
In my opinion, starting out I think HF is perfectly fine, especially if you have a store you can warranty your stuff near by. However once you break something or find it isn't really doing well at what you need it for that's when id upgrade
Buy all of your 10mm sockets at Harbor Freight. You'll lose them long before they break.
industrial mechanic here. proto, williams, sk are all preferred brands in my end of the world.
I have Hazard Fart wrenches 1-3/8" to 2-1/2" just because I didn't want to refinance my house to buy Snap Ons. I also have a stubby 1/2" impact that I picked up over a weekend when I really needed sometihng and couldn't wait for the tool truck to come around. It's actually held up really well and it suprisingly powerful for its size and price.
I always use Harbor Freight Tools when I need to make a Tool
My rule has always been stay away from anything electrical from HF. When it comes to hand tools HF is great for tools to modify or loose. I agree i buy cheap and upgrade anything i break on use a TON.
I would have to agree with you. With that said I’ve got some really old HF impact sockets (20+ years) and I don’t remember breaking any. They rarely get used anymore since I’ve had all snap on for probably more than 15 years. But I did have an almost new snap on 15/16” deep 1/2” drive impact break right down the middle from a Milwaukee high torque. No problems since it was replaced though
Most harbor freight tools are pretty good. I love the Hercules impacts plus 5 year warranty on them so it’s a no brainer for me
And a field mechanic will carry doubles of some things. 3/8 impact swivels. 16 and 18mm on newer Cat, 9/16 and 3/4 for older stuff. The biggest time saver for me is a 3/8 cordless ratchet. Doesn't have to be real strong, therefore won't bust your knuckles. Definitely need to carry some 12pt sockets and spare T27 and 4mm allen wrenches
Generally I say as long as you dont get the cheapest offering HF has, its a decent tool. I have one of their Icon 1/4 flex head ratchets because about yearly I have to get my Snapon one rebuilt. After getting the snapon rebuilt for the 3rd time, I started using the HF primarily and it hasnt failed yet after a couple years of continuous use.
Im all for snap on tools i have a lot of them but i think snap on sockets and wrenches are a complete waste of money I've used lots of impact sockets that aren't snap on never had a problem i have a few snap on sockets i wish i wouldn't of bought them same with wrenches no wrench set is worth the money snap on wants buy some wright tools wrenches or if you want the best wrenches if you want good cheap wrenches you cant beat tekton, if you get them used or from a pawn shop or a bogo deal that's one thing but i wouldn't pay full price for snap on wrenches or sockets in a million years.
try the ICON and Pittsburgh pro flex head 3/8 1/2 ND 1/4 comfort grip ratchets.
I used to have a lot of Knight tools I had for years and never had a problem with them, unfortunately they all where stolen from my garage.
Snap on, MAC, and MATCO also have pretty good student programs for their tools
If you're in a trade school or some sort of technical apprenticeship, you can get literally hundreds of dollars off of the list price for most tools. Its a great way to build up a collection of quality tools while not spending nearly as much as you would on the tool truck
Gateway drugs work the same way.
The most important tool you need to take care of is your body. Not going into debt is just good sense for your life, except for buying a home. Tool selection is very dependent on task. I have many different brands, and all have their uses. I won't hesitate to cut or bend a cheap tool, or weld something together. Something to remember. Dropped my brand new 3/8 flex head Snap on ratchet in the belly pan of a machine. Couldn't see it. Had to drop the belly pan to find it. Don't know if i would have done that for my old craftsman ratchet. At 9pm at night, in drizzling rain.
i've purchased a few tools from harbor freight, so far so good.
My son has what I considered an excellent opinion on this subject. He buys a Harbor Freight tool - if he uses it enough to break it - he replaces it with a better grade tool.
I have craftsman. I like their tools, but I'm not a professional. I work on all my own cars and sometimes on other peoples cars. They've always served me well and lifetime warranty.
Bought a bunch of harbor freight stuff when I first started. 5 years later I still use most of it. A couple tools were pieces of crap, but most of it has given me way more than my money's worth.
We have a store in Canada similar to Harbor Freight. I've bought a few things there when I've need a "specialty" tool or socket that I will rarely use, but need for a task at hand. I'm a hobby mechanic so I don't really need to rely on a specific tool on a regular basis to make a living, and said tool will spend the majority of it's life sitting in a tool box.
I have been buying from harbor freight and santa fe tools. Inpac tools. Some are usable some are garbage.
I like their 12 buck crowfoot flare nut wrench sets. Their 1/4" drive torx sockets as it comes with an E-4 size for gm steering column work.
The icon 3/8 drive shallow sockets are a good buy. I am going to buy their 3/8 mid depth socket sets.
Since I have been in the business just a little while (43 plus years). I have some Snap - On tools that are like me, obsolete. Maybe when I retire (not long) Josh will come down and buy me out. I will put him on the FIFTY plan. Fifty dollars down, fifty dollars a week for fifty years.
One of John's motto's is who makes the best? Answer nobody. Everything sooner or later will wear out or break.
Purchase what you have the best luck with. So most of my stuff was new Snap-On, better longevity for me over the years.
I have a Snap-On torque wrench that is 43 years old and has passed calibration test every time.
My Cornwell guy, on ceeepers, if it says Cornwell on the creeper, will warranty the thing. It is a Lisle Jeeper creeper and I actually found one abandoned at a shop I worked at. I asked him about just getting some new casters for it. Guy told me he would do the warranty thing and I have never had to pay any money for a creeper.
I worked with a guy and he said at one of the mills he worked at he was always losing snap on tools. So loaded up his box and took a old box and loaded it up with harbor freight tools and he never lost another tool
I’m a retired building equipment mechanic and have used tools from Snap-On to China crap. Overall Harbor Freight has upped there game in the past few years. Undoubtedly Snap-On etc are much higher quality tools, but as he said Do Not go into debt starting out buy what you can afford. The older Craftsman are good tools but overvalued and big and clunky. Due to tools “walking away” from my truck, I purchased a new new set of tools the Quinn and a US General tool box from Harbor Freight, so far so good. Never Buy the cheapest HF tools!! As for an impact wrench the 1/2” high torque Milwaukee is a beast don’t buy a cheap brand.
I like the Icon stuff they sell. No complaints.
Just an occasional shade tree mech here. I've had good luck with Craftsman and Duralast tools. Ill take a look at ICON.
Only use a ratchet if I can’t get an impact on it😊
I worked 45 years as a mechanic. I Was taught to buy good tools as i could afford them a Never-ending process . Never owned hf or tools not made in the USA until two years before I retired . Bought some nice to have but not really needed stuff from hf. Turned out the hf hand tools i got worked quite well the few times i needed to use them. Hf would not be my choice as a professional, but good enough for the shade tree mechanic.
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One of my issues with harbor freight tools is that they keep telling you how much you can save vs. Snap On. Yes. Yes, you can. But they only compare to LIST price. I've paid list for a few items, but most of the time the rep has a deal or will give you a break on the price for being a good customer. Or you can buy them used and save even more.
I always told our younger techs to stay off the tool truck unless it’s a specialty tool you need for a job. Even at that, check pricing within the dealership. I’ve found Cat tools that were actually competitive, and in some cases cheaper than the tool trucks. Secondly, it keeps you from paying on tools. Say you move into a different role at work. I went from being a tech to being a TC. You don’t want to be paying for tools if you aren’t using them.