5 Must-Have Harbor Freight Tools Every Home Mechanic Should Have In Their Garage
Car repairs aren't fun thanks to the high cost, but there are some ways you can potentially lower the price. If your latest repair cost estimate has you panicking, perhaps an at-home repair is in the cards. If you know what you're doing, you're able to save quite a bit of cash by cutting out the labor costs a repair shop would charge you. The problem is tracking down the tools you'll need, and it's not always cheap. Luckily, Harbor Freight has you covered by offering a blend of both reliable and affordable options — and you can save even more if you're signed up to the Inside Track Club membership.
Every item you find on this list will come in handy when working on your car, and they will be items that won't be too much of a dent in your wallet. Each tool is backed up by strong user reviews at Harbor Freight, as it's important to know the tool you pick up has worked for other buyers in the past. A more in-depth explanation of why these tools were picked can be found at the end of the list.
Daytona 1.5 ton Professional Racing Series Aluminum Floor Jack
While a lot of problems with a car take place under the hood, you'll run into problems with your tires as well. Instead of taking your car into the shop for repair, you can change your tire right at home by picking up a jack. The Daytona jack will lift your car a minimum of 3.5 inches off the ground — more than enough for you to pop the tire off and swap it out for a new one. The jack can hold up to 3,000 pounds, so you'll need to make sure your car isn't heavier than that, or you're just wasting money. The cherry on top is this is compact enough to tuck away in your trunk when you're away from home. This means you can easily change your tire on the side of the road without calling for a tow truck. You might be able to slide under your car in a pinch with this jack, but it'll be a tight squeeze still.
You can pick up this Dayton jack from Harbor Freight for $134.99, where user reviews are solid at 4.8 out of five. It's highly mobile, lightweight, and works at home and on the road. There aren't a ton of real downsides, so if you need a jack, it's tough to go wrong with this one.
Braun 1200 Lumen LED Rechargeable Underhood Work Light
Working on your car can be difficult if you're in a garage with poor lighting. Many tools come with an onboard light, but sometimes, you'll work with hand tools without that option. This is where the Braun underhood work light comes into play. This mounts right to your hood and gives you a clear view of where you'll be working. It extends up to 85 inches, so it should fit in almost any situation, making the $74.99 price tag easier to justify.
User reviews for the light come in at 4.6 out of five on Harbor Freight's website, so there should be no worry about it not working fine for you. It'll allow you to retire your cell phone's flashlight and get a more reliable light source, making the work a lot easier. The Braun light comes with a battery that can be recharged while you're using it, so there's no excuse for it to ever die on you while working in the garage — assuming you have an outlet nearby, of course.
Pittsburgh 1/2 in. Drive 10-150 ft. lb. Click Torque Wrench
A torque wrench is almost a staple of any mechanic's arsenal, and you can pick one up for cheap. The Pittsburgh 1/2-inch torque wrench will cost $21.99 from Harbor Freight's website. A torque wrench will be useful anywhere you come across bolts or lug nuts. This includes engine work or simply swapping out a tire. The torque range offered here is between 10 and 150 ft-lb with +/- 4% accuracy. The Pittsburgh torque wrench does come with a certificate of calibration, but it'll lose accuracy over time as you use it. This means you'll want to get the wrench recalibrated at least once a year if you're using it a lot.
Reviews for the torque wrench are very solid at 4.6 out of 5 on Harbor Freight's website, based on over 7,000 reviews. For the price, it's tough to beat, but there are more accurate and feature-rich options available. The Pittsburgh torque wrench is just fine for many home mechanics, but you could be due for an upgrade down the line. If you pick up another one, you can just keep this one in your car in case you need to change your tire.
Pittsburgh Drive SAE and Metric Socket 64-Piece Set
Power tools are nice to have while working, but sometimes, you'll need to get your hands dirty and use a set of hand tools. Luckily, Pittsburgh has a socket set for sale at Harbor Freight for $39.99. With three different sizes — 1/4-inch, 3/8-inch, and 1/2-inch — you have sockets that will fit a wide variety of situations thrown at it. With these hand tools, you'll have a bit more versatility in fitting into tight spots than a full-sized power tool. The tradeoff is having to tighten or loosen things by hand, but it's the only option for some situations.
With over 1,200 reviews on Harbor Freight's website, the 64-piece socket set has a 4.6 out of five rating. You can keep this in your garage for your home mechanic set, or you can keep it in your car in case you have roadside trouble. Outside of work on a car, you'll likely find many other uses for this set if you like to tackle DIY projects.
Greenwood Propane Torch
Dealing with rusty bolts can be a nuisance, but it's going to be something you likely run into if you're working on an older car. Loosening these bolts can be difficult, but picking up a solid propane torch can help make the experience much more manageable. You'll often find the bolts just need to be heated up before they can turn, and the Greenwood Propane Torch from Harbor Freight can make that a breeze. While a heat gun might be able to get the job done, you'll typically need more heat to truly free the bolts if you don't want to sit there forever. You can grab the Greenwood torch for $24.99.
With a 4.6 out of 5 rating on Harbor Freight's website with over 2,300 reviews, there's much to like about the Greenwood option. Not only will this be good enough to break down rust on a bolt, but you can use it to melt ice around your garage door and driveway and burn weeds. It can get up to 3,000º F, so there's not a lot it won't be able to handle. It can connect to any standard 20-pound propane tank.
Why were these tools chosen?
All of the tools chosen for this list will work for any burgeoning home mechanic who is looking to expand their toolset. Each item on the list has high scores from users on Harbor Freight's website and is easily purchased, whether it's in-store or online. We highlighted several different brands to showcase the wide assortment that's on display at Harbor Freight.
Most of the items on the list can be bought under a singular brand name, and there's nothing wrong with that. This list just puts a spotlight on the various brand names available and shows many of them are trustworthy, reliable, and affordable.