5 Harbor Freight Gadgets That Are Actually Worth Buying

Harbor Freight is best known for its affordable range of tools, which includes many products that are no-brainers at their price. However, tools aren't the only things that Harbor Freight sells — among other things, the retailer also offers a range of home, automotive, and DIY gadgets that are as affordable as the brand's core product lineup. As is the case with Harbor Freight's tools, many of these gadgets are sold under one of the store's many in-house brand names, most of which should be familiar to returning customers.

From gadgets that turn home appliances on and off remotely to tools that keep your car topped up with battery charge, our selection is full of products that have a clear use case and positive user reviews. Perhaps more importantly, they do what it says on the box without breaking the bank. Some of them are also backed up by Harbor Freight's generous warranty, which is more than you can say for most other brand-name gadgets.

Most drivers will have experienced the inconvenience of having a "flat battery" at some point, and some car owners might have the misfortune of dealing with them on a regular basis. Even if you haven't yet needed to jump start your car, it doesn't hurt to be prepared. That's what the Viking Jump Starter and Power Bank is for. This gadget can start gas engines up to eight liters in displacement and diesel engines up to six liters, and can deliver as many as 50 jump starts before it needs to be recharged.

In addition to its core jump-starting function, it can also be used as a power bank for charging small devices like smartphones or wireless earbuds. While it won't be able to keep up with the fastest iPhone power banks on the market, the Viking can still deliver up to 15 watt from its USB-C port, and features two additional USB-A ports to charge up to three devices at once. If that wasn't enough, it can also function as a flashlight, with a built-in LED light that has both a work light mode and an SOS function. This 2,000 peak amp jump starter retails for $139.99 and boasts exceptionally positive reviews from buyers, with an average rating of 4.9 stars at the time of writing.

It's not rare to see a smart home gadget that is easy to set up, but most of them require a smartphone and an internet connection to sign in to a different account for each piece of tech. The Harbor Freight Three-Piece Indoor Wireless Remote System requires none of those things, making it a great smart home gadget for less tech-savvy members of the family. It includes three wall outlets and a battery-powered remote, and the only setup required is to plug the outlets into their desired locations.

Once they're in place and the appliance they're powering has been connected, the outlets can be switched on and off remotely via the buttons on the remote. The remote and the outlets can be up to 80 feet apart, meaning they could potentially reach outside the building itself or in the garage, as well as being used to turn on appliances with hard-to-reach outlets. This three-piece wireless system is sold by Harbor Freight for $19.99 and is highly reviewed by its users, reaching an average rating of 4.8 stars.

Some people prefer taking minimal gear on their camping trips, while others want to be prepared for everything and take plenty of gadgets with them wherever they go. If you're the latter, you might be interested in a way to keep all those gadgets charged. There are many ways to power a campsite with electricity, but if you're going somewhere with abundant sunshine, one of the greenest ways to do it is with solar panels.

The Predator 200 Watt Super Lightweight Foldable Solar Panel is one of the latest additions to Harbor Freight's range of gadgets, but the initial reviews from buyers are strongly positive. At the time of writing, it sports an average rating of 4.7 stars.

The Predator solar panel retails for $299.99 and will need to be paired with a suitable power station. Once connected, it will recharge the power station even in suboptimal weather, since the panels are IP65 rated. Charging times vary according to outside conditions and to the size of your power station, but Harbor Freight claims that the panels can recharge a Predator 350 Power Station (294 watt-hour capacity, $279.99) in as little as three hours.

Classic car owners need a way to store their possessions during the winter, and part of the process usually involves ensuring that the car's battery remains in good condition while not in use. Retailing for $39.99, the Viking 4 Amp Fully Automatic Battery Charger/Maintainer is an affordable gadget for keeping the battery healthy through the winter. It can charge the battery when it needs topping up before automatically switching to its battery maintenance mode, during which it continues to monitor the car but is otherwise inactive.

The Viking is compatible with most 6V and 12V batteries, including modern AGM batteries, and is a "set it and forget it" device — once you've attached it, the maintenance function will automatically keep the battery in good health until you need it again. Like the rest of the gadgets on this list, the Viking Charger/Maintainer has already been put through its paces by Harbor Freight customers, who have given it an average rating of 4.7 stars.

Sometimes the simplest gadgets can be the most useful. The Digital Timer for Lamps and Appliances by Chicago Electric costs only $9.99 and allows users to set up as many as eight different routines for turning on and off the connected appliances. If you spend a lot of time away from your house, this timer can make it look like someone is still living there, deterring would-be thieves from entering. Of course, its most common use is to automatically enable devices according to your needs. For example, you could use it to turn on a light right before you return home from an evening commute.

It should go without saying that having lights that turn on and off by themselves isn't a foolproof security solution for protecting an empty house. If you're looking for a better way of keeping an eye on your property when you're not around, there are a lot of great home security companies that do just that. Nonetheless, whether you use it as a basic burglar deterrent or to make life a little simpler, this digital timer is worth picking up next time you head to Harbor Freight. For what it's worth, its users apparently love it, seeing as it has an average rating of 4.4 stars.