5 Unique Harbor Freight Tools (And What They're Used For)

Harbor Freight is a tool and equipment retailer with plenty of classic offerings under its belt. The brand got its start decades ago as a straight-to-consumer retailer that sought to make low cost equipment that didn't sacrifice quality. Today, Harbor Freight owns a range of in-house tool brands that make equipment for all manners of use. Whether you're browsing the retailer's low-cost offerings or some of its most expensive, there are plenty of interesting tools and accessories you'll come across along the way.

This is because Harbor Freight isn't just a brand that brings common tools to the market. There are more than a few traditional wrench sets and circular saws in the outlet's catalog, but what really stands out are the quirky, unique, and even wacky gear stocked on its shelves. Many tool users end up modifying their equipment for unique purposes, but some of Harbor Freight's tools fit that bill neatly right out of the box. Tools like these five are worth a look just for the novelty alone, and might up the DIY and home maintenance game for you.

The Chicago Electric Welding 1,600 Watt Plastic Welding Kit is a tool that many users might not know exists. Plastic welding isn't a concern for most homeowners, nor is it common in general maintenance. Frequently, when a plastic component breaks, users dispose of it and go out looking for a replacement part. Plastic can be durable and abundant, but it can also be brittle and difficult to replace. Depending on the plastic component that breaks, it's often much easier to replace it entirely.

This approach hinges on a fundamental misunderstanding of the ease with which you can fix a busted plastic piece, as most users overstate how hard it is to repair this occasionally brittle material. A welding kit like this allows you to heat plastic and make crucial repairs to the material. It features a built-in air motor and offers a variable temperature range from 102 to 1,080 degrees. It comes with four nozzles as well, to give you a range of possible approaches when repairing all manner of important plastic pieces. With this tool, you no longer have to throw away working pieces of furniture just because a plastic clip has been damaged.

The impact wrench is a common tool that delivers plenty of power to turn even the toughest nuts and bolts. The impact wrench is a home mechanic's bread and butter, and you'll find a variety of tools of this kind at Harbor Freight or elsewhere. One kind of impact wrench that professionals might have on hand, but which hobbyists often overlook, usually involves a simple modification. Harbor Freight, however, offers this unique tool right out of the box. The Bauer 1/2-Inch Impact Wrench with 2-Inch Extended Anvil is a standard impact gun, but with an extension reaching outward from the tool's body. Instead of connecting your sockets to a stubby anvil in the traditional layout, this extension allows for extra reach.

The result is an impact wrench that can better tackle fastening and unfastening tasks that take place in deeper wheel wells and other recessed locations. This is frequently part of a mechanic's tasks, but not one that occasional users will be well-equipped to handle. This is a corded tool, which could lower its value for some users. However, for just $90, this tool can have a major impact on your day-to-day operations by adding key functionality to your toolbox. This impact wrench offers up to 1,050 ft-lb. of breakaway torque and comes with an all-metal gearbox and casing, for a longer lifespan.

Tool users of all backgrounds will be familiar with the hacksaw. This cutting implement makes chopping metal and other dense material possible by hand, and should be an important part in the toolbox of most users. A traditional hand saw is a key part of a basic tool collection, but this solution lacks the ability to cut through metal, and it can't provide clean slices through other material like PVC (even though it can absolutely make the cut in a pinch). A hacksaw is the obvious next step when building out a comprehensive kit.

The Pittsburgh 12-Inch 360-Degree Adjustable Hacksaw is an interesting choice in this regard because it takes the basic premise of the tool and flips it on its head. Pittsburgh might not be the most respected tool brand, but its products offer great value for the money, and it makes some unique tools. This hacksaw is no different, featuring a rotating blade that can be shifted by 360 degrees around its axis, which means that you can position the teeth facing any direction you might require.

Functionally, this means you can make flush and straight cuts that are longer than the saw's throat capacity or orient the blade at a different angle to support specific mitering on your workpiece, rather than a straight 90-degree cut. The tool functions with a quick adjustment knob to control the blade's tension and position at whatever angle you might desire. It operates with standard 12-inch blades and features contoured rubber grips for comfortable operation.

The scroll saw is a specialty power tool designed to support intricate detail work. It's not something you'll commonly find in a home workshop, or even in many modern woodworking settings. Scroll saws are something of a holdover from old times, being first patented in 1829, but they still provide significant versatility, especially for those involved in precise crafting work and using a modern iteration of the equipment. This is where the Bauer 22-Inch Variable Speed Scroll Saw really comes into its own. The tool runs on a 1.6 amp motor and can deliver up to 1,600 strokes per minute, with a low end speed of 360 SPM. The saw features ample table room to support even large workpieces, with an 8-inch extension hanging out in front of the blade.

The saw tilts on a rack and pinion system while the table remains stable, moving 30-degree to the left and 45-degrees to the right. It also features an integrated blower to remove debris as they appear. Essentially, this is a stationary jigsaw of sorts, or a mix between a table saw and a circular saw. No matter how you envision the tool, however, its value as a crafting solution is hard to overstate.

Cut-off saws are among the tools that don't get the attention they deserve. A cut-off saw is very similar in functionality to the angle grinder, and so users who might require this kind of cutting implement tend to overlook it in favor of simply using their grinder (or buying a grinder if they don't already have one). But the cut-off saw provides specific and important functionality that angle grinders can't offer. The Warrior 0.9 Amp 2-Inch Mini Cut-Off Saw is a great example.

The tool mounts onto your workbench in much the same way you might build a miter saw station. The mini cut-off saw, however, is much smaller, and while it can be used to cut wooden components, it comes into its own as a metal shearing tool. The saw features a built-in workpiece vice that allows you to grip round and other oddly-shaped components, and features a mitering capability that ranges from zero to 45 degrees. The saw delivers blade speeds up to 10,600 RPM and comes with a multi-material cutting blade to support all kinds of stock dimensions.

Warrior's solution is particularly useful because it can be locked down to your bench, while many other cut-off saws are only handheld. The immense control this grants on what is essentially a mini miter saw makes even difficult cuts easy to keep in check.