7 Of The Worst Harbor Freight Products, According To Users

Harbor Freight has a strong reputation among its customers for selling capable, affordably priced tools and accessories. However, like any retailer, there are a few duds in its lineup. Even the biggest tool brands like DeWalt have plenty of products that are worth avoiding, so it was always inevitable that a few Harbor Freight products wouldn't live up to the standard set by the rest of the retailer's range. The easiest way to find those flops at Harbor Freight is to see what previous customers have said about them in reviews.

If you're shopping on Harbor Freight's website, you'll be able to see the reviews for each product as you browse. However, if you shop in store, you'll need to know which products to avoid before you go. To give you a heads up on which products reviewers say you need to steer clear of, we've trawled through the entirety of Harbor Freight's current range to find some of the worst reviewed products that the retailer has to offer. Each of them receive ratings far lower than average, with reviewers taking to Harbor Freight's website en masse to voice their disapproval.

With an average rating of 3.6 out of five stars from over 3,000 reviews, the Pittsburgh Brake Bleeder and Vacuum Pump Kit is one of Harbor Freight's worst reviewed automotive products. Many of the most negative reviews center around the poor quality of the kit's components, with scores of reviewers claiming that the seal cannot hold enough vacuum pressure. In many cases, these reviewers say that the kit either works for only a very short amount of time before failing, or does not work at all from the point of purchase.

Like many Harbor Freight products, the kit is at least cheap. However, multiple reviewers say that even that price is too much given the quality issues with certain kit components. It's worth pointing out that not every reviewer has a negative opinion of the kit — in fact, it has racked up over 1,400 five-star reviews to date. However, the large proportion of one-star reviews suggests that the kit suffers from serious quality control issues, so it's not worth the risk if you're looking to make bleeding your brakes by yourself as hassle-free as possible.

With an average rating of 3.6 stars from over 270 reviews, the Warrior 1/4 Inch to 2-1/8 Inch Forstner Drill Bit Set is just one of a long list of Warrior products that gets sub-par reviews from buyers. Nearly all of the most negative reviews revolve around the bit set's lack of sharpness, with multiple reviewers saying that they could not get the bits to cut at all. Some reviewers that did manage one or two cuts said that the bits dulled very quickly and couldn't be easily sharpened again.

It isn't just the sharpness of the bits that has come in for criticism either, but the overall finish too. One reviewer claimed that parts of the bit looked "like it was finished by a guy in his garage with a file instead of being machined." Buyers who do decide to take a chance on the bit set will need to make sure they test out the bits quickly, as the set only comes with a 90-day warranty against defects from the date of purchase.

Some of Quinn's tools are worth buying while others should be avoided, and the brand's riveter fits firmly into the latter camp. Reviews for the tool are mixed, with some reviewers happy to give it the full five out of five stars but others slamming it with a single-star rating. The significant number of reviewers hitting it with a one-star rating results in the 8 Inch Single-Hand Riveter having an average rating of 3.7 out of five stars from around 400 reviews.

According to the negative reviews, the tool often jams, slips, or breaks altogether, sometimes after just one or two uses. Jamming is the most common complaint, with multiple reviewers saying that the riveter became impossible to unjam once a rivet initially got stuck. Some reviewers claim to have used the tool for over 100 rivets before it broke, while others say it only lasted for a few rivets before it needed replacing.

The Central Forge No. 4 Jack and Mini Plane Set takes the unenviable title of being the worst reviewed product in Harbor Freight's current range, with a dismal average rating of three out of five stars from more than 650 reviews.

Over 200 reviewers have left the set a one-star review, with many of those reviews mentioning the word, "junk." Quality issues are the main reason for the negativity, with many saying that the blade was poor quality and could not be properly aligned. A significant number of other reviews noted that the blade dulled very quickly.

Quite a few reviewers said that they attempted to sharpen the blade or spent time trying to work out if the set could be properly adjusted, but to no avail. It's an inexpensive set, but one reviewer said that even at its low price it still wasn't worth the drive to the store to get it.

Only around 150 reviewers have shared their thoughts about the Pittsburgh Straight Cut Aviation Snips, but among that relatively small number of reviews, the consensus is that these snips don't compare to pricier products. Even some of the five star reviews seem to acknowledge this, with one saying that they were only expecting to use the snips a few times and that they'd be acceptable for that short period.

On the other hand, some of the reviewers that were only planning to use them on occasion still ended up being unhappy with the tool. Among the one-star reviews are multiple users that say the snips dulled or broke after just a handful of uses, with some saying that they were simply incapable of cutting tougher material from the offset. The tool's average rating of 3.6 out of five stars won't instill confidence even in occasional users, who would probably be better off spending a few extra dollars on a pricier, better quality pair from another retailer.

While U.S. General's tool cabinets are generally considered to be good alternatives to cabinets from big-name brands, not all of the brand's products are as well-reviewed. One particularly poorly scoring product is the Magnetic Wrench Rack, which is designed to hold wrenches within tool drawers so that they're always within easy reach. To keep the rack pieces stable, each one features a magnetic base that's supposed to attach securely to the base of a drawer.

However, an average review rating of 3.6 out of five stars from over 750 reviews is enough to make it clear that the rack can't hold up to its brand's claims. More than 140 reviewers have left one-star reviews of the rack, with many stating that the design is flawed, as the rack pieces can easily fall over. Some say that the cause of the instability is the magnets on the base, which aren't strong enough to keep the rack pieces upright.

Other reviewers say that, even if they can get the magnets to stick, the racks easily become misaligned, which means they need to be frequently rearranged to keep them in place. All of which entirely defeats the point of the rack, which is supposed to make storing and grabbing wrenches less of a hassle, not add an extra step to your toolbox tidying routine.

Many of the poorest scoring tools and accessories hail from Harbor Freight's DIY and automotive departments, but the retailer's outdoor living range isn't without its underwhelming products. One of the worst reviewed products is the Thunderbolt Solar 30 Amp Solar Charge Controller, which has an average rating of 3.4 out of five stars from over 240 reviews at the time of writing.

Over 50 reviewers have given the controller a one star review, with some of those reviews being much more alarming than others. While many of these negative reviews revolve around the same issues as critical reviews of Harbor Freight's other poor-scoring products — namely, concerns about the build quality and longevity of the device — some make more serious allegations. One of the most recent reviews alleges that the controller caught fire while it was in use, while a different reviewer reports that their unit melted. This isn't a new problem either, with reviews stretching back years that allege various quality and manufacturing issues with the device.

Comparing user reviews on Harbor Freight's website is arguably the best way to get an accurate picture of how buyers really feel about the retailer's products. We relied on that shared knowledge from reviewers when compiling this list, aggregating poorly reviewed products from each Harbor Freight department into an initial database before picking out 13 of the lowest-scoring products.

Each of these products has an average rating of 3.6 out of five stars or less, putting it among the absolute worst rated products that the retailer currently sells. To ensure that each poorly-scored product had been put through its paces by a suitably wide range of reviewers, we excluded all products that had received less than 100 reviews. Due to our method of data collection, we have only included products that are currently sold at Harbor Freight, either in-store, on its website, or both.