Harbor Freight's New $70 Icon Long Locking Flex Ratchet Looks Like It Came From Snap-On

Harbor Freight has made its name by providing a wide selection of budget-oriented tools from an assortment of house-owned brands. Part of the way that it's done this is by having these brands manufacture tools with designs that are comparable to those of its most popular competitors, cutting out the middlemen between manufacturer and retailers, and then selling them at a steep discount. Just take a look at any tool on the Harbor Freight website and you'll notice that there is a section just below the price where the company actually straight up tells its shoppers to compare its more affordable tools to pricier models sold by other brands. 

One of Harbor Freight's in-house brands, Icon, is often compared to Snap-On. This is a premium brand of hand and power tools that has a strong reputation for being the best in the business. However, its tools are often priced so highly that many collectors wonder if Snap-On tools are really worth the cost.

Knowing that, it may not come as much of a surprise to learn that Icon has just released a new G2 3/8-inch Drive, 14-inch Long Locking Flex Ratchet for just $69.99 that looks incredibly similar to the popular Snap-On FHLF80A 3/8" Drive Dual 80 Technology Soft Grip Long Handle Flex-Head Ratchet. As usual, the Icon model is a fraction of the price. Those who are interested in this tool may wish to know how it compares to the Snap-On version and what users have had to say about this new tool's performance so far. Let's dive into it.

All it takes is a glance and you can easily see the similarities between these two tools. Both are roughly the same length at about 14 inches, and they both have chrome bodies with a soft, black and red comfort-oriented grip. Both also have a joint at the neck just before the flathead of the ratchet that allows you to rotate it in order to more easily fasten nuts and bolts in tight spaces.

The Snap-On product retails at $184.50, which is a pretty hefty price for just about any hand tool. This cost can largely be associated with Snap-On's reputation for build quality and reliability, but the tool has a few nifty features baked in as well. The company's Dual 80 Technology design means that the ratchet features 80-tooth gear. Seven teeth are engaged on the gear at a time, adding strength and increasing the tool's longevity. The head is also sealed to help retain lubricants and keep out foreign fluids; the reverse lever reinforces; and the joint-and-lock mechanism is designed to be repairable.

Now lets see what the $69.99 Icon model has to offer. This cheaper alternative to the Snap-On hand tool uses split-pawl technology and also engages seven teeth at a time. It's able to lock in nine different positions within 132 degrees of rotation. It also has a sealed ratchet head, a chemical resistant TPV grip, and a two-piece switch lever.

The new Icon product hasn't been on the market for long, but it's already received quite a bit of positive feedback on the Harbor Freight website. The tool has managed to amass over 200 reviews as of this writing, with an aggregate score of 4.9 out of 5 and a stunning 100% of customers saying they would recommend it to others. This means that this tool ranks among the highest rated Icon hand tools that you can buy at Harbor Freight. 

People seem to like everything about this ratchet, from its performance and durability to its features and value. "Best ratchet I've ever had," said one reviewer. "As long as you don't need to use it in a tight space it's awesome. It's longer than my old ratchets but I like the extra torque from the length. The locking flex is so nice to have also and I'm stoked for the lifetime warranty."

The tool hasn't received many negative reviews as of yet, and the few that it has received appear to be from a minority of customers who weren't satisfied with the price and a couple of isolated problems that other users don't appear to have experienced. Those who are interested in the ratchet but want it in a different size are in luck as well. Harbor Freight also sells a 1/4-inch version of the Icon G2 for $54.99 and a 1/2-inch version for $119.99.