Harbor Freight Tools Making You Gag? Here's Why They Smell So Bad

Most Harbor Freight regulars would be quick to tell you that the retail chain mostly delivers the goods in its goal of providing quality tools and devices to customers at budget conscious prices. These days, the company even counts several notable tool brands among its impressive list of in-house offerings. 

But even some of those diehards might be quick to tell you that some of Harbor Freight's in-house brands are better than others. Moreover, they'd likely be just as quick to confirm that even the retail outlet's well-regarded tools from brands like Bauer and Hercules are often accompanied by a distinct smell right out of the box. Ditto for the stores themselves, as the odor tends to permeate the atmosphere within. While opinions might vary about that smell, many would no doubt agree that it is not entirely pleasant. So much so, it might even give one pause at the point of purchase.

It is a relatively well-known fact that some of Harbor Freight's tools are made in Asian factories. Some even equate the smell to the use of cheaper materials during production in those factories, though they also tend to help places like Harbor Freight keep prices low. While those people are not entirely incorrect, facilities all over the world use the same chemicals and materials in the manufacture of certain goods. It's generally believed that a combination of those chemicals and materials contribute to the pungent smell sometimes associated with Harbor Freight gear. 

We should note that not every tool sold through Harbor Freight is accompanied by the aforementioned odor. Rather, the smell is largely associated with tools like Pittsburgh's Dead Blow Hammer that utilize materials such as PVC, plastics, and rubbers in their design. According to some, the smell results from a mix of the cheaper materials used in the manufacture of those tools, along with certain chemical compounds and additives used in the process.

In particular, it's believed that pungent plasticizers are a key contributor to the odor some have deemed gag-worthy, as they are commonly associated with a strong odor themselves. Those compounds are, however, an integral part of the manufacturing process, as they are typically used to help make plastics more flexible, and thus easier to bend and mold when it comes time to form things like handles for pliers and screwdrivers. The compounds are particularly popular for use in the injection molding process too. Despite the odor, plasticizers can also help make those products more flame retardant.

Used in most modern industries, plasticizers are also commonly made with the certain compounds known to possess their own pungent odors, including even formaldehyde, which partly explains the smell. The compounds are also commonly used in the manufacture of molded tires, which Harbor Freight stores indeed carry in various shapes and sizes. There are, of course, ways to at least partially neutralize such odors before products leave a production plant. But they tend to be pricey, and thus a touch more prohibitive to factions like Harbor Freight where price-point is a key selling point.