5 Harbor Freight Deals You Won't Find At Lowe's

Lowe's in-house tool brands offer a wide variety of products at different price points, although shopping exclusively at the hardware and home improvement chain can mean losing out on better deals. For example, Harbor Freight's best power tools rival those found elsewhere and are often much less expensive than comparable tools. You can shop online or at one of Harbor Freight's 1,600-plus stores in the U.S. for inexpensive gardening and yard care tools, tools for at-home mechanics, and lots more.

 For example, Harbor Freight's Icon torque wrench performs comparably to a Snap-on tool at nearly twice the price. Snap-on tools are notoriously dependable and expensive, and you won't find them at either Harbor Freight or Lowe's. Whether you're shopping for hobbyist- or professional-grade tools, many of Harbor Freight's products are surprisingly affordable compared to those you can buy at Lowe's. As a bonus, some of these Harbor Freight tools offer additional capability or features compared to their Lowe's rivals.

Bauer and Hercules are two of the most common in-house brands you'll find at Harbor Freight. The two brands are aimed at slightly different bases, with most users preferring the quality of Hercules tools despite their slightly higher prices. One of Hercules' highest-rated tools is its 20V 1/2-inch impact wrench kit that retails for $254.99 and enjoys an average customer rating of 4.9/5 stars. Harbor Freight compares this tool to a similar-spec Milwaukee kit, but for Lowe's shoppers its closest equivalent is probably the DeWalt XR 20V max 1/2-inch impact wrench kit at $329.

Both kits come with the tool, a 5Ah battery, and a charger. The DeWalt kit also includes a carry bag, but that hardly justifies the $74.01 price difference. DeWalt's offering delivers 1,030 foot-pounds of fastening torque and up to 1,400 foot-pounds of breakaway torque, while the Hercules tool gives you an even 1,000 foot-pounds to tighten and 1,500 foot-pounds to remove stubborn fasteners. Although DeWalt topped our power tool brand rankings, Hercules offers a five-year warranty to DeWalt's three. With the money you'd save by buying the Hercules kit you could supplement it with a spare 20V 4 Ah Hercules battery at $69.99.

Harbor Freight's Warrior brand offers entry-level power tools that are best suited for occasional and DIY use and its prices reflect that. For example, the Warrior 2-Amp variable-speed oscillating multi-tool retails for only $19.99. While you might want to invest a little more in a top-quality model if you plan to use it regularly, you might just need it for a task or two and won't be concerned about durability. Buyers at Lowe's have plenty of options if they're looking for an expensive oscillating multi-tool from a big-name brand, but the retailer's selection of affordably priced tools in this category is pretty thin. 

At the time of writing, the cheapest oscillating multi-tool available online at Lowe's is a Svopes model that comes in a 10-piece kit for $42.89. Like the Warrior, this tool is corded and requires a 120V AC outlet to use. The more expensive Lowe's tool only runs at 22,000 oscillations per minute (opm), while the Harbor Freight option has six speeds that top out at 20,000 opm. The cheapest big-name corded rival at Lowe's is a Dremel 3.5-amp tool that offers more power but costs $89.98. Buyers looking for a cheap oscillating multi-tool for a one-off project might be better off buying the sub-$20 Harbor Freight tool and recycling it if it doesn't last long.

Another Hercules tool that compares favorably to its rivals is the 20V cordless 7-1/4 Inch circular saw. It's available from Harbor Freight for $99.99 as a standalone tool and the brushless motor can spin at up to 5,000 rpm; its maximum cutting depth is 2.5 inches and it has a maximum bevel angle of 50 degrees. That spec sheet is very similar to the Craftsman V20 RP 20V max 7-1/4 inch circular saw that's available from Lowe's, although the Craftsman saw has a maximum bevel angle of 56 degrees. Its maximum speed is also 5,000 rpm and it can cut a scant 1/8 inch deeper than the Hercules. 

The Hercules bare tool weighs 7.4 pounds to the Craftsman's 7.1, and an installed 20V battery will add at least a pound to each tool. Even though the bare tools are quite similar, the Hercules is going to be the more sensible purchase for most people. The Craftsman retails for $189; the extra $89.01 at Harbor Freight gets you a multi-voltage 4-amp charger, a 2-amp low-profile 20V battery, and enough change to buy a candy bar. The Hercules 5-year warranty also beats out the Craftsman's three-year guarantee.

There are a few Bauer power tools that are worth steering clear of, although some of these entry-level tools perform to a standard that belies their price. The Bauer 20V Five-Inch pruning saw retails as a bare tool for $69.99, and Bauer claims it can cut through more than 160 two-inch branches with a fully charged 2Ah battery. The Bauer 20v 2 Ah slim Li-on battery sells for $34.99, and the Bauer 20V 3-amp fast charger is on clearance for the same price as of this writing.

Harbor Freight advertises this tool as being comparable to the Kobalt 24-volt 6-inch saw that Lowe's sells for $129 as a bare tool. Its six-inch blade is an inch longer than the Bauer's, and a Kobalt 24V 2aH battery with charger usually sells for $69.99 more. Newcomers to the Bauer brand could purchase this pruning saw plus the brand's $54.99 1/2-inch cordless drill/driver kit that includes a 1.5 amp-hour battery and charger and still save compared to the bare Kobalt saw.

The Hercules 13 Amp 4-1/2 to 6-Inch angle grinder is a versatile tool that undercuts its big-name rivals at $99.99. Lowe's currently offers several 13-amp angle grinders from brands like Bosch and DeWalt, with DeWalt's 4 1/2- to 5-inch tool being a close spec match to Hercules' offering. The DeWalt tool is priced quite a bit higher at $169.99, although both models are corded so there's no additional cost for batteries or chargers. 

With the money you'd save buying from Harbor Freight you could also pick up several 10-packs of Hercules cut-off wheels or type 27 metal grinding wheels with change left over. As well as being much cheaper, the Hercules angle grinder can accommodate discs up to an inch bigger than its DeWalt rival and spins up to 10,000 rpm to the DeWalt's 9,000. The Hercules tool also ships with a 4-1/2 inch grinding wheel, side handle, and three tool-free removable guards while the DeWalt comes with a single guard, side handle, and no wheels or other attachments.