4 Harbor Freight Finds That Outshine Ace Hardware In Price And Quality

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Harbor Freight is a discount retailer specializing in tools and equipment for professionals, homeowners and DIYers with its motto of "Whatever you do, do it for less." Ace Hardware, self-described as "the helpful place," is a collection of franchisee-owned stores that rank highly among retail chains with the best tool departments. Availability and pricing of items at Ace Hardware may vary due to the nature of individually-owned franchise locations, and at Harbor Freight with sales and special promotions.

Harbor Freight carries a wider variety of tools and a selection of replacement small engines (produced by its in-house Predator brand) that you won't find at Ace Hardware. Conversely, Ace has things you won't find at Harbor Freight, like grills, propane tanks, snow blowers, and snow sleds, just to name a few. Where product categories overlap between the two stores, sometimes the variety of options favors Ace Hardware and in other cases Harbor Freight has the edge. However, there are at least four instances where products found at Harbor Freight outshine similar items from Ace Hardware in price and quality.

On the r/harborfreight subreddit, user "UnReal-Orbit19" asked about recommendations for "must-have" items from Harbor Freight. Redditor "donttakerhisthewrong" was the first to respond, saying they "think there is [a] law that if you shop at HF more than twice you have to purchase an orange dead blow hammer," which ranks among the best budget-friendly tools worth buying from Harbor Freight. The hammer in question is from the Pittsburgh brand, with the 3-pound Neon Orange Dead Blow Hammer being a popular option, priced at $11.99. However, since it also comes in 1-, 2-, 4-, and 5-pound versions, other users on the thread recommend at least one of each weight.

Harbor Freight prices range from $7.99 for the 1-pound Pittsburgh Dead Blow Hammer to $15.99 for the 5-pound version. Ace Hardware's selection of dead blow hammers includes 18-, 28-, and 42-ounce Stanley models priced at $35.99, $49.00, and $64.99 respectively. In addition, you'll find $25.99 Craftsman 28-ounce and $36.99 Craftsman 45-ounce dead blow hammers at Ace.

Only the Craftsman dead blow hammers are available for purchase in-store at Ace Hardware near Northeast Oklahoma. Harbor Freight wins on price, in-store availability, and user-reported preference. On the Garage Journal forum, 6-feet 4-inch, 280-pound "NakeDiesel" reports the Pittsburgh dead blow hammer can withstand them "swinging full force knocking a several hundred pound cast iron body" into position. Redditor "Worried-Mangement36" prefers Harbor Freight hammers over Craftsman because they both fail eventually, but Pittsburgh has a lifetime warranty.

Choosing the right pair of gloves depends on the job at hand. A popular option for medium-duty applications at Harbor Freight are Hardy Goatskin Leather Riding Work Gloves, priced at $9.99. The Hardy goatskin gloves are available in Small, Medium, Large, and Extra-Large sizes, all priced the same.

Hardy goatskin gloves have 2,908 reviews at Harbor Freight, with a 4.7-star (out of five) rating. With 97% of customers recommending the Hardy gloves to others, the reported favorite characteristics about them are price, quality, durability, and value. Negative reviews mention poor fitting with odd lengths for the fingers and multiple accounts of the gloves wearing out within a few days doing yard work. Although, some reports of poor quality stem from using these medium-duty gloves for heavy-duty jobs, like operating a saw mill.

Ace Hardware sells Stihl Timbersports Leather Palm Gloves for $25.99. Sizes range from Medium to Extra-Large, with the Large size having one five-star review and the Medium holding 11 reviews with a 4.6-star average. The worst review, a three-star rating, reports the fingertips wearing from working in the yard and garden. Stihl USA responded, saying these gloves "are not well suited for moving material (cinder blocks, etc.) or getting oily (such as mechanics style gloves)." Both brands feature goatskin leather palms and fingers, although the Hardy gloves have leather covering the back of the hand where the Stihl gloves use a breathable fabric. With either glove, you'll get a Velcro wrist closure for a secure fit.

Expensive tool chests are nice, but does anyone really need a $500 tool chest? Most DIYers are better served by a small, lightweight toolbox to keep a few common tools, or craft supplies, safe and tidy. The Bauer Small Modular Toolbox, $29.99 from Harbor Freight, is a good option. It can hold up to 25 pounds, and it's compatible with other Bauer Modular Storage System components if you need to expand your tool collection. Made from high-impact resin, the Bauer toolbox measures 14.5 inches by 20.75 inches and 7.25 inches tall, according to Harbor Freight's product page. It holds six removable storage bins, each with their own lid, to keep smaller tools and hardware organized.

Large metal latches secure the top lid. There's also a place to add a padlock located for added security. One downside to the design is the handle placement requires tipping the toolbox 90-degrees, which could jumble small pieces inside if not secured. With its 4.8-star rating, the majority of the 670 reviews are positive. However, even some negative reviews praise the metal lid latches. Others find fault with the material the box is made from, the organization of the storage containers, and the overall quality of the containers.

A comparable option at Ace Hardware is the Ace 16-inch Tool Box, priced at $17.99. While the two toolboxes are similar in price, the Ace toolbox is smaller, measuring 8.75 by 16.0 inches and 7.38 inches tall. It also features metal latches, but no provisions for a lock or removable storage, except for the lift-out tool tray. Its 4.4-star rating mostly comes from reviewers saying it's "great for the price."

If you frequently shop at places like Harbor Freight or Ace Hardware, you likely find a variety of uses for cable ties, commonly known as zip ties. While it's possible to reuse zip ties instead of throwing them out after their initial zip, buying them from Harbor Freight is a good way to save money. Based on the number of reviews, the 8-inch and 11-inch Storehouse UV-Resistant Black Cable Ties, sold in packs of 100 for $2.49 and $3.68 respectively, are the most popular cable tie options at Harbor Freight. However, Storehouse cable tie sizes range from 4- to 24-inches with an assortment of colors, including fluorescent cable ties.

Ace Hardware sells 100-count packs of 8-inch Steel Grip Black Cable Ties for $9.99 and the 11-inch 100-pack for $15.99. However, they also offer a 1,000-count 8-inch cable tie pack for $31.99, which is a better bargain but still more expensive per cable tie than Harbor Freight.

Comparing specs from both retailers, the two cable tie brands appear similar other than Steel Grip cable tie specs indicate they're made from polypropylene and Storehouse ties are made from nylon. While these specs may come from the marketing department rather than the science behind them, nylon typically offers more tensile strength, the resistance to breaking under tension. Ace lists the Steel Grip ties' tensile strength at 75 pounds, whereas Storehouse lists a "Working Load" of 220 Newtons, which it (incorrectly) converts to 49 lb-ft. There is no way to accurately compare these two values.

Much of the research for this article centered around finding offerings of comparable quality from each retailer. While both stores offer high quality products, Harbor Freight typically holds an advantage over Ace Hardware when it comes to price and warranty protection. We've highlighted four products where Harbor Freight offerings outshine those from Ace Hardware, but there are others. There are also some items which Ace Hardware provides better options.

Once we chose the products to highlight, we dove into specifications and customer reviews posted to each retailer's product pages, operation manuals, online review sites such as Reddit and Garage Journal. In some cases, scientific writings to get a better understanding of each product. All in an effort to ensure we weren't highlighting a Harbor Freight product just because it's cheaper, because cheaper isn't always the best choice.