5 Hand Tools Worth Buying From Harbor Freight

Hand tools can often last you a long time; you may have had the same screwdriver in your junk drawer for decades, for instance. However, even the most casual DIYers need to replace missing or broken tools occasionally. You may also have to buy new tools you've never owned before as you attempt more advanced projects and tasks or expand into new trades. Or you may, of course, simply need to upgrade from tools that aren't all that good at what they do

Either way, when it comes time to shop, you should look to buy high-quality options that you won't have to replace anytime soon. A good way to determine whether a product is worth your hard-earned cash is by checking out what owners and reviewers have to say. You can do this through reading reviews or by combing through online discussions in tool forums, such as those on Reddit. There are also reliable tool-focused YouTube channels that have strong reputations for their hands-on tool reviews.

This research can take a lot of time, so here is a quick list of some Harbor Freight hand tools worth buying, based on all those sources. Harbor Freight has many house brands, so it's no surprise that many of these tools come straight from the retailer itself. Some of these brands are widely popular, and there's no shortage of reviews and online discussions for their products. You can find more information on how these tools were evaluated at the end of this list.

A dead blow hammer can be an important part of your toolkit, whether it's for maintenance, assembly, repairs, carpentry, or automotive work. Many users praise the Pittsburgh Neon Orange Dead Blow Hammer, making it a top choice if you need one. Harbor Freight offers five different models, with head weights ranging from 1 to 5 pounds.

The Pittsburgh 3-pound Neon Orange Dead Blow Hammer is 14-⅛ inches long and includes a soft face and non-marring head. It's built with a steel core handle, and its bright orange color makes it easier to spot among the rest of your tools. It's made from PVC and is resistant to chemicals and other corrosive materials in a garage. In an r/Tools thread about Harbor Freight, Redditor u/WhiteStripesWS6 reported that their hammer "lasted [them] well over a decade" despite plenty of use.

On another Reddit thread, u/nov_284 stated that they've "been swinging [their] HF dead blow for years now without trouble." The hammer also seems fine to use on tires, with another reply to the thread pointing out that it's a common sight in tire shops. However, users in this same thread mention the hammer can fall apart when used on hard materials, edges, or corners. The tool has an excellent 4.8 out of 5-star overall user score based on over 3,100 reviews, though, so claims arguing against the hammer's durability seem to be the exception rather than the rule. Harbor Freight sells the Pittsburgh 3-pound Neon Orange Dead Blow Hammer for $11.99.

Socket sets from Harbor Freight's Quinn brand come in various arrangements, but the Quinn 83-piece ½-inch Drive Set is a great choice if you're looking for plenty of sizes. The Den of Tools includes Quinn sets on its list of "Harbor Freight tools you'll regret not buying," praising the number of sockets it comes with. The reviewer praises not just the quality of the pieces but also the lifetime warranty offered by Quinn, as well as how easy it is to replace tools within that consumer-friendly warranty.

The Den of Tools also adds that the set offers professional-grade tools at DIY-friendly prices. However, $150 might be more than you'd like to spend on a socket set, so it's not necessarily one of the Harbor Freight products that are no-brainers at their price. Still, if you're willing to spend a little more money for a lot more quality — or find the set on sale — Quinn's sockets are worth buying.

The sets come in 1/4-inch, 3/8-inch, and 1/2-inch drive sizes. The Quinn 83-piece 1/2-inch Drive set includes both SAE and metric sizes ranging from 3/8-inch to 1-5/16-inch and 10 mm to 32 mm, with numerous sizes in between. It also has deep sockets along with standard ones, and the set is color-coded and marked for quick identification. The set also comes with extension bars, a universal joint, a breaker bar, and a thin, 90-tooth head ratchet. Everything comes in a customizable hard case that can convert into drawer trays. Harbor Freight sells the Quinn 83-piece ½-inch Drive SAE and Metric Master Socket Set for $149.99.

One of the highest-rated Icon hand tools you can buy at Harbor Freight is its 14-piece Anti-Slip Grip Professional Combination Wrench Set, which is a quick way to upgrade your mechanics' toolbox. Harbor Freight claims that the slim profile design of its premium wrenches provides better grip and comfort, while the anti-slip open end helps you deliver maximum torque.

Built from polished chrome vanadium-steel, the wrenches have 12-point box ends to combat rounding and allow better engagement with fasteners. A 15-degree offset box end and angled open end allow for better use in compact spaces, making room for your knuckles as you reach around obstructions. Included with the Icon set is a storage tray and a lifetime warranty.

One downside is that while the set comes in metric and SAE, they are separate SKUs. This isn't a big deal if you only own one car, but it can be inconvenient if you're looking to buy one set for multiple applications or vehicles. The SAE set ranges between 1/4-inch and 1 inch, and the metric set goes from 6 mm to 19 mm, with no size skipping in between. There aren't many drawbacks other than this — the set has a near-perfect 4.9 out of 5 overall customer score on Harbor Freight, based on over 600 reviews. Users highlight the set's durability, quality, and value, with one owner claiming that the set's craftsmanship is good enough to render more expensive brands obsolete. Harbor Freight sells the Icon 14-piece Anti-Slip Grip Professional Metric Combination Wrench Set (Metric) for $129.99, and the SAE set is available at the same price.

Harbor Freight sells Icon 9-inch pliers that are so popular they keep selling out, but other brands offer options worth buying as well. One example is a Pittsburgh 5-piece Pliers Set with Comfort Grips, which allows you to cover a lot more ground with one purchase than you would with just Icon's slip-joint pliers.

Along with an 8-inch slip-joint, the set includes 8-inch needle-nose pliers with a cutter, 8-inch linesman pliers with a cutter, 6-inch diagonal cutters, and 10-inch groove-joint pliers. Each piece is built with heavy-duty forged and hardened steel for enhanced durability and a polished finish to resist corrosion. The handles of each have black and green molded grips for comfort. Pittsburgh's 5-piece Pliers Set with Comfort Grips has a strong 4.6 out of 5 overall average customer score from over 1,600 user reviews. Many reviews praise the value of the set given its low cost, though one user notes that they're better suited for DIY tasks than professional use. The kit's versatility is also a highlight.

Some 1-star reviews point out issues with the set's build quality, however. More than one mentions that the pliers fell apart nearly immediately, while others report issues with the channel locks and cutters. One disappointed user says the pliers always slip and that they wish they had gone with Icon instead, even if they would have had to buy multiple tools to make their own set. For what it's worth, this negative feedback makes up a small minority of user reviews. Harbor Freight sells the Pittsburgh 5-piece Pliers Set with Comfort Grips for $19.99.

The Icon 35-piece Locking Flex-Head Ratchet and Bit Set has a reputation as a "meme tool" that suggests its popularity is due to its novelty rather than its actual usefulness. However, even skeptical buyers have come around once they actually used it. For example, Redditor u/whaletacochamp, while initially doubtful, ended up being able to remove "a Phillips screw buried inside something that would have required [them] to take half the machine apart to get to it" in 10 seconds with this Icon ratchet.

One Redditor claims that they carry the set on their motorcycle, which seems to be a good use case, as its small size makes it particularly portable. Icon's 35-piece Locking Flex-Head Ratchet and Bit Set weighs just 0.6 pounds and includes slotted, Phillips, hex, Torx, and Pozidrive bits in various sizes, as well as a 4-inch ratchet extension that can also be used as a T-handle. The locking, flex-head ratchet has a slim profile for easier access to tight spaces, and everything fits in the included storage case.

As seen in a video review of the set by YouTube channel DIY with Dave, the ratchet and folding case take up very little space. The channel highlights its magnetic features, as well as the flex head, which allows you to access tight spaces by changing the ratchet's angle, a feature they consider especially useful. Harbor Freight sells the Icon 35-piece Locking Flex-Head Ratchet and Bit Set for $39.99.

We took a variety of metrics into account when choosing Harbor Freight hand tools for this list. This includes durability, build quality, and price, but that doesn't mean that we only looked at affordable tools. Rather, we looked for tools that could justify their cost, whether low or high. Also assessed was a tool's functionality — whether it works as advertised and would actually be useful in typical toolkits.

To determine the performance and other metrics of these recommended tools, we drew on firsthand experience from a wide range of sources. These include user reviews found on Harbor Freight's website, where all the recommended tools on this list have overall scores of 4.6 out of 5 or higher from hundreds (or thousands) of reviews. This makes the ratings more reliable, as it ensures that outlier reviews won't overly affect the score.

We also referred to online discussions about Harbor Freight hand tools by users, including firsthand feedback from owners. Video breakdowns from prominent tool-themed YouTube channels, such as DIY with Dave and The Den of Tools, were also referenced when compiling this list. Finally, we included multiple Harbor Freight brands on this list to offer a diverse set of options.