5 Harbor Freight Finds Shoppers Are Loving This January

Harbor Freight is known for supplying a wide range of tools and supplies at discount prices, with its popularity bolstered by affordable prices and the company's many sales throughout the year. That said, which of the company's products get fans of the store's numerous brands excited often changes over time, which makes sense. Part of this shifting popularity is seasonal. As you might imagine, there is typically a much greater call for yard maintenance equipment in spring than in winter, when all of the flora on your property is in a state of seasonal hibernation. 

But the weather isn't the only factor that affects a Harbor Freight product's desirability. Newly released tools can often receive a surge of interest when they first launch, as shoppers are excited to see what company-owned brands like Icon and Bauer have come out with next. On top of that, Harbor Freight's aforementioned sales may allow customers to rediscover interest in older models that were maybe a bit out of their price range before. Based on a quick look at the Harbor Freight subreddit, there are quite a few products that shoppers have been loving this January.

One of the most popular additions to the Harbor Freight lineup has been the Icon Magnetic Tool Mat, a perfect example of how a product doesn't have to be complicated to be good. The mat is a simple 11-inch x 9-inch rectangle of double-sided, abrasion-resistant material with powerful magnets inside. This makes it a useful method for keeping tools, parts, and fasteners in place, without risk of them rolling away while you're under a car or getting lost somewhere inside an engine bay. The mat has earned acclaim because it can stick to curved surfaces and for its impressive holding power, allowing people to find all kinds of creative uses for it. For example, u/ForestmenMOCLover posted a photo of the mat stuck to a stainless steel fridge and used to hold three cast-iron pans on the Harbor Freight subreddit.

Add in the fact that these mats remain among the highest-rated Icon shop tools sold at Harbor Freight with a perfect 5 out of 5 customer review score, and it isn't all that surprising that customers have found them extremely desirable. These mats are still one of the most posted about items on the Harbor Freight subreddit, even in January. In fact, they have been selling so quickly that many customers have had trouble finding them in stock at their local stores. One Redditor ecstatically posted pictures of the recently purchased mats, stating that they managed to nab the last couple available in their local store. Another claimed that they drove over fifty miles to find some of these mats in early January, stating that "Between [four] stores, I found one store with [two] in stock, and they have been sold out since."

The U.S. General Tool Chests that Harbor Freight sells have been a staple product line of the company for some time now. Most of them boast scores in the 4.7 to 4.9 out of 5 range. There are several different sizes and models available across various price points, and they are consistent customer favorites in the Harbor Freight catalogue. That said, there are two major reasons why these chests have seen a surge in popularity in January.

While U.S. General tool chests are typically much more affordable than comparable storage solutions sold by competing brands, that doesn't necessarily mean they're cheap. The brand's carts, roller cabinets, work hutches, top chests, and lockers can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars. So, getting them on sale can be a major boon to those seeking to fill out their garage. One of Harbor Freight's infamous Parking Lot Sales took place in January 2026, and some of these chests and lockers were heavily discounted. Several customers have been boasting about the tool chests that they secured during the sale.

The other reason is that U.S. General has recently started releasing many of its tool chests in a new purple color. The company already offered these storage chests in black, white, gray, red, blue, green, orange, and yellow, but it seems that the new color is one that customers have been awaiting for some time. Redditors have celebrated the addition, with many specifically naming the new color as a motivator for their purchase.

Winter storms can be a challenge, and there are a few devices that might help you weather them. January 2026 saw some pretty intense storms sweep the U.S., and so it probably isn't that much of a surprise that Harbor Freight's Predator-brand generator and power stations sold well. These come in several sizes, power systems, and price points, from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand. The generators start at 1,800 Watts and go up to 13,000. Some are gas-only, but the company also sells a dual-fuel model that can run on propane and a couple of tri-fuel models that support gasoline, propane, or natural gas. All of these units are highly rated on the Harbor Freight website, and the brand even has a 212cc engine that's comparable to the well-known Honda GX200.

"Had been back and forth on small power stations but never pulled the trigger," one Redditor stated alongside a photo of a Predator 350 Power Station. "Stopped in on my way home from work today as people in south central [Texas] were snagging generators with the upcoming weather, decided to pull the trigger on this little guy." Several others purchased some of the much larger inverter generators, with one claiming that they purchased a Predator 13,000 Tri Fuel Portable Generator to prepare for a big incoming snowstorm. In fact, the demand for these generators and power stations was high enough that there have been several reports of scalpers trying to profit from the storms by buying these generators and then attempting to flip them.

One of the bigger bargains available in January 2026 has been the Maddox 32-ounce Refillable Pressurised Sprayer. This is a spot sprayer that can be used with bulk cleaning agents, degreasers, oils, and solvents. The design is pretty straightforward. It has a standard air chuck for pressurization, a nozzle that aerates the stream, and copper internal tubing. The sprayer has an operating pressure range of 80 to 150 PSI. The whole thing usually goes for $39.99, which is a fairly reasonable price.

That said, this product went on sale twice in January, allowing savvy Harbor Freight shoppers to get their hands on it for just $26.00. Several posters have remarked that this extremely low price makes the sprayer a bargain that's hard to pass up. Even some Redditors who claimed that they had been trying to avoid spending money during Harbor Freight's sales felt that it was simply too good a deal to pass up. The Maddox Pressure Sprayer currently has a 4.6 out of 5 rating on the Harbor Freight website, with four 5-star reviews and a single 4-star review coming in January, all of them singing the sprayer's praises and stating that it is reliable and works exactly as intended.

Another Icon product that got a lot of attention in January is the company's new 9-inch Wire Stripper, Cutter, and Crimper. These are so new that they don't even appear to be listed on the company website as of late January 2026, but there are already several reports on the Harbor Freight subreddit of people finding them in their local stores.

One Redditor posted a photo of them on the rack, where they appear to be listed for $32.99. According to the packaging description in the image, these have straight tips for gripping and pulling wires, laser-marked sizes, and work with stranded 10-20 AWG and solid 1-16 AWG wire.

One Harbor Freight shopper, upon seeing a previous post about these wire strippers, rushed out to their local store to get a set for themselves. "I've been waiting years for these to drop," they wrote. The comments on these posts are full of people either claiming that they have already purchased the tool for themselves or others who are eagerly waiting for them to appear at their local retailer.