12 Harbor Freight Tools Under $75 Worth Adding To Your Collection

Harbor Freight is a popular destination for DIYers and hobbyists thanks to its large range of tools and reasonable prices. You can easily pad out a toolbox there or find that one tool you need but don't necessarily want to pay top dollar for. It's also an excellent place for niche tools and specialty tools that can be difficult to find at larger hardware stores. 

You might assume $75 won't go far at Harbor Freight, but a significant percentage of the store's inventory falls at or below that price. Browsing by price online can be a slog, so we thought we'd help you out.

The reciprocating saw — also known as the Sawzall if you buy it from Milwaukee Tools — is one of the most useful power tools money can buy. It can cut basically anything, and you can swap out the blade to cut different types of materials, including metal, wood, and plastic. Harbor Freight has a few reciprocating saws, including the Bauer 10-amp Variable-Speed Reciprocating Saw for $55. It is a corded model, with no batteries required. 

It's a basic tool with just about everything you need in a reciprocating saw, like a keyless chuck that makes blade switching easier. Reviews note that the saw's a bit heavy, but cuts quickly and efficiently. There are cordless reciprocating saws from Bauer for under $75. However, they don't include the battery in that price, which balloons the cost quite a bit if you have to buy one. If you already have Bauer batteries, the cordless option is a little more convenient, but if not, the corded version has plenty of power and functionality for less. 

A good set of wrenches is always welcome in a workshop or garage, and Harbor Freight is a good place to buy them. Typically, you can buy a set either in metric or imperial sizes and that should cover most bases. For $75, you can get a set of each measurement type, with the Pittsburgh Combination Wrench Set, which comes in both metric and SAE measurements. That is 28 total wrenches that should cover practically anything you would need a wrench for, and thanks to Harbor Freight's warranty policy on hand tools, both sets come with limited lifetime warranties for DIYers. 

They are pretty basic wrenches, so there isn't an exhaustive list of features. Both sets are polished chrome-vanadium with 15-degree offsets on the ends. The metric set comes with 8mm to 25mm sizes, and the SAE set ranges from 1/4-inch to 1-1/8 inch. Each set is $25, so getting both costs $50, and most customer reviews say that the wrenches are of good quality, easy to clean, and good for DIY work. You could step up to the even higher quality Icon wrenches, but those cost $130 per set, so the Pittsburgh wrenches are a much better value overall. 

Like wrenches, a good set of screwdrivers is always a good thing to have at home, even if you're not big on DIY. They're commonly used for putting together furniture and other household tasks, but are equally useful in garages and workshops. The Pittsburgh Comfort Grip Screwdriver Set covers just about every base you can think of. It is a 70-piece set that includes a wide selection of screwdrivers, two sets of hex keys, and a screwdriver bit set with a few common socket sizes. It also counts for Harbor Freight's lifetime warranty for hand tools, which is a nice bonus. 

The set costs $30, which makes it one of the least expensive items on the list. Considering all of the stuff you get, it's a pretty decent overall value. The metal parts are chrome-vanadium with magnetic tips and rubberized grips on most screwdrivers. Pittsburgh also includes a handy stand that fits all of the pieces, making it much easier to store than a bunch of loose tools. Customer reviews are largely positive, with most enjoying the storage rack and the general functionality of the screwdrivers. 

A creative mind with enough time can probably come up with a few hundred uses for a rotary tool, but there are 13 uses for a rotary tool to get you started if you don't know much about them. The best of the best is usually the Dremel, but Harbor Freight has a reasonably good version that can do very nearly all the same stuff for less money. It's the Bauer 8V Cordless Rotary Tool, and you get quite a lot for the money. It comes with a charging cable and a small pack of bits, including brushes, sanding bits, cutters, and more. It's mostly everything you need to get started, and costs a cool $50. 

The feature set is basic, but good. It has a variable speed from 5,000 to 30,000 RPM, which is a decent amount of control. The bits, tool, and charger all fit inside the included nylon case, a nice bonus for storage purposes. Otherwise, what you see is what you get, which is a reasonably priced rotary tool. Harbor Freight also sells additional bits for rotary tools, and you can find them at most other online and in-store retailers that sell hardware. 

Every household has batteries, and sometimes, those batteries need charging. This is especially true if you own a reliable riding mower, since those batteries sit unused in the off-season and may need a bit of a charge before getting up and going in the spring. In any case, Harbor Freight sells the Viking 2/8/15 Amp Battery Charger, which can handle anything from mower batteries to boat and car batteries. The brand says that the charger can handle any 12-volt lead-acid battery, regardless of its makeup or application. It also comes with protections from overcharging, overheating, and reverse polarity for when the clamps are on the wrong terminals. 

What's nice about the Viking charger is that it has plenty of modes, making it usable for all sorts of battery charging and maintenance tasks. For example, there's a winter mode that keeps batteries charged and maintained in cold conditions and a recondition mode for weaker batteries to try and breathe some new life into them. It'll even drop to maintenance mode automatically once batteries are charged. The former seems to work pretty well, as it's mentioned several times by customer reviews. For $70, it's a nice addition, especially if you have several battery-powered vehicles.

There are many great socket sets on the market, but the best tool is the one you have with you. The best socket sets can cost well over $100, but there are some at Harbor Freight that cost much less. Enter the Quinn Hi-Vis Socket Set, a selection of sockets that should work for just about any DIY project around the house. It has 1/4-inch, 3/8-inch, and 1/2-inch socket wrenches and a variety of shallow and deep sockets, making it good for regular household tasks or automotive use. There are 66 pieces, and since they are hand tools, they benefit from Harbor Freight's lifetime warranty. 

The tools are made from chrome-vanadium steel, which is the industry standard, and come with three ratchets, three extension bars (one for each size), 26 1/4-inch sockets, 27 3/8-inch sockets, and six 1/2-inch sockets. It's all wrapped up in a black storage case with easily readable size markers so you can find the one you need quickly. The sizes also cover both SAE and metric measurements, which just increases the number of bases that this set covers. Reviews are exceptionally positive, with reviewers stating that these stack up against bigger brands like Craftsman. 

The Knipex Pliers Wrench is an excellent tool, but it's also quite expensive. You can get something similar from Harbor Freight for much less money, and from Harbor Freight's top-tier brand, Icon. The Icon 10-inch Pliers Wrench performs the same job as the Knipex variants at roughly two-thirds of the cost. The tool costs $40, which seems like a lot, but you're getting a pair of pliers with wrench capabilities, which means it's a bit more versatile than a single-use hand tool. It also comes with Harbor Freight's lifetime warranty since it is a hand tool. 

Most of Harbor Freight's tools are made of chrome-vanadium, an industry-standard steel, and the Icon Pliers Wrench is no different. It comes with a cushioned grip, 21 locking positions, and little markings on the tool to show you how big your adjustments are. It actually has two more locking positions than the Knipex Pliers Wrench, so there is a benefit to buying one over the other. User reviews are almost universally positive, with only 10 people out of 413 giving it three stars or less. It's worth having one of these around.  

A good pair of needle-nose pliers goes a long way, especially if you do a lot of automotive or electrical stuff. You can get a pretty nice pair at Harbor Freight for around $30 if you pick up the Icon Needle Nose Pliers. This is a high price for a pair of needle-nose pliers, but there are clear benefits. It's from Icon, which competes favorably with more expensive brands like Span-on, so you're getting one of the highest quality brands from Harbor Freight. Plus, it's a hand tool, so the lifetime warranty is in effect. 

The pliers themselves are pretty simple. You get a red, nonslip grip that is also cushioned. It wraps around an unnamed forged alloy steel that is probably the same chrome-vanadium as Harbor Freight's other tools. That metal comes with a clear finish to help prevent corrosion over the long term. The slip joint has three positions, which is about on par with most needle-nose pliers, as are the precision-ground teeth. Despite its high price, customers are quite fond of this little guy, noting that they're out of stock consistently at many locations because of their popularity.

Every home should have at least one fire extinguisher. It's even recommended to consider putting one in your car. Harbor Freight sells the First Alert 2.5-pound Fire Extinguisher for just $25, so if you do have $75 in your pocket, you can get three of these. It comes with a 90-day warranty. 

It's a fire extinguisher, so what you see is largely what you get. First Alert says that its fire extinguisher will work for 1-A, 10-B, and C class fires, which includes ordinary combustibles (wood, paper, cloth), flammable liquids (oil, paint, solvents), and electrical fires caused by motors, wiring, and electrical panels. That covers the gamut for most typical household fires. It comes with a wall hanger, a rust and impact-resistant handle, and a powder-coated aluminum cylinder for corrosion protection. If you pick one up and you're curious what all the various symbols mean, here's a good guide.

One of the tools I use most often is my cordless drill. You can get a decent one at Harbor Freight with the Bauer 20V Cordless Drill. It's a $55 deal that includes the drill, a battery, and a charger. If you have a Bauer 20V battery, you can save a few bucks and get just the tool for $40. 

It's a pretty standard cordless drill. You get the drill and the battery, which lasts a decent amount of time according to user reviews. It also has a flashlight so you can see into dark corners while drilling. You can also pick up this Hercules Impact Driver Bit Set for another $23 and get the entire package and be ready to go for about $78. It's a hair over the $75 limit for this article, but that's a drill, a battery, a charger, and all the bits you'll need, which covers a lot of bases in DIY repairs or projects. Plus, it's still cheaper than the Hercules Cordless Drill, which clocks in at $98. 

A good storage cart is useful for tons of applications, from transporting tools across a workshop to holding tools in a garage. Harbor Freight has several such carts for sale, including the U.S. General Steel Service Cart. This cart comes with three shelves, wheels, and costs $70, which is on the lower end for any hardware store. It only comes in red, but that makes it easier to see, and it comes with a 90-day warranty. 

It has three shelves that are 3-1/2 inches deep. Two of the four casters swivel, which helps you steer it across the room. Its total load capacity is 450 pounds, which means you can fit a lot of tools and other items on this thing without breaking it. Customers say that the cart works as expected and say that it's pretty sturdy and easy to assemble. You can step up to one from U.S. General with a lockable drawer, but it'll cost you an extra $50, and the weight limit is actually 100 pounds lower. 

If you live anywhere that has bushes or trees, a good chainsaw can help with a lot of cleanup. You can get a fancy cordless one (gas or electric) from Ryobi or DeWalt, but it'll run you $170 to $200 at least, and most people don't need a tool that strong most of the time. A less expensive, but still capable option is the Bauer 14.5-amp 16-inch Chainsaw. It costs $75, which is half the price of cheaper gas or cordless options, with the only downside being that you'll need a long extension cord. 

Since it is corded, you won't need any batteries or chargers. The 14.5-amp power and 16-inch width are good enough for small to medium jobs around the home, including chopping logs, trimming branches, and similar tasks. It also comes with a built-in chain brake for safety. 

It's one of several budget chainsaws sold at Harbor Freight, but the Bauer strikes a good balance between power, length, usability, and price. For example, this Portland 9-amp 14-inch Chainsaw is only $50, but the extra $25 is worth it for the extra 2 inches and 5.5 amps of power.

There are a ton of products at Harbor Freight for under $75. In fact, you can find stuff there for under $5 andeven $1. It also doesn't help that Harbor Freight sells plenty of specialized and niche tools that most people may use only a handful of times, like a handheld cement mixer or a 10,000-foot measuring wheel. We avoided such items because while they are certainly available for under $75, they don't add much value to a DIYer's toolkit. Let's be honest, when was the last time you used a measuring wheel? 

We focused on more common tools that would be at home in any DIY garage, workshop, or hobby corner. Every tool above had to have a user rating of at least 4.5 stars and 100 reviews. In addition, every item had to be $75 or less at full price.