5 Harbor Freight Tools Smart Homeowners Should Have On Hand

Changing seasons bring a different set of DIY jobs to do, and tackling each will require a different set of tools. Harbor Freight sells plenty of products that will come in handy in each season, as well as tools that should stay at the top of your toolbox no matter the time of year. During the colder months, there's a long list of Harbor Freight products that smart homeowners should stock up on, but relatively few of those products will still be useful in the midst of summer.

Nonetheless, Harbor Freight shoppers looking for smart year-round picks certainly aren't short of options. Big brands like Ryobi offer a number of versatile all-season tools, and Harbor Freight is no different. Each of these tools is sold under either the retailer's Warrior or Bauer brand, making them some of the most affordable in-store picks, and each has received consistently high customer reviews. If you're looking for in-store inspiration at any time of year, these five tools are all worth considering.

If you don't already have a heat gun in your toolkit, Harbor Freight lets you buy one without spending a fortune. The Warrior 1500W heat gun retails for only $19.99, yet it's powerful enough for a wide range of uses. For more intense jobs, there's a high-temperature setting that delivers maximum output, while precision jobs are easier to master with the lower-temperature setting. A six-foot power cord means you'll either need to be near an outlet to complete jobs or have an extension cord handy.

Harbor Freight says that the gun can be used to strip paint, thaw pipes, and loosen fittings, but there are plenty of other, more creative uses for heat guns that make them a must-have for homeowners. They can be used to quickly dry materials to prevent mold buildup, and if you have a 3D printer, they can also be used to remove string. If you want to get really creative, you could even try roasting coffee beans with one. That's a whole lot of versatility for its low price, so it's no surprise that the Warrior heat gun is well-liked by Harbor Freight reviewers.

A power screwdriver and a flashlight are likely to be two of your most-used tools, regardless of whether you're a seasoned DIYer or a relative novice. The Bauer 4V ¼-inch screwdriver with flashlight combines both tools into one: one end functions as a screwdriver, and the other illuminates your workspace.

While Bauer's 20V tool line requires users to purchase batteries and a charger separately, the brand's 4V tools come with all the components you'll need to get started. A rechargeable lithium-ion battery is included with the screwdriver, along with a charging cable and four screwdriver bits.

If you're unfamiliar with Harbor Freight's product range, you might be wondering who exactly makes Bauer tools and whether they're any good. The answer is that the brand is one of Harbor Freight's many different in-house brands, with Bauer pitched primarily at DIYers and homeowners looking for affordable power tools. They're manufactured by various overseas contractors, yet most of them cost less than rival foreign-made tools. The 4V screwdriver is one such tool, with a retail price of $19.99, which is less than half the price of an equivalent tool from Ryobi.

You could buy the most powerful drill on the market, but it'll still be no use if it's too large and unwieldy to fit into the workspace you need it for. Alternatively, you could save yourself the headache and get a right-angle drill, which is specifically designed to fit into awkward spaces. In some cases, you could even argue that it makes seemingly impossible home improvement tasks possible.

Harbor Freight sells several different right-angle drills, but the one that's arguably the smartest pick for most homeowners is the 20V ⅜-inch right-angle drill. It gets the most consistent high review ratings of any Harbor Freight tool of its type, and it's the cheapest right-angle drill sold by the retailer to boot. It's available for $44.99 as a standalone tool.

The drill is part of Bauer's 20V cordless tool line, so you'll need to purchase a suitable battery and charger separately if you don't have them to hand. Alternatively, you could opt for one of Bauer's 20V tool kits, since the brand offers several good deals on kits ranging from drill/drivers to blowers and impact drivers. Unfortunately, the right-angle drill is not available as part of a kit.

Virtually every DIY enthusiast will have been through the annoyance of buying new tools or accessories, bringing them home, and then realizing that they're wrapped in tough plastic packaging that won't easily come apart by hand. You might have ended up cutting the packaging with a knife or heading off to find a pair of scissors, but a quicker, easier option is the Warrior 4V power cutter.

In addition to dispatching plastic packaging in record time, the power cutter is suitable for cutting cloth, leather, carpet, and cardboard. It retails for $39.99 at Harbor Freight and comes with a battery and a charger, so you won't need to buy any additional accessories. Moreover, reviewers largely agree that the power cutter is a good investment, with many detailing their personal experience cutting a wide range of materials. Multiple reviewers also note that the tool is particularly useful for users with arthritis.

Any good oscillating multi-tool needs to be powerful enough to handle a variety of tasks, as well as convenient to use and easy to accessorize. The Bauer 20V oscillating multi-tool should tick all those boxes, and it's affordably priced at $44.99. Just like the brand's right-angle drill, it's only available as a standalone tool, so buyers who are new to Bauer's 20V cordless tool line will need to purchase a battery and charger separately.

According to its maker, the Bauer tool reaches a maximum speed of 20,000 OPM (oscillations per minute). That's 2,000 OPM more than Milwaukee's M18 multi-tool, despite the fact that the Milwaukee tool is more than three times as expensive as the Bauer. Buyers who already have a multi-tool from a different brand are likely to be able to use their existing heads with the Bauer tool, since the tool head is compatible with accessories from brands like Milwaukee, DeWalt, and Harbor Freight's Warrior.

Any homeowner who is trying to be smart with their money isn't going to want to purchase a tool, use it once, then put it into storage and never use it again. As such, we prioritized tools that have multiple uses and will potentially come in handy for a wide range of household jobs and DIY tasks. Each of our picks has also earned the seal of approval from Harbor Freight customers, with a minimum rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars from at least 500 reviews.