5 Harbor Freight Hand Tools With Thousands Of 5-Star Ratings

There's no particular shortage of retailers available to consumers who need quality tools at a reasonable price. While big-box chains like The Home Depot and Lowe's tend to headline that conversation, for many, family-owned Harbor Freight is the preferred place to pick up the gear they need to tackle almost any DIY project.

One of the reasons is that Harbor Freight is the exclusive seller of a few notable tool brands, most of which now exist under the retailer's ownership umbrella. That list includes the likes of Pittsburgh, Daytona, Bauer, and Icon, to name just a few. While the outfit does offer larger tools like trailers and off-road winches, smaller power tools and non-powered hand tools remain a bit of a consumer sweet spot for Harbor Freight both online and in-store. 

Still, shopping for hand tools online or in a Harbor Freight store can be a bit overwhelming, as there are hundreds of tools to choose from. You can limit the options by focusing on a single brand, but you can further trim the fat by also focusing on user ratings, which can sometimes paint a clearer picture of a tool's quality and usefulness. That's particularly true if there are lots of 5-star ratings in the mix. Here are a few Harbor Freight options that currently feature thousands of those perfect scores from real-world shoppers.  

Among Harbor Freight's various in-house brands, Pittsburgh is one of the more prominent you'll come across. If you spend any time browsing the brand's options on Harbor Freight's online outlet, you'll see that it's particularly popular with shoppers, as its hand tools frequently boast user ratings in the hundreds and thousands.

High on that list is Pittsburgh's Neon Orange 3-Pound Dead Blow Hammer, which currently has more than 3,300 reviews from Harbor Freight shoppers, along with an overall rating of 4.8 stars. Reading over the reviews, you'll find that those shoppers have deemed the tool well worth its sticker price, which is a reasonable $11.99. Given the high star rating, you'd be correct in assuming the bulk of the tool's reviews are of the 5-star variety. At present, the Pittsburgh tool has a total of 2,849 5-star ratings, with 99% of customers recommending it to others.

Those numbers would seem to make this dead blow hammer a no-brainer for auto enthusiasts in need of such a tool. The hammer features a steel core and head, which are covered in a chemical-resistant neon orange PVC coating. The tool's soft face helps prevent sparks and unwanted marring on delicate surfaces. At just 3 pounds, it's a relatively lightweight tool, and Pittsburgh even backs it with a lifetime warranty.

While Pittsburgh is one of Harbor Freight's more prominent in-house brands, the same cannot be said about Gordon. That may have something to do with the fact that Harbor Freight doesn't sell quite as many Gordon-branded hand tools in its retail outlets. The Gordon tools it does sell seem to be well liked by the brand's consumer base, however, with many earning high ratings from shoppers.

Gordon's Folding Lock-Back Utility Knife is one of those devices, with the cutting tool earning a 4.7-star rating from Harbor Freight shoppers. That rating is based on a current total of 4,197 reviews, 3,350 of which are 5 stars. Those numbers rank it highly among the many utility cutters you'll find on Harbor Freight's website. The sticker price of just $6.99 makes it feel like a bit of a steal for budget-minded shoppers.

As for those 5-star ratings, the reviewers praise the knife as much for its quality as for its price point. At 6 inches in length and a weight of about 0.50 pounds, ease of use is also a common point of praise from those who've purchased one. Though lightweight, the knife boasts a durable aluminum case and features an easy-opening, locking-blade design to allow one-handed use. Moreover, it's designed with a built-in quick-change mechanism for swapping out blades. 

On the subject of lesser-known Harbor Freight brands, Ames Instruments is surely among them. Yet, when you're searching through the retailer's diagnostic tools like multimeters, thermometers, and circuit testers, you might find a must-have or two for the DIY set bearing the Ames Instruments logo. Some of the brand's devices have also earned strong ratings from Harbor Freight shoppers, with the brand's 12:1 Infrared Laser Thermometer garnering 4.6 stars from customers.

At present, that rating is based on more than 4,070 user ratings, and 3,034 of them are 5-star to boot. Those reviews largely praise the thermometer for its accuracy and ease of use. Users also claim to have used the tool for everything from checking the temperature of their clothes dryer and air vents to ensuring their power tools are not on the verge of overheating in warmer weather. The device has earned its share of love for its sticker price too, with Harbor Freight selling it for $22.99 online. There were, however, more than a few customers who complained that their Ames thermometers became inaccurate or non-functional after just a couple of months.

The 3,000-plus 5-star reviews and 94% recommendation rate may still prove hard for some to ignore, particularly at the price point. So too will its easy-to-use functionality. Ames designed the thermometer with trigger-style operation and an easy-to-read temperature display.

Just FYI — that Gordon utility knife is hardly the only tool bearing the brand's logo that's been getting some serious love from Harbor Freight customers. In fact, the brand's no-nonsense Multipurpose Scissors have earned more than 11,000 customer reviews, including thousands of five-star ratings.

As of this writing, the scissors have earned a total of 11,358 reviews and an overall user rating of 4.5 stars. Of those ratings, 8,163 users have awarded them 5 stars. That means there are plenty of sub-5-star reviews on the tool's Harbor Freight product page, though it is perhaps worth noting that 1,835 award the scissors four stars. Still, even with a sticker price of just $1.29, several customers took the scissors to task, dinging them for being cheaply made and largely ineffective.

Despite that, the 5-star fans of the scissors tell a very different story, with most claiming they far exceeded expectations at the price point. Others added that they are durable, well-designed, and effective for use in the kitchen, garage, or around the house. At a cost of just over $1, replacing them would hardly break the bank if they do fail. The only drawback there is that these scissors appear to be available only for in-store purchase, so you'll need to venture out to a brick-and-mortar Harbor Freight store to pick them up.

Among the other low-risk, high-reward options available through Harbor Freight, customers appear to view Pittsburgh's 6-in-1 Screwdriver/Nut Driver as another low-risk, high-reward purchase. According to the tool's product page, the driver has been reviewed by more than 13,500 Harbor Freight customers, with 97% saying they'd recommend it. In total, 10,472 of those users have rated it at 5 stars, which is one of the highest totals we found among Harbor Freight's hand tools.

Those numbers may be impressive, and the tool's $2.99 sticker price likely makes it even more appealing. Not surprisingly, value is one of the biggest points of praise with the Pittsburgh driver, which comes with two double-ended screwdriver bits — in Phillips-head and slotted — as well as a pair of nut drivers for additional on-the-job versatility. Those bits are made of vanadium steel, with the driver featuring a soft-handle grip with onboard bit storage, as well as a chrome-plated steel shank.

At roughly $3 a pop, a few Harbor Freight customers even admitted to buying more than one of these Pittsburgh drivers and keeping them around the house, in the garage, and even in the car. However, some shoppers complained of poor overall quality and functional shortcomings. But with Pittsburgh also backing the tool with a lifetime warranty, the purchase may still seem worth the paltry financial risk.