7 Tractor Supply Finds That Outshine Harbor Freight In Price VS Value

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The hunt for new gear is one that never really ends. Home improvers, mechanics, and others who routinely pick up their tools will often return to the well in search of new tools to help with a project. This can sometimes focus on consumables, and in this realm, you'll find things like sandpaper sheets, drill bits (sometimes unique bits designed for specialized jobs), and saw blades. Investing in cost effective tools, themselves, is often a high priority. But price and value aren't always correlated, especially when thinking about tools and accessory gear that you'll use on a regular basis. Looking for good pricing alongside high quality specs will frequently give you a favorable blend of durability and performance alongside a workable purchase price.

Great tools don't have to break the bank, but where you shop for your gear certainly makes a difference. There are some brands that are sold exclusively by their paired retailer, but if you're not after a specific make, then your shopping adventure can home in on wherever the best deal might live. 

Harbor Freight is a retailer that is often both a brand-exclusive tool retailer and a place where good deals can be had, but the retailer's tools can sometimes be outclassed by the value you'll find elsewhere. While Harbor Freight often offers some of the lowest product prices, Tractor Supply frequently more than makes up the difference with value in products with longer warranty coverage, better output ratings, or longer range.

The JobSmart SAE/Metric Mechanic's Tool Set from Tractor Supply comes in a hard plastic storage box with removable drawers. It includes three ratchet handles in each of the most common drive sizes alongside a considerable collection of Allen wrenches, sockets in both shallow and deep configurations, and screw and nut driving bits. It's an $80 purchase from Tractor Supply and is among a selection of highly rated JobSmart tools backed by a lifetime warranty. The kit includes 253 pieces, with a serious focus on sizing coverage. This kit lacks the wrenches or pliers that often ship with mechanic-focused tool sets, but it makes up for that oversight with a heap of L-wrenches and a significant volume of bits and sockets. Offering a massive range of sizing options allows this tool kit to provide accessibility to a wider range of fastener turning needs than you might otherwise be able to accommodate.

It's also cheaper than some, similarly sized mechanics toolsets you'll find elsewhere. The Pittsburgh 225-Piece Mechanics Tool Set from Harbor Freight features some of the same equipment, but lacks the huge spectrum of coverage options when it comes to nut driving bits and hex wrenches. The set is backed by the brand's lifetime warranty, too, but is priced at a regular rate of $140 at Harbor Freight. The two kits are aimed at satisfying slightly different priorities, but the pricing difference acts as a clear distinguishing factor, especially for those who already have wrenches and other gear in their collection.

Ingersoll Rand is often one of the best-rated major-label brands in air tools. IR equipment is touted as durable and powerful, and professionals often trust the toolmaker, giving it some serious clout. The Ingersoll Rand Edge Series Air Hammer Set from Tractor Supply is a highly rated choice from the manufacturer, and it ships with a surprisingly favorable $65 price tag from Tractor Supply. It also comes with three chisel attachments (a flat chisel, tapered punch, and panel cutter). The tool delivers 3,500 blows per minute with a 2-5/8-inch stroke length. Its quick-change retainer makes swapping chisel bits fast and the tool weighs in at just over 4 pounds, making it easy enough to handle over lengthy jobs.

The Chief Professional Long-Barrel Air Hammer is listed at Harbor Freight for $150 and compared by the store in its online listing to a Mac Tools model priced nearly $300 higher. The tool's 4-inch stroke length is far longer than the IR model, and it delivers a lower, 2,800 BPM output while weighing more than a pound heavier. Overall, its performance lags behind the Ingersoll Rand hammer in numerous, key areas while shipping without a chisel set and for nearly $100 more.

Air tool users have a lot to consider when looking for new gear. There's obviously the tools themselves, but running pneumatic equipment also requires an air compressor to deliver the power. Between the compressor and the tool you're handling is an air hose. The specifications of your connection can make or break the work you're trying to perform. JobSmart's 75-Foot Spring-Driven Heavy Duty Auto Rewind Air Hose Reel from Tractor Supply comes with a 3/8-inch hose installed, and allows you to move around your workshop with air tools easily. The auto rewind feature means you're less likely to end up tripping over errant hoses laying around on the shop floor, and the length it can accommodate helps you position your compressor far out of the way.

The accessory unit is $130 at the retailer and features a 300 PSI maximum pressure rating, more than enough for all but the most intense tool usage requirements. The reel unit is mountable, allowing you to position it wherever suits your needs, and then extend and retract the hose as a job progresses. It stacks up favorably against Harbor Freight's Earthquake XT 50-Foot Professional Air Hose Reel. This reel introduces a similar auto retraction function powered by a spring drive. Both utilize four-direction rollers and 3/8-inch hoses, but this model offers a notably shorter reach with a $160 price tag.

For my money, Skil's 5-Inch Corded Random Orbit Sander from Tractor Supply is one of the best deals out there for a power tool. It's listed for $38 at the outlet and comes with three sanding discs included, as well as the cyclonic dust collection unit that straps onto the back of the tool. Personally, I'm a firm believer in a corded sander, and prioritize these models in household renovation projects. Cordless tools drain your batteries a little too quickly and so a corded model allows you to work on larger segments without worrying about how much time you have left before a recharge becomes necessary. This tool delivers a variable speed that tops out at 13,000 orbits per minute (OPM) and goes as low as 7,000. The X-Flow dust collection unit pulls dust into the transparent container and it features an easy to open latch to empty the debris.

There are lots of great sanders out there, and one that looks and performs similarly is the Hercules 3 Amp 5-Inch Random Orbit Palm Sander from Harbor Freight. It features a soft start function that isn't noted as present in the Skil model. The 3 Amp motor also outpaces Skil's 2.8 Amp unit by a small margin, but both deliver the same variable speed control with a 13,000 OPM ceiling. Hercules' unit is also shop vac compatible, which is going to be very useful for some tool owners. However, for these sometimes-niche enhancements, you'll pay $60 for the tool and have to supply your own sandpaper to get started.

An oscillating multitool can be an essential piece of any home improvement toolkit. If you've never used one before, we'd recommend you do two things: read through your instructions and beginner tips, and avoid overpaying for a tool that works just fine in its simplest form. Tractor Supply carries the Porter-Cable 20V Oscillating Multitool with Accessory Set for $79. It comes with a set of cutting blades, a sanding plate, and eight sheets of sandpaper, as well as the tool itself. The unit delivers a variable speed range from 8,000 to 18,000 oscillations per minute (OPM) with an added LED work light to improve visibility. It works with a tool-free accessory change system that takes the hassle and guesswork out of this otherwise-often-tedious task.

This unit is similar in output to the Hercules 20V Oscillating Multitool from Harbor Freight, complete with a nearly identical $80 price tag. It offers a six-speed dial to lock in the oscillation rate you require, running from settings of 8,000 to a slightly higher 19,000 OPM. The tools are both roughly 2.6 pounds with fairly similar overall sizes and vibration reduction chops. The key difference between the products here in an added accessory set that comes with the Porter-Cable model. This is a solid value add, especially for users who are new to the tool and won't already have this sort of equipment.

Measuring tools are often fairly inexpensive. As such, choosing one is often down to picking up whichever product is in front of you at the store. However, as one of the most underrated home improvement tools on the market, we'd recommend you spend a moment considering the differences between the following two identically-priced sliding squares. The Swanson 8-Inch Speedlite Sliding Square from Tractor Supply is a $5 purchase and features a hi-vis orange color that makes it easier to find on a jobsite or in the toolbox. 

At the same time, there's little to complain about in the Pittsburgh 7-Inch Rafter Angle Square from Harbor Freight. It provides a very similar experience, even down to the same $5 price tag and high visibility coloration (this time in a bright yellow tone). The tool is also backed by Pittsburgh's lifetime warranty. 

However, the Pittsburgh tool doesn't include a set of rip line indentations, which are present on the Swanson model, allowing for accurate marks across the length of a board. The tool is also slightly longer, giving you a bit more reach when using the square as a cross cutting guide. The Swanson model features a high impact structural composite and is purpose built for work on the installation of siding material. The square can slide across a delicate workpiece without marring the surface, thanks to this material.

Workshops that experience particularly intense power needs can benefit from upgraded accessory tools like the JobSmart 50-Foot 12 Gauge Extension Retractable Cord Reel from Tractor Supply. The cord construction is purpose-built for heavy duty use, with 125V, 15A, 1,875W power ratings. It's designed for indoor use and the brand suggests it's capable of handling temperatures running the gamut of extremes, from -4 to 122 degrees Fahrenheit. The cord offers three plugs on the end and features an auto rewind function with the ability to slowly retract, limiting the potential for damage that might occur if the end of the cord were to whip back toward its housing. The extension cord can be locked at any distance you require, helping to keep your workspace tidy while still providing plenty of length to handle distant power needs. It's listed for $140 at Tractor Supply and is backed by a 24-month warranty.

Residential users who don't require the same level of intense performance might consider the Vanguard 40-Foot 14/3 Gauge Retractable Cord Reel from Harbor Freight instead. It's a $90 purchase and can handle 125 volts with ratings of 12A and 1,500W capabilities. These figures, alongside the reach that comes in 10 feet shorter, will be plenty capable of handling many routine household renovation tasks, although it won't be the right choice to power more demanding tools like a full sized table saw, including tools like Harbor Freight's Hercules 15 Amp, 10-Inch Jobsite Table Saw. The power solution is also covered for 90 days compared to the two year umbrella offered on the JobSmart model, which may also constitute a push factor for concerned buyers.

Each of the tools and accessories recommended in this article have been rated highly by buyers at trusted online outlets (like Tractor Supply). Each one has received at least a 4.1 star average rating from over 100 shoppers. Importantly, they also stack up favorably when compared to similar tools and equipment found at Harbor Freight. Many come with lower prices while all of them deliver equal or superior performance with higher power output, longer reach, or some other crucial specification that outpaces the Harbor Freight competitor.