Top 10 Things You Should NOT Be Buying at Harbor Freight | Dad Deals

These are the top products you should not buy at Harbor Freight. I've compiled a list from personal experience and a poll from the Harbor Freight Sub Reddit. Are Harbor Freight tools worth it? Are Harbor Freight Tools Bad? Should you buy tools from Harbor Freight? These questions will be answered in this video.

Dad Deals allows you to sit back, relax, and enjoy shopping at Harbor Freight from the comfort of your home. There's no need to waste your gas and go to the store. Just click the play button and enjoy browsing the latest deals at Harbor Freight.

In this video, Dad Deals is showing you what NOT to buy at Harbor Freight.

This Harbor Freight video is a Harbor Freight shop with me that is showing what is new at Harbor Freight and the best and worst Harbor Freight deals. These Harbor Freight shopping secrets are things you should never buy at Harbor Freight. I hope you enjoy this Harbor Freight video!

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[regibson]

Hard disagree on ratchets and sockets. Ran a semi-pro race team using HF ratchets and sockets and never had a problem with any of them. And we abused the hell out of them.

I particularly liked the color coded sockets. Made it really easy to grab and go.

[bobg]

I like HF, and I know what to expect. Years ago I bought an under $40 SDS drill instead of a $200 quality drill, and one function of the drill broke almost immediately, but the impact function worked fine, which is why I bought it. If I lose any HF tools I don't come unglued like I would if I lost one of my Craftsman or Snap-On tools. I like to think that HF tools can be teaching tools; if you buy a cheap compressor and it lasts long enough, then a smart person accepts he got his money's worth and uses the experience to plan the next purchase.

[mattiron]

One thing i totally agree on, your totally correct is those warrior drill bits, mines are in broken peices in a box, but i dont do serious contractor drilling, payday going to buy Hercules bits and see how they hold up, always fun to walk around harbor freight on payday buying crap you really don't need.

[robertmcdavid]

Can't agree with the rachets. I have the Pittsburg professional and have used them in a tractor and auto repair shops an they have held up just as good as my Snap On

[barrykeeley]

only disagrement is with the ratchets never had a problem. good video thanks

[mikesmusicden]

I disagree about the clamps. I have a number of grip clamps from HF that I have been using for years with no issue. Recently, I was building a room addition and needed larger clamps to hold OSB sheathing to to studs. I got several more clamps from HF and they worked great, at a fraction of the cost of name brand clamps like Irwin. I do agree about the drill bits though...👍

[richardwang]

I never thought about the small measurements being off on squares and such. Very interesting stuff.

[ST-]

I used a couple of rolls of StikTek blue tape and they worked fine. When I ran out I got a roll of Scotch blue tape at Lowe's, which I cussed for the entire roll. When it was gone I bought more StikTek.

The drill bits are fine for routine use. I've never broken one under 3/16". While I have broken the smaller bits, I can say that about every brand of bit I've ever used.
I buy the 4 1/2 x 1/16" cut off wheels in 10 packs, and I've never had one shatter. They don't last as long as better brands, but for what they cost- less than .50¢ each- that doesn't really matter.
Avanti cut off wheels are $2.00 each Diablo is $2.60, and neither one lasts 4-5 times longer.

Precision? The value of their Pittsburgh dial indicators and levels can't be beat. Both have lifetime warranties.

Their ratcheting clamps are bulky and clunky. Irwin clamps will fit into much tighter spaces and operate much more smoothly. That said for general use they work fine, and you can get 5 of the 12" clamps for the price of 1 Irwin. I wouldn't recommend them over Irwin, but it's great to have a bunch of them around when extra clamps are needed. Lifetime warranty if they break.

The price point of Drill Master, Chicago Electric, and some Warrior tools make the extended warranty unnecessary. However when getting into the better tools like Bauer and Hercules it's probably worth it. In most cases the price will still be less then other brand names, and there is a definite advantage to the HF warranty in that it's actually an exchange.
If your rotary hammer, miter saw, or table saw breaks on the job site take it to any HF, put it on the counter, and walk out with a brand new tool. Productivity lost might be a couple of hours.
With any other brand you have to:
-Find a service center
-Take or ship the tool in
-Wait for them to do a diagnostic, then wait for them to decide if it's a warranty issue
-Wait for them to fix it
-Wait for them to ship it back, or go pick it up.
Productivity time lost will be days or weeks.

Icon tools are professional grade tools, and the prices reflect that. Regular Pittsburgh tools aren't great, but they do have a lifetime warranty on all of them. For a household tool kit they're probably fine. There is also a difference between Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh Pro, of which the latter are actually better. In addition, the Quinn line of tools are really good without having to step up to the expense of Icon.

[Burn_pits]

I grew up without a father figure and had a clean slate no loyalty to a specific brand. I’m 35 now and bought my first rolling box and masters mechanic set from harbor freight. I still have 80 percent of those tools and most of the replacements were do to loses not breaking. I use them almost everyday for my work as well. Pittsburgh, icon, and Quinn are great tools. I’ve never broke a ratchet doing normal work. I have broke 3/8 with 1/2 inch adapter doing stupid things as a young man but never had one break under normal conditions.

[jeremyTallen]

I have had good luck with the composite ratchet and the extendable ratchets

[tylerfraker]

I haven’t used the Hercules sandpaper but the Bauer discs are great! I use the 5 and 6” for my orbital and DA in automotive body/paint work. Avoid the warrior stuff unless you’re getting heavy stripping discs for high speed sanders or grinders.

[SnarkyRC]

The Pittsburgh Pro 3/8" composite ratchet held up just as good as the other brand ratchets people were using when I worked at a bus factory.

[timvandenbrink]

The sanding flapper discs for my grinders are excellent. The flux core welding wire I use on my Lincoln Welder is excellent. The auto dimming welding helmets are a great buy for any welder.

[cdjhyoung]

I'm using my first pack of Hercules brand sand paper. I'm really impressed with how durable and long lasting it is. I bought a multi grit pack and am really happy with the two sheets I've used. To be honest, I expected normal Harbor Freight junk but that was not he case at all.

[jmuench]

The cheap tools, even the flimsy ones, often have their use. Things like the drill bit sets and their hardware variety packs can be nice to have around in pinch even with the so-so quality. But I absolutely agree on avoiding their tape, sandpaper and measuring tools at all costs no matter how cheap they are, they're just not worth the headaches.

[woodandwheelz]

About the Tape - Getting the colored electrical tape is great for when you need to tag wires at each end so you know which wire is what. Other than that, I wouldn't use it for actual electrical work. Oh, and I've used the red electrical tape to tape over an outlet that I don't want to use. Great visual aid. So, it does have it's uses.

[lordazrielxiii]

Can we get the reason WHY to skip each product? Like whats wrong with the tape exactly? Is it too thin? tear too easily? Not sticky enough? Leaves behind residue or what? One person's issue may be no problem for someone else to deal with

[blaisegamer]

I’ve been using the heck out of the pittsburg squares and their pretty darn good I was thinking on getting combination squares soon to test them. I’ve been renovating my camper and using those squares have gave me good straight lines and measurements

[stangman]

I have bought everything mentioned except the sandpaper and drill set and have nothing negative to say about it does the job and for cheap i don't expect much from it and it works for me.

[bonholioo]

I don't agree with your comment on Pittsburg ratchet at all. I got every single one of them and I love them esp the ones with 72 gears.