Introduction
Harbor Freight tools. 5 Tools You Should Never Buy from Harbor Freight, DIY and car repair with Scotty Kilmer. 3 tools you should never buy from harbor freight. The worst tools at harbor freight. The best tools at harbor freight. Are Harbor Freight tools any good? Should I buy Harbor Freight tools. Are Harbor Freight tools worth it? The truth about Harbor Freight tools. Car advice. DIY car repair with Scotty Kilmer, an auto mechanic for the last 51 years.
Thanks for watching!
⬇️ Things used in this video:
1. Dewalt Reciprocating Saw: amzn.to/2WDPy36
2. Dewalt Drill: amzn.to/2JWJlh3
3. Dewalt Drill Bits: amzn.to/2HR6S1e
4. Harbor Freight Tools: no link, go to the store and buy them
5. Common Sense
Mechanic Monday Official Rules:
1. The Mechanic Monday Giveaway will begin April 1st at 7 am CST and run for six days, ending on April 7th at 9 am CST.
2. There will be one winner of a brake kit valued at $40.
3. To enter, simply leave one non-offensive comment in the video below.
4. Only one comment per entrant is allowed and more than one comment will not increase your odds of winning.
5. Must be 18 years or old at the time of entering this giveaway OR have your parents’ permission.
6. This giveaway is open worldwide.
7. Any offensive, obscene, or lewd comments will be ineligible to win the giveaway.
8. The odds of winning are based on how many people enter the giveaway.
9. The winner will be chosen at random.
10. The winner will receive a reply to their originally posted comment in the video and will also be announced in a newly posted comment by Scotty around Sunday 9 am CST. The winner will be required to respond to Scotty’s comment within 24 hours or their win will become void and a new winner will be chosen at random.
11. The winner will be required to give Scotty their full name and mailing address to receive the prize.
12. Entrants that use computers, programs, or any other means of cheating by adding additional comments through more than one account, will be ineligible to win the giveaway.
13. Standard mailing time from the win date and the date received, will depend on the winner’s geographic location.
14. This giveaway complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws, rules, and regulations, including U.S. sanctions.
15. Entrants that do not comply with YouTube’s Community Guidelines will be disqualified: www.youtube.com/yt/about/policies/
16. This giveaway is in no way sponsored, administered, or associated with YouTube. Entrants are required to release YouTube from any and all liability related to this giveaway.
17. Privacy notice: any and all personal data collected from the entrants and winner will only be used to announce the giveaway winner. The winner’s full name and address will only be used to mail the giveaway prize to the winner and nothing else. If you do not agree to these terms, then do not enter the giveaway.
⬇️Scotty’s Top DIY Tools:
1. Bluetooth Scan Tool: amzn.to/2nfvmaD
2. Cheap Scan Tool: amzn.to/2D8Tvae
3. Basic Mechanic Tool Set: amzn.to/2tEr6Ce
4. Professional Socket Set: amzn.to/2Bzmccg
5. Ratcheting Wrench Set: amzn.to/2BQjj8A
6. No Charging Required Car Jump Starter: amzn.to/2CthnUU
7. Battery Pack Car Jump Starter: amzn.to/2nrc6qR
🛠Check out my Garage to see what I use every day and highly recommend:
www.amazon.com/shop/scottykilmer
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This is the people's automotive channel! Learn how to fix your car and how it works. Get a chance to show off your own car on Sundays. Or show off your own car mod on Wednesdays. Tool giveaways every Monday to help you with your own car projects. Or enter your own DIY car fix to compete in the best fix of the week contest every Thursday. We have a new video every day! I've been an auto mechanic for the past 50 years and I'm here to share my knowledge with you.
Here's our weekly video schedule:
Monday: Tool giveaway
Tuesday: Auto repair video
Wednesday: Viewers car mod show off
Thursday: The Best Fix of the Week Contest AND Live podcast, car question and answer
Friday: Auto repair video
Saturday: Second Live podcast, car question and answer
Sunday: Viewers car show off
Scotty Kilmer is a participant in the Amazon Influencer Program.
#savagescotty
Video
Rev up your engines today, I'm going to talk about harbor freight tools.
Now I've been a mechanic for 51 years, so I got a garage full of tools, you're not going to spend that kind of money fixing your own car.
So you want to buy certain tools that you need and you don't want to pay too much, but on the other hand you don't want to buy cheap junk, that's going to fall apart, so you want to save money, buying tools and a lot of people have Asked me in the past scotty: what do you think of harbor freight tools? Well, I've bought stuff from them for the past few decades.
To tell you the truth, and I found out some rather interesting things now.
The first is the bad.
You do not want to go too cheap when you're buying tools.
Here's an example of a tool.
I got at harbor freight tools and it was too cheap.
I bought a cut off, saw for cutting off mufflers and exhausts and body panels and stuff, and I made a mistake and bought one of these $ 29 ones at harbor freight tools and yeah, I admit it.
I've been cheap, my whole life.
Well, in that case I went too cheap.
The thing only lasted a few months and finally, when I was sawing and it shorted out, the wiring kicked my circuit breaker off on the house.
Yeah, I admit it.
I made a mistake.
The I got this dewalt cut off, saw no problems at all and if you look closely you can see, this is all ground down here cuz.
I actually ran over it with a ford pickup truck and it dragged it down the street, but it still works fine.
This is a solid built saw yeah, it costs a lot more than the cheap one did, but in the case of this, it's worth buying a good one, if you're planning on using it for years and when I reach into my drill bag with drill bits, here's Another thing not to buy cheaply drills bits, you don't want a set of cheap drill bits.
You can see this one has snapped right off cuz, it's just cheaply made.
They say that it's titanium coated or whatever, but that doesn't do anything if the steel inside is cheap.
It's going to snap off like this, so you see a set of drill, bits and there's like 20 of them for $ 10.
Believe me don't buy them unless your drilling into wood or something that doesn't have much resistance.
If your working on cars forget it but good drill bits in most cases, if you want a good drill bit their going to cost $ 9 or more each not for a set of a bunch of them, and the same goes for the drills themselves.
Yeah I tried some of those cheaper harbor freight ones and they all burnt out early.
So now I got a dewalt drill too, and this thing has been going for years and years and I never had any problems with it at all.
So I can see your now thinking.
Oh scotty is just a hater.
He doesn't like them.
Well, they do have good products too, especially lately, they've been going more high end on a lot of their tools to get mechanic like myself to go there and buy stuff.
Here's a perfect example: this zurich, zr13 scan tool is about $ 200 and it does a lot of stuff.
It does all the scan tool, data trouble codes, and it will also check your battery check your alternator to make sure your charging system is good.
It's actually a really good tool, it's one, if their new zurich lines, where their trying to make better tools for people that are serious about fixing cars in the past, they sold a lot of cheap scan tools that they weren't all that great, but now their going For higher quality scan tools, and since, if you search on the internet for harbor freight discount coupons every time, I buy something big from them hey.
I can always find a 20 % off of one item somewhere on the internet.
If it's a $ 200 tool, hey now, it's only $ 180.
Now when it comes to heavy duty tools, I've used them in the past.
Underneath all this stuff that I hang on is a 20 ton press.
It's made out of very thick steel when I press with it.
I've never had any problems with anything.
I've never found anything that I was working on, that I couldn't press on or off with this thing and yeah, when I compared priced before I bought it other places that were selling the same rated press.
Those things were 3 or 4 times more expensive than this thing was: let's face it.
Steel is a pretty cheap commodity.
When it comes down to it, the sell it buy the ton they make these things in China yeah their made in China.
I've had no problems at all with them and when it comes to jacks here's a jack that I got from harbor freight tools, this daytona, you see all those jack handles behind me.
Those are all harbor freight jacks and they all still work.
Some of them are 20-30 years old, again we're talking mainly steel and a simple hydraulic ram jack that picks it up and down pretty simple technology: hey the Chinese, a good at building that stuff I've been using Chinese jacks for the last 40 years, and the only Reason I have a bunch of them is because they keep making cars lower to the ground, so I keep having to get jacks that are lower and lower, so I can slide them under the car and actually jack the car up in the air without either damaging The bodywork and not even being able to get it under there, so my advice on that is get a low profile.
One like this daytona when their this low they'll get under just about anything, and since this one is a heavy duty jack.
It also goes high enough that, even though it goes low, I've used it working on f150 pickup trucks and it's high enough to get the tires and everything off.
Let's say you want to work on your car's ac system.
You got to have a vacuum pump and I bought this at harbor freight decades ago and sure if you look at it, you can see.
The plastic cover is cracked.
I got a strap holding it on, but the thing still works, so it may look beat up, but it still works and it's worked for decades and I paid like $ 60 for this when it was on sale and heavy duty.
Sockets hey.
These are made out of heavy duty steel.
I never had any problems with them.
The only problem I had is my own.
You can see these are different and that's because I lost the other ones and if your into welding once I bought one of their $ 99 welders, really it was a piece of junk.
It didn't work worth beans, but a few years ago I bought one of their $ 300 welders and it's been an excellent welder.
Because again you can't go too cheap.
The $ 300 one man, it's a good welder.
It puts out a lot of power, solid thing, but the $ 99 one I should have known when the really good ones were like $ 800-900.
Hey I'm happy with the $ 300 one.
It works perfectly fine, but the $ 99 one don't go too.
Cheap same thing goes with their generators.
I bought a $ 89 generator when it was on sale.
I mean it's ok to run a coffee maker or something, but then I bought a $ 500 one and man.
That thing is great.
I could run my air compressor, all kinds of power tools off of that thing: hey it's a pretty good unit and I know we're all looking for the pie in the sky that we're going to buy a $ 5 lottery ticket and make $ 500 million.
But let's face the facts, you can get a good deal but don't think you're going to get a totally fantastic deal on a tool that hardly costs anything cuz odds.
Are it's not going to be such a hot tool so know you know what I think of harbor freight tools, there's good things and there's bad things.
Do your research before you buy them and you can make out quite well if you spend a reasonable amount of money buying tools that aren't super expensive, but their not the cheapest thing you can get your hands on, and since this is mechanic Monday, I'm giving away One of these harbor freight disc, brake kits it's the same exact one that I've been using for years to have a chance to win place.
A clean non offensive comment on the YouTube comments below and a winner will be chosen randomly by computer to get this great brake kit.
So you can do your own brake jobs.
So if you never want to miss another on of my new car repair, videos remember to ring that bell.
FAQs
Is it worth buying tools from Harbor Freight? ›
Generally speaking, Harbor Freight is known for having a range of quality tools, from the best avoided to the totally reliable. While not all Harbor Freight tools are top of the line, there is definitely a good selection of high quality tools at this discount tool supplier.
What is Harbor Freight Tools legal name? ›Harbor Freight Tools USA Inc.
Is everything from Harbor Freight made in China? ›Almost everything is manufactured in China.
Does Harbor Freight have decent tools? ›Hand tools from Harbor Freight are an incredible value, they're built to the highest standards, without the high prices. Best of all, Harbor Freight hand tools come with a lifetime warranty.
Who is Harbor Freights biggest competitor? ›Harbor Freight Tools main competitors are ALDI USA, Natural Grocers, and Hobby Lobby. Competitor Summary. See how Harbor Freight Tools compares to its main competitors: Duane Reade Holdings, Inc. has the most employees (415,000).
Can you negotiate with Harbor Freight? ›Ask for a better price on clearance options
The next time you're in Harbor Freight, you may notice a clearance section. As you might expect, these tend to be great deals, but an employee is unlikely to tell you that the store is also open to negotiation!
Snap-On is an independent company with no affiliation to Harbor Freight, although they overlap in their product lines. Snap-on is part of Snap-on Incorporated – a public company that uses the symbol SNA. The company has been around for over 100 years, and it continues to be a top-quality tool brand.
Is Milwaukee tools owned by Harbor Freight? ›Who Owns Milwaukee Tools? Techtronic Industries Co Ltd (TTI) As it turns out, TTI owns Milwaukee Tool and a host of other power tool companies.
Who is Harbor Freight owned by? ›Eric Smidt, Owner and Founder. Eric Smidt is the owner and CEO of Harbor Freight Tools which he co-founded with his father, Allan Smidt, in 1977. Under Eric's leadership, Harbor Freight Tools has become the leading discount tool retailer in the United States with over 1,400 stores and 25,000 associates nationwide.
Who is Pittsburgh tools made by? ›Pittsburgh tools are made & sold exclusively at Harbor Freight Tools.
Where are snap on tools made? ›
Snap-on Inc. operates plants in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Elizabethton, Tennessee, and Elkmont, Alabama. Wheel balancers and tire changers are produced in Conway, Arkansas. Torque products are made and assembled in City of Industry, California.
Where does Harbor Freight get its tools from? ›Harbor Freight buys tools direct from the manufacturer, so that means you save because they cut out the middle man. Often times Harbor Freight's tools come from the exact factory that other brands buy their tools from – which means quality is just as good as the competition.
Is Harbor Freight lifetime warranty? ›WARRANTY INFORMATION
We guarantee our Hand Tools to be free from defects in material and workmanship for the life of the product. Limitations apply. Harbor Freight Tools will replace any hand tool that fails to properly work during the lifetime of the original purchaser.
Can You Return Used Tools To Harbor Freight? Luckily, tools do not have to be brand new or even unopened to return them to Harbor Freight. If you request your return within 90 days and have your proof of purchase, you can return your item regardless of whether it has been used or not.
Who is Bauer tools made by? ›Harbor Freight continues to evolve its tools, including Bauer Tools. With its reputation at stake, the company innovates its products for higher quality and durability.
Are Hobby Lobby and Harbor Freight the same company? ›Hobby Lobby is a private company with $4.3 billion in revenue and 28,000 employees, and Harbor Freight Tolls is a private company with $3.4 billion in revenue and 17,000 employees.
What other store is like Harbor Freight? ›harborfreight.com's top 5 competitors in April 2023 are: northerntool.com, homedepot.com, acehardware.com, lowes.com, and more.
What company ships the most freight? ›| Rank | Company name | Total TEU |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) | 4,832,709 |
| 2 | Maersk | 4,185,693 |
| 3 | CMA CGM | 3,409,776 |
| 4 | COSCO Shipping Lines (COSCO) | 2,886,908 |
THIS INCLUDES PART-TIME ASSOCIATES… WHICH ADDS UP TO A PRETTY GOOD AMOUNT OF TIME OFF WITH PAY.” IT IS FANTASTIC TO GET THE 20% DISCOUNT TO USE ON HARBOR FREIGHT PRODUCTS – SO MANY AWESOME PRODUCTS TO PURCHASE!”
Do Harbor Freight managers get bonuses? ›The average Harbor Freight Tools Operations Manager earns $83,000 annually, which includes a base salary of $56,000 with a $27,000 bonus. This total compensation is $10,239 less than the US average for a Operations Manager.
What is the benefit of a Harbor Freight membership? ›
The Harbor Freight Tools Inside Track Club gives members extra coupons and savings on products throughout the year. Inside Track Club Membership includes: Exclusive Pricing on 200+ New Items Monthly (Look for the Orange Tags in Store or View Online). Instant Savings – No Coupons Required!
Who is Milwaukee tools owned by? ›Milwaukee Electric Tool is a subsidiary of Techtronic Industries Co. Ltd. (TTI), ttigroup.com. Founded in 1985, TTI is a leading marketer, manufacturer and supplier of home improvement and floor care products, employing over 20,000 people worldwide.
Who owns Gearwrench? ›Apex Tool Group, LLC, based in Sparks, Maryland, manufactures leading hand tool brands including GEARWRENCH®, Crescent®, Wiss®, and Lufkin® and is one of the largest worldwide producers of industrial hand and power tools, tool storage, drill chucks, chain, and electronic soldering products.
Who owns Craftsman tools? ›| Product type | Hand tools, power tools, lawn and garden equipment, work wear |
|---|---|
| Owner | Stanley Black & Decker |
| Country | United States |
| Introduced | May 20, 1927 |
| Related brands | Evolv, Craftsman Professional, Craftsman Industrial, Companion, Dunlap |
| 1 | Dewalt | 125.3 |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Craftsman | 124.5 |
| 3 | Stanley | 118.3 |
| 4 | Snap-On | 115.5 |
| 5 | Black+Decker | 113.0 |
Kobalt is a line of hand and mechanics' tools, power tools, and tool storage products owned by the American home improvement chain Lowe's. It is the house brand for both Lowe's in North America and their joint venture with the now defunct Masters Home Improvement in Australia. Lowe's Companies, Inc.
Who is Dewalt owned by? ›DEWALT | Stanley Black & Decker.
Is Harbor Freight an American owned company? ›Harbor Freight Tools, commonly referred to as Harbor Freight, is a privately held tool and equipment retailer, headquartered in Calabasas, California, United States.
How rich is the owner of Harbor Freight? ›| Name: | Eric Smidt |
|---|---|
| Net Worth: | $9 billion |
| Source of Wealth: | Harbor Freight Tools |
| Born: | Jan 1, 1960 |
| Age: | 63 |
Harbor Freight Tools' Accounts Payable department utilizes the Paymode-X® service offered by Bank of America to replace paper checks and other traditional electronic payments.
Who makes tools for Home Depot? ›
Husky is a line of hand tools, pneumatic tools, and tool storage products. Though founded in 1924, it is now best known as the house brand of The Home Depot, where it is exclusively sold. Its hand tools are manufactured for Home Depot by Stanley Black & Decker, Western Forge, Apex Tool Group, and Iron Bridge Tools.
Where are Craftsman tools made? ›FORT MILL, SOUTH CAROLINA WITH GLOBAL MATERIALS. We're proud to continue expanding our U.S. manufacturing footprint with our factory in Fort Mill, South Carolina. There, our workers make select V20* power tools with global materials and take pride knowing they're part of the CRAFTSMAN family.
Does Milwaukee own Craftsman? ›Brands like Ryobi, Dirt Devil, Oreck, Milwaukee Electric and Hoover, for example, are owned by Techtronic Industries based out of Hong Kong. The Connecticut-based Stanley Black & Decker owns many brands beyond its name, including Lenox, Craftsman, Irwin Tools, DeWALT and CribMaster.
Where are Mac tools made now? ›Mac Tools USA hardline tools are manufactured in their partner plant of Proto Dallas. Their primary distribution center is located in Hilliard, Ohio, United States.
Does NASA use snap-on tools? ›When NASA decided to build its flagship rocket, Ares I, they used the industry's flagship tools. Snap-on supplied the tools to build the next generation rocket that will support the International Space Station – and send Americans back to the moon.
Where is Milwaukee tools made? ›Milwaukee tools are currently manufactured in China, Germany, Mexico, The United States and Vietnam. In 2005 the company became a wholly owned subsidiary of Hong Kong based Techtronic Industries. Since 2016 it has been the largest supplier by volume of cordless power tools in North America.
Who makes Snap-on Ratchets? ›Snap-on Industrial is a division of IDSC Holdings LLC, a subsidiary of Snap-on Incorporated, a leading global innovator, manufacturer and marketer of tools, equipment, diagnostics, repair information and systems solutions for professional users performing critical tasks.
Why are snap-on tools so expensive? ›They are made from better materials, they are better designed so they last longer and you don't tire as easily when using them, and they are made in smaller numbers than the cheap tools out there. I know a mechanic who has Snap-On in his home shop, but just uses cheap tools at work.
Who makes Blue Point tools? ›The Blue-Point Tool Company was established in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1925. Initially providing punches and chisels, it soon expanded to include wrenches, pliers and more. The Blue-Point name became synonymous with quality hand tools. Blue-Point and the Snap-on Wrench Company merged to become Snap-on Tools, Inc.
Does Harbor Freight replace lost tools? ›Provides one-time product replacement on covered failures in store. Covered item will be replaced with a new product of equal or similar features, capacity and/or efficiency and functionality, a Harbor Freight Tools Gift Card, or a refund up to the original product purchase price will be issued.
Does Harbor Freight keep track of my purchases? ›
You can always check the status of your order by logging into your Harbor Freight account and clicking on the "Track My Order" link on the left-hand side.
Are Pittsburgh tools guaranteed? ›Pittsburgh Tools Warranty
Pittsburgh covers its hand tools with a lifetime warranty through Harbor Freight. All other Pittsburgh tools, like automotive and diagnostic tools, carry the standard 90-day warranty.
Simply take your purchase back to any Home Depot and get your money back instantly or exchange for something else. Be sure to bring a copy of your receipt or shipping confirmation email, credit card you used for the item and valid I.D.
What does limited stock mean at Harbor Freight? ›Inventory status of “Limited Stock” means that the retailer is reporting an item quantity of 1 on hand. This last remaining unit is oftentimes a display model of the product and therefore may not be available for sale. Occasionally a retailer may indicate "Limited Stock" for high demand items as well.
Can I return a tool to Home Depot if I used it? ›Some important things to keep in mind when trying to return a power tool (or anything else) to Home Depot are that your item must be new, unopened, unused, and undamaged. If your tool has been used or damaged in any way, then it will not be eligible for return.
Who owns Ryobi tools? ›The parent company behind Ryobi Power Tools is Techtronic Industries (TTI). Founded in Hong Kong in 1985, TTI includes the following brands: Milwaukee Electric Tool Corp.
Where are Dewalt tools made? ›Made in the USA With Global Materials | DEWALT.
Who owns Porter Cable? ›Known for pioneering the portable belt sander, helical-drive circular saw, and portable band saw, it is a subsidiary of Stanley Black & Decker.
Where does Harbor Freight get their tools from? ›Harbor Freight buys tools direct from the manufacturer, so that means you save because they cut out the middle man. Often times Harbor Freight's tools come from the exact factory that other brands buy their tools from – which means quality is just as good as the competition.
How does Harbor Freight keep prices low? ›The answer is simple, at Harbor Freight, we cut out the middle man. We work directly with the manufacturers of our tools to get the best possible prices – and we pass the savings onto you, essentially cutting out the middle man.
Does Harbor Freight take back used tools? ›
Can You Return Used Tools To Harbor Freight? Luckily, tools do not have to be brand new or even unopened to return them to Harbor Freight. If you request your return within 90 days and have your proof of purchase, you can return your item regardless of whether it has been used or not.
What is the Harbor Freight controversy? ›Criticism and legal action. Harbor Freight Tools was sued by a group of its store employees in 2012, who alleged that they were misclassified as "exempt" from overtime payments as "managers" under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
What brands does Harbor Freight own? ›- Hercules.
- Bauer.
- Chicago Electric.
- Warrior.
- Drill Master.
When returning an item to a store, you must provide a copy of your packing slip or order with the item listed. Due to safety hazards, items that use flammable liquids or gases, or contain hazardous materials cannot be returned through the mail – even if the item was drained of these materials.
How can I get better freight rates? ›- Consolidate Shipping. ...
- Select the Best Carrier for Your Route. ...
- Know Your Freight Classification. ...
- Minimize Empty Pallet Space. ...
- Work with a Third-Party Logistics Provider (3PL) ...
- Know Each Carriers' Rules Tariffs. ...
- Understand Carrier Lanes.
Most experts would say trucking rates are relaxing and flattening out after a few years of high rates and tight capacity due to demand. But the uncertain state of the US economy, the lack of consistent work for drivers, and recent part supply issues keeping semi-truck prices high all heavily impact these rates.
Are Pittsburgh hand tools guaranteed for life? ›Pittsburgh Tools Warranty
Pittsburgh covers its hand tools with a lifetime warranty through Harbor Freight. All other Pittsburgh tools, like automotive and diagnostic tools, carry the standard 90-day warranty.