Turned 69 this year - that phrase “Lifetime Warranty” doesn’t have the same ‘glow’ as when I was 25! Hell - I’ve outlived a number of those companies that sold me “Lifetime Warranty”
I've said the same thing on line before. Also ordered a lot from J.C.Whitney 40 years ago from catalog. Think it was a mistake stop printing it. Easy to find things you didn't even know 🤔 you needed.
@@jeffreydevoti7000 J.C. Whitney was the best. Thousands of items, I could look thru those catalogs for hours as a kid dreaming of the day I was old enough to have a car.
The 1/2 inch extension ratchet is awesome. Took mine straight from hf to the junkyard with a 4 foot bar to pull a rear axle 2 years ago used it about 10 times last week. Once to pull a tire off a backhoe another time to pull an engine and transmission and it hasn't let me down yet.
I’m an industrial Pipefitter/Welder I have many harbor freight tools and one of the main ones I use a lot is the 1/2” extending ratchet, biggest bolts Pipefitters bolt up is 1-1/4” and with that ratchet and the 3 main sizes of sockets we use and a spud crescent for hole alignment and backup I’ve bolted up and installed and removed MANY valves and flanges, always look for a way to make your life easier
I work at Goodyear and do A-LOT of tires and rotations... For about a year now, I have been using the $39 lug nut socket set with my Ingersoll Rand Titanium 1/2 impact. They have held up VERY WELL.
I bought a Snap On soldering torch and after doing some research found it was made by a company by the name of Portasol. Half the price for the exact same product. I have made sure that a few of my coworkers went that route instead.
Harbor freight is definitely great. When i first started out as a mechanic i had a decent set of basic tools. However my first day i was thrown to the dogs. Everything from suspension brakes and steering to engine work and diagnostics. I learned i needed alot more tools and i needed them fast. Harbor freight was the answer. Now later in my career i definitely love and notice the difference in tool truck tools. That being said i still love Harbor freight and still have plenty of their tools but upgrading lots of tools where i see a need to for matco and mac. (No snap on dealer at my current shop)
@fatharold1788 it can happen anywhere, I went to an interview thinking I'd be a forklift driver. Then boom, im now a diesel mechanic, and got trained from the very beginning bc I was never a tech before. Almost a year now, and I know a lot amd love it
True happening.... I worked as a line tech at a major Honda dealership in the Sac. Ca area. This was in the late 1980's. Junior tech comes to work and has limited tools..... he's just starting out so I didn't think anything bad about letting him borrow a few things. The standard line was 'you have to borrow it 3 times... you need to buy it'. So he needed to borrow a pry bar. Mine was SnapOn and the next week he borrowed it 2 more times. I reminded him of the 'limit' and he was good about it.. went to HF and bought a set of pry bars. 'Good for him' I thought. The first time he used the HF brand new set...the big bar bent! This wasn't anything abnormal the use.... my SnapOn bar was fine on the same kind of job and it didn't bend. Granted he spent less than half but his bent. TMSAISTI. Thats/My/Story/And/I'm/Stickin'/To/It
Yep about the same time frame I bought that HF pry bar set an sure enough the big one damn near bent in half , the rest of them the handles cracked , or worst yet if you got any type of cleaner on it they would start melting an turning gooey.
It's a guesstimation game with HF, you have to consider your needs, safety, materials, production processes like forged vs cast you might save a bundle or you might end up buying twice. It's not smart to go to Vegas but it is fun.
As a machinist I can without a doubt say the .001" dial indicator from HF is worth every penny! I got it just for shits and gigs. Turns out it reads exactly the same as my higher dollar .001" dial indicators and .0005" test indicators. It is my go to indicator now! It doesn't scream quality when you look at it but it is dead nuts. The only real con about it is a slight increase in resistance towards the end of travel but for 99% of stuff that wont matter and if it does you shouldn't be using a .001 indicator ha. The mag base is alright too. The knobs blew out after a couple of months of daily use but fuck it.
I totally disagree. If your using it professionally it's mititoyo or starriet. The quality, finish, tolerance is no comparison. Also, if it is a digital caliper, the cheap ones go through batteries. Mititoyo barely use any power when turned off.
Joe Pollock as a mechanic.... You can also change the battery.... So ha, depends on profession. But I'd use a more accurate tool for certain engine work. Otherwise it's very good
As a millwright, starrett and mititoyo are overpriced especially on the mag bases. Nothing beats a harbor freight mag base. Lot cheaper and just as accurate.
I use the electronic micrometer more or less every day. I Absolutely love the damn thing. Just make sure you get the one that does the push button conversions between metric fractional and by the thousands. They sell another one but it’s not nearly as handy. $10 can you catch one on sale and if you just take care of it and put it back in its box it’ll last for many years and take a smash it.
Harbor freight has its place for sure. I have the 3 ton low profile floor jack and it’s great. Also bought the $75 electric pressure washer to wash vehicles and trailers and it’s great as well, tip is to get the 5 year no questions asked warranty for $7. Straps, tarps, and some of the big drill bit sets are good as well.
What a freaking amazing review. Been truthful and saying . How you wish you bought them. Make me feel better about some choice. (Not all of them) but some amazing reviews here! Thank you! So much. !👍👍👍
as a mechanic that flips cars I love the fact I can do a job like ball joiins. I go and buy the ball joint kit from harbor freight and when I sell the vehicle It pays for itself plus the profit from the sale. Honestly I wouldn't even know where to go to buy a ballpoint kit etc. My stepfather was always in debt to the tool truck growing up. We always had to go without or just barely scrape by because of the tool truck payment. It always made me have a sore spot towards the Snap on Truck.
Something I learned from a couple TH-cam videos and confirmed myself over multiple units, Spend the $18 and pick up a set of leads from ProbeMaster. The continuity testing improvement was SUBSTANTIAL.
I'm a retired auto mechanic I'm retired now when I used to work on cars professionally I used to use a long metal pipe to break loose the very tight drive axle bolts and other real tight bolts I have an assortment of different link types I break them loose using the pipes just really helps on keeping the tools from getting runt and your tools will last you a lot longer if you do not abuse them everyday with impact gun everyday just take it really good quality breaker bar with your socket and loosen it up using a long piece of pipe it works really good and once you get a loosens you can use your your impact gun to take them the rest away off this just helps you so that your impact sockets last you longer
@@melgross I have never bought anything but Fluke and five bum meters that I need to send back and have repaired. I am so fed up with Fluke that I can't stand it.
There's a lot of stuff like this that if you look around a brand name will have it for 150 to $200 and if you look around you'll see it's a tool that's made by one manufacturer and 10 people sell it ranging from $30 to $200
I like this type of video.. especially in 2021 with tons of new DIY guys... sure you might have selected some specifics that lots of DIY's won't ever need, but some good stuff and very helpful! Thank you. Hope you can make some newer ones.. I'll look through your videos too. :)
RATM intro song, honest reviews by someone who uses their tools professionally as opposed to "torture testing" them. Pretty much always clicking on these videos when they come up in my feed.
Nice comparison. I find most of their hand tools are ok. Some of their electrical are hit or miss. Pittsburg tools lifetime warranty & the few times I had to use it no issue with the replacement. Stay safe, Joe Z
Actually all of their hand tools are lifetime warranty. So that includes Pitts, Pitts pro, Quinn, Doyle and Icon. It's also an extremely easy warranty to deal with. I have never been asked any questions just told to grab a new on off the shelf. They open the package grab the socket, bit, extension or whatever and you are on your way. The sell the opened now incomplete package at a discount.
@@indianftrtard7899 I did not know about the lifetime warranty on the Quinn, Doyle and Icon tools. Local manager told me the Pittsburg was the way to go for the lifetime warranty.
Hey, I bought my bearing/race driver set from HF about 15 years ago when I started at Sears Auto Center! I've beat the hell out of it though, and it barely resembles a driver set now.
This is a very good price wise tool comparison . Iam an Electrician, and Klein is my go to hand tool co.. On electrical testing equip. its Fluke. And Fluke has that magnetic holder for the back of my VOM meter, which is now a must to have, once youve worked with the magnetic back strap. But as a big DIY , I buy a lot from HARBOR FREIGHT. Now time for a cold bottle of beer !
My electrical tools are a mix of Milwaukee (pliers, strippers, screwdrivers, power tools), Jonard (can wrench, Scotchlok pliers), Greenlee (scissors), Southwire (backup scissors), Ideal (conduit benders) and Commercial Electric (punchdown, mod crimpers). The only Klein tools that I've kept because they didn't fall apart are the VDV Commander, 240' Depthfinder tape, and T5-1000. The T5 grew legs, so now I just buy disposable meters as needed. Not very important in my line of work - mostly for testing camera power supplies. Low voltage stuff doesn't tend to be testable like that. My professional automotive tools from a previous life were mostly a mix of Duralast (ratchets/sockets, wrenches, pliers) , Pittsburgh (impact sockets, brake tools, etc.), and Central Pneumatic (air tools). Never had a failure, but a lot of them also sprouted legs over the years.
Great Tips and Advice Another good one at HF are their Orange Deadblow hammers i think they are Pittsburgh branded and i buy them knowing they are my Sacrificial Hammers for beating on Suspension kits and parts etc for 35 years i wasa Custom Woodworker so i have other Dead Blows. i keep for “Clean” Work like installing Cabinetry i’d also like to s a video on maybe your opinions on some of the HF. higher End Tools like Icon compared to the Tool Truck Brands now that they are kind of Trying to Compete with. the ones you pointed out in this video are similiar to HF Impact Sockets they Work and have gotten better about Lifetime Warranty on the Pittsburgh ones if one should fail. you can now exchange them fairly Trouble Free at a local store
Hello Justin, great video. One thing you have to remember is that you are an automotive mechanic. That is something very few of us can ever hope to be. When we take our cars to the auto repair shop, we hope and pray that the repair won't cost us over a few hundred bucks. You get to work on your car for free, and you probably love doing it. You have probably saved yourself thousands of dollars in car repairs by doing the work yourself over the years, so you are one lucky man.
Bought a Harbor Fraud chop saw in high school, gave it away when I bought a new Dewalt. It died about a year later bought a Hitachi and neither doesn't compare. That HF is still cutting metal.
Alot of tools from harbor freight are super good my dad has had a impact socket set from them for more than ten years and they are awesome still like new we use them often we do alot of our own work on cars.
I been going to harbor freight tools since last year once a month an buying tools. I got the 5 drawer tool cart and I been filling it up with harbor freight tools. I'm still trying to fill it up
I've got the Ames meter. The original probes were annoying and the metal part kept slipping into the lead. I got a Klein replacement test lead kit for it and now that's not an issue, and I've got alligator clips now.
The first four I can totally agree on, especially if you're only using them occasionally. Now with the multimeter. On that one I'd actually not want either of those. I'd go with Fluke or possibly B&K. The reason is that that's a tool that you'll use for a lot more than automotive mechanics so it's worth having a good one. Secondly is safety. If you screw up and round off a bolt, it sucks and costs time and maybe busted knuckles. If you screw up with electricity, you can die. You need to know the meter will actually stand up to what it claims it will and has proper protective circuitry in case you do screw up.
Still prefer my amprobe. Also Justin the Klien goes ac first because most electrians work with ac not dc the going ac for the default is a safety feature.
@@danielbackley9301 That makes sense. There's a line of meters specifically for HVAC people that I can't recall off the top of my head that are really good. So are Agilent meters. None of them are cheap though.
Snap-On is a re-badged Fluke. In workshop a 'cheap' meter is usually a better idea as it will get dropped, etc.(although Fluke are REALLY robust) For basic voltage checks, the $5.00 HF is as good as anything but the leads will break 'quicker'
I’d disagree. A true RMS meter like Fluke is much more accurate vs any cheap Voltmeter. I have two cheap ones and they have different readings. Bought a Fluke 115 and it’s true RMS and spot on accurate.
You see the all kinds of good techs running anything from the cheapest to the tool truck. For me at work I use mostly tool truck brands and a few chosen cheaper things on non high use items, but at home I work with a much cheaper set of anything from harbor freight and old craftsman(USA made) to tool truck on a few choice items, I can do the same things with cheap tools
Hi Justin, I’m semi retired I mostly used craftsman and some so and Matco, in demo and construction I used hilti Milwaukee and Mikita, now that I’m semi retired I use hf for everything and they get the job done like any other brand name tools, I don’t have to spend tons of bucks to turn a bolt lol, I had the same stuff you have just from hf and never had a problem with anything, I’m mostly using Pittsburg impact sockets and hf impact cordless tools and they hold up awesome and get the job done with ease, in my time I’ve delt with the so dealer and kindly declined there tool price and there attitude was absolutely atrocious, this is a public service person selling “top quality tools” I don’t and will not deal with so, excellent quality video ty so much, Bob,
For anyone who lives in Canada get master craft tools. They have no questions asked lifetime warranty. I was beating on the box end of one of my wrenches with a hammer to get a bolt unstuck and collapsed the box end and bent the whole wrench and I brought it in and showed them proof of purchase and they have me a new one not a single problem👌
Great vid, for automotive use I’m sure the Harbor Freight meter is a good choice, how ever if someone is thinking that this would make a good electrician’s meter, I wouldn’t trust it to measure 480v just saying.
00:18 - What are the ribbed sections? My rudimentary understanding is that flow is related to the flow surface and the bends as well as those sections of the header appearing to be an added layer of complexity. What purpose do they serve and what determines the use of the design?
Thank you very much for your videos I was a working mechanic for approx 12 years owned only snap on and mattco tools now 30 years later i am back into it for me I tried out harbor freight hand tools and to be honest the stuff I had to replace I did it with harbor freight and have been very satisfied and the cost is awesome anyway that is my 2 cents take care and have a great day . BK
Have you tried checking milliamps with either of those? I have the same klein and have trouble checking battery draw with it. Besides that I am happy with it but wish you didn't have to switch to dc & one of the alligator clips doesn't stay put.
Roy Gonzalez it can be difficult, but I try to get back to most of the nicer comments. Got to weed through the trolling and nae sayers first. Lol Cheers my brother
I'm on a set budget and I don't have any extra money for alot of things that I need today. I'm a disabled veteran and me and my wife are barely making it now. I wish I could get These things on here.
Exactly what I do is to buy specialty tools at Harbor Freight and most I buy in Gear Wrench , SK , Williams and some other brands that's not so expensive like Channel lock. Vise Grip and do on .
As a newbie in my automotive career I made the mistake of buying axle nut sockets individually from Snap on. Now that im at the Dealer I only use about 2 or 3 of them. Wish i would of went with a cheaper brand.
I got a fluke for 40$ at a pawn shop 15 years ago, it still work perfect but it doesn't measure amps so I got the 20$ centech dvm from HF to use the amp meter, and I notice it can read up to 20A Wich is very nice
I like the display on your Klein meter better than the HF. I hope HF sells the magnetic hanger separately cheaper than Klein does. I use the alligator clips all the time so not having them is a letdown. Maybe HF will come out with them as a separate sale item (that also happens to fit the Klein leads). BTW I have an older Klein meter and I love it.
I tried breaking one by putting a 4 ft. pipe over it to break loose some 17mm frame bolts on my Tacoma . Wound up bending the pipe ! The breaker bar flexed but never bent !
@@killpioo2 you might be right honestly i might have one socket thts snap-on mostly pre 2000 craftsman and some husky im was just trying to play to the snap fanboys ive bought just a few specialized hf seem to hold up fine i just will not use things like jackstands or other support devicies i will not trust hf with my life
I've had the same HF breaker bar for easily over 5 years now. I've broken away a countless number of crank bolts, axle nuts, etc that needed cheater bars. I use a milwakee electric impact for that stuff now but I keep the breaker bar with me at all times just in case.
Just chalk it up to a learning experience. Imagine if TH-cam was prevalent many years ago, you would have had that slight advantage at your purchases. We all would have.
I bought a great meter from field piece it has the clips it has the thermometer to find temperatures and it has a magnit to hold itself somewhere 79 dollars but it's a great all around meter
Only problem with the HF meter is that it has a tolerance of +/-5%, you want no more then 0.5%. it will be inaccurate when measuring down to the .10 of an Ohm. EG. Had a misfire and the Coil Primary Spec was 0.9-1.3 Ohm the cheap meter read 1 Ohm so I moved on in the diagnosis and was chasing my tale. Then I put a FLUKE on it and it read 1.7 Ohm, that coil primary was shorted, but was within spec with the cheap meter.
There's a lot of good harbor freight tools but a volt meter is definitely one to get quality like Fluke. Now days you'll do tons of electrical diagnosis.
Mega-kudos, Mr. Justin, for your willingness to overlook the brand name on a tool for the value that would be included in what consistently gets the job done. Yeah, some tools at HF ain’t worth the money, but you’ve proved some can be.
Harbor freight has really stepped up in the past 8yrs their icon line has caught my interest, if you are the DIY-er in the driveway on a Saturday then HF will serve you well. My hand me down dewalt cordless set my dad give me was half crapped out when i got it, i bought the bauer 20v lithium im trying now and seems to be working good. I couldn't find any good reviews so i jumped in and im the guinea pig
Fluke doesn't honor lifetime warranties anymore. Lifetime from them is "As long as we still make it" After over $7k of Fluke stuff, never again. (Good meters, but ain't the only game in town)
It is a matter of choice, I prefer the Fieldpiece meter. It is a matter of choice and what you have access to. It is the knowledge of the technician and not the tools that make a good technician.
A lot of people bad mouth the harbor freight tools saying they are totally junk , but I cannot agree with them because I have a lot of HF tools and machines and I sure cannot complain about them , but yes harbor freight does have some cheap ,junk , throw away tools also so I think it ALL depends on how a person is going to use them because even a common screwdriver will break IF you use it for a pry bar or a chisle . Use your head to think with , not a hat rack
Like i say to most pple I will not trust my life to hf but with 1 a cple miles away warrenty is np and why ruin a 250 doller snap-on pry bar when 15 will work most of time
Honestly, my HF professional series breaker bars have served me way better than my Snap-off ones. I dont even really step foot on the tool trucks anymore unless I absolutely need something specific from them. 16 yrs auto mechanic, motorcycle and now heavy equipment mechanic
I get ya on the meter. When I was an electrician you wanted a fluke, klein, and ideal, cause you're taking you life into your own hands using a cheap meter on big boy power. My HF meter is good for 120 and troubleshooting circuits etc i like it too.
bowez9 I’ve had 2 cheap meters blow up up on me, one on 120 and on 277 they both said they were good for 600v. If I gotta work on a transformer I only use stuff that’s been properly vetted.
All these bullshit comments nit picking you're grammar Man thanks for taking the time to do these videos & sharing them You're alright in my books 👍🏻🇬🇧
Your the big brother I wanted as a kid. Do a video on the new kobalt 286 piece mechanics set. Its 170 out the door rn. I got a bit of buyers remorse. That harbor freight 301 piece is calling but I feel like the kobalt is a better product overall. Im on a fence
Kobalt is better overall in my opinion. If you go way back to my 1st videos I did do a Kobalt Mechanic Tool set review & I still believe it's better than the Harbor Freight 301 pc set
Thank you for the info. Wanted to pass on a tool NOT to buy at HF. I bought an inch lbs torque wrench for a specific job and thought I'd save a bit on a tool I will rarely use. After stripping out the first bolt and not hearing or feeling the familiar torque wrench click I stopped. It seemed like alot more force needed to reach 9 inch lbs of torque and I was right. Took it back to HF and invested in a decent torque wrench. The difference was amazing. Love HF but not for everything.
fyi...you can easily purchase multimeter probes of pretty much any imaginable type very cheaply on eBay. I wouldn't use the lead as the basis of any comparison between multimeters.
I'm 70 YO, I don't need a tool to last 20 years, I almost only shop HF, plus their tool have gotten much better in the last few years
Turned 69 this year - that phrase “Lifetime Warranty” doesn’t have the same ‘glow’ as when I was 25! Hell - I’ve outlived a number of those companies that sold me “Lifetime Warranty”
@@deucerider430 never would’ve thought I would’ve outlived sears though 😕
Who ever bought the company that bought company didn't wash its had of warranty where its made prolly changed 😅
The big name tool trucks have lowered the quality to remain price competive. It is about price point and profit margins .
Yo me too yo
Been using Harbor Freight tools for around 30 years (mail order catalog back then) and always had pretty good luck.
Me use harbor 35 years
@@jcaleca60 wouh guys he's a veteran
I've said the same thing on line before. Also ordered a lot from J.C.Whitney 40 years ago from catalog. Think it was a mistake stop printing it. Easy to find things you didn't even know 🤔 you needed.
@@jeffreydevoti7000 J.C. Whitney was the best. Thousands of items, I could look thru those catalogs for hours as a kid dreaming of the day I was old enough to have a car.
The 1/2 inch extension ratchet is awesome. Took mine straight from hf to the junkyard with a 4 foot bar to pull a rear axle 2 years ago used it about 10 times last week. Once to pull a tire off a backhoe another time to pull an engine and transmission and it hasn't let me down yet.
I’m an industrial Pipefitter/Welder I have many harbor freight tools and one of the main ones I use a lot is the 1/2” extending ratchet, biggest bolts Pipefitters bolt up is 1-1/4” and with that ratchet and the 3 main sizes of sockets we use and a spud crescent for hole alignment and backup I’ve bolted up and installed and removed MANY valves and flanges, always look for a way to make your life easier
For digital meters, I use Fluke.
Congratulations
Fluke is an unfortunate name choice
@ppap351 Agreed Fluke is the best you can buy as far as Multimeter are concerned.
I work at Goodyear and do A-LOT of tires and rotations... For about a year now, I have been using the $39 lug nut socket set with my Ingersoll Rand Titanium 1/2 impact. They have held up VERY WELL.
You helping out a new tech with that socket set was worth more then the small cost of that set! Great job and that will not be forgotten by him
I bought a Snap On soldering torch and after doing some research found it was made by a company by the name of Portasol. Half the price for the exact same product. I have made sure that a few of my coworkers went that route instead.
Harbor freight is definitely great. When i first started out as a mechanic i had a decent set of basic tools. However my first day i was thrown to the dogs. Everything from suspension brakes and steering to engine work and diagnostics. I learned i needed alot more tools and i needed them fast. Harbor freight was the answer. Now later in my career i definitely love and notice the difference in tool truck tools. That being said i still love Harbor freight and still have plenty of their tools but upgrading lots of tools where i see a need to for matco and mac. (No snap on dealer at my current shop)
you work at a dealer?
@fatharold1788 it can happen anywhere, I went to an interview thinking I'd be a forklift driver. Then boom, im now a diesel mechanic, and got trained from the very beginning bc I was never a tech before. Almost a year now, and I know a lot amd love it
Still using my 1/2 inch impact Pittsburgh Deep Sockets since 2004. Best impacts till this day!!!
I have a set I got in 1982
The sockets are good enough in quality but the set skips so many sizes, including a lot of very important sizes.
Yup best 19.99 I ever spent. My 7/8 socket took 18 years to fail...thats a lot of lug nuts
First time I’ve stumbled upon your channel. Rage plays, I’m hooked.
Welcome to the Party brother! Cheers!
True happening.... I worked as a line tech at a major Honda dealership in the Sac. Ca area. This was in the late 1980's. Junior tech comes to work and has limited tools..... he's just starting out so I didn't think anything bad about letting him borrow a few things. The standard line was 'you have to borrow it 3 times... you need to buy it'. So he needed to borrow a pry bar. Mine was SnapOn and
the next week he borrowed it 2 more times. I reminded him of the 'limit' and he was good about it.. went to HF and bought a set of pry bars. 'Good for him' I thought. The first time he used the HF brand new set...the big bar bent! This wasn't anything abnormal the use.... my SnapOn bar was fine on the same kind of job and it didn't bend. Granted he spent less than half but his bent. TMSAISTI.
Thats/My/Story/And/I'm/Stickin'/To/It
Yep about the same time frame I bought that HF pry bar set an sure enough the big one damn near bent in half , the rest of them the handles cracked , or worst yet if you got any type of cleaner on it they would start melting an turning gooey.
It's a guesstimation game with HF, you have to consider your needs, safety, materials, production processes like forged vs cast you might save a bundle or you might end up buying twice. It's not smart to go to Vegas but it is fun.
I tried to make an instructional video the other day and sucked at it. This guys a natural. Maybe it's the Coors Lighten.
lol It does take the edge off when filming that's for sure. lol Cheers!
HAHAHAHA :-)
I agree. Most people have no idea how hard it is to make a well presented video.
As a machinist I can without a doubt say the .001" dial indicator from HF is worth every penny! I got it just for shits and gigs. Turns out it reads exactly the same as my higher dollar .001" dial indicators and .0005" test indicators. It is my go to indicator now! It doesn't scream quality when you look at it but it is dead nuts. The only real con about it is a slight increase in resistance towards the end of travel but for 99% of stuff that wont matter and if it does you shouldn't be using a .001 indicator ha. The mag base is alright too. The knobs blew out after a couple of months of daily use but fuck it.
That's Awesome Brother. Cheers and thanks for sharing!
I totally disagree. If your using it professionally it's mititoyo or starriet. The quality, finish, tolerance is no comparison. Also, if it is a digital caliper, the cheap ones go through batteries. Mititoyo barely use any power when turned off.
Joe Pollock as a mechanic.... You can also change the battery.... So ha, depends on profession.
But I'd use a more accurate tool for certain engine work. Otherwise it's very good
As a millwright, starrett and mititoyo are overpriced especially on the mag bases. Nothing beats a harbor freight mag base. Lot cheaper and just as accurate.
I use the electronic micrometer more or less every day. I Absolutely love the damn thing. Just make sure you get the one that does the push button conversions between metric fractional and by the thousands. They sell another one but it’s not nearly as handy. $10 can you catch one on sale and if you just take care of it and put it back in its box it’ll last for many years and take a smash it.
Harbor freight has its place for sure. I have the 3 ton low profile floor jack and it’s great. Also bought the $75 electric pressure washer to wash vehicles and trailers and it’s great as well, tip is to get the 5 year no questions asked warranty for $7. Straps, tarps, and some of the big drill bit sets are good as well.
What a freaking amazing review. Been truthful and saying . How you wish you bought them. Make me feel better about some choice. (Not all of them) but some amazing reviews here! Thank you! So much. !👍👍👍
harbor freight has really steped up there game there tools are good and cant beat the prices
as a mechanic that flips cars I love the fact I can do a job like ball joiins. I go and buy the ball joint kit from harbor freight and when I sell the vehicle It pays for itself plus the profit from the sale. Honestly I wouldn't even know where to go to buy a ballpoint kit etc. My stepfather was always in debt to the tool truck growing up. We always had to go without or just barely scrape by because of the tool truck payment. It always made me have a sore spot towards the Snap on Truck.
Something I learned from a couple TH-cam videos and confirmed myself over multiple units, Spend the $18 and pick up a set of leads from ProbeMaster. The continuity testing improvement was SUBSTANTIAL.
I'm a retired auto mechanic I'm retired now when I used to work on cars professionally I used to use a long metal pipe to break loose the very tight drive axle bolts and other real tight bolts I have an assortment of different link types I break them loose using the pipes just really helps on keeping the tools from getting runt and your tools will last you a lot longer if you do not abuse them everyday with impact gun everyday just take it really good quality breaker bar with your socket and loosen it up using a long piece of pipe it works really good and once you get a loosens you can use your your impact gun to take them the rest away off this just helps you so that your impact sockets last you longer
I love Cornwell boxes. Next week I'm getting a 54 inch Pro Series with a key pad lock. It'll be like a safe lol.
I personally would settle for anything but a fluke meter , but definitely understand the use of cheap meter to start off
What’s wrong with Fluke? I have several different ones. Never had a problem.
@@melgross I have never bought anything but Fluke and five bum meters that I need to send back and have repaired. I am so fed up with Fluke that I can't stand it.
@@melgross I think that was a typo, he "wouldn't" buy anything but fluke
I am not a mechanic, but I really enjoy this channel.
Thank you very much. I appreciate the kind comment.
Same here
.i watch lot of bad stuff but dont do bad stuff
This video should be more popular, I vote for a part 2
The opening of sleep now in the fire. Immediately gave you BIG thumbs up 👍🏻.
There's a lot of stuff like this that if you look around a brand name will have it for 150 to $200 and if you look around you'll see it's a tool that's made by one manufacturer and 10 people sell it ranging from $30 to $200
I like this type of video.. especially in 2021 with tons of new DIY guys... sure you might have selected some specifics that lots of DIY's won't ever need, but some good stuff and very helpful! Thank you. Hope you can make some newer ones.. I'll look through your videos too. :)
26 yr professional mechanic here who use to have a addiction to tool trucks sunnex sockets rule from my past experience there impact sockets are nice
Thank You for your service.
RATM intro song, honest reviews by someone who uses their tools professionally as opposed to "torture testing" them. Pretty much always clicking on these videos when they come up in my feed.
Nice comparison. I find most of their hand tools are ok. Some of their electrical are hit or miss. Pittsburg tools lifetime warranty & the few times I had to use it no issue with the replacement.
Stay safe, Joe Z
Actually all of their hand tools are lifetime warranty. So that includes Pitts, Pitts pro, Quinn, Doyle and Icon. It's also an extremely easy warranty to deal with. I have never been asked any questions just told to grab a new on off the shelf. They open the package grab the socket, bit, extension or whatever and you are on your way. The sell the opened now incomplete package at a discount.
@@indianftrtard7899 I did not know about the lifetime warranty on the Quinn, Doyle and Icon tools. Local manager told me the Pittsburg was the way to go for the lifetime warranty.
Rear disc brake caliper tool from H.F. my absolute favorite purchase. 40 bucks. Works as good as any other and has adaptors for almost every car.
Hey, I bought my bearing/race driver set from HF about 15 years ago when I started at Sears Auto Center! I've beat the hell out of it though, and it barely resembles a driver set now.
Getting more than 1 tool for $100 from snap-on is a win in my book. Good tips brother.
Amount of beers you can buy if you went with HF is enormous.
This is a very good price wise tool comparison . Iam an Electrician, and Klein is my go to hand tool co.. On electrical testing equip. its Fluke. And Fluke has that magnetic holder for the back of my VOM meter, which is now a must to have, once youve worked with the magnetic back strap. But as a big DIY , I buy a lot from HARBOR FREIGHT. Now time for a cold bottle of beer !
Amen to that. Cheers!
My electrical tools are a mix of Milwaukee (pliers, strippers, screwdrivers, power tools), Jonard (can wrench, Scotchlok pliers), Greenlee (scissors), Southwire (backup scissors), Ideal (conduit benders) and Commercial Electric (punchdown, mod crimpers). The only Klein tools that I've kept because they didn't fall apart are the VDV Commander, 240' Depthfinder tape, and T5-1000. The T5 grew legs, so now I just buy disposable meters as needed. Not very important in my line of work - mostly for testing camera power supplies. Low voltage stuff doesn't tend to be testable like that.
My professional automotive tools from a previous life were mostly a mix of Duralast (ratchets/sockets, wrenches, pliers) , Pittsburgh (impact sockets, brake tools, etc.), and Central Pneumatic (air tools). Never had a failure, but a lot of them also sprouted legs over the years.
Great Tips and Advice Another good one at HF are their Orange Deadblow hammers i think they are Pittsburgh branded and i buy them knowing they are my Sacrificial Hammers for beating on Suspension kits and parts etc for 35 years i wasa Custom Woodworker so i have other Dead Blows. i keep for “Clean” Work like installing Cabinetry i’d also like to s a video on maybe your opinions on some of the HF. higher End Tools like Icon compared to the Tool Truck Brands now that they are kind of Trying to Compete with. the ones you pointed out in this video are similiar to HF Impact Sockets they Work and have gotten better about Lifetime Warranty on the Pittsburgh ones if one should fail. you can now exchange them fairly Trouble Free at a local store
Hello Justin, great video. One thing you have to remember is that you are an automotive mechanic. That is something very few of us can ever hope to be. When we take our cars to the auto repair shop, we hope and pray that the repair won't cost us over a few hundred bucks. You get to work on your car for free, and you probably love doing it. You have probably saved yourself thousands of dollars in car repairs by doing the work yourself over the years, so you are one lucky man.
Bought a Harbor Fraud chop saw in high school, gave it away when I bought a new Dewalt. It died about a year later bought a Hitachi and neither doesn't compare. That HF is still cutting metal.
I've had bad luck with fluke products their digital readout fades and the repair doesn't last!
Alot of tools from harbor freight are super good my dad has had a impact socket set from them for more than ten years and they are awesome still like new we use them often we do alot of our own work on cars.
Tool truck guy appreciated you contributing to his tool truck loan payments.
I been going to harbor freight tools since last year once a month an buying tools. I got the 5 drawer tool cart and I been filling it up with harbor freight tools. I'm still trying to fill it up
Good comparison Justin. And I agree on some tools HF is just fine.
I've got the Ames meter. The original probes were annoying and the metal part kept slipping into the lead. I got a Klein replacement test lead kit for it and now that's not an issue, and I've got alligator clips now.
The first four I can totally agree on, especially if you're only using them occasionally. Now with the multimeter. On that one I'd actually not want either of those. I'd go with Fluke or possibly B&K. The reason is that that's a tool that you'll use for a lot more than automotive mechanics so it's worth having a good one. Secondly is safety. If you screw up and round off a bolt, it sucks and costs time and maybe busted knuckles. If you screw up with electricity, you can die. You need to know the meter will actually stand up to what it claims it will and has proper protective circuitry in case you do screw up.
Everyone in the Shop owns a Fluke. I just picked up a Snap-On off of Ebay. Any idea who re-brands it?
Still prefer my amprobe. Also Justin the Klien goes ac first because most electrians work with ac not dc the going ac for the default is a safety feature.
@@danielbackley9301 That makes sense. There's a line of meters specifically for HVAC people that I can't recall off the top of my head that are really good. So are Agilent meters. None of them are cheap though.
Snap-On is a re-badged Fluke. In workshop a 'cheap' meter is usually a better idea as it will get dropped, etc.(although Fluke are REALLY robust) For basic voltage checks, the $5.00 HF is as good as anything but the leads will break 'quicker'
I’d disagree. A true RMS meter like Fluke is much more accurate vs any cheap
Voltmeter. I have two cheap ones and they have different readings. Bought a Fluke 115 and it’s true RMS and spot on accurate.
You see the all kinds of good techs running anything from the cheapest to the tool truck. For me at work I use mostly tool truck brands and a few chosen cheaper things on non high use items, but at home I work with a much cheaper set of anything from harbor freight and old craftsman(USA made) to tool truck on a few choice items, I can do the same things with cheap tools
Thanks for sharing your insight. HF has upped their game with a lot of their tool line. They just came out with the Ames line of DVOM's.
Hi Justin, I’m semi retired I mostly used craftsman and some so and Matco, in demo and construction I used hilti Milwaukee and Mikita, now that I’m semi retired I use hf for everything and they get the job done like any other brand name tools, I don’t have to spend tons of bucks to turn a bolt lol, I had the same stuff you have just from hf and never had a problem with anything, I’m mostly using Pittsburg impact sockets and hf impact cordless tools and they hold up awesome and get the job done with ease, in my time I’ve delt with the so dealer and kindly declined there tool price and there attitude was absolutely atrocious, this is a public service person selling “top quality tools” I don’t and will not deal with so, excellent quality video ty so much, Bob,
For anyone who lives in Canada get master craft tools. They have no questions asked lifetime warranty. I was beating on the box end of one of my wrenches with a hammer to get a bolt unstuck and collapsed the box end and bent the whole wrench and I brought it in and showed them proof of purchase and they have me a new one not a single problem👌
Great vid, for automotive use I’m sure the Harbor Freight meter is a good choice, how ever if someone is thinking that this would make a good electrician’s meter, I wouldn’t trust it to measure 480v just saying.
00:18 - What are the ribbed sections? My rudimentary understanding is that flow is related to the flow surface and the bends as well as those sections of the header appearing to be an added layer of complexity. What purpose do they serve and what determines the use of the design?
Thank you very much for your videos I was a working mechanic for approx 12 years owned only snap on and mattco tools now 30 years later i am back into it for me I tried out harbor freight hand tools and to be honest the stuff I had to replace I did it with harbor freight and have been very satisfied and the cost is awesome anyway that is my 2 cents take care and have a great day . BK
I couldn't agree more on the axel but set! Even if you just buy those impacts one by one it's maybe even cheaper!?
Have you tried checking milliamps with either of those? I have the same klein and have trouble checking battery draw with it. Besides that I am happy with it but wish you didn't have to switch to dc & one of the alligator clips doesn't stay put.
The coors light aways works even if some of the tools don't op
You should do more side by side. Really liked the comparison
Thank you. I will keep that in mind. :)
Justin Dow yeah no problem and thanks for replying lol not many youtubers reply to videos posted a while ago.
Roy Gonzalez it can be difficult, but I try to get back to most of the nicer comments. Got to weed through the trolling and nae sayers first. Lol Cheers my brother
For going gear set up I got the clam shell puller for Randy ring and pinion, was worth it pulls the bearings off no damage.
I'm on a set budget and I don't have any extra money for alot of things that I need today. I'm a disabled veteran and me and my wife are barely making it now. I wish I could get These things on here.
New suscriber. Love your videos. Thanks for making and sharing your knowledge. :)
Thanks for your subscription and welcome to the channel. Cheers!
Exactly what I do is to buy specialty tools at Harbor Freight and most I buy in Gear Wrench , SK , Williams and some other brands that's not so expensive like Channel lock. Vise Grip and do on .
As a newbie in my automotive career I made the mistake of buying axle nut sockets individually from Snap on. Now that im at the Dealer I only use about 2 or 3 of them. Wish i would of went with a cheaper brand.
I got a fluke for 40$ at a pawn shop 15 years ago, it still work perfect but it doesn't measure amps so I got the 20$ centech dvm from HF to use the amp meter, and I notice it can read up to 20A Wich is very nice
I like the display on your Klein meter better than the HF.
I hope HF sells the magnetic hanger separately cheaper than Klein does.
I use the alligator clips all the time so not having them is a letdown.
Maybe HF will come out with them as a separate sale item (that also happens to fit the Klein leads).
BTW I have an older Klein meter and I love it.
HF has stepped up its game in recent years.
How about the 1/2 inch drive breaker bar? $20 there abouts. Haven’t broke it yet.
I tried breaking one by putting a 4 ft. pipe over it to break loose some 17mm frame bolts on my Tacoma . Wound up bending the pipe ! The breaker bar flexed but never bent !
Ya but it's not as manly as using 250 snap-on one lol
@@wizard3z868 actually I think the harbor freight breaker bars are stronger than Snapon, AvE did a test I think.
@@killpioo2 you might be right honestly i might have one socket thts snap-on mostly pre 2000 craftsman and some husky im was just trying to play to the snap fanboys ive bought just a few specialized hf seem to hold up fine i just will not use things like jackstands or other support devicies i will not trust hf with my life
I've had the same HF breaker bar for easily over 5 years now. I've broken away a countless number of crank bolts, axle nuts, etc that needed cheater bars. I use a milwakee electric impact for that stuff now but I keep the breaker bar with me at all times just in case.
Just chalk it up to a learning experience. Imagine if TH-cam was prevalent many years ago, you would have had that slight advantage at your purchases. We all would have.
Some folks call it a Sling Blade I call it a Kaiser Blade.
For the meters was the tolerances the same? Ever electrical device has a tolerance.
Any update on how the Ames multimeter is holding up?
I bought a great meter from field piece it has the clips it has the thermometer to find temperatures and it has a magnit to hold itself somewhere 79 dollars but it's a great all around meter
Only problem with the HF meter is that it has a tolerance of +/-5%, you want no more then 0.5%. it will be inaccurate when measuring down to the .10 of an Ohm. EG. Had a misfire and the Coil Primary Spec was 0.9-1.3 Ohm the cheap meter read 1 Ohm so I moved on in the diagnosis and was chasing my tale. Then I put a FLUKE on it and it read 1.7 Ohm, that coil primary was shorted, but was within spec with the cheap meter.
There's a lot of good harbor freight tools but a volt meter is definitely one to get quality like Fluke. Now days you'll do tons of electrical diagnosis.
Thanks for sharing your wisdom
I have bought stuff from a to z at harbor freight never once had a issue with anything
I have a Klien, but I think I'm gonna grab the HF one, I need another knock around One
Fluke 101. small and cheap.
@@leaveit33 The cheap Fluke's like the 101 are made in China garbage.
Mega-kudos, Mr. Justin, for your willingness to overlook the brand name on a tool for the value that would be included in what consistently gets the job done. Yeah, some tools at HF ain’t worth the money, but you’ve proved some can be.
Harbor freight has really stepped up in the past 8yrs their icon line has caught my interest, if you are the DIY-er in the driveway on a Saturday then HF will serve you well. My hand me down dewalt cordless set my dad give me was half crapped out when i got it, i bought the bauer 20v lithium im trying now and seems to be working good. I couldn't find any good reviews so i jumped in and im the guinea pig
How’s that drill going?
I work on building wiring. When it comes to electrical meters I trust my life to Fluke . No substitute
Fluke doesn't honor lifetime warranties anymore. Lifetime from them is "As long as we still make it" After over $7k of Fluke stuff, never again. (Good meters, but ain't the only game in town)
It is a matter of choice, I prefer the Fieldpiece meter. It is a matter of choice and what you have access to. It is the knowledge of the technician and not the tools that make a good technician.
I own Fluke and love it.
A lot of people bad mouth the harbor freight tools saying they are totally junk , but I cannot agree with them because I have a lot of HF tools and machines and I sure cannot complain about them , but yes harbor freight does have some cheap ,junk , throw away tools also so I think it ALL depends on how a person is going to use them because even a common screwdriver will break IF you use it for a pry bar or a chisle . Use your head to think with , not a hat rack
Like i say to most pple I will not trust my life to hf but with 1 a cple miles away warrenty is np and why ruin a 250 doller snap-on pry bar when 15 will work most of time
How would you recommend HF over Klein ? Bigger display, an extra digit , clip on alligator clamps , plus the name .
This video made me subscribe to your channel I like your honesty sir
“Amprobe” brand electrical measurement tools. My DVOM is over 30 years old. It always works and it is always accurate.
Thanks brother👊🇺🇸🇺🇸
Honestly, my HF professional series breaker bars have served me way better than my Snap-off ones. I dont even really step foot on the tool trucks anymore unless I absolutely need something specific from them. 16 yrs auto mechanic, motorcycle and now heavy equipment mechanic
High quality tools are never a waste of money
Great top 5 my brother and another great video.
I get ya on the meter. When I was an electrician you wanted a fluke, klein, and ideal, cause you're taking you life into your own hands using a cheap meter on big boy power. My HF meter is good for 120 and troubleshooting circuits etc i like it too.
HF is good for regular use of upto 600V. If your doing 1kV or more then no it's not worth it.
bowez9 I’ve had 2 cheap meters blow up up on me, one on 120 and on 277 they both said they were good for 600v. If I gotta work on a transformer I only use stuff that’s been properly vetted.
I don't believe there are any large tool brands (or auto makers)
That are always best.
It's a pain to research every product, but I try to do it.
What's up with the klein not showing 0 with no leads attached
Cosmic rays and other such electrical infetterence.
Great production accept for the beer 🍻 has no business matters
**except**
You should have been an Aussie. You have a beer in every video. Love your style :)
Paul P lol Cheers Mate!
All these bullshit comments nit picking you're grammar
Man thanks for taking the time to do these videos & sharing them
You're alright in my books 👍🏻🇬🇧
Thanks Brosuff!! Cheers!
Boughten a new word!
Thank you for confirming that it wasn’t just me hearing it. 😂
Public school educated
Comes from the same dictionary as unloosen
@@claytonl.harper4222 "un-thaw" is my wife's favorite.
Your the big brother I wanted as a kid.
Do a video on the new kobalt 286 piece mechanics set.
Its 170 out the door rn.
I got a bit of buyers remorse.
That harbor freight 301 piece is calling but I feel like the kobalt is a better product overall. Im on a fence
Kobalt is better overall in my opinion. If you go way back to my 1st videos I did do a Kobalt Mechanic Tool set review & I still believe it's better than the Harbor Freight 301 pc set
I bought a husky kit it's been pretty good. A 270 peice it doesnt have alot of wrenches though
Thank you for the info. Wanted to pass on a tool NOT to buy at HF. I bought an inch lbs torque wrench for a specific job and thought I'd save a bit on a tool I will rarely use. After stripping out the first bolt and not hearing or feeling the familiar torque wrench click I stopped. It seemed like alot more force needed to reach 9 inch lbs of torque and I was right. Took it back to HF and invested in a decent torque wrench. The difference was amazing. Love HF but not for everything.
They call it a “legacy” tool. One which you can hand down 👍🏻
fyi...you can easily purchase multimeter probes of pretty much any imaginable type very cheaply on eBay. I wouldn't use the lead as the basis of any comparison between multimeters.
Like the pelican case, could you do a review on the lift cary
Lirt cart #93116
With that Klein compaired to the Ames is the internal electronics.
Mine has that kind of gauge and it has a clamp so I can hook it to heater hoses and get the temperature
There could big differences in internal components. Not all meters are created equal, even if they look the same.