Harbor Freight wrenches

[buggybuilder]

Are the Pittsburg brand wrenches from Harbor Freight any good?
Lifetime warranty, but is replacement a circus?

[1911sw45]

I have not had any problems with them. Their warranty is bring the item in and get it replaced. If from the set you have to bring the set in.

[farmerjim]

For ultralight work they are ok. If a nut or bolt is tight they will break half the time.
It costs money and time to return a inferior product.

[RED BEAR]

I don't know bout wrenches but there warranty is first rate no hassle at all as stated above bring it in they give you a new one.

[tinsnips]

I say it depends on how much you use them and how hard you use them. Home use yes ,using them to make a living with no.I own a business an learned long ago buy real good tools or it will bite you.

[SOFMatchstaff]

I have a basic set of emergency tools in every vehicle I drive, some yard sale stuff, mostly HF. If I use them once or twice when the need arises, they will have paid for themselves. The good professional tools stay in the shop for the most part. Its a toss up what system will show up on any truck I have, SAE or Metric, so I have to cover both possible uses. That gets expensive.

Knowing which tool to use, and when, will usually keep the tool and knuckles in fair condition. hence the term "breaker bar".. I've had good quality(expensive) tools fail, fault equally divided between Me and the manufacturer. I think the HF warranty is as good as the old Sears policy, probably better now days.

Time and money?? so's a tow truck and down time, the best tool is the one that you have. when you need it. Doesnt matter what it cost you or who made it..

[country gent]

Having had wrenches break slip or jump in the past I buy the best I can afford. While the lifetime warranties replace the broken wrench they don't fix or replace the broken skinned up knuckles from it. Good wrenches last a lifetime and save a lot of stripped heads and broken knuckles. For some jobs we even made 6 point box wrenches where the most torque was needed.
While all wrenches may sound the same. Several have concepts or designs that drive farther down the corner of the nut where its stronger, Snap On's flank drive comes to mind here. the shape drives just below the corner greatly reducing the chance of rounding off the nut.

[DougGuy]

I find tools on ebay the best and most overlooked bargain out there. You can get great prices on used Snap On, Mac, and other top quality big name tools, and the Craftsman options are endless, also at good prices although some collectors are trying to create a collector market with collector prices, avoiding these there are really good brands like Williams, SK, K&D, Bonney, Proto, Thorsen, a boatload of these high quality but off brand names (definitely not off brand quality!) that are priced lower than the Asian made JUNK. Many sellers offer free shipping, what's not to like about this situation? I go to ebay before I go to Lowe's and I never buy tools from Horrible Freight.

Pittsburgh brand vise clamps, use once, and it forever requires two hands to lock them and two hands to unlock them they are totally not worth the metal they are made with. C clamps, ugh just horrible quality, can't stand to even look at them let alone use them.

[redneck1]

You really should go watch a few of the tool comparison videos on you tube , it can be a real eye opener .
I won't say all the Pittsburg tools are all that great because a few of them do suck .
But for sure not all of them , I rate the few Pittsburg wrenches and sockets I hAve as much much better then New craftsman tools .
I'll put the impact sockets to the Pepsi challenge with snap on Any day of the week !

I've become a firm Believer that unless you find them used and for a fair price only a fool will buy snap on . Good tools yes .
But way over priced . A set of basic 1/4 inch - 1 inch wrenches is pretty near $400 list price tool truck prices won't be far off that .

[DougGuy]

New Craftsman = Totally Asian made, it's HF with the Craftsman name.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I bought a HF set of ratcheting wrenches. I Broke one, brought in the whole set, and they replaced the whole set.
They work great for light work.

[wv109323]

I agree on HF impact sockets,tough as nails. I also bought a Chinese 3/4" drive set many years ago. Paid $35,00 IIRC and it has seen years of abuse and still is going strong.

[Petrol & Powder]

I'm SORT OF with SOFMatchstaff, if there's a good chance the tool will be stolen (and ANYTHING in a vehicle is subject to theft) then you might be better off with cheap tools in a vehicle.
However, if that tool breaks the one time you really need it, you only spent money and you saved nothing.

I am with Doug Guy concerning the practice of seeking out high quality used tools. There is some really good stuff out there. Old tools such as SK, Thorsen, Ridgid, Kline and Blackhawk; just to name a few. I'd rather buy good used tool that a poor quality new tool for the same price.

[rcslotcar]

I bought HF tools ,decent quality for my Daughters car. They may never be used but in an emergency it would be nice to have them available.

[rl69]

Are the Pittsburg brand wrenches from Harbor Freight any good?
Lifetime warranty, but is replacement a circus?

No!!!! they are not worth the price. The open ends flex the box end strips. Spend a little more and get quality you don't have to buy Snapon but there is much better then HF. I baught a set of impact sockets from tekton they are far superior to the HF set. Now I haven't had the opertunity to take a hamer or four foot cheater pipe to one of there two inch wrenches yet but som field mechanics I know said they are solid

Give them a look

[rl69]

https://www.tekton.com/

[375supermag]

Hi...
I buy a few things at Harbor Freight...shop towels, general purpose gloves and small tool boxes.
Have looked at their tools and decided they weren't what I wanted to spend my money on.

Most of my tools are 20 year old Craftsman stuff ...all of it bought to replace tools stolen in a divorce. I used them for several years assembling HVAC equipment(late'90s) and then another couple of years(early 2000s) building printing presses. I managed to get out of assembly work in 2001...good thing. Nowadays, they are used on home projects only... retirement is a good thing.
The last few years, I have been buying Kobalt hand tools and Milwaukee power tools. They mostly seem to be good quality.

[Sig556r]

As in any other tools, you get what you pay for...

[OS OK]

Having had wrenches break slip or jump in the past I buy the best I can afford. While the lifetime warranties replace the broken wrench they don't fix or replace the broken skinned up knuckles from it. Good wrenches last a lifetime and save a lot of stripped heads and broken knuckles. For some jobs we even made 6 point box wrenches where the most torque was needed.
While all wrenches may sound the same. Several have concepts or designs that drive farther down the corner of the nut where its stronger, Snap On's flank drive comes to mind here. the shape drives just below the corner greatly reducing the chance of rounding off the nut.

I agree 100%.

People want to spend cheap and then convince themselves that they have adequate tools...after all, HF will replace them...right?

Tell me this again when your 15 miles offshore and that wrench breaks...or if your in the middle of the desert or up a mountain ridge 4 wheeling...spend cheap tool dollars and they'll eventually leave you up the creek without a paddle & with bloody knuckles.

[Traffer]

The key to HF is that they are cheap enough to experiment with. I have purchased their very WORST tools ($15 tap & die set) and just take em back WHEN THEY BROKE. I took so many back it got embarrassing. Since then I buy better taps and dies in only the sizes I need. But taps and dies being what they are, a neanderthal like me breaks the very best ones. I have not ever broken one of their wrenches. The only catch would be for you is that if you have to drive a long distance to get a replacement if you break one. To get a replacement...take in broken, 2 minutes later you walk out with a new one.