If you’re a homeowner you are constantly buying tools and supplies to make repairs and fix things that break. We’re all looking for the best tools and supplies at the right price so I thought I’d give you my thoughts on how and where you can snag some deals and not get burned buying the wrong things.
My two favorite stores for home improvement have some distinct differences so I figured why not pit them against each other in a Harbor Freight vs Home Depot match up to see where you should be buying what items and where you can get some serious savings. Granted Harbor Freight is really a tool only store so you won’t find the variety of items you need for your project there, but every project requires the right tools and they certainly have some of those.
For those of you that aren’t familiar with it, Harbor Freight is a discount tool seller that has some ridiculously cheap tools. Some of which are a waste of money, but some are great and well worth the price and then some. You just have to know how to cull through the items that are a waste of time and money. That’s what this post is about.
I’ll show you what to buy at Harbor Freight and compare some prices here in early 2020 between these two stores so you can see what the savings really are. Consider me your personal shopper today so you don’t have to do the price comparisons and quality comparisons. I’ve been playing this game with both of these companies for over 10 years as a contractor who is on a tight budget.
Harbor Freight vs Home Depot
The main thing you need to think about when buying tools and tool supplies is what you will be using them for and for how long. Are you looking for an heirloom block plane? If you are then neither of these stores is where you should be looking. Lie-Nielsen is more your speed for things like that. Neither Harbor Freight nor Home Depot will provide you with heirloom quality tools, but they both will provide you with the tools to get most jobs done.
I use Harbor Freight as my proving ground for a new tool in my arsenal. For example, when I looked into buying a needle scaler for restoring steel windows I saw that I could purchase a nice one for about $58 or I could try out a Harbor Freight model for $29.99. I wasn’t sure if it would be a tool that would get the job done so I decided to spend half as much money on what I assumed to be an inferior tool to try it out.
If it didn’t work out then I’m not out much. But if it really got the job done then maybe my next needle scaler would be an upgraded model from Home Depot that should only improve my production. I used the cheaper tool as a low-risk trial.
Another way to utilize Harbor Freight’s super low prices are in basic goods like gloves, brooms, moving blankets, or chip brushes. I don’t think you can really screw up a moving blanket can you? Sure, there are premium moving blankets but I really just need something to protect the floor or my windows from damage so I don’t care if they are triple pleated to feel like angel kisses.
When you need a utilitarian item that is not reliant on precision engineering Harbor Freight is almost always the answer unless you like spending more money. I’m going to go through some specific items below that should help you make the right decisions as well a great video to show how I do it! So, let’s get into it.
Harbor Freight Wins
These are the items that Harbor Freight wins on almost every time, and it’s not a small margin, most of these items are around half the cost of a similar item at Home Depot.
- Nitrile Gloves – $7.99 at Harbor Freight compared to $14.98 at Home Depot
- Screwdrivers – $11.99 at Harbor Freight compared to $29.97 at Home Depot
- Tarps – $7.99 for a 9×11 at Harbor Freight compared to $24.97 at Home Depot for a 10×12
- MultiTool – $29.99 at Harbor Freight compared to $29.97 at Home Depot
- Needle Scaler – $29.99 at Harbor Freight compared to $57.85 at Home Depot
- Moving Blanket – $7.99 at Harbor Freight compared to $17.98 at Home Depot
- Chip Brushes – $12.99 for 36 qty at Harbor Freight compared to $12.80 for 24 qty at Home Depot
Home Depot Wins
Home Depot still crushes it with these items hands down. Buy the Harbor Freight version at your own risk. This is not about the price, these items are precisions tools and buying a bargain version isn’t worth the risk. Home Depot has a lot of brands to choose from but their prices are significantly higher than Harbor Freight on these items as they should be due to the higher quality in my opinion.
- Battery Powered Tools – Much more power and longer life
- Pneumatic Nailers – More precise and less jams
- Levels & Squares – You can trust these to be square and give dead on accurate readings
- Saws & Blades – Precise cutting needs precise saws and blades
- Welding Equipment – Welding is no joke and though I haven’t tried them I simply don’t trust Harbor Freight’s brands for this activity
- Paint Brushes – For a quality paint job you need a quality brush
What else am I missing? How do you shop these two stores and what deals are your favorite? Tell me what you think in the comments below. If you’re looking for restoration specific tools you’ll want to swing by The Craftsman Store for those special tools and supplies you won’t find at either of these stores.
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I love old houses, working with my hands, and teaching others the excitment of doing it yourself! Everything is teachable if you only give it the chance.
I agree on buying throw away tools atharbor freight, also hard tools such as wrenches and sockets as Pittsburgh steel tools have a lifetime warranty the same as craftsman or aalot of others. If it is a use often and over a long period electric tool the home depot or lowes
I was recently in the market for a rolling tool chest. Compared the US General at HF to the Husky at HD, HF is the much better deal especially if you can find an “all inclusive” coupon that works for tool boxes at HF. The US General brand has thicker metal and the wheels and internal support system is much heavier duty.
Not everything is better, like was mentioned in the article but, if you do your homework you can save a ton of money.
I was quite surprised to compare the various air hose fittings between Harbor Fright and Home Despot.
While the price varies by a few dimes, the initial quality of the Merlin fitting is 33% better since they have six ball bearings compared to four from Home Depot. I can’t comment on the longevity of the seals or anything else related since I just purchased them, but six points of contact is smoother and more secure than four.
Harbor Freight also offers pneumatic hose “remnants” that are made from the last piece of hose on the reel. The ones I saw were full rubber hose and varied in length from three to eight feet (they’re listed online as 8-15 feet) and quite a bargain at $6.
They’re SUPER handy for hooking up a wall mounted manifold or any number of “I need *just that size*” scenarios.
What you are missing is this….Home Depot now carries Craftsman, how did you miss that, prominent display!? In addition to your other considerations, the most important one should be do you need the tool for just one or a few projects or for many over a long time. I’ve found Harbor Freight tools (electric and mechanical) just fine for one-off jobs and even longer.
Your review was great, but aimed at contractors. Harbor Freight is perfect for the (average Joe) who would rather have a tool that is as close to perfect as he/she needs, dosnt care about a brand for a fraction or the cost, and they have guarantees on most tools. I personally have battery poewered tools that is comproble to the major brand I used for years. If you HAVE to have the yellow/Red and black one then Home Depot is for you, plus they also have lumber, paint, lawn and garden that Harbor Freight does not.
Not sure about your neighborhood but in most of the USA the Craftsman brand owned by Stanley,Black & Decker is exclusive to Lowes not Home Depot. One thing both stores in the article have in common is their 30 day, no questions asked money back guarantee. Awesome for when you discover that needle scaler is the bees knees, you can return that tool to HF and put that $30 toward your next tool purchase.
I like Home Depot because they have an app that tells you if the item you need is in stock and where to find it in the store. Also, store pickup and a garden center! Great if you have limited time to browse (small children).
Harbor freight website shows if something is in stock at the store. I just keep it open in my phone browser.
Harbor freight has a website that does the exact same thing.
Another thing to mention is that Harbor Freight has a great selection of Automotive tools. Their floor jacks beat Home Depot hands down.