Starting tools for the Beginner Mechanic - from Harbor Freight!!!
Вставка
- Опубліковано 6 сер 2024
- Today, I took a trip down memory lane and visited my local Harbor Freight. 2 years ago, I was a beginner mechanic without a tool to my name. I wanted to take a tour through the store and give my thoughts on what would be some good beginning tools for a starting mechanic.
All the tools can be found on Harbor Freight's website - www.harborfreight.com
Also, when I hit 1000 subscribers, I will be doing a giveaway for some awesome stuff, so make sure you like and share this video! - Авто та транспорт
Right tighty lefty loosey. Harbor Freight ratchets seems to be the correct one and everyone else is backwards.
Yes!
Haha that actually makes sense
THANK YOU! I fight everyone on this. They say “it was this way first” well I heard “righty tighty” before I picket up a socket so SMD 🤣
Exactly.
💯 lol but I've always checked when put a socket on and adjust accordingly. Never paid attention to any of them
actually HF has a lifetime warranty on most of their hand tools, and the power/ air tools you can usually buy a 1 or 2 year protection plan, and on those items i trade in just before the plan ends, then buy the plan again... rinse and repeat lol.
DanHix85 you can return it after a year? Do you just say it doesn’t work anymore?
I was promoted to apprentice not too long ago, I went to harbor freight and bought a Us general tool cart and a bunch of their tools with some Amazon ones. So far, I havnt had a problem, I’ve had some decent jobs like suspension work, a sub frame on a Prius and some engine work and these tools have not failed me. But some great advice I got was “if you Use a tool frequently or enough to break it, that’s when you know to upgrade to a higher end brand.” Great video!
20 year mechanic here, Pittsburgh pro, Bremen, Quinn, good stuff cheap. Now the Icon stuff, that stuff is mostly excellent quality.
My snap on sockets break often yet I’ve never broke a Pittsburg impact socket 🤔😅
lmao the only sockets ive shattered have been snapon. Getting replacements is busllshit now too so i use mostly tekton now great fit and strong
You must have bad form it’s all in the elbow😂
@@yesac101 I hate Tekton, their wrenches spread like ass. I feel like craftsmen wrenches are better and I hate them.
@@Yonny316 that has not been my experience but if I had that issue I'd contact tekton and they would replace it
@Soarn anyone that says they break good tools is using them wrong, the old wives tale of a bad workman rings a bell
You hurt my feelings. Those colored sockets are my go-to sockets now. So much so that I'm thinking of buying a new set just because I've worn off all the color. It's great to quickly id which size I need.
Dude same, the colored sockets rock. I’m kinda bored of all the chrome aswell
Lifetime warranty is the one thing I love about Harbor Freight, No hassle warranty.
great video , i appreciate that man
A very refreshing video on the beginning auto technician! Great video
Loved this video. I can watch this kinda stuff all day. Great job bro.
those earthquake impacts are pretty legit. alot of power and it holds up over time...atleast the battery powered ones do
Great video! 👍🍻
Love ur comment of the colorful wrenches for you fruity types then u get to the roll carts well to bad they don’t have it in purple like my tool box haha just giving u a hard time
Pittsburgh tools have lifetime warranties. You break them they replace them you don't spend 20 dollars again to buy a new one. You can also get coupons on there stuff through mail and email. That 5 drawer cart can be 189 or 169 with a coupon. That 500 dollar cabinet had a sales paper right next to it. It was on sale for 449
Alot of tool brands have lifetime warranties.
pittsburgh pro tools have the lifetime warranty. If you work near a harbor freight its a easy quick to replace a tool. If you have a snapon you have to wait for the truck some you have to mail in.
Dang I wanted to get the fruity ones. Awesome video
Do it, when you start getting matching sets it makes work a whole lot easier if you have a nut and bolt and you need to secure both ends you just grab the matching color no need to double check sizes, also when my girlfriend helps me work on my cars it’s a lot easier for her to understand grab the blue one or the red one than ask for a specific size. I imagine it’d work the same if you had a younger sibling or cousin helping you out handing you tools.
There is a coupon out there for the blue, red, and black mechanics cart that takes it all the way down from 229.99 to 169.99. Lasts til the end of the year.
Beginner and DIY'er great wheelhouse for lots of videos
Nice job cap'n 👍like applied
What you never used an air regulator, I use air regulators on all my air tools and I'm a backer.
The Pittsburgh breaker bars, their push pin pliers and the Icon snap ring pliers get my vote.
Rust belt mechanic asked his subs to check k out your channel. I found it very educational for the new mechanics and that I agree with what you are saying. Wish I would found you sooner. Keep up the info your putting out. I'll have my apprentice check your channel out.
Thanks a lot! I really appreciate the kind words and I'll keep doing my best!
oh cool! i didn't know it was good to get impact sockets right off the bat, but ended up doing that anyway. thanks for the vid
Hey appreciate the info you talked about a couple of things I missed at harbor freight easy on the fruity thing for those of us who are legally blind the colors come in handy they print those sizes too darn small you do a great job thanks 👍👍
The fruity comment wasnt to be taken seriously, it was all in jest. :) thanks for the support!!
👍🏻 thanks , i know what to get now.
Nice video mate
Nice video, we don’t have Harver Freight in the UK. Think Best for new starters is cart as will probably keep it once can afford a good box and get Milwaukee Impact worth the extra money.
Love my 5 drawer cart. Actually I've have great results from everything I use from harbor freight. You can see what is quality and what isn't. Hint... Prices matter, even at harbor freight. Btw, 5 dollar coupon on all Pittsburgh pro ratchets all the time. There are killer deals to Be had that way.
I have one of those extendable 3/8 1/4 dual drive ratchets. Love that thing. Been my go to for a lot of fan belts lately.
The 1/2 inch Earthquake XT works well as long as it’s oiled before each use.
With 3 adjustments for torque. Used for lug nuts and the dreaded axle nut.
225 piece mechanic set not 255 piece
Nice harbor freight run thru on the beginner tools. I gotta check out some of the new brands they sell there now.
I have both the Quinn and Pittsburg screw driver sets and the Quinn set is better but both sets have held up for me
The U.S. General tool cart is quite possibly the best money you will spend on a tool purchase for professional technicians, I work full time as a heavy line technician and abuse the hell out of mine with no issues, every technician at our dealership has one. Mine is customized to fit my needs with alot of extra pieces I have added by drilling holes and welding various attachments to it
Nicely Done Brotherman 🍻👍Love how you shared your thoughts and experience as a mechanic just starting out. Think you hit the nail on the head. Cheers 🍻
The 5 drawer cart is a good entry level box that will last as you build your everyday tool set.
Buy it at harbor frieght. If it breaks you use it enough to replace it from the tool truck.
The Pittsburg ratchets are backwards on the on and off because they had to change something or they would of been sewed by snap on
They didnt want copyright infringement because they would instantly lose in a lawsuit
Soarn look I love HF but Snap-on stuff is decidedly better
@@CarsonRH i agree
@@CarsonRH it's all good but the fanboys act like no one else makes tools as good or better in some cases. Their tech stuff is fabulous but you still pay a premium
I liked that the impact sockets you showed comes in a storage case. The tree/rail socket holder some come on don't last.
The key benefit of the mechanics tool set is that you can keep everything organized - if you have the discipline.
As others have commented, Pittsburgh hand tools have lifetime warranty with in-store replacement and don't forget the readily available 20% off coupon for most items.
Gearwrench and Teton offer good wrench sets with metric and sae at a good price
buddy has a US General box and he loves it.
It's worth mentioning that you should never pay the price on the shelf. The set of impacts you can get with a coupon for $20. There's also a coupon for $5 off any ratchet. The 301pc mechanics toolset that has a complete set of shallows an deeps runs about $150 with a coupon. Those carts are anywhere from $169 to 189 with coupon. Hfqpdb let's you search for the latest coupon for any item. Most of the hand tools you showed have Lifetime warranty where you don't even need a receipt to get a new one - even the dead blows have lifetime warranties. With all the talk about doing your homework, you should follow your own advice 😃
Yes, coupons and deals constantly. Never pay? That's a little much to say.
The bigger harbor freight pry bars are excellent they sell in singles
This guy is good. He gives honest advice.
Thanks!! I like to think so!!
I have the 5 drawer tool cart from harbor freight and I filled it with their tools an I'm really happy with it. I also have craftman tool boxes with craftman tools also. I have them all set up for me to reach them from my wheelchair. I got a big 3 car bay shop in my backyard
HF tool cabinets and tops are "tops". Very well built, and not just for the price. A great value.
I have all of the earthquake xt air impacts as well as all of the earthquake xt cordless and they have never let me down
Yup I have the compact air impact wrench and it's stood up to over a year of use very well.
The 3/4" drive Cordless Earthquake XT is an absolute beast. I'll let you guys in on a secret. The cordless Earthquake tools are literally rebranded AcDelco/Durofix tools with different color plastic and a different sticker on them. The batteries even interchange. I have several cordless tools from Acdelco and Earthquake and one from Durofix. Both in the 12v line and 20v line and they are all made the same as far as I can tell. That's right if you bought into the cordless Earthquake line your not limited to the few tools Harbor Freight put out for it. You can buy AcDelco tools and Durofix tools too as long as you get the ones with the correct battery platform. AcDelco/Durofix did have older tools that used different batteries. I have some of those too and actually had those before they came out with the cordless Earthquake tools at Harbor Freight. They also have a 20v compact line which uses a different battery.
My coworker, has those pittsburgh impact sockets and they work really well in the Diesel field
@@drksoldier1 good information didn't know they were interchangeable from ac delco
@@AntonioClaudioMichael just make sure you get the ones with the battery that looks the same. They also have an older battery style that does not interchange. And they also have a "compact" 20v line which also does not interchange.
The US General gen. 2 boxes r solid as a rock, I bought the green one.
*Those Earthquake XT air tools are BEAST*
That's what you put a regulator on the end of your hose just like if you're painting a car so you can regulate the amount of error put
Very good video
Thank you!!
You can pickup an entire grey pneumatic duo set which is made for both purposes impact and chrome for a couple hundred dollars and not have to have both.i think harbor freight got the switch right on the ratchets. You want to tighten you push switch to right and left to loosen, this goes with the righty tighty lefty loosey. Just a thought. I like harbor freight stuff and the tool truck brands as well. Great video. Say hello to the new guy and rust belt watch you guys all the time
For example Grey Pneumatic impact master socket sets come with pretty much all the sizes no missing and it comes with deep and standard and more and I believe they have the life time warranty. And yes its more but like you said you could use it with your ratchets and your impacts so it works for a lot.
Grey pneumatic is a good deal. All sets no skips and all the sockets are thin walled AND impact rated. Life time warranty. Cant beat that.
I worked in a shop and had the 4pc pry bar set and I'm 240 lbs and I was trying to get a rack and pin out of a mountaineer and I hanged from that thing and it barely flexed and two years latter of doing family auto work that thing still saves my life it was well worth the money for like 12$ I made out the whole set still all in tact and works great
I have a gen us general 36" tool box its a great box with no issues.
harbor freight has some fantastic tools at really reasonable prices, however, these days they're definitely not the be all end all for budget tools. with companies like tekton, capri, sunnex, gearwrench, and even more, its worth shopping around a bit. at any rate, great video, this gives a pretty solid idea of things you'll need starting off
I bought some of those sets and socket sets to start out t got my socket trays all full and I have 12 socket trays for all drives 12 pt 6 pt and specially sockets
That 12 doller pry bar set is not bad been using them for awhile also have my trusty craftsman's as well
Only complaint is they aren't poundable. The handle absorbs most of the blast on those situations. I have a hypertough prybar that says it's just a cap but it seems to work better. As far as these pry bars obviously they aren't think so it is what it is.
The USA bolstered Craftsman are awesome. Best bang for the buck, if you can find them anymore.
That 44" is great, and you can expand it.
From what I've seen the earthquake XT does hold up fairly well at least for a couple of years of regular use but is definitely not the best quality in terms of how it's built now in terms of how much torque it can produce everything I've seen shows it to be insane so it's definitely a good investment if you have really tightly torqued on or Frozen rusted bolts and nuts
I've beat the living hell out of those Earthquake battery impact guns doing structural ironworking. The only time one broke is when somebody dropped it off third floor steel. They come with a nice case too with space for the charger and a second battery.
The 32 piece wrench set I have never had a problem with them and I am always using them
I was bothered by this part. He was complaining about quality when the price gap was due to ratcheting vs non ratcheting.
The 32 piece set skips to many sizes and then has sizes that shouldnt exist.
Most of the wrenches there arent very good but would be passable a good amount of the time. The made in India wrenches are all pretty bad. The China wrenchs are a bit better. The v-groove wrenches are ok if you can get over the wavy chrome. The Icon wrenches do look very nice but are a bit pricey. In general, if you try to stick to the Tiawan made stuff in Harbor Freight it will be decent.
The cart is really good for the money. The impacts can't be beat for the money. I would stay away from the pry bars and the impact guns. The Milwaukee 1/2" impact is a much better gun for not much more money. Worth the extra. The dead blows are pretty good also. The Icon wrenches are also worth the money.
If you buy cheap wrenches or sockets or ratchets buy at least 2 of everything because they will slip or break so you always need a spare
wait you have to have an impact to take off and put on wheels/tires?
In hammers u always get the smallest medium which will prolly be go to then heavy and heavy heavy duty
I have never used any of the Pittsburg earthquake air tools but i have seen a couple of videos about them and apparently thay are just as powerful as snap-on
Great video brotha always great to hear from another auto tech Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh Pro usually have lifetime warranty on them with a no questions asked warranty I have used a lot of the tools from Harbor Freight with no issues in my work and home tool chests as well as Matco and Snapon
Quality video, believe it or not the earthquake is solid
I find I use my bit drivers far more than standard screwdrivers. I only keep 6 screwdrivers total in my box these days, and they mainly get used for light duty prybars. Also, I would say oil change tools for a newbie. Oil filter wrenches and sockets. New guys are going to get stuck on oil change duty. Also, spark plug sockets. And, unless you're working in a Harley or classic car shop, focus on metric. I basically have no SAE stuff at work at all anymore. And starting out, go cheap and replace what breaks with better stuff.
Got the 5 drawer cart for $169. It is very sturdy sadly they didn't have the green one in so I got orange. The wheels are all plastic so you may want to grab a good set. Since I am forever dragging it around the shop I like the smaller cart over a big box .
No snap ring pliers? I don't know if its just my specific area but we use snap ring oilers ALL the time.
where is that harbor freight you started the video at? it looks like the one in kerrville tx by I-10 almost
I wish Pittsburgh would make Pittsburgh pro CR-MO 3/8" impact sockets
check out tekton for good quality affordable impact sockets, i have their 3/8 and 1/2 inch sets in deep and shallow, and only spend maybe a bit over $100 on all 4 sets. haven't had one break on me yet.
i have stanley tools that are ok but i havn't bought any harbor frieight tools yet i might in the future.
Earthquake xt are great for the price I have the electric one and I work on medium duty and heavy duty diesel
Harbor freight have a free replacement on most hand tools if it breaks they have 1 or 2 yr warranty on certain tools like air tools but I prefer better quality tools but they are ok tools
Best rule of thumb if you want decent or good tools from Harbor Freight. Buy the stuff that says made in Taiwan. The made in China stuff is definitely not as good and the made in India stuff is even worse. Sometimes you will find the same item one package will say made in Taiwan and the other China. ALLWAYS go with the Taiwan one.
Looks like that's the Troy, OH location. I was just there today!
Thats because it is the troy, oh location! Good eye!
First time watcher and I subscribed. If I was looking to just start out, if I could afford it, I would consider Icon over Pittsburgh. What are your thoughts on Tekton?
Tekton is a good brand for the price. Another good set to look into is tacklife. I used a set of sockets from them all through college and they worked great. As for pittsburg vs icon, I can't really say. I've not used any of the icon stuff.
@@CaptainRon1 I have never even heard of Tacklife.
Anyway Harbor freight area so I've been a warranty on all their handles you should have mentioned that in the video here so if they break you break them back and make exchange them straight across-the-board in the store I think that's the only store left that does that since you're doing all along line
Great video...but you are overlooking the point that all those Pittsburgh Pro tools (ratchets, wrenches, pliers, etc.) come with a lifetime warranty. It's not that you buy a $20 ratchet and if it brakes through it away...you take it back and they give you another one...no questions asked. Just like the tool trucks, they stand behind what they sell.
Now you have to be smart and watch what you buy as not everything is under the lifetime warranty but most of those ratchets and wrenches are. All the packages are clearly marked. Just look before you buy.
I know from first hand experience as I have swapped out the 1/2" extendable ratchet twice. For different reasons each time but they swapped them no questions asked. So they really are a great value to the beginners till they can afford to upgrade to more expensive but not always better quality brands with the added convenience of not having to go to the store and exchange it.
buying 2 at a time so you have a backup and then when you upgrade give the receipt and ratchets to a new tech. I went to the flex gearwrench and gave away one of the flexheads just in case the gearwrench gives me trouble. Next upgrade with pay increase will be nepros.
The 301 pc set for $200 is a pretty good deal if you use the 20% off coupon that they always have.
On the torque wrench that digital wont be working in 10 years but that cheaper mechanical one most likely will be.
Lot of different inputs on buying cheap tools, then upgrading. I have a awesome set of extended reach needle nose pliers, have had about 15-20 years. Worth it to spend a little more up front. Also, how frequent are you using it? I have some sockets I use daily, expensive. Ones I use once a year, cheap. Think ahead.
The Pittsburgh deep impact socket set with a coupon is under $20 and they hold their own. The Pittsburgh breaker bar is good too and they run around $25. The Pittsburgh 4 piece mini pick set is like 3 or 4 bucks that are great to get o rings off and on and if you lose one, go get another set for 3 bucks
Those mini pick set are so worth it. I bought 4 of them and don't regret it.
The flip socket set they sell are also worth it, bought 3 of them 2 on each of my car and one for the tool box.
Talks smack about color coded wrenches yet proceeds to admit having a purple tool box. LMAO Good video. HFT has some hidden gems. Tools make us money we don't wear them on our shoulder like women wear Gucci bags. If it works it works. All HF hand tools have life time warranties.
Earthquake air tools are not comparable to the cheaper Central pneumatic. They are MUCH better, especially the XT. They are pro tools. Watch comparisons with Snap-On. And the USGeneral toolboxes are fantastic for starters and pros alike. They hold your tools and they won't fall apart on you.
I've been meaning to look into that stuff but at the end of the day I still know milwaukee and air cat are solid brands and I'll probably get those over snapon anyways.
Cough up the bread for an ingersoll rand w7152 when it comes to impact wrenches tho
I bet the Pittsburgh ratchets are a backwards due to some kinda licensing deal
I'm straight and got the colored ones cause they are just different. I always wanted the colored ones for that exact reason lol.
Angle specs are important for engine work. But until then obviously a click style will work for everything else. But if its to cheap and its 20 ft lbs off and an air compressor falls out of a truck due to that you will get fired. Don't ask me how I know. Don't cheap on torque wrenches period. And check the calibration regularly.
You can also always get 20% off anytime by using the online coupon
They have warranty on a lot of stuff, but the difference in quality is a point bro.
I had the privilege of touring a toyota plant in Japan 8 years ago. I asked them about power tools used at the Kentucky plant and they said Milwaukee power tools 7 days a week 24 hours a day would hold up 8 months, plenty for the average technician's life. On the other hand, the Makita's lasted just under 3 years, an asset to pass on to your grandchildren.
Daaaaamn ! In France we have no shops like that, either we have shit, either we need to pay so much for quality stuff... No intermediate in shops
We, in America, often forget how lucky we are.
Remember if it pittsburgh haves lifetime warranty if it breaks if you not sure you can buy extra tools. For spare a lot cheaper than the tools truck
cool
Maby they made the ratchets flip switch that way on purpose. Lefty Lucy and righty tighty. Left for off and right for on. Just a thought..! Thanks for the video.and if that's the case, maby snap-on is backwards. Lol
Chinese BS is backwards lol any major brand has it the other way around.
Hey all the hand tools have lifetime warranties on them actually so there is no risk buying. Most people don’t read the packaging where it literally says lifetime warranty
I worked across the street from harbor freight when I started out so I got quite a bit of stuff there. Long needle nose and hose pliers sets are pretty handy. The flip sockets are good for someone who just needs to pull tires. Like you said about the wrenches there's a huge quality difference in their different lines. A lot of the sets have skips too. They will work but I'd probably put a little more into something like gearwrench or sunex for sockets and wrenches. I have used both of them daily for a few years.
I'm 35 years old. I'm about to start my technician classes in March of this year. I know some moderate skills as far as vehicles go. Getting to the point. Do you think it is too late in life for someone my age and skills to get started as an auto technician?
No. I went back to school at 45. Almost 50 now. Got my degree and have been in the same shop
Been in the same shop for 2 years now. Never to old to learn something new.
Thanks I begin next month
Dont forget their 1/2” breaker bar and their car jacks , stands as well
I am sorry using the c clamp vise grips wont push in a piston on a caliper unless your superman....use a regular c lamp that's thicker. Those c clamps. Vise grips are made more for holding metal together when welding
Pittsburgh Pro ratchets are much better than “Decent for what they are” . I’ve only warrantied 1 b/c I put a cheater bar and broke part of the plastic handle.
I used them for the first time this week out of someone else's box because I was across the shop working on something. They seem better quality than my expert (basically the blue point of mac tools) ratchets.
first last same I broke the first one I ever had like that lol now I got me a cheap metal handle Pittsburgh breaker bar I put a pipe on if I have to but usually don't have to but I have 10 Pittsburgh ratchets all work an hold up great sockets as well an if they break then I get a new one I just wish they'd step up the wrenches just a lil maybe manufacture them in Taiwan instead of China