My First Look At Harbor Freight's Icon Brand
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- Опубліковано 11 чер 2024
- I’ve had these in my bag for a couple weeks now and I have a better opinion of these now.
7” in line stripes ICON Item # 59152
I didn’t realize when I bought these that they are NOT meant to strip wires smaller than 12 awg. I wouldn’t have bought them if I read that on the packaging.
Flush cut ICON item # 57683
I’ve used these quite a few times in the past couple weeks and so far so good.
Fast Adjust Slip Joint Pliers ICON item # 70310
I’ve only used these a few times but I can say they are great for spring style hose clamps. - Розваги
My auto shop teacher gave us a great piece of wisdom when he said "The tools don't make the mechanic, but they sure make his job easier" buy the best you can afford is solid advice 👍
I've been a small engine tech for a couple years on the side and had nobody to share this wisdom with me. In the last 6 months every tool I've bought has been either Gearwrench, Tekton, SK, and a select few SnapOn tools that i feel like have the best build quality over other brands (pliers, screwdrivers, and flex head ratchets).
Harbor Freight has come a long way. I think they are doing great from my diy perspective.
They have stepped into the void that was vacated by Sears.
@@kennethsouthard6042oddly enough, I noticed HF increased their quality right around the time Sears announced their liquidation
@@kennethsouthard6042 crazy thing is that HF started to up their game right around the time Sears divested themselves of Craftsman
@@kennethsouthard6042 crazy thing is that HF started to up their game around the time Sears divested Craftsman
@@kennethsouthard6042 crazy thing is that HF started to up their game around the time Sears divested Craftsman
I had a dead blow hammer from Harbor Freight that started to come apart on the face. I had it for about 15 years. They exchanged it for me, no hassle at all.
Started falling apart, what junk. My Milwaukee dead blow hammer is in perfect condition and has been used 1 time
@robertbach9376 perfect condition after 1 use?
Harbor Freight, after 15 years,
is junk ?
Huh?
I was corrected by another commenter. My bad, sorry for being so dense.
@@newguy2794he was joking, he was stating the perspective of a tool snob/just bragging about his nice deadblow he’s only had to use once
@@thetank2078 Thank you.
I was totally weirded out by his comment.
@@robertbach9376 I have the same hammer!! 🤣
Years ago started buying sears tools, stopped when they started making them in China. I am also 70 now, no need to buy expensive tools that will last many times longer than I will. However, in my tool box there is an old pair of pliers that are Model T ford pliers, they are the hardest pliers I have ever used. About a hundred years old and still no wear on the teeth.
That's when American steel was top notch. Now they're in such a heavy production mode that the steel doesn't seem to be as good as it once was.
One of the few reviewers that I actually take their word for. Entertaining and keep it real, absolutely love the channel!
We might give Harbor Freight a hard time, but it’s honestly incredible how much they’ve pulled their shit together following Sears’ decline
"Made in Taiwan" is significantly better than "Made in China". Taiwan is a small, high-tech nation with industry that specializes in precision manufacturing to order.
Taiwan is our friend! Their stuff is like what Japan used to be a long time ago --- surprisingly good for a very fair price.
100% In my opinion Taiwan is taking the path that Japan took 👍🏻
When I'm looking for tools online I always add "made in Taiwan" to the search bar
Like all nails and screws are made in Taiwan, all kinds, all brands
Looking for “made in Taiwan” tools at Harbor Freight has been a thing before ICON even came out. “Made in Taiwan” Pittsburgh tools are better than the “made in China” ones.
A mechanic hack I learned awhile ago for zip ties is to use a pair of fingernail clippers with the curved end. It's cheap and quick and since it's cutting it with the same shape as your fingernails it won't scratch up anyone's arms. Love the vids
They have dykes just for that and work even better. They are called flush cut dykes, and by far the best thing for zip-ties. Been around for decades now.
cutting 100s of zip ties with those , i imagine it would suck ... maybe i am wrong !
Yeah, just get the right tool, flush cutters. Even the cheap JDTCo ones last a long while on zipties
The back side of diagonal cutters cutting with just the tip works perfectly.
One word, linesman. You can pull the ty-wraps & then just twist the tails off. No other tool needed. Heck, you can just use a second ty-wrap to do the exact same thing.
Not all heroes wear capes my good Sir, thank you for your honest reviews and consistent content
😎👍🏻
He actually wears a Makita cape.
In high school I went to technical school to become a auto tech. Im ASE certified...
Talking about not going to college but being in debt to a tool vendor resonates.
I chose not to go down that path, and now I Roof. I have a tool set that isn’t brand loyal in my garage, been able to do everything I’ve thrown at them. Best part is I don’t owe anyone when I use them
Honestly I think electrician is probably one of the highest earning trades jobs with the lowest investment in tools. Tool list for most locals is like a grand max, with the contractor or company required to supply the rest. I moved into industrial automation, but when I was still an electrician my tool bag had maybe $500 into it, and most of that was just getting nicer stuff to make my job easier while still adhering to the tool list. I coulda gone much cheaper if I didn't get a nice Veto bag, and wera and wiha combo tools to keep weight down. I did all my training via apprenticeships and tuition reimbursement too, so I legit came out of it with zero debt.
@@englematic A framer has the cheapest startup cost. A hammer, a bag for some nails and some gloves hahaha
I’m 75, and still have, and use some of my deceased Father’s Craftsman tools! I would guess some are 50-60 years old!
I do as well. Just sharpened up some 50 year old linesman pliers and dikes yesterday.
I enjoy restoring old, high-quality tools.
My friend and I were using his grandpa's craftsman wrenches one day and he broke one on the box end and he very nearly started crying. We glued it together and retired the set and bought him an unfortunately inferior Taiwan craftsman set at lowes
I still have most of the Craftsman hand tools that I started buying as a teenager in the late 80's and early 90's. They ALL work as good as they did 30 years ago. 👍 I even have the sockets in the plastic rails that that came on when I bought them.
-- 45 years old. Have my grandfather's Craftsman tools that are still around. And his fishing lures. They're all made of wood :) Not fishing with them ever.
Craftsman was great before Kmart got involved in the sears demise. Then to make it worse lowes took over the brand and now they are just crap compared to what they once were. I used to buy nothing but craftsman and now I won't even look at the display when I walk the aisle
As an IT guy I do a lot of cable ties, and having a cable tie gun changed my life. I generally hate single use tools, but this is one tool that is 100% worth the space in my bag.
Idk I never had great luck with those personally, especially tye cutting part
I’ve tried a couple and I didn’t have much luck. What brand did you get? Maybe I’ll give them a try.
That’s as bad as using pass throughs.. Velcro is the way to go
@@FunkFPV There’s no brand name on it sadly. I liberated it from our maintenance shop after our maintenance guy was arrested for solicitation…
@jaball77 😂😂😂
You're going to jail so I'm raiding your toolbox.
The slip joint is for sure a copy of the knipex TwinGrip which I love dearly and use all the time. Huge improvement over a standard slip joint.
GREAT video!!! I am 100% with you on tool prices. Same warranty, I'm buying the best cheap tool and ICON sometimes fit that bill. Snap-On NEVER fits my budget.
Harbor freight has come a long way with their tools. The Hercules brand is pretty good and the datona 3 ton floor jack is better than the expensive brands. Im kot a professional anything when it comes to tool so i use bits, bit holders, pliers and some other tools from Temu, their tools are ok, and amazon.
That angle of cable stripper would have been so useful to me a decade ago. thanks for the review
I love the tradesmen who brag about how they didn’t go to college and don’t have student loans but then are 20 or 30k in debt to the tool trucks- buddy, it doesn’t matter what you end up doing, if you don’t think about how you spend your cash you’re gonna get screwed regardless.
The worst part is that 20-30k never gets paid down because as you pay it off you add to it.
That is not true the bill just comes and goes and most times it is interest free if you maintain a good standing on your truck account and don’t have to use the trucks credit company
@@maxwellpeter1598they build the price of the interest into the price of every tool, whether you pay cash or not.
speaking as a sparky i just shop on amazon, home depot and lowes and rotate deals when i need something
20-30k in tools is way better than 100k+ in school loans. Also I can sell my tools if I want and get a large portion of my money back. Good luck selling your liberal arts degree.
I never thought I would hear the day MAC and Matco were made in Taiwan.
Times have changed
I appreciate that you always have something to contribute even if its outside your specialty.
I hope you know that i always love coming across your shorts and ive watched a few of your longer videos. I love your attitude and the way to present yourself. Keep up the great work!
I'm a stay at home dad and a bit of a DIYer. I've been a Harbor Freight fan for a few years now. Bauer suits me just fine. Their hand tools work well for me. I work on my cars sometimes and I make stuff out of wood for my kid. I literally don't understand why people dont like Harbor Freight and id love for someone to tell me what I'm missing.
What you're missing is the fact that the people who speak loudly about HF usually are those who have pre-existing opinions on tools, tool branding, and pretty set ideologies.
HF is fine for what you're doing.
Those Snap on tools are big time expensive down here in Aussie. Thanks for the review mate.
They are insane on this side of the planet too.
Sir you do a excellent job demonstrating the good ,bad and the ugly of tools I can tell you have used tools your fair share in life
I enjoyed this video. Very in depth. I’ve slowly been replacing tools at home with Icon.
I have 3 snap-on boxes. Ran out of room, didn't want to shell out all the cash so i bought a Icon box. Was satisfied with the quality, very satisfied with the price. Overall i would do it again. 👍🏻
I work for a company that sources cast parts from both Taiwan and the US. We struggle to find US manufacturers that can meet our specifications, even at 4x the cost of Taiwan suppliers. Taiwan is know for their casting and forging and is the best in the world. China on the other hand is hit or miss.
Whenever a new line of cheap tools hits HF or Princess Auto, I always grab the flush or side cutters and test them out, they are the hardest thing to make cheaply and if they hold up then the rest of the tools are probably going to be decent.
I work maintenance in a factory and I have the icon wrench pliers... They work fantastic. Think of it as a very strong tight fitting adjustable wrench that you don't have to pull off the nut to reposition, just loosen your grip
I share the same philosophy on cable ties, I call the sharp dag ends that normal side cutters leave 'widow-makers'
I took an old set of diagonal cutters and ground the backs flat on my 2X72 belt grinder to make them flush cutters. Works well. 👍
So I'm a bobcat mechanic. Most of my tools are Pittsburgh. Not even icon, and I have 0 issues. I also have been looking on Amazon and I think it is hit or miss on which one is cheaper.
You give some very good advice you're very smart and hot you say thank you for your video. I always enjoy them.
I restored a 1943 halftrack and I needed very large sockets and wrenches. If I were fixing two dozen halftracks I would by grade A tools, but I wasn’t. I was fixing one truck, so Harbor Freight tools were perfect
Thank You for sharing your honest review and thoughts with us. Good words of wisdom.
....the common sense comedy is always refreshing, ya big bastard!!!!
😜
*Its only funny because common sense isn't common these days.. Plus he really don't give a shit what people thinks which makes it even better.* 😂🤘
Ayy shout out to Princess Auto 😅. Thanks for mentioning us Northern folks. Yet again another great video! Keep them coming
I like your analogy, I buy the best I can afford and how often I will use it and wait to buy when needed. Router bits, Buy as you need, not in a set.
Same here. I still use things that my dad had from the 50s.
The ICON pocket knife is just ridiculously nice for the price.
Update. Made in Taiwan. They are the germans of the far east, if japan is a level above.
Not cheap labour in china any longer, $10 an hour
Thanks Wes I learned and laughed
I absolutely love the flush cutters.
Those slip joints are pretty much a direct copy of the Knipex TwinGrip pliers, which I have and love. Specifically the notch in the end that allows you to grip fasteners or threaded rods or whatever from the end.
They are surprisingly versatile. I find I get incredible grip on nuts and bolts
Harbor freight has a $20ish zip tie gun as well. You can adjust the tension for different size ties, and you use the gun to draw it tight and cut off flush all in one go. I wire panels, so sometimes I can go through a couple hundred ties per panel sometimes. One more tool to carry, but a very useful one.
Love your videos funk, glad you like the icon tools! The ratchets are pretty rad too, been holding up like a tank for me. Tore apart many engines with icon tools im pretty satisfied with them for the price👍🏻
Honest content, nicely done!!
I absolutely love the ICON 5-position pliers.
The difference in the HF warranty is if you use your phone number the receipt is now tied to your account instead of needing the paper one. I believe they will also look up some stuff by credit card if it wasn’t purchased too long ago.
Yes it’s all rebranded Chinese tools, but so are a large majority of the others. HF just typically gives more freedom to the manufacturer to make minor alterations based on tooling and part availability. Which means different batches of the same tool may just not be perfectly identical.
The main difference between no name on amazon + a aftermarket warranty and HF is you can usually drive to HF and get it today, and if it’s broke get another one today; with Amazon there is shipping time.
Same thing with VEVOR brand, they just are a big Chinese mega-retailer that resells anything one of their partner factories are equipped to churn out.
Lol i like sparing with our cats 😊 love the review I need a pair of the cutters
I still hold tight to advice given by Adam Savage. Buy the cheaper tool, use it until it breaks, then buy the higher end, better quality version. That way, you know what tou actually will use and need
Good stuff. I really like your comical shorts. Keep it up, good to see “regular working dudes” on here.
Thank you for the honest, real-world reviews. I also agree that you get what you pay for. If you go cheap, don't plan on the tool to last to the next job. Some tools are meant to last and some brands have lost quality over the decades. There is no ONE brand that consistently does everything great always. But guys like you, doing stuff like this, helps others avoid crap when getting tools.
Knipex
The icon pliers wrench is easily one of my favorite tools
Hey funk check out the tsunoda brand flush cutters. They have a serrated grip on the lower portion of the jaws to pull the zip tie tight, and then a perfect flush cut as well. Japanese made.
I have one of each size of these. Theyre nice, still debating if theyre worth it though...
👍🏻👍🏻
*They are pretty good.. a few years ago I went on a crazy Japanese tool buying spree, unfortunately it never stopped.* 😂
Dude, you gotta get a zip-tie gun! Best 10 bucks I ever spent! I have one in the house tool box, one in the garage box, and one in my electrical tool bag!
Taiwan is producing excellent quality stuff these days.
Good Man, speaking the truth. Especially at the end there.
Keep it up brotha!!!
Diesel Mechanic here. When it comes to simple hand tools, HF is pretty good. Same Snap-On warranty, mostly same tool design, but you're spending 1/4 of the price on it. I wouldn't bother with their air/electric tools though. Their Earthquake LXT isn't *bad* but for the same price just buy an Astro Thor and get imo the best impact on the market
I buy the tools I need based on how much I think ill use it...sockets i try to buy a nice set...but if I need a tool for 1 job, I'll buy the cheapest...if I use it a lot I'll buy a decent tool...if not I'll go cheap! Love the videos man...always seems like your reviews are the best and most honest!
Those flush cuts are the best I've ever found. Just amazing. They'll cut 8ga if you really want.
From canada here i have no experience with harbour freight but i think its a couple notches better then my princess auto princess autos best tools are comparable to harbours worst but on the other hand i really like Canadian tire tools they’re pro tools are made in the same factory as gearwrench and sometimes still have the gearwrench logo on the back side and are good tools just more affordable then gearwrench themselves lol
Love your vids man
Its really hard to beat $20 ICON pliers with a no questions lifetime warranty. Tool snobs can hate all they like, ill continue laughing all the way to the bank. You should also check out the ICON tool boxes, they are coming extremely close to tool truck quality at 1/8th the price.
The icon slip joint pair you had work great on friction hose clamps.
WISE Words on tool purchase.
How to tell a pro from a hack❓ Talk to him/her for 5 minutes.
I have never owned flush cuts for cable tie dressing.
I bend the ties slightly sideways and hit the edge with a utility blade and bingo, a nice clean artery friendly result.
"Fighting with cats", what a gem 😂🤣😂
Best regards from 🇬🇧
I bought their SAE impact sockets about 3-4 months ago and have been using them along side some Pittsburgh brand. Haven't noticed a real quality difference for an upgrade, but they work and I've had no issues with them. Most of their hand tools on the other hand are worth the price difference. Look forward to seeing how they perform for you!
I'm in industrial maintenance, and I'm a fan of harbor freight's Icon line.
I have some critical pieces that are Knipex, Wiha, Wera, and Tekton. My employer also provided a starter set of Klein which I still have most of.
But there's a growing number of icon tools in my box
Im getting all 3 of those handtools for sure. Those pliers are better than what i see from other companies in the wild.
The strippers I wouldn’t recommend if you work with wires small then 12 gauge 👍🏻
They have a copy of the snapon pliers, with three adjustable sizes. I have the snap on ones, theyre the best pliers ive ever bought
I’ve started in the diesel mechanic field about a year ago doing service, hydraulic lines/cylinders, solenoids, autotarpers, welding bodywork when it breaks, etc. everything except tearing the motors and transmissions apart. And I’ve bought 90% of my tools from harbor freight and the only thing that has failed me is a t45 Quinn socket (and it took longer to break it than it took to get it replaced lol). I’m very happy with my toolbox and all the tools I’ve purchased from them.
Amen. Tool price does not make the mechanic
Funk FPV.. Snap-on makes their hard line of tools like wrenches, sockets, ratchets, toolboxes etc. Snap-on owns a lot of other tool brands. Stanley Black & Decker owns Mac Tools. Mac and Cornwell still make a lot of their hard line of tools tools and they rebrand some. Matco doesn't make any of their tools, they rebrand all of them. The only thing that Matco makes is their toolboxes. It's a shame but tool companies are realizing they can have a tool made in Taiwan for half the cost of making it in the USA and still have a good quality tool that is just as good as the USA made one. Today we have a lot of different tool companies to choose from and a lot different ways to buy the tools like the internet. Back in the day we had the tool trucks, Sears (Craftsman) and maybe one or two more places to buy tools from and their tools weren't that good so we didn't have much of a choice.
One thing to keep in mind about HF is they are a tool distributor, not manufacturer. They say they have their own factories but most if not all of their tools can be found on Amazon under some random Chinese brand
I use the flush cut every day, work perfect for me, wire ties and vinyl tubing, also use the flat jaw "channel locks", regular slip joint pliers and needle nose, they have worked well for me, 🤷🏻♂️
Years ago I bought a 1/4 icon swivel head ratchet while my snap on was waiting on a warranty repair. It wound up replacing the snap on I liked it so much. I recently broke it, took it to harbor freight and they just gave me a new one. For 40 bucks I was pretty impressed. Doesn’t speak for the entire icon brand but I do like the little ratchet I bought.
I’ve used Ideal automatic wire strippers for decades. And I have a couple of tie wrap “guns” that cut flush at a preset tension.
I have the knipex twin gripe pliers they sure work great for taking out broken screws.
I got them plyer and love them especially for removing screws and screw heads that are stripped. That’s why there is an open slot in the head. I use them plyers for everything
The flush cuts kick ass. I was reluctant to jump on the icon band wagon, but so far, so good.
I proudly sponsor your videos 😂
I’m an AV tech. I have the icon flush cuts in my pouch and they are the only tool I’ve ever bought from harbor freight. I use them to cut everything. They cut through mc, cat, coax, really anything I throw at them and they still cut like new and flush.
The push button pliers looks like a chunky version of the Knipex twin grips. It's a good tool when you need it. They're really only good for gripping with the tip to remove strippers screws..
Thank you sir
Those flush cutters were a fabulous purchase for me. Can’t justify Snap Ons opium induced pricing. Can’t wait for them to get a hold of the slip joint needle noses.
I went to college to be a GM dealer tech. With that came a 52% off of our first Snap-On tool order. You could add as much or as little to the order as you wanted. So I purchased an upper and lower box, several air tools (1/2" impact, 3/8" ratchet, etc), and a whole basic starter wrench/ratchet/socket/hammer/screwdrixer/Torx set, along with some specialty hand tools. That was a pretty good deal, although still expensive. The nice thing about the tool trucks is they are there weekly, so if something was broken they came to you to replace it. However, I didn't generally spend lots of additional money on the truck. Occassionally they would offer a tool that specifically did a job really well that would save me a lot of time. Those were the tools I would purchase. But, I have SK, Craftsman, some MAC, Matco, Stanley, and yes, Harbor Freight. I have to say, Harbor Freights tools (many, but not all) have gotten MUCH better in the last ten years. Their brake and suspension tools are pretty solid. It is much better than the pot-metal crap they were making 15-20 years ago.
Snap On makes awesome tools. If you need tools to make a living and you can afford it, great. Personally, I'm a DIYer so Harbor Freight is my toy store. Thx for the video. New subscriber.
I use flush cut pliers almost every day for work. I cut soft brass and plastic. I have use very expensive ones from Germany, Japan and the U.S. and so far the ICON ones have served very well over the past year.
I really enjoy those jumbo flush cutters. They're no Excelta, but I can't afford Excelta unless they're refurbished in bulk on eBay.
I never had warranty issues at Harbor Freight in Milwaukee area, I used to work there and they let us take decent care of people.
You should try self adjusting wire strippers, they work well especially for working in tight places.
I was looking at these icon tools. The Kinpex channel locks knock offs looks good. I think im gonna pull the trigger on those after watching this.
The Icon pliers have 5 jaw width adjustments. They can be used as multi-purpose. Howe they're primarily for gripping various fasteners, nuts, and screws heads.
The wire strippers i use them every day and I really like them functionality works well it is a little hard to go ahead and judge wire size because of the front mounted jaws but other then that I would recommend them !
I just got the Knipix version of those pliers. For my electrical kit and clean(er) shop, I prefer the higher quality kit. For the nasty(er) shop and/or rough environments, I keep all my old and refurbished tools.
The fast adjust slip joint is actually Harbor Freight's version of Knipex Twin Grips.
There Icon brand it built pretty well and as you stated there return policy has improved substantially. Thank you for the reviews as always funk .
the warrantee on craftsman at Sears was a sweet deal back in the day.
Yeah for Harbor Freight’s warranty I can vouch that they either look your receipt up in the system by phone number, or they just say “eh whatever” if they see their brands stamped into the product. You grab another one off the shelf, they exchange the appropriate pieces or the whole thing at the counter, you go on your merry way. It’s a pretty easy warranty system for lifetime tools.
The drawback is that their warranties are either lifetime for the special tools, or 90 days, which is crap. Even Ryobi gives you a few years on motorized or wearable tools.
Nice, I think I'm gonna try them thank you for the video
The stripes are junk 👎🏻
Good point on the wire tie but worse is the hose clamps. Place i used to work a maintenance guy left one with the end broken off in a sharp angle, and of course it found the side of my wrist and turned my production line into a blood bath. Looked like i slashed my wrist and left a trail of blood thirty feet long with me trying to get to a sink.
With genuine Craftsman gone I've been buying most of my tools at Harbor Freight. Overall I have had better luck with them compared to name brands, which are also usually re-badged imports. In the last decade or more HF has also been commissioning a lot more of their tools with unique specifications vs re-badging. I've compared many of their re-badged tools to the same tools under store brands and they often have additional or smarter features, often for the same or lower price.
It's rare to find the same tool cheaper than HF since they keep their prices low in large part by selling them directly rather than buying from a distributor/reseller, or selling them to other retailers.
Ball Joint Separator = Pickle Fork
Snap-On sells nice tools (usually) , but none are worth the price they charge. It doesn't cost that much more to make a quality tool, especially when the cheaper tools are usually less expensive due to reduced non-critical finishing. That includes mold cleanup and final polish.
I have some of their Pittsburgh impact sockets and a couple of their ratchets. used them without failure for years. as for the icon brand, they seem to be of decent quality so far