Always buy it cheap first. Unless, you’re going to use it daily or even semi weekly. But at the end of the day, high price tools aren’t worth it unless they’re used or needed when it counts.
Well, the ratchet wrenches are probably the best Icon deal there is. Matco sells the same set for about double the price. Both made by Kabo. I get by my daily stuff with Pittsburgh and Quinn tho. Tool trucks hate me because I do not carry a tool debt.
$20 for the 12" means more $20 bills left to buy the next two size up. For me the 12" & 17" I have properly will be only two I'll ever use. If not I know where HF is if I ever need the large one it is always in stock, unlike the 12". Z
17 years ago I bought a HF $40 nail gun to finish a framing job because it was close to the job after my Hitachi broke. Used it for 8 years before it broke and I treated it like shit.
I bought their 225 piece tool set for $80 about 12-13 years ago. Other than loosing the allen keys/wrenches the set has done me well until 3 days ago when I broke the 1/2" socket wrench and even then I went into the store, gave them my number and exchanged the full set for a brand new one.
I bought a framing gun and the carpenter started to laugh at me. Saying I should return it and get my $20 back. Bro didn't even own one... He pawned his for heroin... Lol
@Rockin_Ross dude, bruh, i bought a warrior 4 1/2" for $10 on a parking lot sale also. Grinded cracks and edges in garage concrete floor prior to poly floor coat. Never an issue and is still working great. $10!!!
I do full time remodeling and 90% of my kit is Bauer tools from harbor freight. They very very rarely let me down and I also treat them like…a contractor.
I used to buy Craftsman because I could just take it down to Sears and exchange it. When Lowes picked them up they started being MUCH pickier about the warranty and it became a hassle. Icon is at least as good as they are, and the warranty process is painless. Its a no brainer.
@@PANZERFAUST90 no, but they own the rights to sell it in their stores. When they got those rights, they said nothing would change. Now however they are requesting a receipt proving you bought it at that specific lowers. This is despite it saying no receipt necessary right on the box. Snap on doesn't require a receipt, nor does Matco, Cornwell, Icon, Pitsburg, or Husky.
True story I found an old beat up craftsmen 1/2” digital torque wrench on the street outside a Walmart. I took it to Lowe’s with the Craftsman warranty info screenshotted on my phone. Customer service didn’t like it but I walked out with a brand new 150 dollar torque wrench still in the packaging. Sold it for 120 the same day 👍
@@Kevali388 I went to lowes with a broken craftsman ratchet. They wouldn't exchange it without a receipt despite me pointing to the literal ratchet packaging that said "lifetime warranty, no receipt necessary"
@@nordicpride9708it’s the driver 100% but that’s why a lot of people are not snap on fans You pay the premium for the tool and the service and if the service aka the tool truck driver/owner is not warranting anything or giving a hard time Or comes around half the time can you blame people for being salty about snap on??? And if you have back to back bad reps/drivers/trucks you’re forced to deal with corporate aka the mailbox my system to go to and from and at that point you’re better off buying other tool brands that are good middle of the road brand(s)
The age-old debate between good tools and good enough tools. Your finance friends will call it ROI. Whatever you call it, as long as it gets the job done!
I bought a hatchet for under $10 as a temporary one until I got a "decent" one. It's been 15 years, many camping trips, thousands of split logs, nails driven, things pryed... I'll eventually get that "nice" one, because cheap plastic handles don't last... ROI = NICE! That cheapest angle grinder is about dead after a dozen light uses. ROI = saved more than its price the first time I used it.
I got one of these for alignments, the really big pair so I could grab those adjustment sleeves on big pick ups and jeeps, absolutely awesome. I could CARE less if snap on makes them better for 10x the price those icons get the job done, do it well, and I can actually afford them. I'm all for supporting American made but not when it's half my paycheck for one tool I use for special cases every now and then.
Yeah, I switched careers during the pandemic and aside from splurging a bit while I had a student discount I limit my snap on purchases to items I have already destroyed the cheap version of (or gotten fed up with the way it works) and I wait at least a week to buy anything that I'm interested in. I put a lot of value on saving frustration and effort, but I want to know how regularly I'm going to use a tool before I invest in it. (Like, I've got a dozen plastic clip remover tools because it took so long to find the one that I use 90% of the time.)
The prices could probably stay the same and just offer delivery to repair shops within 15 -20 miles of store. The markup on most tool trucks are 200 percent or more to cover the in-house financing. The tool truck owner is really just a collection company for weekly payments. That business model is dying slowly. Just not completely dead yet. That is what keeps the tools so over priced.
Insurance cost, another employee they’d have to pay reasonably well to take a delivery sales job, vehicle maintenance, vehicle purchase, fuel. The cost would go up most definitely. All that stuff is not free.
Highly doubtful. The prices would increase dramatically, and the quality would still be garbage. No one with a brain pays USA Made prices for Chinesium goods. Hell, I don't even buy chinesium goods at chinesium prices if I can help it. I'd rather pay more for a quality US made product.
i have about 6 HF die grinders, all under 20 bucks. keep different attachments in them. when on takes a crap after 4-5 years I toss it and spend another 20 bucks. I have a bout 30 to go to equal 1 crapon die grinder.
I am an associate at Harbor freight in Fresno. I have started working there since 2021 and yes over the years the company has been upping their game on products. Icon especially has been getting a lot of attention from mechanics. Also for the US General has been stepping up of quality, style and price to compete.
The simple truth about Harbor Freight is with their price, even if you were to get 2 uses out of it, you’ve gotten your money’s worth. And the fact they have a Craftsman-like lifetime warranty (sadly gone) on hand tools, there’s really no risk.
Its definitely a mixed bag in quality but they have absolutely upped their game. People that shit on them are either Strap-on fan boys or people who haven't been there in 10 years. Don't get me wrong I still go to Home Depot or Lowes for almost all tools but HF is my go to for a one off or one time use item.
I have icon and snapoff for home, knipex for work. Knipex 10x ahead of snappy Icon is 70% of the function of snap-on, 60% of the quality, and a much easier warranty, there are 6 Hf's in my city. @philiplubduck6107
While wrench heads making payments on snap on tools, I’ll be paying on a boat instead and still getting the job done. Even if a tool breaks, can still likely get it done with an alternative setup while sending it back/bringing it into HF
I wouldn't say they don't have junk, just they have some good tools among some junk. I like HF but I have gotten and seen plenty of junk as well as their awesome icon tools and new Hercules line
I have the 17 and 21 inch versions. Theyre tough as hell. I had the 17s forst and put a 4 ft pipe on it to break loose a very tight hydraulic quick disconnect off a 333g loader. Boy i tell you what i bought the 21in version the next week. They pass the equipment mechanic test with flying colors
I love Harbor Freight. Anybody who doesn't is ignorant or stuck up. They have crap tools for crap tool prices. But they also have good tools for decent prices.
@@thomashoffman5745 that’s your fault for buying Chinese crap. HF sells an abundance of quality Taiwanese tools and some USA made for extremely reasonable prices.
@@welder78s7 Yeah I'm sure that's a good deal but I wouldn't buy them from Snap-on I'd get to Williams or the Bahco versions I'm pretty sure they make a set too
@@darrenporsch I m with you on that . I did get mine from the snap on truck they were " on sale" I think i got the set for 125 or 150dollars but that was 6 years ago.
Biggest thing i look for in Harbor Freight tools is their hand tools. Like sockets that fit a bolt correctly with no slop. Cheap sockets focus the torque on the corners of the bolt.
If I'm gonna pay a ton of money on pliers, I'm getting Knipex. Best pliers I've ever had, so far I got the 10" Cobra, 3" baby Cobra, TwinGrip, needle nose and side cutters. All worth the money.
I have 5 different sizes of KNIPEX adjustable plyers, several Knipex locking plyers , a couple pairs of their cutting scissors. Can't beat there quality.
I bought the HF buck knife clone for $25, and took it on a bushcrafting overnighter. Used it for 8 straight hours doing bushcrafting projects, and it was still sharp. Wasn't paper towel slicing sharp, but still had a nice bite to it.
I use and abuse my tools , a millwright in a factory, when it comes to hand tools you can't beat Harbor Freight, I've never broken one... I've lost plenty of tools, I'd much rather replace a $20 one than a $100+ one. My power tools are Dewalt. Very happy with Dewalt, been using them for 20 years.
@thomashoffman5745 That sucks, sh*t happens. My experience has been nothing but positive. My goal in life is to keep my out of pocket expense to a minimum and my profits to the maximum, it has served me well, I'm finally at the point where I no longer have to worry about money, just looking forward to retirement now.
They are for sure worth it. I’m a professional diesel technician and I have used them multiple times and I can say that they sure work well and hold up to
I'm 40+ year tech. I don't give a rip who makes what. All I care about is that it works. I won't use anything cheap that if it breaks I'm getting hurt though. I'd definitely try these if I had the need.
Not all jobs require the SnapOn coefficient of awesomeness - Ca. Very large wrenches - 2 1/2 inches, etc. - are generally used on fluid fittings, not nuts and bolts. Hence, my very large wrenches are HF, not SO. However, my 1/4" drive stuff is SO, and my screwdrivers are SO, Wiha, or Brownells.
I'm pretty new in the diesel tech world. I was talking with one of my coworkers one day, and I said I was going to stay away from the tool trucks as long as possible. He said that was a great idea
Snappy, when best is the enemy of good enough to get the job done. I've been looking at those, I'm a heavy truck mechanic, but even at harbor freight prices I haven't been able to convince myself that there is any reason that I really need them. And I'm at the point that I have what I need to get the job done and now I'm buying what makes my job easier.
I've been using HF tools for over 10 years, and only one failed, and that was the plug in hedge clippers- It was totally my fault trying to tear through the thickest bush I've ever tried to cut through.
I don’t know if you paid for the extended warranty but if you did you could have taken it back and got a new one. HF is awesome. You could buy that 2 year coverage and at 1 year 11 months bring it back because it’s “not cutting like it used too” and you’d leave with a new one.
Im not sure about their fancy stuff but the cheap shit they sell is great, if I'm using an nut rounder in the first place I'll take the Pittsburgh mexican socket set before paying snapon for a "adjustable wrench."
@@deanb949 Agreed. I do like the Milwaukee vise grips with the red loop you can stick a screwdriver through to adjust them without opening and closing them, but other than that I don't like their hand tools much.
They are more copies of Knipex Swedish Pipe Wrenches than the PWZs but kind of an in-between I guess. Still prefer the PWZs in design for alignments, personally. But they are good plier wrenches
I don't care what people say. I've bought some decent stuff from Harbor Freight. For what I pay to get a tool that will do what I need it to, I'll take Harbor Freight.
Harbor freight is the great value of tools but I rarely had issues with most of their stuff some people just hear rumors their tools suck and believe it but never try them themselves.
its getting harder to justify buying from tool trucks. i made much better progress as a tech when i started buying lots of affordable tools rather than having just a few shiny snap ons.
I love the initial camera turn to show the UA-cam award. As soon as it is shown, the camera somehow goes back to the starting point and stays there the remainder of the video. Subtle.
People clown me for my icon tools. Works just as well as snap on and I don’t have to take out a second mortgage 🤷♂️🤷♂️🤷♂️🤷♂️ I personally don’t give a shit about name brand. Just good value for money.
I wouldn't be surprised if the Snap-On ones are probably made by someone like Bahco, or similar. In which case you could definitely find them directly from whoever makes them for at least 1/2 the price, if not less. Just sayin...
Sometimes I want to go to mechanic school to be a mechanic just so I can get a job at a dealership and roll my U.S. General tool chest full of HF tools into work and just take sh1t for it while my coworkers skip child support payments and lunches to hang out at the Snap-On truck stroking their egos. And then when one of my HF tools breaks, which is rarely, and they laugh and say “SeE i tOld yOu sO!” I can just shake my head and come back from lunch with a new one and still have saved money even without the warranty. I’ll never forget my mechanic buddy bragging that his tool chest alone cost $10k. That is NOT a flex. That is sad.
I think that has a lot to do with the different truck drivers. My snap-on dealer comes every week and never denies warranty claims, even on stuff he should sometimes. Snap-on really doesn’t make sense to buy unless you have a reliable dealer.
@@picomanbungace4035 True. When I worked wrenches, I had a lot of Matco stuff. Then the Matco guy retired, which hurt repairs. Same with a friend and his Mac stuff. Mac guy went away, broken items became paper weights.
Harley has always been crap, even in its heyday, couldnt compete against japanese cycle companies. People bought Hardleys because they are “american made”…but their bike would be in the shop every week. Snap on at least has quality attached to their name, so you do get “something” for that price. Hardley Ablesons have been trash for 100 years…leaky, underpowered trash…
@@nordicpride9708Look, I know you THINK you can just buy skill, but you can't. It's still your human arm attached to the other end of that Matco Magic Wand...
Project farm tested the icon torque wrench versus a bunch of other torque wrenches and it was more accurate. I'd say harbor freight is more than stepped up their game. Makes you wonder what factory those pliers were actually made in. Lol
Its called a stilson pipe wrench and I have been using a cheap pittsburg one in an industrial setting for about 12 years. The same one. No warranty. I fit heavy schedule steel pipes on 300psi co² tankers with it.
Harbor freight tools are fine, even Pittsburgh. I use the shit on a drill rig and have no issues that are beyond normal wear and tear and there’s not much more industrial, rough usage that what I’m doin.
I have the biggest PWZ and its awesome for getting a TON of bite force and leverage. I dont remember how much it was, but probably like $150 lol i have a set of smaller sliding hex jaw ones but the teeth are almost all gone, so for $20, id love to try those out. Is that the only size they have? Im sure they have 2 or 3 sizes
I have a harbor freight grinder I bought it over 20 years ago for I believe 10 dollars I still have it and use it all the time still works fine and I am not nice to it
I’m a snap on fan and have bought a lot of their tools and I can say they’re falling off slowly but surely to HF which a few years ago was a laughable take but not today
As tradesmen, We need so many tools but haw many tools do you use every single day? Those are the tools you shouldn’t cheap out on. When it comes to the every once in a while tools Harbor freight is the way to go. Just bought a 5 plier set on sale for $10.
I own snap off tools and harbor freight tools. Both break at about the same rate. I wouldn’t purchase their air tools such as impacts but harbor freight has served me well doing professional mechanic work on heavy duty trucks and construction equipment.
List price on the screenshot at the time of his recording: $88.00, for Snap On. Harbor Freight Icon: $19.99 Both screenshots were only ~2 seconds up. Icon, agreed, it was harder to decipher, as he used it full screen, putting the price under "original sound", below the description.
Personally speaking, I’m 45 years old. I’ve been in the automotive industry since I was 13 I started off a window tinner. I moved to electronics then interior then exterior then paint work then moved into the custom fab side of Automotive now I’m a fabricator and I’m not in the automotive industry, I can honestly say I have never ever bought a product from fucking snap off
Harbor Freight seems to be upping their game.
They have become much much better over the last 5 years or so.
Always buy it cheap first. Unless, you’re going to use it daily or even semi weekly. But at the end of the day, high price tools aren’t worth it unless they’re used or needed when it counts.
They’re getting ballsy with their pricing though. A lot of icon stuff, especially the wrenches are not worth the price they’re charging.
Well, the ratchet wrenches are probably the best Icon deal there is. Matco sells the same set for about double the price. Both made by Kabo. I get by my daily stuff with Pittsburgh and Quinn tho. Tool trucks hate me because I do not carry a tool debt.
@@_P0tat07_If you go when they got deals they are amazing, but I also only work on mine and my families cars so they good enough
For $20 and getting the lifetime it totally makes them worth at least trying
I love you only need the item in question to exchange it
$20.00 for more stuff, hell ya, this is why I love Harbor Fright
$20 for the 12" means more $20 bills left to buy the next two size up. For me the 12" & 17" I have properly will be only two I'll ever use. If not I know where HF is if I ever need the large one it is always in stock, unlike the 12". Z
17 years ago I bought a HF $40 nail gun to finish a framing job because it was close to the job after my Hitachi broke. Used it for 8 years before it broke and I treated it like shit.
Exactly! I bought a 4” right angle grinder at their sidewalk sale for $10!
Ten bucks!! And 8 years later, it’s still my go-to.
I bought their 225 piece tool set for $80 about 12-13 years ago. Other than loosing the allen keys/wrenches the set has done me well until 3 days ago when I broke the 1/2" socket wrench and even then I went into the store, gave them my number and exchanged the full set for a brand new one.
I bought a framing gun and the carpenter started to laugh at me. Saying I should return it and get my $20 back. Bro didn't even own one... He pawned his for heroin... Lol
@Rockin_Ross dude, bruh, i bought a warrior 4 1/2" for $10 on a parking lot sale also. Grinded cracks and edges in garage concrete floor prior to poly floor coat. Never an issue and is still working great. $10!!!
I do full time remodeling and 90% of my kit is Bauer tools from harbor freight. They very very rarely let me down and I also treat them like…a contractor.
I used to buy Craftsman because I could just take it down to Sears and exchange it. When Lowes picked them up they started being MUCH pickier about the warranty and it became a hassle. Icon is at least as good as they are, and the warranty process is painless. Its a no brainer.
Well Lowe's doesn't own Craftsman.....
@@PANZERFAUST90 no, but they own the rights to sell it in their stores. When they got those rights, they said nothing would change. Now however they are requesting a receipt proving you bought it at that specific lowers. This is despite it saying no receipt necessary right on the box.
Snap on doesn't require a receipt, nor does Matco, Cornwell, Icon, Pitsburg, or Husky.
True story
I found an old beat up craftsmen 1/2” digital torque wrench on the street outside a Walmart. I took it to Lowe’s with the Craftsman warranty info screenshotted on my phone. Customer service didn’t like it but I walked out with a brand new 150 dollar torque wrench still in the packaging. Sold it for 120 the same day 👍
@@Kevali388 I went to lowes with a broken craftsman ratchet. They wouldn't exchange it without a receipt despite me pointing to the literal ratchet packaging that said "lifetime warranty, no receipt necessary"
@@macgyver9134 damn, I will say this was a few years ago, but the way Lowe’s is overcharging for Craftsman tools I can’t say I’m suprised
Unlike Snap-on, Harbor Freight actually honors their warranty.
Snap on in fact isn’t the issue, it’s the terrible tool truck driver you have. I’m a technician and have never had an issue
@@nordicpride9708it’s the driver 100% but that’s why a lot of people are not snap on fans
You pay the premium for the tool and the service and if the service aka the tool truck driver/owner is not warranting anything or giving a hard time
Or comes around half the time can you blame people for being salty about snap on???
And if you have back to back bad reps/drivers/trucks you’re forced to deal with corporate aka the mailbox my system to go to and from and at that point you’re better off buying other tool brands that are good middle of the road brand(s)
@@nordicpride9708 yea so it depends on your driver....harbor freight just replaces the tool
If your rep won't warranty something you contact corporate and they will take care of it.
Depends on the rep, my rep has taken care of anything and everything no questions asked
Harbor freight is underrated
The age-old debate between good tools and good enough tools. Your finance friends will call it ROI. Whatever you call it, as long as it gets the job done!
Amen!
Icon is a good tool
Harbor Freight seems to be upping their game.
I bought a hatchet for under $10 as a temporary one until I got a "decent" one. It's been 15 years, many camping trips, thousands of split logs, nails driven, things pryed... I'll eventually get that "nice" one, because cheap plastic handles don't last... ROI = NICE! That cheapest angle grinder is about dead after a dozen light uses. ROI = saved more than its price the first time I used it.
Snap on copies of Knipex???
I got one of these for alignments, the really big pair so I could grab those adjustment sleeves on big pick ups and jeeps, absolutely awesome. I could CARE less if snap on makes them better for 10x the price those icons get the job done, do it well, and I can actually afford them. I'm all for supporting American made but not when it's half my paycheck for one tool I use for special cases every now and then.
Icon is made in America
@@JonDoe-007 depends on the products. Some are taiwan
Yeah, I switched careers during the pandemic and aside from splurging a bit while I had a student discount I limit my snap on purchases to items I have already destroyed the cheap version of (or gotten fed up with the way it works) and I wait at least a week to buy anything that I'm interested in.
I put a lot of value on saving frustration and effort, but I want to know how regularly I'm going to use a tool before I invest in it. (Like, I've got a dozen plastic clip remover tools because it took so long to find the one that I use 90% of the time.)
Harbor freight needs to start running a tool truck. I guarantee you they’d get tons of business.
If they ran a tool truck their prices would shoot up because of fuel,truck and labor costs.
The prices could probably stay the same and just offer delivery to repair shops within 15 -20 miles of store. The markup on most tool trucks are 200 percent or more to cover the in-house financing. The tool truck owner is really just a collection company for weekly payments. That business model is dying slowly. Just not completely dead yet. That is what keeps the tools so over priced.
They could franchise it just like SnapOn does. Those costs you mention wouldn't be their problem. @@alcerz984
Insurance cost, another employee they’d have to pay reasonably well to take a delivery sales job, vehicle maintenance, vehicle purchase, fuel. The cost would go up most definitely. All that stuff is not free.
Highly doubtful. The prices would increase dramatically, and the quality would still be garbage. No one with a brain pays USA Made prices for Chinesium goods. Hell, I don't even buy chinesium goods at chinesium prices if I can help it. I'd rather pay more for a quality US made product.
i have about 6 HF die grinders, all under 20 bucks. keep different attachments in them. when on takes a crap after 4-5 years I toss it and spend another 20 bucks. I have a bout 30 to go to equal 1 crapon die grinder.
Getting the Snap-On truck to honor a warranty is like catching a leprechaun
I am an associate at Harbor freight in Fresno. I have started working there since 2021 and yes over the years the company has been upping their game on products. Icon especially has been getting a lot of attention from mechanics. Also for the US General has been stepping up of quality, style and price to compete.
Harbor Freight is awesome. I don't care about anyone's negative views.
The simple truth about Harbor Freight is with their price, even if you were to get 2 uses out of it, you’ve gotten your money’s worth.
And the fact they have a Craftsman-like lifetime warranty (sadly gone) on hand tools, there’s really no risk.
Sures, if you don't mind driving back and forth to the store all the time. Usually after the tool breaks at the worst moment.
Icon tools are top quality. The world is changing. Harbor freight doesn't just have junk anymore
Its definitely a mixed bag in quality but they have absolutely upped their game. People that shit on them are either Strap-on fan boys or people who haven't been there in 10 years. Don't get me wrong I still go to Home Depot or Lowes for almost all tools but HF is my go to for a one off or one time use item.
Tons of junk, get quality tools like knipex
I have icon and snapoff for home, knipex for work.
Knipex 10x ahead of snappy
Icon is 70% of the function of snap-on, 60% of the quality, and a much easier warranty, there are 6 Hf's in my city.
@philiplubduck6107
While wrench heads making payments on snap on tools, I’ll be paying on a boat instead and still getting the job done. Even if a tool breaks, can still likely get it done with an alternative setup while sending it back/bringing it into HF
I wouldn't say they don't have junk, just they have some good tools among some junk. I like HF but I have gotten and seen plenty of junk as well as their awesome icon tools and new Hercules line
I have the 17 and 21 inch versions. Theyre tough as hell. I had the 17s forst and put a 4 ft pipe on it to break loose a very tight hydraulic quick disconnect off a 333g loader. Boy i tell you what i bought the 21in version the next week. They pass the equipment mechanic test with flying colors
They should also replace both the male nad female part of that quick disconnect to make it compatible the one with the other.
I love Harbor Freight. Anybody who doesn't is ignorant or stuck up. They have crap tools for crap tool prices. But they also have good tools for decent prices.
No...we've been bitten one too many times by the mostly Chinese crap.
And sometimes a crap tool is plenty good for what you need.
@@thomashoffman5745 that’s your fault for buying Chinese crap. HF sells an abundance of quality Taiwanese tools and some USA made for extremely reasonable prices.
Grandpa been a contractor all my life. He's always in harbor freight
You do know that those are made by Bahco in Spain. which snap on owns you can get the Bahco version for about 60% of the snap-on price
There's also Williams branded version cuz Snap-on owns Williams. Again made by Bahco in Spain and again about 60% of the snap-on price
You can also get them in a set of 3 the for a really good deal too.
@@welder78s7 Yeah I'm sure that's a good deal but I wouldn't buy them from Snap-on I'd get to Williams or the Bahco versions I'm pretty sure they make a set too
@@darrenporsch I m with you on that . I did get mine from the snap on truck they were " on sale" I think i got the set for 125 or 150dollars but that was 6 years ago.
Lol I just posted sam thing
Biggest thing i look for in Harbor Freight tools is their hand tools. Like sockets that fit a bolt correctly with no slop. Cheap sockets focus the torque on the corners of the bolt.
Knipex raptor? Nah, never heard of it. We got them ICON Parrots, baby.
Come on man, that snatch-on guy has to send all his kids to college at the techs expense! 😂
Snatch-on for guys who like to be ripped off.
I bought the 17" version. They are solid and made removing bump stops on my truck effortless.
My take on inexpensive tools is if they get you out of a jam just once they more than paid for themselves.
If I'm gonna pay a ton of money on pliers, I'm getting Knipex. Best pliers I've ever had, so far I got the 10" Cobra, 3" baby Cobra, TwinGrip, needle nose and side cutters. All worth the money.
I have 5 different sizes of KNIPEX adjustable plyers, several Knipex locking plyers , a couple pairs of their cutting scissors. Can't beat there quality.
@@bigdaddysshop8180 by locking pliers do you mean like Vice Grips? If so thanks for letting me know and my wallet says F you.
I bought the HF buck knife clone for $25, and took it on a bushcrafting overnighter. Used it for 8 straight hours doing bushcrafting projects, and it was still sharp. Wasn't paper towel slicing sharp, but still had a nice bite to it.
I use and abuse my tools , a millwright in a factory, when it comes to hand tools you can't beat Harbor Freight, I've never broken one... I've lost plenty of tools, I'd much rather replace a $20 one than a $100+ one. My power tools are Dewalt. Very happy with Dewalt, been using them for 20 years.
Broke 3 punches from a set of 6 first time I used them. Their stuff is mostly garbage.
@thomashoffman5745 That sucks, sh*t happens. My experience has been nothing but positive. My goal in life is to keep my out of pocket expense to a minimum and my profits to the maximum, it has served me well, I'm finally at the point where I no longer have to worry about money, just looking forward to retirement now.
this guy is the sleepyparamedic of mechanics
They are for sure worth it. I’m a professional diesel technician and I have used them multiple times and I can say that they sure work well and hold up to
I love my snapon pliers, but I really wish these were out 10 years ago. I would've saved a lot of money.
Both remind me of my father's 1950's German Hazett players.
I'm 40+ year tech. I don't give a rip who makes what. All I care about is that it works. I won't use anything cheap that if it breaks I'm getting hurt though. I'd definitely try these if I had the need.
These come in clutch for inner tierods.
Harbor Freight got good coops too
Not all jobs require the SnapOn coefficient of awesomeness - Ca. Very large wrenches - 2 1/2 inches, etc. - are generally used on fluid fittings, not nuts and bolts. Hence, my very large wrenches are HF, not SO. However, my 1/4" drive stuff is SO, and my screwdrivers are SO, Wiha, or Brownells.
I’m a Honda tech and most of the other techs there have hf tools that hold up just fine. Same thing goes when I worked at a heavy tow fleet
I'm pretty new in the diesel tech world. I was talking with one of my coworkers one day, and I said I was going to stay away from the tool trucks as long as possible. He said that was a great idea
@@tylerstjohn3170
don't let them steal your future wealth. They (tool trucks) only care about you when the money is flowing their way.
Snappy, when best is the enemy of good enough to get the job done. I've been looking at those, I'm a heavy truck mechanic, but even at harbor freight prices I haven't been able to convince myself that there is any reason that I really need them. And I'm at the point that I have what I need to get the job done and now I'm buying what makes my job easier.
I have a pair of the 17in. Icon ones and they work great!
I've been using HF tools for over 10 years, and only one failed, and that was the plug in hedge clippers- It was totally my fault trying to tear through the thickest bush I've ever tried to cut through.
I don’t know if you paid for the extended warranty but if you did you could have taken it back and got a new one. HF is awesome. You could buy that 2 year coverage and at 1 year 11 months bring it back because it’s “not cutting like it used too” and you’d leave with a new one.
Actually, I only needed it for a one time job the neighbor hired me to do.
Icon is a really good quality budget brand I do most of my tool shopping at harbor freight... if it gets the job done it's worth the money
Knipex makes goood ones too
Im not sure about their fancy stuff but the cheap shit they sell is great, if I'm using an nut rounder in the first place I'll take the Pittsburgh mexican socket set before paying snapon for a "adjustable wrench."
Mechanic here, use these pliers all the time and the teeth really dig in when you need them to.
The Knipex version is better than Snap On and im a big SO guy.
Does Knipex make anything that isn't great?
@Sheepleton their flush cut zip tie cutters are hot garbage lol. But, the knipex cobras are best thing since sliced bread
Milwaukee
@@Kdog307
Milwaukee for power tools YES.
Pliers, not so much.
@@deanb949 Agreed. I do like the Milwaukee vise grips with the red loop you can stick a screwdriver through to adjust them without opening and closing them, but other than that I don't like their hand tools much.
They are more copies of Knipex Swedish Pipe Wrenches than the PWZs but kind of an in-between I guess. Still prefer the PWZs in design for alignments, personally. But they are good plier wrenches
We dont have harbor freight in our country, but something simular. And its gotten me out of a pinch without breaking the bank on tools
I don't care what people say. I've bought some decent stuff from Harbor Freight. For what I pay to get a tool that will do what I need it to, I'll take Harbor Freight.
I am not even a mechanic but I have been purchasing Icon products cuz they are affordable
Never heard of, used, or owned one. But now I will
Harbor freight is the great value of tools but I rarely had issues with most of their stuff some people just hear rumors their tools suck and believe it but never try them themselves.
Their pliers wrench that are like 1/3 price of knipex are pretty awesome too
Sometimes saving some money is the best option! The option when your head and heart are equally pleased. 😂
its getting harder to justify buying from tool trucks. i made much better progress as a tech when i started buying lots of affordable tools rather than having just a few shiny snap ons.
I love the initial camera turn to show the UA-cam award. As soon as it is shown, the camera somehow goes back to the starting point and stays there the remainder of the video. Subtle.
Go Steelers!!
People clown me for my icon tools. Works just as well as snap on and I don’t have to take out a second mortgage 🤷♂️🤷♂️🤷♂️🤷♂️ I personally don’t give a shit about name brand. Just good value for money.
I wouldn't be surprised if the Snap-On ones are probably made by someone like Bahco, or similar. In which case you could definitely find them directly from whoever makes them for at least 1/2 the price, if not less. Just sayin...
Sometimes I want to go to mechanic school to be a mechanic just so I can get a job at a dealership and roll my U.S. General tool chest full of HF tools into work and just take sh1t for it while my coworkers skip child support payments and lunches to hang out at the Snap-On truck stroking their egos. And then when one of my HF tools breaks, which is rarely, and they laugh and say “SeE i tOld yOu sO!” I can just shake my head and come back from lunch with a new one and still have saved money even without the warranty. I’ll never forget my mechanic buddy bragging that his tool chest alone cost $10k. That is NOT a flex. That is sad.
I worked for a MAJOR LTL TRUCKING COMPANY and most of our mechanics use HF BOXES and ICON tools.
Channel lock pliers or nothing in my book. But I'm also a plumber.
I have no problem with ICON, they are decent tools. But to say they are close to Snap On in quality. They are not in the same league as Snap On.
Snap On is like Harley Davidson
Lately, it's 50% name.
I think that has a lot to do with the different truck drivers. My snap-on dealer comes every week and never denies warranty claims, even on stuff he should sometimes. Snap-on really doesn’t make sense to buy unless you have a reliable dealer.
@@picomanbungace4035 True. When I worked wrenches, I had a lot of Matco stuff. Then the Matco guy retired, which hurt repairs. Same with a friend and his Mac stuff. Mac guy went away, broken items became paper weights.
Harley has always been crap, even in its heyday, couldnt compete against japanese cycle companies. People bought Hardleys because they are “american made”…but their bike would be in the shop every week.
Snap on at least has quality attached to their name, so you do get “something” for that price. Hardley Ablesons have been trash for 100 years…leaky, underpowered trash…
Does that validate you buying cheap garbage tools 🤔
@@nordicpride9708Look, I know you THINK you can just buy skill, but you can't. It's still your human arm attached to the other end of that Matco Magic Wand...
Project farm tested the icon torque wrench versus a bunch of other torque wrenches and it was more accurate. I'd say harbor freight is more than stepped up their game. Makes you wonder what factory those pliers were actually made in. Lol
Klein makes the best plier wrench out there. It’s flippable to a pipe wrench with teeth.
Its called a stilson pipe wrench and I have been using a cheap pittsburg one in an industrial setting for about 12 years. The same one. No warranty. I fit heavy schedule steel pipes on 300psi co² tankers with it.
Wow…that’s amazing that nobody cares about the psi or what application the pipe is for…
@@FC0BCA7E7Aactually I do. I work in a foundry with plenty of various piping from liquid N2 to high pressure steam to liquid and gas argon.
@@ObservationofLimits I work on engineering and I design everything. I’ve patented several systems and I don’t have to even work anymore.
Everyone that uses tools has super gripers. I have every size snap on’s. Those icons will look just as good in my epic box!
Exactly! Snap-On is awesome BUT….
Harbor freight tools are fine, even Pittsburgh. I use the shit on a drill rig and have no issues that are beyond normal wear and tear and there’s not much more industrial, rough usage that what I’m doin.
I usually buy those from Bahco but they pretty much cost the same as the rebranded snap on ones. I definitely gotta try out the HF ones tho
Guys….😔 I’ll just say it: Cobra XL pliers from Knipex are the Top dog
On a lighter note the Twin Grip Iclones are pretty good!😂
I have the biggest PWZ and its awesome for getting a TON of bite force and leverage. I dont remember how much it was, but probably like $150 lol i have a set of smaller sliding hex jaw ones but the teeth are almost all gone, so for $20, id love to try those out. Is that the only size they have? Im sure they have 2 or 3 sizes
I have a harbor freight grinder I bought it over 20 years ago for I believe 10 dollars I still have it and use it all the time still works fine and I am not nice to it
Check out the Bahco pliers too they make them for Snap On and are usually cheaper straight from Bahco
I own both. HF for the win!
It's a curse, but saying that there's a snap-on option means im buying the snap-on option. Lol
Harbor Freight not playing games anymore haha.
I've just used my multiple channel locks bought 20 or so years ago still to this day😂
Knipex makes them too.
Love my KNIPEX stuff
Hf uses inferior materials, that's how they sell it cheaper. Still works and the warranty is great.
Absolutely correct. Hobo freight
I’m a snap on fan and have bought a lot of their tools and I can say they’re falling off slowly but surely to HF which a few years ago was a laughable take but not today
By the harder tool that’s what I go off of. I don’t care about the brand hardware, machining, and country of origin is what matters
As tradesmen, We need so many tools but haw many tools do you use every single day? Those are the tools you shouldn’t cheap out on. When it comes to the every once in a while tools Harbor freight is the way to go. Just bought a 5 plier set on sale for $10.
I have the whole 5pc set from Snap-on! They're awesome on anything but I definitely wouldn't do it again!
How much was the set? $500+?
@@bigdaddysshop8180 something like that
ICON is a very good tool an there prices are great
Craftsman lowes, Harbor Freight, snap on, all made overseas probably coming out of same factory.
Can’t wait til they make a quick adjusting version like knipex
I have 6.5,7,10,12, and 16 inch Knipex. They're hard to beat.
THEY ARE AMAZING USED THEM DOING ALIGNMENTS LAST WEEK JUST AS GOOD AS SNAPON
Irwin groovelock pliers are the only way to go
Junk compared to Knipex.
@@bigdaddysshop8180 negative, I've put them side by side, they grip equally and are much more affordable
If Harbor Freight opened stores in Canada, they will make money. Our version, Princess Auto, sucks
Princess 😂😂😂😂
SnapOn being awesome has never been enough for me to get over the price! Got a few SnapOn but I’ll never buy a set!
Needed one of those to replace my tie rods.. but they were sold out.
I own snap off tools and harbor freight tools. Both break at about the same rate. I wouldn’t purchase their air tools such as impacts but harbor freight has served me well doing professional mechanic work on heavy duty trucks and construction equipment.
Idk man, their earthquake XT impact is yhe one air tool worth it
I gotta say I do love my snap on tools.Who wouldn't but icon is a pretty great Brand
Fun Fact. Harbor Freight owns majority of SnapOn.
Got the PWZ’s for 40 bucks, I’ll stick with that lol
Gedore and bahco have been making them sorts of pliers for years.
Check out BAHCO swedish pipe wrench. Fun fact... They produce the snap on Pwz line up.
Yeah, snap on owns Bahco, and they aren't much cheaper than the snap on ones unfortunately
I’ll still pick snap on just because they come during work hours. No wasting my own time and fuel after work for warranty.
No I didn’t see the price because of your description in the way
List price on the screenshot at the time of his recording: $88.00, for Snap On.
Harbor Freight Icon: $19.99
Both screenshots were only ~2 seconds up. Icon, agreed, it was harder to decipher, as he used it full screen, putting the price under "original sound", below the description.
Personally speaking, I’m 45 years old. I’ve been in the automotive industry since I was 13 I started off a window tinner. I moved to electronics then interior then exterior then paint work then moved into the custom fab side of Automotive now I’m a fabricator and I’m not in the automotive industry, I can honestly say I have never ever bought a product from fucking snap off
I just picked up the snappys not long ago and I love them so I’ll have to get the harbor freight ones to try!