A lot of people have opinions about Harbor Freight, the tool and accessory company founded in 1977, and its reputation for selling low-cost products. Some folks say you get what you pay for, and others believe Harbor Freight’s tools are, in fact, a good deal. The truth is likely somewhere in the middle, with Jalopnik’s Bradley Brownell, for one, saying the brand’s hardware is good enough for most of the wrenching skills you should learn for yourself.
Moreover — and take this with the grain of salt reserved for pretty much any company’s claim — Harbor Freight is working to turn any quality woes around. As an example, it opened a new, high-tech R&D facility in Piedmont, South Carolina at the end of 2025 to support its product testing and quality assurance. (The facility also is expected to help Harbor Freight expand its offerings to outdoor power equipment, power-tool accessories, and corded tools.)
And Harbor Freight keeps adding goodies to its catalog, highlighted by a wave of introductions at the 2025 Specialty Equipment Market Association show in Las Vegas. The SEMA event is a massive industry-only gathering for the automotive aftermarket, where tools, accessories, and some of the world’s hottest custom builds are on display…