Link: http://HarborFreightReviews.com/HFRreviews.html

Item: 40-Piece 3/8" and 1/4" Drive Socket Set
Item number: 47902
Retail price: $4.99
Frequent sale price: $2.99 (with coupon)
Target price: $2.99
Item Link

They're something about a $2.99 socket set with a lifetime warranty that makes one just have to buy it. This 40-piece set is compact and just the right size for carrying in your vehicle for some unexpected emergencies. I lamented earlier about being trapped out in my van doing a pick up of an item which turned out to be unexpectedly large. Specifically, I just needed one wrench or socket to make the job of loading much, much easier and to save half an hour of juggling and groaning. This one would have saved my butt.

First impressions: We generally like this set, but it's definitely light-duty or occasional medium-duty. All of the sockets are 1/4" drive except for the 4 largest which are 3/8" drive. Of course a 3/8" to 1/4" adapter is included, but the use of a 3/8" drive ratchet with this set is somewhat misleading in as much as one might expect the sockets to be the same drive size. The fact that the ratchet itself is the larger 3/8" drive is probably a good idea because its mechanics are correspondingly stronger than a comparable-quality 1/4" drive ratchet. We've only used this set a few times, but it does seem to perform OK for its size and better than might be expected from its very low price. We do advise that you keep the form-fitted box that this set comes in because the latch on the plastic case is very weak and not expected to last long. So keep it neatly cased, unless you want to find yourself picking up the sockets spilled across the ground.

And the performance? The small protrusion on the socket side of the 3/8" to 1/4" adapter which holds the socket securely on the adapter is defective on our test unit. This leaves the sockets continually falling off when tipped at the 'wrong' angle (which is almost every angle). We strongly suggest that you open the package and closely check the 3/8" to 1/4" adapter for the specific socket set you are buying before you leave the store. The ratchet itself has considerable free-play. Our test unit's ratchet moves about 15 degrees or so before the gear mechanism engages to drive the socket; this translates into several inches of wasted movement at the end of the handle. Both of these defects are annoyances but tolerable considering the very low price and the fact that we plan on using this set only occasionally for light-duty work.

We are still pleased with our little set and will probably not even take it back to see if Harbor Freight has a 'better' set available at our local store. It's three bucks and it's a 'spare' set kept for occasional light-duty use. It's just fine considering the price and our intended purpose.

How does this set compare with a more expensive set? Well, the most obvious way is that a better-quality set would most likely include a higher quality 1/4" drive ratchet and a 1/4" to 3/8" adapter needed for only the 4 largest sockets rather than visa versa as this inexpensive set requires. More expensive ratchet means a smaller drive size is sufficient because of the higher-quality materials and workmanship. Harbor Freight kept the cost of this set very low by using a lower-quality, but larger drive ratchet. Also, we wouldn't tolerate the free-play in the ratchet or the defective 3/8" to 1/4" adapter with a significantly more expensive set. For frequent use we would advise investing in a better quality socket set such as that offered by Craftsman, but we stand by our original conclusion that this is a good set for occasional bench and unexpected travel use.

This set has you covered in both SAE and metric sizes up to 11/16" and 15mm. Of course more serious roadside repairs require a more serious socket set, such as the 52-piece set reviewed earlier which includes a 1/2" ratchet that will take you up to 7/8". We actually recommend that you carry that set with you if you are serious about making your own roadside repairs or if you do MoHo maintenance while traveling. But this set is even cheaper and more compact, so no excuses not to carry something in every vehicle.

We use a 1/4" drive Craftsman socket set for most of our bench work requiring this type of tool. The cost of this set is considerably more, $19.99; unfortunately, that's for just the SAE sockets. The metric socket set is another $19.99. So, the Craftsman equivalent of this $3 Harbor Freight socket set costs around $40 or over 10-times as much. We can stand a little free-play in our ratchet and some dropping sockets for that price difference, at least for our duplicate socket sets that we only use occasionally. The Craftsman 1/4" socket sets are great tools and regular use often demands the better-quality tool but be prepared to pay for it.

We wouldn't expect this set to stand up to heavy-duty work or even regular medium-duty work. After all it's a $3 socket set that even includes metric sockets. However, it's suitable for light-duty work and can find use as a bench set for electrical or other light repairs. It's compact size makes it even easier to stow than our recommend toolkit, so even those disinclined to carry tools for roadside repairs have no excuses for not carrying at least this small set. You never know when you'll be out shopping and find that the newly purchased barbecue grill just misses fitting in your trunk by four little nuts.

Bottom line: A $2.99 socket set with a lifetime warranty? Gotta have it! This compact set is fine for occasional light-duty use or even for some emergency roadside repairs and other needs when traveling.

Link: http://HarborFreightReviews.com

Item: 3-Piece Thumbwheel Ratchet Set
Item number: 94011
Retail price: $7.99
Frequent sale price: $4.99
Target price: $3.99
Item Link

These thumbwheel ratchets are used for driving your sockets in very tight spaces where a regular ratchet or even one with a swivel extension simply won't work. The set comes complete with 1/4", 3/8", and 1/2" drives, so it will cover most home and automotive work that you're likely to encounter. Of course if they are just the tool you need one day to get you nuts out of a tight spot, they're worth the full retail price at the moment. But we prefer to find this nifty little set of thumbwheel ratchets at our target price of $3.99 and stock'em before we actually need them. (Ah, "I see said the blind man as he picked up his hammer and saw," that's why they're on the Hot Buys list -- those are things you buy at the 'right price' BEFORE you actually need them!) They're not a bad buy at their sale price of $4.99 either.

The mechanism is stiff and this has been a complaint of some online reviewers. We're more sympathetic to this inexpensive little tool set, figuring that just turning the round driver and forgetting about the racketing (if it's too stiff for you) is sufficient for the job where no other tool will work. If we were silly enough to pay the full retail price of $7.99 we might grumble at bit too, but at our target price of $3.99, they're a good-value for the money!

If you have a special application where you regularly need this type of tool, you will probably be much better off to invest in a more expensive set. For most people, however, who are likely to only occasionally encounter a situation where a thumbwheel ratchet is needed, this is the set to buy.

We've even added the set to our list for RVers. Their compact footprint makes them easy to store and hey, you never know when you're going to discover that tight nut or bolt on your RV for the first time out on the road. Keep them in the RV or auto for that unforeseen roadside emergency and you can always bring them 'inside' as needed. And at the target price of $3.99 or even the frequent sale price of only a dollar more you might find two sets are on your buy list this month.

Bottom: A good value at our target price; priceless if you find you need them in the middle of a project. Don't expect them to feel like professional-level tools, but then how often are you going to use them?

Link: http://HarborFreightReviews.com

Item: 52-Piece Socket Set (SAE & metric)
Item number: 35338
Retail price: $9.99
Regular sale price: $7.99 (with coupon)
Target price: $7.99
Item Link

Click here for coupon through 02 August 2010

This 52-piece socket set contains both SAE and metric sockets. For us baby boomers, it's a marvel of modern technology: not because of its function (yes, my son, socket sets have been around for a long time ) but because of its price. It doesn't seem that long ago that a socket set covering just SAE or just metric cost several times this much. And therein lies much of the appeal of Harbor Freight™ for many of us 'older' folks.

A little (more) Harbor Freight™ tool-buyer's philosophy:
I still have my first socket set. It was a gift from my brother (now deceased) and a rather expensive item at that. It's a Craftsman™ set covering basic SAE sizes and cost around $20 at the time (that would be $40 or $50 in today's money; hum, am I giving away my age?). I've used this set over the years for all of my work (mostly automotive and home repairs) and considering it's a 3/8" drive size certainly abused it on occasion (i.e., should have been using at least 1/2" drive for the work I was doing). It has held up well and I still use it today. Sears™ certainly sold me on the quality of their Craftsman™ tools with this early purchase -- they could have given the set away for the imprinting it performed, keeping me a loyal Craftsman™ customer over the years and having me extol the quality of their products to others.

Even as I purchased socket and wrench sets as an adult, the prices always seemed rather high for quality tools and the imports were strictly junk that broke after regular use and were never capable of even a little abuse. Each time I purchased a set I was faced with the dilemma of whether to buy the traditional SAE or the newer metric size as an increasing number of products were being imported using metric-sized nuts and bolts. Enter Harbor Freight™ tools.

Harbor Freight™ provides an outlet for generally medium-quality tools at deep discount prices (In my book they accomplished their mission of making "it easier for working people to get the best value possible on top-quality tools.") For many of us baby boomers it's like a child in a candy store each time we visit Harbor Freight™. What am I going to buy next? So each time I enter my local Harbor Freight™ store I instantly feel like a rich man: I can 'afford' to buy all sorts of tools that were too pricey in my recent memory. And I buy, buy, buy, admittedly today shopping for the best possible price on each item.

Younger people have different expectations. Many of them are use to getting everything 'on-the-cheap' and expecting good-quality at very low prices. Then they're disappointed when their 'cheap' item doesn't hold up to heavy use. But then they live in an era where coffee is drunk out of a Styrofoam cup most everywhere (Yes, even the self-proclaimed upscale coffee shops have switched from china to disposable cups -- how crude! ) and where everything is seemingly disposable. What did they expect from an inexpensive socket set? For us 'older' folks Harbor Freight™ is great (nice rhyme, perhaps that should be their mantra). They provide low-cost tools that are generally acceptable quality for all but 'professional-level' work and they even fit that bill with some items.

This socket set makes our Hot Buys list as a light- to medium-duty set (click here for a discussion of: Is it light or is it medium duty?). The convenience of having both SAE and metric sockets in a compact storage case outweighs any minor limitations in the quality of the item. Other online reviewers have complained that this set doesn't hold up to regular use, but then their expectations may be much different than ours (hey, buy a Craftsman™ for that serious work). In all honesty we haven't used this set very much yet. If we find, after more extensive testing, that it doesn't hold up to home and light-shop use, we'll be happy to revise our preliminary review and product recommendation accordingly. Meanwhile, this is a great buy at the target price as a duplicate set for normal home and occasional light-shop use.

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