Wheres the catch? Low-cost tools that are backed up with a Lifetime Warranty? Here is my experience with returning broken tools at Harbor Freight.
“Quality Tools at Ridiculously Low Prices”
That pretty much sums up the company in one sentence. And, by and large that is what they are able to deliver on.
However, nothing lasts forever. So what happens when a tool with a “Lifetime Warranty” breaks? Do they get you with – the fine print– or do they stand behind the products they sell?
This page will be dedicated to a running list of every tool that has failed me and my experience with the return process. Hopefully this list doesn’t get too long (knock-on-wood).
Harbor Freight – Hand Tool Lifetime Warranty
Per their Website:
“We guarantee our Hand Tools to be free from defects in material and workmanship for the life of the product. Limitations apply.
Harbor Freight Tools will replace any hand tool that fails to properly work during the lifetime of the original purchaser.
In the event an identical item is not available as a replacement: Harbor Freight Tools reserves the right to substitute a substantially similar item in its place. This warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may have other rights that vary from state to state.” Website Warranty Information Link
Keep in mind, this does not apply to ALL tools across ALL brands.
From my experience all hand-tools under the Pittsburgh brand should carry this Lifetime Warranty. Be sure to check all the details on the packaging regarding warranty information.
**As pointed out by a comment below. Keep any eye out for Pittsburgh tools that only carry a 90-day warranty. Many of which are under the Pittsburgh Automotive line.**
Now onto the list.
Pittsburgh – 1lb Neon Orange Dead Blow Hammer (warranty replacement)
The first tool that has failed me from Harbor Freight.
A rubber dead blow hammer is great to remove rotors because there is no metal on metal contact. They are also great for woodworking, used to tap in joints without marring your work surface.
Having purchased this hammer about 3 years ago and using it for a variety of different tasks. It finally failed.
What happened?
This has been my goto hammer when needing to “influence” brake rotors loose. If you live anywhere where road salt is used in the winters, you know the pain.
On this specific project, the rotor wasn’t budging…
After about a dozen or so heavy hits, the head eventually cracked right across the top of the hammer. Unfortunately, I was upset the hammer was toasted and did not take a picture.
Returning the Hammer to Harbor Freight
As mentioned above, this was the FIRST time i have ever had an item fail, so I wasn’t really sure what to expect with their warranty process.
When I reached the checkout, I handed the cashier the hammer and showed them where it was cracked.
“Ok, go over and grab another one” they said.
No, receipt, No phone number needed. Just walked over to the hammer section, grabbed a new one and brought it back up to the register.
They printed out some-kind of warranty receipt and I was on my way. Easy.
Pittsburgh 1lb Dead Blow Hammer (return) Overall Experience
Much easier than I expected. Typically when a product has a warranty you need to jump through a bunch of hoops (register the product, contact the mfg out of state, save your receipt, etc).
However, at Harbor Freight I was pleasantly surprised on how quick and easy everything went.
Pittsburgh Automotive Jack Stands (recall issue)
The next issue on the list is a Product Safety Recall issued on a few models of Pittsburgh Automotive jack stands.
“For certain units of the Pittsburgh Automotive 3-Ton and 6-Ton Heavy Duty Steel Jack Stands there is a potential, while under load, for the stand to drop suddenly. This condition could cause serious injury for people near or under a lifted vehicle, and/or damage to property” see complete recall information here
As an owner of a few of these jack stands, this is very concerning news to hear.
It is one thing to have a tool fail or break, it is another thing to have a jack stand fail.
A large car or truck falling from these stands would cause serious damage. Heaven forbid being under the vehicle at the time as it would most likely result in death.
Jack Stand Recall (2021 Update)
I returned the jack stands back to Harbor Freight and received a full refund on a Harbor Freight gift card.
Since then, I have purchased the new Daytona 3-ton jack stands that feature welded-in reinforcement brackets and an extra security pin for additional safety. So far, so good.
Harbor Freight Warranty Issues, conclusion
I plan on keeping this page current with any other tool failures I run into. Next time around I will try and remember to take photos to show exactly what happened.
If you ever had to return a tool let us know in the comments below. Let us know what tool it was and what happened, we would love to hear your story.
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• Pierce Brand, Brad Nailer Review
That sounds like a great experience and the way it should b when you need to replace a broken tool. Harbor Freight is the best because if you break a tool just return it as you did and you are on your way and not like if you bough a tool from Snap on or Matco. I know of people who broke tools and were without because the had to wait on a Snap On tool guy. Or worse yet a good example of a bad warranty. I person who is not working in the industry broke a tool and tracked down a snap On guy to get it replaced and was given the cold shoulder and also told that he would have to order the tool. This would never happen at Harbor Freight with their Pittsburgh tools.
Thanks for sharing. Overall I have been pretty happy with my experience at Harbor Freight and the way they took care of the Warranty was just another example. So far out of dozens of purchases, this dead blow hammer was the first tool I had fail me. Granted, when possible it is always nice to purchase high quality stuff from the USA, Germany or Japan but on some items it is hard to justify spending 5 or 6 times the cost.
I am a mechanic when taking out a bearing my hammer broke the handle I want to know if it has a guarantee.
What is the brand name of the hammer?
If it has the Pittsburgh brand name on it anywhere it should be covered by Harbor Freights Lifetime Warranty.
I bought a Pittsburg lug nut set for my impact gun. The 21mm socket broke on the first use. Went back to HF, manager said he would not exchange it because it was over 30 days since purchase and I didn’t have the receipt
When it comes to Impact Sockets I did pass on the Harbor Freight kits and went with a set by TAKELIFE and love them, link to the kit here. The price is great and there are no gaps in sizes, I have been using them for a few years with zero broken sockets.
Regarding the Receipt I always make sure to give the cashier my telephone number, that will link every purchase to “your account”. If you provide an e-mail address they will also send you a copy of the receipt by e-mail. This is very handy as all your purchases will be saved in their system and you should have a digital backup in your e-mail.
After looking into this further, I do see Harbor Freight has a (Pittsburgh Automotive) line and these items carry a 90-day warranty instead of the Lifetime for their hand-tools. If you are within the 90 days, see if they can pull the receipt by using your phone number.
Thank you for this comment as I was unaware of the 90-day limitation on some automotive tools. (article will be updated to reflect this information)
I had to return a bench grinder: Central Machinery, it burned out after about 1day, I took it back to Barberton, Ohio—no problem. I got a refund—it was within 90 days. I wanted to get a different brand from a different store. I bought a RIKON—much better.
Too bad regarding the Central Machinery bench grinder, but it sounds like they took care of you with the return. The next items I will be returning to Harbor Freight will be their jack stands as they recently announced a product recall. The specific jack stands in question are their 3 ton & 6 ton models. Technically this is not the same as a product warranty but I will share the recall process here if anyone is interested.
I just bought the Pittsburgh 37 pc Combination Impact Socket set. (Item68011). The packaging says that it has a Lifetime warranty. FYI. I plan on using it for the first time on Monday (10/12/2020) we’ll see how it goes.
Good to hear! I have had good luck with alot of Harbor Freight tools so far. Regarding their Impact Sockets my only concern was that some of their kits have “gaps” in their sets where some sizes are missing.
I have another article on Impact Socket Sets here
However, the warranty with Harbor Freight is hard to beat. Especially if you have a local store where you can replace a tool the very same day should an issue arise.
I have a pittsburgh 3/4 inch ball joint seperator and it snapped the pivot head off of it when i was torquing down on it. Does this have a warranty? I didnt save my reciept because all of my pittsburgh tools have lasted. I got it like 2 months ago and dont have a receipt. Can i still return it? I dont have the packaging either
If you use your phone number, Harbor Freight will keep a record of all your purchases. This can come in handy for warranty issues. Regarding the Pittsburgh 3/4 inch ball joint separator, that is part of the Pittsburgh Automotive line that is covered by a 90-day guarantee. Per the Harbor Freight website “We guarantee this product to be free from defects in materials and workmanship 90 days from the date of purchase. Limitations apply.”
hi i have both standard and metric pittsburgh tool impact sets including 3/4 and 1 inch drive the problem i have run into is not being able to read the sizes as they are not lasered on i am getting ready to try to return them any info welcome
Joe, you can try and color fill the markings on the sockets with white paint/nail polish. Another option would be to take a look at sockets that are laser etched like the Tektons, here is a link to some options: Impact Socket Sets
I saw your concern with their recall process. You absolutely should not accept any answer other than a full refund. Under federal law you’re entitled to certain rights that enable to get your money back due to the purchase of a dangerous and already recalled product. They can be held legally liable if they refuse.
There is no truck coming. There doesn’t need to be one.
I’m always an advocate for anyone who is not treated right for a proper recall process.
Greg, Thanks for your comment and I do have an update. Harbor Freight did give me a complete refund for the jack stands on a Gift Card. To be clear, this was always an option that Harbor Freight offered but since I was not in a rush I was waiting on the new stands to do an exchange.
I know this is an old thread, but about 2 years ago I got a job working on cars.
I quickly found that the tools I had been using for 20+ years were not adequate, yet had very slim funds to get more and better.
Harbor Freight was impossible to beat.
The impact and sockets, the hammers, and the multitude of hand tools that I needed quickly surpassed the $1000 mark.
I am working in a shop with multiple established mechanics, and three tool trucks come by each week.
I did need to make a few ‘small’ purchases from the trucks, as Harbor Freight does not carry some things that I needed.
As far as the socket sets that skip sizes, this is annoying, but individual sockets can be purchased at a hardware store.
Yes, it sucks that they don’t all match, but I have to remind myself that these tools are not there for anything other than to be used, and used harshly.
And actually, I have been more than happy with my investment.
I have broken a few bits, and a flex head ratchet gave way under a ton of strain.
But I have seen even the expensive tool truck tools break.
Most of the guys have at least a few things from Harbor Freight, and all but one or two don’t have some Harbor Freight impact sockets.
As far as breaking a flex head ratchet, I shiuld have been using the ½ inch drive instead of the ⅜ drive- it was my own fault.
The screw on the ½ inch drive has come loose before, but has not broke like on the ⅜.
I use ½ inch drive most of the time anyway, except for when space is a concern.
I have never had a problem taking anything back for replacement, even if the tool is not mine but someone else in the shop.
I wouldn’t have half the tools I have now if it wasn’t for Harbor Freight!
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your experience. I agree that Harbor Freight has alot of good quality tools that are anywhere from half to a third of the cost of some of the other “big brands”. It is a great place to pickup a large assortment of tools for anyone that is just getting started or on a limited budget. In fact, there are very few tools that I have purchased from Harbor Freight that have failed me or that I regret buying over the years. They also come in handy for putting together kits for your truck, boat, atv, etc where you might not use them all the time or could become lost/stolen. Best of luck in your new career!