Best Budget Tool Set That Beats Harbor Freight

A recent tool review reveals that when it comes to buying the least expensive tool set that performs remarkably well, Harbor Freight just lost to this brand that ranks higher in quality and lower in price.

I mostly talk about tools for DIY mechanics who want to avoid paying Snap-on prices. When you've worked on cars or trucks long enough, you realize that you've spent a lot more than you should have on tools over the years.

I know, I know…sacrilege. Right?!

However, no one tool company makes the best of everything. Back in the day, Craftsman tools came the closest to it not just for the quality that matched their tools' shine but also for the fact that they carried a very broad range of tools, which was something other toolmakers could not compete with. If you could not find it at Craftsman, the odds are it was a specialty tool you would have to get from the car manufacturer.

Related article: What Happened to Craftsman Tools for DIY Mechanics

But I digress.

Back to the point, rather than discuss another strictly mechanic's tool that beats others under the conditions of price and performance, today's recommendation is about a new tool review asking, "What is the best budget tool set you can buy for your home?"

The Need for a Basic Budget Tool Set

For the homeowner, an essential tool set typically consists of a ratchet and multiple sockets in both SAE and metric, a utility knife, a hammer, an adjustable wrench, a screwdriver or two, and even some screwdriver bits that will cover a range of screw heads or other fastener types outside of a standard flat blade or Philips head. Beyond that, these basic kits also provide tape measures, clamps, Allen wrenches, wire cutters, needle nose pliers, etc.

Related article: 25 Tools Under $15 Every Toolbox Needs from Harbor Freight

However, if you are an entrenched DIY mechanic who owns something better than the least expensive budget tool set, why bother buying one?!

Good question that deserves an exceptionally good answer: It is because unless you are single, without kids, and live alone in a garage/man cave with no one daring to enter your domain, someone, somewhere, at some time will invariably borrow a tool for two from you―and probably without asking.

Case in point: I will never forget during my poorer years of life with kids and in-laws living in the house when I discovered one of my best screwdrivers covered in wall paint, its fine edge marred, and its handle notched like it had been chewed on by a dog. Worse yet, this particular screwdriver was one member of a matching set no longer available pre-Internet. Yes, I was a little on the anal-retentive side back then.

It turned out that while I was at school, my father-in-law felt like "doing something," so he decided to paint a wall. He used my screwdriver to open cans and hammer the lids back on using the handle. The fact that I can recall this tidbit after 40 years tells me that I have an attachment to my tools…and that I probably need therapy.

And one example all mechanics can identify with is that when someone comes to you asking to borrow your box of tools, it always comes back just a bit lighter. I always thought that weighing a toolbox just before loaning it was more efficient than discovering a crucial missing socket later.

The Best Budget Tool Set

That said, here is an informative video from the Project Farm YouTube channel that reviews which budget tool kits offer the best performance for the lowest price.

The channel's host performs a variety of tests mimicking the kind of forces basic tools face when used. The video does a good job of demonstrating that you do not have to spend upwards of $100 or more when something half the price and not so precious to you is a good alternative to worrying about Gremlins in your home digging through your garage tool cart.

If you just want the results, a summary of the top three winners and their costs is provided below the video for your convenience.

I Should Have Bought This Tool Set 10 Years Ago!

Basic Budget Tool Kit Summary

With an average finish/ranking ranging from 3.1 to 6.0 (the lower the number the better the tool kit) the top three tool kits were:

#1 Kobalt with 268 pieces in the kit for $129.

#2 Craftsman with 209 pieces in the kit for $112.

#3 FastPro with 236 pieces in the kit for $60.

Note that Harbor Freights' Pittsburgh brand, with 146 pieces in the $65 kit, ranked midrange amongst all tool kits tested, with a score of 5.5.

For additional articles related to inexpensive tools, here are three for your consideration:

• The Craftsman Wrench Set That You Should Buy Today
• Identifying Counterfeit Power Tool Batteries In Your Garage
• How Harbor Freight Did in a Best Mechanics Tool Set Review

Timothy Boyer is an automotive reporter based in Cincinnati. Experienced with early car restorations, he regularly restores older vehicles with engine modifications for improved performance. Follow Tim on Twitter at @TimBoyerWritesfor daily news and topics related to new and used cars and trucks.

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