Several years ago when I moved to Georgia I found myself with zero tools and on a very limited budget. Basically starting over I visited my local Harbor Freight and bought a portable tool set and an 18V battery-powered drill. I still have that drill today. Although I’ve moved up to Ridgid battery-operated drills, impact drivers, saws, etc. I still have that Harbor Freight drill and it continues to work just fine. I even helped a buddy build a shed and installed a metal roof with it.
Yes. I know. Harbor Freight sells stuff made in China. Not much different than Dewalt and Craftsman who assemble drills in the US while the parts come from China and Taiwan. Regardless – the Harbor Freight 18V performs nothing like a Ridgid or a Dewalt. Not even close. What it does do is work for light jobs very well. Hey – comes with a lithium-ion battery AND a built-in light. Need a couple holes drilled or assembling a shelving unit? No problem.
I paid $20 for the drill and battery combo back in 2019. Today they run just under $30. Still not a bad deal. An extra battery with a charger is right at $20.
Redundancy is a good thing. Glad to have it as a backup.
Rourke
I love Harbor Freight! And Walmart’s cheap tools. Sure, they’re shabby imports, but so is pretty much everything these days. Let’s get real — Even in a dire situation, I’m not going to be building a 5-bedroom mega-mansion from the ground up. I pound a few nails here and there, screw a few screws, cut a few random boards. I can’t even qualify as a hobby fixer-upper, so why would I spend big bucks on tools that are gathering dust in my garage? At the same time, I like keeping a selection of helpful tools and odd bits of hardware “just in case”. I’ll take affordable over nothing any day!