Harbor Freight Vs. O'Reilly: Which Offers More Budget Friendly Options For Tools

Stocking your tool chest with the essentials can be a costly endeavor. From drills to ratchet sets, you could spend hundreds just to ensure you have the basics. Like anything else, though, the cost of tools varies from store to store. Harbor Freight Tools and O'Reilly Auto Parts are convenient, local and online retailers with shelves and digital storefronts stocked with everything a handyperson could need. Yes, even the auto parts store.

The question is, which will break the bank and which will leave you with money to spend on projects that will require your new tools? The best way to answer that is to dive into their inventory and pull select items from both companies. We'll look at drills, screwdrivers, hammers, and a few other choice hand and electric tools to see whether Harbor Freight or O'Reilly is the best go-to for budget-friendly tools.

When determining where we'll be heading for our next lower-cost tool shopping trip, we'll also consider the function of each tool. After all, a $20 corded drill without a built-in light may be a worse value than a $25 corded drill with one. At the end of the day, it's all about getting the most for your money.

Hand tools are the most basic of the tool chest. Things like the hammer, screwdriver, and ratchet set generally have one purpose and few variations that would warrant a drastic difference in pricing.

At Harbor Freight, you can find a basic 16-ounce claw hammer for as low as $5.99. This has a standard steel head and fiberglass handle with a comfortable rubber grip. For a similar hammer at O'Reilly Auto Parts, you'll be spending approximately $11.99 each. It's also worth mentioning that Harbor Freight has several claw hammer choices, including a 16-ounce wood handle claw hammer for $4.99, 16-ounce rip hammers starting at $5.99, and a 22-ounce steel framing hammer for $12.99. The auto parts store, on the other hand, really only offers sledge and blow hammers, the latter of which runs $10.99 for a 16-ounce option. At Harbor Freight, a 2-pound blow hammer runs $8.99.

There's an even bigger price discrepancy between Harbor Freight and O'Reilly's screwdrivers. At Harbor Freight, a simple 6-inch flathead runs $1.99. At O'Reilly, it is quite a bit more at $7.49 per unit. Unlike the hammers, there are a few more screwdriver options at both locations, including sets that, at Harbor Freight, run $6.99 for 12, and $29.99 for eight at O'Reilly with no significant difference between them besides how many screwdrivers are included.

Another determining factor for which store is friendly on the wallet will be the difference in electric tool prices. A must-have for every tool collection, the cordless drill is a versatile machine that will go far. There is a range of prices across both retailers, though, to accommodate for different voltage ratings and additional features. However, Harbor Freight has a better selection of cordless drills that won't drain your wallet.

While the cheapest cordless drill at the online tool retailer is $19.99 for a 12V drill with a ⅜-inch drill and driver kit, O'Reilly's least expensive option is a very similar build retailing for just over $66. You can even add a flashlight at Harbor Freight for only $5 extra.

If you're looking for a new reciprocating saw, there's a decent price difference between the two stores. At Harbor Freight, you can walk away with an 18V cordless saw having spent only $49.99 while the cheapest option online at O'Reilly is $69.99 and only 12V.

While there's often some crossover when prices at two different vendors, there's a clear difference between Harbor Freight and O'Reilly's costs. Harbor Freight, a designated tool retailer, offers hand and power tools at a much lower cost than its competitor, an auto part store.

Though the car repair retailer should cater specifically to designated automotive tools, it has a decent inventory, and often offers more options than Harbor Freight. For example, searching Harbor Freight's screwdriver and nut driver selection yields 72 results. At O'Reilly, the number of items jumps to 192.

O'Reilly may have a bigger selection of some tool categories, but Harbor Freight's inventory is a little easier to organize if you're looking for specific tools. Shopping for a cordless drill? At Harbor Freight, you just need to find the Power Tools section, navigate to Drills, Drivers & Drill Presses, and select Cordless Drills & Drivers. At O'Reilly, the categories, even those under Tools & Equipment, are primarily broken down by their association with auto repair, making it less intuitive to find something like a cordless drill.

It's worth noting that while the tools at Harbor Freight are budget-friendly, they're not necessarily a lower-quality product. In fact, in an analysis of one of the retailer's most commonly sold brands, Bauer, we found that the mid-range tools were comparable to more widely known brands like Ryobi.