5 Harbor Freight Tools That Will Come In Handy When Replacing Brake Pads And Rotors

Working on your car at home can be a good way to save cash, especially when it's something relatively simple, like replacing brake pads. However, this means you'll need to find the necessary tools, which will usually result in a big upfront investment. Luckily, there are many ways to help soften the blow, and a big part of that will be shopping around for deals. Harbor Freight is a store that carries a lot of reliable and trustworthy brands while also keeping the prices down, especially if you have a store membership.

Each item on this list will not only come in clutch while working on your car, but they will also be things that won't exactly break the bank. Since Harbor Freight doesn't carry more expensive brands like Snap-On, you won't have to worry about shelling out thousands of dollars on tools here. A more in-depth explanation of how these tools were chosen can be found at the end of the list.

If you're working on brakes, you'll need a way to get underneath the car. This is most easily done by picking up a jack, and Harbor Freight has plenty of options available for that. Don't let racing being in the name fool you, as the Pittsburgh Automotive racing floor jack is a perfect option for lifting your car to change out brake pads and rotors. You can pick this up from Harbor Freight for $99. The jack can support up to 3,000 pounds, so you will have to make sure you're within that range as you might need to spend more money on something that can handle more. 

As for how this stacks up among buyers, user reviews are solid at 4.7 out of five, with over 5,800 reviews. It's lightweight and easy to transport, so there aren't many glaring downsides to point out here. The only major issue is its weight limit, so this might not be the best choice for people who own big trucks. 

You'll need to pop off the tires to work on a car's brakes, so you need a tool to do that. An easy way to do this is by picking up a lug wrench, and Harbor Freight offers one from Pittsburgh Automotive that's up to the task. You'll be able to take off a tire with this four-way lug wrench without using a power tool, which means you'll get to save some money in the process. Pittsburgh says this will work with the four most common lug nut sizes – 7/8-inch, 13/16-inch, 3/4-inch, and 19 millimeters — so you shouldn't have any issue with this working with the car you're working on. This lug wrench is available for $15.99 from Harbor Freight. 

The user scores are very high at 4.8 out of five based on over 1,300 reviews. It does its job well, and the only real downside is that this will be manual labor versus using a power tool and holding down a trigger. In the end, the decision between this or an impact wrench is up to you, but this will be the cheaper option.

If you're taking lug nuts off, you'll need to put them back on, and you'll want to use a torque wrench for that. The torque wrench ensures everything is tightened correctly, as not doing that could be very detrimental and result in serious issues while on the road. The Icon torque wrench costs $169.99 from Harbor Freight, but it's well worth the price if you're working on brakes often. You'll hear a click from the wrench when your desired torque is reached, so there's no way for you not to get what you're targeting.

With over 200 reviews, the Icon torque wrench holds a 4.9 out of five rating, so it's clear buyers are pleased with this purchase. It does what it needs to do, and you'll see it comes in quite cheaper than torque wrenches from other brands, such as Snap-On. Just because it's cheaper doesn't mean it's of lesser quality, so there's nothing to worry about on that end.

You'll notice quickly that an old brake pad can have a lot of dust when you're replacing it, and you'll want to prevent that from getting into your eyes. If you're doing this often, you'll benefit from a pair of safety glasses. You can pick up a Western Safety set from Harbor Freight for $1.99, so it's a cheap and affordable way to keep your eyes safe. The wrap-around design does a good job of keeping them on your face during even the most stressful jobs, so you have nothing to worry about on that end. 

Not that it's exactly needed for something like safety glasses, but this Western Safety pair has a 4.6 out of five rating on Harbor Freight's website based on over 2,400 reviews. Owners note they are comfortable and durable, and they do exactly what you expect out of them in keeping dust and debris away from your eyes. At $1.99, it's really hard to go wrong here.

A set of combination wrenches is nice to have for any car work, so it would make sense the same would apply to working with brake pads. You can pick up a Pittsburgh set from Harbor Freight for $19.99 that comes with 22 different sizes to work with. The big thing here is it includes both SAE and Metric measurements, so you're covered no matter what car you're working on. Pittsburgh says these are 22 of the most common wrench sizes, so you're covered in the future as well if you keep on working with cars.

With 1,200 reviews and counting, this wrench set has a 4.7 out of five rating on Harbor Freight's website. The big thing here is the low price, not skipping out on quality. As the Harbor Freight site points out, this set is comparable to a Stanley offering that costs $42.99, so you can pick this up for half the price. You'll be able to use this set on far more than just cars, so it's another nice bundle to have in your home garage.

Each tool here comes in handy while working on brakes and rotors, and they'll also work for a wide range of things. With how expensive tools can be, it's nice to still be able to grab tools that are durable and long-lasting while also keeping the price down. You'll notice many of the tools coming from the Pittsburgh brand, and that's because that's one of the few brands that carry automotive tools at Harbor Freight. Icon is another fine choice to pick from, and that's why the torque wrench makes the cut.

Every item on the list has a user score higher than four out of five, so you shouldn't have any buyer's remorse if you do decide to pick something up. While professional mechanics typically go toward more expensive brands, there's nothing wrong with a home mechanic or DIYer to save money and pick something up at Harbor Freight.