What Does $100 Buy At Snap-On Vs. Harbor Freight?

Both Snap-On and Harbor Freight are very popular, but for totally opposite reasons. Snap-On is the de facto home of high-quality tools and storage that's mostly made in the United States right at Snap-On's headquarters in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The average Snap-On tool price reflects that. Harbor Freight is like the generic tool company known for pretty good tools at a price that doesn't break the bank.

So what does $100 get you when perusing each company's respective catalogs? You might immediately think that a Benjamin in cash won't get you much at Snap-On, but you would be surprised that there are deals to be had. $100 obviously gets you a lot more at Harbor Freight.

As with any tool purchase, it depends on what you do with the tools that might determine where you shop. If you are working at a McLaren dealership servicing Arturas all day, you might want to consider Snap-On for your trade, but if you are a home mechanic just changing out the brake pads on your dad's 1999 Chevy Tahoe, then Harbor Freight might be the better buy.

Obviously on the higher end, $100 isn't going to get very far with Snap-On. Even a low-profile 3/8-inch ratchet is over $100, and it's not hard to spend tens of thousands of dollars building storage cabinets or looking through automotive diagnostic systems. Similarly, Snap-On's battery-powered tools trend in the pricier direction. 

Socket sets are Snap-On's bread and butter, and the catalog has just about every socket for every application you can think of. The complete sets are ludicrously expensive, regularly exceeding $1,000. However, individual sockets are more reasonable. One socket goes for around $25, depending on the size and style, but if you are deep into a project that needs one specific size socket, $25 is downright reasonable if you only need that specific size. And given the breadth of Snap-On's offerings, it's very likely it has sockets in sizes and configurations that Harbor Freight simply doesn't carry, especially when it comes to heavy-duty industrial work or working with aircraft – even Milwaukee can't compete there.

Additionally, smaller items like safety glasses, gloves, and pocket knives regularly fall under the $100 mark. 

Harbor Freight, on the other hand, is a lot more open with $100 in hand. On the bigger end, Harbor Freight regularly offers coupons and discounts through its Inside Track Club that allow tool carts and cabinets to sneak below the $100 limit. 

For sockets and ratchets, an area that Harbor Freight has beefed up over the past few years, you pretty much have your pick, unless you opt for the larger 1/2-inch long handle ratchets. Those bump up past the $100 mark. Additionally, the store offers sales pretty frequently. 

In the power tool department, it's the same case. $100 can buy you any number of different cordless Bauer or Hercules tools, many of which are brushless. You can also find kits that include a battery, charger, and the tool for under $100 fairly easily. 

The only categories of purchases that exceed $100 are Harbor Freights line of Daytona jacks and its Icon tool storage cabinets. You are still unfortunately out of luck if you want to get a cheap tool cabinet (although most things are cheap compared to Snap-On's prices). 

The difference really boils down to what you are doing with the tools. If you need something super specialized for something like maintaining heavy equipment like locomotives or aircraft, then Snap-On will be your best bet, as Harbor Freight just might not carry what you are looking for. Still, $100 isn't going to get you much.

For Harbor Freight, it has the vast majority of tools you would want (aside from the aforementioned specialized tools) and for notably less than Snap-On. If you want variety, go to Harbor Freight for your $100 budget; if you need specialization, your options are very limited, but you aren't entirely hopeless in the Snap-On catalog.

All that said, Harbor Freight is the clear winner if it comes down to a contest. The vastness of the catalog and sheer number of locations mean you probably won't get left out in the cold waiting for a tool if something breaks.