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Harbor Freight has come out with a new 24 karat gold-plated Icon ratchet.
Hand tool brands sometimes come out with special editions. For instance, Craftsman once had a selection of 80th anniversary ratchets, a rolling mechanics seat, and tool boxes, as well as blue titanium-coated socket sets, and more. Other brands have done similar.
And so, limited edition or special edition hand tools are not uncommon.
But a gold-plated ratchet??
The new Harbor Freight Icon 3/8″ ratchet is priced at $60, which is quite a bit higher than their standard Icon 3/8″ ratchet, which is regularly $38.
The ratchet has 90-tooth gearing for a 4° arc swing.
Model: R2GOLD
SKU: 56907
There’s no word as to whether this is a limited-time special edition, such as for 2021, or if there are limited quantities. Is this a one-off, or are more on the way?
I’m not sure how I feel about this. On one hand, it seems a little absurd. On the other hand, would I feel differently if this was any other brand? Craftsman has had gold-plated ratchets before. Looking online, some pro-grade mechanics tool brands also had gold-plated ratchets at one time or another.
With a different brand, I might feel that gold-plated ratchets aren’t for me, but for Harbor Freight and Icon, it’s ridiculous? Hmm, I guess my general impression about the company and its brands hasn’t evolved as much as I had thought.
This seems to be aimed at loyal Harbor Freight customers. Oh, and of course ebayers as well – there are already several listings for this “rare tool,” with inflated pricing.
Who’s in for one?
