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Harbor Freight has a new Icon 10-piece punch and chisel set. It comes with 3 pin punches, 1 center punches, 3 tapered punches, 3 cold chisels, and a storage price.
Here’s a full list of what you get:
- Pin punches: 3/32″, 5/32″, 3/16″
- Starter punches (tapered): 3/32″, 5/32″, 3/16″
- Center punch: 3/16″
- Flat chisels: 3/8″, 1/2″, 5/8″
It’s not clear who the OEM is, or whether the Icon set is made in the USA or imported.
The Icon punch and chisel set is priced at $99.99, and Harbor Freight backs it with a “hassle-free” lifetime warranty.
This looks like a convenient starter kit. The price, however, seems a bit high for what you get.
Here is a Mayhew 19-piece chisel and punch set, with the tools being made in the USA.
At the time of this posting, the Mayhew set is $86.99 at Amazon with free shipping.
There’s also a Tekton 20-piece set with tool roll. It’s priced at $105 at Amazon and Tekton, with free shipping.
The Tekton punches are made in the USA, and the tool roll is imported.
Wilde also has a USA-made 20-piece punch and chisel set, priced at just under $100 via 3rd party sellers at Amazon.
Harbor Freight advertises that you “save $201” on their 10-piece Icon set compared to buying the Snap-on PPC710BK punch and chisel set.
But while that’s accurate, the Icon set is priced higher than other punch and chisel sets you can buy today.
The comparison isn’t exactly even, as Mayhew, Tekton, and Wilde sets include many more tools; I couldn’t find similar punch and chisel assortments from those brands.
Mayhew has a lifetime warranty, and Tekton says they’ll warranty all of their tools no matter how old or when you got it, essentially matching Harbor Freight’s Icon warranty.
Don’t get me wrong – I’m happy to see that Harbor Freight came out with an Icon punch and chisel set. I just feel that it’s overpriced; in my opinion, $100 is not a competitive price for a 10-piece punch and chisel set.
I suppose there’s a convenience factor in being able to pick this up at your local Harbor Freight store.
But, if you don’t care about the tool roll, Home Depot carries a Mayhew 12-piece set for $40, and it looks to be in stock at all (if not most) stores. The assortment is not quite the same as what you get from the Icon set.
On that matter, I think that Harbor Freight had the right idea to copy Snap-on’s 10-piece configuration. However, just because Harbor Freight’s tool set is less expensive than Span-on’s, that doesn’t make it a good buy.
Maybe I’m wrong? Do you think the Harbor Freight Icon set is a good value at $99.99?
