Harbor Freight is a great place to go when looking to round out your shop or garage’s tool complement on the cheap, but it’s also great for more portable stuff.
Harbor Freight got its start as a mail order reseller of liquidated and returned tools, but the company has grown to become a go-to chain of brick and mortar shops for DIYers, professional fixers, and anyone else who needs some new tools.
Today, Harbor Freight offers a wide range of tools and products acquired directly from manufacturers and sold under its own in-house lines. Bauer, Braun, Haul-Master, ICON, and more are all brands under the Harbor Freight umbrella. Whatever you need to complete your current work in progress or round out your tool collection, one of these brands probably offers it. And that includes tools small enough to hang on your keychain.
While it’s nice to have the perfect collection of tools at home or at the workshop, sometimes nothing beats a good pocket-sized tool you can carry around with you. Some of these tools are designed to connect to your keychain right out of the box. For others, you may need to add a jump ring, bit of twine, or some other connection point. In all cases, these are handy portable tools small enough to carry with you.Keychain tape measure
One of the first lessons you learn in the workshop is « measure twice, cut once. » It’s an age-old adage built upon the hard-won knowledge that you can always trim off a little more, but you can’t uncut what’s been cut. Precise measurements are the cornerstone of any successful construction product.
Despite, or perhaps because, measuring tapes are so important and so frequently used, it seems like you can never find one when you need it. To that end, you can never have too many. Even better, this miniature measuring tape from Bauer attaches to your keys, so you’ll always have one within arm’s reach.
Even though it’s small, this tiny measuring tape has all of the usual features and then some. It has a built-in slide lock and a high-impact case to protect it from bumps and scratches in the workshop. A connected keychain attachment lets you clip it to your keys, connect it to your tool bag, or even just hang it from a hook or nail on the wall. It’s great for day-to-day measuring but its small size is necessarily limited. If you need to measure anything longer than 6 feet, you’ll have to reach for a larger tape measure.Keychain LED flashlight
The moment when you need a flashlight (when it’s dark) is generally the moment it is most difficult to find one. Searching for things in the dark can be a recipe for stubbed toes and other injuries, especially when stumbling through a tool-filled workshop. This tiny LED flashlight from Harbor Freight clips to your keychain, giving you a portable light source anytime you need it.
It snaps to your keys, tool bag, or belt loop using a snap clip carabiner. You can light your way using three illumination modes: high, low, and flashing. The flashlight puts out 30 lumens of light powered by two CR2032 button cell batteries, commonly called watch batteries (included). It even features a magnetic backing to keep it in place against magnetic surfaces.
Whether you’re trying to find a tool, open a lock, or navigate in the dark, a reliable light connected to your keys could make all the difference.Four-way chuck key
As the name suggests, chuck keys are useful for tightening and loosening chucks, a type of clamp used to hold cylindrical objects. It’s the adjustable clamp at the front of your drill that holds the bit in place, for instance. You’ll typically use your hand to tighten chucks most of the way, but a chuck key will help clamp it securely in place and offer that initial loosening when releasing the bit after you’re finished.
Most power drill sets come with a chuck key designed for use with your drill, but they are easily lost.
