7 Smart Picks for a Harbor Freight 25% Off Sale: What Is Not Excluded

Introduction

Harbor Freight’s Memorial Day sale comes with the usual coupon structure: a 20% off coupon for the whole event, plus a stronger 25% off coupon that applies on Memorial Day itself, one per person. The complaint most shoppers raise is the exclusion list, and it is genuinely rough. No generators, no compressors, no storage cabinets, chests, or carts, no miter saws, and no jacks.

Here is the thing though: the exclusions this time apply to categories, not brands. That leaves real gaps in the list, and some genuinely good tools sit in them. If you know where to look, there is always something worth buying.

One practical tip: the 25% coupon is one per person, so bring family members along and have them buy separate items for you. Every coupon in a hand is a coupon put to use.

What Still Qualifies

Before the individual picks, a quick word on strategy. With exclusions this broad, the smartest move is to read the fine print backwards: instead of asking what is blocked, ask what nobody bothered to exclude. Welders? Not mentioned. Drill presses? Fair game. Inverters, cordless tools, bandsaws, and even the racing engine lineup are all open.

Evaluation Criteria

For this list, the picks focus on three things: tools that qualify for the coupon, tools with a strong reputation for the money, and tools that are hard to find discounted elsewhere. Prices mentioned are the current listed prices from the sale period.

Vulcan Multi-Process Welder

Welders did not make the exclusion list at all, and that is where the biggest savings bite happens. The Vulcan multi-process welder sits at around $1,150, and 25% off that is a huge dent in the price for a machine that covers multiple welding processes in one unit. Titanium machines are also eligible if you want a lower entry point.

For anyone who has been putting off a welder purchase, this sale window is one of the better times to commit.

Hercules 17-Inch Drill Press

The Hercules 17-inch drill press has a long-standing reputation as an absolute beast. It handles wood and metal alike, and owners who set it up properly, squaring it right and following the setup instructions, get years of reliable service out of it.

The price has crept up over time: it sat at $400 for years and now lists at $450. Taking 25% off that price is where this deal gets genuinely interesting. It is a heavy, capable floor press that would normally sit outside impulse-buy territory.

Bauer Grease Gun

The brand-level exclusion gap also means the entire cordless Bauer lineup qualifies, including the newest releases. The Bauer grease gun is the standout pick here: a cordless unit that makes lubrication jobs far less tedious than a manual gun, and 25% off an already affordable tool makes it an easy add-on purchase.

Hercules Table Saw

The updated Hercules table saw earns its place with a ratcheting fence, the kind of fence design found on far more expensive saws. The updated version is a meaningful step up and is not blocked by the exclusions, which is unusual for a saw at this price point. For woodworkers building out a shop on a budget, this is one of the strongest coupon targets in the sale.

Bauer Bandsaw

The small Bauer bandsaw has proven itself as a trooper, and it qualifies for the discount like the rest of the Bauer line. Beyond the compact model, the larger horizontal metal-cutting bandsaws and vertical wood bandsaws also fall outside the exclusion list, and those are strong deals in their own right. Bandsaws in general are one of the quieter wins of this sale.

Predator Ghost Racing Engine

The Predator Ghost racing engine lists at $299.99 and is not excluded. For kart racers and mini-bike builders, that makes the 25% coupon apply to a product that rarely sees meaningful discounts. People complaining about the exclusions often miss items like this simply because they never checked what is still covered.

3000W Pure Sine Wave Inverter

The 3000-watt continuous, 6000-watt peak pure sine wave inverter is not blocked either, and it is one of the most useful tools for anyone building an RV, van life, or off-grid power setup. Pure sine output matters for sensitive electronics, and 3000 watts of continuous capacity covers a serious range of loads. This is a great pick for a mobile power build.

Overall Buying Advice

The pattern across this sale is simple: the exclusion list targets the categories Harbor Freight sells the most of, like generators, compressors, storage, and miter saws. Almost everything else, including entire brands, qualifies. If your shopping list touches welding, drilling, sawing, lubrication, off-grid power, or small engines, the 25% coupon on Memorial Day is the day to move. Just remember it is one coupon per person, so recruit help if you are buying for several items.

Conclusion

Exclusions make every coupon sale look worse than it is, but a careful read of what is not on the list reveals serious savings on the Vulcan multi-process welder, the Hercules 17-inch drill press and table saw, the Bauer grease gun and bandsaw, the Predator Ghost racing engine, and the 3000W pure sine wave inverter. Look past the fine print and there is plenty worth buying.