If you shop at Harbor Freight, you know their little blue 27 LED work light/flashlight. It sells for $3.99, but they almost always have a coupon to give you one free with any purchase. But you don’t have to throw them out when they stop working. The batteries are replaceable. Here’s how to change batteries in a 27 LED Harbor Freight work light/flashlight.
The Harbor Freight work light/flashlight has three AAA batteries inside. Simply remove the three Philips-head screws from the back, pop off the back, and replace the batteries.
The cheap Harbor Freight work light/flashlight doesn’t last very long, but that’s mostly due to the batteries in them, not the lights themselves. The batteries in them aren’t the best quality, and you never know how many people have been playing with them in the store when you pick one up.
But the batteries aren’t anything weird, nonstandard, or expensive. The work light/flashlight has ordinary AAA batteries in it. So that means that after you remove the three screws and pop off the back, you can replace them with quality AAA batteries and they’ll last a long time. I put rechargeable batteries in a light that I’ve had for 10 years, and it lasted so long I honestly don’t remember putting the rechargeables in it.
I guess it’s ironic to put $10 worth of batteries in a flashlight I got for free, but why not? It’s lasted for years and gave me plenty of warning that the batteries were wearing down because the light got dim, but continued working. When I have to cut power to a room to change outlets or light fixture, one or two of these provide adequate light for me to work from. Maybe Eneloops are overkill, but with a quality AAA battery in them, these freebies are a useful tool.
Tips for shopping at Harbor Freight
In my blog post about Harbor Freight’s quality, I have some tips on finding Harbor Freight coupons online and using them to save money each time you go. The flier you got in the mail this month may not have their best discount or their best freebies in it, but you can get them if you know my secrets.
David Farquhar is a computer security professional, entrepreneur, and author. He started his career as a part-time computer technician in 1994, worked his way up to system administrator by 1997, and has specialized in vulnerability management since 2013. He invests in real estate on the side and his hobbies include O gauge trains, baseball cards, and retro computers and video games. A University of Missouri graduate, he holds CISSP and Security+ certifications. He lives in St. Louis with his family.