Save Garage Space With 5 Foldable Finds From Harbor Freight

You don't have to look far to find garage organization essentials at Harbor Freight. The chain has a wide and often highly rated range of storage solutions, from tool chests and workbenches to rolling tool carts. But if space is truly at a premium in your garage, then it may also be worth reviewing your tool set. Taking it a step further, you should also assess the accessories that come along with them.

For example, if you decided to invest in a miter saw and table set to tackle the occasional saw job, does the stand fold? Or does it trip you up whenever you sidle past it in pursuit of your other tools? Alternatively, do you have a step ladder that refuses to give up getting in the way, or a work light that refuses to play nice with the rest of the tools on your shelves?

If the above is inciting anxiety in you about the current state of your garage, then Harbor Freight could be worth a visit. Below, we've curated five useful tools and accessories which, when not needed, can be folded away and thus help you to declutter and organize your garage. Some will help you see in the dark, while others will help you prove, after all, that it does only take one person to change a lightbulb. There's even a shovel that, when you're finished with it, will tuck neatly into your toolbox.

The first thing to say here is that you don't strictly need to buy a dedicated stand for your miter saw. In fact, provided that you have space to keep it, it's entirely possible to convert an old dresser into a functional saw stand. But if the goal is to reduce your tools' footprint, then something a little more utilitarian is probably in order. At Harbor Freight, you can pick up Warrior's 350 Pound Folding Miter Saw Stand for $69.99.

Diving into the specs, it is, per the name, built to hold loads of up to 350 pounds, and it's designed to work with miter saws up to 10 inches. For reference, the heaviest 10-inch miter saw in Harbor Freight's current lineup — the Hercules 20V Brushless Cordless, 10-inch Dual-Bevel Sliding Compound Miter Saw — weighs 47 pounds. This means that the stand should be capable of holding both your tool and the lumber you need to cut. It has legs that tuck and a roller bed that slides inwards, and when packed away, measures 39 inches long and a little over 10 inches wide. According to Warrior, its durable steel construction provides both sturdy and level support.

There are several situations in which a work light can come in handy. They're essential during home renovations, when the lights aren't yet working but you're squirreling away into the hours of darkness. They're also useful in the darker areas of your home — if you're finally converting your attic into a useable space, for example. They can be bulky to store, though, and if they require a main power source, then they often come with the additional requirement of extension cords. Braun's 500 Lumen LED Rechargeable Magnetic Handheld Foldable Slim Bar Work Light, priced at $29.99, has three attributes that could help you to save on garage space.

The first is that, when you come to store it, it folds down to half its full length. The second is that it's magnetic, which means you can store it on any magnetically-receptive surface. This also makes it useful in certain working situations, allowing you to mount it on metal without needing to set up an entire stand. It's fitted with white LEDs with 500 lumen output, which run in a strip along one side of the folding head. It also has LEDs built into the tip, so it can serve as a regular flashlight. The product offers high and low light modes and features an adjustable swivel head to help light areas more precisely. The third perk that makes it useful in small garages? It charges via USB-C, the same as many modern household and personal electronics, doing away with the need to store batteries or awkward, bulky cables.

Step stools are an essential item in the armory of most homeowners. Changing lightbulbs is made infinitely easier and safer versus standing precariously on a chair, and they can also help when decorating. In fact, they're useful in just about any scenario where human height is a disadvantage. However, if you don't intend to use it every day, then choosing the right step stool for your home is as much about utility as it is about storability, and in garages where space is hard to come by, something that folds is likely to be the most favorable. For this reason, Franklin's 3-Step Steel Folding Step Stool is one of our top picks if you're limited on space.

From a safety standpoint, the stool has an extra-wide platform, which should improve stability when in use. It also has non-marring, slip-resistant feet to protect your floors from scuffs while keeping the stool steady during lightbulb changes. Folded down, it measures 48 ¾ inches in height and a little under 3 inches deep, making it less obtrusive when stored versus non-folding stools. The stool is also among several new Harbor Freight products worth buying, according to customers, with several citing the product's build quality, especially given the $49.99 price tag.

If you're really tight on space or you don't necessarily need the full inventory of tools that are currently strewn around your garage, then a multi-tool could help pare back your arsenal. Gordon's 20-in-1 Multi Tool features several basic tools every homeowner should have, like a pair of pliers, straight- and serrated-edged knives, several screwdrivers, a crimper, an 8-inch ruler, and more. It's made with a stainless steel frame and has tools that lock in place for safety while in use. It also comes with a removable belt clip, should you need to use it on the go, and a sheath to keep it protected.

Now, it is somewhat bulkier than some multi tools, although that's largely because it has 20 tools built into it. But since it is still pocket-sized, it'll soak up less space in your garage than those same 20 tools would absorb if bought, and stored, separately. You may also make a decent savings. Certainly, there are several reviewers who value the tool's $39.99 price tag, which they say buys a tool of comparable quality to those from more expensive, big-box brands.

Shovels are useful for a whole host of common gardening tasks, but they tend to be quite bulky. This, combined with their ubiquity in households across the country, makes this humble tool a likely culprit behind your current space-saving predicament. There are various ways to keep them out of harm's way, like giving your garage wall an upgrade that's the solution to all of your storage problems. But if your needs for a shovel are infrequent, or your use for one is only small-scale, you might consider replacing your current equipment with something that's more compact. Badland's Foldable Utility Shovel packs down to a size that could fit into a tool chest.

It's priced at $12.99, and at full stretch, measures 22 ⅘ inches long. But the head of the shovel folds in, as does the handle. Packed away, it measures 9 ½ inches in length and 2 ⅛ inches wide. It's made from heavy-duty, powder-coated steel, and has a serrated edge, which helps make digging and cutting easier. It also features a two-position head which doubles as a hoe — another essential gardening tool that your space-starved garage could probably do without!