A relative newcomer to the cordless-tool arena, Flex has aimed high with tools designed for contractors and building trade professionals. With these jobs, the emphasis is on screw driving and not on hole drilling. Kobalt is about 0.5 taller than Hercules. And its hole number attests that it is indeed contractor-duty. Very good article. That simplicity is what makes the Warrior 12v cordless drill/driver a great selection for DIYers. At Harbor Freight, our goal is provide you with high quality tools at affordable pricing - Hercules is no exception. The fastest in this test was the Makita. We evaluate them on performance, price, comfort, value, and versatility to determine which we believe will best serve your needs. The tools importance and its versatility are why were constantly testing cordless drills. We are no longer supporting IE (Internet Explorer) as we strive to provide site experiences for browsers that support new web standards and security practices. https://youtu.be/3ZfYF9aIO7U clipboardpencil3 4 yr. ago Where does the Warrior line fit in? The company's primary power tool brand, Hitachi, followed suit in October of that same year. Is Harbor Freight Discontinuing Hercules? It may not be the monstrous hole drilling terror that the Flexvolt above is (probably the most powerful cordless drill weve ever used), but its lighter and somewhat smaller than that drill. With a battery, the Harbor Freight impact driver weighs 3.1 pounds and Kobalt is just a little heavier at 3.4 pounds. While these are both on the light side of the impact driver landscape, its another notch in the win column for Hercules. When comparing the company with Bauer, people will notice that the devices have an uncanny resemblance. Most Pros argue that head length is more important since its what determines how tight a space you can work in. How To Fix A Stripped Screw Hole In Plastic? The cherries on top are the battery gauge and an LED to illuminate your work area. Once youre comfortable with the unit and want to move to the more demanding project, then going with Hercules will be more suitable. This Hart is ideal for the budget-conscious and folks who need a driver for occasional use around the home. If theyre like DeWalt, Milwaukee and many others, Hercules 20V packs probably do not have over-discharge protection built into the packs. Kobalts 24V impact driver has a slight advantage of 0.2 here. Really, this is a tool best suited for small-diameter drill bits and driving screws into pre-drilled pilot holes. However, the lower speed does work well for starting screwsespecially self-tapping fasteners. Belt and 6 in. If you plan a heavy construction project with the tool, such as boring large or deep holes through house or deck framing, this side handle will help you steady the drill with less fatigue and more control, particularly should the tool bind in and kick back. Total holes drilled: 306. We measured the length of the compact tools head at 4 inches, which is super shorteven compared to smaller 12-volt drivers. Hercules vs Bauer? Coincidentally, these are also made in Italy, just like Diablo's. Irwin blades are generally a bit cheaper than Diablo ones, and they also have several lines dedicated to different materials, tools, and projects. In our fastening torque test, Hercules requires 1498 in-lbs to break it on average. It did drive slower and work harder than a larger driver, but it got the job done. The batteries are long-lived. Kobalt packs a brushless motor (1) and 3 speed selections (2) with a finish mode (3). The only major difference that can be noticed is the color schemes on these tools. So, if youre new to the market and just want to save up on the cash, we suggest that you stick with the Bauer system. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The GPH01D is the first tool weve tried in Makitas new 40-volt XGT series, power tools with 40-volt motors but batteries that are the same size as a large 18-volt. Harbor Freight Hercules 20V Max Impact Driver 63380 Power Source: 20V Max battery Speed: 0-2800 RPM Torque: 1500 in-lbs Impact Rate: 0-3200 IPM DeWalt 20V Max Impact Driver DCF888 Power Source: 20V Max battery The 10 Best Impact Drivers for Any Job in 2023, Craftsmans 8-Tool Combo Kit Is 25% Off At Lowes, Ryobi One+ HP Drill and Impact Driver Set, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads, Impact driver, two 2.0-Ah batteries, charger, hard case, Impact driver, drill/driver, two 1.5-Ah batteries, charger, soft case, Impact driver, 4-Ah battery, charger, hard case, Impact driver, 5-Ah battery, charger, soft case, Impact driver, 5-Ah battery, 2.5-Ah battery, charger, hard case, Impact driver, two 2.0-Ah batteries, charger, soft case, Lifetime on the driver, 2 years on the battery, 1 year on the charger, Impact driver, two 2.0-Ah batteries, rapid charger, hard case, Limited, 5-year on the driver, 2 years free service on the battery. We found the variable-speed trigger allowed us to easily manage RPMs from zero to 2,900 at up to 3,800 IPM. How To Magnetize A Screwdriver Tip With Magnet? This Drummond submersible unit can pump water down to less than 1/4-inch, saving you from water damage and getting you back in business quickly. Buying a Portable Generator Features to Look For. A padded bottom protects the items inside the bag. It drills holes in wood and metal and drives screws into either material with equal enthusiasm. The admiral is a 12in like the Hercules whereas the Bauer is a 10, and yet the Bauer is about 50 bucks more. SDS Type Variable Speed Rotary Hammer, 7 Amp 4-1/2 in. These are well suited to carpentry, deck building, and remodeling jobs. Kobalt bests it by more than 1000 in-lbs, needing 2585 in-lbs to loosen its fastening efforts. A floor blower is an all-around useful tool. Loved the intro, but hey, there are soooo many women out there willing to broaden their minds, and try new things including reburbishing furniture, just like me. These are the marks of a tool intended for daily professional use. there was only a +&- connector and it worked with no problems. These battery-powered drill-drivers are up to the job. . Combine a highly powerful motor with a hefty 6-Ah battery and you get outsized performance. Its available in 5/16-in. You can also use adapters in some cases more info on that below. Im not sure how they bypass the smart electronics but many people have made their own and you can even buy them outright on places such as Ebay and Amazon. Easily hung overhead, its especially useful in summer as it doubles as a bug zapper. The Best Impact Drivers Best Overall: Milwaukee M18 Fuel Surge Best. We were particularly impressed how easily it cleared the bottom of the hole. So building a deck with it isnt ideal, but building or hanging cabinets, installing drawer slides, assembling furniture, working on electrical boxes, and taking on any task in a confined space or overhead is fair game. Finally, look at the specs and package. So no, youre Dewalt battery will not work on a Bauer tool nor will it work on a Hercules tool and vice versa. How does the Bauer hold up vs the Herc and we are here to show you how these two great. This Bauer model is a perfect choice to dry water-permeated floors and carpet, ventilate tight spaces or draw dust out of a workspace (it wont collect the dust, however). Any time youre moving a bulky object with a hard surface, youll be much happier if you break out the cups and give yourself a helping hand. Anybody can use thing. By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies. Its unlikely you would need a hammer function in this class of product, and many homeowners dont need it anyway. Impact Wrench - Tool Only, 5.7 Amp 6 in. Walk in, slap it on the counter, walk out with a brand new replacement, no questions asked. Boschs Max is no exception, as its become our go-to tool for random tasks that pop up. We actually like the fact that it lacks a hammer mechanism, which keeps its weight down. Screws to drive? Though, the one downside to Hercules is that its power tools are also higher in price. The Hercules miter saw from Harbor Freight is a good choice for precision work. Let's review the Hart Tools 20v Drill Driver and compare it to Harbor Freight Bauer, Hercules, Ryobi and let you know if it is a good tool to purchase or not. Plain 14-inch hex bits meant for use with a drill/driver may work with an impact driver in a pinch, but will not hold up over time. Select a smaller 12-volt drill for minor repairs, basic woodworking, and light carpentry. Today they have 3 miter saws. bit diameters. Growing up he worked on a farm, where he learned to weld, repair, and paint equipment. So it was a distinct pleasure to open the Craftsman box and slide out a neatly sewn tool bag bearing an American-made drill driver with two batteries and a charger. for small projects here and there. Best of all, rain isnt an issue its rated IPX6 waterproof. It's available from $349 to $399 at Harbor Freight. So long as you keep that trigger pulled, it will just churn through hole after hole. The only reason why anyone would think about getting these from Hercules is if the drill bits are out of stock. We liked the easy-to-use speed/mode selector on the top of the tool, with three speeds and a self-tapping fastener mode. In the course of this test, we drilled 2,070 holes and drove 525 lag screws. Although both batteries appear very similar in shape and design and even feature similar sliding rails, both systems offer a different set of contacts in the form of differences in the rails such as notches, bumps and even different number of electrical contacts. With over 100+ items, including a new brushless line of products coming soon, Harbor Freight considers Hercules as having legendary performance built for professional use. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. After it cooled, it drilled another six. The other large-battery tools were the DeWalt (5.4 pounds) and the Makita (5.2 pounds), and these were also pro-duty, intended for either serious do-it-yourselfers or contractors. Slide Switch Angle Grinder, 20V 3 Ah High-Capacity Lithium-Ion Battery, 20V Cordless 4 Gallon Backpack Chemical Sprayer - Tool Only, 10 in. Its not a carpentry tool in the same sense as a full size 18- or 20-volt drill. This drill is part of Worxs Nitro power tools, a line of equipment to which weve given high marks. If youre looking for a small 12-volt drill to put into the repair kit that you take on the road, this petite Milwaukee is a great choice. If you want a heavier drill with hammer action, Worx makes a Nitro version of that, too. Hex Breaker Hammer with Maximum Vibration Control, 10 Amp 1-1/8 in. A full-size drill has a larger motor and a more stout drive gear assembly. Additionally, the type of drill that you are using also plays a huge role in which drill bits should be bought. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Never have seen Kobalt or Hercules. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. You actually can buy a 3 year warranty at harbor freight that is 100 times easier to redeem. Weve already talked about table saws. Junk vs junk? Long deck and cabinet screws drove equally well, as well as self-tapping screws in metal studs. But at the bottom of a 1.5-inch-deep hole in Douglas fir, just before the bit punches through, thats where the trouble starts. Knots dont stop it and barely slow it down. Its pretty common knowledge that many known brands have knock off batteries and they are very easy to find and they make it quite clear what item or tool they are designed to be compatible with. It just went merrily about its business of blasting one hole after another, and when it was done, it was done. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. The tradeoff for more run time is weight. So, what we suggest is that you start out with the Bauer drill. In this video we will look at the. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Keep your tools close at hand with a magnetic caddy from U.S. General. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. The majority of owners find Bauer to be the better option because of its lighter structure and increased cord length. No matter how you look at it, the fact that a cordless drill can easily and quickly bore a couple of hundred 1-inch holes through Douglas fir framing lumber is no small feat. Once done, the batteries will then last people an entire day without any issues. The M12 Fuel was capable of driving every fastener the 18- and 20-volt drivers did, including 38 x 3-inch lag bolts, without a pilot hole. We put it aside thinking that even if it didnt feel cool, wed give it a rest. What they are good at, what they are great at and what can also bring them to a screeching halt. That puts it lower than the Harbor Freight impact driver once you buy a battery and charger a la carte. The 16-inch-wide opening can accommodate most handheld tools. The Best Cordless Drills for Woodworking and Construction, 7 Riding Lawn Mowers to Shape up Your Yard. However, if you still cant seem to find the right fit, then reaching out to the local experts and other owners is a good idea. The M12 Fuel is a contractor-quality tool, built to hold up to daily use. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. And when we say muscling in, were not kidding. A jump starter isnt the kind of tool that you use every day. (The Perfect Guide), How To Install Hangar Bolt? If you need this much power tool muscle you just need to have some muscle of your own. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. We marked off knots in our test lumber by drawing across the board with a square and a carpenters pencil and then scribbling out the areas to be sure we didnt drill into them. I have no complaints after using my impact heavily every day for 6 months. So, be sure to look hard when youre trying to find a reasonable dealer for this system. I will look out for the adapters once I need them. It sailed through the bottom of the hole, the center, and the top. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); As a simple answer, in most cases the answer is no. Put Harbor Freights warranty against any other major brand and its nearly always behind. For California consumers: more information about our privacy practices. After that, we went back to drilling holes with the spade bit until the tools thermal overload circuit prevented drilling. This 3,700 lumen LED Quantum flashlight provides long range illumination with a run time of 13 hours, along with an easy-to-grip aluminum barrel. However, we were able to drive all of the fasteners in our test with this Hart, with the bolts torqued to 40 ft-lb and lag bolts noticeably taxing it. The only major difference that can be noticed is the color schemes on these tools. I havent yet seen any adapters to use famous brand power tools with Harbor Freight in house brand batteries like those from Bauer or Hercules but that doesnt mean there arent any now or wont be in the future, I just havent seen them personally. We consider anything over 100 holes in this test to deserve a rating of somewhere in the pro to prosumer range of power tools. Hercules is actually a pro line of tools from Harbor Freight. However, Kobalts 24V impact driver is the leader in a lot more areas, including torque. There is no point in wasting hours of your time when you cant seem to find the right fit for your projects, and having an expert to guide you will help you out. The Ryobi did, too. The old standby General Machinery 12", currently on sale for 189 bux, the in between Admiral, a much better tool is 199. Both of these brands have been dominating the market for years, and their performance is just out of this world. Impact Wrench with Rocker Switch, 15 Amp 66 Lb. You will not feel the need to switch, and these brands will serve you perfectly. It weighs just 3 pounds with a 4-Ah battery. Hercules is Harbor Freights contractor-duty line of tools. Knock off batteries are made to be COMPATIBLE with whatever system they were designed for so its not really a counterargument to this article. This relatively basic driver will accomplish most tasks youll encounter around the house. General Rule of Thumb is that Batteries From Different brands are not Compatible As Is, UNLESS THERE IS MODIFICATION TO THE BATTERY OR AN ADAPTER. LOL. Thats why we use that test, frankly. This is a hard test. Also, another tip, Harbor Freights in house brand of tools already have very low prices on batteries so it would probably be cheaper and better to stick with their own brand batteries. Two inches shorter than most drivers, with a compact head, the M12 Fuel is great in tight spaces. This is not a brushless tool, as most other pro-duty power tools are these days, but it appears that its heavy and solidly built (it weighs 4.4 pounds). You need soldering skills and the proper BMS battery circuit board installed in the battery shell. Thats helpful drilling wood, but even more important drilling steel, where its far more difficult to balance the variables of motor speed, bit diameter, and steel hardness and thickness.