Just got the Hercules brushless impact kit (driver, battery and charger for $97. Then opted to get the extreme performance 4ah battery for 70 so far pretty happy
I have 13 Hercules 20V power tools. 2 chargers and 4 batteries (2-20V 5Ah, 1-20V 2.5Ah and one 12V 2.0Ah) that were bought on sale over time, some came with a free tool. Only one of the tools does not have the 5 year warranty. I have yet to break or return any of them. I do not miss not having a dedicated battery and charger for every tool either, as I can only use one at a time, and the batteries charge rather quickly. That being said, the Hercules line from Harbor Freight offers the best bang for the buck that can be found anywhere., and once you start acquiring them it is VERY hard to stop. LOL
They have these bad boys for $50 with $50 8 amp hour 21700 cell batteries right now. Even though I have Milwaukee, now I also have Hercules as backups. $199 for the impact, hammer drill and 2 8-amp hour batteries is insane.
Great vid! Much clearer than all the 40 min vids that never get to the point. On price, here in August I'm figuring $ 80 for the hammer drill / driver + $ 75 for the 5 AH battery + $ 98 for the impact wrench / 2 AH battery & charger kit = $ 263 for both tools, charger, 2 batteries. If I were a full time tradesman, yeah, I'd by default, but it's be nearly $ 400 to get these specs in Big Yellow from Big Orange. + all other tools are twice as much.
@@TinkerWithTools I just got the drill / driver charger and a 2AH battery for $98. I'm old and weak so the 2AH battery works fine for me. I'll be keeping a eye on the pricing for the bigger battery.🤠
So with each $97.99 kit you get : Drill and/or Impact + charger + battery and additional free 2.5 battery plus 5 year tool & 3 year battery walk in warranty. The warranty is walk in and they replace. How are you seeing Hercules stack up against the competition? Hercules, Flex, Milwaukee or Metabo HPT for my $130 - $200 purchase?
In my opinion for that price you can’t really get a more powerful combo kit unless you score a deal somewhere. Is it the best out there, no. But don’t let that stop you from loving the tools. They are a huge step up and now up at the top in performance. Fit and finish shows the process point they are made to but they aren’t all that bad there either.
Not sure how they originally packaged these things, but around 13:30, you're talking about all-in price for a tool + charger + battery. They kit for one of those drills is just under $100 and they had a special for that particular kit for getting a free 4Ah battery.
Originally they had it so you had to buy the tool, battery or batteries and charger all separate. Because of that your initial purchase into the platform skewed some of the value that you can now get with promotions and combos. That’s has improved that initial purchase value quite a bit
Just an update...Today I purchased an Hercules impact kit that includes the tool, charger, and 2ah battery for 97.99. Pretty good deal. Yes, the 2ah battery is small, but for some quick small projects, it's more than enough and is much more compact and light. You can still get a larger battery a la carte for the hard use scenarios. IMO for the occasional use DIYer, the Hercules can't be beat for quality and price.
RIght now, you get that plus an additional 2.5Ah battery for that same 97.99 price. You may still need to buy a larger battery for some jobs (they make up to 12Ah now), but most DIYers would only need zero or one biggie, shared across tools.
Thing with harbor freight is you can guarantee that you can get these tools cheap multiple times through out the year. Been wanting to get a cheaper set of tools for my home. Was looking at these. Checked the website and they had a deal for the charger, 5ah battery, and your choice of Hercules tool including these two. (I went with the hammer drill which I needed) and it was only $125. I think for the price being already cheaper and the fact they run sales on this stuff way more frequently then the major brands its a big win.
They are currently running for 2-3 months where if you buy a 5ah battery with the fast charger you can have the tool for free. I was told that this deal I just referred to will be something that will happen again and again for 2-3 months. I just paid for the 5ah battery, charger and a 1/2" compact impact driver a total of 119.00 which is the price for the battery and charger alone. Something to consider.
Same here. Obviously they really want to get people to check out the new tools because they are still running these after 3 months. They are actually running a sale on the new 4ah battery coming up two for under $100 i think.
Anyone looking to get into this line but doesn't want to do the ala carte piece together method, wait a couple months because they're gonna release kits very soon
If they come out with kits that feature better pricing than a la carted then it’s going to make the value proposition of the whole kit more compelling.
I like Harbor Freight and am glad they moved to the 5 year warranty for these Hercules Brushless tools. That said, I recently (over the course of about 1 month) purchased 5 FLEX cordless tools, including: Hammer Drill/Driver with Turbo Mode, Impact Driver, 6.5" Inline circular saw, Reciprocating saw and 1.6 gallon vacuum. Along with these 5 tools, I got three 5.0 Ah batteries and one 2.5 Ah battery and 3 chargers. Based on the total out-of-pocket cost for all these tools/batteries/chargers, my average cost per tool was about $137. That includes the batteries and chargers! AWESOME -- and with the LIFETIME WARRANTY!
Buying on promotions or kits really makes the tools a better value. Right now they have their buy more save more promotion with some other sales going on that can really make the tools a great value.
The a la carte approach has some pros and cons. Like you pointed out getting into it all at once isn’t flattering. But for someone piecing together tools over time it’s more manageable to nickel and dime it over the course of a year/holidays/birthdays. In all I feel like this approach is most aimed at kobalt or Ridgid, the type of guy that uses his tools semi frequently and wants good performance, but doesn’t need a massive line, an impact, drill, recip, and circ are probably all they’ll need.
HF has a "Kit" of both these, a charger, and 2-2.5 AH batteries for $200 this week. The small batteries suck but they have 2 5AH batteries for $89 on special too. I'm trying to decide if I want to change to the Hercules from Milwaukee because the batteries are some much cheaper.
They have a $199 kit with everything he bought. He could have looked that up. They also have plenty of sales that always have discounts that allow you to get these tools cheaper. I have 5 Dewalt chargers and 10 batteries from stupid kits…it is getting absurd. Low price bare tools have their merit.
When you buy a tool, battery, and charger at HF it takes $20-30 off the prices depending on brand. Not to mention coupons and the ability to save money not having to buy a battery and charger each time you need a new tool is going to generate quite a cost difference when comparing to other brands. Time will tell how long these will last but on a drill the failure points are typically going to be the bearing or the trigger over time.
When I bought mine, I had to mention that to the cashier. It wasn't ringing up automatically and they ended up calling a supervisor to put it in. I believe they took $20 off.
@@TinkerWithTools I used to work at HF, there were some instances where it wouldn't trigger the sale in the register. Of which i don't remember, maybe what battery was used.. I don't remember any exclusions mentioned in any advertising or fine print/employee knowhow.
I just picked up the Herc impact driver today. $99 for the tool, a battery and a charger. So they are starting to put kits together now. Yes, the battery is only 2.5ah, but it still beats any deal you will get from the Dewalts or Milwaukees of the world. And the performance is about the same as those. And a 5 year walk-in and exchange warranty. With other brands you have to ship it off and wait months for a warranty claim.
Yeah the kits are a welcome addition. The walk in and exchange is a nice perk too with a lot of harbor freights around to be able to do that with. On the warranty claim front, my experience with several major companies is about 2 weeks if I have to ship it off. I get that is still less convenient but I haven’t experienced something that took longer than that yet.
I’m so sold. The time difference is seconds the price difference is amazing for the buyer. I can’t wait for tomorrow when I can throw my Milwaukees off the roof and in the dumpster
Tinker With Tools.. Cool review. Curious to see how the drill does against the Ryobi hammer drill. I bought the Ryobi hammer drill, the high torque 1/2 impact (both brushless) with 2 batteries and a charger for $189
Are you talking about the ryobi HP? If so I have the drill/driver but not hammer drill. Based on specs it’s rated at 2/3 the power of this Hercules so I am not sure it will fair all that well.
Now they have a 100 dollar starter kit with 5ah battery/charger/ and you get to choose between several different tools for a free one of them being the hammer drill thats a pretty solid deal now.
EXACTLY. I have so many chargers that it is nuts. I also have WAY more batteries than I ever really need, and it is because I get kits because they gut you on bare tool pricing. I want deals on bare tools too, and at least HF gets it.
I dont trust harbor freight...i had a nice electric chainsaw...worked awesome...had several batteries and a chargers...all at the same time the batteries died in 2 years...COULD BUY NONE...had to throw my lennox tools away that needed a battery only...
I had bought the impact driver with battery and charger and got a second battery free last year. I just bought the bare tool drill driver for 56.00 after a 20% coupon. I have a couple of Dewalt tools: drill driver and 1/2” impact wrench as well along with a miter saw and table saw. The battery charger sparked and smoked. I decided to go get the Hercules drill while there was a coupon and will look for some holiday special from one of the big box stores to get another battery charger for the dewalt tools. For now since I have the Hercules battery charger and batteries I just went ahead and got a drill to go along with my impact driver to complete the set. Eventually I’ll buy more batteries for the Hercules tools
As a Milwaukee user, I’d love it if their clutch had a bit more of a positive click in it like that. I can’t count how many times I’ve accidentally bumped mine into hammer mode or another clutch setting when changing bits and not known it. At least I didn’t know it until the hammer started hitting. 😂
@@TinkerWithTools it does sound cheaply made, like it’s about to snap. I think there’s a middle ground somewhere in between the free spin and the gear grinding feel lol.
@@TinkerWithTools I was just in harbor freight and decided to look at these and I now know what you’re talking about lol. I felt like I was about to break the thing and the mechanism felt cheap. That’s not something I’d want to feel in my daily driver.
The thing a lot of people seem to forget about harbor freight is there targeted consumers. Most people who huy at harbor freight are buying for maybe side work or diy at home stuff. They have a good amount of stuff that people swear by for professional use. But say you want a good set of power tools for your home shop. Maybe you dont use them everyday, these tools would be a great option. Your gonna pay less still get the warranty and so far they seem to perform pretty close to a lot of the bigger tool companies. Coming from a Milwaukee guy
The warranty is a game changer for these tools. For me it takes them from something that I don't consider or if I do, it's more a one time tool, to something that you could have as a back up or a home use tool and still get good performance. The brushless was a big step up for them.
Im a garage door contractor and on a whim I bought a 20v brush-less impact driver. I've been using it daily, side by side with my Milwaukee equivalent and have had zero issues and honestly can't tell any performance difference between the two. Power seems similar, battery life and recharge speeds are similar. They get dropped several times daily from ladders and missed pockets and don't seem affected. Other than color, I'm not seeing a difference in daily use.
It's certainly a step in the right direction, but I feel that the warranty might be one of its biggest selling points. Especially if I can get a DeWalt for a similar price. Maybe they'll try to build a comprehensive lineup over the years?
From what I understand they are banking in this lineup and seem to be working on getting a bigger lineup. Seems like so far the new tools have gotten a lot of positive feedback so i wouldnt be surprised
Thank you tinker! I been pestering you and other channels for some time trials lol, and you even threw in the 4ah well done. I been considering buying both tools and it's nice to finally get an unbiased video for actual performance. There's a few channels that I watch for actual honest testing including you, philly fixed (where's that video Jim!! 🤣) And torque test channel. I know there's more out there just my go to channels. I bought the dcd805 based on your recommendation of the 800, wanted the hammer drill function, it's a great drill your testing doesn't disappoint. I watched torque test channel yesterday the Hercules impact driver equaled the Milwaukee in terms of ft lbs, and was only beaten by the kobalt xtr and flex. I'm going to get the impact driver for sure, I remain unconvinced on the hammer drill/drill driver for now, we'll see. So in your asking what viewers would like to see, I've seen so much on the impact driver to this point IMHO I'd like to see more testing with the drill. Also where's the review of that biscuit joiner you mentioned?? 🤣🤣 JK. Great work love your channel keep it coming!
The torque testing yesterday surprised me a little. The slow motion showing some concerns about the build quality reaffirmed some of my own impressions to. It’s a no brainer at the tool only price if you already have Hercules tools. But time will tell how the long term quality and durability is.
@@TinkerWithTools from what I've seen so far on the impact yes absolutely no brainer if you already have the charger/batteries. I got an unbelievable deal on eBay for a charger with two 5ah and a 4ah battery not long ago, didn't even have any Hercules tools at the time but couldn't pass it up, so yeah I'm off to get that impact today... Not so sure about the drill yet. I really don't need most of the tools I have lol I just collect them, DeWalt, metabo hpt, flex I have all of their hammer drill/impacts, time to give Hercules a look I suppose
@@TinkerWithTools Videos like yours are why we tell people it's important to watch other tests beyond peak torque. Our high speed seems to calculate the Herc at 4200IPM+ and high peak torque, yet shown here doesnt win at everything nonetheless
@Torque Test Channel It's a strong impact for sure and certainly competitive but I keep going back and forth on just how impressed to be by it. Your videos are great by the way. I love how you keep evolving the videos!
Im on the first generation of the Hercules still. Brushed models and a few things brushless like the multi-tool and sawsall. Everything else is brushed. Runs like a champ on all of them. I work construction, my recommendation, get 4 batteries, 2 of the 8Ah and 2 of then 12Ah. Its runs all day on a single charge. Even with the 2gal. shop vac.
Hercules in general was a really good step forward for harbor freight and now with their brushless tools, with a 5 year warranty, it's another big step. Hopefully they keep it up and it continues to be a viable brand.
The impact is solid but lacks some of the refined build quality in my opinion. It really does compare quite well performance wise, but I have seen it in the upper second tier of impact drivers. I haven't gotten Flex or Milwaukee performance out of it. For the price though, it's does really well.
It’s not a terrible impact but at this point there are 3 other DEWALT impacts I would choose before it let alone all the other companies I would also go to first.
@@TinkerWithTools I’m already invested in some Dewalt tools. I have the DCD777 drill, DCF787 combo. I recently added the DCD800 thanks to your video. I’m kind of leaning towards Dewalt for a replacement if my 787 ever takes a crap. The 887 is a decent step up, but I’m open to suggestions. Which Dewalt would you recommend?
The 845 is on sale for $99 right now. The 840 is on sale often for $99. The 850 doesn’t go on sale as much but it is more compact and is offered right at HD with a free power stack kit I believe. All three of these will offer a step up from your 787 but all all newer than the 887.
At $99 I would probably get the 845 since it tested close to the 840 but you get the speed selector and such. I love the 850 because of the size but it won’t be the fastest of those three.
@@TinkerWithTools I was thinking the same thing. The tests I watched showed the 887 pretty much keeping up with the 840 and 850. The 845 beat the others.
About a few months ago, I got a free hammer drill with the purchase of a 5amp battery and charger for $99, then did the same deal a few weeks later but got the skill saw... beat that!
They had a package deal last week (maybe still) for 99.99 for the brushless hammer drill driver PLUS the 8ah battery. I had intended to get the 4ah, but the 8ah package was way cheaper. On top of that, they had the $25 off purchases of $100 or more -- I picked up a plastic funnel set for under $1 to put me over the $100, effectively getting the drill+8ah for $75. I already had the 1/4 impact driver which came with a 2.5ah battery and a 2ah battery and a charger for $99.
Thank you for the fair in depth review on these new Hercules tools! These new tools seem nice, but I find all of these simultaneous and instantaneous glowing "reviews" to be shallow.
They are pretty similar in performance to me. The Hercules is a little more rough around the edges as i know they are trying to hit their lower price point. The DEWALT maybe feels a little bit more refined. I would probably end up with the 845 but if value was the main concern I wouldn’t have an issue with the Hercules.
@@TinkerWithTools thank you I already have the DeWalt platform and batteries and I wanted to try the Hercules and felt that the 845 would be the way to go for me after looking at this tool and looking at all my batteries I already own 20v DeWalt it just makes no sense to change unless i want another tool line I don't lol thanks for you videos they do help
I don’t know for sure but I would guess not as they are completely separate entities. While the hercules is a step up for sure they are not the same level of fit and finish
I have a decked out Milwaukee trailer and am seriously considering changing most of my non specialty tools to Hercules. Milwaukee prices have gotten out of hand.
The tool only purchase along with a battery adapter that allows you to use the Milwaukee/DeWalt or other batteries and chargers you already have with your Hercules tool might make sense.
My issue with HF is this...they had a lennox line...i had a saw a blower a weed wacker...all were better than good...went in after a few years to get batteries and they r no more...had to throw away 3 good tools cause of NO BATTERIES...how do we know they wont do the same with other stuff?
I think in the past they have been pretty quick to cycle through brands. But at this point they have now had the brand for close to 7 years. In that time we have seen improvements and new models of tools. And with their move to brushless tools they are now backing those tools with a 5 year warranty. So I understand the hesitation on other lines of their tools but given all that I just mentioned the Hercules tools seems to be in a different class than there previous offerings.
From my impression of this tool based on all the channels that have tested and reviewed the Hercules particularly the impact driver it’s evident that it’s only as good as whatever battery your using, definitely increases in performance as the batteries go up in AH
That can be said with more drills. I feel like they are more influenced by the size and type of battery. Moving up to the 4ah and 5ah batteries from Hercules will improve the performance
If you don't have the time or patience for a sale and you WANT to buy everything separately it adds up, sure. Harbor Freight has kits (maybe not at time of review) 2AH battery, 4 amp rapid charger and brushless drill/driver $97.99 standard price and currently they are running a sale (4/3/24 been going since January I believe), 4 amp rapid charger, 5AH battery, and bare tool for $99. Not to mention the over the counter no questions asked in store warranty. I've bought my last yellow tool and battery for sure. Not red though Bauer fills a few holes in the Hercules lineup and like you I have several HF's around me, another on the way to work and another around the corner from work.😊
You are right, when they first came out and when this review was done, combo kits or even sale pricing was not an option. Since the making of the video the pricing model has become more beneficial.
that impact driver has 450 inch pounds of nut busting torque pretty amazing with a 1/2 in adapter. plus they are running a special buy a charger and 5hr batt for 89.99 and get a free tool. no brainer with 5 yr warranty thats the best bang for the buck
Yep they have now come out with the combos making it a little cheaper to get the tools. Wish they would’ve done it early on but I guess that’s my early adopter tax.
I just bought what you have and paid $97 for the impact driver with charger and battery with a free 2nd battery and the drill had the same deal for $79 lol so 2 tools 2 chargers and 4 batteries for well under 200
@@TinkerWithTools for sure i am replacing my old and trusty Ryobi power tools they have about 9yrs of use on the batteries so i think its time before they leave me hanging but i can't complain. I've had dewalt batteries die in under a year!
Hercules was really a step up for Harbor Freight. I hope that they keep developing the line. Right now the core tools are decent but I want to see them take the same leap with other drills they have. Plus the warranty now will protect against failures, giving you peace of mind.
I want to add one major con about the drill. The auxiliary handle only grabs one point on each side of the body, which is identical to the Kobalt design. I actually saw pictures of a couple of Kobalt drills that had broken where the handle grabs when I was reading the reviews. I would expect that the Hercules has the same vulnerability in higher torque scenarios.
Those three are pretty stout but makita takes the care for me. They have a nice handle. The Bosch is stout but I don’t love it’s clamping method. Once it’s on it’s fine. The DEWALT is also fine but sometimes it’s not the smoothest to put on in my opinion and the one that was on the 996 wasn’t long enough.
@@TinkerWithTools I saw another video that said the same thing about the 996. The 998 and 999 are better. I was referring to the fact that the handle wraps around the body instead of just clamping to a couple of places.
I agree with alot of your comments. HF has improved tremendously in the last 2-3 years. I purchased the latest 1/4 impact driver and I was impressed. I then purchased the 1/2" impact wrench and then the newest ultra torque 3/4" These are definitely in the same class as DeWalt and Milwaukee, but lack the build quality, balance and smooth delivery of power that Makita offers. These are are a class above Ryobi and Rigid in my opinion. I've had them ALL and while Makita has been, and continues to be, my top choice, I cannot call the Hercules line @ HF junk anymore. They have really changed the game, especially in that price sector.
Now you can get the HERCULES 20V Brushless Cordless 1/2 in. Drill/Driver Kit with a free 4.0ah extreme performance battery (a $70 value) for $97.99. Hard bundle and deal to beat.
If you pair that with the other deal they have where you get the impact driver and the 8ah battery for $99, you get a combo kit with three or 4 batteries of varying sizes for sub 200. not a bad deal.
It's HF so tools are always on sale. Right now you can get the impact and hammer drill for $99. Also the 4ah extreme battery for free when you buy a kit, which one option is the 5ah + charger. So you could have the impact, hammer drill, 4ah extreme, 5ah extended and charger for $220. That starts sounding a lot more like HF, especially when you consider that these may not be ultra premium jobsite tools, but they are arguably jobsite level tools.
Nice breakdown of the pricing man. It’s funny how the marketing will make you believe best value at $69😂. Yeah but you need the charger you need a couple batteries etc etc. I’m not knocking Hercules at all those tools look to be top performance category but when the Flex kit is $350, the m18 is $349 to $399, the XGT can be bought on Amazon for $349 or even online retailers with the $100 rebate. The Hercules doesn’t look so attractive then price wise. But to each their own. If you rock harbor freight buy it but for my money definitely better options
The Hercules line is great. Most consumers are building structures or working full time as a mechanic. So these are great for all other uses. Why not ?
My only complaint with the Hercules line is they cost about the same as DeWalt but you don’t have the complete line also with DeWalt the batteries are often cheaper.
Excellent point about the total price. $340 is very close to a Milwaukee hammer drill/impact drill Gen 4 with 2 batteries when on sale. I’d choose Milwaukee over Hercules for sure.
There is a $199 kit with the hammer drill and impact with charger and 2 batteries. He could have easily looked that up. You won’t get 2 M18 Fuel tools that cheap. I just bought the Impact at 20% off with a coupon and 2x2.5ah batteries for $44.95 for both. That comes to about $111 total. I also have 6 tools in the the Flex line, and many in Dewalt XR and Atomic, so I have standards. These are in the same league on power. I would say “fit and finish” lags Flex, but is on par with Dewalt 20v Max line and some XR tools. The impact is more powerful than anything Dewalt has.
@@mandoreforger6999 had no idea man. So at the time of this video they offered a kit for $199? I must not have looked into it that deep cause I was just seeing bare tool. But that’s great and a hell of a deal considering what your getting. Hercules really shot for the fences on these 2. Very impressed by both tools
@@IMPACT-NATION they had it in their website, fliers and on in store signs since almost the beginning of the year once the tools were in stock. It is not a distinct box, you just grab each of the tools and items and you get the price.
I was tired of beating my personal. Milwaukee tools for work so just picked up some hercules. $250 for the drill/driver combo with 2 5ah batteries, charger, and you get the 4AH 21700 for free. My main idea is, when I break it I just have to drive 30 minutes, get a new one, go back to work. I have never had good luck with Milwaukee warranty.
I use ryobi impact and drill in my small woodshop. After all of the research and testing that I've watched, when the money permits, I will definitely move into Makita. Their quality and longevity, in my eyes, sets them apart from the rest.
The impact especially are top notch in refinement and ergonomics in my opinion. I have had to warranty a drill from makita but it was replace with no fuss.
the 8ah is probably a good idea if you're doing hard work with this drill, at this price point the only things that are better are top end 40v makitas and the newest dewalt
Bought the hercules 20v brushless impact drill kit which includes a charger and battery. They had a sale on 2.5amp batteries. 2 for 50. Spent a total on $160 for everything. Just saying.
I just wanted to comment on the title. Harbor Freight doesn’t make tools. I wouldn’t doubt that Hercules is made by one of the major companies like Chervon or SBD. I’ve also heard that Harbor Freight is really good about honoring their warranty. By the way, the Dewalt DCD800 doesn’t have kickback control, and it does have enough power to where it would really help.
Just SPENT$450 on these Tools with the best battery s the 4 and 8 AMP 21700 cell and the DUEL CHARGER a bag and Extras the chuck is loud when you turn it for different Speeds made the 2200 inch pounds Impact Spit GREASE made the Drill DRIVER over heat and had to switch Battery
What were you doing when it spit grease. I have some future torture testing videos coming up and so I want to be sure I test a variety of things I agree on the drill Chuck. That was the worst quality bit for me.
As hf increases quality across the Hercules line, spending the money up front for the batteries and charger isn't that big of a deal. It will pay off next time you need a tool and Hercules is half the price of the big name brands. As long as everything has a 5 year warranty, of course.
That’s is something they have in favor of the other brands. Where the other brands win is in the different sales or promotions that they run. Harbor freight will typically exclude Hercules from sales
IDK the deals they had a year ago, but I bought maybe half the collection in 2-3 months because of their 2 tools for $99. Grinder/sawzall - Drill/impact driver - 3/8"impact/paddle switch grinder. That's 6 tools for $300. Also got a 5Ah/charger starter kit for $99. Port-a-bandsaw, circular saw and 8Ah I paid full price for. Competitive tools, 5 year warranty, great buying deals, I'm all set for my winter job as a millwright. Of course all the Milwaukee guys will make fun of me, but last winter I had to use their tools as I only had hand tools then, now I at least have my own shit.
Yeah, the initial pricing wasn't that big of an incentive but this year they have really ramped it up with the promotions, kits and other stuff. As for the Milwaukee guys - I would pick Milwaukee if I could only have a single platform - I say use what works for you and your budget. We are lucky to live in a time where we have good budget options like Hercules where you achieve performance that isn't far behind the best of the best but at a fraction of the cost.
@@TinkerWithTools if not for the cheap Hercs, I'd still be using my old B&D Matrix at home, and the Milwaukee guys tools at work. Using other people's tools at work is humiliating. I guess using Herc tools is less humiliating, lol. Thanks for the vid and your honest opinions!
I can understand that feeling. I used to have to borrow tools a lot and then I developed the tool addiction if you will. Having capable tools opens a world of possibilities.
They are better than I expected. If you are on the Hercules platform already this could be a welcome and relatively inexpensive way to get competitive performance.
forget it at that price i will get milwaukee fuel combo for $349 there top of the line, or even better at the end of the year home depot have super deal. anyway nice video
I’ve seen those videos too. All I can say is that my Hercules impact driver won’t beat the top impact drivers but is certainly competitive with that next step down. You can do a lot worse for the money.
I think that the brand in general is headed in the right direction... but not ever tool is a world beater. But for the price and the warranty, they certainly are a great low cost alternative.
@@TinkerWithTools The new Ridgid set is on sale now. That’s the newest hammer drill paired with the 4 mode impact driver. I think it comes with two batteries, a charger and a hard case. It’s $299, but I think the Dewalt 998 is better. The Ridgid LSA is a great warranty. I do think Hercules is getting more competitive, especially with their impact wrenches.
When this video was made, the tools were brand new and there were no sales, promotions, coupons etc that could be used for them. Now you can take advantage of promotions and the kit prices that have brought down that entry price.
Another great video. You bring up a good point about the actual value of the tools once you buy batteries and a charger to make it competitive with other tool kits. I think these are a great value if you already have hercules batteries and a charger. But if you don't, I think it makes more sense to spend an extra $60 on a milwaukee or makita kit. EVen though hercules has the 5 year warranty, I don't trust the quality as much as I do milwaukee or makita especially.
Well said. It’s not that they are bad tools but I have concerns about how they will hold up. I have a torture test video of sorts to see how they respond coming up.
@@TinkerWithTools I also saw on torque test channel that he did a slow motion of the Hercules impact and it looked like it was about ready to fall apart. Look forward to seeing your torture test, should be interesting.
Yeah when they is a comparison point I have a hard time leaning the way of Hercules. But if you have Hercules batteries and just want an upgrade. It would be hard to say no.
@@TinkerWithTools True but your DIYer and tradesman are more likely to have Dewalt batteries on hand than Hercules, the DCD800B tool only is $129 on Amazon now, that’s only $60 more for a proven and much better pro quality tool. Also what brand of cells are HF using? That would be a good future video if you can disassemble the HF battery to see which cells they are using. I’m actually a Makita guy, they may not be the fastest and strongest tools on the market but the smoothness, ergonomics and precision of Makita tools are amazing, just my .02, thanks for taking the time to make these videos that sparks dialogue.
@@lawdog516 ive got over 15 grand in makita cordless...they really are the most well built, refined toole ever made.....ive got some over 10 years old, still going strong.....
Drill- Packedge in typical box, came with a tool bag (added bonus), two batteries, one charger, drill, and driver. Two words "plenty of Torque" ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxW1vOBRCMrgTCDEijzpVzDWsgI-Jm2iQv well I guess that's three. Nice upgrade from current setup. Has belt clips, I don't think I will be using those. Driver and drill were bigger than what I expected but it is an upgrade from the current setup. For the money I would say that this is a great setup for Professionals and DIY/Weekend warriors.
Thank you again for an awesome video! The 5 year warranty for tools at this price point is unbelievable.
Just got the Hercules brushless impact kit (driver, battery and charger for $97. Then opted to get the extreme performance 4ah battery for 70 so far pretty happy
The kits have made the value even better.
i just got one and it came with the 4ah for free:)
I like how you include the results from previous models during your test runs now. Sweeeeet 👍🏾
Thanks. Just trying to give some context since they were going head to head in this video.
I have 13 Hercules 20V power tools. 2 chargers and 4 batteries (2-20V 5Ah, 1-20V 2.5Ah and one 12V 2.0Ah) that were bought on sale over time, some came with a free tool. Only one of the tools does not have the 5 year warranty. I have yet to break or return any of them. I do not miss not having a dedicated battery and charger for every tool either, as I can only use one at a time, and the batteries charge rather quickly. That being said, the Hercules line from Harbor Freight offers the best bang for the buck that can be found anywhere., and once you start acquiring them it is VERY hard to stop. LOL
Good point of view.
The thing I like about Hercules is the price of batteries compared to Milwaukee and other name brands.
And the herc batteries are Samsung derived batteries which are excellent
And a three year warranty on the batteries@@andrewcostel4821
Very true. Just got an 8ah battery and the Hercules brushless grinder for $99. Never would have happened with Milwaukee or even ridgid
They have these bad boys for $50 with $50 8 amp hour 21700 cell batteries right now. Even though I have Milwaukee, now I also have Hercules as backups. $199 for the impact, hammer drill and 2 8-amp hour batteries is insane.
Great vid! Much clearer than all the 40 min vids that never get to the point. On price, here in August I'm figuring $ 80 for the hammer drill / driver + $ 75 for the 5 AH battery + $ 98 for the impact wrench / 2 AH battery & charger kit = $ 263 for both tools, charger, 2 batteries. If I were a full time tradesman, yeah, I'd by default, but it's be nearly $ 400 to get these specs in Big Yellow from Big Orange. + all other tools are twice as much.
Yeah the pricing has gotten a lot better with the kits and different promotions they run
@@TinkerWithTools I just got the drill / driver charger and a 2AH battery for $98. I'm old and weak so the 2AH battery works fine for me. I'll be keeping a eye on the pricing for the bigger battery.🤠
I got both tools for $99, special runs pretty much all the time
So with each $97.99 kit you get : Drill and/or Impact + charger + battery and additional free 2.5 battery plus 5 year tool & 3 year battery walk in warranty. The warranty is walk in and they replace. How are you seeing Hercules stack up against the competition? Hercules, Flex, Milwaukee or Metabo HPT for my $130 - $200 purchase?
In my opinion for that price you can’t really get a more powerful combo kit unless you score a deal somewhere. Is it the best out there, no. But don’t let that stop you from loving the tools. They are a huge step up and now up at the top in performance. Fit and finish shows the process point they are made to but they aren’t all that bad there either.
Not sure how they originally packaged these things, but around 13:30, you're talking about all-in price for a tool + charger + battery. They kit for one of those drills is just under $100 and they had a special for that particular kit for getting a free 4Ah battery.
Originally they had it so you had to buy the tool, battery or batteries and charger all separate. Because of that your initial purchase into the platform skewed some of the value that you can now get with promotions and combos. That’s has improved that initial purchase value quite a bit
Great video! Love to see the low end setting performance as well, gives a good view of speed/precision.
Thanks!
Just an update...Today I purchased an Hercules impact kit that includes the tool, charger, and 2ah battery for 97.99. Pretty good deal. Yes, the 2ah battery is small, but for some quick small projects, it's more than enough and is much more compact and light. You can still get a larger battery a la carte for the hard use scenarios. IMO for the occasional use DIYer, the Hercules can't be beat for quality and price.
Thanks for updating! Enjoy the impact!
Congrats!👍🏻 I'll be getting one its on my list👍🏻
RIght now, you get that plus an additional 2.5Ah battery for that same 97.99 price. You may still need to buy a larger battery for some jobs (they make up to 12Ah now), but most DIYers would only need zero or one biggie, shared across tools.
@garyallman3039 the 4 ah extreme is the best battery for the Hercules impact driver 💪
Thing with harbor freight is you can guarantee that you can get these tools cheap multiple times through out the year. Been wanting to get a cheaper set of tools for my home. Was looking at these. Checked the website and they had a deal for the charger, 5ah battery, and your choice of Hercules tool including these two. (I went with the hammer drill which I needed) and it was only $125. I think for the price being already cheaper and the fact they run sales on this stuff way more frequently then the major brands its a big win.
Yeah, the sales they now are running (and offering kits) have made them a better value than when the video was made.
They are currently running for 2-3 months where if you buy a 5ah battery with the fast charger you can have the tool for free. I was told that this deal I just referred to will be something that will happen again and again for 2-3 months. I just paid for the 5ah battery, charger and a 1/2" compact impact driver a total of 119.00 which is the price for the battery and charger alone. Something to consider.
That’s a pretty good promo.
Same here. Obviously they really want to get people to check out the new tools because they are still running these after 3 months. They are actually running a sale on the new 4ah battery coming up two for under $100 i think.
Anyone looking to get into this line but doesn't want to do the ala carte piece together method, wait a couple months because they're gonna release kits very soon
If they come out with kits that feature better pricing than a la carted then it’s going to make the value proposition of the whole kit more compelling.
Already a $199 kit…
I like Harbor Freight and am glad they moved to the 5 year warranty for these Hercules Brushless tools. That said, I recently (over the course of about 1 month) purchased 5 FLEX cordless tools, including: Hammer Drill/Driver with Turbo Mode, Impact Driver, 6.5" Inline circular saw, Reciprocating saw and 1.6 gallon vacuum. Along with these 5 tools, I got three 5.0 Ah batteries and one 2.5 Ah battery and 3 chargers. Based on the total out-of-pocket cost for all these tools/batteries/chargers, my average cost per tool was about $137. That includes the batteries and chargers!
AWESOME -- and with the LIFETIME WARRANTY!
Buying on promotions or kits really makes the tools a better value. Right now they have their buy more save more promotion with some other sales going on that can really make the tools a great value.
Flex is a fantastic line. They are beasts and have the best build quality I have ever seen. Flex is worth the premium on high use tools.
The a la carte approach has some pros and cons. Like you pointed out getting into it all at once isn’t flattering. But for someone piecing together tools over time it’s more manageable to nickel and dime it over the course of a year/holidays/birthdays.
In all I feel like this approach is most aimed at kobalt or Ridgid, the type of guy that uses his tools semi frequently and wants good performance, but doesn’t need a massive line, an impact, drill, recip, and circ are probably all they’ll need.
That’s a good way to look at it.
HF has a "Kit" of both these, a charger, and 2-2.5 AH batteries for $200 this week. The small batteries suck but they have 2 5AH batteries for $89 on special too. I'm trying to decide if I want to change to the Hercules from Milwaukee because the batteries are some much cheaper.
They have a $199 kit with everything he bought. He could have looked that up. They also have plenty of sales that always have discounts that allow you to get these tools cheaper. I have 5 Dewalt chargers and 10 batteries from stupid kits…it is getting absurd. Low price bare tools have their merit.
The impact kicks the snot out of Ridgid and Kobalt. Torque test channel had it beating everyone except Flex…
@@mandoreforger6999 when the video was filmed the kits weren’t out yet.
When you buy a tool, battery, and charger at HF it takes $20-30 off the prices depending on brand. Not to mention coupons and the ability to save money not having to buy a battery and charger each time you need a new tool is going to generate quite a cost difference when comparing to other brands. Time will tell how long these will last but on a drill the failure points are typically going to be the bearing or the trigger over time.
When I bought mine, I had to mention that to the cashier. It wasn't ringing up automatically and they ended up calling a supervisor to put it in. I believe they took $20 off.
@@TinkerWithTools I used to work at HF, there were some instances where it wouldn't trigger the sale in the register. Of which i don't remember, maybe what battery was used.. I don't remember any exclusions mentioned in any advertising or fine print/employee knowhow.
I just picked up the Herc impact driver today. $99 for the tool, a battery and a charger. So they are starting to put kits together now. Yes, the battery is only 2.5ah, but it still beats any deal you will get from the Dewalts or Milwaukees of the world. And the performance is about the same as those. And a 5 year walk-in and exchange warranty. With other brands you have to ship it off and wait months for a warranty claim.
Yeah the kits are a welcome addition. The walk in and exchange is a nice perk too with a lot of harbor freights around to be able to do that with.
On the warranty claim front, my experience with several major companies is about 2 weeks if I have to ship it off. I get that is still less convenient but I haven’t experienced something that took longer than that yet.
That's phenomenal 👍🏻 and congratulations you got yourself a good piece a machinery SOLID, enjoy your Hercules.🏁💪🏻 I'll be getting one too.👍🏻
A new HF opened near me and I really like the store. I bought a Merlin air compressor nozzle and I am very impressed, especially for the price.
I use all Hercules stuff working on cars. Stuffs amazing. Never had any issues and the batteries last forever.
It's been a real step up for them.
I’m so sold. The time difference is seconds the price difference is amazing for the buyer. I can’t wait for tomorrow when I can throw my Milwaukees off the roof and in the dumpster
Do the Milwaukees still work?
Tinker With Tools.. Cool review. Curious to see how the drill does against the Ryobi hammer drill. I bought the Ryobi hammer drill, the high torque 1/2 impact (both brushless) with 2 batteries and a charger for $189
Are you talking about the ryobi HP? If so
I have the drill/driver but not hammer drill. Based on specs it’s rated at 2/3 the power of this Hercules so I am not sure it will fair all that well.
@@TinkerWithTools The new hammer drill. It seems to be very strong.
The in-store warranty and the fact that they go out frequently is a huge win for me
Now they have a 100 dollar starter kit with 5ah battery/charger/ and you get to choose between several different tools for a free one of them being the hammer drill thats a pretty solid deal now.
The value is in a store based warranty. Also once you buy a charger, you shouldn’t need to spend $40 again for the next Hercules tool.
EXACTLY. I have so many chargers that it is nuts. I also have WAY more batteries than I ever really need, and it is because I get kits because they gut you on bare tool pricing. I want deals on bare tools too, and at least HF gets it.
I dont trust harbor freight...i had a nice electric chainsaw...worked awesome...had several batteries and a chargers...all at the same time the batteries died in 2 years...COULD BUY NONE...had to throw my lennox tools away that needed a battery only...
I hear lenox was having quality issues, and thats why discontiued them for atlas.@preacher031163
I had bought the impact driver with battery and charger and got a second battery free last year. I just bought the bare tool drill driver for 56.00 after a 20% coupon. I have a couple of Dewalt tools: drill driver and 1/2” impact wrench as well along with a miter saw and table saw. The battery charger sparked and smoked. I decided to go get the Hercules drill while there was a coupon and will look for some holiday special from one of the big box stores to get another battery charger for the dewalt tools. For now since I have the Hercules battery charger and batteries I just went ahead and got a drill to go along with my impact driver to complete the set. Eventually I’ll buy more batteries for the Hercules tools
For Christmas they had a deal buy 2 5 ah batteries get a tool for free. That makes these tools an incredible value.
Yep! the combo kits and logo promos have made them a much better deal than they were initially.
As a Milwaukee user, I’d love it if their clutch had a bit more of a positive click in it like that. I can’t count how many times I’ve accidentally bumped mine into hammer mode or another clutch setting when changing bits and not known it. At least I didn’t know it until the hammer started hitting. 😂
I can’t understand wanting more of that resistance in the Milwaukee but I can promise I wouldn’t want that Chuck adjustment feel on any tool.
@@TinkerWithTools it does sound cheaply made, like it’s about to snap. I think there’s a middle ground somewhere in between the free spin and the gear grinding feel lol.
That's what annoys me about y milwaukee. Super easy to accidentally change the torque ring.
@@Griffinwoodworks agreed
@@TinkerWithTools I was just in harbor freight and decided to look at these and I now know what you’re talking about lol. I felt like I was about to break the thing and the mechanism felt cheap. That’s not something I’d want to feel in my daily driver.
The thing a lot of people seem to forget about harbor freight is there targeted consumers. Most people who huy at harbor freight are buying for maybe side work or diy at home stuff. They have a good amount of stuff that people swear by for professional use. But say you want a good set of power tools for your home shop. Maybe you dont use them everyday, these tools would be a great option. Your gonna pay less still get the warranty and so far they seem to perform pretty close to a lot of the bigger tool companies. Coming from a Milwaukee guy
The warranty is a game changer for these tools. For me it takes them from something that I don't consider or if I do, it's more a one time tool, to something that you could have as a back up or a home use tool and still get good performance. The brushless was a big step up for them.
Im a garage door contractor and on a whim I bought a 20v brush-less impact driver. I've been using it daily, side by side with my Milwaukee equivalent and have had zero issues and honestly can't tell any performance difference between the two. Power seems similar, battery life and recharge speeds are similar. They get dropped several times daily from ladders and missed pockets and don't seem affected. Other than color, I'm not seeing a difference in daily use.
New subscriber here, fantastic video. I love the honest reviews and the clear speak in which you make these videos. Hope to see many years of reviews.
Thanks and welcome to the channel!
It's certainly a step in the right direction, but I feel that the warranty might be one of its biggest selling points. Especially if I can get a DeWalt for a similar price. Maybe they'll try to build a comprehensive lineup over the years?
From what I understand they are banking in this lineup and seem to be working on getting a bigger lineup. Seems like so far the new tools have gotten a lot of positive feedback so i wouldnt be surprised
The drill looks like a Mashup of dewalts dcd800 and makitas xph14, while the impact looks just like milwaukees gen 4. Very sleek!
Thank you tinker! I been pestering you and other channels for some time trials lol, and you even threw in the 4ah well done. I been considering buying both tools and it's nice to finally get an unbiased video for actual performance. There's a few channels that I watch for actual honest testing including you, philly fixed (where's that video Jim!! 🤣) And torque test channel. I know there's more out there just my go to channels. I bought the dcd805 based on your recommendation of the 800, wanted the hammer drill function, it's a great drill your testing doesn't disappoint. I watched torque test channel yesterday the Hercules impact driver equaled the Milwaukee in terms of ft lbs, and was only beaten by the kobalt xtr and flex. I'm going to get the impact driver for sure, I remain unconvinced on the hammer drill/drill driver for now, we'll see. So in your asking what viewers would like to see, I've seen so much on the impact driver to this point IMHO I'd like to see more testing with the drill. Also where's the review of that biscuit joiner you mentioned?? 🤣🤣 JK. Great work love your channel keep it coming!
The torque testing yesterday surprised me a little. The slow motion showing some concerns about the build quality reaffirmed some of my own impressions to. It’s a no brainer at the tool only price if you already have Hercules tools. But time will tell how the long term quality and durability is.
@@TinkerWithTools from what I've seen so far on the impact yes absolutely no brainer if you already have the charger/batteries. I got an unbelievable deal on eBay for a charger with two 5ah and a 4ah battery not long ago, didn't even have any Hercules tools at the time but couldn't pass it up, so yeah I'm off to get that impact today... Not so sure about the drill yet. I really don't need most of the tools I have lol I just collect them, DeWalt, metabo hpt, flex I have all of their hammer drill/impacts, time to give Hercules a look I suppose
@@TinkerWithTools Videos like yours are why we tell people it's important to watch other tests beyond peak torque. Our high speed seems to calculate the Herc at 4200IPM+ and high peak torque, yet shown here doesnt win at everything nonetheless
@Torque Test Channel It's a strong impact for sure and certainly competitive but I keep going back and forth on just how impressed to be by it. Your videos are great by the way. I love how you keep evolving the videos!
great video tinker. I need to pick these up soon
They certainly are a step up for Harbor Freight/Hercules.
Im on the first generation of the Hercules still. Brushed models and a few things brushless like the multi-tool and sawsall. Everything else is brushed. Runs like a champ on all of them. I work construction, my recommendation, get 4 batteries, 2 of the 8Ah and 2 of then 12Ah. Its runs all day on a single charge. Even with the 2gal. shop vac.
Hercules in general was a really good step forward for harbor freight and now with their brushless tools, with a 5 year warranty, it's another big step. Hopefully they keep it up and it continues to be a viable brand.
I'm interested in the impact only. What would compare with this?
The impact is solid but lacks some of the refined build quality in my opinion. It really does compare quite well performance wise, but I have seen it in the upper second tier of impact drivers. I haven't gotten Flex or Milwaukee performance out of it. For the price though, it's does really well.
id like to maybe see them tested with the 12Ah battery from herculese to see if they will have lots more power.
I don’t suspect you would see to big of an increase on the impact. The drill maybe but not worth the weight.
Nice balanced review. I would like to see this line of product up against the other prosumer line-up, like Kobalt, Dewalt, Metoba or Ridgid
Appreciate the future video idea. I'll see what I can do...
What’s your opinion of the Dewalt DCF887?
It’s not a terrible impact but at this point there are 3 other DEWALT impacts I would choose before it let alone all the other companies I would also go to first.
@@TinkerWithTools I’m already invested in some Dewalt tools. I have the DCD777 drill, DCF787 combo. I recently added the DCD800 thanks to your video.
I’m kind of leaning towards Dewalt for a replacement if my 787 ever takes a crap. The 887 is a decent step up, but I’m open to suggestions.
Which Dewalt would you recommend?
The 845 is on sale for $99 right now. The 840 is on sale often for $99. The 850 doesn’t go on sale as much but it is more compact and is offered right at HD with a free power stack kit I believe. All three of these will offer a step up from your 787 but all all newer than the 887.
@@TinkerWithTools Who sells the 845?
Home Depot and acme both have the bare tool for $99
Between the Dewalt DCF840, DCF845 and DCF850, which is your favorite?
At $99 I would probably get the 845 since it tested close to the 840 but you get the speed selector and such. I love the 850 because of the size but it won’t be the fastest of those three.
@@TinkerWithTools I was thinking the same thing.
The tests I watched showed the 887 pretty much keeping up with the 840 and 850. The 845 beat the others.
In my testing I feel the 887 is just a bit behind the 850 but the 840 and 845 are a step up.
About a few months ago, I got a free hammer drill with the purchase of a 5amp battery and charger for $99, then did the same deal a few weeks later but got the skill saw... beat that!
They actually do have kits coming soon includes the tool battery and case
Good to hear.
does this impact driver seem louder than others? I've had people tell me these are louder than models they have tested.
From personal use, nothing jumps out as being significantly louder, but i'll test it with a decibel meeting and report back.
They had a package deal last week (maybe still) for 99.99 for the brushless hammer drill driver PLUS the 8ah battery. I had intended to get the 4ah, but the 8ah package was way cheaper. On top of that, they had the $25 off purchases of $100 or more -- I picked up a plastic funnel set for under $1 to put me over the $100, effectively getting the drill+8ah for $75. I already had the 1/4 impact driver which came with a 2.5ah battery and a 2ah battery and a charger for $99.
Nice score!
I ended up going and getting that deal today minus the $25 coupon. Thanks for bringing it up.
Harbor freight has a deal that if you buy the battery and the charger you get the tool for free
Correct. At the time of the video they didn’t yet have combos but the pricing has gotten better.
Thank you for the fair in depth review on these new Hercules tools! These new tools seem nice, but I find all of these simultaneous and instantaneous glowing "reviews" to be shallow.
Thanks.
what's your thought on the DCF845 vs the Hercules impact?
They are pretty similar in performance to me. The Hercules is a little more rough around the edges as i know they are trying to hit their lower price point. The DEWALT maybe feels a little bit more refined. I would probably end up with the 845 but if value was the main concern I wouldn’t have an issue with the Hercules.
@@TinkerWithTools thank you I already have the DeWalt platform and batteries and I wanted to try the Hercules and felt that the 845 would be the way to go for me after looking at this tool and looking at all my batteries I already own 20v DeWalt it just makes no sense to change unless i want another tool line I don't lol thanks for you videos they do help
Glad they are helpful!
I don't doubt that less expensive tools like these will perform as well as the more expensive brands. What I question is their life expectancy.
they are durable for sure
Well the life expectancy is at least 5 years
Is the impact made in the same factory as Milwaukee impact?
I don’t know for sure but I would guess not as they are completely separate entities. While the hercules is a step up for sure they are not the same level of fit and finish
I have a decked out Milwaukee trailer and am seriously considering changing most of my non specialty tools to Hercules. Milwaukee prices have gotten out of hand.
Not all of their tools are great, but the newer brushless stuff is all decent. These two are pretty great.
I recently bought the Hercules bandsaw and the starter kit 5ah battery and charger. It was only 100$ my Dewalt was over 300$
Great deal!
They have a bundle 1/4 impact driver and 1/2 hammer drill two five amp batteries and charger 219.00
Correct. This video is roughly 2 years old at this point and the pricing and kit availability has gotten a lot better.
How well does it do in automobile looks small an angle plus light
It’s not the smallest on the market but fairly compact for a full size
The tool only purchase along with a battery adapter that allows you to use the Milwaukee/DeWalt or other batteries and chargers you already have with your Hercules tool might make sense.
I’ve never done the battery adapter thing. I know it works but I have never wanted to risk damaging a battery or a tool.
My issue with HF is this...they had a lennox line...i had a saw a blower a weed wacker...all were better than good...went in after a few years to get batteries and they r no more...had to throw away 3 good tools cause of NO BATTERIES...how do we know they wont do the same with other stuff?
I think in the past they have been pretty quick to cycle through brands. But at this point they have now had the brand for close to 7 years. In that time we have seen improvements and new models of tools. And with their move to brushless tools they are now backing those tools with a 5 year warranty. So I understand the hesitation on other lines of their tools but given all that I just mentioned the Hercules tools seems to be in a different class than there previous offerings.
From my impression of this tool based on all the channels that have tested and reviewed the Hercules particularly the impact driver it’s evident that it’s only as good as whatever battery your using, definitely increases in performance as the batteries go up in AH
That can be said with more drills. I feel like they are more influenced by the size and type of battery. Moving up to the 4ah and 5ah batteries from Hercules will improve the performance
If you don't have the time or patience for a sale and you WANT to buy everything separately it adds up, sure. Harbor Freight has kits (maybe not at time of review) 2AH battery, 4 amp rapid charger and brushless drill/driver $97.99 standard price and currently they are running a sale (4/3/24 been going since January I believe), 4 amp rapid charger, 5AH battery, and bare tool for $99. Not to mention the over the counter no questions asked in store warranty. I've bought my last yellow tool and battery for sure. Not red though Bauer fills a few holes in the Hercules lineup and like you I have several HF's around me, another on the way to work and another around the corner from work.😊
You are right, when they first came out and when this review was done, combo kits or even sale pricing was not an option. Since the making of the video the pricing model has become more beneficial.
I like Harbor Freight. They have some good stuff and some not so good stuff. You kinda get a sense of what's what there....
I agree with you.
that impact driver has 450 inch pounds of nut busting torque pretty amazing with a 1/2 in adapter. plus they are running a special buy a charger and 5hr batt for 89.99 and get a free tool. no brainer with 5 yr warranty thats the best bang for the buck
are you in columbia sc
No I am in Utah.
They have cordless combos with batteries and chargers with additional 20 percent coupons. Js
Yep they have now come out with the combos making it a little cheaper to get the tools. Wish they would’ve done it early on but I guess that’s my early adopter tax.
I just bought what you have and paid $97 for the impact driver with charger and battery with a free 2nd battery and the drill had the same deal for $79 lol so 2 tools 2 chargers and 4 batteries for well under 200
Nice score! The promo's have made the pricing much more appealing!
@@TinkerWithTools for sure i am replacing my old and trusty Ryobi power tools they have about 9yrs of use on the batteries so i think its time before they leave me hanging but i can't complain. I've had dewalt batteries die in under a year!
Hercules was really a step up for Harbor Freight. I hope that they keep developing the line. Right now the core tools are decent but I want to see them take the same leap with other drills they have. Plus the warranty now will protect against failures, giving you peace of mind.
@@TinkerWithTools Yeah the warranty is why I went with Hercules VS the Bauer line
These go on sale for 99 for the drill, charger and 5ah battery
I want to add one major con about the drill.
The auxiliary handle only grabs one point on each side of the body, which is identical to the Kobalt design.
I actually saw pictures of a couple of Kobalt drills that had broken where the handle grabs when I was reading the reviews.
I would expect that the Hercules has the same vulnerability in higher torque scenarios.
Yeah it’s not the greatest handle. It seems it would be something simple but there are a lot of bad auxiliary handles in my opinion.
@@TinkerWithTools in my opinion, do you, Walt, Bosch and Makita have the best auxiliary handles.
Those three are pretty stout but makita takes the care for me. They have a nice handle. The Bosch is stout but I don’t love it’s clamping method. Once it’s on it’s fine. The DEWALT is also fine but sometimes it’s not the smoothest to put on in my opinion and the one that was on the 996 wasn’t long enough.
@@TinkerWithTools I saw another video that said the same thing about the 996. The 998 and 999 are better. I was referring to the fact that the handle wraps around the body instead of just clamping to a couple of places.
Correct. The 998 and 999 made the handle more appropriately sized for the tool
Hercules charger and battery for $119 and get the tool free for a limited time.
I agree with alot of your comments. HF has improved tremendously in the last 2-3 years. I purchased the latest 1/4 impact driver and I was impressed. I then purchased the 1/2" impact wrench and then the newest ultra torque 3/4" These are definitely in the same class as DeWalt and Milwaukee, but lack the build quality, balance and smooth delivery of power that Makita offers. These are are a class above Ryobi and Rigid in my opinion. I've had them ALL and while Makita has been, and continues to be, my top choice, I cannot call the Hercules line @ HF junk anymore. They have really changed the game, especially in that price sector.
I appreciate you sharing your experience!
Now you can get the HERCULES 20V Brushless Cordless 1/2 in. Drill/Driver Kit with a free 4.0ah extreme performance battery (a $70 value) for $97.99. Hard bundle and deal to beat.
If you pair that with the other deal they have where you get the impact driver and the 8ah battery for $99, you get a combo kit with three or 4 batteries of varying sizes for sub 200. not a bad deal.
they come in kits now for 89.99
The kits are with the smaller batteries though not with the batteries tested here.
It's HF so tools are always on sale. Right now you can get the impact and hammer drill for $99. Also the 4ah extreme battery for free when you buy a kit, which one option is the 5ah + charger. So you could have the impact, hammer drill, 4ah extreme, 5ah extended and charger for $220. That starts sounding a lot more like HF, especially when you consider that these may not be ultra premium jobsite tools, but they are arguably jobsite level tools.
Nice breakdown of the pricing man. It’s funny how the marketing will make you believe best value at $69😂. Yeah but you need the charger you need a couple batteries etc etc. I’m not knocking Hercules at all those tools look to be top performance category but when the Flex kit is $350, the m18 is $349 to $399, the XGT can be bought on Amazon for $349 or even online retailers with the $100 rebate. The Hercules doesn’t look so attractive then price wise. But to each their own. If you rock harbor freight buy it but for my money definitely better options
Well said man!
There is a $199 kit.
@@mandoreforger6999 there is now😂
The Hercules line is great. Most consumers are building structures or working full time as a mechanic. So these are great for all other uses. Why not ?
Can't compare milwaukee on sale and not hercules. Right now you can get either of those tools with battery and charger for $97.
When the video was made there were no sales on the Hercules but you are right that now they are a better deal.
@@TinkerWithTools right but then he shouldn't have listed the sale price of the milwaukee. Everyone know harbor freight will have sales
My only complaint with the Hercules line is they cost about the same as DeWalt but you don’t have the complete line also with DeWalt the batteries are often cheaper.
you probably know by now but they sell these in kits/ 2amp battery,charger and tool for 97$
Yep. They came out a little over a month after the video. Would’ve been nice to have them from the get go but I am glad they have them now.
Excellent point about the total price. $340 is very close to a Milwaukee hammer drill/impact drill Gen 4 with 2 batteries when on sale. I’d choose Milwaukee over Hercules for sure.
👌👌
Just got the impact, drill, charger, and 2 batteries for $199.
There is a $199 kit with the hammer drill and impact with charger and 2 batteries. He could have easily looked that up. You won’t get 2 M18 Fuel tools that cheap. I just bought the Impact at 20% off with a coupon and 2x2.5ah batteries for $44.95 for both. That comes to about $111 total. I also have 6 tools in the the Flex line, and many in Dewalt XR and Atomic, so I have standards. These are in the same league on power. I would say “fit and finish” lags Flex, but is on par with Dewalt 20v Max line and some XR tools. The impact is more powerful than anything Dewalt has.
@@mandoreforger6999 had no idea man. So at the time of this video they offered a kit for $199? I must not have looked into it that deep cause I was just seeing bare tool. But that’s great and a hell of a deal considering what your getting. Hercules really shot for the fences on these 2. Very impressed by both tools
@@IMPACT-NATION they had it in their website, fliers and on in store signs since almost the beginning of the year once the tools were in stock. It is not a distinct box, you just grab each of the tools and items and you get the price.
The funny thing is Hercules tools you can just walk in the store and exchange good luck with that on Milwaukee lol
Got mine on sale today for $95 with 2 batteries and a charger
Yeah the sales they are running now are pretty great.
I was tired of beating my personal. Milwaukee tools for work so just picked up some hercules. $250 for the drill/driver combo with 2 5ah batteries, charger, and you get the 4AH 21700 for free. My main idea is, when I break it I just have to drive 30 minutes, get a new one, go back to work. I have never had good luck with Milwaukee warranty.
I use ryobi impact and drill in my small woodshop. After all of the research and testing that I've watched, when the money permits, I will definitely move into Makita. Their quality and longevity, in my eyes, sets them apart from the rest.
The impact especially are top notch in refinement and ergonomics in my opinion. I have had to warranty a drill from makita but it was replace with no fuss.
Don’t do it! Get more for less with Hercules
the 8ah is probably a good idea if you're doing hard work with this drill, at this price point the only things that are better are top end 40v makitas and the newest dewalt
I went to go pick it up today just to consider doing a follow up of these tools, but they were sold out at that store I went to. Another day I guess.
Both come with a battery and charger for $100 now, plus current promotion..you get an extra battery for free with either kit.
Yep a good deal for the holidays.
I was very surprised with the Hercules 20v HCB81B impact driver it has a lot of power way better than the DCF845 and way cheaper to
It has been working well so far.
Bought the hercules 20v brushless impact drill kit which includes a charger and battery. They had a sale on 2.5amp batteries. 2 for 50. Spent a total on $160 for everything. Just saying.
Yes the kits and sales have made them a better value than they were at launch.
I just wanted to comment on the title. Harbor Freight doesn’t make tools.
I wouldn’t doubt that Hercules is made by one of the major companies like Chervon or SBD.
I’ve also heard that Harbor Freight is really good about honoring their warranty.
By the way, the Dewalt DCD800 doesn’t have kickback control, and it does have enough power to where it would really help.
You are correct... but "Does Harbor Freight contract an unknown third party to make great tools?" just didn't sound as catchy on the thumbnail.
@@TinkerWithTools lol
Just SPENT$450 on these Tools with the best battery s the 4 and 8 AMP 21700 cell and the DUEL CHARGER a bag and Extras the chuck is loud when you turn it for different Speeds made the 2200 inch pounds Impact Spit GREASE made the Drill DRIVER over heat and had to switch Battery
What were you doing when it spit grease. I have some future torture testing videos coming up and so I want to be sure I test a variety of things
I agree on the drill Chuck. That was the worst quality bit for me.
thats because you dont know how to use a good power tool the right way....
@@nodoubt46able I have been using power tools and heavy landscaping EQUIPMENT for over 40 years
@@TinkerWithTools I have a UA-cam channel I tested both the drill driver and the impact Driver
What’s the channel name. I’ll give it a watch.
As hf increases quality across the Hercules line, spending the money up front for the batteries and charger isn't that big of a deal. It will pay off next time you need a tool and Hercules is half the price of the big name brands. As long as everything has a 5 year warranty, of course.
That’s is something they have in favor of the other brands. Where the other brands win is in the different sales or promotions that they run. Harbor freight will typically exclude Hercules from sales
Charger, drill, and battery kits are available. At a better price, then buying them individually
Correct they have since released kits but at the time of the video, that was the only option that I had.
IDK the deals they had a year ago, but I bought maybe half the collection in 2-3 months because of their 2 tools for $99. Grinder/sawzall - Drill/impact driver - 3/8"impact/paddle switch grinder. That's 6 tools for $300. Also got a 5Ah/charger starter kit for $99. Port-a-bandsaw, circular saw and 8Ah I paid full price for. Competitive tools, 5 year warranty, great buying deals, I'm all set for my winter job as a millwright. Of course all the Milwaukee guys will make fun of me, but last winter I had to use their tools as I only had hand tools then, now I at least have my own shit.
Yeah, the initial pricing wasn't that big of an incentive but this year they have really ramped it up with the promotions, kits and other stuff. As for the Milwaukee guys - I would pick Milwaukee if I could only have a single platform - I say use what works for you and your budget. We are lucky to live in a time where we have good budget options like Hercules where you achieve performance that isn't far behind the best of the best but at a fraction of the cost.
@@TinkerWithTools if not for the cheap Hercs, I'd still be using my old B&D Matrix at home, and the Milwaukee guys tools at work. Using other people's tools at work is humiliating. I guess using Herc tools is less humiliating, lol. Thanks for the vid and your honest opinions!
I can understand that feeling. I used to have to borrow tools a lot and then I developed the tool addiction if you will. Having capable tools opens a world of possibilities.
You can get the drill and driver combo with 2 5ah batteries and charger for $220
Finally a video that doesn’t sing it’s praises at every turn. Thank you for your objectivity and honest assessment.
They are better than I expected. If you are on the Hercules platform already this could be a welcome and relatively inexpensive way to get competitive performance.
forget it at that price i will get milwaukee fuel combo for $349 there top of the line, or even better at the end of the year home depot have super deal. anyway nice video
Keep in mind this video is fairly old now. They do have better pricing and even combo kits out now that make it a more compelling value.
$190 for both units a 5ah battery and charger now. Price, product and warranty can't be beat. Throw in another 5ah battery for a total of 270.
Yep the value has gotten better as they have introduced better deals on pricing and even kits now.
I watched the video where they compared the Hercules impact driver to every impact driver on the market and Hercules would win every time
I’ve seen those videos too. All I can say is that my Hercules impact driver won’t beat the top impact drivers but is certainly competitive with that next step down. You can do a lot worse for the money.
A good impact driver paired with an underwhelming drill.
It’s very reminiscent of Ridgid.
I think that the brand in general is headed in the right direction... but not ever tool is a world beater. But for the price and the warranty, they certainly are a great low cost alternative.
@@TinkerWithTools The new Ridgid set is on sale now.
That’s the newest hammer drill paired with the 4 mode impact driver. I think it comes with two batteries, a charger and a hard case. It’s $299, but I think the Dewalt 998 is better.
The Ridgid LSA is a great warranty.
I do think Hercules is getting more competitive, especially with their impact wrenches.
Who pays full price at Harbor Freight?
When this video was made, the tools were brand new and there were no sales, promotions, coupons etc that could be used for them. Now you can take advantage of promotions and the kit prices that have brought down that entry price.
@@TinkerWithTools Ahhh, I understand.
No hammer drill test on concrete?
I mentioned in the video but I purchased the drill driver inadvertently and not the hammer drill.
@Amazon:
DeWalt DCD 800 P1 Drill/Driver Kit: $187.00
Contains:
Drill/Driver; (1) DCB205 20V MAX* 5Ah Battery; DCB112 Charger; Kit Bag; Belt Hook.
3 year limited warranty.
Another great video. You bring up a good point about the actual value of the tools once you buy batteries and a charger to make it competitive with other tool kits. I think these are a great value if you already have hercules batteries and a charger. But if you don't, I think it makes more sense to spend an extra $60 on a milwaukee or makita kit. EVen though hercules has the 5 year warranty, I don't trust the quality as much as I do milwaukee or makita especially.
Well said. It’s not that they are bad tools but I have concerns about how they will hold up. I have a torture test video of sorts to see how they respond coming up.
@@TinkerWithTools I also saw on torque test channel that he did a slow motion of the Hercules impact and it looked like it was about ready to fall apart. Look forward to seeing your torture test, should be interesting.
I wasn't going to say anything, but yes. @Man Caver Tools might be able to put together a test that could proper break these
Nice review and commentary, for me it’s not even close, Dewalt DCD800 all day every day !! Thanks
Yeah when they is a comparison point I have a hard time leaning the way of Hercules. But if you have Hercules batteries and just want an upgrade. It would be hard to say no.
@@TinkerWithTools True but your DIYer and tradesman are more likely to have Dewalt batteries on hand than Hercules, the DCD800B tool only is $129 on Amazon now, that’s only $60 more for a proven and much better pro quality tool. Also what brand of cells are HF using? That would be a good future video if you can disassemble the HF battery to see which cells they are using. I’m actually a Makita guy, they may not be the fastest and strongest tools on the market but the smoothness, ergonomics and precision of Makita tools are amazing, just my .02, thanks for taking the time to make these videos that sparks dialogue.
@@lawdog516 ive got over 15 grand in makita cordless...they really are the most well built, refined toole ever made.....ive got some over 10 years old, still going strong.....
@@nodoubt46able I’m not that bad but my wife says I’m one Makita away from sleeping in the garage, mmmmm sounds like a win win for me !!! LOL
Drill- Packedge in typical box, came with a tool bag (added bonus), two batteries, one charger, drill, and driver. Two words "plenty of Torque" ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxW1vOBRCMrgTCDEijzpVzDWsgI-Jm2iQv well I guess that's three. Nice upgrade from current setup. Has belt clips, I don't think I will be using those. Driver and drill were bigger than what I expected but it is an upgrade from the current setup. For the money I would say that this is a great setup for Professionals and DIY/Weekend warriors.