People don’t want to cope with the fact a similarly productive tool can compete with something they spent 2 or 3x on.

Love it. The Harbor Freight hate is over the top sometimes. I've owned one of their corded impact wrenches for almost 15 years and it still does everything I need it to. I think it was only $20 or $30 too. I understand the appeal of the fancier, higher quality stuff...but it just isn't in the cards for all of us. Thanks for the video!

My favorite thing about HF is I can try out all kinds of tools. If I use it enough to break/wear out, I’ll replace with an upgraded brand. If I don’t use it much…. not a big investment wasted.

The most impressive thing is that the socket adapter lasted that long

I want a ring tone that says 🎶 WARRANTYYYY and text tone that says “that’s real nice like”

Solid evidence that HF is working to improve their image and offer higher quality tools at a damn good price point. I started out with Bauer, wasn't really satisfied so I switched to Ryobi. If I had it to do over again, I'd put my money in Hercules- they have really stepped up their game.

People that talk smack on other brand tools are the same people that can only see the good in what they have. Their tools do no wrong, and their sports teams are always right even if they lose. One fine day I had a job building storage containers, like PODS but different. The contract had flopped twice since the 2 crews before me couldn't produce them with profit. My buddy got the contract and called for help. I met one of the guys who tried, he laughed at my Ryobi tools. I said," What is funny is I took the cheapest impact and drill that Ryobi offered and a helper with a learning disability, built 2 boxes in 3 days, when your crew couldn't build one in a week..with your high dollar tools. Step off, kick rocks and STFU! SKILLS SON!!! " Lol!! I appreciate your reviews! Give em hell!

The truth is no one tool brand or even manufacturer of multiple brands has a monopoly on building good tools, no matter the price. I personally don't care what the name on the tools says as long as it gets the job done quickly, accurately, and easily. Period. I use my tools to make me money. If I can do that at a lesser cost and still do it reliably, all the better for me. Yes, I have multiple brands... Harbor Freight to Festool and everything in between. I love them all because it's how I pay my bills and support my family.

For the diy homeowner these are great tools but I've even known guys that used them daily in auto and heavy diesel repair and they did great! Every tool has a different designation it's designed for and its up to YOU to know what YOU'RE going to be using them for

Imagine what the next door neighbors are saying about all the noise and then seeing one piece of wood with all those bolts in it lol

With a five-year warranty, that's really saying a lot. I would totally buy this product. Thanks for the information.

What I've always liked about the HF tools is their customer service, if it breaks they've given me a new tool or a refund. Good stuff, have their nail guns and multi tool. Loved this test. Wilber

Fyi ... this is even on sale FOR $69. Can't beat that price

When I bought my 1st home, all my renovations were the result of Harbor Freight tools and I still have several of them going strong with no issues. I switched to Ryobi because they kept discontinuing the batteries. After my 2nd set of drills, saber saws, circular saws being trashed because there no batteries for them, even though the tools were fine, I changed to the guys who've kept the same battery design for 20+ yrs

I am glad that Harbor freight is moving to make better tools and it is impressive for the return on the investment.

This is good news even for brand loyalists imo - competition is good for the consumer. Solid budget options will push "premium" brands to improve

Genuine reviews like this is what we need. I used to watch VCG Construction do their Tool Test Raw series but they are biased against HF. I want Vince to show his large base what Hercules is up to but he won't. He wants his base to buy expensive Flex instead. Maybe he's afraid of getting laughed at by carpenters for sporting HF. I dunno, but anyway, I bought this brushless Herc based on reviews like this and I am not disappointed. My M12 Fuel impact is on the backburner while I break this thing in. I decided to sell another line of Prosumer tools I had to buy in to the Hercules brushless line and the 7 1/4" saw is equally awesome as the brushless recip saw. I can't imagine why there is so much hate for a brand that is obviously shooting for the pro category at Prosumer prices. Literally, Craftsman vs Hercules is no contest at this point. It's more like Milwaukee vs Hercules. And that seems to be where HF has their sights aimed at. I can't justify M18 prices when Hercules has a carbon copy for a fraction with the batteries and warranty to back it up. Haters gon hate, till these have shown the test of time and beyond.

The reason some folks dont want to see other brands do well is because they have their ego wrapped up in the brand they own. Its just like the ford vs chevy guys or the HD vs Japanese bikes, etc etc.

My very favorite tool brand is makita(and dewalt probably). It doesn't matter how much stronger Harbor, Flex or something else are because it only can push the others to do better and don't forget that it's a competitive market. (Wrote it before watching)

Clint bro im glad i caught this video on my lunch break. Seems like the brushless Hercules is the real deal! I think a lot of people don’t know that Harbor Freight is not a manufacturer, what they are is a distributor. The factories in China that manufacture Harbor Freight tools probably manufacture tools for name brand companies as well.

Yeah bro the haters that come to say dumb stuff is mind-blowing. Keep doing you man. We true fans truly appreciate all you do

I've been following your recent HF stuff and I picked up on a couple things. 1. You are not a HF fan boy and 2. You were legitimately surprised by how well the tools did. I would also say that you may have been a little shocked and slightly disappointed that they didn't crash and burn right away. Your tests are genuine and honest. There's no BS on your channel, and Hercules is a legit competitor against the big brands.

I had a 14" HF chop saw. I used it hard to build a flatbed for my pickup. After a month, all of the factory installed smoke came out of it. I replaced it with a DeWalt. That was 15 years ago, it still works great. I had a 4.5" 110 volt grinder. It worked fine, but it fell off of my welding table, and broke in half. I replaced it with a DeWalt. It is still working well 8 years later, and it has fallen off the bench a time or two, with only the disc being hurt. I also have several other HF tools, and they work just fine. All of my battery tools are Ryobi 18 volt, and I have so much invested in batteries, that I will stick with it. No issues with the Ryobi batt tools either. My 1/2" IR air impact self destructed about 3 years before I was going to retire. (Heavy Equipment Mechanic) I bought an Earthquake 1/2" air impact, and it never failed me. I have four HF 1/4" die grinders that I have had for 25 years. I do not use them much any more, but they all still work just fine. I have zero issues with what HF sells. My philosophy is, if a HF fails, then I will upgrade, but not until it does fail. I like your channel!

I have both dewalt and Hercules impact drivers and love them both , they both work equally well , would buy both again.

👍 I love it when these overpriced tools get some serious shade! Well done.

In my experience, those that can only say negative things are brand tramps.

I bought the $40 impact driver a few years ago. Lacks some sinking power but is great to have with the 2.5 ah battery. Used it today in fact. I have used and abused the hammer drill brushed model. It’s probably 6 years old now and needs a new chuck now but still getting it done. For homeowners these tools are great. And harbor freight is a lot closer than Home Depot

Man, how people think it's easier to make VFX on video than it is to drive lag screws in 6x6 blows my mind lol

People are just miserable and want to hate on things because maybe what they have isn't as good or what they have is more expensive but if I didn't already have the gen 4 milwaukee kit before when this came out and seen what it could do I would have saved a lot of money and bought the Hercules. Great video bro 👍

Just want to say from one Ohio guy to another I appreciate all your content and what you do for the tool community.

Nice “shut the front door” to the naysayers video, I luved it! Lol

It was a very tough test because normally a person would certainly drill pilot holes for that type of lag bolt!

Just goes to show, there are some good tools at HF. I enjoy your honest reviews.

Never doubt Clints honesty, no pilot hole = no pilot hole. Still a very weird tool tip tuesday...

I’ve burnt up a few makitas on lag bolts 😂 this is equally impressive but my personal main lineup are black and yellow great content 💯

These tools are really impressive. Myself and my crew have been using the 'Waulkee' line and they are awesome. I bought many of the brushless Hercules tools and there is very little difference between both brands. The batteries last. The 20 volt vacuum has a 120vAC cord. The circular saw and multi tool are good too. Buy the impact and test for oneself. I did a blind test with my coworker using the 'Waulkee' and Hercules impact. They actually guessed wrong. They even feel the same in the hand. Great video.

These new brushless Hercules tools are phenomenal. I don't have a horse in this race - I'm a casual DIYer who came across your channel b/c I was reviewing rolling tool kits that I use for my photography business - but I love watching the tool wars in the comments! HF has raised their game and I am considering buying some Hercules brushless when my original Ryobi tools finally die.

I’m very impressed…HF came a long way. Just imagine having to put them in with a ratchet

I work in an RV factory, The Makita owners are always slamming the Milwaukee owners and vise a versa. Don't even get me started on DeWalt. I think it's just human nature

One of the neatest tools I have from HF is the Warrior drill. It is very inexpensive and comes with a little charger . It is very lightweight so it's great to use overhead one handed. In addition, when I was doing a big project and my Ryobi ran out of juice, I grabbed my Warrior and finished the whole job. The batteries last a long time. I have since bought two more, - one for my craft room and one for my garden shed.

It really doesn't get any more no nonsense than this. Solid honest review and I love that you take on a commenter's challenge. Subscribed.

As we all know there are products out there that maybe higher quality but you are also going to pay for the name. That HF impact driver is is a good tool at a great every day price. Thanks for the honest review.

Just to make a positive comment, I normally heat my lag bolts and dip them in wax to give a super thin coating of wax. They will fly into the wood and help make the wood in contact with the lag to harden and strengthen the attachment location. They will not walk out over time but are a little easier to remove at any disassembly time that may be required. Just saying……. Good vid, thanks.

For you Clint and all the haters, I smoked a High end Makita Drill, yes using larger bits and thicker material than it was made for. So any tool can be smoked if used beyond it's means/design. I'm a massive Makita 18v & 40v fan boy and slowly adding a few select Milwaukee tools as well. The fact that it was very hot to the touch and was continuing to work says a bit more than my Makita Drill that got hot, then started smoking and stopped working a minute later speaks volumes for the Hobo Freight impact. Keep up the good work Clint.

Ya you did over 30 lag bolts, but if you did ONE MORE 😂 Awesome job showing what HF is putting out. I appreciate your effort and time you took to do the test.

Great review, I just wish companies used a standard battery connection. I would 100% get this if I wasn't already invested into the Yellow and Red brand.

I bought the whole line and I used them on the deck of a ship doing salvage in -24° ... Not one failure in my kit but a few from other brands.

Im impressed it put a couple in without a pilot hole. Batteries are awesome nowadays.

Clint, did that treated six-by-six have pilot holes?! Just kidding of course, I appreciate your tenacity in accepting the challenge. Great video, thank you!!! 🤠👍💯

That was pretty impressive. I wouldn't do that with my dewalt or Milwaukee stuff without pilot holes for these type of lags. I probably wouldn't even use a 1/4 driver anyway.

I built my kids treehouse start to finish with Bauer tools from harbor freight. I'm not a pro carpenter, or mechanic. I'm a lower middle class DIY dad. Affordability is the name of the game. If I can get a great product, for MY needs, at a price I can afford, and it does the job I need done, I'm happy. Spending thousands on a complete Milwaukee, DeWalt, whatever top tool brand arsenal is not in my budget. I don't need them for work. I don't need them to perform their task constantly from 6 am to 5 pm day after day. So, HF tools fill that gap for me. Simple as that.

I have a Harbor Freight Central Machinary bench top drill press that I purchased around 15 years ago. I’ve used that thing to drill through every thing from wood, copper, steel, ceramic tiles, glass block and more. The only problem I’ve had with it was the depth stop broke and the head got tweaked when some movers did not pack it properly. I readjusted the head and got it realigned properly and currently have plans to make a replacement for the piece that Brock on the depth stop. It is still going strong after 15 years.

I bought the impact driver, drill, and ultra torque and honestly have been very happy these new tools and prices with the 5 year warranty. Really just beautiful example of capitalism doing its thing and making more competitive tools.

I wished Canada had Harborfreight, it would be nice to give Lowes and Home Depot some competition. A very good unbiased follow-up to your previous video.

Thanks for the vid. I worked installing satellite dishes from 2015-2017. In most cases, the satellite dish got mounted to the roof with 6 lag bolts: two 1/4" x 3" and four 1/4" x 2.5". The long bolts had to hit a truss every time, while the other 4 went into roof sheathing alone. I used a Milwaukee impact driver that I got on special. It came in a kit: drill, driver, charger and 2 batteries for $200. I estimate that I installed over 1,100 dishes in those 2 years, and the Milwaukee drove every single bolt. No pilot holes, no help. That's over 2,000 lag bolts into solid wood framing. More than 4,000 bolts into sheathing. It also drove all the screws for the cable clamps, screws for switch plates, and anything else that came up in typical 12-hour day. The driver and drill were mission critical, and if they had failed, I'd have gone home without pay. They never failed. They worked in good weather, bad weather, rain and 105 deg. temps (120 deg. temps if I was in an attic). I was enormously impressed. The driver was already a couple years old when I started that job. It had already built a small deck and got used for remodeling around the house when I wasn't working. By the end, the driver was a little looser than I'd like, so I replaced it with a Bosch and gave the Milwaukee stuff to my nephew. Both the drill and driver and both batteries still work to this day. I have no doubt the driver could drive a bunch more lags, if needed. Okay, your HF drove twenty-five 3/8" x 6" bolts. That's a tall order, but still, my Milwaukee drove 6,000 bolts, plus a bunch more. My Milwaukee drove fast, right to the end. Your HF is clearly struggling to get that last inch. Better yet, my Milwaukee was a trim package. The body was small and the nose was tapered. I could get it into places that your bulky HF model wouldn't fit. I'm not a tool snob, and I own a LOT of HF tools. They are great for DIYers puttering around the house. But when it comes to mission-critical tools that have to work all day, every day; tools that have to be comfortable and adaptable; tools that have to take a lot of abuse and not complain... I don't buy HF.

Low Price options force competitors to look at the value of their more expensive products.

A solid tool is a solid tool no matter who makes it or where it's sold!

No worries Clint, keep it coming... There will always be haters and there is nothing you need to justify to anyone.

I was in a pinch at a job when I left my DeWalt batteries at the shop to hang some drywall on a job. A HF was up the street, ran in and bought a little 12v drill/driver to get me to lunch time so I could get back to the shop and grab my DeWalt batteries. After working the cheap HF driver for hours, I didn't go back for my batteries. That damn thing is still running to this day. I use it at least 2 times a week on various things from running screws to drilling holes. That was 1997. That was the best $12 I ever spent.

One of the problems with Harbor Freight is they sell a lot of items that are factory rejects like their cheap belt sanders, the only thing wrong with them is they are assembled incorrectly and if you know what you are doing you can fix them yourself and get a great deal in the process!

Seems like a good tool... the hammer sounds annoying, but it works, idk what the issue is?

Wow Clint you are a master illusionist! I almost believed you actually drove all those lags without switching over to the Milwaukee!

People want to justify paying for expensive things by slamming cheaper things. It’s lame.

I’ll admit it…. Awesome real world torture test cuzbo!

This video earned a sub and like from me. Even though you can tell all those holes were clearly photoshopped and scaled up from their true size. I could tell those lag screws were actually only 1/32" lag screws and not really 1/2”, that was an amazing job of CGI. I wish you could make me look that good

Do 26 lag bolts and ill be impressed 🤪

Slowly transitioned from DeWalt XR to Hercules brushless over the past two months. I'm more than impressed. I am an industrial plumber and remodel houses on the side. The batteries imo are amazing

Haters hate. I have three cordless impact drivers of different sizes - two are hex output and the largest is a standard 1/2" square drive output. Also have 1/4", 3/8", 1/2" & 3/4" drive pneumatic impact guns. The test you just demonstrated is way more than I would ever subject a hex drive impact gun to - what I"m saying is that thing is a BEAST. To handle that level of abuse is impressive. So much BS out there on the internet, one must be careful on which to believe. HF has definitely upped their game. I have a couple of their tool chests in my shop and they are top notch. As well I picked up one of their Predator 9500W inverter generartors and built up a pressure washer with their new 459cc engine on it. Same engine in the 9500W generator BTW. All perform very well - for the HF price point the ROI is the best out there. HF is definitely legit these days Good video dude!

I can confirm this use as i hung 34 solar panels on my house using the same impact tool and 1/4" lag bolts 8 for each panel. Wore out a few batteries but tool never quit

Great timing for me.. My Milwaukee angle grinder crapped out.. so maybe I'll try HF. Can't have enough angle grinders

This is the best impact i have ever used… puts my dewalts to shame… hate when my herc battery tuns out and i have to grab the dewalt 850…. 10x the impact then any of dewalts

I am an HVAC contractor and have been using Milwaukee tools all my life. They have many specialty tools, tube cutter,all thread cutter, crimper, PVC cutter and the list goes on. Their battery prices are insane. With the new battery adapters and the sale going on that you buy 2 5 amp hour batteries and get any Hercules tool for free and the batteries are the same Samsung cell. I now own 12- 5 amp hour Hercules batteries and 6 new tools. Their tools are every bit as good as Milwaukee, some I like better. Still I need the specialty tools Milwaukee makes so a simple battery adapter on ebay for 20 bucks does the trick.

Nice Milwaukee socket adapter. I use what works more than what brand it is. Nicely done!

These are special effects lag screws made of paper mache that dissolve and leave just the cap! Seriously, I know some things from HF are not great, but a good number are. Bought the Hercules Sliding Compound miter saw, and it was less that 1/10 degree off true straight out of the box. Conversely, I just bought the Dewalt Track Saw and the track and the packaging were crap. The design is such that you can't get the track to support the start and inns of the cut on a full sheet. Even the instructions were printed in a jacked up method. Don't let brand snobbery either stop you from getting a decent deal, or cause you to make exceptions for a low quality product just because it matches the rest of your tools.

I have that same drill I got when they first came out. I have had it for about five or six years. A great drill. Keep up the good work.

Thank you as always. Internet trolls don't deserve a response.

They don’t want Dewalt and Milwaukee to look bad. These Hercules and Ryobi one are absolutely all 5e home owner needs

Thing is, even if harbor freight out performed every other tool and came with a lifetime warranty on every tool, at a quarter of the price, people would still cry about some bs.

Still using a Chicago power buffer daily the last 15 years on boat gelcoats, works just as good as out $350 buffers. The key is to do lubrication maintenance on harbor freight power tools

I used their trim router on a project. It worked well, then the retaining screw for height adjustment stripped out. I'll figure out how to fix that. Tape worked in the interim.

I have 4 of the Hercules tools from HF I absolutely love them the first one I got was the impact driver like you have there but after breaking the 1/4" hex drive bits several times rendering the impact useless to me I finally bought their 1/2" brushless impact driver and I love it even more ! I also have the recopicating saw that I have never run the battery dry on yet these things are far superior to anything else on the market in terms of power and battery life I would recommend them to anyone !

6 lag bolts is pretty impressive, and she just keeps going

Harbor Freight tools, have helped me in big binds at a low cost some last and some don't.

you are breaking the safety rule "DO NOT FEED THE TROLLS"

The only problem that I have with HF is that HF is no longer a budget place to shop for the average guy. Coupons are mostly gone and the club is a waste of money if you don't shop often. Lowes and Home Depot are actually a better deal on most tool items. With that said, HF is a good place for some but not for all like it use to be. Keep the great videos coming!

I bought one of these over 4 years ago I built a house we used over 4000 -10 x 3.5 inch wood screws also 12inch 5/16 lag screws over 4 dozen I also use it to mount tires on GM and ford trucks and cars mostly with 3/4 and 13/16 inch lugs when I recheck with a torque wrench that any mechanic worth a dam should always no matter what there are working on they are torque to 40 to 45 ft lbs every time with a charged battery.. also used it on 6x6 landscaping lumber to build a retaining wall I used over 2 hundred 12 inch stainless 5/16 lag bolts never pre drilled any hole on any lag bolts I also use it to dissemble and assemble crossmember bolts and mount bolts leaf spring bolt’s .I’m a professional mechanic for over 35 years still everything get checked with a torque wrench it’s still going strong .🎉

I used to hate on Harbor Freight power tools. But over the last year and a half I've picked up some Bauer 20v tools to do some projects around the house on a very tight budget. And you know what, I've been continuously impressed with them. Unless its something that they don't make and I need it for right now, I'll continue to use my Harbor Freight and avoid those high priced brands.

I have the Bauer version and it hasn’t failed me yet I built a 10 by 10 porch with one 5ah battery I was impressed

I use HF tools ,a LOT,as a mechanic'autobody repairman. My first mig welder lasted 9yrs(Mig 151),and the Mig 170 i have now,was purchased 4 yrs ago,and gets daily use! I had a 4.5" anglegrinder,for 12 yrs,and just replaced it,as it was stolen! Sanders multi tools etc, even the compressor,and engine,have been VERY good.....at a much less cost ! There have been 2-3 that failed(AC gauge set,and a puller),but were determined to have manufacting defects,and were replaced,at no cost.

I'm a diesel mechanic use all Harbor Freight tools daily and they all have held up very well. I wish they had a tool truck. I'll never buy anything else.

very impressive tool i might consider getting one i was wondering for the duration time running all those lags did you do this on one battery pack? also what voltage are they ? i have the first generation dewalt ive had for over ten years the 18 volt ones it still works awesome but the batteries are in need of replacement but as you know batteries are spendy so instead i will buy a new unit as a kit its cheaper in the long run . thanks for posting this 👍👍👍

I know a handyman that almost exclusively uses Hercules because it's a lot faster than dealing with Dewalt when the tool breaks

My only drawback, is I'm heavily invested in Red and Yellow/Black. Although I'm not adding/updating any of my DeWalt stuff. They p!$$ed me off when they abandoned the 18V line. I like my 12v Milwaukee tools, but, I just added a Blue (Bosch 12v) to the mix. I've got a number of HF tools. No real complaints. I've 'hot rodded' their dust collector, added upgrades to their 14" bandsaw and 17" drill press.

I purchased a Harbor Freight trolley hydraulic jack, the cheapest one they had and I used the hell out of it for somewhere between 15 to 20 years and I recently had an incident where my truck somehow shifted and it bent the jack sideways so I finally parted with it and what did I do? I went back to Harbor Freight and purchased the same jack again and it was still the same price at $34.99 Recently I purchased a three piece Craftsman toolbox set (top box, middle (intermediate) 3-drawer box, and the bottom box with wheels at Lowes. That was just over $500 because I wanted the 2000 series set. Their 1000 series toolboxes are junk. Lowes mispriced the middle box at only $99 when it retails everywhere else for about $250. I have spent a little over $1,000 at Harbor Freight in the past 90 days. I absolutely love Harbor Freight Loved your video. You told the truth for sure.

I've had my 20v Hercules driver/drill for over 10 yrs, same battery, still holds a charge and works great!

I work as an automotive maintenance technician for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week- my Hercules 1/2 inch will take out most of the lug nuts and my 1/4 inch takes out all the screws and bolts, battery life is great too.

HF makes me mad.... when they email me a 30% OFF NO RESTRICTIONS coupon and the small print says "on items $19.99 or less normal price before tax".

Y'all don't sleep on the Bauer line either, same quality, slightly less power, even more affordable

I own a number of these Hercules cordless tools. Harbor freight has stepped up their game, they have also stepped up their price. I did a price comparison and for the value of purchasing the tools individually through harbor freight I could buy equivalent sets of Milwaukee or Makita tools. That being said my job uses Milwaukee and Makita, and my Hercules sets consistently outperform both.

not bad at all for a Harbor Freight tool. It gets the job done.