I've recently picked up a Milwaukee M12 Fuel drill and I'm really happy with it. As I consider expanding my Milwaukee collection (either M12 or M18 tools), I'm curious about the Harbor Freight brands — Bauer and Hercules. They seem to offer powerful tools at roughly half the price of Milwaukee. I realize Milwaukee might be of higher quality and last longer, but I'm looking for opinions on the value of these Harbor Freight tools. If they perform well and last a decent time, I might be interested in them. So, are either of these brands worth considering? Do they have a good variety of tools to help build a solid set? Thanks for your input!
2 Answers
I was pretty excited about the Hercules tools, especially the earthquake impact model I saw another tradesman using — he swore by it! But a word of caution: they aren’t always available, and I prefer to stick with Milwaukee because I trust them more. It’s hard to beat the reliability when you depend on your tools day to day. Just think about what you need them for and how often you'll use them before deciding!
In my experience using Hercules tools at work, they really hold up well, especially since we put them through a lot. They’re definitely more budget-friendly than Milwaukee. But for my personal projects, I stick with Milwaukee for the daily quality and reliability. If you're not using them professionally or frequently, it makes sense to try out the cheaper options like Hercules. Otherwise, go for Milwaukee for regular use!