I've noticed a few folks who have bought the new branded drills from HF (Bauer, Hercules) and have good things to say about them. I have an older Dewalt, but I want to add another for some jobs around my house (more of a kick around drill, if you will) So I wasn't planning to spend a crazy amount of money either.
My neighbor who works for HF mentioned they hold up quite well. So I was wondering, has anyone tried them-and what are your thoughts about them?
Harbor Freight drills....
- Thread starter daves87rs
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Batteries are certainly dirt cheap, otherwise the tools seem a little expensive for what they are. Also, I'd like a company to be willing to stand behind a $100 drill longer than 90 days. The other issue is that so far they have yet to release any of the new tools they promised in the ads.
Its nice to go with a brand that already has an established line and commitment to a single battery platform. You may not need any other tools now, but there's a couple Ryobi tools that have found there way into my garage for various projects over the years.
Another $50 @ everyday prices gets you something that has a little better build quality and warranty, but with black Friday coming up you can get some pretty sweet deals. Best time to buy power tools are black Friday, father's day, and of course clearance deals after the holidays or when stock is getting old (the batteries do have a shelf life after all). Just make sure you compare specs and don't get stuck with a bottom of the barrel model that manufacturers/retails dish out for the holidays.
Depending on use, I'd recommend a combo kit with a drill and impact driver. I now use an impact driver for 90% of what I do - even drilling.
The iphone is made in china and so is the $20 prepaid phone sitting on a rack at the grocery store - factories build to a spec and price point dictated by their customers to cater to a particular market.
Porter cable is owned by Stanley B&D, and now basicly positioned as a competitor to Ryobi and Craftsman. They also now own the craftsman name. Otherwise, Ryobi, Rigid, and Milwaukee are made by Tektronics to obviously different tiers of quality.
I'm sure the drills are just fine for the average homeowner, but like I said - spending a little more can net you more versatility in the long run.
20v Dewalt $99 on Amazon. 2 batteries, charger and case.
20v Herc. $109 before coupons, 1 battery, charger and case
Even with a 25% off coupon, the extra battery has to be worth something. I am assuming you'd have to pay for any sort of warranty beyond the 90 days too. Probably no aftermarket support either.
Originally Posted By: HorseThief
The iphone is made in china and so is the $20 prepaid phone sitting on a rack at the grocery store - factories build to a spec and price point dictated by their customers to cater to a particular market.
Porter cable is owned by Stanley B&D, and now basicly positioned as a competitor to Ryobi and Craftsman. They also now own the craftsman name. Otherwise, Ryobi, Rigid, and Milwaukee are made by Tektronics to obviously different tiers of quality.
I'm sure the drills are just fine for the average homeowner, but like I said - spending a little more can net you more versatility in the long run.
Originally Posted By: dlundblad
20v Dewalt $99 on Amazon. 2 batteries, charger and case.
20v Herc. $109 before coupons, 1 battery, charger and case
Even with a 25% off coupon, the extra battery has to be worth something. I am assuming you'd have to pay for any sort of warranty beyond the 90 days too. Probably no aftermarket support either.
Rigid still does the lifetime battery replacement, so I'd just get one of those again if my drill died. I got upgraded to Li-ion batteries and a new charger when the old Ni-MH ones started to fail. Just register for the lifetime service agreement online.
JHZR2
Staff member
Dewalt makes some US-assembled drills.
The tool might be ok but no way I'd trust HF li-ion batteries. The consequences can be severe.
Originally Posted By: dlundblad
20v Dewalt $99 on Amazon. 2 batteries, charger and case.
20v Herc. $109 before coupons, 1 battery, charger and case
Even with a 25% off coupon, the extra battery has to be worth something. I am assuming you'd have to pay for any sort of warranty beyond the 90 days too. Probably no aftermarket support either.
Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
Last edited:
In a time long ago, in the HVAC business, we would use about 3 to 4 thousand sheet metal screws every 2 weeks putting together sheet metal ductwork...we used or had 6 extra batteries on the truck and charging and 6 drills of all makes...IN that environment, the cordless drills were worn out in 6 months and the batteries went fast...IN a home environment, H.F. is a good deal. You most likely will not use their cordless drills 10 hours a month....IMHO. But buy upper grade bits and drivers for sure.
Originally Posted By: HorseThief
Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
I've got 20V Porter Cable stuff and I haven't broken any of it yet. Gross tool abuse is the norm for me.
Skookum as frig.
Happy with my Ryobi tools, started with a drill, had a leafblower at some point, not sure where that went, i think my ex threw it away, just got a cordless impact. Works great! Have a ton of batteries and multiple chargers. Don't use the stuff that often but when I do it always works. Looks and feels like good quality. In a professional environment I'm not sure how it would hold up but suspect it would do OK for a while.
Originally Posted By: EdwardC
I remember my first few AvE videos, felt the same way, but he really grows on you. Plus he's a really smart guy with pretty good videos, once you learn his vernacular.
I read this thread this morning and Joe Johnson, Product Engineering at Harbor Frieght sent me an email regarding this drill.
Here is part of the email:
Gave me a link to ToolGuyd article that provided some interesting info. Looks like Harbor Freight is focusing on upping their quality. I still remember the Made in India wrench I bought their that shattered and a piece flew past my head. So, I do not fully trust them.
ToolGuyd article
For my needs I have Hitachi drill bought at Lowes for $99 over 5 years ago. It has two small size lithium ion batteries, since is it a smaller size drill. Enough power for my needs. Lightweight. Carry it in my car just in case I need to fix something at work.
Quote:
Recently, one of the tool industry's leading experts who writes the influential tool blog "ToolGuyd" spoke with the engineer who leads our quality and product engineering team. I thought you might like to see what he had to say about their conversation and about the new Hercules cordless power tools and the exciting things that are happening at Harbor Freight.
JHZR2
Staff member
Originally Posted By: MONKEYMAN
I read this thread this morning and Joe Johnson, Product Engineering at Harbor Frieght sent me an email regarding this drill.
Here is part of the email:
Gave me a link to ToolGuyd article that provided some interesting info. Looks like Harbor Freight is focusing on upping their quality. I still remember the Made in India wrench I bought their that shattered and a piece flew past my head. So, I do not fully trust them.
ToolGuyd article
For my needs I have Hitachi drill bought at Lowes for $99 over 5 years ago. It has two small size lithium ion batteries, since is it a smaller size drill. Enough power for my needs. Lightweight. Carry it in my car just in case I need to fix something at work.
Quote:
Recently, one of the tool industry's leading experts who writes the influential tool blog "ToolGuyd" spoke with the engineer who leads our quality and product engineering team. I thought you might like to see what he had to say about their conversation and about the new Hercules cordless power tools and the exciting things that are happening at Harbor Freight.
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