HERCULES VS BAUER

Harbor Freight now sells cordless power tools, but what’s the difference between Hercules and Bauer? You can use the comparison tables below to find out which is best.

Hercules Blue VS Bauer Red Cordless Power Tools

HARBOR FREIGHT CORDLESS TOOLS

With so many cordless tools to choose from, Harbor Freight now sells their very own cordless tool lineup too.

Harbor Freight carries two primary cordless tool series or brands. The Hercules Series is geared towards professionals which Harbor Freight advertises is just as good as Milwaukee, but cheaper. Plus Harbor freight is always expanding the lineup with new tools too.

Harbor Freight Hercules Brushless Impact Wrench

Harbor Freight Hercules Brand

Then there’s the Bauer Brand which is geared more for everyday small home projects that Harbor Freight claims is superior over Ryobi Cordless tools. All Bauer tools are Harbor Freight red and Hercules tools come in the Harbor Freight blue color.

Bauer 20v Lithium Impact Wrench

Harbor Freight Bauer Brand

The biggest downside is Hercules and Bauer batteries are not compatible even though most of the tools both use 20V systems. Hercules gets a little more complex and offers a few 12V cordless tools too. The good news is there’s an option for a battery adapter to go from a Bauer tool to a Hercules battery if you started with Hercules 20v and want to buy a Bauer 20v power tool.

With all the different options check out the side-by-side comparisons below ⤵️

HERCULES VS BAUER CORDLESS DRILL

Both Bauer and Hercules have a 1/2 inch drill/driver cordless power tool. Now the Hercules lineup does include a 12v option, but we’ll stick to comparing the Bauer vs Hercules 20v versions for now:

Harbor Freight Cordless Drill Comparison Tool
Name Bauer
20v 1/2in Drill/Driver
Hercules
20v 1/2in Drill/Driver w/Side Handle
Model 2191CR-B HCB91B
Price (MSRP)
$39

$69
Chuck Size 1/2 in. 1/2 in.
Motor Type Brushless Brushless
Speed (max.) 500/1900 RPM 550/2000 RPM
Max Torque 405 in. lbs. 1200 in. lbs.
Battery Capacity 1.5-12 Ah 2-12 Ah
Gearbox Ctrl. 2-speed 2-speed
Clutch 22 position 14 position
Weight 2.7 lb. 3.26 lb.
Light LED LED
Buy HARBOR FREIGHT HARBOR FREIGHT

Torque is the biggest difference between the Hercules drill and the Bauer. The higher torque of the Hercules is nice if you plan to be constantly drilling into harder surfaces like metal.

HERCULES VS BAUER CORDLESS IMPACT WRENCH

The Harbor Freight cordless impact wrenches options quadruple, so the next comparison table provides the option to select between the different Hercules and Bauer cordless impact wrenches which all use 20V.

Harbor Freight Impact Wrench Comparison Tool
Select Impact Wrench
Name Bauer
20V 3/8" Compact
Hercules
20V 3/8" Compact 4-Mode
Model 1783C-B 59667
Price
$34.97

$64.99
Drive Size 3/8 in. 3/8 in.
Motor Brushed 20V Brushless 20V
RPM (max.) 2500 RPM 0-2200 RPM
Nut-Busting Torque (max.) 325 ft-lbs 475 ft-lbs
Fastening Torque (max.) 325 ft-lbs 275 ft-lbs
Drive Ctrl. Single Speed 3 Speed w/Auto Mode
LED 3 1
Battery Capacity 1.5-12 Ah 2-12 Ah
Included Warranty 90 Day 5yr Limited

With around 11 different options between Hercules and Bauer Torque Wrenches, it really depends on what your max torque needs are. For occasional DIY automotive projects, the middle of the pack 1/2 inch impacts should be fine.

Just don’t tighten your lug nuts with an impact wrench. Use a torque wrench for that.

HERCULES VS BAUER CORDLESS RATCHET

Cordless ratchets are a God send. They will seriously change your life. As soon as we started using one to rip apart our project cars, we never put it down. Hercules and Bauer combined have 6 different cordless ratchets to choose from:

Harbor Freight Ratchet Comparison Tool
Select Ratchet
Name Bauer
20V 3/8"
Hercules
12V 3/8"
Model 2185C-B HD033B
Price
$59.99

$79.99
Drive Size 3/8 in. 3/8 in.
Motor Brushed 20V Brushed 12V
RPM (max.) 225 RPM 275 RPM
Fastening Torque (max.) 40 ft-lbs 40 ft-lbs
Manual Torque (max.) 240 ft-lbs 100 ft-lbs
LED none 1
Battery Capacity 1.5-12 Ah 2-4 Ah
Included Warranty 90 Day 90 Day

The ratchet selection is where things get interesting because the Bauer carries 20V which has slightly better specs over the Hercules 12V. With Hercules being targeted at professionals, this seems the opposite. Both don’t list as having brushed motors like the other tools on the website, but if you download and read the Bauer and Hercules Ratchet manuals you’ll find that the motors are brushed.

If you’re looking to keep your Bauer or Hercules tools organized, you can pick up a few different accessories from Amazon too.

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DO YOU PREFER BAUER OR HERCULES? ⤵️

Javier Solis

Hi, my name is Javier Solis. I've held various IT positions in the last 25 years including work in Higher Education and as a former tower climber. I'm now a Sr. Product Manager at Extreme Networks who gets to build stuff. I'm also married to a wonder wife and have two awesome kids. Questions and comments are ALWAYS welcome.

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