Harbor Freight is well-known for comparing its cordless power tools against Pro brands like Milwaukee and DeWalt. I’ve read the fine print, and on paper, the claims seem legit. But what happens when we leave the spec sheet and start doing real work? We compared Harbor Freight’s Hercules hammer drill to flagship Pro models from DeWalt, Milwaukee, and Makita to find out.
Hercules vs Pro On Paper
Harbor Freight caters to people who want to spend less on their tools. Before we jump in, let’s consider the prices of the drills we’re comparing.
| Model | Bare Tool | Kit | 2-Tool Combo |
|---|---|---|---|
| DeWalt DCD1007 | $249 | $299 | $379 |
| Hercules HCB92B | $79.99 | Not Available | $249.99 |
| Makita GPH01 | $259 | $524 | $469 |
| Milwaukee 2904 | $229 | $329 | $429 |
At the risk of stating the obvious, Hercules has a much lower price tag. It’s one of the reasons the Hercules line is so compelling.
Harbor Freight specifically calls out the Milwaukee 2904 as the hammer drill to compare Hercules to, so it’s part of our test group. Here’s how all four drills compare on paper:
| Model | Max Speeds | Hammer Rate | Max Torque |
|---|---|---|---|
| DeWalt DCD1007 | 450/1300/2000 RPM* | 38,250 BPM | 1530 UWO** |
| Hercules HCB92B | 550/2000 RPM | 32,000 BPM | 1200 in-lbs |
| Makita GPH01 | 650/2600 RPM | 39,000 BPM | 1250 in-lbs |
| Milwaukee 2904 | 500/2100 RPM | 33,000 BPM | 1400 in-lbs |
** Note that DeWalt specs the power of their drills in unit watts out rather than in-lbs of torque.
A quick glance shows us that Hercules is starting at a disadvantage in speed and power. However, it’s not like it’s completely outclassed. It wasn’t that long ago that the 2000 RPM and 1200 in-lbs of torque Hercules claims would have been the best available. When brands like Milwaukee first pushed into those performance levels, we were thrilled with them and praised the productivity gains compared to previous generations.
The point is that even though Hercules is a little behind on paper, we still expect it to at least be in the ballpark of its competitors in these tests.
How We Tested
For this evaluation, I’m focused only on performance, since that’s the claim we’re testing. Normally, we’ll also consider features, ergonomics, and other characteristics as we determine a tool’s final rating.
We ran all our drills through the same series of tests, controlling as many variables as possible to ensure fair and representative results. While you can read the full details in our Best Cordless Drills Head-to-Head Review, I’ve included a quick breakdown of each below, along with the results.
Battery Selection
To get the most out of each hammer drill, we test with the best battery we have available at the time.
| Model | Tested Battery |
|---|---|
| DeWalt DCD1007 | PowerPack 8.0Ah (144Wh) |
| Hercules HCB92B | Extreme 4.0Ah (72Wh) |
| Makita GPH01 | High Power 4.0Ah (144Wh) |
| Milwaukee 2904 | Forge 8.0Ah (144Wh) |
Even though we weren’t able to get our hands on the 8.0Ah Extreme battery for Hercules for these tests, we did use the advanced 4.0Ah Extreme battery. In our experience, stepping up in capacity does offer a small performance benefit, but not nearly as much as the difference between standard and advanced technologies.
RSS Screws
- Material: Stacked and glued OSB subfloor, 9 inches thick
- Fastener: GRK 3/8 x 8-inch RSS screw
- Bit: T25
- Pilot Hole: 1 1/2-inch
- Mode: Drilling, high speed
| Model | Average Speed |
|---|---|
| Makita GPH01 | 2.03 sec |
| DeWalt DCD1007 | 2.42 sec |
| Milwaukee 2904 | 2.49 sec |
| Hercules HCB92B | 7.98 sec |
This is the easiest test we put our drills through. While Makita’s 2600 RPM top speed easily won, we expected Hercules to be closer to DeWalt and Milwaukee.
Spade Bits
- Material: Stacked and glued OSB subfloor, 4 inches thick
- Bit: 1-inch self-feeding spade bit
- Pilot Hole: None
- Mode: Drilling, high speed
| Model | Average Speed |
|---|---|
| DeWalt DCD1007 | 2.54 sec |
| Makita GPH01 | 2.62 sec |
| Milwaukee 2904 | 2.62 sec |
| Hercules HCB92B | 3.88 sec |
Moving on to our mid-range test, we still expect all of these drills to complete it in high speed, which they did. Hercules closed the gap, but was still a noticeable distance behind.
Self-Feed Bits
- Material: 2 x 4 pine stud
- Bit: 2 9/16-inch self-feed bit
- Pilot Hole: None
- Mode: Drilling, high speed (low speed if unable to complete in high)
| Model | Average Speed |
|---|---|
| Makita GPH01 | 1.59 sec |
| DeWalt DCD1007 | 1.73 sec |
| Milwaukee 2904 | 1.89 sec |
| Hercules HCB92B | 5.50 sec |
Switching things up to the toughest test we run, Hercules once again lost ground to its competitors. We weren’t able to get it to complete the run in high speed, so we had to drop it to low. While Hercules wasn’t the only drill we tested that had to make the shift, it does make me wonder if the 8.0Ah Extreme battery might have given it enough of a bump to run in high speed.
Concrete Bits
- Material: Fully cured 4000 PSI concrete
- Bit: 3/8-inch carbide-tipped concrete bit
- Drilling Depth: 3 inches
- Pilot Hole: None
- Mode: Hammer drilling, high speed
| Model | Average Speed |
|---|---|
| DeWalt DCD1007 | 6.39 sec |
| Milwaukee 2904 | 6.84 sec |
| Makita GPH01 | 7.56 sec |
| Hercules HCB92B | 9.52 sec |
Drilling into concrete, Hercules was at least in sight of the other three hammer drills. However, it still finished ~ 50% slower than DeWalt at the front.
Final Analysis
Does Harbor Freight’s Hercules hammer drill have what it takes to compete against premium professional brands?
No, not based on the tests we’ve run.
But that doesn’t mean it’s a bad tool. Even though it didn’t keep up with flagship models from DeWalt, Makita, and Milwaukee, it was able to complete all of our tests, and we didn’t feel like we had to strain the drill to do them. Furthermore, its size, weight, and handle comfort make it a nice drill to use.
So, if you’re going to buy the Hercules hammer drill (or its drill driver counterpart), buy it because it’s capable and has a compelling price tag. Just don’t expect it to work as quickly as drills that cost more than twice as much.
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