Harbor Freight Earthquake Xt 20 Volt Impact Review
Sure, there are some legitimate reasons to shop Harbor Freight and we were impressed with the performance of the Hercules touch on driver because their low pricing. But there are besides some legitimate quality concerns to keep with its 90-day warranty. So if that $99 cost tag is well-nigh also tempting, nosotros have an culling for yous. Hither'south why we'd buy the Kobalt 24V impact driver instead of a Harbor Freight impact commuter.
Head-to-Head
- Price: Kobalt Tools
- Warranty: Kobalt Tools
- Speed Nether Load: Harbor Freight Hercules
- Torque: Kobalt Tools
- Dissonance: Kobalt Tools
- Weight: Harbor Freight Hercules
- Footprint: Kobalt Tools
- Feature Gear up: Kobalt Tools
- Uniform Tools: Kobalt Tools
Does the Kobalt 24V Bear on Commuter Cost More than the Harbor Freight?
Lowe'southward dropped the price of Kobalt'due south 24V affect driver kit from $195 to $149 and it's non merely a sale—it'south the new price. That puts it lower than the Harbor Freight touch driver once yous buy a battery and charger a la carte du jour.
The Kobalt brushless 24V bear on driver comes with a 2.0Ah battery while the Hercules has a slightly higher capacity with a ii.5Ah pack. Kobalt Tools uses an extra cell in their organization then the watt-hour comparison is pretty shut: 43.2Wh for Kobalt and 45 for Hercules.
Verdict: Tie
Buy the Kobalt Impact Commuter Over the Hercules for the Warranty
Put Harbor Freight's warranty against any other major brand and it's nearly ever behind. Kobalt backs their tool for 5 years and the battery for 3. Even if you spend the actress money on Harbor Freight'due south extended warranty, it falls short.
Verdict: Kobalt
Kobalt vs Harbor Freight Hercules Speed Nether Load
On paper, the Harbor Freight impact commuter has a 100-RPM reward in speed over Kobalt (2800 to 2700 RPM). Hercules extends its lead in our speed under load testing with the third fastest boilerplate at 565 RPM. Kobalt is quite a bit further down the line at 398 RPM.
Verdict: Harbor Freight Hercules
Purchase the Kobalt Brushless Impact Driver for More Torque
Kobalt's packaging boasts twenty% more than torque than Hercules (1800 in-lbs to 1500 in-lbs). In our fastening torque test, Hercules requires 1498 in-lbs to break information technology on boilerplate. Kobalt bests it by more than yard in-lbs, needing 2585 in-lbs to loosen its fastening efforts.
Kobalt is able to break more torque as well, consistently loosening 3600 in-lbs compared to the 3000 in-lbs Hercules hit.
Verdict: Kobalt
Comparing Noise Levels
Both of these impact drivers are in the heart of the pack for noise, with Kobalt (100 decibels) enjoying a one-decibel lead over Harbor Freight (101 decibels). It'southward a slight lead, but it'southward a lead.
Verdict: Kobalt, slightly
Kobalt vs Harbor Freight Hercules Weight
With a bombardment, the Harbor Freight impact driver weighs 3.1 pounds and Kobalt is just a little heavier at 3.4 pounds. While these are both on the calorie-free side of the impact commuter landscape, information technology'south another notch in the win column for Hercules.
Verdict: Harbor Freight Hercules
Kobalt is almost 0.5″ taller than Hercules. Most Pros argue that head length is more of import since it'due south what determines how tight a space you can work in. Kobalt'south 24V impact commuter has a slight advantage of 0.2″ here.
Verdict: Kobalt, slightly
Hercules Impact Driver vs Kobalt Features
Harbor Freight has a pretty basic feature prepare that Kobalt eclipses in 3 particular areas. Kobalt packs a brushless motor (1) and 3 speed selections (2) with a finish mode (3). Hercules sticks with a single speed brushed motor.
Verdict: Kobalt
Hercules continues to grow their volume of 20V Max tools. There are around 18 products that work on the Hercules 20V Max battery, including an affect commuter, drill commuter, recipe saw, hammer drill, fan, vacuum, and some others. While Kobalt'south 24V Max lineup doesn't have as many tools equally some of the premium Pro brands, it has more than compatible tools than Harbor Freight currently offers.
Verdict: Kobalt
Concluding Thoughts
The price drop from Kobalt makes it the well-nigh attractive option out there correct now for bargain hunters. Hercules has a solid advantage in speed nether load and slightly lighter weight. However, Kobalt'due south 24V impact driver is the leader in a lot more areas, including torque. With pricing that's slightly under Hercules and a much longer warranty, in that location'southward almost no reason to buy this Harbor Freight bear on commuter.
Source: https://www.protoolreviews.com/buy-this-instead-harbor-freight-impact-driver/