Harbor Freight loves to market claims that their tools compare favorably with DeWalt. So we decided to take a little more objective look and see what the numbers say about their top competitors. Let’s meet the contestants for this not-so-heavyweight bout: Harbor Freight Hercules Vs DeWalt 20V Max Impact Driver.
Harbor Freight Hercules 20V Max Impact Driver 63380
- Power Source: 20V Max battery
- Speed: 0–2800 RPM
- Torque: 1500 in-lbs
- Impact Rate: 0–3200 IPM
DeWalt 20V Max Impact Driver DCF888
- Power Source: 20V Max battery
- Speed: 0–1000/0–2800/0–3250 RPM
- Torque: 1825 in-lbs
- Impact Rate: 0–3600 IPM
Check out our impact driver shootout for the full details on our testing methods.
Harbor Freight Hercules 20V Max Vs DeWalt 20V Max Impact Driver
Motor
Out of the gate, DeWalt uses their XR brushless motor and Hercules sticks with brushed. I’ll take the performance, runtime, and longer life of a brushless motor every time.
Read more about the differences here.
Verdict: DeWalt
Speed Under Load
Driving a 1/4″ ledger screw into glued up OSB is about as tough a job as we expect an impact driver to do on a regular basis. Many can do more, especially on an 18V/20V Max battery platform, but we prefer to move up to an impact wrench at that point.
In this test, the Hercules averages 565 RPM and DeWalt is pretty far behind at 429 RPM. That’s 32% faster drilling for Hercules under a moderate load.
DeWalt’s 3274 no-load RPM (tested) still has a huge advantage over Hercules’ 2593 RPM for light fastening.
Verdict: Hercules
Fastening Torque
Our fastening torque test involves giving each impact driver time to drive a hardened nut as hard as it can on a steel I-beam. Then we see how much torque it takes to loosen it with a digital torque wrench.
The results give us repeatable data but aren’t a replacement for the manufacturer’s specs.
Hercules takes 1498 in-lbs of force to break its effort and DeWalt requires 2237 in-lbs. That’s a 49% power advantage for DeWalt.
Verdict: DeWalt
Breakaway Torque
On the same rig we test fastening torque, we use our digital torque wrench and a torque multiplier (for torque over 250 ft-lbs) to set specific torque intervals for each impact driver to break.
In this case, both Hercules and DeWalt break 3000 in-lbs (250 ft-lbs), but can’t break 3300 in-lbs at the next step up.
Verdict: Tie
Weight
This one’s pretty straight forward. DeWalt weighs 2.1 bare and 3.1 pounds with its compact 2.0Ah battery pack. Hercules is exactly the same.
Verdict: Tie
Footprint
Impact drivers are much more compact than drills and both Hercules and DeWalt do a fine job of keeping their designs tight. Makita and Milwaukee own the most compact designs.
Hercules has a 5.8″ head length and 7.5″ height without its battery. DeWalt’s head is a 1/2″ shorter (5.3″) and slightly taller at 7.7″. When it comes to getting into tight spots, head length limits you more than tool height, giving DeWalt the advantage here.
Verdict: DeWalt
Feature Set
Hercules is a pretty bare-bones system, just checking off the basic boxes. Here’s the skinny:
- Brushed motor
- Single-speed with variable speed trigger
- No special modes
- LED light
- Belt hook
- No bit ejection
- No one-hand bit insertion
On the other hand, DeWalt has one of the most impressive feature sets across the board.
- Brushless motor
- Three-speed mode selection
- Tool Connect controls, diagnostics, and tracking
- LED light ring around the chuck
- Belt hook
- No bit ejection
- One-hand bit insertion
- Made in the USA with Global Materials
There’s absolutely no contest here.
Verdict: DeWalt
Noise Level
Measuring decibels at 24″ (roughly the distance from the tool to your ear when it’s in use), there’s a pretty wide range. Both DeWalt and Hercules are above 100 dB(A) under load. DeWalt’s 104 dB(A) has twice the sound pressure level (SPL) of Hercules at 101 dB(A). Check out this article for more decibel details.
Verdict: Hercules
Battery
Both of these kits come with compact batteries and that’s really how we prefer to use them since it keeps the weight down. DeWalt includes two 2.0Ah packs and Hercules gives you one 2.5Ah. However, DeWalt also has kits with 4.0Ah or 5.0Ah kits, depending on if you’re getting the Tool Connect model.
You can also get more runtime by moving up in capacity. DeWalt has 3.0Ah (slim pack), 4.0Ah, 5.0Ah, 6.0Ah, and 8.0Ah batteries available along with Bluetooth battery options if you want some basic feedback and lockout. FlexVolt batteries can take you up to 12Ah. Seriously, though, using a 12Ah FlexVolt battery in an impact driver is pretty ridiculous.
Hercules has a 5.0Ah available as a separate upgrade.
Verdict: DeWalt
Price
Hercules is only available as a 1-battery kit from Harbor Freight. It runs $99.99 with a 2.5 Ah (45Wh) battery and charger. You can snag a 2.0Ah for $19.99, 2.5Ah for $24.99, and 5.0Ah for $39.99 if you want extras. Hercules tools are typically excluded from Harbor Freight coupons.
DeWalt has more options, but we’ll stick with the basics for now. On Amazon, the bare tool is $159 and the 2 x 5.0Ah kit runs $299.
If you don’t want Tool Connect, it’s a bit less expensive. The bare tool is $129 and the 2 x 4.0Ah kit is $229. There’s also a 2 x 2.0Ah kit for $179.
There are plenty of combo kits that include the DCF888 or DCF887 to comb through as well.
Shop AmazonVerdict: Hercules
Warranty
This is pretty straight forward—DeWalt gives you 3 years, Harbor Freight gives you 90 days. We can dig a little deeper, though. DeWalt’s warranty includes a 90-day money-back guarantee and 2-year free service agreement as part of its package.
Harbor Freight lets you spend a bit more to extend your warranty to 1 or 2 years.
Verdict: DeWalt
Depth of Line
Harbor Freight has exactly 3 tools that work with Hercules 20V Max battery—an impact driver, drill driver, and hammer drill.
Put that up against DeWalt’s 200+ tools that work with their 20V Max batteries and this isn’t much of a contest.
Verdict: DeWalt
Value
Value is more than just the price, it’s what you get for the price you pay. Unfortunately, it also varies widely depending on what your priorities are. When we look at the performance, features, weight, footprint, noise level, batteries, kit options, warranty, and compatible tools weighed against the price, DeWalt is a much better value in my book.
But that’s me and what you value most in an impact driver may differ. And that’s okay!
Verdict: DeWalt, subjectively
Final Verdict
The Harbor Freight Hercules impact driver posts some impressive performance and keeps up with DeWalt’s DCF888/DCF887 in several important areas. Of course, Harbor Freight’s price is very attractive.
But when we take a more holistic look at the two, DeWalt builds a lead too large for Hercules to overcome. From its brushless motor and feature set to warranty and depth of compatible tools, the DeWalt DCF888’s Pros are more than enough to overcome the price difference in our opinion.
What do you think? Let us know in the comments below!
