Has anyone bought/used....

[leftyo]

I'm going to buyA drill. Yes. Had I made up my mind I wouldn't be soliciting opinions now. Would I?

i dont know. you have given plenty of reasons why you should buy the chinkanese drill, and plenty of reasons why you dont want to buy a drill of known quantity. to me it seems your looking for something, but it doesnt appear that any one elses opinion matters. just my opinion, good luck with what ever you purchase.

[Allen]

JB, good luck with whatever you decide to purchase. I often browse at Amazon to read reviews before buying something new. They have the drill but no reviews yet. Of course the real reviews come a couple of years down the road, not when new out of the box. This is a problem that Consumer Reports has, they test nothing for durability, just new off the shelf. At least someone besides HF is selling the Hercules.

https://www.amazon.com/Hercules-Cord...less+drill+20v

[JOHN COOK]

Just my 2 cents. I looked at the Harbor Freight Drill driver price and then checked other products price and reviews. Reviews can some times be misleading due to the fact that the person giving a review could be a NUM NUT. After looking around I purchased a two tool combination Drill Driver and a Impact Driver from Porter Cable PCCK60262 20 volt Lithium batteries (2) and charger for $149.00. I know this does not answer the OP question but neither does the other post either. I do use Harbor Freight products and find that you have to use common since as to your situation. Such as how often you are going to use the tool and how much $$$$ you want to spend. I just purchased a Harbor Fright Pancake Air Compressor (3) gallon for $38.00 and tax and it weighs 18 pounds (caught it on sale) and works just fine for what I needed it for. Yes, the Porter Cable was made in China so are a multitude of other products we use. Harbor Freight, some good some bad sometimes you win and sometimes you lose and sometimes you just get rained out.

john

[JB White]

Allen and John, Thanks for the input.

Odd thing happened yesterday evening. I walked into my lodge and this same conversation was happening at the bar. "You gotta be kidding me! I asked the same things on the internet the last couple of days" Same results too. No one has actually used one yet but the sales pitch has captured a lot of attention. Some of the same prejudices regarding HF as well, but still no actual experience with the product.

During the day I stopped off and looked at the DeWalt offering again. (The one the Herc is aimed at.) Everything is close with the Herc claiming a slight edge. Then I looked at the extra batteries. DW batteries are triple in cost! Hmmm... Past experience left me wanting when the DW batteries gave up the ghost much too soon and the batteries cost more than a replacement kit. Here we go again.

So, I'm still at an impasse. Herc vs Dewalt as I juggle the price of batteries. I want spares to keep it running after they change the mounting as has happened so often in the past. Porter-Cable which has been the toughest and longest lasting brand I've had experience with...but is a totally different tool now except for the name.

BTW, I checked with Batteries Plus about rebuilding my current Porter batteries. Over $200 for the two pair, but two can't/won't be rebuilt due to cracked cases. So that means a bit over $50 each for a 14.4v and a 12v which leaves me with just one battery per drill motor. Or, abandon the 12v motor and use both on the 14.4. That buys some time but only delays the inevitable. For the same price I'm back to buying a whole new kit.
I think the marketing people have done their homework!!

John, I looked for spare PC batteries and found these aftermarket replacements on sale. Will they work with your new one?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0714DQRPY...a-349901881605

[JOHN COOK]

JB, yes the batteries will work in my Porter Cable . Thanks for the heads up...

john

[Deano41]

Thanks for the link gwp. I didn't know they could rebuild batteries. The El Toro (I refuse to call it Lake Forest after the yuppies voted to rename the city) is only 15 miles up the I-5 from San Calamity.

[dryheat]

Rechargable batteries need "training" to work right. There's a system to discharging and charging.

[JB White]

Rechargable batteries need "training" to work right. There's a system to discharging and charging.

I used to adhere to a "training regimen" but rechargeables have changed over the years. The Ni-Cads didn't have the run-down memory to contend with and no one speaks of anything odd regarding the current crop of lithiums. If you know something I don't...please, tell me!

[Allen]

To the best of my knowledge the Ni-Cads were the only batteries that developed a memory and needed to be run down completely before re-charging but in my findings this didn't help anything. Nickel Hydride batteries supposedly didn't have the memory problem but never became very popular. I have recharged acid flashlight batteries and even changed out the electrolyte in auto batteries to try to prolong their life. Lithium batteries of course are the latest and greatest and hold up the longest taking more recharges and lasting longer between charges while being much smaller and lighter. All this being said when you have to start going to abnormal measures to revive one only for it to hold a weak charge for a short period it is time to replace it. When it's gone it's gone. My 2 cents.

[dryheat]

I'm probably a little out of touch with battery technology. I used Ni-Cads for small toys and my early point-and-shoot camera. I had a "batter factory". I had bins for Charged, Discharged, and needs to be discharged.

[Oyaji]

In this morning's paper there is a Harbor Freight flyer listing the Hercules 20V 1/2" compact drill/driver on sale for $99.99. Using the regular 20% discount coupon in the flyer it can be had for $79.99.

There is also a SPECIAL 25% OFF coupon that can be used only on Labor Day, Monday Sep 4th meaning the drill can be purchased for a low $74.99. At that price I am thinking of buying one just for the helluva it.

I still have and regularly use my DeWalt 14V and 18V cordless drills and have had to buy replacement batteries off of Ebay or Amazon in the past to keep them running. The DeWalt 18V is my "go to" drill yet, I don't think one can go wrong buying the Hercules at the reduced price. I certainly think it is worth the gamble.

One thing about these cordless drills that always use to piss me off is that whenever I needed one, the darn battery always seemed to be run down and I would have to stop and re-charge it before doing any work. PIA!
Don't know if this has been mentioned before, but I have learned that if the battery remains in the tool when not used, it will be drained down quickly. Now whenever I am done with the tool, I always remove the battery. Next time I need the tool, I slap in the battery and go to work. No need to wait for a recharge.

[Allen]

In this morning's paper there is a Harbor Freight flyer listing the Hercules 20V 1/2" compact drill/driver on sale for $99.99. Using the regular 20% discount coupon in the flyer it can be had for $79.99.

I saw that flyer too but JB mentions the one he is interested in @$160 has 3 batteries instead of the one. Don't know if HF sell single 20v batts or not or what the price is.

[JB White]

Oyaji, from my own experience HF only honors one coupon per item. Otherwise if folks collected enough coupons they'd get things free. Speaking of free, those LED trouble lights they always give away are pretty good for a freebie. Have a pair.

Drill dilemma solved itself. I probably should've posted this sooner but I have been busy, Just stopped by to check the forum in between parties.
For my birthday I received the HF Herc drill and an extra battery. Sure seems solid enough, fast enough, and powerful enough for my liking. This morning I went over to HF and spent $19 on a 2 year unlimited replacement policy, and another $24 on a third battery using a 20% OFF coupon. So long as I get my $43 worth out of this drill I'm good as gold.

Since we've had such a discussion on it, I'll keep checking in with an update every so often. I plan on using this as my go-to just to run it through its paces. Wood, metal, masonry, wire wheel...whatever I can throw at it I expect it to do.
My Porter Cable drill finally let me know death was imminent the other day. Had to whack the 12v batt to get it to accept the charge (has a fast run down life now in the 14v drill motor) and the 14.4V is giving problem readings in both of the P-C chargers.

BTW, the Herc case will easily fit a pair of spare batteries, so that's three with the one on the gun. However, the third battery nicely fits into the area for accessories. So if you keep bits and tips in your drill case, you might want to just run with a pair.

[Former Cav]

I bought a harbor freight battery powered drill and everytime I went to use it the da*ned battery was DEAD.
I broke down and bought a SEARS drill with lithium battery and it works like a charm.!
the old saying applies "Pay Once, Cry Once"

[JB White]

They still sell bottom end crap tools. They make a fortune from them.
HF is now selling a high end line of pneumatic tools too. Taking on SnapOn...who has also farmed things out to China under their brand name.