Is Harbor Freight's Warrior 4V Power Cutter Any Good? Here's What Reviews Say

These days, there's a power tool equivalent to nearly any hand tool you can think of, from electric augers to battery-powered grease guns, through Harbor Freight and other hardware retailers. Harbor Freight also sells a power cutter, giving you a more powerful motorized alternative to a manual pair of scissors. The Warrior 4V Cordless Power Cutter not only makes it easier to cut through materials you'd normally use scissors for, but can also be used for applications where a typical pair of scissors just wouldn't cut it (pun most definitely intended).

With the ability to slice through paper, cardboard, fabric, leather, and plastic, you can use the power cutter for carpet trimming, costume design, and craft or hobby projects. It can also be used to quickly cut up boxes when throwing away your recycling or to easily open those frustrating clamshell cases that many products are packaged in. 

The $40 tool runs on a 1.5 Ah battery, which comes included along with a charger and two blades, and has a ¼-inch cutting capacity at 260 rpm. It's trigger-operated with a non-slip rubberized handle and blade guard, along with an integrated cutting guide. The power cutter comes from Warrior, which is one of Harbor Freight's several in-house brands, such as Hercules and Icon. There are some Harbor Freight Icon tools worth buying and others worth avoiding, and the same is true for its Warrior products. If you're wondering whether the Warrior 4V Cordless Power Cutter is one to buy or one to avoid, the best way to find out is by combing through user reviews.

On Harbor Freight's website, the Warrior 4V Cordless Power Cutter has a solid 4.5 out of 5 overall user score based on over 1,100 customer reviews. Additionally, 90% of customers would recommend the tool, and the overwhelmingly positive reviews frequently mention the product's value, build quality, easy-to-use controls, and compact size (it weighs less than two pounds). Users say it works great for small chores, like cutting corrugated boxes or clamshell packages. It can even be useful while moving.

One review says the tool "cuts through carpet like soft butter." This same review expresses disappointment that the product only comes with one replacement blade, but adds that it's not a huge issue since they "did not have to replace the blades, because they are self-sharpening." Another Harbor Freight review declares that the tool "cuts canvas and tarps on first charge, it works great!!!!!!!!" and another reports "I have cut boxes, indoor/outdoor carpeting, and old t-shirts into rags. Works very good!" Some reviews also praise the added safety that the tool provides when compared to box cutters and exacto knives.

You can find similar praise on Reddit as well. When one skeptical customer asked for feedback on r/HarborFreight, they received responses like "it makes breaking down cardboard a breeze" and "I think it has its place in any tool box. Do we need it? NO but we WANT it." Another redditor brings up one particularly good reason to use a power cutter: "As someone with arthritis in his hands, this gets the job done without bugging my hands or making me do all the cutting with a utility knife." Directly advising the original topic creator, they added, simply: "Get it!"

Based on these overwhelmingly positive reviews, it would seem that the Harbor Freight's 4V Power Cutter, with its usefulness for quick construction or repair tasks, is one of the many Harbor Freight finds that will level up your on-the-go tool kit, as well as your home kit. However, the product has left some dissatisfied customers. On another r/HarborFreight thread, a redditor expresses confusion at all the strong reviews, stating that they've "experienced nothing but hardship and failure with this thing. It struggles to cut through anything, and it always ends up being more work and effort than just using a knife ... I literally bought this thing so as to not aggravate my tendonitis, but it does the exact opposite with all the force I have to use."

Multiple users share similar frustrations in the thread. One says: "100% agree. Bought one and after cutting a few boxes, realized I could cut it down with a utility knife MUCH FASTER." Another echoes, "Agree. I purchased it as well for cardboard cutting and have been disappointed." Several 1-star reviews on the cutter's product page also note that the tool struggles with cardboard.

Other negative reviews from Harbor Freight customers say that the tool also has difficulty with carpet, with one user reporting, "Didn't work at all. Couldn't cut carpet, carpet padding, or anything for that matter." Some reviews don't bother with the details and simply say that the tool is "junk" and "worthless." While these negative experiences make up a small minority of reviews overall, they are still something to consider before purchasing the power cutter.