This Is The Best Harbor Freight Impact Wrench, According To Users

Impact wrench users largely agree that Harbor Freight's Hercules tool brand is superior to Bauer. However, the Bauer 20V Brushless Cordless, ½-inch High-Torque Impact Wrench, $159.99 including a 5 Ah battery and charger, and the 20V Hercules Ultra Torque ½-inch Impact Wrench, $249.99 with similar accessories, each have a 4.9-star (out of 5) customer rating on Harbor Freight's website. There's also the Hercules 20V ¾-inch Ultra Torque Impact available in "Tool Only" form for $219.99.

Mean_Text_6898 says "Hercules Ultra Torque is the way" in response to Trippin_Wolf0414's Hercules Ultra Torque Impact Wrench recommendation on the r/harborfreight subreddit. According to a YouTube video posted by "Torque Test Channel," the Bauer High-Torque ½-inch impact wrench produces nearly identical torque figures as the Hercules High-Torque ½-inch impact wrench under test conditions. However, in a separate "Torque Test Channel" video, the ½-inch Hercules Ultra Torque consistently produces 15 to 20% more torque than the Hercules High Torque ½-inch impact wrench.

While the Hercules Ultra Torque is the most powerful cordless impact wrench from Harbor Freight, its power isn't the only thing that makes it the best impact wrench found at the discount tool retailer. Harbor Freight's 5-year limited warranty covers the Hercules impact wrench for "defects in materials and workmanship." That's an upgrade compared to the 90 days of protection Harbor Freight applies to the lower-priced Bauer impact wrench.

Harbor Freight markets its lineup of Hercules power tools as "professional-quality. While questioning if Harbor Freight's Hercules power tools are any good can be the subject of Ford-vs.-Chevrolet-level debates, there's no doubt that the Hercules Ultra Torque is the best Harbor Freight impact wrench. The bigger question might be is the Bauer High-Torque impact wrench is worthy of your home garage?

The ¾-inch Hercules Ultra Torque is the most powerful impact wrench from Harbor Freight with 1,650 pound-feet of breakaway torque. For comparison, the ½-inch Ultra Torque offers breakaway torque 1,500 lb-ft, and the Bauer High-Torque ½-inch impact offers a respectable 1,000 lb-ft.

One Redditor claims the compact ½-inch Hercules impact, equipped with an 8Ah battery, worked for their 450 lb-ft-torque track bar fasteners, twice. All About the Build put together a comparison chart between the various Bauer and Hercules impact wrenches and the only advantage the Bauer tool has is its lower price.

When trying to decide which Harbor Freight impact wrench is the best choice for your toolbox, you'll need to think about what your needs are. Any of the three impacts listed here provide more than enough torque to over-tighten nearly any threaded assembly in the automotive world. Perhaps if you find yourself working on heavy-equipment you'll need the most powerful impact wrench available.

Ultimately, Harbor Freight impact wrench users have a clear preference for Hercules impacts. The most compelling arguments in favor of the Hercules tools are the upgraded quality of the tools themselves and the batteries that power them in addition to the superior warranty protection. While Hercules impacts are more expensive than Bauer versions, they compete well against some of the more mainstream brands in Torque Test Channel videos while offering budget pricing.