5 Of The Most Common Problems With Harbor Freight Batteries

Harbor Freight has built its reputation by offering budget-friendly alternatives to the products made by big-name brands. Many people like the company's hand tools since they come with a lifetime warranty, but Harbor Freight's power tools have also grown fairly popular. Not only does the retailer sell a wide range of corded power tools, but it also has several store-owned brands that make its batteries and battery-powered products, including Bauer, Hercules, and Atlas. These proprietary battery systems unlock dozens of cordless tools that Harbor Freight shoppers can collect, allowing them the freedom to work on projects remotely, without having to deal with cumbersome power cords.

The three aforementioned brands each have their own separate battery lines. Atlas has the 40V and 80V batteries that are commonly used in heavy-duty outdoor equipment, Bauer has the middle-weight 20V batteries used in it's considerable line of handheld power tools, and Hercules has both 12V batteries for smaller gadgets and its own assortment of 20V batteries. Hercules is often considered the higher quality brand when compared to Bauer, but Bauer's batteries are frequently sold steep discounts or bundled into deals during Harbor Freight's sale events, which can make them a compelling option for power tool users on a budget.

All of these batteries are fairly well-rated on the Harbor Freight website, but that doesn't mean that owners don't occasionally experience issues. Understanding the most common problems can help you to troubleshoot any issues you might be having and maybe even help you decide which (if any) of these battery systems to invest in.

No battery lasts forever. Most modern lithium-ion power tool batteries can usually be expected to last somewhere in the neighborhood of two to three years before they start to degrade under normal operational use. Certain activities, such as using off-brand adapters and exposing a battery to extreme temperatures, can accelerate this process, but no amount of care and maintenance can prevent it. Battery degradation can manifest in many ways, but the most common is that the cells slowly start to lose their ability to hold as much of a charge. So while a freshly charged battery will still fire up a tool at the beginning, it may not last as long or produce as much power as it did when it was new. Some studies have found that these batteries may lose as much as 40% of their capacity after 1,000 charging cycles. Other batteries may just give up the ghost and stop working entirely.

One issue that many customers seem to have encountered is that the Bauer and Atlas batteries aren't standing the test of time as well as other comparable brands. There have been several reviews from users about the batteries, stating that they don't last long at all. "Not recommended," said one reviewer on the product listing for the Bauer 1.5 Ah battery. "Power doesn't last, didn't last the year." This doesn't seem to be the norm for the majority of users, but this appears to be a major factor in a majority of the one and two-star reviews on the listings for the batteries themselves. Users on Reddit have also noted rapid degradation in the Bauer and Atlas batteries that seems to reinforce these claims.

Another problem that several users seem to keep encountering involves getting the batteries to charge properly. This issue may sometimes be related to the charger, and not necessarily the batteries themselves, but it's worth noting since a problem with one can easily cause an issue with the other. Users have specifically called out these chargers either for not fully charging their batteries or failing to recognize their battery altogether. There have been a couple of complaints about issues like this with Hercules chargers, but they seem to be much more common in Bauer and Atlas models.

While both of these chargers tend to have good reviews overall, they both also feature dozens of 1 and 2-star reviews stating that temperature-related shorts are common, batteries often stop charging when only half full, and the chargers themselves will sometimes simply stop working within a year or two of purchase. Reddit users have also made complaints about errors showing up in the charger's LED displays as well. "My 1.5 AH Bauer battery is showing Problem Battery or charger when put in charge," said one. "Its power level is reading full, and it still runs tools just fine." 

There are also instances of customers suggesting that the issue may have more to do with the battery than the charger in some cases. "Battery is less than a year old," posted an HFHacks contributor about a problem they were having with their Atlas 80V. "[The] rapid charger light turns red after about 30 seconds and shuts down. I have 3 other batteries which charge normally... so not the charger." This means that diagnosing charging issues might be difficult, as there appear to be multiple potential points of failure that may need to be addressed.

It's difficult to say with any degree of certainty what might cause Harbor Freight customers to experience such a wide range in performance quality from its batteries, but there are a few factors that might be contributing to that variance. One thing some tech enthusiasts have discovered is that there are some inconsistencies in the cells used inside the batteries.

One Reddit user did a teardown of the Hercules batteries and found that some of them contain Highstar brand 18650 cells while the older models contained Samsung 25R 18650 cells, illustrating a lack of consistency in the cell manufacturer used inside batteries of the same capacity and brand. It's difficult to say for certain if these differences lead to inconsistencies in the design and quality of those cells without side-by-side testing, but it is worth considering that Samsung is often considered to be a premium manufacturer where Highstar is more often thought of as a cheaper, budget-oriented brand. This might lead some buyers to understandably conclude that the versions with the Samsung cells might offer superior performance and longevity.

Likewise, Tools Tested did a teardown of the Bauer 1.5Ah, 3Ah, and 5Ah batteries, and found that the 5Ah batteries used better quality cells than the 1.5Ah and 3AH ones. The 1.5AH and 3Ah batteries both used Highstar 18650-1500s while the 5Ah batteries used the stronger Highstar 18650-2500 cells. He also claimed that the 3Ah seemed to come from a different supplier. "I would probably say away from [the 3Ah battery]," he said. "With that circuitry–it just seems kind of cheap inside, [like] what you would find actually with a knock off battery."

Another thing that a lot of Bauer Hercules, and Atlas users have complained about is their tools suffering from voltage drops. One Reddit user complained that their Bauer ½-inch 3-mode Impact Wrench frequently cuts out under load. Another Redditor had a similar issue with the Hercules model, and a third reported something similar on an Atlas lawn mower. This indicates that the battery is not providing adequate power to the tool, even when it's sufficiently charged. There are a few things that can cause this, such as cells in the battery giving inconsistent voltages, faulty wiring, or cells that are dead outright.

Tools Tested showcased in their video is that voltage drops might be more severe in some of Harbor Freight's batteries than others. The 5Ah Bauer battery only dropped from a measured 18.13V at two seconds under a 30amp load to 17.87V at ten seconds. This stays relatively close to the promised 20V output. The 1.5Ah Bauer battery, on the other hand, dropped to 16.5V at two seconds and 15.98V at ten when measured on the same time scale and load. Even more troubling, the 3Ah battery also showed similar performance to the 1.5Ah. This indicates that the capability to maintain something close to the promised voltage may vary between batteries of differing capacities.

One thing that you always want to keep in mind when purchasing any power tool is the warranty, but this extends to the tool's batteries as well. As we've previously discussed, tool batteries can short, degrade, or break down for a wide variety of reasons, often to no fault of the user involved. When that happens, you want a solid warranty you can fall back on.

Hercules has an exceptional warranty, offering five years of protection for its power tools and three years of protection for its batteries. This would be good coverage for any brand, but the coverage that Harbor Freight offers for its Bauer and Atlas batteries isn't nearly as generous.

These tools are only covered by Harbor Freight's standard limited liability warranty, which states, "We guarantee this product to be free from defects in materials and workmanship 90 days from the date of purchase. Limitations apply." That means that if you're battery dies just three months after you buy it, you might not be able to get a replacement unless you invest in Harbor Freight's extended warranty, which costs extra, but will protect the battery for an additional two years. While this isn't exactly a problem with construction of the batteries themselves, it is worth noting as it is a common source of frustration among buyers.

I've been using power tools for decades and have a significant collection of Harbor Freight tools populating my workshop. I've used many of the products referenced in this piece and relied on that first-hand knowledge in composing this list.

A vast majority of the reviews regarding the Bauer, Hercules, and Atlas batteries are positive, coming from happy users who were impressed with both the value and performance of the batteries sold at Harbor Freight. In order to find the most common problems associated with them, I started by examining the relatively small number of 1 and 2-star reviews on the batteries themselves as well as some of the reviews left on the more popular tools that the batteries are used on in order to find the most prevalent problems a user might encounter.

I looked for repeated claims and issues that users had with multiple batteries across the brands sold in Harbor Freight stores. I then expanded my search, looking on professional review sites, Reddit threads, and YouTube reviews. I gathered the most credible issues that users were likely to encounter and potential failure points that concerned tech specialists.