Hercules Vs. Milwaukee Battery Starter Kit: How Does Harbor Freight's Clone Compare?

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Oftentimes, it can be useful to invest in a battery starter kit to take advantage of the potential savings of buying "tool only" versions of compatible power tools. When looking to invest in a battery starter kit, it would make sense to start comparing models from some of the best power tool brands, including Hercules and Milwaukee. Both brands are known for making professional-grade cordless power tools, yet Hercules, one of Harbor Freight's best cordless power tool brands, is considerably cheaper primarily due to Harbor Freight's wholesale-to-consumer approach.

Battery starter kits by Hercules and Milwaukee share many similarities. Each comes with a three-year limited warranty, one 5-amp-per-hour battery, and a 120-volt battery charger. The included chargers are capable of recharging batteries in as little as 60 minutes and provide dual-voltage output to work with each brand's 12-volt batteries. Finally, both brands' batteries also feature temperature and overload safeguards to protect them during heavy-duty usage.

There are some important differences, though. The Hercules starter kit, which  costs $119.99 at Harbor Freight, advertises 20 volts at peak charge and charges its batteries at 4 amps. For comparison, the Milwaukee M18 XC5.0 starter kit, available for $219.00 at The Home Depot, operates at 18 volts and includes a charger with a 2.5-amp maximum output. 

If you're keeping track of the specs, you've noticed that, compared to the Milwaukee M18 starter kit, the Hercules product advertises higher voltage and a charger that delivers more amperage, while costing $100 less. So why is the Hercules seemingly superior to Milwaukee, but cheaper? The fact that Harbor Freight owns the Hercules brand, contracting directly with the factories that make the tools, plays a role. In contrast, Milwaukee doesn't sell its tools directly to consumers. This means customers must buy the M18 starter kit from one of Milwaukee's retail partners, which could add costs. 

While the Hercules batteries have many advantages on paper, users sometimes report that Milwaukee cordless tools do outperform those from Hercules. For example, a video from Pro Tool Reviews compared the Hercules 20V drill and Milwaukee M18 Fuel Drill side-by-side. In that test, the Milwaukee product consistently drilled through a board faster than the Hercules one. Under extreme use, the Hercules battery's overload protection kicked in, shutting off power to the drill.

When comparing something like an impact driver from Milwaukee and Hercules, the power of the Hercules model is more competitive. However, Hercules only produces two models, one 20V and a 12V, whereas Milwaukee offers a wider variety of M18 and M12 impact driver models to fit specialized needs. In general, one advantage of the M18 battery pack is that it opens the door to a wider range of power tools than the Hercules model. 

Since the 20-volt Hercules and 18-volt Milwaukee M18 batteries included with these starter kits deliver the same voltages and have identical 5-amp-hour ratings, some may wonder if it's possible to use Harbor Freight batteries on Milwaukee power tools. While the batteries from one system do not physically fit the tools of the other, it is possible to buy adaptors that defeat this simple failsafe. However, it is not advised to use adaptors like these for a number of reasons. 

First of all, these adaptors are 1-1 devices, meaning you would have to specifically buy one to connect whatever brand of battery you have to whatever brand of power tool you want it to work with. Additionally, these brands often instill their tools with sensitive electronics such as circuit boards and battery monitoring systems that help the tool operate at peak performance. Third-party adaptors could bypass those electronics resulting in limited performance, or worse, delivering unbridled power, causing damage to the tool or battery and voiding any warranties.