3 Harbor Freight Tools That Are More Powerful Than DeWalt

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When comparing power tool buying options, it's no secret that we can buy more tools at Harbor Freight than DeWalt for the same money. While price and brand reputation are important, the power provided by the tool is also a critical factor when choosing a power tool.

DeWalt makes some of the best power tools on the market, with cordless tool offerings like drills, impact drivers, saws, impact wrenches, and lawn care equipment. However, in at least three tool categories, we can get more power from less expensive Harbor Freight products.

There's no shortage of YouTube videos and online blogs reviewing Harbor Freight tools and comparing them to DeWalt and other premium tool brands. Many times these reviews and comparisons are based on how the tools feel or the manufacturer's specifications. While those descriptions can provide a good first impression before swiping your card to make a purchase, professional reviewers often provide more detail and measurable results.

Cordless impact drivers are among the most tested, reviewed, and compared power tools on the internet, and with good reason. The tools are compact, versatile, and included with a variety of tool combo deals. If you had to choose between buying a drill or an impact driver, one may be better than the other for specific jobs, but the impact driver covers a wider range of tasks.

The Hercules HCB81B impact driver from Harbor Freight delivers up to 2,200 inch-pounds of torque with a maximum speed of 3,600 rpm according to factory specs provided on the product page. The DeWalt DCF850P1 Atomic impact driver specs list its maximum torque output at 1,825 in-lbs and a top speed of 3,250 rpm. While the DCF850P1 isn't DeWalt's most powerful impact driver, its $169.00 Home Depot price is still considerably more expensive than the $69.99 Hercules.

In a video test performed by Philly Fixed, the Hercules impact outperformed the DeWalt Atomic, driving three 3.5-inch deck screws into wood about 0.5 seconds faster and 6-inch-long ⅜ lag screws into PVC decking 1.4 seconds faster. In a video from Torque Test Channel testing the Hercules impact driver, we can see a chart showing torque test results for the HCB81B and DeWalt's Atomic DCF850, with the Hercules placing ahead of the DeWalt for torque.

Atlas leaf blowers are considered among the must-have Harbor Freight tools for every home garage by many. A few years ago, Project Farm tested a number of leaf blower models from Atlas and DeWalt. Specifically, the models tested include the Atlas 80V Brushless Cordless Blower, DeWalt 20V DCBL 722B Brushless Cordless Handheld Blower, and DeWalt 60V DCBL772BBrushless Cordless Handheld Axial Blower.

One of the tests devised by Project Farm was the "Air Blower Dyno" which measured the air force from the blowers in pounds using a digital scale with a 12-inch long by 6-inch diameter tube attached. Each blower nozzle is held parallel to the top of the "dyno" tube with the blower running at its highest speed to measure the applied force.

The 60V DeWalt applied more force than its 20V stablemate, but the 80V Atlas from Harbor Freight beat both DeWalt models. Ultimately, the Atlas blower outperformed DeWalt blowers in every test with power-related measurements performed by Project Farm. Those tests measured air speed (MPH), cubic feet per minute (CFM), wood chip removal, and leaf blowing speed.

While the DeWalt DCBL772 60V blower is an older model factory-rated at 125 MPH and 600 CFM, it's listed on Amazon with a 3 amp-hour battery and charger from $359.95. The newer DeWalt DCBL724B has a tool-only price of $199.00 at Home Depot and promises 133 MPH and 550 CFM performance. Harbor Freight sells the Atlas blower for $74.99 and lists its performance at 150 MPH and 605 CFM.

The top-rated 20V DeWalt hand-held spotlight is the DCL043, available at Home Depot for $119.00 and through DeWalt's Amazon store for $73.75. The DCL043 features three LEDs, two user-selectable brightness settings, and uses any 20V MAX DeWalt battery, to deliver a maximum output of 1,500 lumens. For $24.99, the more powerful Bauer 20V hand-held LED spotlight from Harbor Freight features 7 LEDs, high and low modes, and up to 2,500 lumens.

Like the DeWalt versions linked above, you'll have to buy a suitable 20V battery for the Bauer spotlight. The good news is that a two-pack of 5 amp-hour Bauer 20V High-Capacity batteries is roughly half the price of a similar set of DeWalt batteries from Home Depot.

The DeWalt spotlight has extra features not found on the Bauer, like a 90-degree pivoting head and a belt hook. However, it proves less powerful with a beam that's visible from up to 508 yards, or approximately 1,525 feet. For comparison, the Bauer 20V spotlight shines a beam that shines up to 720 yards, or 2,160 feet.

Admittedly, it wasn't easy to find Harbor Freight tools with more power than comparable DeWalt tools. In many cases Harbor Freight provides tools with adequate power and build quality that are nearly as powerful as DeWalt's (as the brand focuses on value more than power), but the hurdle of providing more power was high.

After viewing dozens of video reviews and reading countless tool comparison blogs, these three Harbor Freight tools stood out from the DeWalt crowd. Time will tell if the less expensive tools actually provide a better value for the price, but they are more powerful than DeWalt.