5 Harbor Freight Tools That Are More Powerful Than Ryobi

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Ryobi is frequently cited as one of the best major power tools brands on the market, particularly when it comes to measuring the ratio of price-to-performance. Not only is the Ryobi One+ battery system robust and reliable, but the company's catalog of both corded and cordless tools is absolutely massive, with over 300 products in the 18V class alone. On top of that, Ryobi is the official Home Depot-affiliated power tool brand, which is why you won't find any of the green tools sold at Lowe's or any other brick-and-mortar retailer. This affiliation gives the company a certain measure of credibility that's hard to come by in many of the other value-oriented brands on the market.

Harbor Freight's power tools fill a similar niche. They aren't usually trying to outperform the top-of-the-line models from DeWalt, Makita, or Milwaukee, but many of them aim to offer an approximation of that performance at a fraction of the price. This is most apparent in the company's premium Hercules power tools, which are generally higher quality than those in its Bauer line.

The tool lines of these two manufacturers aren't sold in the same stores, but the companies trade blows in terms of specs and performance more often than you might think. Ryobi is considered the safer bet by many craftspeople, but there are several instances where you might be surprised to learn that Harbor Freight comes out on top. By comparing the specs of two similar tools from each brand, taking a look at their weighted customer review scores, and seeing what pros have to say about them, you can see that there are several Harbor Freight tools that are able to outperform their Ryobi counterparts in terms of raw power.

The Hercules lineup consistently hits well above its weight class in terms of design, power, and performance, but there are a handful of the brand's power tools that are truly exceptional. These manage to hit high-end performance benchmarks while costing about half as much as other brands. One of the best examples of this is the Hercules 20V ½-inch Ultra Torque Impact Wrench (HCB85B2). 

The closest Ryobi variation of this tool is the 18V One+ HP ½-inch High Torque Impact Wrench (PBLIW01B). This is a fairly powerful battery-powered wrench that offers four modes of control and up to 1,170 ft-lbs of breakaway torque. It retails for $219.00 and is well-loved by users, with a 4.9 out of 5 on the Ryobi site and a 4.8 on Home Depot. Even so, the Hercules has the same four control modes, three different speed modes, and also boasts an impressive 1,500 ft-lbs of breakaway torque, handily outperforming the Ryobi while also being cheaper, at just $189.99.

This tool has a 4.9 out of 5 on the Harbor Freight website, matching the customer review score of the Ryobi. There are dozens of reviews that specifically cite the tool's build quality and power as reasons for their positive reviews. "I feel like I have to brace myself when I use this," said one. "Maybe I just need to work on upper body strength, but the force is great." Torque Test Channel did extensive testing on this tool as well, and found that it even outperformed several higher-end tools offered by premium brands like DeWalt and Milwaukee, sitting several slots above the Ryobi on the power scale.

Just about every craftsperson needs a good circular saw, but many might not know that the rear-handled worm-drive-style saws tend to be a lot stronger than the typical top-handled variety. Hercules makes one of these that dramatically outperforms Ryobi's closest competitor.

One of the best circular saws that Ryobi has to offer is the 18V One+ 7 ¼-inch Circular Saw (PBLCS300B). This promises 325 cuts per charge (though the listing doesn't specify battery capacity) and cuts at speeds up to 4,300 RPM. That's a pretty potent little saw, and users seem to like it, giving it a 4.8 out of 5 on the Ryobi site and a 4.5 on Home Depot, where it retails for $129.00.

That said, it isn't even close to the power offered by the Hercules 7 ¼-inch Rear Handle Circular Saw (HCB72B-1). This tool costs an extra $20, but it's able to make up to 725 cuts per charge on a 12Ah battery and speeds up to 5,800 RPM. That's a significant boost in power, making it outperform the Ryobi model.

The Hercules saw has 4.9 out of 5 on the Harbor Freight site. "I love the worm drive configuration and the hook," one reviewer said. "It has plenty of power. I've run it for several days on one battery. It's half the price of DeWalt or Milwaukee, but performs just as good in my opinion." Pro reviewers seem to like the tool as well. "Hercules claims this saw can handle all grades of lumber, including the toughest hardwoods. They aren't messing around," said Tool Craze. "No doubt thanks to a strong high-performance brushless motor designed to chew up and spit out lumber."

One of the most important power tools in any collection has to be the basic drill. This is something that you'll be using in nearly every project that you take on, so it makes sense that you'd want to make sure you get a good one. Fortunately, this is another area where Harbor Freight put a lot of effort into making a tool with fantastic performance.

The Hercules 20V ½-inch Drill/Driver (HCB91B) is just $69.99 and has 14 clutch settings, a two-speed transmission, and promises to drill up to 350 holes on a single charge. But most importantly, it has a brushless motor that promises up to 1,200 in-lbs of torque. That's a lot of power for any standard drill, let alone a budget option. Meanwhile, Ryobi's brushless 18V One+ HP ½-inch Drill Driver (PBLDD01B) goes for $99.99 at Home Depot. This has a lot of the same features, but it's only able to generate a maximum of 750 in-lbs of torque. This is a huge difference in performance, making the Harbor Freight tool outshine Ryobi in both price and quality.

The Hercules has a 4.7 out of 5 on the Harbor Freight website. "This drill is solid, well-built, and powerful," one reviewer wrote. "I was impressed with the quality of the materials used in its construction," said another. It isn't just customers who feel this way, either. Pros seem to like the drill as well. "It has specs that come out in a good place for a Pro-level compact drill," said Pro Tool Reviews Editor in Chief, Kenny Koehler. "The design and specs are close enough to that DeWalt drill to make us wonder if Stanley Black & Decker might be manufacturing Hercules for Harbor Freight."

Those who are going to be working with a lot of masonry might need to get a hammer drill rather than the standard version. These produce percussive force in addition to rotation that allows the bit to penetrate materials like concrete, brick, and asphalt. Luckily, this is another tool that is exceptional in the Hercules line.

The Ryobi 18V One+ HP ½-inch Hammer Drill (PSHM02B) is a popular option that has some decent specs. It's able to operate at speeds up to 1,700 RPM, can deliver up to 450 in-lbs of torque, and hammers at a rate of up to 27,200 BPM. That ain't bad, which is why the tool has a 4.7 out of 5 on Home Depot. That said, the Hercules 20V ½-inch Compact Hammer Drill/Driver (HCB92B) outclasses it in every metric. It operates at speeds up to 2,000 RPM, can produce up to 1,200 in-lbs of torque, and hammers at rates up to 32,000 BPM. 

This tool boasts a 4.8 out of 5 on the Harbor Freight site, and users seem to be particularly impressed by its reliability and power. "I use this drill on a daily basis," said one reviewer. "I used this drill to core drill 12" holes in storm sewer pipes. We also use it to mix up batches of mortar in 5-gallon buckets. I used other brand drills doing the same things, and they broke or burned out right away." YouTuber Tool Review Zone did extensive testing on the drill as well. "This thing definitely stands on its own," he said. "Even if this thing was priced a bit higher, this is still a legit buy. This is a well-built hammer drill and another really good job by Hercules."

The quality of a jobsite blower can be measured in a few different ways. Weight, volume, and battery life can all contribute to a blower's overall quality, but blowing power is measured by two separate metrics: volume and speed. The Ryobi 18V ONE+ HP Compact Blower (PSBLB01B) is a decently capable little tool that blows air at a volume of 220 CFM and at speeds up to 140 MPH, and retails for $109.00. The tool is quite popular, with a 4.8 out of 5 on the Ryobi site and a 4.7 out of 5 on Home Depot. Compare this to the Hercules 20V Compact Jobsite Blower (HC102B), though. This $44.99 tool blows 120 CFM at much higher speeds, reaching up to 200 MPH. This means that the Ryobi wins in terms of volume, which is better for sweeping wide areas and clearing dry leaves, but the Hercules is the superior tool when it comes to speed. This makes it better for tightly focused power, which is generally more ideal for shop environments and clearing stubborn, wet materials.

The Hercules blower has a 4.7 on the Harbor Freight site. "They weren't kidding about how handy this is for shop and project cleanup," one review stated. "No longer need to wait for air compressor pressure or use a much larger leaf blower. Surprisingly powerful for its size." Pro reviewers have argued that the lightweight, small form factor, and power make it a really handy tool to keep in the shop. "This is a must-have tool," said YouTuber Rural Minnesota Guy. "This, right now, I use all the time. Any time I get done with a tool, I blow it off. I clean up [my workbench]. It's just really, really good."

In order to compare the power levels of tools from different brands, we started by finding the Harbor Freight and Ryobi tools that were the most similar in terms of power source, design, fittings, and intended use. This is important in order to ensure that we are truly showcasing comparable products and not comparing dissimilar tools, like a drill to an electric screwdriver, for instance. We then examined each of these tools' specs, specifically choosing examples where the Harbor Freight version of the tool advertised more power than the Ryobi alternative.

Once we had our tools picked out, we examined the customer reviews on each of the companies' respective websites and then sought out professional reviews. This helped to verify that these tools stood up to real-world use and testing and that the power they demonstrated is in line with the specs reported by the manufacturer.