Just How Bad Are Store-Brand Power Tools?
They know what they are doing when they lay out parts store aisles: Temptation lurks down every path to pick up another few quarts of oil for that leaky project. The lure of new tools is always strong, and on every visit, you take few extra steps to see what’s new on the tool aisle. We can’t help but look, but then “rationality” creeps in: Who buys tools from the same place they get discounted water pumps and oil filters? There are better tools out there, why not buy those, right?
I came to realization I was looking down on tools I had never tried. The price alone can tell us some information about the tools inside the blister package, but until we actually hold the tools in question and put them to work any positive or negative thoughts are just that—thoughts, not even informed enough to be opinions. Rebranded tools or anything else that lacks the name of your favorite tool brand might not be total junk though, and our favorite tool tester on YouTube—Torque Test Channel—recently grabbed a handful and put them to the test so we wouldn’t have to.
The tools tested include a Summit branded impact, a Hercules model from Harbor Freight, Hyper Tough from Walmart, and the Avid Power from Amazon. To a trained eye these tools all look like second-tier products just by the fit and finish when compared to a name brand like Milwaukee, DeWalt, or Ryobi. The overall size is comparable between most of the house-brand models and mainstream brands, but the dynamometer that measures the torque output of each impact tells no lies and spits out numbers with no agenda.
And the test shows that while none of the tools were going to blow away the impact wrench king and its red glass-fiber-reinforced clamshell, they do work and put down numbers that would make a lot of automotive projects easier. Not everyone is doing the hardest jobs, and for the money these affordable tools can be a way to get started under the hood. After all, if you find yourself outgunned for your projects can upgrade later when it makes sense. Technically none of us need power tools, they are just luxuries we afford ourselves.
None have interchangeable batteries, and ultimately it was the batteries that made a big difference in how the tools performed. As an example, the Hyper Tough came as a kit with tool, battery, and charger together for a paltry $59. That kinda of price tag should raise your eyebrows if you’ve shopped power tools at all and it’s easy to see where the corners were cut. A slow charger, small battery, and tool that seemingly has a mind of its own during some of the testing make it clear this was built to a price. It did get the job done with just the one battery, though the testing also showed that springing for a larger 4 amp-hour battery boosted the tool’s output significantly, with one catch—it nearly doubled the purchase price.
And that is what this all boiled down to at the end. You get what you pay for, and if you don’t need the impact that can hit the hardest with no consideration to budget, it is hard to make fun of the budget brands. They might take a little longer to get the job done or be a little more frustrating, but if the work gets done, that is most of the battle. Turns out the budget options might not be deserving of our side-eye glances after all.
After a lifetime as a professional mechanic, and shop owner, the basic are always the same.
There is a damned good reason that so many pros use Snap-On tools. Dependability and experience.
My basic electronic and “hand” tools alone are in the $100’s of thousands… but I already own them.
At my fairly new 30×40 home shop, I started and continued to add battery DeWalt tools, looking for the same.
I wanted stuff that is very dependable along with an entire array of tools that use the same battery system.
I require that things perform as needed or they go back to the store. Period
Cheap is o.k. for some things, but experience say that dependability is king, and always will be.
Milwaukee says, don’t leave the battery on the charger.🤪
Nikon says the same.
The biggest issue even when picking a brand is how long will they stay on the battery before they switch to a new incompatible battery.
You folks are fixing cars, do you have any idea how easy it is to fix one of these batteries? It’s all standard LiIon cells available from many places. Crack it open, check the cell type, rebuild. Having someone stop making batteries or even having one with not enough power is no excuse to abandon the tool.
You’re talking to people who’s number one fear is having to fix electrical problems in their cars.
I was fortunate that many years ago my then future son in law left a company that did business with Kobalt. His exit gift was the large Kobalt tool bag and he could fill up 3. He gave me one(kept one for himself and his dad). I got all that I needed tool wise with them being 24V with1 large battery and 2 small ones. These tools built my son’s finished basement as well as being used in my car restos since I got them about 8 years ago. How good are Kobalt? well more than good enough for me.
Does anyone still use air?
I still use air – it’s why I’m reading this – ready to make a switch. Really fun to step on a charged air hose while moving something heavy.
I use air for a few things, but my pancake is pretty limited.
Yes! I have air plumbed in the house as well. Been using the same Ingersoll-Rand tools for 30+ years.
I have a few Old Milwaukee battery items for convenience as well. Air isn’t always available at tracks.
You have air lines plumbed into your house?! Tell me more!
Drop by Davin’s shop and take a look. It’s just like plumbing water supply lines.
BTW. Take it from an old married man. Don’t put an outlet in the bedroom.
I use air. My old CP nut runner will still hammer off any nut I find. Also I have an air nibbler for metal, a grinder and a couple of sanders. I do have a battery drill and screw gun for drilling and screwing outside the shop and are very handy but for larger jobs you need air power. (And a good compressor, also a CP.)
I know plenty of people who still mainly use air tools. 99% of those people are ones who invested heavily into air tools before battery tools were common or the quality they are now. Air can be a lot more work and cost to keep up properly and ties all your tools to your compressor. Not very portable. It’s trade offs and for some people air is the right solution. Not here to knock it.
My experience is that the batteries are the weak spot. I bought Harbor Freight battery tools and discovered the batteries didn’t last as long AND when they went bad, you couldn’t get replacements because the design had changed. THAT is a problem with them all. I’ll stick with air and corded tools.
I’m a mechanic 55 years. My tools are Snap-On, MAC and Gear wrench. Some air tools are Ingersol. Battery tools are all DeWalt. I also have a lot of German made specialty tools. I can’t have a tool break in the middle of the job BUT more important is fit. Have all sockets and wrenches in 6 and 12 point. Now, I want to talk about Harbor Freight. Most people have all sorts of theories on why HF tools are so cheap. I have watched all sorts of videos on this subject and everyone never mentions one fact. The guarantee is horrible. Except for hand tools most items have a 90 day guarantee. What is 90 days? NOTHING. Most of my tools are lifetime or 2 and 3 year guarantee. Even the Walmart line of tools Hart and Hyper Tough are 3 and 2 years respectively. You buy an expensive generator from HF it’s 90 days. Case closed.
I have a Milwaukee M18 cordless impact wrench, drill, circular saw, leaf blower, two different trouble lights, a polisher and a bunch of Milwaukee Red Lithium M18 5.0 battery packs, plus an M12 hacksall reciprocating saw. All the tools and batteries are top quality, bullet-proof and really do the job. My only complaint is the high price of the M18 replacement battery packs. Fortunately I have not had to replace any yet (after 5 years of use).
I’ve not had a Ryobi, Ridgid or MIlwaukee fail. I have had the HF literally come apart. I like the fact that they keep the same voltage over the years. I have rebuilt decks with factory reconditioned Ridgid and ran them so hot they hurt my hand without a failure. Ryobi seems good for a budget, Milwaukee is incredibly expensive so Ridgid is in the middle.
I bought a combination hedge trimmer and grass clipper from HF this year. The grass clipper attachment seized up within about 15 minutes. I repaired it and it seized up again within a few minutes.
I prefer Milwaukee and have both the M12 and M18 platforms and have drills, drivers, impact wrenches, a cordless bandsaw, grinder, etc. I also still have some corded Milwaukee, and that was the mainstay brand in the fabrication shop I worked at in high school / college. A little pricey, and worth it. Always had good luck with them.
At one point I bought into the Craftsman 19.2 line, mainly for saws, sanders and woodworking tools. They were an economical, reliable alternative when price was an issue (like most Craftsman tools always were). Most of my original batteries have gone belly-up. They can be rebuilt, but it’s actually more economical to buy the off-brand replacement batteries. My experience with those has been good, and I’ve even picked up a few 19.2 tools used as their popularity waned.
Along the way I have bought some Horrible Freight Chicago Electric corded tools (I have an oscillating saw and a Dynabrade-style sander that just won’t die, a cutoff tool, and those HF 4-1/2″ grinders for $10-12 are the stuff of legend.
Recently I bought a Bauer pole saw. I like Milwaukee, and if cost were no object I would have bought from them, but for $175 less, I bought the HF Bauer 20V cordless.
What’s really cool is that for $15 on eBay I bought a battery adapter to run the 20V Bauer saw on Milwaukee M18 batteries. This way I can commit fully to the M12 and M18 battery systems and still buy off-brand for best economy when the application dictates. I’ll likely get the Craftsman 19.2 to Milwaukee adapter next.
“Buy once-cry once”
Don’t waste money on cheep tools or cheep beer.
just like mom said all those years ago, you get what you pay for;
was anybody listening?
Well, you may or may not get what you pay for, but you certainly pay for what you get.
I started using Dewalt cordless tools way before Milwaukee was even in the game. The 18v tools were good for their time, but the 20v tools can hold their own against any of the others. Especially the XR series. I have an 800 ft-lb Dewalt impact that is more powerful than my Snap-On IM51 air impact. Also, they make adapters so you can use your 20v batteries on the older 18v tools.
If I ran a professional shop, where I had to depend on my tools for making money, I would only use a name brand like DeWalt or Milwaukee. However, since this is a hobby and all of this is just for fun, and to keep me healthy in my retirement, the “off brands” are fine with me. I have various tools from Harbor Freight, random ones from Amazon and even a few from Temu, Vevor and Tool Lots. Since you are reviewing impact wrenches, I had to chime in about the one I bought from Tool Lots. The brand is Weilder and it was on sale for $14.58. I figured it would be junk, but for $14 I wouldn’t be loosing much if it was. I was actually surprised that it was able to remove lug nuts that had been torqued to 100 ft. lbs. Again, I wouldn’t trust it to hold up for all day use in a business, but for rotating tires in my personal fleet, it is perfect.