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.