Harbor Freight Vs. Milwaukee: Which Impact Wrench Comes Out On Top?

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

There's a bunch of different wrenches that homeowners should have, and it's useful to understand what each type does best. The impact wrench is a good example. Any time you've got a nut or bolt that needs a lot of torque (twisting force) to loosen or tighten it, an impact wrench is the tool for the job. Many people come across them at the tire center. It's the tool that is used on lug nuts. They are also found in engineering shops and on construction sites.

An impact wrench looks a lot like a cordless drill, but instead of a chuck, it has a square drive for sockets. It not only rotates but also has a hammer action to increase the force applied. If you work on your own vehicles or you're building a deck, an impact wrench can save a lot of time and effort.

Harbor Freight offers these tools, as does Milwaukee, but which model comes out on top? It's not an easy question to answer. Harbor Freight is well known for budget-friendly equipment and has impact wrenches under both the Bauer and Hercules brands. Milwaukee consistently ranks as one of the best power tool brands, and has both 12V and 18V impact wrenches. DIY users might come down in favor of Harbor Freight for their value for money. Professionals would probably put Milwaukee on top for quality and durability, despite premium prices. To get a more clear answer, we need to look at each in more detail.

The key figures for impact wrenches are motor speed in rpm (revolutions per minute), torque in foot pounds (ft-lbs), and the speed of the hammer action given as BPM (beats per minute) or ipm (impacts per minute). Confusingly, torque can be given as breakaway torque or maximum torque. The former is the true maximum when attempting to break loose a lug nut, for example, whereas the latter is the maximum while the tool is running normally.

Bauer tools are aimed at the average DIYer. There is a corded impact wrench for just $79.99, and a cordless model with 5 Ah (amp hour) battery and charger for $159.99. Both are popular and highly rated by owners. The latter, which we suspect will be many people's choice for convenience, has breakaway torque of 1,000 ft-lbs and maximum torque of 650 ft-lbs. Unusually, Harbor Freight impact wrenches only quote rpm rather than bpm or ipm. This tool has three speeds, with a maximum of 1,800 rpm.

Hercules is Harbor Freight's 'prosumer' brand targeting serious DIY users and professionals. There are several Hercules impact wrenches, but top of the range is the Ultra Torque Kit with a 5 Ah battery and charger for $249.99. Breakaway torque is 1,500 ft-lbs, maximum torque is 1,000 ft-lbs, and again there are three speeds with a maximum of 1,600 rpm. Although it's slightly slower than the Bauer, when it comes to impact wrenches, torque trumps speed every time.

According to reviews, there are several Milwaukee tools every homeowner should have, but they aren't cheap. It's fair to say that the brand usually targets professionals who use their tools day in, day out, and for whom price is secondary to reliability and performance. Milwaukee's range of impact wrenches is extensive and bears further investigation. At a glance, its compact M12 Fuel 12V model, which costs $379.00 with 5 Ah and 2.5 Ah batteries and charger, delivers up to 550 ft-lbs of torque and up to 3,300 ipm. Their M18 Fuel 18V High Torque model, which costs $399 with a 5 Ah battery and charger, provides up to 1,600 ft-lbs of torque and 2,400 ipm.

So, as expected, Milwaukee impact wrenches top the power charts. They also offer pro-grade features like advanced control to prevent over-tightening and automatic sensing to reduce power when a nut is loosened. Of course, all this advanced technology does come at considerably higher prices.

When comparing Harbor Freight and Milwaukee, there isn't really a single impact wrench that comes out on top. Those who only use these tools from time to time have been very happy with the Bauer. The Hercules model offers keen backyard mechanics and enthusiastic DIYers impressive performance for the money. Contractors and other professionals will pay extra for the power and control that the Milwaukee tools deliver.