Harbor Freight's Electric Ratchet Is A Great Alternative To Milwaukee's Similar Tool

Ratchet wrenches can save a lot of time and effort. You can work more quickly than with an ordinary wrench, in harder-to-reach places, and apply more pressure. So it's no surprise that they feature among the types of wrenches every homeowner should have. Now imagine something even faster that requires virtually no effort. That's an electric ratchet. Instead of swinging a handle, you simply squeeze the trigger.

Milwaukee is widely recognized as one of the world's best power tool brands, and they produce a number of 12-volt cordless electric ratchets that are packed with useful features. Harbor Freight produces a similar tool under their Hercules brand which, like Milwaukee, targets keen DIYers and professionals. On the face of it, the Hercules 12V Cordless ¼-Inch Ratchet seems like a great alternative, particularly given Harbor Freight's reputation for value. So how does it stack up when we make some direct comparisons?

Milwaukee actually produces more than two dozen cordless ratchets. Harbor Freight chooses the Milwaukee 2456-20 for comparison on its website, but the Milwaukee 2566-20 M12 Fuel ¼-Inch Ratchet is closer in performance terms. The key figure for these tools is torque (turning force), and the Milwaukee produces 35 foot-pounds; so does the Hercules 12V Cordless Ratchet. The Milwaukee is faster, at 450 rpm, whereas the Hercules runs at 275 rpm. However, when it comes to price, it's not even close. The Milwaukee as a bare tool (no battery or charger) is $199. The Hercules is $54.99, making it a budget-friendly alternative to Milwaukee with great performance.

Harbor Freight customers give the Hercules cordless ratchet a rating of 4.8 stars, and 99% would recommend it. There is a lot of positive feedback relating to how compact and powerful the tool is, but it's the comments that compare it with Milwaukee ratchets that are really telling. One buyer on the Harbor Freight website said, "Feels great, solid power, good balance, amazing trigger compared to Milwaukee." Another commented, "This ratchet is much better than the Milwaukee one, which was the best on the market." A professional user said, "I use a Milwaukee ratchet at work, and this Hercules performs just as good for less than half the price!!" Time and again Hercules owners said their tool was better than the Milwaukee ratchets they had used.

Both have LED work lights. Both have useful displays for battery charge level. The only significant difference is that the Milwaukee ratchet has a brushless motor, which may prove more durable than the one in the Hercules model. However, when it comes to the performance you get for the price, the Harbor Freight electric ratchet is clearly a great alternative to the Milwaukee tool. If you check out how to get the best deals on Harbor Freight tools, you might get even more bang for your buck.