When we first learned of Harbor Freights new Bauer 20V line of cordless tools, I couldn’t figure out who they were clones of. We knew that the Hercules 20V tools had visual designs similar to Dewalt 20V tools and the Earhquake 20V and 12V wrenches were clones of AC Delco cordless tools.
Initially I assumed that the Bauer 20V tools were influenced by Porter Cable tools, not that they were clones or made by them, but that they had some similarities. The battery packs however didn’t look like any other battery packs I’ve seen before. Luckily for us, Joshua B. did some digging around and found that the Bauer 20V tools are clones of Powerplus 20V tools. I’ve never seen or heard of that brand before and that’s because they are an overseas brand from the UK.
As you can see from the above pics we can see that the Bauer 20V tools are in fact clones of the Powerplus 20V tools and they appear to share 99.9% DNA (cosmetically). There are a few but very minor differences such as the color, slightly different accents and molding, and even grip texture but come on, they’re basically identical. Even the battery packs are the same.
The detective work doesn’t end there. Joshua B. also found that an overseas company called Lutool also makes cordless power tools that look 99.9% identical to Bauer’s 20V and Powerplus’s 20V tools above.
American retailer True Value has Master Mechanic 20V cordless tools that are also clones of the Bauer 20V.
With this many brands all making the same tool in different flavors, it’s hard to tell who makes them.
DISCLOSURE:
Tool Craze does not sell this product or any product on the Tool Craze website. Tool Craze does not handle the sale of any item in any way. If you purchase something through a post on the Tool Craze site, Tool Craze may get a small share of the sale. Please refer to the About section for more info.
I will say the info here is correct, however worth noting is that Lutool is part of the Chinese company Ningbo Gemay industries Co LTD, who claims to be manufacturers of many OEM tools. Looking at some of Lutool’s other tools they are exactly like some of Harbor Freight’s current and previous tools. Mainly under the Chicago electric and Bauer names, but a few other Harbor Freight brands. Powerplus has another line of 18v tools, exact copies of the Chicago electric. This is another indicator that Ningbo Gemay industries Co LTD/Lutool is potentially the OEM. Hopefully they will pump out more tools with good performance so Harbor Freight customers can benefit
Good info…
Bauer right angle drill is a knock-off of the Milwaukee Super Hawg, and their deep cut bandsaw is also a Milwaukee knock-off. They are not identical. I haven’t used them, won’t guess about quality.
I actually had the Milwaukee super hawg and it finally quit. So I decided to buy the Bauer right angle drill. So far it’s the exact same drill. Same rpm and power. Even fits in the Milwaukee case. Well worth the money if you ask me.
I am just glad for some new tool brands for folks that can’t justify big name prices. Capitalism only works if we have options! 🙂
So allowing china to steal technology from other companies and have slave labor build them is capitalism? When all USA manufactoring jobs are gone I guess we will be happy then.
Is that what I said, Charles? Looks to me like you are attributing meanings and motives to my comment that just aren’t there.
I agree with Charles. When the CCP enables Chinese companies to steal American intellectual property all the way down to cosmetic design, U.S. law should tax the offending Chinese products not only to the point where they are on a level playing field with the American products they’ve cloned, but to the point where they are basically paying reparations for the intellectual theft. That reparation money should then be given to the company whose IP was stolen. Otherwise American workers lose their jobs, and America becomes dependent on China for most of its manufactured goods, which is a national security issue.
Mike I don’t understand why such a law doesn’t yet exist!
Mike, I don’t understand why such a law doesn’t yet exist!
I completely agree with you…
So is the Bauer brand any good?
yes i like to know
Short answer, Yes! I have used many different “budget” power tool brands, and would put them at the top. Perfect if you just need a trusty drill, and that makes it a good deal, being that it’s more on the side of budget house brands. Expect some of the same downfalls as most other budget power tool brands, compared to the same tools that are twice as expensive. But, budget and high quality tools really shouldn’t be compared, because they are completely different markets. Don’t buy a $30 drill and the smallest battery if you need to drill 100 holes in 1/4″ steel every single day and expect it to last long or preform like a $200 drill. That doesn’t make it a bad drill, it’s just the wrong tool. In my experience, it’s the best of the cheap Chinese house brand power tools, if that’s the tool you actually need.
What I’d like to know is if the batteries are universal between brands? I did find the the HomeLite 18 Ni-Cad battery is interchangeable with the Ryobi 18 One-Plus Lithium battery.
I just got the Bauer work like to try compatibility with the master mechanic 20v series. The work light had a little indexing tab over the positive blade but the master mechanic batteries have the indexing tab over the negative slot on the battery. I’m not sure about the slot if it was an error or HF’s way of making their products proprietary but I trimmed off the tab and the battery works great with the light. This is good news since a new battery for the master mechanic set lists for $62 and the Bauer is $19 for a standard capacity for $34 for an extra capacity. But certainly the tools are 99.9% similar.
Hi, I have the Bauer 20 volt 1/4 impact driver kit, and I must say it Is a really great driver. It doesn’t get to hot, can take a full days work and keeps on putting out. I recommend and enjoy mine…
I love Bauer hammer drill because it helps me to work efficiently and effectively.
Where Can you buy replacement parts for Bauer.
LuTool aka Ningbo is the OEM, and MasterMechanic at True Value are the same tools as Bauer, the batterys interchange and Master Mechanics charger is identical to Bauers standard charger, only the stickers are changed.