A new Hercules 12V Brushless 3″ Multi Material Cut Off Tool has been spotted at Harbor Freight. A big thanks to Joshua B. for spotting!
Disclosure: This is not a review, this is tool news. Tool Craze cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information/specifications/features of any tool listed in this article. Manufacturer marketing claims may not always meet expectations. Tool Craze is not responsible if products do not live up to claimed expectations. Please do your full research before buying any products. Tool Craze is an Amazon Associate. Also an affiliate with the Home Depot, Acme Tools, Ohio Power Tool, Tool Nut. As well as an affiliate with Lowe’s, Ebay, and Walmart and places affiliate links to these retailers. If you purchase through a link on the Tool Craze site, Tool Craze may get a share of the sale.
Hercules 12V Brushless 3″ Multi Material Cut Off Tool
Harbor Freight continues to expand not just their Hercules cordless 18V line, but also their 12V lineup as well. This new cordless cut off tool is part of their 12 volt lineup. It features a brushless motor and as Joshua B. mentioned, this is their second brushless 12V tool.
Material Cut Off Tool – Saw
In recent years, it appears that manufacturers have been creating multi material cut off tools. Also known as saws. These tools use a cut off wheel which are good for cutting metal. And if fitted with the proper blade can cut other materials as well such as plastics, stone, tile, and wood. Some like this Hercules come with multi material cutting blade which can cut metal, PVC, and tile.
These tools are much smaller than a circular saw. However they have more in common with a angle grinder and rotary tool (Dremel) and are sized in between. They cut using high RPM’s. Their design and shape also makes them perfectly suited for cutting applications, hence the “cut off” name.
Hercules 12V Brushless 3″ Multi Material Cut Off Tool – Brushless Motor
A brushless motor is better because they are usually more battery efficient and in some cases get greater performance than a brushed motor. They can also help keep tools smaller as well if designed for it.
Hercules 12V Brushless 3″ Multi Material Cut Off Tool – Features
Like other cut off tools in this category, it uses 3 inch cutting wheels. The brushless motor spins at 20,000 RPM max no-load and gets up to 3/5″ cutting capacity. The blade only spins in one direction – counter clockwise. This is one feature where the Hercules fall behind the competition as all the other brands that have comparable tools – Ryobi, Ridgid, Milwaukee, Dewalt have forward and rear spinning direction.
Also, with the blade spinning counter clockwise only, means that debris will be flying back at you. This is not ideal when cutting metal as it will spit red hot shards of metal back at you. So make sure you have gloves and a durable long sleeve shirt on as well as eye and face protection.
It has an LED to help in low light. And the guard can rotate and is tool free to adjust. A blade wrench (hex key) is included and it appears that it stores on the tool itself for less chance of getting lost.
Competition
Most other brands that offer a cordless cut off tool have gone with 18V/20V. With one exception, Milwaukee who went with M12 (12V). So while the Hercules brand was initially intended to copycat Dewalt, it appears they are directly competing with Milwaukee on this tool. It makes sense to go 12V since even 18V cut off tools are very tiny and roughly the same size as 12V tools except for the battery and connection.
However it may make more sense to go 18V simply for the reason that 18V have more battery cells and have more battery juice (watt hours) in general than 12V. In laymans terms, this means that the same tool will generally run longer with a larger 18V battery. You can’t cheat physics. That’s not to say a 12V like this Hercules won’t provide a handy cutting tool and experience. Just keep in mind that if you’re looking to run as long as possible, 18V is the way to go in this regard.
All the other brands I looked at from Dewalt, Milwaukee, Ridgid, and Ryobi also have the ability to run the motor in both directions as mentioned earlier. Something this Hercules does not offer.
The good news is that this Hercules is priced lower than the competition at $69.99 price without a coupon at the time of writing. This undercuts the competition nicely as the next cheapest option (Ryobi) was $20 more.
If you get a Hercules 12V, I’d recommend getting their largest 4ah battery for the best runtime.
A big thanks again to Joshua B. for spotting this tool!
MFR Specs & Features Bullet List
- 20,000 RPM Max
- 2.90 lbs weight
- 3″ blade size
- 3/5 inch cutting capacity
- 3/8 in. and 7/16 in. arbor size
- Counterclockwise blade direction ideal for cutting tile, metal, and PVC
- Tool-free adjustable guard for safety in all positions
- Bright LED light for superior work visibility
Free 2 day shipping – Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial
DISCLOSURE:
Tool Craze does not sell this product or any product on the Tool Craze website. Also Tool Craze does not handle the sale of any item in any way. Tool Craze is an Amazon Associate. And places affiliate links including those from other retailers Tool Craze is an affiliate partner with. If you purchase through a link on the Tool Craze site; Tool Craze may get a share of the sale. Please refer to the About section for more info. Tool Craze cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information/specifications/features of any tool listed in this article. Please do your full research before buying any products.
Leave a Comment