Milwaukee vs Hercules Cordless Bandsaw Review

I unbox and test the Milwaukee and Hercules Cordless bandsaws using an 8AH battery and the same Milwaukee Extreme Thick Metal Blade on both for a direct comparison. The Milwaukee is way better quality and much more compact but costs way more, especially if you don’t buy it on sale. The Hercules is a little big and awkward and the quality control is pretty bad. The Milwaukee wins in every way except the LED light.
If I could start over, I would buy the Hercules instead of the Milwaukee because I’m a home hobbyist. Pros should stick with the Milwaukee…and since I can’t return the Milwaukee, I’m going to stick with it also.
Milwaukee Deep Cut Bandsaw (Home Depot set I bought at greater sale)
www.homedepot....
Milwaukee Deep Cut Bandsaw (Tool Only)
www.amazon.com...
Milwaukee Battery and Charger Set (Amazon set I bought on sale)
www.amazon.com...
Hercules Deep Cut Bandsaw
www.harborfrei...
Hercules Extreme Performance 8AH Battery
www.harborfrei...
Hercules Dual Voltage Fan Cooled 8Amp Battery Charger
www.harborfrei...
Milwaukee Extreme Metal Cutting Blades 3 Pack
www.northernto...

[@corin164]

I too ended up with two bandsaws. I bought the Bauer brand corded saw and he Herc stand because I had a large job, that required both and couldn't wait for the Hercules. The Bauer did the job Ok, and I had no complaints, the trigger switch mal functioned halfway through the job. I ordered a new switch from HF (for no cost) but as I stated, I couldn't wait for the part. I ended up bypassing the switch by plugging it into a momentary foot switch, which is actually a better and safer arrangement than the built-in trigger mechanism that came with the stand. The Herc 20v model was finally made available at my local store and intend on using it as a portable bandsaw when outside my shop. So far I am very satisfied with both the Herc and the Bauer.

[@jrummy73]

Hercules is a great value for a quality tool with a 5yr warranty. Take it right into the store no hassle on warranty issues

[@ElectroAtletico]

If you're a DIY then the HERCULES is a no-brainer. Best option. If you're a PRO, invested into the Milwaukee line, then by all means go with Milwaukee, but I still would seriously consider the HERCULES. Why? Because if the Milwaukee bandsaw breaks it's going to be ~2-3 weeks until you get it back from their warranty center. If the HERCULES breaks? Just walk into HF and trade it for a new one.

[@bloodbushcraft2467]

The Hercules is hard to say no to. Hell you can get 2 for the price of the Milwaukee then you can double your out put by having 2 people cut at the same time

[@ethanrandel2882]

Good review. I just picked up the Hercules bandsaw for free with the purchase of two 5 ah batterys which I need it anyways.

[@SLKR-ek9hj]

I wish they were to bring that deal back it hasn’t I’ve been keeping an eye out

[@unclefester4626]

I recently bought the Hercules saw. I was a milwaukee fanboy until my barely used newer batteries started failing in mass. Being a fanboy...i lost track of where i kept my receipts. I remeber thinking m18 batteries never fail....because all of my m18 batteries from 12 years ago are all still functional to about 80% of their original runtime. Pretty awsome, right? Not the new ones. At about the 1 1/2 year point batteries started failing. Red green flash on charger or other wonky things. Charges and runs for 3 minutes and is full discharged. I lost 3x 12ah batteries, 4x 6ah batteries, 1x 8ah m18 batteries. Several m12 6ah batteries quit during the same time. Here's where it gets bad.... milwaukee would not warranty them! According to the serial numbers on most of the batteries they were a minimum of 3 1/2 years old! The milwaukee rep said one of a couple of things could have happened. Sometimes home depot will be given a special price on old battery inventory that built up in their inventory....or home depot received a shipment, stocked it in the wrong place thus loosing track of them....then rediscovered them and shipped them to a store....OLD. Either way i don't care. I took it in the shorts on allmost 2 grand worth of batteries. I'm not happy about it. I'm done with milwaukee and have invested heavily in Flex power tools. If i hadn't bought the Hercules i would have went with the Flex bandsaw instead. *$^# milwaukee!!!😡

[@Cuz789]

I'm right there with you. It's amazing how people think that because it's branded Milwaukee that they some how engineered it somehow leaps and bound better than anyone else, it can't be that much better. All of these companies make a ton of money off of brand loyalty. I stopped buying Milwaukee and DeWalt when I realized that I bought a Hercules impact driver that was much cheaper (on a deal where you buy the 5AH battery and charger for $99 and get the tool for free) by like $200 as a "beater" because I didn't want the wear and tear on my M18 impact. Huh??? What the hell am I thinking? Especially since the Hercules impact has done everything and more that I've asked of it and hasn't once failed me. I forgot the damn thing in the rain and thought it was a goner, Nope! kept right on working like nothing happened. Since then I've sold off some Milwaukee tools and just bought Hercules stuff. In a worst case scenario, I literally can walk into HF and get a replacement tool right then and there, no questions asked. I can't wait until they fill out the Hercules line with some things I'm waiting on. I'll use the Milwaukee ones until the Herc ones come out and get those. I'm over spending thousands on tools that rarely get used and are more like status symbols or trophies. Makes no GD sense. Hercules, DeWalt, Milwaukee, Flex, Ryobi etc. They're all made overseas out of the same basic components with different plastics on the outside.

[@unclefester4626]

@@Cuz789 old timer brand loyalty is the only reason Ford is still in business....

[@MrAtaripitbull]

Good video and lots of good information especially on the Hercules bandsaw, which I plan to buy. Now what I'm about to say is not a criticism, but when you cut a flat piece of steel bar straight cut, you cut it on it's edge and not on the flat side, unless you need a degree cut on the flat side. It's much better for the blade and it's less effort for the device to cut .

[@ruffwrenchn2235]

Thanks for this! That makes total sense...I'm still learning and appreciate the feedback!

[@chuckh.2227]

Would be much better without music

[@DrewsBackYardMechanics]

Great Review, Keep Up The Good Work👍

[@paulvelasquez6943]

It's b s that companies screw customers nowadays by not including batteries and chargers. For items like these, I will stick with corded tools.

[@ruffwrenchn2235]

Yeah, the batteries are crazy expensive too...but the convenience of battery is pretty substantial.

[@wheelstandr]

Nice job.