NAVAC 18v 2 CFM Cordless Vacuum Pump VS HERCULES 20v 2 CFM Brushless HVAC Vacuum Pump

[@gtpforever]

A Hercules 20v 1/4" quick release impact was my first tool purchased when i got the industry 7 years ago and its still going strong. Lol

[@subcoolHVAC]

That’s good to know 👍

[@kreep3r]

it really is, 🎉

[@wd8557]

I got the O-Ring Assortment, 382 Piece set, for 10 bucks, saved my ass on the cheap a few times. I love me some Harbor Freight.

[@subcoolHVAC]

If you know what you’re looking for you can get some good deals 👍

[@philipwalker1267]

Love my Hercules vacuum pump I use it on ice machine and walk in coolers and reach in coolers and on ac units . It’s not the fastest but it’s light and works like it should. Half the cost of other brands and just as good with a 5 year warranty on tool and three year warranty on battery and charger

[@subcoolHVAC]

Right on 👍 it gets those jobs done! Thanks for commenting

[@philipwalker1267]

@@subcoolHVAC your welcome anytime!

[@Silky_boi]

I’ve owned the small Makita vacuum pump which was twice the cost… a couple things I like about this Hercules pump is the variety of ports, as the Makita only had 5/16. Also Makita for whatever reason stopped making 18v batteries higher than 6ah while Hercules goes up twice that. So I’d definitely give the Hercules as the best value.

[@subcoolHVAC]

It seems to be performing well so far, Im purposely giving the NAVAC a break to put Hercules to the test… the 5ah seems to be sufficient but the battery options are affordable

[@jasonjohnsonHVAC]

For the price point it did pretty good. NAVAC makes vacuum pumps for a lot of manufacturers. I'm definitely a NAVAC fan....but $260.....hard to beat that performance for just about half the cost

[@subcoolHVAC]

I have no complaints about the NAVAC pump, the Hercules warranty is 5yr and HQ is right here in FL , at least that’s what the document says. 1yr warranty on NAVAC

[@hediervarelamedina987]

C

[@oscalerup1129]

Very cool little pump. Hard to beat that price! I picked up a barely used JB 5CFM cordless pump. And it’s done great for me. Helps im just used to JB my company provided a 7.5CFM JB I also keep on the truck but having that cordless option is nice. Another benefit of JB is you can also have a power adapter to plug it into power if needed

[@subcoolHVAC]

Nice, that power adapter is a good option to have! Thanks for the comment

[@kreep3r]

just picked it up today, havent used it but hervules hasnt disappointed so far

[@subcoolHVAC]

The 5ah battery works well with it 👍

[@Sirqa]

a nice little upgrade for the Hercules is the 8ah extreme battery. with the 8ah battery you can view battery life from the top.

[@subcoolHVAC]

Right on 👍

[@DJV94022]

Also the 12ah (bigger)

[@wbforsure2104]

They're not the most powerful but the convenience of doing automatic ac jobs out in the field makes it priceless to me. No need for a generator, a converter or extension cord. I bought the 12ah battery so I'm curious how many cars i can do off it.

[@subcoolHVAC]

Nice, keep me posted how it does with 12ah. 👍

[@spikeshostagetv5935]

12ah yea 🧐

[@uxwbill]

When the Navac battery operated pumps first hit the market, I was intrigued by the idea but totally put off by the price. Back in 2016 or so, I bought Harbor Freight's Pittsburgh branded 3 CFM two stage vacuum pump. I only do HVAC/R as a sideline, but it's had plenty of use in residential, automotive and light commercial. It's never let me down. I would definitely buy it again. I definitely think I'll try their cordless offering. Thanks for the review.

[@subcoolHVAC]

The NAVAC has certainly been worth the investment … I purchased a Harbor Freight Chicago SDS MAX drill for one job using core bits in 2014…. It’s done hundreds of jobs since. I appreciate your comment 👍

[@search_eternal]

It's a nice little pump. I got the 12ah battery for mine.

[@subcoolHVAC]

Nice, that will definitely do the job 👍

[@DJV94022]

Same tomorrow will be my first full charge

[@JohnniePokemonNj]

Last week I picked up there deep cut cordless bandsaws which was free if I bought the charger with 5ah battery and then I was at home and saw the vacuum pump online so I went back to grab it and picked up 2 more 5 ah batteries and out the door was 245. This pump should help out a lot when power is not close and don’t feel like running power for the pump I will be able to use the cordless pump

[@subcoolHVAC]

Hard to beat deals.. the pump works good for those smaller jobs. Even used it on some 5 ton installs

[@alexiamcgee8730]

If you want a Hercules battery that has the power levels on top by the release, they exist. I run my 5 AH batteries with the power level lights by the release on my grease guns so I can see the power level while upright. I’m sure it’s just a difference in who is making them for harbor freight. I’m sure if you buy them in the plastic packaging instead of the starter kit like I did you can hunt for the power level on the side you want.

[@subcoolHVAC]

Yeah. I noticed they weren’t the same. My NAVAC has the battery level led on the 9ah but not the 5ah.

[@HVACRSurvival]

Cool video comparison!

[@subcoolHVAC]

Thanks Rick !

[@ccthepope]

Great review!

[@subcoolHVAC]

Thanks CC , stay cool !

[@t911p9u1]

Will it be good with the A2L refrigerant? That’s the only reason I haven’t gotten a battery pump.

[@subcoolHVAC]

I don’t see why it wouldn’t work, brushless motor and no spark switch. My NAVAC 2cfm is A2L compliant and the Hercules pump is very similar. Nothing in the manual states A2L

[@themrmoy40]

can you use a Makita battery for the Hercules pump?

[@subcoolHVAC]

Not that I know of

[@kiethlowry2862]

Where did you get the vacuum hose?

[@subcoolHVAC]

Local Supply House , NAVAC NHB1 1/2” dia. 3/8” to 1/4” fittings. Thanks for watching!

[@davidw4777]

I’d like to see the comparison done with both 5amp batteries that 9amp will have given the navac an advantage

[@subcoolHVAC]

How is that?

[@briancarlisi2224]

Probably manufactured at the same plant in China. When Sears took a dump HF became hard to beat regarding ratchets & wrenches with their return policy being very easy. I’ll definitely get that pump when my YJ Bullet fails. I’ll be damned to pay $900 for an A2L/A3 compliant pump.

[@subcoolHVAC]

From what I see they’re designed in USA and mfg overseas, HF doesn’t seem to be going out of business anytime soon . Thanks for watching!

[@yinggamer7762]

A2l / a3 vacuum pump seems so stupid, you would have to be trying to pull a vacuum right after venting to atmosphere in a janitor closet to even try to get something to happen

[@stevencossaboon3237]

Nice review Subcool.

[@subcoolHVAC]

Thanks Steven !

[@jcook69camaro]

what happens if the battery dies and your not close to it ? do you loose your vacuum?

[@subcoolHVAC]

The batteries beep beforehand as a warning that it’s getting low on charge, be prepared to close valve and swap battery.

[@spikeshostagetv5935]

​@subcoolHV I say closed valves up at the gauges not the actual pump. That's my opinion. But I'm curious about that 12 amp hour

[@jwotham96]

What about gauge options? I have a 410 unit and need to do a health check on a 22 unit. Recommendation for a decent personal set to do the job for both?

[@subcoolHVAC]

I use Fieldpiece SMAN SM380V , Yellow Jacket , CPS , NAVAC , JB are all capable of 410 and 22

[@w0lvez1]

A probe is a better option instead of a gauge. If mineral oil gets on your 410 system the condenser will get clogged. Best practice is to have a dedicated gauge and hose for each refrigerant and oil.

[@ivancook1247]

​@@w0lvez1wrong

[@SonicOrbStudios]

Is that blue guy A2L compliant? I'm sure the Navac is because I just purchased it

[@subcoolHVAC]

I haven’t seen A2L compliant in writing on the Hercules but it has the features to be, DC Brushless motor, spark proof switch. Would need to verify with mfg. Thanks for asking!

[@CSXRailfan6588]

You can do a little bit of cutting and put a Milwaukee battery in the Hercules one

[@subcoolHVAC]

Milwaukee is 18v Hercules 20v … Hercules batteries are relatively affordable 👍

[@Thermoelectric7]

​@subcoolHVAC same difference. They'll be the same internally. 20V is just the fully charged voltage, 18V is the nominal voltage. Measure the voltage on both batteries fully charged and I'll bet they'll both read about 20.5v-21v.

[@car2069]

@@subcoolHVAC lithium cells are 4.2v each fully charged... so 18 or 20v batteries both use the same number of cells internally. The voltage they give you is just marketing BS.

[@gf2e]

The biggest risk with power tool adapters, or with hacking a tool to work with another battery is that, with almost no exceptions, you can drain the battery below empty. Milwaukee batteries basically tell the tool “I’m empty, stop it!” If you have an adapter, it ignores that message. It just keeps going. The only exceptions are Ryobi, and maybe Ridgid. Ryobi batteries have an actual cutoff built-in. They will disconnect power whether you like it or not :)

[@Ericbakereb1]

I like the concept of battery powered pumps. I wish they made batter powered recovery machines so i didnt have to lig extension cords.

[@subcoolHVAC]

I’m sure we’ll see battery recovery unit before you know it 👍

[@stiffmeister0hYeah]

I just bought the new Icon 5.9 cfm pump which looks like a NAVAC

[@subcoolHVAC]

Nice, is it A2L compatible?

[@stiffmeister0hYeah]

@@subcoolHVAC CFCs, HCFCs, and HFCs*, CFCs - R11, R12, R113, R114, R500, and R502;HCFCs - R22, R124, R141B, and R142B;HFCs - R134A, R125, R407C, R410A, and R152**

[@subcoolHVAC]

Thanks, good for all those refrigerants which we’ll be servicing for many years still just not the A2L refrigerants..

[@NancyVanegasHVAC]

I would like to see you use the vacuum pump on a job 😊

[@subcoolHVAC]

You may get to see that, Thanks for watching!

[@adamharden2425]

How it going

[@subcoolHVAC]

Working well 👍

[@user-cz8do7xl8u]

If it gets the job done.

[@subcoolHVAC]

So far it is 👍

[@ice4278]

You need to put the Hercules last

[@subcoolHVAC]

😎

[@billy5032]

Both pumps are the same with only cosmetic differences

[@subcoolHVAC]

Warranty and a few dollars too 👍

[@Paul-IE-Repairs]

its most definitely a navac clone

[@subcoolHVAC]

A lot of similarities 👍

[@Silky_boi]

The Navac is a Makita clone.