Used it last summer for a kitchen remodel. Good capacity. Good value. REALLY lousy dust collection. Don't care for the twist lock handle that secures angles other than the indents in the table. Really easy to adjust the saw so cuts are accurate. Don't care much that scraps can get stuck in the cavity under the table's insert. Every so often, a scrap engages the blade as it's fully depressed and the noise caused as the scrap slams into the underside of the insert can make you jump. It looks like it's built on the same base as the There are probably worse saws to buy.

 

As stated on another forum, get a Dewalt 779 and enjoy a product that has customer service with spare parts.

 

Dewalt 779 is $331 on Amazon today, certainly not twice the Hercules

 

Dewalt 779 is $331 on Amazon today, certainly not twice the Hercules

- PCDub

PCDub you are right for the 779 but this is comparable to the 780 which is a lot more.. They both have the lighted cut line attachment.

 

The videos show the Hercules to be a pretty impressive saw, especially when compared to the Dewalt. Like all Harbor Freight tools, we tend to be a bit skeptical, but at the price of $299, it definitely commands attention. I personally would take a chance and buy the Hercules. Maybe Harbor Freight is upping their image and is starting to compete with the other players with better quality than in the past.

 

although i just bought the DeWalt 3 months ago i do believe this saw deserves a second look if you would use there 25% off coupon this would be an excellent saw I just happen to be at lowes they had these in center of floor for 350.00 which I didnt think was a bad price as I wanted one since my ras took a dump :<)) yes buy it and please share personal thought about it on here

 

I think HF won this war when they chose to compare the Hercules to a DeWalley product. Since B$D bought them, they have been steadily sliding down that slope of quality, so a battle with them is pretty easy to win. Had they tried a comparison with Bosch, or Makita, they would still need to do a lot of improving to keep winning comparisons. But for the comparison made I think it was pretty good on the Bear Suit guys site. He scoped in on the warranty, and he is dead nutz about what would happen with a wounded DeWalt. Do you know where your closest service center is? Since B$D bought them they are hundreds of locations fewer than before. HF has had the easiest returns of anyplace I know of. I always put in, you have 30 days on anything there to decide if you like it, or not. Just keep your receipt. I don't know about that phone number being in the system is about. All I've ever heard is "got your receipt".

I think the progression there is pretty easy to see. Not even 2 years ago they had the bare bones lines of tools that made them famous like. Today they have a bunch of new brands, and looking at them compared to the old tools, these new kids are a better make. Much heavier, robust, and powerful. Today they have 3 miter saws. The old standby General Machinery 12", currently on sale for 189 bux, the in between Admiral, a much better tool is 199. The Hercules which really does look to be a well made tool is 349, all are much less on sale.

This guy who owns them is a pretty smart guy. He knew to keep growing, crap tools fer cheap was going to hit a wall at some point, and to grow he needed better tools. 180. And the Hercules which is a tool that can stand up with the better brands

I'll challenge anyone who says the Asians can't make as good a tool, as we can, probably always cheaper too. Eric Smidt is well aware that China, and Taiwan are just full of small companies trying to get bigger, and he just trolls out a new line, and says who of you can build me the best. He's got Bauer, Hercules, Earthquake, and many more new lines, and all are kicking Chicago Electric to the curb. The small makers win big US contracts, and HF wins bringing more serious tools in to compete, using that easy return, replace policy.

 

I recently used this Hercules model from Harbor Freight and I loved it. Felt and performed just like the Dewalt DW780 that I used for years. There are almost no differences between the two outside of their color. The Hercules held its tune very well. I trimmed out a 2,500sq/ft house with this model and also did the cabinet install with it. I checked the tune as I worked and just like the dw780 it stayed in tune very well. I did adjust it every so slightly before I started using it. The adjustments were identical to the dw780.

I was extremely impressed with the Hercules and believe it to be 99.999% the equal to the DW780. The only reason that I can't say it is 100% equal to the dw780 (I will admit) is the fact that it is a Harbor Freight model and my pride says it can't be as good as it is. lol.

The only thing that I didn't like is nothing to do with the saw itself, but the stand that Harbor Freight sells to mate with the Hercules is not compatible with the Fast Cap best fence setup that I normally use on trim jobs and cabinet installs. A minor grievance totally unrelated to the saw. The stand in its bare bones form is just as nice as the Dewalt stand in its bare bones form from all that I could tell.

 

The Dewalt is made in Mexico or Taiwan not the US. I don't doubt the HF is a good product but I couldn't care less about having a laser beam on my saw. In a few years when the warranty is expired and you need parts the HF will leave you with a $300 lump of aluminum. When that changes I'll consider HF for higher end tools. That why I choose the 779 over the Hercules 6 months ago. Difference in price was less than $30 out the door using my Lowes card.

 

I think most of the warranties don't matter much the HF you just take it back to the store and they give you a new one. The DeWalt is longer but you have to send it in (and pay for shipping) and wait how many weeks / months . Todays tools are disposable and if a warranty comes into play you lose either way in my book.

I do like the DeWalt and I am not sold any any saw at this point. I am looking at other brands as well.

 

Some folks keep stuff working by repairing things themselves and ordering spares from the factory. Some folks toss broken things into the garbage and buy new replacements. By the time I'll need spares it won't matter because HF never stocked them anyway and that was several factories ago.. I just ordered spares for a tool I got over thirty years ago, works like new. Buy the HF, it's shinier, has a laser beam and the blade has more tooths…..

 

I suspect HF is trying to improve their image and start to compete on a name brand basis. HF certainly has the edge over the name brand tools because they don't have a middle man and therefore able to keep their prices low, but still compete. HF may in the near future become a serious competitor as long as they can keep the quality up. I have seen many tool companies come and go. The old B&D, Skil and Delta tools were once the top of the line, but have fallen in quality, customer service taken the biggest hit. When one shops for a tool, what are you looking for; quality (old used tool) or bells and whistles (new tool). Personally, I will always look for quality over b&w. I don't like buying a new tool to replace one that has quit. I want a tool that will last a lifetime (if possible).

 

That saw looks awfully DeWalt-ish to me. And the blade that comes with it has a very Diablo-ish look to it, too. Except for the blue paint, of course.

 

I picked one up a couple months ago. Going from a 10" to a 12" is fantastic having the extra capacity is great. Small pieces of trim do tend to fall under the insert but making a zero clearance insert could fix that. I also picked up a 10" blade for my table saw and it ripped right through hickory. It took a lot of looking but for the price and as a hobbyist it works well. The Dewalt does tend to go on sale around black Friday if you can wait that long for a deal.

 

I keep going back to HF to look at the saw…I know dewalt is the saw you see on construction sites everywhere, but in the end what matters most to me is the end result…my work. Did this tool or that tool help me to accomplish the task? I'm a dewalt guy, in my trailer it's all yellow, sprinkled with other colors that at some time helped me to accomplish a task for less money
I read all posts and I will pull the trigger on the HF

 

I keep going back to HF to look at the saw…I know dewalt is the saw you see on construction sites everywhere, but in the end what matters most to me is the end result…my work. Did this tool or that tool help me to accomplish the task? I'm a dewalt guy, in my trailer it's all yellow, sprinkled with other colors that at some time helped me to accomplish a task for less money
I read all posts and I will pull the trigger on the HF

Bearings wear out quickly. The saw has difficulty holding tolerances if used regularly. This may look like a DeWalt but the resemblances are cosmetic, only. If you tear down the DeWalt you'll see all the bearings are American made (even if there are Chinese parts in the circuitry). Check out AvE's teardown of Hercules tools.

Difference in the price between the saws is $379 vs. $519 = $140. The difference will be a lot smaller if you wait for a DeWalt sale. I've seen them for under $500. So for about $120 more - not insignificant but not much - you're getting a much better tool that's going to last a much longer time (probably life). Plus, the DeWalt is easier to set up.

 

Bearings wear out quickly. The saw has difficulty holding tolerances if used regularly. This may look like a DeWalt but the resemblances are cosmetic, only. If you tear down the DeWalt you'll see all the bearings are American made (even if there are Chinese parts in the circuitry). Check out AvE's teardown of Hercules tools.

Where did you get this info? I'd like to read myself

 

AvE is a Youtube channel where the guy tears apart tools.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChWv6Pn_zP0rI6lgGt3MyfA

 

The Dewalt is made in Mexico or Taiwan not the US. I don't doubt the HF is a good product but I couldn't care less about having a laser beam on my saw. In a few years when the warranty is expired and you need parts the HF will leave you with a $300 lump of aluminum. When that changes I'll consider HF for higher end tools. That why I choose the 779 over the Hercules 6 months ago. Difference in price was less than $30 out the door using my Lowes card.

The DeWalt is made in China by the same company that makes Craftsman, Skil, and Ryobi.

 

No it's not!!