I am glad to see a review on the Hercules jigsaw. I have been getting the Hercules line myself it seems to be a very high quality products. I have an older Black & Decker corded jigsaw and I've been wanting to get a cordless one. I went ahead and ordered it online it took a little while to get it instead of going to the local harbor freight and they didn't have one. Thanks Michael
I might be wrong since I don’t own one yet, but I think the blower on the tool won’t blow anything into the shop vac port, but rather blows the saw dust away from the front of the tool to keep the cutting surface at the blade somewhat visible. And also when using the shop vac port, I believe that function is meant to be used with the blower on the tool turned off, otherwise it’s the shop vac fighting to suck in the saw dust while the blower is fighting to blow the saw dust in the opposite direction. Glad to see a review on this tool though. I’ve been looking at the harbor freight app for weeks now trying to find the jig saw, only to realize today that it’s been on their online website but still not showing up in the app.
Between the Bauer line and Hercules line they've really stepped up in recent years. I have several Bauer tools, less Hercules stuff because they haven't been releasing Hercules tools like they have with the Bauer line. Also, gotta be careful when you go and grab a Hercules cordless tool, some Hercules cordless tools are 12V not 20V....example: Their Hercules ratchets are 12V....the Bauer ratchets are 20V. They have some good tools in both lines, just they've concentrated on the Bauer line more so a lot more tools available in the Bauer for some reason they've really slacked off with the Hercules line.
I bought one a couple weeks ago, they didn't have them on the shelf yet, but had them in stock. Used a 20% off coupon and got it for $64. Not a bad deal. Seems pretty well built...used it briefly to help a kid I mentor with his cub scout pinewood derby car build. Put a good blade in it and it'll work just fine. I just have the regular 2AH batteries for my Hercules tools, I need to grab a couple of the 5AH batteries I guess since I have a couple for my Bauer tools.
My son & I have just successfully engineered a full proof way to use dewalt batterys on the Hercules. It took us about a month. But we are 99.9 percent sure this bridge is now crossed.
@@jaredcfw it is a very tough one. I have a video coming out soon on my channel. Actually had it up and took it down because the heat gun took issue with it. But it didnt during first testing.. the heat gun runs the fan for another few seconds after you let off the trigger so it would be more difficult to satisfy..Its really a digital communication issue as best we can tell .
I believe the point of the blower function is to blow material forward and away from the cut line. The blower function gets turned off when hooked up to a vacuum.
@TheRuralMinnesotaGuy Good to hear..... I just made an educated guess! 🤣 Anyways, thanks for the video. I'm going to compare this jig saw to my Ryobi Hp one tomorrow. So far ...... The Hercules looks like a winner!!
I could be wrong but I believe the blower is for when you aren't using a vacuum to get dust out of the way not to blow it out the back. It's probably supposed to be off with a vacuum. I wish this saw came with a guide like the bauer I saw in one of your videos I believe.
It cuts and that is all that matters. One of the most versatile and handy tools a woodworker can have at his disposal. I use my corded jigsaw for all sorts of cutting tasks.
@@wildbill23c I agree. Cordless is very convenient. I had a nice set of NiMH cordless Makita tools. For about a year, the drill and saw got a lot of use. Charge and go. My corded tools sort odf sat around gathering dust. But over time, they batteries just would not take and hold a charge. I found myself grabbing the corded more and more. All my corded were bought in 1980. My cordless 1997/98 time frame. I eventually donated the cordless and still use my old corded. One upgrade I made was my Craftsman AutoScroll from 1980. A little over a year ago I bought a Bosch jigsaw (t-shank) and donated the Craftsman (u-shank) which was still going strong. Utterly reliable but I do miss the convenience of cordless. I suppose the newer batteries are more forgiving? In any event, I enjoyed your video.
@@davidbacon-u6d The Li-Ion battery packs are much better than the old Ni-Cad stuff for sure, much better performance, and they don't lose a charge nearly as quick just from sitting. A lot more battery options out there too now, back with the Ni-Cad stuff you had 1 battery, that was it, now you have several different amp-hour options. Larger amp-hour for the higher demand tools like grinders, circular saws, etc. and lower amp-hour for things like drills and impact drivers, or anytime you gotta drive fasteners up over your head, or drill holes over your head where weight of the tools is more of a concern. Another plus with the Li-Ion batteries is you can typically get a fast charger that charges the batteries much quicker than the old Ni-Cad chargers. Some of the Li-Ion chargers can charge a battery in as little as 15 minutes. There are adapters out there too that allow you to use one brand of battery on other brand tools as well.
@@davidbacon-u6d No problem. Lots of updates to the battery technology in recent years, giving a much better run time to a battery and the ability to charge faster.
I have the Ryobi barrel grip jig saw, it works great, actually do prefer it better than the D-handle jig saws. It seems to me like the barrel grip ones are easier to control especially when cutting a lot of curves. I wish they would release a barrel grip model too, maybe....soon....but they'll have to make one in the Bauer line first, that seems to be how they're doing things....Bauer gets all the new stuff a long time before they even think about doing so in the Hercules line, I can't see why they do that, they should work on both lines simultaneously.
Ser, I believe with the blower on and no vac attached, the blower blows saw dust away from the blade and cut line you might be following, with the vac attached, it should suck saw dust from the cut line. Correct me if I'm wrong.
@TheRuralMinnesotaGuy in genreal I don't find that jigsawa.get a lot of fanfare. I have been looking for some attention to the Flex jigsaw for a year or two now.
Hercules is a little late to the game. I already have a Ryobi jigsaw that seems to be functionally equivalent to this one. So it doesn’t make sense for me at this time. Thanks for showing it off
@@jim3922 I also didn't want to wait any longer and bought the HP one Ryobi. I'll have to compare them side by side to see if it's worth switching at this point.
Hercules is late to the game with all their releases....they spend all their time working on the Bauer line, and not enough time working on the Hercules line it seems....so many more tool options with Bauer. I have the Barrel grip jigsaw from Ryobi, it works great, if I recall its the HP version, might be the only version they have for a barrel grip jigsaw, but it works great that's what really matters.
@ Do you get worried you’ll forget to turn the switch off and put it into your leg or hand or something? Seems like a potential safety risk, but I haven’t used it. I’ve seen TH-camrs say it’s nice. I was hoping it’d get a discount this winter, but it didn’t. The area code guy says they have a nice new random orbit sander too.
I would happily rush over and purchase this jigsaw.....but only after my trusty corded 1987 Black & Decker M47 Jigsaw (Model 7543), that I inherited from my late father, breaks down. Until then, I'm sticking with the proven product.
Yeah, I have the same problem -- my B&D corded is maybe 20 years old. I don't use it that much anyway, so it is a bit hard to justify getting the HF one. Unlike having two drill/drivers with different bit sizes or driver bits, I can't think of a time when it would have been handy to have two jigsaws. I really do like the idea of not having the power cord getting in the way while using the saw, and the Hercules seems like it is of better quality than my old one. ITC has 20% off of one item this Friday, so I may just do it anyway.
The cordless stuff is nice for quick projects but when I'm working in the shop I don't mind the corded tools at all, just convenient to not have to run extension cords across the property is the reason I have cordless stuff too. I have that same Black and Decker Jig Saw, it belonged to my grandfather....it works great.
I forgot about you showing the spring behind the blade and damn near shot my eyeball out so to everyone else don't be looking down at the blade when you release it. There's toy dart guns that don't have that strong a spring.
@@TheRuralMinnesotaGuy I couldn't believe I did that, I was sitting with it in my lap looking to see if I had the blade lined up right pulled the release and the blade skimmed right beside my head lined directly with my eyeball.
Disclaimer: I am in rural Minnesota and it is a miracle if I can pronounce anything correctly 😂
I am glad to see a review on the Hercules jigsaw. I have been getting the Hercules line myself it seems to be a very high quality products. I have an older Black & Decker corded jigsaw and I've been wanting to get a cordless one. I went ahead and ordered it online it took a little while to get it instead of going to the local harbor freight and they didn't have one. Thanks Michael
I just bought another Hercules tool yesterday that had been out for 2 years and only found one video on it. So I will be a video on that as well.
This thing is a beast. I coincidentally bought it on the first day of its release. I could not be happier
Nice!
I might be wrong since I don’t own one yet, but I think the blower on the tool won’t blow anything into the shop vac port, but rather blows the saw dust away from the front of the tool to keep the cutting surface at the blade somewhat visible. And also when using the shop vac port, I believe that function is meant to be used with the blower on the tool turned off, otherwise it’s the shop vac fighting to suck in the saw dust while the blower is fighting to blow the saw dust in the opposite direction. Glad to see a review on this tool though. I’ve been looking at the harbor freight app for weeks now trying to find the jig saw, only to realize today that it’s been on their online website but still not showing up in the app.
@@daydrinker187 ah! So the other way! Thanks for the clarification! 👍
@@daydrinker187 Thank you! I updated the description in the video based on your comment.
yes sir dust blowers on jigsaws are specifically to keep your line of sight clear and clean.
I like what Harbor Freight is doing with the Hercules line.
Between the Bauer line and Hercules line they've really stepped up in recent years. I have several Bauer tools, less Hercules stuff because they haven't been releasing Hercules tools like they have with the Bauer line. Also, gotta be careful when you go and grab a Hercules cordless tool, some Hercules cordless tools are 12V not 20V....example: Their Hercules ratchets are 12V....the Bauer ratchets are 20V. They have some good tools in both lines, just they've concentrated on the Bauer line more so a lot more tools available in the Bauer for some reason they've really slacked off with the Hercules line.
I bought one a couple weeks ago, they didn't have them on the shelf yet, but had them in stock. Used a 20% off coupon and got it for $64. Not a bad deal. Seems pretty well built...used it briefly to help a kid I mentor with his cub scout pinewood derby car build. Put a good blade in it and it'll work just fine. I just have the regular 2AH batteries for my Hercules tools, I need to grab a couple of the 5AH batteries I guess since I have a couple for my Bauer tools.
My son & I have just successfully engineered a full proof way to use dewalt batterys on the Hercules. It took us about a month. But we are 99.9 percent sure this bridge is now crossed.
Nice! I own Dewalt corded tools, but nothing cordless.
How'd you pull it off? Hercules is one of the brands that had me stumped.
@@jaredcfw it is a very tough one. I have a video coming out soon on my channel. Actually had it up and took it down because the heat gun took issue with it. But it didnt during first testing.. the heat gun runs the fan for another few seconds after you let off the trigger so it would be more difficult to satisfy..Its really a digital communication issue as best we can tell .
I believe the point of the blower function is to blow material forward and away from the cut line. The blower function gets turned off when hooked up to a vacuum.
@@klwarhouse yep! That is correct. I put the correction in the description.
@TheRuralMinnesotaGuy Good to hear..... I just made an educated guess! 🤣
Anyways, thanks for the video. I'm going to compare this jig saw to my Ryobi Hp one tomorrow. So far ...... The Hercules looks like a winner!!
I could be wrong but I believe the blower is for when you aren't using a vacuum to get dust out of the way not to blow it out the back. It's probably supposed to be off with a vacuum. I wish this saw came with a guide like the bauer I saw in one of your videos I believe.
Yep! I updated the description in the video.
It cuts and that is all that matters. One of the most versatile and handy tools a woodworker can have at his disposal. I use my corded jigsaw for all sorts of cutting tasks.
The cordless jig saws are nice for those quick tasks, but a corded one is great for larger projects.
@@wildbill23c I agree. Cordless is very convenient. I had a nice set of NiMH cordless Makita tools. For about a year, the drill and saw got a lot of use. Charge and go. My corded tools sort odf sat around gathering dust. But over time, they batteries just would not take and hold a charge. I found myself grabbing the corded more and more. All my corded were bought in 1980. My cordless 1997/98 time frame. I eventually donated the cordless and still use my old corded. One upgrade I made was my Craftsman AutoScroll from 1980. A little over a year ago I bought a Bosch jigsaw (t-shank) and donated the Craftsman (u-shank) which was still going strong. Utterly reliable but I do miss the convenience of cordless. I suppose the newer batteries are more forgiving? In any event, I enjoyed your video.
@@davidbacon-u6d The Li-Ion battery packs are much better than the old Ni-Cad stuff for sure, much better performance, and they don't lose a charge nearly as quick just from sitting. A lot more battery options out there too now, back with the Ni-Cad stuff you had 1 battery, that was it, now you have several different amp-hour options. Larger amp-hour for the higher demand tools like grinders, circular saws, etc. and lower amp-hour for things like drills and impact drivers, or anytime you gotta drive fasteners up over your head, or drill holes over your head where weight of the tools is more of a concern.
Another plus with the Li-Ion batteries is you can typically get a fast charger that charges the batteries much quicker than the old Ni-Cad chargers. Some of the Li-Ion chargers can charge a battery in as little as 15 minutes.
There are adapters out there too that allow you to use one brand of battery on other brand tools as well.
@@wildbill23c I may have to reconsider battery. Thanks for the insight!
@@davidbacon-u6d No problem. Lots of updates to the battery technology in recent years, giving a much better run time to a battery and the ability to charge faster.
Awesome video...! But it looks like you got a better cut with that switch in the up position? Anyway, thanks for the review 🤙🏼🤙🏼🤙🏼
The orbital switch, which I mispronounced in the video.
I wish they would bring out a barrel grip. I cannot stand the D handle type. Great review by the way!
@@bernitup6492 Thanks!
I have the Ryobi barrel grip jig saw, it works great, actually do prefer it better than the D-handle jig saws. It seems to me like the barrel grip ones are easier to control especially when cutting a lot of curves.
I wish they would release a barrel grip model too, maybe....soon....but they'll have to make one in the Bauer line first, that seems to be how they're doing things....Bauer gets all the new stuff a long time before they even think about doing so in the Hercules line, I can't see why they do that, they should work on both lines simultaneously.
Nice, I just bought the Kobalt 24v, earlier this month. Might buy this one too. Just to have matching sets to my Kobalt 24v
Way smoother cut on the Up position, so that's what I would use.
Ser, I believe with the blower on and no vac attached, the blower blows saw dust away from the blade and cut line you might be following, with the vac attached, it should suck saw dust from the cut line. Correct me if I'm wrong.
@@Bills_Bicycle_Rides you are correct. I updated the description on the video on the correction.
Yeah I got that shop vac , it's great!
You like corded and cordless versions of tools? Try Metabo. One tool can do both.
Well, interesting, but call me when the barrel grip comes out. 😮 But yeah,
you are the first to report.
@@steveg7000 I am very surprised! I figured the huge tool channels would of got their hands on this weeks ago and I am just a tiny little channel 😉
@TheRuralMinnesotaGuy in genreal I don't find that jigsawa.get a lot of fanfare. I have been looking for some attention to the Flex jigsaw for a year or two now.
Hercules is a little late to the game. I already have a Ryobi jigsaw that seems to be functionally equivalent to this one. So it doesn’t make sense for me at this time.
Thanks for showing it off
@@jim3922 Ryobi is a solid brand! 👍
@@jim3922 I also didn't want to wait any longer and bought the HP one Ryobi. I'll have to compare them side by side to see if it's worth switching at this point.
Hercules is late to the game with all their releases....they spend all their time working on the Bauer line, and not enough time working on the Hercules line it seems....so many more tool options with Bauer.
I have the Barrel grip jigsaw from Ryobi, it works great, if I recall its the HP version, might be the only version they have for a barrel grip jigsaw, but it works great that's what really matters.
@ Do you get worried you’ll forget to turn the switch off and put it into your leg or hand or something? Seems like a potential safety risk, but I haven’t used it.
I’ve seen TH-camrs say it’s nice. I was hoping it’d get a discount this winter, but it didn’t. The area code guy says they have a nice new random orbit sander too.
I would happily rush over and purchase this jigsaw.....but only after my trusty corded 1987 Black & Decker M47 Jigsaw (Model 7543), that I inherited from my late father, breaks down.
Until then, I'm sticking with the proven product.
Yeah, I have the same problem -- my B&D corded is maybe 20 years old. I don't use it that much anyway, so it is a bit hard to justify getting the HF one. Unlike having two drill/drivers with different bit sizes or driver bits, I can't think of a time when it would have been handy to have two jigsaws. I really do like the idea of not having the power cord getting in the way while using the saw, and the Hercules seems like it is of better quality than my old one. ITC has 20% off of one item this Friday, so I may just do it anyway.
The cordless stuff is nice for quick projects but when I'm working in the shop I don't mind the corded tools at all, just convenient to not have to run extension cords across the property is the reason I have cordless stuff too.
I have that same Black and Decker Jig Saw, it belonged to my grandfather....it works great.
I forgot about you showing the spring behind the blade and damn near shot my eyeball out so to everyone else don't be looking down at the blade when you release it. There's toy dart guns that don't have that strong a spring.
@@JohnnyRebLa ya! The instructions had no warning about that feature or curse 🤨
@@TheRuralMinnesotaGuy I couldn't believe I did that, I was sitting with it in my lap looking to see if I had the blade lined up right pulled the release and the blade skimmed right beside my head lined directly with my eyeball.