Harbor Freight used SEMA week to preview three compact 12V HERCULES tools: a 3/8 in. drill driver, a 3/8 in. impact wrench, and a 3/8 in. hammer drill driver. All three are brushless, all three run on the existing HERCULES 12V battery, and none of them are in stores yet.
Summer 2027 is the target. That is a long wait for tools that were sitting on a table in Las Vegas, and it is worth saying plainly: this is a preview, not a launch.
The Three Tools
Most people will care about the impact wrench. It is rated at 400 ft-lbs of breakaway torque, which is a real number for a 12V compact, not a marketing stretch. Three speeds plus an auto mode, three LEDs, and a friction ring anvil so you can swap sockets without hunting for a pin.
Both drills claim 400 in-lbs of torque and 1,600 RPM, with a two-speed transmission and 15 clutch settings. The hammer drill adds 25,000 blows per minute for masonry work.
Nobody outside the show floor has run one yet. Treat every figure here as the manufacturer’s claim until independent testing catches up.
| Model | Tool | Claimed Specs | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3/8 in. Compact Drill Driver | Drill/driver | 400 in-lbs, 1,600 RPM, 2-speed, 15 clutch settings | Not announced |
| 3/8 in. Compact Impact Wrench | Impact wrench | 400 ft-lbs breakaway, 3 speeds plus auto mode, friction ring | Not announced |
| 3/8 in. Hammer Drill Driver | Hammer drill | 400 in-lbs, 1,600 RPM, 25,000 BPM | Not announced |
All three carry a 5-year limited warranty, which is the same coverage HERCULES puts on its other 12V tools.
Where These Fit
HERCULES 12V has been growing for a couple of years, mostly with ratchets, an impact driver and a die grinder. Missing was the boring stuff: a drill you reach for by default. Adding a hammer drill to a 12V line is the tell that the platform is being treated as a real system and not a novelty shelf.
Milwaukee’s M12 FUEL subcompact 3/8 in. impact wrench is rated at 225 ft-lbs. Harbor Freight’s 400 ft-lbs claim sits well above the subcompact class on paper. Whether it holds that number on a rusty lug nut is a different question, and one nobody can answer until these ship.
The existing HERCULES 12V compact impact wrench, item 56565, sells for $49.99 as a bare tool. Harbor Freight prices its coupons against Milwaukee’s 2463-20 at $159. That gap is the whole pitch: the HERCULES line is aimed at people who want a second compact wrench in the truck box without paying Milwaukee money for it.
Buy Now or Wait
If you need a compact impact wrench now, waiting until summer 2027 does not help you. The current 56565 is on the shelf today at $49.99, and it is a serviceable 12V wrench for light duty.
Wanting the brushless version with three speeds and the friction ring is a calendar note, not a purchase.
One thing to watch between now and then: whether Harbor Freight keeps the HERCULES 12V battery form factor unchanged. If the new tools need a different pack, the platform story gets a lot less appealing for anyone already invested. Nothing in the release suggests a change, but the release also does not confirm one.
Related Reading
For context on how compact impact wrenches stack up in general, see our cordless impact wrench picks for automotive work and the cordless ratchet wrench roundup, which covers the same 12V compact category from a different angle.
Setting up a garage from scratch? Start with the Auto and Garage Tools hub, which links every roundup and reference chart in the section.
Source: Harbor Freight newsroom, Nov. 2026.