This Harbor Freight Drill Kit Is Under $30 And Actually Worth Buying

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There are a lot of amazing cordless drills from premier brands on the market that offer performance superior to just about anything you’re likely to find for under $100. That said, not everyone is a professional in the trades or has their own workshop that needs to be filled with outrageously expensive tools. Some people just want a basic drill that they can use to perform a few basic repairs or home improvement projects.

Those looking to save some money on hardware might consider checking out Harbor Freight, which is widely known as a purveyor of discount tools. The retailer owns a majority of the brands that are sold inside its stores, cutting out the middlemen between production and distribution and allowing it to keep both costs and prices to a minimum. While Harbor Freight has premier lines, like Hercules, that are designed to target the more performance-oriented markets, the company also has some power tool brands that are very affordable.

A lot of people might disregard these budget brands without giving them much consideration, but there are some surprisingly decent tools tucked away within their product lines. For example, there is a Warrior brand cordless drill kit for just $29.99 that hits well above its weight class in terms of performance and has gotten some surprisingly confidence-inspiring reviews from users. It never hurts to retain a healthy dose of skepticism, but there are a few reasons why budget-minded buyers might want to give the Warrior 18V Cordless ⅜-inch Drill Kit a closer look.

Let’s start by mitigating our expectations a bit. No one is saying that a $30 drill from Harbor Freight is going to be competing with anything from Milwaukee or Makita, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have its own niche to fill, starting with its value proposition.

This drill is significantly cheaper than the $53.87 Hart 20V ⅜-inch Drill Driver Kit (5154054383). The Hart drill has a bit more torque, but otherwise fairly comparable specs. Hart is a Techtronic Industries-owned brand that is primarily offered through Walmart and is generally considered to be a budget store-affiliated brand, similar to Warrior, so the dip in price for the Harbor Freight tool is fairly significant.

As you probably surmised from the name, the Warrior drill has a ⅜-inch keyless chuck and is powered by the brand’s proprietary 18V battery system. The motor is able to generate speeds up to 900 RPM and up to 199 in-lbs of torque. It has a 20-gear clutch, a variable speed trigger, a reverse function, an electric brake, and a built-in LED on the face to illuminate your workspace. Those specs won’t impress many pros, but they cover all the basics for what one might need in a household drill. It’s also very lightweight, at just 2.68 pounds. This makes it easy to use for light-duty tasks in a way that most of the heavier pro drills might not be.

On top of the tool itself, the kit also includes a 1.3 Ah 18V Lithium-Ion battery, which is compatible with any other cordless Warrior tools you might decide to purchase, and a charger. Harbor Freight sells these together for $19.99 without the drill, so the drill kit is a pretty impressive bargain, all things considered.

Of course, you don’t need to just take Harbor Freight’s word for it that the drill is a competent tool. It’s always good to consider what previous buyers have had to say about it as well. The Warrior 18V Cordless ⅜-inch Drill Kit has received over 3,800 reviews on the Harbor Freight website, giving it an aggregate score of 4.6 out of 5. A full 96% of customers who reviewed the tool claimed that they would recommend it to other buyers.

Nearly every review that the Warrior drill has received explicitly mentions its value. “Great at the normal price, but I got it on sale,” one reviewer said. “Does drilling and screw driving with plenty of torque. Covers what I need.” These comments paint the drill as a very basic tool that is good for most household DIY tasks, which is a fair assessment, but that only appears to be half the picture.

There are also several reviews from people who were surprised by the amount of power this ‘cheap’ drill had to offer. “I use this tool more often than any other drill in my shop. I bought it on sale for the low price but found that the drill is lightweight and handy to use so I use it often,” another reviewer claimed. “I have other more expensive drills, including the Bauer, which is heavier duty, but I use this drill more often.”

That said, there are also reports of the drill dying prematurely, with some saying it only lasted them a few months. It’s unclear if it’s the drill or the battery that died in these instances, but you should be aware that Harbor Freight only covers the tool in its warranty for the first 90 days.