I got the Bauer and I love it. I also got the additional brush tip attachment kit for it. I wish the button was in a more convenient position. I was leaning toward the Hercules model because I like the dual power option (battery or plug in). The Bauer won the decision because I already have a Bauer drill and 3 batteries. And the Bauer line also has more tools.
The Bauer also seems a bit stronger with 5 more cfm. Tbh, the red/black of Bauer just looks so good. Also you can use a converter to use Milwaukee batteries.
I just did some research after watching this vid. There is a Milwaukee battery converter which will work on this very vac on amazon. Also, Hercules makes a version with a slightly lower cfm,40 vs 45 that can use batteries but also can be plugged in.
My take on it is if you're a professional (as in you make money doing it) get the Milwaukee, but if you're a hobbiest or like Tom just have a few jobs you need from time to time, get the Bauer.
Great review! I'm a big Harbor Freight fan. Pretty much all my tools have come from there. I don't use them that often so, as you said, kind of hard to justify spending the big bucks on the Milwaukee or Dewalt tools but Harbor Freight prices (especially on sale) and acceptable.
did you know that the batteries inside the bauers are Samsung batteries so on fairness , they are from a very good brand , they hold on very well to time and degradation, they really up their game with the bauer lineup
