Hercules Hooks are a way to hang just about anything easily, quickly, and without using any tools. It’s got pitchman Billy Mays backing it, so of course it looks like a great invention, but can you really use it to hang things in your home? We looked into this to see what all the fuss is about, and see if it’s something you should buy or not.
Overview
The reason there are so many products trying to help you hang stuff on your walls is because before now there hasn’t really been a good way to get the job done. The old hammer and nails doesn’t quite cut it, and can leave monstrous holes in the wall when you’re done. Other wannabe solutions end up coming undone, smashing your picture frame or causing damage to items you’ve placed on shelves. There’s been a lot of attempts at fixing this, including stick gum, hooks that use adhesive to stick, hooks that use suction cups to stick. All of them come with a drawback of some kind.
The Claim
The claim made by Hercules Hooks is that it can hold up to 150 pounds of weight, and it installs without the use of any tools, or any great struggle. They also say that it only leaves behind a pinhole, so you won’t be ruining your walls in the process. And if that wasn’t enough they say that if it doesn’t work for you the way you expected it to, you can return them within 30 days. Seems like some pretty bold claims for a simple product, so lets see how it lives up to them.
The Hype
Putting Billy Mays on your product is all the hype it needs. The guy had a knack for taking even the most mundane products and making them gotta have items. The good thing is that he usually got it right. He’s got a few duds on his resume, but most of the products he endorsed are actually well reviewed by users, and Hercules Hooks is one of them.
The Cost
As you’d expect, the cost of Hercules Hooks is not very big. You can get a pack of 20 for $15 plus shipping. A pack of 20 should be enough to handle most of the hanging needs in your home, so not a bad offer. And remember this is a one-off purchase, they don’t try to enroll you in some silly auto-ship monthly Hercules Hooks membership or whatnot.
The Commitment
These should actually increase your quality of life, as you won’t have to fuss too much to get them hung up, and you won’t have to fret about them falling off while you’re sleeping.
Evaluation
Hercules Hooks could only do one of two things: succeed triumphantly or fail miserably. In this case they are a success, and they work as depicted on any drywalled areas you have in your home. There are a few things to keep in mind when using these. The first is that there may be something behind your wall that will prevent you from turning the hook to get it in place. It could be a stud or some other obstruction. You might be able to just move the hook over a few inches if this is the case.
If you keep these tips in mind you’ll no doubt have an easy time with your new best friend, and you’ll have your place finally looking the way you really want it to with all of your decorations, family portraits, mirrors, paintings, shelves, and anything else that can be hung. The feedback on these is solid, and the few naysayers likely ran into the problems we presented – and solved – above.
Final Hercules Hooks Review
Hercules Hooks is getting the Thumbs Up review from us, as it’s one of those products that has a simple, yet foolproof design. We like that these are easy to use, and don’t involve a lot of complicated parts that could end up breaking. A quick jab and a twist and it’s in, and you’re all set to hang whatever you want. It may sound kind of corny, but it’s actually therapeutic to have this one thing work, in a world where things don’t always work the way you want them to.
And you’ll be surprised at how much stuff you’ll feel like hanging, now that you’ve got such a secure and easy way to hang them. It’s like your mind was repressed because you needed a solution to your hanging problem, and now you can let it run wild.
Our Recommendation
We recommend picking up a pack of these to take care of any immediate projects you may have in mind, but also just to have handy in case something comes up. You never know what will catch your eye the next time you go shopping and know that you have your Hercules Hooks at home. A quick pass down the home decor aisle and this could be the start of a new interior makeover. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.
Rhonda
Some people just don’t have the ability to master using anything mechanical. My dog Boone is that way, but he has an excuse with no opposable thumb. However, had he such, I believe he would have the intelligence to master this ridiculously simple tool. Hercules are simple to use and are true to their claim. I have been using them for years. But if you can’t master the mechanics of this, please call someone who could. I think Boone might have an opening in his schedule.
I have used Hercules Hooks for years and love them. They really are as easy as advertised, and I hang everything from paintings to posters to shelves. Fantastic product!
Oftentimes, shelves will have holes built in for a screw to fit. They’ll have kind of a pear shaped hole, where, typically, a large nail- or screw head fits into the lower, circular part of the pear shape, and, once inserted, gravity allows your shelf to settle the nail- or screw head into the smaller, upper part of the pear.
In these pear-shaped holes is where I typically have been able to use my hooks. However, sometimes an off-brand version of the Hercules Hook works better because the usable part of the hook that sticks out on the H Hooks can be too long to settle into place.
I’ve used Hercules Hooks (and other similar products — I like Hercules most) for many things over the years and the only problem I’ve had has to do with my choice of positioning. IE: A stud exists where I chose to poke the hole, in which case, I would not be able to turn the hook. I use my stud finger if I have an issue from hole one so I can choose another spot. I think these are a fantastic way of putting up art, shelves, etc.
Another great option (if you’re a renter) is a 3M hook (adhesives — no holes!), but the weight limit on these are much more restrictive.
I agree with Cynthia that issues from most people must absolutely be operator error or bad positioning.
I have been using the Hercules hooks 4/10 years this product is amazing I used to hang forefoot solid wood shelves that I painted white that have all of my children’s pictures on it I hang pictures in every room of the house I have never had an issue with a picture frame falling off of a Hercules hooks this is an amazing product for reach at Christmastime stocking you just press it into the wall twisted it means a little pinhole it is an amazing product do not listen to these people who don’t have any clue how the product works it is amazing
We just used one of these to hang a 23″ x 34″ poster frame and it worked beautifully.
I use 3M Command hooks to hang everything in my apartment. I would say the only thing to hang shelves is screws or nails.
How do you use these hooks to hang shelves?
I think this is a great product for hanging lightweight objects on your walls. The fact that it can create a large hole in the wall if you hang a heavier object is a little disconcerting, though. I really hope that the instructions that come with the product explicitly state what the actual weight limit is for hanging objects using these hooks. I am skeptical, to be honest, especially since I actually have only found traditional nails to be really effective when it comes to hanging any object on my wall.
I’ve used these a bunch of times and they’ve actually worked really well. They do what they say they’re supposed to do. They hold up a significant amount of weight, they were easy to put in. My mom is always afraid of making marks on walls or messing them up, but she really likes these, and we have bought a couple packs to use for pictures, as well as metal decorations and mirrors. In fact, we had a really cool huge round mirror that was really heavy that we used a couple Hercules Hooks on and they worked perfectly. Maybe you guys had a bad experience, but they’ve worked well for me.
Hi Rhonda and BroncoFan! I was curious to see how it would hold up to heavy things and from what you both said it doesn’t. It does exactly what you don’t want out of hooks and then you either have damaged walls with holes in them or damaging whatever you tried to hang up in the return. I think I will have to find something more reliable before I decide to start hanging things up on the wall. Thanks for the insight! I’ll be to keep that in mind when shopping around for something that can hold up what I need.
Thank you for your review Rhonda. I wasn’t sure how I felt about this product or whether or not I should give it a try. I hate hanging pictures but I hate holes in my wall even more, so I will probably just stick with nails as you are doing. At least with nails I know what to expect and you can nail them into a stud and not have to worry about those long holes in the wall later on down the road or if you try and hang something too heavy. I’d be curious to know if you tried to return them and how the company responded to your request.
The Hercules Hooks are a joke. I saw the advertisement on tv and I thought great. I hate trying to hang pictures. I end up having holes in the walls and the pictures usually falls down or sags. I thought this will be idiot proof. Billy Mays says you just push and twist. Well I don’t know if that was a dance he was thinking of when he was doing the commercial, but it’s not easy to push in. It took me forever to get one in, then forget about twisting it. I had to get a tool out and grab hold of it to twist it. I couldn’t get it straight. I took it out and threw it back in the box. It’s a waste. I should’ve went to the hardware store and spent a buck on nails. I wouldn’t recommend this product.