M12 fuel drill

Has anyone used the M12 fuel on basalt or Granite? I'm looking at getting one, But kinda want to know how many holes it will put in harder rock. Does it have enough power to drill1/2" holes well?
I'd love any first hand info anyone has!

That's what I have and I love it. The least I got out of a battery was 8 holes but they were big 3/8 x 3 1/4" top rope anchors in hard granite. I can normally get 12+ holes in granite but I use 3/8 x 2 1/4" because I usually drill on lead and they're the shortest acceptable bolts for hard granite. I think the most I got was 15.

I have the XC 4.0 extended capacity and haven't tried the regular battery.

If you're concerned about weight it's the best drill on the market in my opinion. If you have a short approach and will be drilling in comfort at chest height then there are definitely drills with higher capacity.

Oh, and I've never tried drilling 1/2" holes so I'm not sure about that.

Cool, that's what I was hoping to find out! Thanks!

Daniel,

Is this same drill Vitaliy and Tom have??

If so my comment is that it works really for lead drilling and short depth bolts.

I found that it drills much worse the deeper hole you want. This was true both of drilling time and battery use. I have a bunch of 3" bolts and it took much more battery power than i expected.

I think this is beacuse the M12 doesn't have much kick on the impact hammer.

My comparison is the small Bosch 36v drill I own, which doesn't really slow down at all with more depth. It's much heavier but I prefer it for any non lead bolting.

So if you are drilling 2.25" holes the M12 is great.

- Luke

I'm on the verge of purchasing Bosch's new 18v Rotary Hammer (the RHH181 Series). Love their 36v drill but wanted something lighter and with batteries compatible with other home tools. Plus it has chisel mode which will be perfect for me here in Vegas. Anyone have any feedback on this puppy?

boschtools.com/Products/Too…

Ya Luke, same one.

The Bosch sounds like a great alternative for the extra power

Josh Janes wrote:I'm on the verge of purchasing Bosch's new 18v Rotary Hammer (the RHH181 Series). Love their 36v drill but wanted something lighter and with batteries compatible with other home tools. Plus it has chisel mode which will be perfect for me here in Vegas. Anyone have any feedback on this puppy? boschtools.com/Products/Too…

Hey Josh let me know if you go with the 18v Bosch and how well it works for you.

I am looking to replace my 15 year old Hilti TE-5. Not only is the battery shot (had it rebuilt already) but now the charger is on the fritz too. I have been looking at the Bosch 36v bulldog and the 18v you mentioned. Both are lighter than my TE-5, but I do a lot of anchor replacement in sandstone which require 4"-6.5" deep 1/2" holes for glue-ins. And I occasionally still get out there and need to bolt on lead in a variety of stone, sandstone to granite.

What to do...

Milwaukee 12V & Bosch 36V drills

Usually get 18-20 (3/8" x 4") holes with the Bosch and 6-8 (3/8" x 4") holes with the Milwaukee; a buddy of mine has a Milwaukee 18V and gets just as many holes per battery as the Bosch, although the Bosch does drill faster and works better when the rock density increases.

As good as the Bosch is the little Milwaukee can't be beat for on-lead drilling as well as when you don't need a ton of firepower.

Josh Janes wrote:Plus it has chisel mode which will be perfect for me here in Vegas.

LOL!