Drills for bolting that are not Bosch or Hilti

Thread revival. . .
How slow is that Panasonic? How many holes per charge?

bus driver wrote:Thread revival. . . How slow is that Panasonic? How many holes per charge?

It takes roughly a minute in hard quartzite or granite to drill a 3/8 inch by 3 inch deep hole. Each battery gets about 5 holes. Not great for placing a lot of bolts but very easy to use if drilling from difficult stances - as it doesn't kick away from the wall nearly as much as the Bosch and it's for its nice weight balance.

bus driver wrote:Thread revival. . . How slow is that Panasonic? How many holes per charge?

It takes roughly a minute in hard quartzite or granite to drill a 3/8 inch by 3 inch deep hole. Each battery gets about 5 holes. Not great for placing a lot of bolts but very easy to use if drilling from difficult stances - as it doesn't kick away from the wall nearly as much as the Bosch, and it has a well-balanced design that's easy to hold up one handed unlike most other conventional drills.

I bought this Makita drill last year.
northerntool.com/shop/tools…

I get about 14-15 holes 3/8" x 4" deep in granite out of a single battery and a sharp bit. It's heavy and a beast to use on lead. I like it but my only complaint is weight and length make it hard to drill overhead placements on lead.

Hi All, I´m currently living in a place where there is no rock climbing at all, but have found nice rocks to climb (is in south America not US). I´m (or was?)mostly a trad climber so for me, if there is a crack, no bolt will be needed (put this statement so the answers don´t get of course).

I have never bolted or open routes but if i want to climb i have to start this en devour. there are no high rocks (would say they range from 8 to 15 mts. max. that is 24 to 45 ft.) and not near each other, so some places that i spotted could get from 2 to 7 routes (of course routes can share bolts). I prefer to climb rather than stay hanged drilling and cleaning and will put the least bolts possible; by I eye i will say 6 holes max. (in the highest rock found)including the ones for rappel (of course it depends on each route).

Will this drill be enough??
ebay.com/itm/Bosch-RHH181-0…

How many holes for a single charge if drill is new?? (type of rock: hard granite (you can see by yourselves in the post of original comment) text is the same:

mountainproject.com/v/cordl…

does anybody have experience with the Makita XRH03Z 18v lxt 7/8in drilling bolts in granite or limestone? at 3/8 or 1/2 width and 3" or 4" depth?? i have the batteries and if this tool can do 5 or 6 bolts per battery that would be sweet.

safetyfourth wrote: I would be using it for gear protected routes, mostly for anchors or where protection is impossible by traditional means. But it's in granite. So it looks like it's bosch or hilti. (probably going to stick to hand drilling)

Hmmm, are bolted anchors the norm wherever you're contemplating doing this?

And are you saying you're doing FAs or are you talking retrobolting existing lines?

millz wrote:

does anybody have experience with the Makita XRH03Z 18v lxt 7/8in drilling bolts in granite or limestone? at 3/8 or 1/2 width and 3" or 4" depth?? i have the batteries and if this tool can do 5 or 6 bolts per battery that would be sweet.

I have the LXT without the hand guard infant of the trigger.   Mine drills great in granite.   I can get 11-14 holes 3/8 x 3.5-4" with no problem.   It sucks for drilling on lead because it's do stinking long but if drilling on rappel its great.   I recently bought a 18v Bosch that is super lightweight but doesn't have the torque that the LXT has, great for drilling on lead but takes a few more seconds to get the hole going.    You should be happy with the LXT.

I've used that Makita for 5 years or so now.  I've drilled quite a few sport routes in very hard quartzite with it, and I get 8-10 holes per battery.  I don't see a need for a beefier drill unless I was going to grid bolt a huge area.

I really wish folks would not put up 6 routes in two days.....  once you fill those holes with bolts we are stuck with the climbs.....  Kind of a good idea IMOP to really think it through.... When I was putting up sport routes I did about 6 routes a summer. granted they were a full 30 to 40m  but still 6 rts in 2 days sounds pretty micky Dees to me.......

I've had some luck with the Milwaukee 12v, granted, I was only using it in soft sandstone (1/2"x6") occasionally it would bog down near the end of hole, but you can just reverse/foward a few times. I already had a bunch of the 12v batteries lying around so it was great. I've also used a milwaukee 28v and the weight savings is VERY noticeable when its swinging around on your harness or drilling above your head. I've also heard a few people say the 12v makes a great big wall drill for those same reasons.

Nick Goldsmith wrote:

I really wish folks would not put up 6 routes in two days.....  once you fill those holes with bolts we are stuck with the climbs.....  Kind of a good idea IMOP to really think it through.... When I was putting up sport routes I did about 6 routes a summer. granted they were a full 30 to 40m  but still 6 rts in 2 days sounds pretty micky Dees to me.......

Agree. 

I believe from the OP he is putting in mixed routes, protected mainly by gear and minimal bolts when necessary. Plus when reaching summit there are no options for traditional anchoring, or walk-offs. I live in an area like this - Granite Spires and formations of the Black Hills. When Ethics and rules permit I have had luck with the Milwaukee 12v, and Hilti SDS bit. Can get about 5- 3/8x 4" holes per battery in Hard Granite.

Ryan Surface wrote:

I've had some luck with the Milwaukee 12v, granted, I was only using it in soft sandstone (1/2"x6") occasionally it would bog down near the end of hole, but you can just reverse/foward a few times. I already had a bunch of the 12v batteries lying around so it was great. I've also used a milwaukee 28v and the weight savings is VERY noticeable when its swinging around on your harness or drilling above your head. I've also heard a few people say the 12v makes a great big wall drill for those same reasons.

I've never had an issue with Milwaukee.  I've got the M18 Fuel D Handle and it will drill a 1/2" hole over 5 inches deep in 10-12 seconds in volcanic tuff.  I already have m18 batteries, so picking up the drill on sale for $150 wasn't bad at all.

The Milwaukee is the jam, been rocking the 12V all over the world the last few years with no issues, and super light. Even survived a hundred foot digger into talus - bit took the brunt and bent, but drill lived!

Hey All, reviving this thread for 2018. What do you think are the go-to rigs? 

I have had friends recommend this super light Makita 18v:

https://www.toolnut.com/makita-xrh06rb-18v-lxt-lithium-ion-sub-compact-brushless-cordless-11-16-rotary-hammer-kit-accepts-sds-plus-bits-2-0ah.html?utm_source=google_shopping&gclid=CjwKCAiAqvXTBRBuEiwAE54dcOh0gZ5DzF928p7D0eoNhnQ7k1BmImyPtYbl6RJlWOJZgz1btJNbwRoCUIsQAvD_BwE

However other friends say to hold out for 32v drills. 

What do you specifically prefer these days? Thanks!

A respected first ascentionist just responded... he still uses a 36V Bosch. 

What to buy, what to buy...

I have borrowed other friends drills with less voltage and there really is no comparison for when your spending long days in your harness on the wall. Obviously the price is steep, but I found mine on clearance for under $400 with 2 batteries at Home Depot.

100 bucks , no battery Ryobi 18v works great

Thanks Ryan and T Roper for the input. Yes, weight is a consideration. My new crag is a 1+ hour hike uphill, plus route logistics.

Some have recommended this super light Makita 18v series. Curious if anyone has feedback.

https://www.toolnut.com/makita-xrh06rb-18v-lxt-lithium-ion-sub-compact-brushless-cordless-11-16-rotary-hammer-kit-accepts-sds-plus-bits-2-0ah.html?utm_source=google_shopping&gclid=CjwKCAiAqvXTBRBuEiwAE54dcOh0gZ5DzF928p7D0eoNhnQ7k1BmImyPtYbl6RJlWOJZgz1btJNbwRoCUIsQAvD_BwE