Drills for bolting that are not Bosch or Hilti
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Are there any good, less expensive drills that someone can recommend for bolting? |
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Not really. Unfortunately, you seem to get what you pay for. I have a friend who used a Dewalt that he had for work, for a while. He said it worked alright, but I noticed he sprang for a new big Bosch pretty quickly. If you can't find someone to help you out with their drill for your first projects, you might be able to find a used older model on eBay or a refurbished one. Personally, I would just wait and keep saving and keeping an eye out for sales. Cheap tools just wear out quickly or work like crap, so you have spend the money to get another one anyway. With used older ones the batteries will be most likely pretty shot and the price of getting new ones would be a big chunk of a whole new drill. I got the biggest Bosch with two of the big batteries for about $600, but if not drilling a lot at once, you could get the smaller "Kinder" model with one battery for quite a bit less (less of a hog to carry too). My other Bosch drills lasted for many years of pretty heavy use, and they seem to keep getting better. A 1/2" hole in granite in less than 30 seconds! That is worth paying for :) I gave my old ones to friends who didn't need to drill as much or rely on them out in the outback. |
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I use just about every brand regularly at work. Although the dewalt would work if you're not too serious about it, the bosch is hard to beat for drilling holes quickly. There is a noticable difference. It seems to me like they have a more aggressive hammer action, so they drive holes significantly faster. They do make less expensive 18v models. If you go that route, get lithium ion batteries. |
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ive seen some light panasonics in use here in the SE...albeit we arent putting up sport routes. Light and good for ~ 8-12 bolts depending on power. |
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It's Bosch or Hilti for a gun. As John says they are not cheap but last a really long time with care. I've got one 18 years old with over 400 holes notched up and some on site construction work also...still works perfectly. |
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I would guess that if you cannot afford a Bosch you can't afford the number of bolts and hangers you will use even if you get a cheap drill. This is unless you are planning to do routes that use mostly trad gear. We just put up 6 new 50-60 foot routes in two days. We used 56 bolts and hangers as well as 12 quicklinks. Wedge anchors were given to us and the hangers were a good deal at $1.20 and the links were a dollar each. Total cost roughly $80 and that is cheap. Normally it would be a minimum of $3/bolt and hanger. |
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Depends on the rock. I use an 18v Makita for desert sandstone and limestone and love it - it is really light weight compared to 24 or 36v Hilti or Bosch drills, which makes drilling on lead a lot nicer. I get 30+ half inch holes in Wingate on one lithium ion battery. Haven't used it on hard rock like granite or quartzite and i'm sure it would struggle there, but mine works perfectly for my needs. |
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Thanks for the responses. 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) |
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Definitely hand drill the anchor bolts if only using them for rap anchors. Splitting the chore with your partner makes them zip right in, and also makes you think a little harder regarding where to locate them or if they even mandatory as there may be trees or a walk off close by. Sometimes you'll reclimb something you put up, and realize it sucks totally unworthy of wasting bolts on. |
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rock_fencer wrote:ive seen some light panasonics in use here in the SE...albeit we arent putting up sport routes. Light and good for ~ 8-12 bolts depending on power.Those things are super light and slick. |
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Yeah I've learned that it takes some thought and purpose to hand drill, and I do appreciate it when it comes to putting up new routes. |
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If you are doing just a few holes at a time the Ryobi 18v Lithium SDS Rotary hammer can be purchased for as low as $129. The batteries are light and easy to carry a spare. Can do as many as 4 holes per battery on sandstone/limestone or two holes per battery on a medium schist. If you are planning on a bunch of sport routes then the bosch is the way to go. |
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This place is where I got my drill... reconditioned and no issues to date... great deal. |
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Battery technology is changing constantly. I've owned Bosch, Hilti and now I own the Ryobi 18v One Plus. |
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This is what I did and I think all said and done I spent $100-$150. Biggest downside is weight, I put the batteries in a small back pack. |
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Andrew Gram wrote:Depends on the rock. I use an 18v Makita for desert sandstone and limestone and love it - it is really light weight compared to 24 or 36v Hilti or Bosch drills, which makes drilling on lead a lot nicer. I get 30+ half inch holes in Wingate on one lithium ion battery. Haven't used it on hard rock like granite or quartzite and i'm sure it would struggle there, but mine works perfectly for my needs.I have a makita 18V as well.it works really well on southern Co crap rock...Penitente stuff, I easy get 12+ holes (3.5") per battery, maybe more. i also use Makita stuff for construction and have several tools That said.I would for sure go for a Bosch 36V in harder rock i got mine new, for $150 (bare tool) |
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My new Dewalt 20v is pretty slick, but the sameish weight as the 36v Bosch |
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Makita works well. There is a guy in Wyoming that turned me on to them and I doubt there are many folks who drill more than he does. Drill/2 batteries was $300 on amazon. |
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5 AH batteries on the way |
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tom donnelly wrote: The best for bolting on lead may be the Panasonic EY78A1 runs on 18V or 14.4V, 4.2AH batteries, superlight, expensive. But in the US it looks like the older EY7840 is still being sold - 14.4V, 3.3 AH. Still very good. see p. 34 of panasonic-powertools.eu/pow…Been using this one for a few years now and while it is a bit slow, it's very light and compact. It's also easy to hold above your head due to a good design for "overhead drilling". If it's just a few bolts though, personally, I still prefer to do it by hand. It's a more satisfying experience at the end of the day. Don't ask me why because I don't know. Maybe it's the therapeutic effect of wailing on something with a hammer for a bit... |