Best Cordless Power Drill for Bolting on Lead

Bosch 18v lightweight and fast, great for ground up stuff.

+1 for the Bosch 18V. I have one and love it. I use it for bolting on lead or on rap and it works great. I have a couple of Hilti 36V drills including one with an external battery pack but I've been using the Bosch 18V for 99% of the bolting and rebolting. 

Actually people donate climbing ropes and gear and bolts plus money to me all the time now for trail maintenance and rebolting, by your negativity directed comments I see you do nothing to contribute.

Vince Buffalini wrote:
Yeah, like that one route Tommy Caldwell equipped top down... What was it called? The Dawn Wall? Was that single pitch? I don't remember...

USBRIT Ross wrote:

Agree the longest multi pitch sport equipped climb,perhaps in the world?

Common misconception. Except for a few of the (primarily horizontal) crux pitches, relatively few bolts were added, especially not to the pitches that are part of established aid lines as they didn't want to alter the aid experience. That approach produced some spectacular falls onto fixed rurps and heads.

The route is hardly sport bolted.

USBRIT Ross wrote:

Agree the longest multi pitch sport equipped climb,perhaps in the world?

What Mark said. 

5.13R and sections of 5.13 above fixed beaks ain't sport equipped.

Look Ross, we are all tempted (or have) sprayed about our on lead trad bolting exploits in this thread or elsewhere but Dawn Wall is vastly above our current pay grade to throw shade.

Lets move on to our own challenges.

Harumpfster Boondoggle wrote:

What Mark said. 

5.13R and sections of 5.13 above fixed beaks ain't sport equipped.

Look Ross, we are all tempted (or have) sprayed about our on lead trad bolting exploits in this thread or elsewhere but Dawn Wall is vastly above our current pay grade to throw shade.

Lets move on to our own challenges.

Not a great example ...no real difference to any other fixed pro,.  Great admiration for the determination shown on this climb and technical difficulty ,however more closer to a sport climb than a trad route.... Quite impossible with out this climb's first aided ascent.,which was just if not more of a test of will power and endurance.

Harumpfster Boondoggle wrote:

What Mark said. 

5.13R and sections of 5.13 above fixed beaks ain't sport equipped.

Look Ross, we are all tempted (or have) sprayed about our on lead trad bolting exploits in this thread or elsewhere but Dawn Wall is vastly above our current pay grade to throw shade.

Lets move on to our own challenges.

HB, Paul Ross isn't spraying.  He's the real deal.  Not sure that many (if any)  first ascentionists  --anywhere on this planet and through history-- have established as many routes as Paul over the span of 50 years.  Keep in mind, a good number of these are long, committing,  ground-up and in various disciplines, from crags to peaks.  How many, Paul?  Last I heard it was 5000+ and that was a decade ago.  Here's a tough question:  what are your top 10?

Meh, one man's spray is another man's word of god handed down on stone tablets. I've seriously heard all of us (the best ever included) do it out of stoke at one time or another. Nothing wrong with spray, but I take exception to throwing shade.

Paul needs to go see Dawn Wall and tell us more about how its a sport route? The cruxes are certainly well protected for working the (ahem) 5.14d moves.

But that doesn't make it a sport climb when you can whip 60+ feet on 5.13.

chris magness wrote:

HB, Paul Ross isn't spraying.  He's the real deal.  Not sure that many (if any)  first ascentionists  --anywhere on this planet and through history-- have established as many routes as Paul over the span of 50 years.  Keep in mind, a good number of these are long, committing,  ground-up and in various disciplines, from crags to peaks.  How many, Paul?  Last I heard it was 5000+ and that was a decade ago.  Here's a tough question:  what are your top 10?

Thanks Chris ,but knock a 0 off and your closer to my FA's . All were super fun even the easy ones... If you live long enough you get around. ....However I do not think its a great idea to get real old. Cheers PS if I am on here its raining in the UK ... just wish I was back in the desert...

Leave it on the last bolt deal on a Fifi hook and a  25 foot piece of tech 12 fidded no knot so no snagging then pull it up drill again!

Rob the tricam wrote:

Yes & yes

how is that makita?? have fondled it in home depot. even lighter than my beloved m12..

Jeffrey Constine wrote:

Leave it on the last bolt deal on a Fifi hook and a  25 foot piece of tech 12 fidded no knot so no snagging then pull it up drill again!

Super useful trick! Done this a ton rope-soloing hard (for me) new slab lines, except I hang it on the "free" end instead. Hanging the drill on the end of the rope using this trick actually makes soloing easier too because it takes the weight/drag off that side of the rope.

But more to the point of the OP: The small Milwaukee M12 works great for ground-up stance drillin'. Mine is less than 5 lbs and has plenty of power. By the time both batteries are dead my nerves are fried anyway.

Does this require a no handed stance to pull up the drill from? What if you don’t find one?

Brian Prince wrote: how is that makita?? have fondled it in home depot. even lighter than my beloved m12..

It's great! I can get 12-15 hole of 1/2 in in hard limestone with a 5 amphr battery. Fantastic performance in sandstone.  No granite yet. I would expect at least 8-10  3/8s holes  in granite

bus driver wrote: Does this require a no handed stance to pull up the drill from? What if you don’t find one?

No. When I've done this on steep terrain, I'll get the best hand hold I can, then haul up the drill with my other hand and my mouth.

bus driver wrote: Does this require a no handed stance to pull up the drill from? What if you don’t find one?

^^beat me to it. But no, one hand and teeth. Or just keep climbing...

chris magness wrote:

HB, Paul Ross isn't spraying.  He's the real deal.  Not sure that many (if any)  first ascentionists  --anywhere on this planet and through history-- have established as many routes as Paul over the span of 50 years.  Keep in mind, a good number of these are long, committing,  ground-up and in various disciplines, from crags to peaks.  How many, Paul?  Last I heard it was 5000+ and that was a decade ago.  Here's a tough question:  what are your top 10?

I´d agree with HB here, it´s spray. The number of FA´s one has done has no relevance to the value of ones opinions regarding other peoples ascents. After all I´ve done more than double the FA´s Paul has so if I say Dawn Wall is an ice climb then it must be so. And if my buddy Gary who´s done over 4,000 FA´s reckons it´s a boulder problem then......

bus driver wrote: Does this require a no handed stance to pull up the drill from? What if you don’t find one?

One hand and teeth 

Jim Titt wrote:

I´d agree with HB here, it´s spray. The number of FA´s one has done has no relevance to the value of ones opinions regarding other peoples ascents. After all I´ve done more than double the FA´s Paul has so if I say Dawn Wall is an ice climb then it must be so. And if my buddy Gary who´s done over 4,000 FA´s reckons it´s a boulder problem then......

Ultimately all a matter of opinion.  Fixed gear and bolts detract from commitment.  That's difficult to argue, no matter the style.  5.13R is far more dangerous for a 5.13 climber than for a 5.15 climber.  

Not my reason for chiming in though (I'd say the Dawn Wall is a hybrid route).  I have a good deal of respect for, and value the opinions of those who have contributed greatly to our sport and found the tone too demeaning and uninformed not to comment.
HB, must say, too, that you are a deft wordsmith regardless of content.

And Paul, if you're on here because of rain, it's injury for me.  Health and fitness are evasive these days, wonky shoulder and fractured heel.