Best Drill?

Is there a staple for the best bolting drill, or does it come down to opinion? I know with impact drivers and routesetting it all comes down to personal preference, what about for the bolters out there? Just curious

mountainproject.com/forum/t…

https://www.mountainproject.com/forum/topic/116779645/best-drill-setup

https://www.mountainproject.com/forum/topic/112314789/drill-review-bosh-18v-rhh-181

https://www.mountainproject.com/forum/topic/106325257/hilti-or-bosch#ForumMessage-106566243

https://www.mountainproject.com/forum/topic/116655876/36v-drill-vs-1820v-drill

Bouldiban TK wrote:

I am curious as well. My needs are a little more specific so if anyone will recommend a drill...? I just need to place a couple bolts to TR some highballs I want to rehearse first. So 2 maybe 4 holes in granite...

Curious if anyone has any experience with this.?

You can drill a hole faster by hand than with that little hammer drill.  You need an SDS rotary hammer and you can expect to spend way north of $129.   See the threads John referenced.

To compare apples to apples, consider joules, beats per minute, volts, amp hours, and weight.

Bouldiban TK wrote:

I am curious as well. My needs are a little more specific so if anyone will recommend a drill...? I just need to place a couple bolts to TR some highballs I want to rehearse first. So 2 maybe 4 holes in granite...

Curious if anyone has any experience with this.?

Hand Drill. It will take you a bit of time but you can put your money towards something else. I've got an extra one lying around if you are interested. 

The new generation of 18V Li Ion SDS rotary hammer drills are surprisingly good, and they weigh and cost much less than the venerable Hilti and Bosch 36V units that were very much the standard in the past.  They likely don’t stand up as well over time, but if you are just going to bolt the odd route, probably the way to go. 

Bouldiban TK wrote:

I am curious as well. My needs are a little more specific so if anyone will recommend a drill...? I just need to place a couple bolts to TR some highballs I want to rehearse first. So 2 maybe 4 holes in granite...

Curious if anyone has any experience with this.?

There is a difference between a hammer drill and a rotary hammer. Generally for drilling holes in concrete and stone, you want a rotary hammer that takes SDS bits.

As to what drill is best, you have to consider your application. Are you grid bolting a wall on rappel? Establishing new trad routes ground up and need to place a few bolts on the way up? Ground-up bolting a multipitch sport route? Thats three different "best" drills right there.

Dylan Pike wrote: Are you grid bolting a wall on rappel? Establishing new trad routes ground up and need to place a few bolts on the way up? Ground-up bolting a multipitch sport route? Thats three different "best" drills right there.

Would be awesome if you (or someone else) could offer a recommendation of the best drill for the three use cases you laid out.

I used this drill out the butterhole..  Hilti t4 18 volt 3.2 amp hour battery.  
I can get 20 3/8  3.5 inch holes

Works great for top down assaults too.
Shes kinda heavy, but she fires in a hole in about 10 seconds and the batteries last a while.  

Just a few bolts here and there? Milwaukee M12 Fuel Rotary Hammer. Best drill for a few bolts at a time. Very very light weight. Not awesome for mass developing sport areas tho.. 

ER-160   

Bosch GBH 36 V-LI Compact

Chris Stocking wrote:

Would be awesome if you (or someone else) could offer a recommendation of the best drill for the three use cases you laid out.

For large scale bolting projects you probably want a big 36v drill. Bosch is the old standby here. Some 24 and 18v tools are increasing performance and could be a good option.

For the occasional bolt on a trad route, a hand drill is light and simple.

For ground up bolting sport routes, I like the Milwaukee M12 fuel. There is also a nice lightweight makita 18v subcompact rotary hammer.

Dylan Pike wrote:

For large scale bolting projects you probably want a big 36v drill. Bosch is the old standby here. Some 24 and 18v tools are increasing performance and could be a good option.

What would constitute a large scale bolting project?

Second the M12 from Milwaukee.

That said the m18 batteries also fit in the M18 leaf blower they sell which is an awesome tool for development if you’re serious about saving scrub time.

Dylan Pike wrote:

For large scale bolting projects you probably want a big 36v drill. Bosch is the old standby here. Some 24 and 18v tools are increasing performance and could be a good option.

For the occasional bolt on a trad route, a hand drill is light and simple.

For ground up bolting sport routes, I like the Milwaukee M12 fuel. There is also a nice lightweight makita 18v subcompact rotary hammer.

Are you talking about that tiny black makita drill? Have you used that thing? I can't figure out whether or not it's a toy. 

Nathan E wrote: ER-160   

I totally have drill envy.   Look at that bad boy.  

I know nothing about bolting a route but as far as the best drill I think it is safe to say: Hilti 

The cheapest option is likely going to be the ryobi sds 18v hammer. The tool can be found refurb at $80, $110 new, with batteries at $50 a pop. Has worked well for me in Pennsylvania sandstone, 5 to 8 bolts per battery of 1/2 inch 3 1/2 deep. It’s also quite light.

drewp wrote:

Are you talking about that tiny black makita drill? Have you used that thing? I can't figure out whether or not it's a toy. 

Yep. I havent used it but I’d be curious to know how it performs.

Dylan Pike wrote:

For large scale bolting projects you probably want a big 36v drill.

I've been leaning this way, but have noticed that basically all of the 36v drills out there are brushed motors. I've seen quite a few recommendations here that say brushless is the only way to go. It seems like battery life is the reason to go brushless. But, if I'm remembering my physics correctly (and it's been a long time, so I'm probably not), it seems like you should get better battery life out of a 36v system, all else equal, and maybe that balances out the lack of a brushless motor.

Any thoughts on the tradeoffs between a brushed 36v drill vs a brushless drill at a lower voltage?