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Best Drill?
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Def go brushless, less friction and longer battery life. I use the Mikita sds compact 18v and have 200+ 1/2 and 3/8 holes in. regardless of drill, definitely spring for larger amp hour batteries, like 5 or 6 ah. Pro tip, use hot hands toe warmers on the bottom of battery pack when drilling in cold/winter For longer battery life. ( also works for your phone). |
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Hilti, buy once cry once! |
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Go brushless. I have 18v makita brushless for climbing. My 36v Bosch is just for construction now. |
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i wanted to circle back to this thread with some follow up on my personal experience, post- this discussion. For background, i came from using a 90s-era Hilti TE 10a tool. The NiCad batteries for this tool had long since died. My first inclination was to try reconstruct the Hilti batteries using replacement cells but i wasn't savvy enough to pull that off.....so i went with a 36V bootleg battery following instructions i'd found in these forums. Over several years I actually went through one bootleg battery and was on my second when recently a poor connection in the battery cord-to-drill caused what i think was a failure in the drill's trigger. I thought about replacing the trigger (due to the age of the model, the TE 10a is no longer sold or serviced by Hilti)......but instead began to consider a more modern tool as a replacement. Being cost-conscious, i first bought a JCB 18V model on Amazon. I tested it out of the box and didn't like the feel of the tool. Its a budget model (there are many of these, typically from Asia) by comparison to your typical name brands......and i got an uneasy feeling about it and sent it back. After considering all the advice and feedback provided here and in other forum threads on the same topic, i bought a Bosch 18V Bulldog........and it is mighty nice. The revelatory experience of not having to manage or carry the large lead-acid bootleg battery i'd been using all those years with my Hilti tool was quite profound, as anyone who has rigged one of these for themselves can attest. The Bosch tool wasn't cheap....and i agonized for a time about spending for it but managed to get it at a less than top dollar price. I haven't used it very much but certainly seems and feels well built. I own other Bosch corded tools, along with corded and battery-operated tools by Porter Cable, Milwaukee, and Ryobi......and work in construction so have seen and used tools by those and others in my experience. In recent days i've had the opportunity to use a comparable Hilti tool, the TE 4a / 6a.......and i feel like it might be the gold standard. I never considered this model tool as a personal choice because of its price, but boy, it is one fine machine. If money was no object, i would own one. |
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In 2021, the F+L approach is the only thing I'd consider. The M12 SDS, and the Mikita Black Sub Compact 18v SDS are so tiny, I could never go back to a classic size drill. |
Joe Hunt wrote: I bought both of these: I also have the Dewalt and am very happy with the performance and battery life. |
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You usually cant beat a Hilti drill no matter what anyone says.... Review after review after review confirms this.... |
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If you respect craftsmanship and the apex of design/engineering regarding your tools, you will love hilti drills. If your value is pragmatic and you want to drill holes in rocks with a light and affordable tool… I suggest the makita 18 or m12. It boils down to perspective. Honda vs Ferrari, both will deliver on transporting you from A to B. |
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get over your brand worship. the makita is a damn good tool. |
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This disassembly/reassembly demonstrates some of the differences in tool design. I don't own a Hilti, but I've borrowed one a few times - they do deserve the respect. Makita makes a nice tool, too, but they cut some corners by comparison. If you treat it right and don't run it too hot, it'll probably last.
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When it comes to a rock climbing drill weight is about 90% of the consideration. My pet peeve at work is Stabilia levels. a lot of guys get really hung up on them and pay huge money for those things and then look down on anyone who dosen't have one. its just a level. I put the stabillia , stanly and empire on a table top and they all read exactly the same but the stabilia is $168.00 for a $40.00 level... |
Nick Goldsmith wrote: Stabila is precise, where it really counts. Precision is not a requirement for SDS drills. I agree with your drill philosophy, but stabila is well worth the money, if you get paid to install things level in someone's home. Sometimes being off by a tiny margin can ruin everything. Thats not the case with a hole in a rock wall. No drill's tolerance is that off, or youd never drill the hole in the first place. |
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Similar question: I've been tasked with purchasing a drill for rebolting local crags. Not my $$$, so I want to get it right. I own an 18v Bosch and love the thing, but spinning some studs can be at the upper limit of the tool, so I'd like to get some thing a little beefier. Budget is in the $300-400 range with batteries. Primarily using it on harder limestone and softer granite. Spinning old 3/8 studs and drilling holes to 1/2 in. Any model recommendations from folks who do this type of work? |
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they are all precise. stabilia is just an over priced status symbol. the most important factor in a level is how tight the bubble is between the lines. brand loyalty is a bad joke that plays on human insecurity. the need to impress with possessions rather than skill and ability. I put all the levels on the job site on the same floor. they all read the same. not a millimeter of differnce between a stanley and a stabilia. except the stanley is a bit easier to read. I use em all and I would Never waste $500.00 on a set a Stabilias. i have enough confidence in my work to not need the status symbol to make me feel like a real carpenter. most things critical I use a laser anyways. I bought a dewalt track saw with 60 and 103 inch tracks for about half of what the festool would have cost. It works just as good as festool but the dewalt tracks are much better. I buy good tools. I have no tolerance for junk tools but I know the difference in value and I know when a company over charges because of brand. some of that stuff is total junk. Bosch table saws are total junk and the chop saws not much better. . dewalt saw stands suck but the bosch stand is good. the rigid Chop saw stand is excelent but their saw sucks. dewalt chop saw is good as is the makita but the makita is not as rugged as the dewalt. Milwaukee cordless stuff is excelent and the dewalt stuff is good. don't get hung up on hanging with the cool kids. use the best tool for the job not the coolest most expensive tool. Ryobi is homowner grade but some of their stuff is handy. I just bought a ryobi cordless stapler that gets it done. at the end of the day your knowledge and skill is much more important than the brand of tools you use. Don't be that guy wearing Ocidental leather framing bags while doing finish work... I trust the guy wearing the rattly old free canvass apron for finish work ;) |
Nick Goldsmith wrote: Maybe so, but when your reputation, referrals, and the lovely call backs are riding on whether you're dead nuts or not, id rather pay for a German made, quality product. Same reason I use Festool. I could have saved a bunch of money on not buying either, but the quality and precision is worth it considering I use them every day. So... maybe a Hilti...if youre a professional bolter. Charlotte and her partner are technically professional bolters who are sponsored by Petzl. Are there any other pro bolters out there? Maybe J-Star could be considered such. |
Nick Goldsmith wrote: I'm with you on that up to 4'ers, after that no 6' levels compare that I've seen yet. I just use the 30 year old 4' with a longer strait board most of the time if i need it. I've used the ryobi and it did an ok job for being 100$, I wouldn't push it too hard though. It never had a burning smell and wasnt smoking after maybe 8 holes in a row. |
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"pro bolters"??? |
Dan Bachen wrote: my criteria for selection was hammer impact energy (typically listed in joules), battery strength, general reputation for quality (i wanted value for my money, some assurance of long tool life, and the ability to get a decent price if i needed to sell). The Dewalt models described in this thread, the Hilti model i described previously, and the Bosch model 18V Bulldog with two 5 amp/hr batteries, what i ended up purchasing, seem to all be in close agreement to what i was looking for. This and other forum threads were of great help so thanks for sharing your feedback. |
bernard wolfe wrote: Good stuff right? I think there is an accredited bolting school somewhere near boulder. |
bernard wolfe wrote: Aka pro climber who develops, mostly. |
