Harbor Freight Cordless Rotary Hammer Drill

The title says it all, wondering folks' thoughts on this one. A 90-dollar drill, 60-dollar battery, and 30-dollar charger; save $20 if purchased as a bundle. Harbor Freight has a pretty generous return policy and add-on coverage, something in the realm of $15 for full coverage/replacement. Completely destroy the drill, drop it off a cliff, drop it in a river, ect... bring it in and they'll replace it. Which makes you question the quality of the product. I myself own and use a few different Bauer tools in my work and haven't had any issues. For someone just starting out this could be an entry-level setup to get more people in the arena for route development. 

Roughly $300 for a drill, 3 batteries, and charger, could be worth it.

I almost always regret buying anything from harbor freight. There are some great products, like certain hand tools, when you use a coupon and I have had a handful of things be worthwhile, but I have returned almost every power tool I've ever bought from them, and generally wish I just bought the right tool in the first place. Their reciprocating saws are dangerously wonky, loose and scary. 

Bauer is better than the old Chicago Electric shit from HF, but still suspect.  I've found their batteries are pretty crappy too.  But, another route to go is the Ryobi product.  Backed for 3 years by Home Depot, uses easily available and pretty good quality batteries.  An added plus is when you get old and have to do shit around the house the batteries fit all the other tools you will need like impact drivers, drills, jig saw etc.

I bought 2 of the SDS Ryobi jobs a while back.  I did a quick test and got 23 holes @ 3/8" x depth with a 4ah battery.  This was in a river rock granite boulder in the back yard.  Not too shabby.  At the time they cost $99, and I had an ass load of batteries and chargers since that is sorta what I do in my free time.   I had batteries and stuff already so I was pretty locked into the brand before I even started.

I've heard good things about the Milwaukee product too.  Maybe a slim slice above the Ryobi in quality. Slightly more $$??

Edit:  fuck, just checked and this looks like a super deal.  Same shit I have.   homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-ONE-1…

I'm more or less putting the information out there, I think it would interesting to try one out and see how they do. I use one of the Bauer impacts at work for re-building valves/pneumatics and after a year haven't had any complaints. So I already have a 5 amp hour battery and charger. I just don't have the drive to develop routes in Colorado (climbing is okay) 

Russ Walling wrote:

Edit:  fuck, just checked and this looks like a super deal.  Same shit I have.   homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-ONE-1…

For not too much more (once you get batteries and a charger) you can get the newer, more powerful Ryobi P223 that’s brushless

Unfortunately I don't have experience with that tool but I do have to say - if you don't buy the cheapest crap at HF their tools have been pretty decent for me. Bauer is a solid example of their middle tier in quality, I have a few other Bauer tools and they have surprised me in their toughness. 

Buying their bottom teir stuff is what you need to stay away from. 

Drew Nevius wrote:

For not too much more (once you get batteries and a charger) you can get the newer, more powerful Ryobi P223 that’s brushless

Yeah on the Harbor freight sight they compare this drill to the P222 but they don't exactly equal each other. Likes this Bauer is brushless and the Ryobi is not. 

I wish it listed somewhere how much force per blow, it only gives RMP.

Russ Walling wrote:

Bauer is better than the old Chicago Electric shit from HF, but still suspect.  I've found their batteries are pretty crappy too.  But, another route to go is the Ryobi product.  Backed for 3 years by Home Depot, uses easily available and pretty good quality batteries.  An added plus is when you get old and have to do shit around the house the batteries fit all the other tools you will need like impact drivers, drills, jig saw etc.

I bought 2 of the SDS Ryobi jobs a while back.  I did a quick test and got 23 holes @ 3/8" x depth with a 4ah battery.  This was in a river rock granite boulder in the back yard.  Not too shabby.  At the time they cost $99, and I had an ass load of batteries and chargers since that is sorta what I do in my free time.   I had batteries and stuff already so I was pretty locked into the brand before I even started.

I've heard good things about the Milwaukee product too.  Maybe a slim slice above the Ryobi in quality. Slightly more $$??

Edit:  fuck, just checked and this looks like a super deal.  Same shit I have.   homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-ONE-1…

I switched from Ryobi to Rigid a few years ago. The top rigid hammer drill full retail is $249.  I got 28 3/8” X 5” holes and used half a battery! Also register your Rigid products and they are guaranteed for life ( including batteries!) also newer bits are much better than years ago.

Interesting side note for you Russ: I still have Rawl hand drills with straight flute chisel tip tapered drill bits. Real pain removing bits with a drift pin. SDS is so much easier!

jc5462 wrote:

I switched from Ryobi to Rigid a few years ago. The top rigid hammer drill full retail is $249.  I got 28 3/8” X 5” holes and used half a battery! Also register your Rigid products and they are guaranteed for life ( including batteries!) also newer bits are much better than years ago.

Interesting side note for you Russ: I still have Rawl hand drills with straight flute chisel tip tapered drill bits. Real pain removing bits with a drift pin. SDS is so much easier!

JC, what mAh battery got you 28 5" holes, and into what type of rock? Ridgid Octane? New battery? Thanks. 

I got it last week, 1/2 drill bit, works fine so far, takes a few minutes to drill a 5" hole into red granite 

With the coverage it's a pretty good deal. 

Any questions ill respond as soon as possible. 

Joe Kitz wrote:

I got it last week, 1/2 drill bit, works fine so far, takes a few minutes to drill a 5" hole into red granite 

With the coverage it's a pretty good deal. 

Any questions ill respond as soon as possible. 

Do you think it possible to bolt one route with one battery (5 amp) using 3/8 bolts? Assuming 12 bolts plus anchors.

jc5462 wrote:

I switched from Ryobi to Rigid a few years ago. The top rigid hammer drill full retail is $249.  I got 28 3/8” X 5” holes and used half a battery! Also register your Rigid products and they are guaranteed for life ( including batteries!) also newer bits are much better than years ago.

Interesting side note for you Russ: I still have Rawl hand drills with straight flute chisel tip tapered drill bits. Real pain removing bits with a drift pin. SDS is so much easier!

Rigid tools look pretty solid for the price and specs. Lifetime guarantee on tools and the ability to get huge 8 amp batteries. 

Travis Bieber wrote:

Do you think it possible to bolt one route with one battery (5 amp) using 3/8 bolts? Assuming 12 bolts plus anchors.

Depends on the rock type, for a softer rock probably, I would think to have multiple batteries for this one. 

Andy Bennett wrote:

JC, what mAh battery got you 28 5" holes, and into what type of rock? Ridgid Octane? New battery? Thanks. 

I have 2,3,4 ,6 and a 9 mAh. I am thinking it was a4mAh as I know it wasn’t that 9. We were drilling into granite. Yes on Ridgid Octane and newer battery. As I had just started switching to Rigid and had only had them a few months and it was first time drilling rock with that drill.

This past September I did some drilling at one of the scout camps using that drill and still only changed batteries each day and we drilled like 16 holes the first day. I went out there again last month preparing to replace and install bolts at 3 different camps drove 10 hours did some inspections and then we all got evacuated due to wildfires and drove back. So the work will have to be done at another time. They want to make everything top of the line so they are planning for us to install wave bolts. 

I wasted money on a harbor freight drill 14 years ago. perhaps they are better now but i only got 11 holes out of that drill before the bearing went and it got sloppy.   If someone wanted to go the cheap route I would highly recommend Ryobi Wan Kenobi. their cordless tools work. They are not nearly as good as Dewalt, Makita, Bosch and Milwaukee but they do work and they last a long time.  

I just want to point out that there is no excuse for Ryobi to still be making and selling the P222.  The P222 will burn out if you push it.   "assuming" that the P223 fixed the burnout problem,   the faulty P222 should have been discontinued years ago, yet it seems Ryobi will do anything for a buck.

jc5462 wrote:

I have 2,3,4 ,6 and a 9 mAh. I am thinking it was a4mAh as I know it wasn’t that 9. We were drilling into granite. Yes on Ridgid Octane and newer battery. As I had just started switching to Rigid and had only had them a few months and it was first time drilling rock with that drill.

This past September I did some drilling at one of the scout camps using that drill and still only changed batteries each day and we drilled like 16 holes the first day. I went out there again last month preparing to replace and install bolts at 3 different camps drove 10 hours did some inspections and then we all got evacuated due to wildfires and drove back. So the work will have to be done at another time. They want to make everything top of the line so they are planning for us to install wave bolts. 

Right on. I've managed ~15 3.5"x3/8" holes in hard granite on a single 4aH Ridgid setup (non Octane) with fresh bit. Maybe our rock is harder, or that Octane really makes a difference...

Ryobi P233 1" SDS Rotary Hammer, 4ah battery, Milwalkee 1/2" 4-cutter bit.

(18) 1/2" dia x 4" deep holes in gneiss.

Now you can get a drill, 5 amp hour battery and charger for $99 from the one and only harbor freight.

yeah, but do you want to waste $99?  Spend a little money and get a quality drill. . . 

Steve Williams wrote:

yeah, but do you want to waste $99?  Spend a little money and get a quality drill. . . 

Ain't no way to know it's not quality. Especially if you're only drilling a handful of holes at a time.