Black Friday Hammer Drill Dreams

What do you want and why?

Balance weight and functionality for the modern lead bolter?

Ideal drill to take for a walk?

Battery life, amperage, and torque output?

Versatility/ All around hammer drill?

The work horse for the hard stone cragger?

Brands and dependability? Warranty thoughts? 

Harbor Freight Bauer 20v rotary impact hammer drill is my new favorite.   I like it  better than my Bosch.   $79 but are on sale occasionally for as low as $29

Makita sub-compact

Absolutely nothing beats a Hilti over time... Just save up your money and you will be using it for years and hundreds if not thousands of bolts.

I own a Bosch RHH181 (the 3/4” rated brushless) and have been happy with it as an all around drill. My only complaint is that when I’m doing replacement work and spinning wedge bolts or drilling through old powerbolt sleeves and cones, it goes through batteries quicker and sometimes slightly struggles. I’m happy with the weight/power balance in it though.

If I wanted something more powerful for lots of rebolting, I’d get a 1” rated brushless (like the Bosch GBH18V-26).

If I were doing new routes in the backcountry or bolting on lead, I’d be look at the 11/16” rated Makita subcompact Jim mentioned above (XRH06ZB) or a Milwaukee 5/8” 12V drill