Which Drill

I've got a Dewalt 20V, and it's been great.

cpooutlets.com/factory-reco…

Patrick Mulligan wrote:By far the best bits I have ever used are the cross tipped dewalt solid rock bits. homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-3-8-… They've changed the design this year (once again back to a straight rather than cross tipped carbide) and I've found their new bits to be about 1/3 less fast in drilling in hard granite. The bosch bits are about 1/2 as fast. I don't need 25 of them but if folks wanted to go in on the 25 pack, I'd be down. Also, on the Drill front. This may sound strange but watch eBay for the expensive drills. I've been through two (now a 2nd gen Bosch 36v Compact that I won on eBay for $148 with two batteries) that were purchased for less than $200. Both times, I've bid on drills that were basically new with $140+ starting prices, but that have had end times between 4pm and 6pm Pacific on Friday. There isn't a climber or construction guy worth their salt that isn't at the bar then...

I use the Bosch Bulldog Extreme bits, they are pretty solid. I hadn't read this article below before buying them, but did after I saw what you posted. The Bosch bits in my experience get me extra life out of my battery by lasting longer and drilling faster. They tend to wear better and thus undersized holes are fewer between in hard rock. I like them, and won't buy anything else.

This is a good read between the two bits

toolboxbuzz.com/tool-access…

Sam, it would be interesting to see the bosch Extreme and Dewalt solid rock go head to head. Having used the Bosch, I still believe the Dewalt solid rock bit to be better and faster. That said, I can't argue the findings of the article and as they're no longer making the solid rock carbide bit and I can't speak to the difference between it and the High Impact Carbide bit, I'll simply have to re-evaluate after burning through the four bits I have left.

Ok I have to throw this in there I'm a sport climber of many years I have never bolted my own routs however I own a construction company and I'm a firm believer in the rigid products. Also on the other side of things they are the only one that offers a lifetime warranty on their products so if my batteries go bad I take them to home depo and get them replaced. They are rugged tools so just a thought

Fallindemon wrote:Ok I have to throw this in there I'm a sport climber of many years I have never bolted my own routs however I own a construction company and I'm a firm believer in the rigid products. Also on the other side of things they are the only one that offers a lifetime warranty on their products so if my batteries go bad I take them to home depo and get them replaced. They are rugged tools so just a thought

Except they don't make a drill for bolting.

Ridgid is a spinoff from craftsman, you can get the same products under a different name at sears.

I have seen a bare tool 18v ryobi rotary hammer for 99 bucks! I'd get the extended warranty though.

I don't know where rigid is a spinoff from craftsman but ok rigid is the only one on the market currently (that I'm aware of in major brands) that offer the lifetime warrenty on batteries and tools. They make a hammer drill

Fallindemon wrote:I don't know where rigid is a spinoff from craftsman but ok rigid is the only one on the market currently (that I'm aware of in major brands) that offer the lifetime warrenty on batteries and tools. They make a hammer drill

Ridgid does not make a rotary hammer drill which is what you need for bolting.

Roto-hammer good. Hammer drill bad. 36v good. Less ok. Lithium ion batteries good. Modded a corded roto-hammer to work with lead acid batteries are very heavy. You get what you pay for. I use the 36v Bosch with one "slim pack" battery and one regular size battery. And have never ran either out of juice in the field.

We'll that would make sence then ... And wasn't talking led acid batteries so umm hu?

Fallindemon wrote:We'll that would make sence then ... And wasn't talking led acid batteries so umm hu?

I was replying to several different posts above yours, not your. However you did seem to be confused about roto-hammer versus hammer-drill so I guess that part applies to you. I was also pecking away on my phone so I was trying to be brief and probably was less than clear as a result...

I have a question, not about drills, about drill bits. I couldn't find a place to post because most of the info is about drills.

I would like to know which bit to use for drilling rip rap rock. This rock is softer than river rock, I can't describe it in a better way. I need to drill an 1/8" hole 1/2" inches deep. Which bit is better,

Diamond or Carbide. 

Heard somewhere that Bosch has a new 18 volt drill that is more powerful the the 36 witch is what i have.  It is the lightest new option available i believe. 

Joseph, are you using an SDS rotary hammer drill and is it only one hole or a bunch? With a rotary hammer drill any old carbide SDS masonry bit from Home Depot or the like should do the job easily, especially if you only have to make one little hole like that. Depending on the rock size and quality, and grain you may need to be more or less careful of not splitting the stone. I would set it in a bed of sand or something to  help keep it from shattering (or in a vice carefully clamped between some soft wood if it is really small)

PS - you might want to change your username so it doesn't show your email, unless you intended that.

Thanks for your reply. I have a need to drill several rocks. I do have a hammer drill but I was afraid it would break the rock. I did drill a rip rap rock some time ago and it took me two hours for a I/4 " deep hole. I was using a diamond tipped bit and I had the rock secured in a bucket and filled with water to cool the bit. Two hours is a long time and only drilling halfway of the 1/2" hole that I need. I went through 10 diamond bits. I am thinking that there has to be a better way. 

I probably should eliminate my address. Thanks

You were on the right track with the diamond bit but with those bits you dont use the hammer setting, you just drill with light pressure, speed and water. Any tile supply(not the box stores) will carry the bits. A quality diamond hole saw bit will last many holes if you dont put too much pressure on them. Its the only way to drill porcelain which is way harder than any rock. I dont know about anything smaller than 1/4" hole though, havent seen any smaller. 

ANGUS WIESSNER wrote:

Heard somewhere that Bosch has a new 18 volt drill that is more powerful the the 36 witch is what i have.  It is the lightest new option available i believe. 

Check out my review:

https://www.mountainproject.com/forum/topic/112314789/drill-review-bosh-18v-rhh-181#ForumMessage-112837118

I've used the drill extensively for around a year and a half and its never let me down. I typically drill 1/2" x 4" holes and can usually get around 15 holes and some change on one battery.

SammyJ wrote:

Just got a smoking deal on a factory reconditioned 11536VSR mentioned above. 

How much?

I have had the Bosch 36v Bulldog, Makita 18v and now use a Bosch 18v in the link herehttps://www.cpotools.com/factory-reconditioned-bosch-rhs181bl-rt-18v-cordless-lithium-ion-compact-sds-plus-rotary-hammer--bare-tool--with-l-boxx-2-and-exact-fit-insert/bshrrhs181bl-rt,default,pd.html?ref=pla&zmam=31282435&zmas=47&zmac=724&zmap=bshrrhs181bl-rt&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI3NbHo6CD2QIVXbjACh3l7wRVEAQYASABEgLAgfD_BwE

Its super light and drills fine, it takes a second or two longer to get the hole started but once it starts it's just as fast as my 36v.   I normally get 10-13 holes per battery at 3/8x3".  I bought it mainly for bolting on lead and have been using it over a years so far with hundreds of holes drilled.   There are better drills out there for rap bolting but for the money and lightweight of the unit it's hard to beat.

I have Milwaukee M18 18V 1/2-Inch Compact Brushless Hammer Drill. I really like the drills and use them for everything, but I have found they are losing their charge when they sit around in the case about a week and they are dead with no use. I always keep a battery in the charger so I can use one of them. I bought the PORTER-CABLE PCC620B from cheap hammer drill (not the black and white one, their blue one) 18V 3.0 amp hr. and it is a great tool. It is my favorite. If you hands are smaller you might like the B&W one but my big meathooks grab the LTX just fine. Panasonic Li-Ion is too small for my hands. Li-Ion does not seem to lose a charge either. I have one of the Bosch PS-20 up north at our cottage and I used it last week after sitting since September. Buy what feels good in your hand, but I would buy Li-Ion.

Adam Smith wrote: I have Milwaukee M18 18V 1/2-Inch Compact Brushless Hammer Drill. I really like the drills and use them for everything, but I have found they are losing their charge when they sit around in the case about a week and they are dead with no use. I always keep a battery in the charger so I can use one of them. I bought the PORTER-CABLE PCC620B from cheap hammer drill (not the black and white one, their blue one) 18V 3.0 amp hr. and it is a great tool. It is my favorite. If you hands are smaller you might like the B&W one but my big meathooks grab the LTX just fine. Panasonic Li-Ion is too small for my hands. Li-Ion does not seem to lose a charge either. I have one of the Bosch PS-20 up north at our cottage and I used it last week after sitting since September. Buy what feels good in your hand, but I would buy Li-Ion.

For drilling rock most would use a real rotary hammer drill. Don't leave fully charged batteries on the charger.