Best Cordless Power Drill for Bolting on Lead

This seems kind of ironic: “Best Cordless Power Drill for Bolting on Lead” in the section of “Trad Climbing”. Maybe it’s not, I don’t know...

I heard there are some good hand drills out there for bolting on lead. 

Nothing wrong with a hybrid approach, if it’s legal. Drilling by hand will certainly always be better style though.

Teddy B wrote: This seems kind of ironic: “Best Cordless Power Drill for Bolting on Lead” in the section of “Trad Climbing”. Maybe it’s not, I don’t know...

There isn't any irony, if you know what drilling on lead entails and the history behind it.

Lead bolting is the epitome of traditional climbing to aid or protect otherwise un-climbable (as determined by the guy on the sharp end) sections of rock, since pretty much 1875 when George Anderson did the FA of Half Dome. I am sure there are even other (likely) earlier examples out there. People usually use power drills now (where they are legal) because they have good sense. Its the tool for the job, imo.

This is of course based on my own experience and having hand drilled maybe 30 bolts in the last year alone (none on lead, do I look crazy?).

:)

rusty pitoune wrote: Back from the crypt: Any sweet new drills out there?

I have never power drilled on lead (much) and never used one of the chopped guns with the various forms of remote batteries. 

I'm rocking one of these right now because I couldn't find a better deal with 2 4amp hour (20 holes) batteries:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M4LXUD2/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_6?smid=A2IA1TCH8NRH0&psc=1

But there are a lot of pretty sweet 18V guns out there like the Bosch for lighter duty that drill a few holes just fine.

Chris Clarke wrote: Hi USBRIT, It wasn't my intention to insult you. I just wanted to point out that my preference for top down bolting, where feasible and consistent with the local ethic, is based on a lot more than setting a few one pitch sport routes. Like you, making new routes is my hobby and I have made somewhere between 300-500 FAs of all types of routes. My personal page just lists a few random routes that I have enjoyed over the years. I brought a compact 36v Bosch to some friends here in Bolivia and it broke within two years. Meanwhile, my regular 36v Bosch is still going strong after thousands of holes. I borrow the slimpack batteries sometimes for bolting on lead which lightens up the big drill considerably.

Thats Ok .. I just see your examples of your FA's are one pitch climbs ..I rarely bothered  to lead on sight FA's that are single pitch trad or otherwise.

Alex Bury wrote: Nothing wrong with a hybrid approach, if it’s legal. Drilling by hand will certainly always be better style though.

Why is that, Alex? 

I always liked the satisfaction of drilling a whole pitch- on lead- in the backcountry- in a few hours work. That beats the heck out of having to make 5 trips back to get pitch 5 finished. 
Just saying 

Bosch 18v lightweight and fast, great for ground up stuff.

USBRIT Ross wroteTry that on a sandstone tower or multi pitch climbs. Not all climbing is single pitch.....yes hard to believe these days!

Yeah, like that one route Tommy Caldwell equipped top down... What was it called? The Dawn Wall? Was that single pitch? I don't remember...

This is my kit for one handed bolt placements on lead.  Taping a carabiner right to the handle so it’s stiff allows for easily getting the drill on and off your gear loop with one hand.
Milwaukee makes lots of sizes of M18 batteries up to 9aH. Shown are a 2aH and 5aH and they are easy to find on sale and 2nd hand.  I like that they have a charge meter you can check without removing the battery. I switched over to all M18 tools around the house and I got more batteries that came with other tools
This drill was all scratched up (read cheap) on eBay but has worked great (except one of the batteries has an annoying ghost connection so I don’t lead with that one).

Save your money on drill bits if you’re working with quartzite or other hard stone and buy bulk.  Three cheap ones get more holes for the same price as one fancy one.  They go fast. Let the drill do the work. This drill and the Bosch will pull themselves into the hole. Don’t force it. Once it stops making progress, your bit is probably toast and you’re just burning battery life. This has a shock absorbing handle (see that baffle by the AVS). You want to engage the hammer but not compressing that baffle. It should just bounce in that spring zone. 
Edit to add this weighs about as much as an extra rack of cams with a few doubles.  

Guy Keesee wrote:

Why is that, Alex? 

Just my view as one climber. And I’ve also enjoyed using a power drill when FA’ing from the ground. But my opinion is that using a hand drill will always be better style, for three reasons.

Using a hand drill is substantially more difficult than using a power drill. 

There is a very strong tradition and history of trad lines being established ‘ground up with a hand drill’. If a climber wants to meet that standard, I see that as a respectable thing.

And lastly, many wilderness areas, etc. offer hand drilling as the only legal option. When we are FA’ing routes we are not just opening new ground but establishing a precedent and setting an example for up-and-coming climbers. So I see FA’ing routes with a hand drill as promoting that style, and discouraging illegal use of power drills.  

Fair enough. It might be pissing in the wind but true, there is nothing more legit "traditional" rock climbing than hand drilling on lead.

I have a bulldog 36v hsv it's a rock rocket. It drills 1/2 holes in hard stone very quickly.

I also have a makita sub compact 18v roto hammer.

It could honestly fully replace my bosch and I would be fine. 

Alex Bury wrote: There is a very strong tradition and history of trad lines being established ‘ground up with a hand drill’. If a climber wants to meet that standard, I see that as a respectable thing.

The only reason for that tradition and history is that
1. battery operated power drills suitable for rock drilling didn't exist for many of those routes where this history was established.
2. Power drilling is illegal in most wilderness areas, and the walls in Yosemite, as but one example, are considered wilderness.

the Milwaukee m12 (mentioned on the first page, though that link was to the non-brushless drill. definitely go brushless) is the way to go for leading. get a 36v whatever for rap bolting. I guess if you can only have one, the m18 is an ok compromise. but the m12 can do 10-15 holes depending on size of hole and battery, of course, and is the lightest option for leading. 

MY OLD 24V DEWALT.

This post violated Guideline #1 and has been removed.

Vince Buffalini wrote:

Yeah, like that one route Tommy Caldwell equipped top down... What was it called? The Dawn Wall? Was that single pitch? I don't remember...

Agree the longest multi pitch sport equipped climb,perhaps in the world?

I see by some photos of drilling on lead has some variations. Most if not all my experience of drilling FA's (trad) on the lead has been from FREE stances.. . No hooking etc . Admittedly the majority of these have been on sandstone where  hooking just does not work.  Photo of free stance drilling ... grade 5.11+

Teddy B wrote: This seems kind of ironic: “Best Cordless Power Drill for Bolting on Lead” in the section of “Trad Climbing”. Maybe it’s not, I don’t know...

Common usage on Trad in Utah . placing bolts from free stances.