Best Drill?

Anyone able to tell me if the Makita XRH06ZB 11/16” 18V LXT is on par with the Bosch RHH181 3/4” (GBH18V-EC) ?

Brandon.Phillips wrote: Any thoughts on this guy?
Bosch Rotary Hammer 18v

I've done some bolting in the past but always with borrowed drills.  Looking at a spot that would be primarily gear routes but need a few bolts (2-3 per route plus anchors in granite).  I've got quite a few 12mm wedge and 1/2" glue-ins leftover from a past project I am hoping to use.  Anyway, I know the basics but don't want to spend the money on the wrong drill. 

If you go the Bosch route check this website out

https://www.cpooutlets.com/factory-reconditioned-bosch-gbh18v-26k24-rt-6.3-ah-cordless-lithium-ion-brushless-1-in.-sds-plus-bulldog-rotary-hammer-kit/bshrgbh18v-26k24-rt.html

Their reconditioned tools are a good deal. The drill I got off there looked new when it came and has held up to hard use over the last three years.

Nathan E wrote: ER-160   

Wow...nice lookin' Ryobi.

Wouldn't have to worry about running out of battery juice...

Been thinking of selling mine...hmm....

The Makita is really nice. Low profile and small for 18v from what I can tell. 

You guys with the M12s...

Any comparisons of the 1/2" at 3lbs vs the 5/8" at 3.9 lbs?  

Which one are you using?

Joe Hunt wrote: You guys with the M12s...

Any comparisons of the 1/2" at 3lbs vs the 5/8" at 3.9 lbs?  

Which one are you using?

Get the 5/8 for sure. I get about 15 3/8 x 3" holes in granite with the 6ah battery. It even has just enough power to spin 3/8 bolts when i need to replace anchors in the backcountry.

The M12 is a marvel. I've used it on expeditions overseas and carried it up walls close to home. Dropped it 100 feet off a cliff (bent the bit but drill was fine). Unless I was rap bolting an overhanging sport cliff I wouldn't even consider anything else. It also charges well off a GoalZero 100 system, which is nice when the need arises on trips vs carrying more than a few extra batteries. 

I use the 5/8 M12 fuel. No complaints.

Adam Wood wrote: The Makita is really nice. Low profile and small for 18v from what I can tell. 

You say Makita, but post a photo of Milwaukee and Bosch drills....

Okay, I picked one up to check out... less weight would be nice for the hike in. Sure love my Dewalt, though.

Peter G wrote:

You say Makita, but post a photo of Milwaukee and Bosch drills....

. My comment about Makita wasn’t related to the photo. The photo was just describing the comparative size of those two drills. 

I've been looking for a drill too. I have a lot of Hitachi batteries and was thinking of this drill.  Anyone have any thoughts about this drill?  Hitachi DH18DBLP4 18-Volt Lithium Ion Cordless Brushless SDS Plus 1" Rotary Hammer 

Anyone have opinions on a couple other cheap brushless 2 Joule (1.5 foot lbs) options?
1) Lowes Kobalt 24v @ 2 Joules for $169 (tool): https://www.lowes.com/pd/Kobalt-24-Volt-7-8-in-SDS-Plus-Cordless-Rotary-Hammer-Tool-Only/1001164028
2) SKIL 20V (includes 5.0 AH battery + charger): https://www.amazon.com/Pwrcore-Brushless-Lithium-Battery-Pwrjump/dp/B07MWSTXBS

I'll be mostly in softer Utah sandstone but using Bolt Products' loooong glue-ins requiring an 8mm X 150mm (5/8" X 6") deep hole: https://team-tough.com/product/woo-album-2/
I was leaning toward the M12 Milwaukee but I'm nervous it might struggle with fat deep holes (even in sandstone).

I bought this Metabo 36V in January for $99: https://massdepot.com/Metabo-KHA36LTX-36.0-Volt-Li-Ion-Cordless-1-1-4-Inch-Rotary-Hammer-Drill-KHA-36-LTX 
Turns out the battery is $350 and charger is another $50.  It's heavy (14.5 lbs with battery) and not brushless but the stats are beastly (3.1 Joules)
I think I'm gonna wait on that investment (and weight) until I need more hole punching power.

Any thoughts?

Mark Grammer wrote: Anyone have opinions on a couple other cheap brushless 2 Joule (1.5 foot lbs) options?
1) Lowes Kobalt 24v @ 2 Joules for $169 (tool): https://www.lowes.com/pd/Kobalt-24-Volt-7-8-in-SDS-Plus-Cordless-Rotary-Hammer-Tool-Only/1001164028
2) SKIL 20V (includes 5.0 AH battery + charger): https://www.amazon.com/Pwrcore-Brushless-Lithium-Battery-Pwrjump/dp/B07MWSTXBS

My needs:
I'll be mostly in softer Utah sandstone but using Bolt Products' loooong glue-ins requiring an 8mm X 150mm (5/8" X 6") deep hole: team-tough.com/product/woo-…
Mostly top rope anchors and canyoneering (off the map routes).  When I do sport routes they will all be top rope coming down.

I bought this Metabo 36V in January for $99: https://massdepot.com/Metabo-KHA36LTX-36.0-Volt-Li-Ion-Cordless-1-1-4-Inch-Rotary-Hammer-Drill-KHA-36-LTX 
Turns out the battery is $350 and charger is another $50.  It's heavy (14.5 lbs with battery) and not brushless but the stats are beastly (3.1 Joules)

Where many of my routes might involve a decent hike, I'm losing interest in the 15 lbs for the Metabo setup.
I was leaning toward the M12 Milwaukee until I saw the two options above.  The ultra-compact Makita was intriguing but too much money.

Any thoughts?

I couldn't be happier with this drill for the coin:

https://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DCH133M2-Brushless-D-Handle-Rotary/dp/B01M4LXUD2/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=dewalt+20V+rotary+hammer+drill&qid=1587664869&s=hi&sr=1-4

Rated to 1", brushless, 8lbs, 2.6J of impact force and comes with 2 4ah batteries for ~$239 so I don't see how you can beat that.

There is no free lunch. The impact force will be in proportion to the weight of the unit (that mass is part of the impact) and the geometry. This drill is a little less compact but you get more efficiency in the drilling from its geometry and so relatively lightweight for a drill rated to 1" with that impact force.

Stay away from Skil or Kobalt as the quality is just not there, imo.

Quality makers like Milwaukee, Hilti, Bosch, Dewalt and maybe Makita are the only ones I would consider. Skil has fallen off quite a bit and Kobalt is just junk. You can go broke trying to save money with junk that you just end up replacing.

Keep in mind that when you buy a drill you are buying into a family of related tools that will use the same batteries. Going with a quality maker from the get go will lead to a happy career with that entire family of products as you add over the years.

You can also get generic batteries that are Dewalt compatible that are far less expensive when its time to replace them.

The mass of the hammer piston matters. This striking force is also increased by the speed and energy of the impact. The weight of the entire drill can be lightened without sacrificing performance as we have seen over the past 10 years. The M12 Fuel proves this in that it gets the more holes per battery and in a comparable time as non-brushless drill motors with twice the wattage pull. So there is room for improvement in technology, beyond just the weight of the unit. I think we will see some really cool drills come out in the next few years that will change the game for bolting on lead. The M12 is the best backcountry and on lead drill there is at the moment. It will also work on all 3/8” projects in anything that isn't bullet hard. I have used it on quartzite.. where it leaves much to be desired.  With the big battery it weighs ~4lbs which feels like a light rack of gear slung around your shoulder. With a few hooks, beaks, and pieces of gear you can free climb close to your limit with this drill, hang on long enough to fiddle in a hook or aid piece, and feel agile enough to make good decisions about bolt placements for free climbing.

Joe Hunt wrote: Okay, I picked one up to check out... less weight would be nice for the hike in. Sure love my Dewalt, though.

Fuhgeddaboudit !!!!   The Milwaukee is getting returned. Sure, you can drill with it, but you can hand drill too! The DeWalt drills with one hand, awkward stretching angles, like butter. Not so AT ALL with the little Milwaukee. For me, yeah, 100% fuhgeddaboudit! 

Lol Joe! I feel your pain. I guess different people comprise one way or the other. I perfer the lighter drill and try to avoid drilling in awkward positions which can admittedly be close to impossible.  

Cole Lawrence wrote: Lol Joe! I feel your pain. I guess different people comprise one way or the other. I perfer the lighter drill and try to avoid drilling in awkward positions which can admittedly be close to impossible.  

2 lbs... I'll just make my partner carry the drill. hehe

Cole Lawrence wrote: The mass of the hammer piston matters. This striking force is also increased by the speed and energy of the impact. The weight of the entire drill can be lightened without sacrificing performance as we have seen over the past 10 years. The M12 Fuel proves this in that it gets the more holes per battery and in a comparable time as non-brushless drill motors with twice the wattage pull. So there is room for improvement in technology, beyond just the weight of the unit. I think we will see some really cool drills come out in the next few years that will change the game for bolting on lead. The M12 is the best backcountry and on lead drill there is at the moment. It will also work on all 3/8” projects in anything that isn't bullet hard. I have used it on quartzite.. where it leaves much to be desired.  With the big battery it weighs ~4lbs which feels like a light rack of gear slung around your shoulder. With a few hooks, beaks, and pieces of gear you can free climb close to your limit with this drill, hang on long enough to fiddle in a hook or aid piece, and feel agile enough to make good decisions about bolt placements for free climbing.

While the compact drills have improved greatly (and I am a huge fan) the hammer piston is only as good as the mass supporting it in a stiff housing and if that mass is oriented efficiently. As well of course, heavier drills have heavier pistons.

M12 delivers 1.3J of impact force and weighs 3.9 lbs which is pretty damn awesome.

The above Dewalt I linked delivers 2.6J and weighs 5lbs for about the same money or less. Pretty damn awesome if you need regular 1/2" capability on the cheap.

Double the impact energy for slightly higher weight albeit at a less than ideal form factor for on-lead drilling.

So, at the risk of a gross generalization you will find that the weight of the state of the art drills is generally proportional to the impact force they deliver. This is mostly due to a heavier hammer piston inside, but also due to the overall heavier build etc. My point was really that the light drills simply will never have the impact force of the heavier models due to the weight of the internals and that is simply physics as Force = Mass x Acceleration. Geometry (layout of the drill) affects the orientaion of the force vectors. This is probably a small contribution but real nevertheless.

If you want something to cut 1/2" holes like butter in hard stone then you won't find anything lighter than ~5lbs for the job afaik.

Don't get me wrong, this isn't just a Dewalt fanboi post. Just trying to get info out there for people to decide for themselves. Both tools (and others!) have their place in our toolkits.

So I ended up with a refurbished Bosch GBH18V-26 from CPO.
I agree with others, this is not the best drill for bolting on lead. At 6lbs 4.4oz (2847g) (weighed at home) it's a bit of a beast. But I think for primarily rap bolting and lead bolting it should be ok.
The main reason I chose this was because I already had a set of 18v Bosch drills with 2 4Ah batteries.

Interestingly enough the 6Ah batteries that came with the drill weigh in at 1lb 6.2 Oz.
The 4Ah ones are 1lb 5.8 Oz.
The 2Ah ones are 12.5 Oz

Hopefully I can get out soon and see how many holes I can get with different batteries.