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Help me I.D, this bolt / and need drill advice

Original Post
meigsrock · · Anchorage, Alaska · Joined May 2012 · Points: 50

I have about 30 of these bolts and am not sure if they are good for climbing or not. If so I may use them or sell them as I have other stainless HILTI bolts to use. If they are not good for climbing then I will get rid of them to someone using them for construction so they don't get mixed up in my climbing bolts.

Here is a picture of the bolt.
I have some that are 3.75" and some that are 2.5"
They are steel and zinc plated.

just aboe the sleve it is stamped WS-38

Anyone know the brand and or strength of these?

bolt is marked WS-38
bolts

Mike Lane · · AnCapistan · Joined Jan 2006 · Points: 880

Redheads. Something you can get at Home Depot, dump 'em.

Rogerlarock Mix · · Nedsterdam, Colorado · Joined Sep 2008 · Points: 5

Probably a million of those things in place,even though they're crap. Lose 'em.

nbrown · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Nov 2007 · Points: 7,718

Good advice above. The hilti's are a far superior bolt.

Devin Krevetski · · Northfield, VT · Joined May 2008 · Points: 140

Anybody have any ideas about this Bolt?

Mike Lane · · AnCapistan · Joined Jan 2006 · Points: 880
devkrev wrote:Anybody have any ideas about this Bolt?
Yeah, HGH.
meigsrock · · Anchorage, Alaska · Joined May 2012 · Points: 50

Thanks for the advice on the bolts. Got them up for sale now in a construction section. I have no use for them.

I want to put in a couple routs this summer and a couple anchors at the top of routs where ther are none and I will only use stainless hardware.

Now I just need to get a good drill and some more hangers.
I am thinking about this drill homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/st…

because I already have other royobi stuff and the new 18v LI batteries. And the fact that it is not $250-500 for a Bosch which I can't afford right now.

Anyone have any thoughts or expereience with this drill? or others that don't cost a bunch.

Morgan Patterson · · NH · Joined Oct 2009 · Points: 8,945

18V is really not enough...

M Sprague · · New England · Joined Nov 2006 · Points: 5,090

It would be better to find someone who already has a good drill to give you a hand than waste your money on a crappy weak one IMO.

nbrown · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Nov 2007 · Points: 7,718

You could always get a hand drill if you're only gonna place a few bolts. Makes you really scrutinize the placements well. And, BTW, you do get much more efficient with a little "practice". Plus, a hand drill is the lighest kind on the market...

If you're dead set in getting a power drill you might wanna look for a used one, they seem to be everywhere these days, though one for under 250 might still be hard to find. I know some folks that use ryobi, but the one in the link probably wouldn't do the job too well.

The voltage doesn't always correlate with the drills ability to do the job. I have a 24 volt bosch, and a 12 volt panasonic, and I end up using the panasonic for almost everything these days as it is much lighter and fairly fast. Also, it doesn't hit as hard as the bosch which makes it much better when drilling from shaky stances.

Good luck!

Gunkiemike · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2009 · Points: 3,492
meigsrock wrote:Thanks for the advice on the bolts. Got them up for sale now in a construction section. I have no use for them. I want to put in a couple routs this summer and a couple anchors at the top of routs where ther are none and I will only use stainless hardware. Now I just need to get a good drill and some more hangers. I am thinking about this drill homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/st… because I already have other royobi stuff and the new 18v LI batteries. And the fact that it is not $250-500 for a Bosch which I can't afford right now. Anyone have any thoughts or expereience with this drill? or others that don't cost a bunch.
That looks like a hammer drill more than a rotary hammer. BIG difference. read the specs - see if it's rated to one inch holes in granite or something like that.
20 kN · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2009 · Points: 1,346
Gunkiemike wrote: That looks like a hammer drill more than a rotary hammer. BIG difference. read the specs - see if it's rated to one inch holes in granite or something like that.
It says rotary hammer in the title. But it also says it uses SDS Max bits, which is highly doubtfull. Normally only 1.5" and larger drills use SDS Max bits.

As far as the bolts go, Read Head is not complete garbage, there are worse bolts out there. But yes, there are superior bolts as well. The Power's Power-Bolt is a fine wedge bolt option.
Rogerlarock Mix · · Nedsterdam, Colorado · Joined Sep 2008 · Points: 5

The Ryobi is crap. Yes, it's cheap and worth every cent.

Look for something used.

Or pick up a hand drill. super light, inexpensive, and the personal satisfaction of doin it just like Warren did!

1Eric Rhicard · · Tucson · Joined Feb 2006 · Points: 10,101
Rick Mix wrote:Probably a million of those things in place,even though they're crap. Lose 'em.
If these are crap why are we not hearing about all the bolt failures and injuries and deaths associated with them?

Just asking?
sfotex · · Sandy, UT · Joined Jul 2007 · Points: 225

Red heads are garbage? Someone better tell Duane Raleigh and the ASCA:

safeclimbing.org/education/…

The strongest and most dependable wedge bolts are, in descending order of reliability, the Petzl , Hilti, Ramset/Red Head (also known as Phillips), Rawl, and WedgeIt. In hard rock the Petzl outdid all other wedge anchors by a long shot, proving stronger than the Petzl Coeur bolt hanger. The worst wedge bolts, the ones that can break at only 1500 pounds, are the USE, Star, and "generic" ones.

And pop over and tell those super topo guys too:
supertopo.com/climbing/thre…

meigsrock · · Anchorage, Alaska · Joined May 2012 · Points: 50

Well if anyone wants the red-head bolts I have them for sale for $1 each, although I would probably prefer that they did not get used for climbing. The bolt info posted is good and they say to stay away from bolts that have threads all the way to the base which makes sence to me. The hilti bolts only have threads on the first inch of the bolt.

I am not going to use them now that I have the hilti SS bolts. I also have some powers bolts but I think I want to stick with SS here because the routs are on the coast and we get lots of water and snow here.

I did pick up a hand drill that should be here middle of the month and that might have to do for now. My climbing season is winding down and fishing season picking up. Weather is a factor in Aug. up here due to lots of rain days it seems.

I will keep looking around for drills and researching it. I found a 18v dewalt for $200 but then I need to buy the battery.

I am not puting up huge routs drilling all day straight. At least not this year I don't think.

Any other info on drills is helpful.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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