Makita 18V drills

I've bolted a few routes and want to get my own drill.

Does anyone have experience with either the:

1) Makita XPH01Z 18V LXT Lithium-Ion Cordless 1/2-Inch Hammer Driver-Drill

or

2) Makita LXRH011 18-Volt LXT Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless 1-Inch Rotary Hammer Kit with HEPA Vacuum Attachment

I'd like to stick with the Makita brand because I have a few of their batteries already. The first drill can be gotten for about $100, which makes me wary though it seems like a cheap gamble that I could easily get most of my money back out of. The second is closer to 250 on ebay, way more in store.

Thanks,
Jayson

Can't speak to these drills specifically but you definitely don't want a vacuum attachment. Yes it's a slight annoyance to brush the dust away after bolting routes but not as annoying as having a few extra pounds and bulk hanging off the drill. I gather this attachment can be removed but why pay extra for it in the first place?

In general, newer lightweight 18V Li-ion rotary hammer drills seem to be excellent in my experience.

Jayson Nissen wrote:I've bolted a few routes and want to get my own drill. Does anyone have experience with either the: 1) Makita XPH01Z 18V LXT Lithium-Ion Cordless 1/2-Inch Hammer Driver-Drill or 2) Makita LXRH011 18-Volt LXT Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless 1-Inch Rotary Hammer Kit with HEPA Vacuum Attachment I'd like to stick with the Makita brand because I have a few of their batteries already. The first drill can be gotten for about $100, which makes me wary though it seems like a cheap gamble that I could easily get most of my money back out of. The second is closer to 250 on ebay, way more in store. Thanks, Jayson

No experience with any Makita hammer drill here, but just a bit of helpful information for you, the size listed (1/2" for the first one and 1" for the second one) usually means the absolute maximum hole diameter that the drill can handle. Usually drills rated to 1/2" are for poking little 1/4" holes, not for your typical 3/8" or 1/2" holes in hard rock like what you want from a climbing drill.

Edit: I just noticed that the first one listed is a hammer driver-drill, not a rotary hammer drill. You absolutely NEED a rotary hammer drill for bolting routes, a hammer driver-drill will NOT work for this purpose.

Kevin: I just copied and pasted the name. The drill didn't even come with the vacuum attachment which I agree would be a pain.

Ken: Thanks for the heads up.

I found this thread with some good info: rockclimbing.com/forum/Clim…

I couldn't find anything similar on MTP.

I can see the benefits of the 36V drill driving holes faster. However, the routes that I am bolting take a lot more time to clean than to drill and bolt. The 36V drills would eat up a lot of my budget and not leave much over for buying actual bolts and such, but I could see it paying off in the long term.

Anyone have experience with:
36V Cordless X2 LXT Lithium-Ion (takes 2-18V) 1" SDS-Plus Rotary Hammer (Bare Tool)

Thanks

This is not a drill specific statement. I learned a long time ago that when buying tools, it's always better in the long run to spend a little extra and by quality from the start. Don't buy something that will barely get the job done. If you do, you'll likely be replacing it with something better in a year or two.

Really!? Seriously!!? You've actually drilled in rock? These fuckin two drills really? BTW bolting is expensive. Hardware, bits, tools all of it. Why am I bothering. 

Ken Noyce wrote:  You absolutely NEED a rotary hammer drill for bolting routes, a hammer driver-drill will NOT work for this purpose.

This ^^^^^^^. Some of the modern 18v RHDs are quite good, Look at the 18v bosch.

Hammer drills are almost useless except in very soft stone or 1/4" holes. 

I'm a heavy equipment mechanic and over the years I've noticed that Milwaukee electric drills and impacts seem to hold up the longest and take the biggest beating out of all of them -Snap On included. 

BigCountry wrote:

Really!? Seriously!!? You've actually drilled in rock? These fuckin two drills really? BTW bolting is expensive. Hardware, bits, tools all of it. Why am I bothering. 

I have the feeling you failed to identify someone spamming.

I ended up purchasing the 36V Cordless X2 LXT Lithium-Ion (takes 2-18V) 1" SDS-Plus Rotary Hammer (Bare Tool). It works great though is a bit heavy and bulky. I have used it to put up about 25 sport routes in andesite in the last year. It works great.

I'm pretty sure the second drill I listed in the original post (Makita LXRH011) would also work well.

I have this one https://www.tylertool.com/makita-xrh04z-18v-lxt-3-0-ah-cordless-lithium-ion-7-8-in--rotary-hammer--bare-tool-/mktnxrh04z,default,pd.html?ref=pla&zmam=31282435&zmas=47&zmac=723&zmap=mktnxrh04z&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIsOn9oevw1gIV3bfACh21qw2aEAQYAyABEgI84_D_BwE

For an 18v it is pretty powerful and more torque than my Bosch 18v.   I bought my 18v Bosch for drilling on lead because its so light but it takes a few seconds to get the hole going but once it does it drills fast.   The Makita 18v has tons of torque and I use it for drilling 1/2" bolts and other heavy duty uses.  The drawbacks on the Makita are weight and length that makes it tough to drill on lead.   If you are just rap bolting it's great, I get 15 3/8x3" holes in granite all day out of a single battery. 

Ken Noyce wrote: I've bolted a few routes and want to get my own drill. Does anyone have experience with either the: 1) Makita XPH01Z 18V LXT Lithium-Ion Cordless 1/2-Inch Hammer Driver-Drill or 2) Makita LXRH011 18-Volt LXT Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless 1-Inch Rotary Hammer Kit with HEPA Vacuum Attachment I'd like to stick with the Makita brand because I have a few of their batteries already. The first drill can be gotten for about $100, which makes me wary though it seems like a cheap gamble that I could easily get most of my money back out of. The second is closer to 250 on ebay, way more in store. Thanks, Jayson No experience with any Makita hammer drill here, but just a bit of helpful information for you, the size listed (1/2" for the first one and 1" for the second one) usually means the absolute maximum hole diameter that the drill can handle. Usually drills rated to 1/2" are for poking little 1/4" holes, not for your typical 3/8" or 1/2" holes in hard rock like what you want from a climbing drill. Edit: I just noticed that the first one listed is a hammer driver-drill, not a rotary hammer drill. You absolutely NEED a rotary hammer drill for bolting routes, a hammer driver-drill will NOT work for this purpose.

Thank you for your valuable information.

Are you satisfied with the product?

I approve of mine, nearly all my Makita tools are great.