Tool comparison...

[Moze]

I had to install the letters shown in the attached photo to the stone-faced monuments. Each letter has 3 or 4 studs, so I have to drill a 3/16" hole for each stud. There are 6 sets of these letters altogether, so when drilling that many holes, my mind always wanders to whether or not I'm using the best tool for the job.

 

I currently have a bunch of the DeWalt 20v stuff including the SDS rotary hammer which works great and is what I use for installs like the above one. I'm always reading up on new tools, specs, etc. though just to see how everything compares. So I figured this morning while I'm laid up sick, I would compare the various cordless SDS rotary hammers. 

 

Milwaukee kills it in IPM and RPM but the Impact Energy is significantly lower than everything else. So that makes me wonder if there is a perfect combination of IPM, RPM and Impact Energy when it comes to rotary hammers or.......? It really makes me wonder how these would shake out in a head-to-head comparison. Take all the tools listed below, use the same brand bit in each, and drill twenty ¼" holes then twenty ½" holes....who wins?

 

Anyway, here's a breakdown:

 

Hilti TE 4-A18

 

Weight: 7.3 lbs.

RPM: 1090

IPM: 5200

Impact Energy: 1.5 ft. lbs.

 

DeWalt DCH253

 

Weight: 6.4 lbs.

RPM: 1200

IPM: 4500

Impact Energy: 1.7 ft. lbs.

 

Milwaukee M18

 

Weight: 5.5 lbs.

RPM: 1300

IPM: 7000

Impact Energy: 1.0 ft. lbs.

 

Makita X2 LXT (specs are if using 2 batteries I believe)

 

Weight: 7.3 lbs.

RPM: 1200

IPM: 4800

Impact Energy: 2.21 ft. lbs.

 

Bosch RHH181-01

Weight: 5.7 lbs.

RPM: 1400

IPM: 4500

Impact Energy: ?? Not Published ??

 

Bosch RHS181K

 

Weight: 4.6 lbs.

RPM: 1050

IPM: 4950

Impact Energy: ?? Not Published ??

[Moze]

Man, no love for the rotary hammer talk...lol

[Conductor562]

I guess in all the Toolguyd/07Sierra drama this one slipped by me.

I'm going to have to take a few minutes and read the whole thing

[WIElectrician]

I have the Bosch RHH181-01, but I haven't used it to make a good judgement on it.  All the reviews and research that I did(which took a couple of months) said it's a great drill.  From the couple of sites I looked at it's saying a impact energy of 1.25 ft.lbs that I found.  All I've done for now is drill a couple of 3/16" and 1/4" holes in to cinder block in my basement. Protoolreview.com did a comparison on different cordless roto hammers and it gave a lot of good information that I took from it.  Here is the link:

http://www.protoolreviews.com/tools/power/cordless/drills-drivers-cordless/review-cordless-18v-sds-plus-rotary-hammer-round-up/6207

[Conductor562]

So which one do you like the best Yank?

[DR99]

Well the Milwaukee m18 is getting pretty old I expect we should see a Fuel branded unit at some point this year. They have had the M12 Fuel sds out for awhile now. It really does become about a weight verses performance decision if the tool is a led sled and chews the concrete like a beast but tires you out after a few holes that's not going to help things in the long run. I also looks like you do a lot of elevated work too where you want a smaller compact light weight tool also. The bosch compact brushless sds looks really nice you can't go wrong with Bosch when it comes to concrete drilling tools.

[Moze]

So which one do you like the best Yank?

 

Well, my thoughts in no particular order are as follows:

 

1.) The first thing that stands out to me is that the best performers have some of the lowest Impact Energy ratings. Interesting.

 

2.) I was initially stumped why they would do this thorough of a test but not use 4.0 batteries in DeWalt and some of the others to keep things more equal across the board. But a 4.0 battery wouldn't decrease the time it takes to drill holes, it would just increase run-time. So in terms of performance, I suppose it's not all that important. Plus you don't want to buy a kit and then turn around and have to buy better batteries.

 

3.) The battery differences aside, the Hilti and the Metabo scored the best. But I would immediately dismiss the Metabo because it cost more than the Hilti and only has a one year warranty. I didn't know Hilti offered a lifetime warranty - that's definitely worth something.

 

4.) So 3rd place was the Bosch. I wouldn't get this one if for $150 more I can get the better performing Hilti with a lifetime warranty.

 

5.) If price were an issue, I would say the Milwaukee is the best all-around deal. 5 year warranty, 3rd place (a very close 3rd) for speed of drilling, 4th place (also very close) for number of holes drilled, chipping feature, $450. That's a pretty nice package. I'm really curious to see if they come out with a FUEL version.

 

6.) I'm curious what bits they used.

 

All of that being said, if I were in the market right now, the only three I would consider, in order of preference would be:

 

#1 - Hilti

#2 - Milwaukee

#3 - Bosch

 

 

...Kind of makes me want to see what I could sell my DeWalt for.

[Moze]

Well the Milwaukee m18 is getting pretty old I expect we should see a Fuel branded unit at some point this year. They have had the M12 Fuel sds out for awhile now. It really does become about a weight verses performance decision if the tool is a led sled and chews the concrete like a beast but tires you out after a few holes that's not going to help things in the long run. I also looks like you do a lot of elevated work too where you want a smaller compact light weight tool also. The bosch compact brushless sds looks really nice you can't go wrong with Bosch when it comes to concrete drilling tools.

 

Yeah, it would honestly be a tough choice between the Milwaukee and Bosch for 2nd and 3rd place for me. Milwaukee has a great warranty but Bosch is lighter and performs better. I think I'd still spend the extra for the peace of mind of the Hilti warranty and the performance.

[Moze]

I have the Bosch RHH181-01, but I haven't used it to make a good judgement on it.  All the reviews and research that I did(which took a couple of months) said it's a great drill.  From the couple of sites I looked at it's saying a impact energy of 1.25 ft.lbs that I found.  All I've done for now is drill a couple of 3/16" and 1/4" holes in to cinder block in my basement. Protoolreview.com did a comparison on different cordless roto hammers and it gave a lot of good information that I took from it.  Here is the link:

http://www.protoolreviews.com/tools/power/cordless/drills-drivers-cordless/review-cordless-18v-sds-plus-rotary-hammer-round-up/6207

 

Thank you for posting the link, I appreciate it! Looks like you picked one of the best ones.

[dwain]

 

...Kind of makes me want to see what I could sell my DeWalt for.

 

Really? If the DeWALT had a 4.0Ah batt , by my maths it would have done the most 1/4" holes and been near the top for 5/8" holes.

 

All you'd gain is faster drilling, but i guess that's pretty important!

 

I've got the compact Bosch, and love it for round the house. So light and small, a truly one-handed rotary. Wouldnt be big enough for 16mm+ though...

http://www.boschtools.com/Products/Tools/Pages/BoschProductDetail.aspx?pid=RHS181K

[Conductor562]

I've been considering Hilti for my next set, but that probably won't happen.

[Moze]

Really? If the DeWALT had a 4.0Ah batt , by my maths it would have done the most 1/4" holes and been near the top for 5/8" holes.

 

All you'd gain is faster drilling, but i guess that's pretty important!

 

I've got the compact Bosch, and love it for round the house. So light and small, a truly one-handed rotary. Wouldnt be big enough for 16mm+ though...

http://www.boschtools.com/Products/Tools/Pages/BoschProductDetail.aspx?pid=RHS181K

 

Unless I'm mistaken, a 4.0 battery as opposed to a 3.0 battery would only increase run-time, not how fast it actually drills the holes, correct?

 

It's not unusual for me to have to drill two hundred 3/16" holes in a sitting. So if the Hilti can drill a 1/4" hole in 5.1 seconds and my DeWalt takes 9.4 seconds , then (if my math is right), the Hilti would require a total of 17 minutes of drilling and the DeWalt would take 31 minutes. That's a significant difference  when it's cold or rainy or hot and/or you're in an aerial lift 40' up in the air. I think the Hilti would be worth the extra couple of hundred bucks.

 

I wonder how the Bosch 11536C would compare. It's 36v but the weight is only 6.5 lbs. That's lighter than a lot of the 18v's.

[WIElectrician]

It helped me out when picking my Bosch, and it looked like it sparked this topic!  Also another good thing about the Bosch is it's made in Germany so I feel the quality would be better, but I've only owned it for a couple of weeks and drilled a couple of holes.  I've used the 36v Bosch and it made easy work of 1/2" holes and it used like one bar on it's battery gauge.  It was very smooth and I didn't have to put to much effort in to it.  I drilled about 28 to 32  holes on a hot summer day in Wisconsin and had no problem.  

 

http://www.boschtools.com/Products/Tools/Pages/BoschProductDetail.aspx?pid=11536VSR

 

I've used the 18v Milwaukee Hammer drill to and really like it!  The problem with Hilti is there soooooooooooo expensive ,but with a lifetime warranty that's not bad.  I think Hilti guys will come out to your job site to if you have a problem.  

[DR99]

http://www.hilti.com/holcom/page/module/home/browse_main.jsf;jsessionid=5600507F203615CCE9147367B60AE151.node1?lang=en&nodeId=-8728

 

Is the Hilti warranty really a lifetime warranty though? The way their system works is pretty confusing. They make great tools don't get me wrong I would prefer some clarification from one of their associates first.

[Moze]

http://www.hilti.com/holcom/page/module/home/browse_main.jsf;jsessionid=5600507F203615CCE9147367B60AE151.node1?lang=en&nodeId=-8728

 

Is the Hilti warranty really a lifetime warranty though? The way their system works is pretty confusing. They make great tools don't get me wrong I would prefer some clarification from one of their associates first.

 

It helped me out when picking my Bosch, and it looked like it sparked this topic!  Also another good thing about the Bosch is it's made in Germany so I feel the quality would be better, but I've only owned it for a couple of weeks and drilled a couple of holes.  I've used the 36v Bosch and it made easy work of 1/2" holes and it used like one bar on it's battery gauge.  It was very smooth and I didn't have to put to much effort in to it.  I drilled about 28 to 32  holes on a hot summer day in Wisconsin and had no problem.  

 

http://www.boschtools.com/Products/Tools/Pages/BoschProductDetail.aspx?pid=11536VSR

 

I've used the 18v Milwaukee Hammer drill to and really like it!  The problem with Hilti is there soooooooooooo expensive ,but with a lifetime warranty that's not bad.  I think Hilti guys will come out to your job site to if you have a problem.  

 

Decisions, decisions...

 

I just cant believe the 36v is that light. That's pretty cool. I wonder how it would stack up against the 18v models in that test.

 

http://www.hilti.com/holcom/page/module/home/browse_main.jsf;jsessionid=5600507F203615CCE9147367B60AE151.node1?lang=en&nodeId=-8728

 

Is the Hilti warranty really a lifetime warranty though? The way their system works is pretty confusing. They make great tools don't get me wrong I would prefer some clarification from one of their associates first.

 

I'm curious about this as well. I started reading through their warranty last night but it was pretty late and I didn't fully understand how it worked. I'll try again today lol

[Javier]

The specs listed for the m18 Milwaukee are for the newer compact 5/8" roto hammer. 

 

The original m18 rotary hammer 7/8" specs are:

1400 rpm

4800 bpm

1.8 blow energy.

 

If money was no object I would go for the hilti, second would be the dewalt. I've always liked the design of the dewalt since the 18v version. All the rotary hammers that ptr reviewed are great except for the hitachi, and I feel the makita could have done been better considering it's specs and a brushless motor. 

 

Realistically for me I would get the m18 because I already have m18 tools and the Milwaukee rotary is very good all around. Although I would prefer the brushless m12 rotary hammer it doesn't have a chipping feature so that would drive me nuts saying to myself you should have got the m18 with the chipping feature.

[WIElectrician]

If money wasn't a option i would get eveything Hilti, but It's just that price tag for the Hilti is the BIG draw back for me.  I would say call a Hilti rep and ask if they would give you a demo or see if you can try one out just to get your hands on it.  It's just tough choice, because cordless roto hammers cost ALOT!  

[Moze]

The specs listed for the m18 Milwaukee are for the newer compact 5/8" roto hammer. 

 

The original m18 rotary hammer 7/8" specs are:

1400 rpm

4800 bpm

1.8 blow energy.

 

If money was no object I would go for the hilti, second would be the dewalt. I've always liked the design of the dewalt since the 18v version. All the rotary hammers that ptr reviewed are great except for the hitachi, and I feel the makita could have done been better considering it's specs and a brushless motor. 

 

Realistically for me I would get the m18 because I already have m18 tools and the Milwaukee rotary is very good all around. Although I would prefer the brushless m12 rotary hammer it doesn't have a chipping feature so that would drive me nuts saying to myself you should have got the m18 with the chipping feature.

 

I'm surprised you would opt for the DeWalt. I'm a DeWalt fan and it would still be my 4th or 5th pick lol. 

 

If money wasn't a option i would get eveything Hilti, but It's just that price tag for the Hilti is the BIG draw back for me.  I would say call a Hilti rep and ask if they would give you a demo or see if you can try one out just to get your hands on it.  It's just tough choice, because cordless roto hammers cost ALOT!  

 

Yeah, I actually need to pick up a sign permit Monday morning and guess what's about two blocks down....the local Hilti store. I'll probably stop in.

[Javier]

I'm surprised you would opt for the DeWalt. I'm a DeWalt fan and it would still be my 4th or 5th pick lol. 

you know, I always liked the dewalt 20v rotary hammer. I like the way it looks, it just has a nice design to it. It performs very well too

[Moze]

Mine's about to be for sale if interested.

[WIElectrician]

Go for it!

[Javier]

Mine's about to be for sale if interested.

thanks bro, but I wish I needed one. I know when I'm hammer drilling I wish I had a rotary hammer but I just don't drill enough in concrete to justify it.

[Moze]

Hey no problem! I'm going to hold onto it until I make sure I like the Hilti, then I'll put it up for sale.

[DR99]

I wish I did more concrete work to justify a rotary hammer they are awesome when I have borrowed them, but a regular hammer drill is fine for most of the work I do.

[Javier]

Check out the rolls Royce of rotary hammers. The hilti TE 30-A36 it spanks all other sds plus roto hammers, cordless and corded

It only costs $1599

http://www.protoolreviews.com/trades/concrete/hiltis-cordless-heavy-hitter/8864