Metabo 18v LTX Combi Drill and Impact driver Kit.

[wayneburgess]

Hi Folks,

Wayne the mad U..K, Plumber/Builder.

(By the way folks this is my experience of using these tools, I don't work for a tool company)

I have bought a few tools recently (after a visit from the tool thieves).

I bought the Metabo L.T.X 18v lithium ion Combi drill and Impact driver kit, with 2 of the 3ah power extreme batteries included.

I recommend anyone looking for a battery tool to take a look at Metabo. Right out of the box they feel Professional, and made to last.

Nothing about them feels like its going to wobble loose or stick, and then when you come to use them the quality really starts to show.

There are many drills e.t.c. that make all kinds of claims about battery life and power, but I really have tried most of them and these are just in a league of they're own.Variable speed is smooth as silk, the pulse function on the combi drill is so handy, no more on off on off the trigger to get a drill started on a slippery tile or a sheet of steel.

And if your apprentice is as thick as two short ends and puts a 5" holesaw in it on high speed and goes for gold ( Yes they can be that dumb lol) the drill will shut off BEFORE it gets damaged.I have watched other makes with a cut out still smoke.

The L.T.X Impact Driver.This just like the combi drill is just quality.

Three stage power/speed function I recommend starting low and work up as (enter swear words) this thing has enough power to break fasteners and bits easily.

But having said that, you soon get used to it, because again the quality of the switching means its so smooth you instinctively know how much power you'r letting loose and back off accordingly.

Both tools are also easy to use with your gloves ON, no messing about taking one off to switch something over to another setting.

Now for all the plumbers and sparkys out there, stick a self feed Irwin or other self feed bit in the impact driver, drill the hardest joist you can find, and when your wrist is not hurting, the bit is not smoking, and it goes through in no time, like me you'r going to get why buying one of these isn't just about banging in long screws on you tube.

Batteries. I've just added a 4ah battery to my kit, and to be honest the quickest way to explain, is to say Metabo tell the truth.

.The 3ah power extreme batteries were the best I've ever used. I thought these tools were great with the 3ah but (swear words again) with the 4ah no kidding folks, its true using these tools has been fantastic and all joking asside after 33 years in the building trade I take some impressing.Well done Metabo.

One gripe I do have is No belt hook Metabo use a wrist loop.

All the best

Wayne

[Eric - TIA]

We just got the drill and looking forward to trying it out. Seems to be very good quality.

[wayneburgess]

Which one did you get Guys?

[Eric - TIA]

Good question. Dan has been playing with it and using it, so not sure. I am heading over there tomorrow, so I will find out.

[wayneburgess]

The only reason I ask, is dependant upon which one it is, there are many features and attachments available.

One flaw with the range, is these do not fit on all the range.

Also in the case of the torque multiplier, it is so powerful at 296 Nm of torque, (that's 2619.6 lb feet of torque in U.S) that they had to put lugs on the body of the drill where it clamps on to prevent it twisting in your hands.

These lugs are not on older model drills, so anyone who wants to make the L.T.X into a torque monster, should ask the right questions.

I have researched this in depth, and I believe this makes the Metabo L.T.X quick with this attachment the most powerful battery drill on the planet to date.

Grandchildren are gods way of giving you revenge on your kids. ( You get all the fun bits without the sleepless nights, and best of all you can pass them back when they smell) LOL

Best regards

Wayne

[Eric - TIA]

I like it

[PutnamEco]

I can't seem to find the Metabo BS18LTX-X3 for sale in the U.S. Might be another one of those tools that doesn’t make it stateside. That torque multiplier could be a real game changer. It may be a better choice as a grey market tool than some other EU tool offerings though.

[wayneburgess]

I am not a one manufacturer user but I have found Metabo make a great tool, and do have a U.S base.

But you are not alone in finding them hard to find over the pond.

I know of one U.K supplier www.toolstop.co.uk who ship them world wide but this is not an advertisement and I do not work for them or any other tool company.

I just share information and try and help folks make an informed choice.

If you have a specific question I can't guarantee I will get the answer but will give it a bloomin good try.

[PutnamEco]

I know of one U.K supplier www.toolstop.co.uk who ship them world wide but this is not an advertisement and I do not work for them or any other tool company.

With grey market tools, there is always the fun you have with adapting to their power requirements. Converters at the amperage power tools use are pricey. With cordless tools there is less problems as often you can just purchase an American charger. Sometimes this will come around and bite you though, as sometimes they use different batteries as well.

I'm looking into trying my hand a getting a few tools that are not available here. I really want a ProTool PDC 18-4 TEC hammerdrill. Some of the ProTool saws look interesting as well. I always wonder what a riving knife would be like on a good framing saw. I could imagine it would make ripping framing lumber a good bit safer.

[wayneburgess]

There's no doubt Festool and Protool are quality tools just don't expect the brute force of some other drills.

The plunge cut circular saw and track of Festool is a precision tool for when you want a top class accurate cut.

Great tools but boy oh boy get ready to dig deep in your wallet.

[PutnamEco]

There's no doubt Festool and Protool are quality tools just don't expect the brute force of some other drills.

The plunge cut circular saw and track of Festool is a precision tool for when you want a top class accurate cut.

Great tools but boy oh boy get ready to dig deep in your wallet.

I have some Festool and I really like what I have. I find the T-18 drill to be pretty potent, It wont match a 28v drill but it will hold its own, and I really like the electric clutch. Protools are NOT available here. and the fact that most of the rest of the world runs on 50 Hz. unlike the 60 Hz. we run here in the states, really makes them impractical to convert power for them, for grey market use. With the cost of converters/inverters being cost prohibitive. I have been tempted to find myself a grey market generator. Even though it would probably be illegal, I would love to bring a set of 220v 50Hz tools to a jobsite just so people would quit trying to borrow my tools and plug things into my generator when I'm not looking.

I really want the PDC 18-4 TEC for that 3800 RPM top speed. I could use that in more than a few applications.

Interesting fact, some Hilti, and a lot of Mafell saws will work on Festool tracks. I really like using my Hilti cordless circular saw on the track for trimming deck ends and the like.

Speaking of power, I've always wondered what type of plug they use on tools in the UK for 110v? This info is not easily found on the internet.

[wayneburgess]

The plug on U.K 110v is a beast of a 3 pin and I just tried to import a picture and failed like a tortoise mating with a bowler hat. LOL

Its a three pin system and we have transformers to step down from household 240v supply.Or we use generators on site.

It is hard to find 110v chargers for battery tools though.

[wayneburgess]

Silverline 868864 110 Volt Plug If you look this up on amazon it should show you a picture of the male end of a 110v U.K plug.

[PutnamEco]

Silverline 868864 110 Volt Plug If you look this up on amazon it should show you a picture of the male end of a 110v U.K plug.

Thanks for taking the time to reply, They look significantly safer then what we use here in the U.S. I often wish we here in the states were not so stubborn and would be willing to change to clearly better standards. I can't believe we still have not widely adopted the metric system. You all in the U.K. seem to have the best of both worlds.

How many amps are is your standard 110v service? Here in the U.S. older houses usually have 15 Amps. while new construction and commercial are most often 20 Amp.

[wayneburgess]

Our supply is 240v

To use 110v tools we have to use a transformer.

A domestic supply typically consists of a large cable connected to a service head, a sealed box containing the main supply fuse. This will typically have a value from 40–100A. Separate live and neutral cables ('tails') go from here to an electricity meter, and often an earth conductor too. More tails proceed from the meter into the consumer side of the installation and into a consumer unit/distribution board, or in some cases to a Henley block (a splitter box used in low voltage electrical engineering) and thence to more than one distribution board. The distribution board (aka fusebox) contains one or more main switches and an individual fuse or miniature circuit breaker (MCB) for each final circuit. Modern installations may alternatively use devices combining overcurrent and additional residual current protection in place of fuses and MCBs or provide additional protection through the inclusion of one or more residual current device.

Generally our transformers are used to reduce the risk of electrocution with 1.5 and 3 kVA transformers having 1 or 2 16amp 110v outlets.

5kVa normally have 2 x16amp and 1x 32amp 110v outlets.

There are other variants but this represents a simple example.

[wayneburgess]

Just watched Eric and Dan's you tube video of the Metabo L.T.X hammer drill, and am shocked that Metabo sent them a lesser tool than we get over on this side of the pond.

It seems in the U.S you would have to buy a bare tool from over here to get the same performance and features, and that sucks like a swamp full of leaches.

I've got to get hands on the Milwaukee fuel and some others now to see if it works the other way, or if it is just the U.S.A getting the shit end of the stick.

[Conductor562]

Different how Wayne?

[wayneburgess]

The drill the guys tested did not have the impulse function that mine has, and either I am as mad as a badger or it sounded down on revs on high speed compared to mine.

It may be the sound not coming over the same, but it seems slower than mine on the high setting for sure.

The removable chuck option is on the L.T.X quick, this is another model and it has no hammer action.

But the latest version of the quick does have the lugs on the drill so you can fit many attachments to it.

[Conductor562]

What exactly is the "impulse function'?

[wayneburgess]

The drill will automatically go stop start stop start from zero on the trigger to pulsing on and off very quickly as you pull the trigger in.

This means you can start a drill off on tiles or polished metal with a lot less chance of skidding across the surface and scratching it.

It's one of those things that once you have it you never want to be without it.

Another use is when you have a screw with hardly any guts in it where it has a head that's been partly stripped out, you put the drill on impulse in reverse and it takes out the screw in most cases.

It also gives you a bit more grunt in reverse if a drill bit gets a bit choked up when you are pulling it out of the work.

[Conductor562]

Sounds pretty sweet. I'd like to give that a try. I've never used a drill that offered that.

[wayneburgess]

The trouble is the drill the guys got from Metabo did not have this function and it seems it is not on tools sold in the U.S.A for some reason.

I am trying to find out why but as yet have not had a reply from Metabo.

[Eric - TIA]

We heard the impulse feature is awesome. I am not sure if they offer it over here. Same thing with the quick chuck. You guys have a quick chuck that will come off and turn into an impact. Not over here. The quick chuck here is anything, but quick. I watched a video of someone by you with a quick chuck and it is night and day.

[wayneburgess]

The quick is another drill all together and has no hammer action.

My LTX hammer has impulse.

But the L.T.X Quick is a drill driver with no hammer that has the quick chuck and accepts all the attachments.

Then there is my fave tool that I bought the L.T.X Impact driver which is just a beast.

I have to say I am interested how the Hammer drill shapes up and compares to the fuel.

I have had a reply from Metabo who say it is a patent issue and impulse will be on the L.T.X range later this year.

It takes a little longer for me to get information from Metabo because I have to translate the question into German and then back again when they reply.

It seems patent law is slower in the U.S so that may explain why things happen the way they do.

[Eric - TIA]

Slow is an understatement. It takes forever, at least it seems like it. I am curious about the comparison between the Fuel and the Metabo also. So far I do like the set up on the fuel much better, but I do have to say the Metabo does go through some serious wood and doesn't even blink