Drill recommendation · AditNow Community

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davel
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie Topic Starter

14 years ago

I'm thinking of getting a drill for bolting and I'm looking for recommendations and/or makes/models to avoid etc.

Dave

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simonrl
51% (Neutral)
Administration

14 years ago

Have only every used a Hilti TE6a 36V. Bonkers expensive, but bonkers powerful. Not the lightest by a long way. Have seen a few others using DeWalt drills underground (JonK and team?)

Steer clear of anything cheap for serious use. Before I got the Hilti I tried (!) bolting with a B&Q Power Pro 18v drill.... took 10 minutes to drill each hole (in slate) and each hole took a full battery charge 😮

my orders are to sit here and watch the world go by

Tamarmole
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

14 years ago

I've used a 24v De Walt for a few years - cracking bit of kit.

I picked it up on offer from Screwfix as it has Ni Cad batteries rather than Lion. I have been scrupulous with charging and the cells are still giving good service four years down the line.

JonK
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

14 years ago

De Walt 24V. Just replaced one Ni-Cad battery after seven years. It just keeps taking the punishment.

sparty_lea
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

14 years ago

My De Walt 24v is now 8 years old, the drill and 3 out of the 4 batteries I bought for it are still going strong.
Friend has a 36v hilti which is also great and more power than mine but lot more expensive too.

Someone else tried a 24v Hitachi and their customer service replaced it twice in 6 weeks before finally giving him his money back... wouldnt drill a 12mm hole in limestone without the bit jamming in the hole.

There are 10 types of people in the world.

Those that understand binary and those that do not!

Imageo
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

14 years ago

The Hilti is the tool of choice for most underground surveyors in Australia. Not cheap but a quality piece of engineering.

I'm a Geo

'There's a very fine line between a hobby and mental illness.'

skippy
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

14 years ago

We use Milwaukee 28 volt. 4 batteries will last me nearly all day drilling holes and hammering / chopping out slots for timbering and so on down the mine. They are amazing pieces of kit - the best on the market. I've tried all the others and used them - we run a building company - dewalt, hilti, hitachi, bosch - all went out the window when we got the milwaukee stuff.

The Meek Shall Inherit The Earth

... but not the Mineral Rights...

John Lawson
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

14 years ago

We have used lots of different S.D.S drills. The first, used in the Scaleburn dig was a 24 Volt Bosch. We adapted it it to run on rechargeable NiCad batteries to give us extra power.
We currently use 3 different ones. The first is a modified Dewalt- a 24 Volt, using a twin sealed lead acid pack.The second is a 36 Volt Lithium ion Bosch. The third is a 36 Volt Hilti.
All have some drawbacks. The Hilti will give the longest capacity but since the large Lithium ion batteries are not completely sealed I have reservations about taking it into a wet environment.
The Dewalt is heavy with it's pack but is extremely reliable.
To my mind the best is the 36 Volt. Bosch with the larger amp hour capacity and for most purposes is our first choice.
Incidentally you can also use petrol S.D.S. Drills in a well ventilated environment.! At the present time we have two!