# Battery hammer drills



## aarolar (Dec 21, 2014)

I'm in the market for a hammer drill soon and I'm curious about the battery hammer drills with friction chucks. I have the DeWalt 20 volt tools now (impact and drill) and I'm looking at the hammer drill next but I am unsure about the performance of said tool. I have drilled a good bit of concrete at work using large industrial hammer drills which is what has me skeptical on the friction chuck.

Heres what I'm looking at
http://m.northerntool.com/shop/tool...ci_sku=43165&gclid=CNrv8NKI2MICFUwV7AodaEoA5Q


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## aarolar (Dec 21, 2014)

Main uses that came up recently are needing to anchor a new door to the bricks for my crawl space (1/4" anchors) and I'm fixing to build a new shop and I'll need to anchor down the footers and such (3/8 or 1/2 anchors no rebar)


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## Wagnerwerks (Dec 29, 2014)

I have the 20v max kit and the hammer drill is top notch. I've almost destroyed the imact in the kit, but it should be covered for a refresh by the 3 yr warranty. I do use the crap out of it daily and it's 2.5 yrs old.


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## chainsawman2011 (Dec 31, 2014)

I also have the dewalt 20v mas kit with hammer drill and impact I use the impact in the shop daily. and used the drill quite a bit also but I only have used as a hammer drill on one project putting anchors into cement block and it worked excellent.


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## gaspipe (Jan 5, 2015)

The Dewalt 20v max hammer drill is good stuff. Have not been able to wear that out after building a couple houses the past 3 years. The 20v 1/4" impact was worn out, but it drove 3" screws to build the houses (no nails). The 20v batteries are impressive.


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## Snap (Jan 18, 2015)

Milwaukee here.
Don't let the "20 volt" hype fool you.
I recently saw a comparison test of various 18 volt drill batteries compared to the 20 volt drill battery.
All the 18 volt batteries showed 20 volts when tested like the 20 volt which was at the end of a fresh charge.
The comment was that the 20 volt tool company is quoting fresh charge reading while all the others (18 volt) are quoting average.


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## anlrolfe (Jan 18, 2015)

Go brushless motor technology and a 12-volt may surprise the heck out of you and 18-volt will be shock-and-awe.
Hammer drill vs Rotary hammer. Do you want to make a lot of noise like a Japanese race bike or do you want to knock some F-ing holes?? I'm partial to my Bosch Bulldog but have many Milwaukee 18v. I've demo'ed this at our school and it does very well. We sometimes have distributors show their goods to our Apprentices. The newer tools run longer and grunt more with less voltage. 

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/to...2OAfo96hpVOd8ZhJ4nZemUTRl9sOWx7zreRoCQZXw_wcB

The misconception is that more voltage is better. In theory yes but in reality no. To get more voltage from a battery you've got to series more cells. That translates to more internal resistance, more internal heat loss during use draining available power from use and extending recharging times. Todays 18v tools can do as much or more than the bigger 24-28v of yesterday. My advise, pick a color be it red, blue or yellow and get a battery system that you can use for several tools not just 1-big-ish tool. If you need more than what and 18v can give you there's a good chance that you should just go corded. Milwaukee has a little 12v brush-less "_FUEL_" drill motor w/ 1/2" chuck that I may have to get myself for Fathers day.


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## Snap (Jan 18, 2015)

anlrolfe said:


> Milwaukee has a little 12v brush-less "_FUEL_" drill motor w/ 1/2" chuck that I may have to get myself for Fathers day.



That's what I just bought. Seems more than adequate for my needs. Drives 3" screws into wood without a hitch. Actually it can easily strip the heads but then I don 't like to wait around so I crank up the torque setting on the chuck so that's my fault.


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## gunrush128 (Feb 18, 2015)

I'm running a milwaukee fuel m18 setup and I love it. I was using dewalt 18v for 10 years prior, and let me tell you, the milwaukee fuel is great!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## rnollkamper (Mar 4, 2015)

I am a mechanic in an automotive shop, and I use nothing but Milwaukee 18v brushless. I have for the last year or so and they have been extremely dependable, and stronger than the snap-on equivalent at half the cost AND better warranty. I have the hammer drill for around the house as well, and it has drilled through rock and brick with ease, as long as you have a high quality masonry bit. My $0.02: Milwaukee for the win!


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## sawfun (Mar 15, 2015)

How do the Makita 18v drills and impact wrenches compare to the Milwaukie? 

Is there a noticable difference in power or feel between the brushless and the standard tools?


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## rnollkamper (Mar 17, 2015)

Brushless have a merit of not sparking...great around fuel! Makita also makes top notch stuff, a couple other guys use them in the shop.


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## sawfun (Mar 17, 2015)

Thanks for the info, I have Makita stuff now and unless the Milwaukie was significantly better, I had no wish to change brands. Fuel fumes are not a big issue with what I do so I will wait till I need a new drill of impact before considering one.


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