My 1/2-inch Milwauke hammer drill crapped-out for the second time yesterday, and I don’t use it all that much, so it’s not because I wore it out. The first time, it was the switch. (It was fixed for free under warranty, so I can’s complain too much.) This time it was the chuck. (Won’t close.) It also makes a terrible whine at times. Why do these things always happen when I really need the tool and not when it’s sitting on the shelf? This drill is a Milwauke line that has a plastic body, and I think it’s made in Europe. (OK, OK, It was cheaper and I bought it at HD.)
What is your favorite 1/2-inch hammer drill?
Al Mollitor, Sharon MA
Replies
I beat up my PC pretty quick too. Ihave the Milwaukee now, but I see a lot of the concree guys using Makita's. hey are cheap enuf and run a hole in fast. Last long enough for valuye.
Welcome to the
Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
Excellence is its own reward!
In the larger sizes there is no competion to the boschs.For the money the bulldog is my favorite but i own the 11236 also and am quite happy with both.
ANDYSZ2
I MAY DISAGREE WITH WHAT YOUR SAYING BUT I WILL DEFEND TO THE DEATH YOUR RIGHT TO SAY IT.
Remodeler/Punchout
i've got 2 sds drills.
a bosch mains drill and the 24v panasonic sds.
i only carry thepanasonic around with me unless i'm going to be using a whisk to mix adhesive
they will both drill 1" holes in concrete and i cut a 3" hole in a steel beam with the panasonic the other week.
Wow, I was gonna say milwaukie....
Darkworksite4:
El americano pasado hacia fuera ase la bandera
Ron: I love my Milwauke Super Sawzall, and I imagine they make great drills, too. I think the one I have is from a cheaper line they make overseas. It has a plastic body. Maybe the other parts are less durable, too.
Al Mollitor, Sharon MA
I got their salzall, deck gun and roto drill and I have been happy with all their stuff.
Darkworksite4:
El americano pasado hacia fuera ase la bandera
Milwaukee all the way!
I don't know the model of yours but mine has been drilling holes in concrete for about 15 years without missing a beat ( or hammer ) or whatever.
If I were you I would stick with Milwaukee.............
They are heavy for a reason..............They're good...........and built to last
"Rather be a hammer than a nail"
Bob
Metabo
Mr T
Happiness is a cold wet nose
Life is is never to busy to stop and pet the Doggies!!
Why do these things always happen when I really need the tool and not when it's sitting on the shelf?
I can't imagine. :-)>
Kevin Halliburton
"The Greek comic poets, also, divided their plays into parts by introducing a choral song, ... they relived the actor's speeches by such intermissions." Vitruvious, (Book V)
I switched from a Milwaukee to a Hilti. Kinda hurts because I like the Milwaukee line a lot
The small pistol grip style HD's by Bosch and Milwaukee are a lot to be desired tools...
If you want one in that style go with Matabo.. Other wise get the Bosch Bull dog... Want better in that line go Hilti...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming....
WOW!!! What a Ride!
I had a project a while back, had a man that did nothing but drill 3/4" holes in concrete all day for eleven weeks. I'm serious, not lying. Anyway, we burned up 3 drills from 3 different manufacturers in the first month. The forth and last one I bought was a Hilti. It still runs, and works, today
Years ago my brother in law told me not to buy a hammer drill, but to buy a rotary hammer instead. He had just bought an AEG. I said yeah, yeah and bought a Dewalt hammer drill. Then I bought a Milwaukee, then another Milwaukee. Probably 10 years later I finally got a Bosch 11224. I wish I would have listened to my brother in law a decade ago. The rotary hammer makes a world of difference. It's like using a circular saw to cut 2x4s after using a jig saw for years.
Just putting in my 2 cents.
I think it depends on how much you use it. hammer drills are a good multipurpose tools, if you dont drill into concrete all that much or drill into block wall ect while a rotary hammer is a specialized tool. Made for drilling into contrete only.
Darkworksite4:
El americano pasado hacia fuera ase la bandera
I have my 3/8 Mill hammer drill that I bought in the late 70s . Used it to drill 1" holes in concrete and anything smaller. It is getting weaker now but still on the job. I bought a PC sds 7/8" size works great ,made in Germany. Needed to drill 1 1/4" holes in concrete the other day borrowed the neibours Hilti .Very impressive tool. Buy the Hilti if you want a good long lasting tool .
got an AEG from the DW's ex ( he's CIA) they supply those to them snoops..only problem is it's 220...
My DeWalt is still going after ten yrs. Not bad for yellow.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations.
Bosch Bulldog.
Joe H
another vote for hilti, the small one is good ( te 2 ) it has a soft hammer mode for delicate stuff. hilti has something for everyone. just tell the rep what you will be doing mostly with it and he/she will set you up.
james
Hammer drills are for playing jokes on apprentices. Rotary hammers are for drilling holes in concrete. Mine's a Hilti.
Woody
Edited 6/12/2004 11:01 pm ET by woodtick
at the start of most every job hilti comes out, does its thing. goes back in its case, puts a smile on my face.
paul.
I don't have any experiance with a Hilti, however my bosh bulldog rotary hammer is one of my favorite tools! I am still dealing with pain in my left elbow and arm from a millwaulkee hammer tool that I had to lean on too much to get to work and that's going on ten years ago now! Spend a bit more and save yourself the pain.
When I need to bore into concrete, I call on my cousin's Hilti.
If I had to buy one, I'd buy a Bosch SDS.
I own a Dewalt, but it's a toy compared to a serious driver.
I used to be a solid Milwalkee man until recently, but that's another post.
Quality repairs for your home.
Aaron the Handyman
Vancouver, Canada
Sounds like you need to take a hard look at where you store your tools, no?
Also sounds like you could tear it down and make it all better in less time than it takes to whine.
Also also sounds like most of the posts here want to talk you up to demo hammers, not what you asked about. You want a corded 1/2" hammer drill. Milwaukee and Makita are all I see.
I had to replace a hex hammer and went one step over the Bosch Bulldog with the 11236. The bulldog doesn't have hammer only, and I got the '36 at http://www.toolking.com/bosch/view.asp?id=576 for about the same price. I can scare concrete, but not blast it, and it drills like a mutha.
It handles well and if I need more, I will rent for the odd time. But I sure miss the old beast.
I went with the Bosch 11236, plus another $35 for the half inch chuck adapter.
-- J.S.
I rented a similar Hilti, but it might have been a little bigger unit (1 1/2"). Just for the hammer action.
I had a concrete floor to break up, but also some chipping around a basement window.
I found that I did not get an 'action" unless I kept pressure on it and it had a heavy spring on it. I could use it for the chipping as I could not keep the pressure on it. But I was able to use it to clean off some places lower on the wall where there had an intersecting block wall.
Does the Boosch need pressure on it to work in the hammer only mode? and if so what about hammer-drilling?
I think there are 4 levels of hammer drills/demo hammers.
#1 battery or corded toy
#2 slightly more serious, but dedicated rotary hammer.
#3 serious demo hammer, but is a pain for the things you do 80% of the time
#4 Imerc worthy. You need to clear the women and children out of a radius of a 1/4 mile.
I replaced a nice #3 with an ok #2. It sounds like you rented something inbetween. As you get into the #3's the impact rate drops, but the force per impact goes up. Still not something I would want to blast out a concrete floor, but a little tough to be working over my head. And yes, you do have to keep moderate pressure on it, but you still have to let the tool do the work. If you don't keep the tool firmly against the work it is just going to tapdance and make noise. Or maybe you didn't have the right bits for what you wanted to do.
As for amount of pressure, ask me why I had to replace #3. I lent it to a big friend and it came back shooting sparks. I suggest using a bit less pressure than he did.
I might not have been clear.
The pressure not resisting the forces of the blows. But rather an internal "clutchlike" spring. If I did not overcome the force of that spring there was no hammering action.
It worked defferently than I remembered when I rented a demo hammer, but that was about 12 years ago and my memory might not be accurate. But it seemed to me that the unit weight enough that all I did was to hold it upright.
But it weighed enough that just holding it upright was still lots of work.
Ahh, I see. The Bosch has no such "feature". It works great, even if it is a bit wimpy.
The 11224 Bulldog does have hammer only.
I saw that after Jeff mentioned it. I must have been thinking about the Milwaukee, or sumptin.
I must have been thinking about the Milwaukee, or sumptin.
There ya go thinkin` again...when are you gonna learn?J. D. Reynolds
Home Improvements
"DO IT RIGHT, DO IT ONCE"
You think that is something I make a habit of?
You think that is something I make a habit of?
Hey! I thought I made it clear I was opposed to such actions! LOL!J. D. Reynolds
Home Improvements
"DO IT RIGHT, DO IT ONCE"
That is just what Bob says. This is about tools.
We take tools very seriously. Well, sometimes, don't look at Gunner's thread ;-)
Thanks for all the great suggestions. I wasn't even aware of the difference between a hammer drill and a rotary hammer. Next time I buy one of these, I'll be looking seriously at the Bosch and Hilti as well as the Milwaukee.
I learned another lesson: I took my Milwaukee back to the place that serviced it last time (Actually, they sent it to Milwaukee for warranty work.). The guy took one look at it and said, "Your chuck screw is missing." There's a big screw inside the chuck that helps hold it on the shaft. Evidently it had come loose and unscrewed enough to keep the chuck from closing. I had tried to tighten it, but not knowing it was a left-hand thread was actually loosening it more. by the time I got to the tool store, it had fallen out altogether. I found the screw, put it in properly and all is fine.
Lesson learned: Use a real tool shop. Do you think the guys at HD where I bought the tool in the first place would have solved my problem so easily?
PS: While at the tool shop, I dropped off my 15 year-old Bostich finish nailer for service. The guy said the new Bostich finish nailers are junk and my old one, when the O-rings are replaced, will be much better than the new ones.
I have worn out several Milwaukees, and a DeWalt. My current Bosch Bulldog is likely to outlast all its predecessors put together and is at LEAST 10 times faster besides. The SDS bits cost more per each but much less per hole. For a professional user there is no comparison. If you consistently drill large and deep holes you may want a heavier duty spline-bitted rotary hammer but the Bulldog will do 99% 0f most tradesmens work.
7/8th Bosch Bulldog.
If I needed bigger ... I'd get the bigger Bosch.
The coupla times I've overworked mine ... it gets hot ... I let it cool ...
then it's back to work like nothing bad ever happened.
I like the seperate chipping function. That's been even more useful than I imagined.
Great mid-sized drill.
get an SDS adaptor bit and a chuck ... and regular bits work too ....
I usually keep a big phillips bit chucked in the regular chuck ...
worked great for drilling and driving tapcons ...
drill the hole with an SDS ... swap in the chuck and drive in the screw ... repeat.
Jeff
Buck Construction, llc Pittsburgh,PA
Artistry in Carpentry
Surprised to hear you got a bad milwaukee. Only sawzalls, drills and rotohammers we use and all of them get beaten hard. Don't think I'd buy anything else. Even good brands produce a lemon now and then.
I use a DeWalt rotary hammer. My old hammer drill works good for mixing mud and paint, though.
Hammerdrill....Milwaukee.
Rotary Hammer...Hilti.
Your Welcome.
J. D. Reynolds
Home Improvements
"DO IT RIGHT, DO IT ONCE"
Used a Hilti TE 25 every day at work. awesome
but, couldn't afford or justify it for my own personal use.
so, I got what Mr. Buck has, the 7/8" Bosch
I have to say I am happy with it, although I don't use it for really demanding stuff. The Hilti probably drilled twice as fast, but , it was twice the price and a much bigger rotary hammer.
carpenter in transition