*
I was using a Bosch rotary hammer the other day. It hit the rebar and the clutch engaged before I even knew or felt it. There was no torque reaction or kick back. I knew it only after I saw the drill bit was not turning anymore. I think this is a big plus for tool safety but I am wondering why we don’t have this nice thing in other tools?
Discussion Forum
Discussion Forum
Up Next
Video Shorts
Featured Story

The crew discusses finding rot when remodeling, challenges installing custom shower panels, and how to prevent subs and suppliers from sabotaging builds.
Highlights
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Replies
*
This is a very important safety issue.
I, myself, have been twice injured by a Milwaukee HoleHawg. Once, the bit hit a nail in the middle of a piece of plywood and stopped. But the drill didn't. It almost knocked me off my ladder and broke my glasses. Another time, a long auger bit jammed and the drill handle then hit me in the jaw which in turn cut my tongue.
As you said, it is possible to install a safety clutch. DeWalt makes a drill of this type. [Active in slow speed].
So the first step is to buy the DeWalt. The second step is to send a letter to the President of Milwaukee (and others). The third step is to turn to the lawyers, like with the tobacco lawsuits or Firestone, and then discover that Milwaukee, for example, has a large file full of complaints about the unsafe nature of its' high-torque drills.
I did notice on a recent, brand new HoleHawg, that it has a sticker on it advising that you anchor it to a solid object when operating in slow speed/high torque. Stickers are cheaper than clutches.
Why do cars have seat belts on the passenger side? Remember that?
*Two outta three ain't bad! Steps one and two make sense. Step three is mostly what's wrong with our society. Let consumer demand dictate the market, not an ambulance chaser. Jeff
*The DeWalt drill is model #DW124K. Barnetts sells it for $368.00, which is a lot. Does anyone have one? I agree that the ambulance chaser approach turns into a get-(very)-rich-quick scheme. Not everybody who spills coffee in their lap gets a million dollars. The idea of punitive damages is to wake up the corporate bean counters, These punative monies should be treated as a type of fine and be collected by the government instead of the lawyers.
*Yes, I have one. Currently $330 at Tool Crib. Very heavy, very long, but compact where it matters, and the clutch is a must-have item. I wish they made it with variable speed. The tool is unchanged in 10 years, and could use some freshening. Funny thing, I have never seen one for sale used.Bill
*I (don't know) wonder if there is a system in place that would have these things treated more as a fine than the way we seem to be seeing it done now? Anyone have any idea. On the surface it seems to make more sense. Jeff
*Hey p m --My first thought is that you ought to quit whining and learn from your mistakes. I think anyone who's used a high-torque drill has gotten a lesson in reactive torque. I've nearly had my jaw broken by a Porter-Cable 1/2" drill--in a crawl space, not thinking through what would happen if the bit bound--it did! Now I'm real careful when I grab a big drill motor--visualizing how that baby's gonna kick WHEN (not IF) the bit binds..Sure, vote with your feet and wallet--get the DeWalt version of the old B&D "timberwolf". Sure, let the Bid Red know that you'd like a clutch on the 'hawg. But a lawsuit? Are you from Calfornia? Lawsuits will drive up the price of tools--to cover more settlements and liability insurance. Are you a DIYer? What next--suing cutlery manufacturers for selling you a SHARP KNIFE with which you CUT YOURSELF? Just learn to use the tool correctly and take responsibility for your own actions. And work safe. Or get another line of work--building is by nature a hazardous occupation.
*This makes me think the cars here too. While most of the European cars have the side air bags installed, the U.S car makers here are too busy with the Japanese tires. They don't care what R&D says, they don't do anything until it is required by the law. Before that, they would rather giving the money to the lawyers, spending the rest on the marketing. Product safety, only on paper, be sure you read and understand.
*Ya lost me on the car safely thing! I'm not so old, but can remember when people actually paid attention when driving instead of waiting for the airbags and anti-lock brakes to save them! Everyone now needs front wheel drive to get thru the snow, but my rear wheel drive '80 Cutlass got me out of the house in a quite a few snow storms during my highschool years! But I will use some of your logic.....lets make European type roads and raise the speed limits to around 100mph!......God I love driving in the UK!....kinda back to the tool safety thing....learn how they can hurt you, and try to avoid that situation. Works for driving and tools. Jeff
*Use a knife (or a tool, or drive a car) carefully is one thing. We all know what we 'should' do, like we should stop (full and complete stop) for at least 3 seconds, then proceed with caution, right? That how we pass the test in the driving schools. But making the knife (or the tool, or the car) safer to use (or to drive) is another. And who is responsible for that?
*Hey Crew Chief: "Whining" is just an antonym for pointing out a(n obvious) problem but with perjorative connotations. I am not a DIYer. You seem to feel that it's OK to get whacked in the jaw because it caused you to learn a lesson. The same thing happened to me and I don't think it was OK. It hurt. Even tho I am from California, I don't think lawsuits are the answer. The O.J.Simpson trial validates that. My point is that the threat or the possibility of a lawsuit is what it takes to shake up the corporate bigwigs. How much would such a clutch cost?
*p m-In my book, the issue is not incremental cost. There IS a drill on the market with a clutch (designed to be used with large self-feed bits at very low RPM).Two thoughts on the clutch:1) it is a mechanical device, and as such will malfunction sooner or later. If you've counting on the clutch to save you, it won't always. You need to protect yourself by using safe work practices.2) if I'm drilling a hole, and hit a nail or whatever, I want the drill to power the bit through. To really be useful, a clutch would have to be adjustable. And you'd have to decide and set the torque at which you wanted it to let go...I think 99% of workers would set the thing on MAX and let 'er rip. As long as a body part is not in the way, or you're not overextended on a ladder, you don't have to sweat the kickback.Safety designs and devices do have an important place. Grounded cord sets, ja. GFIs, sure. Safety glasses, O.K. these things protect me against things that I have little control over.Work safe.
*The seat belt is also a mechnical thing. It will not work sooner or later. If you count on the seat belt to save your life, it won't always. As long as you practice safe driving, you don't need one. GFICs and circuit breakers are also mechnical devices, as long as we are careful, we don't need them. If you have to work in a difficult place, be sure you use a robot to hold the tool, so your body part is not in the way. And you have a remote control and you sit back and relax. For those things that I have little or no control, I call my insurance agent.
*Hi, Chief, If the clutch is adjustable, why 99% of workers would set it on MAX? If 99% of workers set it on MAX, why we need a adjustable clutch? Is an un-adjustable clutch good enough for 99% of the workers, at 99% of the times?When you drill a hole and the bit hits a nail or something, the book says you should 'stop', and back out carefully, rather than push the drill through. Force a tool to do whatever it is not designed for is misuse, or abuse, and is the number one danger in the workplace. You are talking about safety, not practicing it.
*Hi Crew Chief: I was not thinking of adjustable clutches. These are used to set the torque to determine how dep a drywall screw is set or how tight you want to fasten a nut. My metal working lathe has the drive shaft connected to the lead screw with a shear pin. If the lead screw drives the compound rest up against the head stock, for instance, the pin shears - being the weakest (and least expensive) link. The problem with these high-torque drills is that 99% of the time they do what they are supposed to do and the worker gets used to that. But when the bit does jam or hits a nail and stops, the motor keeps spinning and the physics of it is that if the rotor is spinning and the bit ain't, then the drill does. The heavy rotor has enough inertia to keep spinning even after the electricity is cut off and, through the reduction gears, it will develop enough torque to cause serious injury. Of course, the drill must be held securely to provide something for the clutch to react against.
*I didn't know that Bosch and Dewalt have safety slip clutches, the Dewalt and bosch I have, don't have them but they are only Impact Drills not Rotary Drills. Metabo and if I,m informed correctly AEG(Atlas copco) has them. Most of my Metabo Power Tools has safety slip clutch installed. From circular saws to grinders to drills, Metabo has them. And has save many who used the tools from accident, partly one of the reasons that I ususally buy Metabo tools than any other brands.
*
I was using a Bosch rotary hammer the other day. It hit the rebar and the clutch engaged before I even knew or felt it. There was no torque reaction or kick back. I knew it only after I saw the drill bit was not turning anymore. I think this is a big plus for tool safety but I am wondering why we don't have this nice thing in other tools?