Cordless drills, Milwaukee & more

[D60]

I've got the 18V Milwaukee LokTor hammer drill, the 0524 I believe.

Shortly after I got it I was drilling a couple holes in concrete (it is a hammer drill after all), small holes like 5/16" or something. The bit bound up and I couldn't back it out. I tried to remove the bit from the chuck but wasn't able to get enough of a grip on the keyless. After fighting with it some I finally got it out, but when it bound up the drill was lightly smoking and making some crackling noises each time I'd pull the trigger trying to back it out. Clearly this wasn't good for it but I couldn't just leave my bit and drill stuck in the floor LOL

The drill's never been the same since. It lacks power basically.

I may try to have it serviced, but in the meantime I really kinda need a good cordless drill NOW.

Maybe I just got a lemon, or maybe I really got it stuck on some rebar or a rock that time, but I can't say I've been terribly impressed with it and even before this it didn't seem as powerful as my friend's (puke) Dewalt.

So I'm a little unsure what to do.........buy another Milwaukee, after all I already have the batteries and charger............or look to something else? I won't buy Dewalt, but maybe Hitachi or Bosch or ?

Basically, for those of you who have Milwaukee cordless drills, are you happy with 'em? Mine won't fully sink 2 1/2" TrapEase screws now, which is what I really need it for.

[saf-t scissors]

Use this one.

Seriously, I've never seen a battery powered... anything... that came close to measuring up to its corded counterpart.

You've got extension cords. It's not like you need to sink Red Heads down on the lower 40 or anything... oh, wait.

[D60]

Seriously, I've never seen a battery powered... anything... that came close to measuring up to its corded counterpart.

I'm not expecting corded performance, and I don't need it. I've been using the one you pic'd, but the cord is definitely a hassle, esp on an elevated deck where it keeps falling over the side. Also it almost spins too fast and is harder to modulate, so it strips probably 30% of the screws I sink, altho I understand the TrapEase are notorious for not grabbing all that hard anyhow.

[Brian1]

I have been very happy with my Milwaukee cordless stuff. I have an 18 volt Impact and an 18v Sawzall Hatchet and both have done everything I needed them to do. I am a loyal Milwaukee tool user, in my experiences they last the longest.

How new is it? Could you warranty the drill?

[Bondage]

I have major wood (pun intended) for this stuff
http://www.jimslimstools.com/detail.aspx?ID=7657

[saf-t scissors]

Well, in all fairness, I don't have the Magnum. I've got the other one... pictured.

But I did my little deck and Kermit used one to do the ~1000sf deck over at his parents' place. Sunk many boxes of those FastenMaster composite deck screws. Oh yeah, TrapEase. Same thing.

Perhaps you just need to work on your trigger skeelz. :flipoff2:

LMAO at you out there in the dark, after work, fighting with the cord trying to sink a couple of deck screws, tho. You probably should have built it out of steel instead.

[Dangling_Dave]

Good lord D60 you are such a retard with tools:flipoff2: . Just sell all the ones you got and stop trying to do carpentry work. Stick with metal fab:smokin:

dc


I've got the 18V Milwaukee LokTor hammer drill, the 0524 I believe.

Shortly after I got it I was drilling a couple holes in concrete (it is a hammer drill after all), small holes like 5/16" or something. The bit bound up and I couldn't back it out. I tried to remove the bit from the chuck but wasn't able to get enough of a grip on the keyless. After fighting with it some I finally got it out, but when it bound up the drill was lightly smoking and making some crackling noises each time I'd pull the trigger trying to back it out. Clearly this wasn't good for it but I couldn't just leave my bit and drill stuck in the floor LOL

The drill's never been the same since. It lacks power basically.

I may try to have it serviced, but in the meantime I really kinda need a good cordless drill NOW.

Maybe I just got a lemon, or maybe I really got it stuck on some rebar or a rock that time, but I can't say I've been terribly impressed with it and even before this it didn't seem as powerful as my friend's (puke) Dewalt.

So I'm a little unsure what to do.........buy another Milwaukee, after all I already have the batteries and charger............or look to something else? I won't buy Dewalt, but maybe Hitachi or Bosch or ?

Basically, for those of you who have Milwaukee cordless drills, are you happy with 'em? Mine won't fully sink 2 1/2" TrapEase screws now, which is what I really need it for.

[u2slow]

Don't use a hammerdrill with a keyed-chuck for concrete. :shaking: They make SDS-chuck rotary-hammers for this kind of work.

I used a 14.4V Milwaukee at work for several months. It was very much the nicest drill in the whole tool crib (the rest were Makita, Bosch, & DeWalt). Only the 18V Dewalt had it beat - but it was bigger & heavier too.

I use a Craftsman 16.8V at home. Its a great budget drill.

[Im4yotas]

I use cordless drills at work all day. I usually drive 1/2-1" long sheetmetal screws. I've used Ryobi, Craftsman, Black & Decker, Milwaukee, Makita and a few others. The Makitas by far have worked the best for me. My Milwaukee didn't last very long. Started acting weird after a month or 2, then just died about 2 weeks later. So I went back to Makita.

I do love my corded Milwaukee sawzall, though. And I have smoked a few Dewalt drills (18V, 12V, and corded) on a single, simple wood frame. The cheap 18V Harbor Freight drill finished the job without a problem:shaking:

[D60]

Hi, I'm a tool addict.

I ordered a 28V Milwaukee lithium ion. Should be here today.

HD's got the combo kit with reciprocating, circular saw, drill and worklight (whoopee on the light) for $729.00, which is arguably a better deal than the $419.00 I paid for the drill, but much of that cost is in the batteries and charger - once you have that the individual tools a la carte aren't so pricey. But I've never really needed or wanted a cordless sawzall or circular, and I can't see them being of much use for metal fab.

u2slow: yeah, apparently keyed chucks aren't great for concrete LOL, but I figured for a 5/16" or 1/4" hole only a couple inches deep it'd be ok. I have an SDS 1 1/8" Bosch, but it seemed overkill for such a small hole. Guess I need to buy a nice assortment of SDS bits.

[ptrautne]

Hi, I'm a tool addict.

I ordered a 28V Milwaukee lithium ion. Should be here today.

HD's got the combo kit with reciprocating, circular saw, drill and worklight (whoopee on the light) for $729.00, which is arguably a better deal than the $419.00 I paid for the drill, but much of that cost is in the batteries and charger - once you have that the individual tools a la carte aren't so pricey. But I've never really needed or wanted a cordless sawzall or circular, and I can't see them being of much use for metal fab.

u2slow: yeah, apparently keyed chucks aren't great for concrete LOL, but I figured for a 5/16" or 1/4" hole only a couple inches deep it'd be ok. I have an SDS 1 1/8" Bosch, but it seemed overkill for such a small hole. Guess I need to buy a nice assortment of SDS bits.

Good luck with the tool, I heard that Milwaukee is having issues with the new lithium ion battery packs

[Bondage]

Hi, I'm a tool addict.

I ordered a 28V Milwaukee lithium ion. Should be here today.

HD's got the combo kit with reciprocating, circular saw, drill and worklight (whoopee on the light) for $729.00, which is arguably a better deal than the $419.00 I paid for the drill, but much of that cost is in the batteries and charger - once you have that the individual tools a la carte aren't so pricey. But I've never really needed or wanted a cordless sawzall or circular, and I can't see them being of much use for metal fab.

u2slow: yeah, apparently keyed chucks aren't great for concrete LOL, but I figured for a 5/16" or 1/4" hole only a couple inches deep it'd be ok. I have an SDS 1 1/8" Bosch, but it seemed overkill for such a small hole. Guess I need to buy a nice assortment of SDS bits.
Amen. :D

Btw one of my clients is a home builder with zero tolerance for crap. He threw a pancake compressor out a third story window for some reason. Didn't even bother to pick it up when he left the site. He loves these tools.

[TBM Jeep]

We are starting to use the 28v milwaukee drills at work. We pretty much use all milwaukee tools, corded & cordless. We have alot of the 18v hammer drill/regular drill combo's and they get used daily with typical construction abuse (i'm an electrician). We have 3 of the 28v drills on the job i'm at now. They have a lot of power and the batteries seem to last for a long time. Although one thing that pisses me off about the batteries is that when they lose their charge the fricking drill completely stops. It doesnt just slow down like most other drills, it starts to make a clicking sound and it is completely dead and the chuck will not spin.

With that said i think you will really like that drill. It has tons of power and the battery seems to last longer than the 18v batteries. IMO milwaukee makes quality tools. When my 12v makita finally dies (one of the 2 batteries is already dead) and when the plastic chuck/transmission speed collar on the 14.4v dewalt breaks off (it is cracked pretty good--dropped it off the roof of the shed when i was building it) i will likely replace it/them with a 18v milwaukee drill (or the 28v if i can afford it).

Tim

[weezerrockinzr2]

I've had nothing but good luck out of any of Milwaukee's products.
I've got the 18volt hammer drill and it's never let me down. I use it almost everyday, I'm a sparky as well.

I've just ordered the V28 kit, should be here by Christmas. One of my co-workers has the v28 Ban saw and it is AWESOME!

[CronusTRD]

I gave up on Cordless Drills for heavy duty stuff. The batteries would stop holding a charge after a year, and a new batter cost as much as the damn drill.

[Joey D]

I have had my V28 set for about 5 months now, no problems at all. I use it everyday at work, another electrician.

[andyr354]

just an FYI ace's christmas sale as a Makita 18v 1/2 MForce cordless for $99 after $80 mail in rebate. Two NiMh bats and charger in a hard case.