jarhead0531

My opinion is based off of personal observation of how my tools behave, not a scientific study conducted in a lab. Having never used a Hilti I have nothing to add on that front.

The tools I have used are the 18V Dewalt XRP, 18V Milwaukee (both nicad), and the newer 18V Li-ion Makita. The Milwaukee felt like the strongest drill by a narrow margin (borrowed a friends to try out) but didn't feel right in the hand. My Dewalts have been tanks, as long as you don't kill the batteries being stupid they are pretty damn fine tools. The Makitas are so comfortable it almost doesn't make sense, but they are weak compared to the Dewalt using older tech.

In 2nd gear on the Dewalt the motor sound never changes when drilling through the tough stuff, when the hole starts getting deep you hear the makita straining to keep going. I did some time trials on the impact drivers driving ledger locks into a 6x6 PT block. The Dewalt was an AVG of 2 seconds faster even thought it has been my daily user for 2 years with original batteries, and this was against a just outta the box Makita 18v Li-ion impact with 3AH batteries.

With that said the most important thing in this class of tool is what feels right in your hands. When your on top of a ladder trying to drive a screw one handed battery voltage/torque/color don't mean squat.

I haven't had to to replace any of my Dewalt drivers so that great Hilti customer service wouldn't mean much to me. For that big a price difference it should connect to the interweb when it breaks letting the rolling Hilti-mobile know to bring me my loaner....

slowforthecones

Try a hilti 18volt lithium ion drill (cpc model). You will not go back to Bosch, DeWalt, Milwaukee, Makita.

I have both the old Hilti 18v and the new 18v. Both work like 36v drills......can't imagine what hilti's 36v power is like.

Inner10

I tried the 36V hammer and 36V circular saw, they are awesome! The 24V hammer has good power (I have one) but the battery life isn't the greatest, drills em fast but dies quick!. Its so effective that I rarely haul out the TE-25 unless I have a lot of holes to make in one spot in a hurry. If your thinking about a hammer steer clear of anything but the 35V lithion.

As a side for all thoes cordless circular saw haters out there the more I use em the more I like em. As long as you keep your cut straight and supported and be gentle they work dandy.

BCConstruction

Did you say you used the Makita Impact and the Dewalt impact in a test. I have done that same test and found them to be almost exactly the same. Both were a few charges old and the Makita had the slight edge because it was impacting quicker than the dewalt. They both have the exact same TQ rating so you shouldn't have been able to tell the difference. Unless you was using the 1.5AH batt on the Makita which really cuts down on available amps. If you was using the 3.0ah then i would return the Makita for a new one as it should be the same of not better.

The other thing with repair centers is they are the ones giving the service and not the company who makes them. I have had Makita dealers who have been awful and no my current dealer is great. Tool has a problem and he fixes it there and then in no more than 10-20mins and just changes the faulty part straight out instead of trying to repair the part thats broken.

jarhead0531

Yep I test the Makita against the Dewalt impact using 3 5/8" ledger locks and there was a very real speed difference. I was using the 3.0ah on the Makita and what I believe is a 2.2ah on the Dewalt, both freshly charged overnight. I don't think the Makita is bad since it handles everything the dewalt does, but with those bolts the speed difference was noticeable. I also tried driving the leger locks with a plug in 1/2 impact driver, now that was FAST, between 2 and 3 seconds to sink them flush.

What size fastners where you using in your test??

I was just kidding around about the tool dealers/ service centers. Good points though, customes service will differ at different areas and it pays to find a good service center.

Barry

Joining_heads@c

To bad the panny was 14.4. I have that drill and can attest that it doesn't have the power of the competition. However, its balance, ergonomics, and battery life are what make it my fave.
Also, I think the 14.4 panny impact is the best on the market.

KyleVH

http://www.hilti.com/holcom/modules/...tentOID=233257

I've always heard Panasonic made some of the best cordless drills. I guess this makes sense Panasonic develops some of the electronics...batteries and Hilti make sweet tools.

Aiken Colon

From what I know Panasonic has stopped, or is planning on, stopping production of power tools.

JJ

__________________
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Energy Auditing

KyleVH

Since this article is from January...Maybe some tools, but they are still making cordless just under a joint venture company

BCConstruction

I dont really use the cordless impact drivers for anything but taking out and putting in screws. So they dont really get a proper work out. I use my Drill/driver to put larger stuff in just because of the extra TQ you get from the Gear ratios. The other nice thing about the Makita's is they are over a pound lighter than the dewalt. The LED light is great feature also.

WarnerConstInc.

Amp Hour only has to do with run time, not strength.

I specificaly bought an extra 1.3ah for one of my drills, it cuts down on a lot of weight. Power is the same, battry just runs out of juice befor the 2.4ah.

__________________

BCConstruction

Not always. Better cells can put out more amps and normally these cells are a high AH rateing because they are better cells. I have a few packs of NI-MH cells here which i use for RC cars and boats and the better quality cells can keep a higher norminal voltage for longer and can supply more cranking amps. As an example a 3000MAH set of cells might be ok at a discharge rate of 30amps but a 5000MAH set of cells might be good for a 50amp discharge rate. So if the motor pulls 50amps then the battery wont have aproblem doing it without over heating the cells. This is the reason why some batts get so hot is because they cant supply the Motor with enough amps so they get hot. My makitas so far have never got anywhere near as hot as my Dewalts did because of the Extra AMPS avalible But normally the higher the MAH rateing of the cells the better quatlity the cells are. Also this is the reason some of the Makita tools wont let you use the smaller battery packs because they will burn them out trying to pull so many amps.

jarhead0531

I do exactly the opposite of you. My drill/drivers are pretty much relegated to drilling these days. If its got a thread on it, the impact comes out. Last I checked the impacts have about twice the torque of regular drill/drivers with almost no torque transfer to your wrist. The torque transfer is THE reason I use an impact on the big stuff. Not to mention the impact action reduces the cam out problem.

Barry

jkfox624

I just bought milwaukee 18v ion compact drill and impact driver for $200. As an everyday all day drill it wouldnt hold up. But the weight of it is amazing, i run a few screws with it then go back to the heavy clunky dewalt and it feels like a cement block in my hand. I mostly bought it for cabinet installs, works great with its small size for running screws into the face frames of cabinets. Also easily fits in between 16" centers with a bit or screw on the end with ease.

BCConstruction

My impact driver cant come anywhere near the power of my drill/driver when in 1st gear. I have tried driving some lag screws into some rawplugs with my impact gun and they got them in but couldnt tighten them. Pulled out the drill/driver and it nearly took the head of and almost pulled it through the timber. These impact drill and drill are also not measured in the same way. I cant remember at what point in the output they measure them but when the power goes through a reduction gear the TQ in a normal drill is a lot more than an impact driver. Thats why i never used the impact drivers for larger nuts/bolts as it will damage the impact driver. Now if we are talking 1/2" cordless impacts then thats a whole diffferent matter. They are monsters for TQ.

jarhead0531

Ummm, whats a rawplug??

I guess it depends on the size of the lag screw. With predrilling I haven't had the same issues as you. I normally don't go above the 1/4" ledger locks in anything I do. I alternate using the impact and the drill when installing them when the tools start getting hot.

I know the drills in first gear have lots of torque, just much harder to control when your standing on a ladder and have to lean into it to keep the bit in contact with the fastner being used. I really don't like being off balance on a ladder.

I'd love to pickup 1/2" cordless but them puppies are expensive and a one trick pony. Instead I picked up a cheap corded one from Harbor Freight and I'll use it til it explodes. At that time I'll judge how much I used it and decide whether to upgrade to Makita/Dewalt corded one or just purchase another HF for $30.

It came down to whether having to hop down to swap batteries or draggng a cord was a bigger headache when running ledger locks on 50' of deck. Dragging the cord won out due to the raw speed/torque of corded impact. And it about the only time I use a 14 guage cord because these monsters really don't draw that many amps.

My general rule these days is anything over 1/4", or more than 10- 1/4" the corded gun comes out. Saves the expensive cordless tools and batteries too.

BCConstruction

Sorry i ment Rawlplug. Forgot the l. It's just a genreal term people in UK use for anchoring systems.

Yeah 1/2" Impact wrenchs sure have some silly TQ and def not needed for most of the jobs i do. They do some nice 18v versions though that will run of your current batterys.

Red Adobe

It realy must depend on what your using a cordless for and where. Most of my cordless work is done in high heat, full sun, on metal roofs so they all get HOT.... I have worn out about every brand mentioned

My problem is usualy batterys wearing out, I built a cooler box in the back seat of truck to store and charge them in ( I put a froxen gallon jug of water in every morning ) This has realy helped prolong the life

I decided after the last dewalt went tits up to try craftsmen 19.2 they had a deal awhile back 4 batteries,cordless, and impact for $150..... I used automotive plastic prep and painted everything white and its worked as good as anything else for me. I painted white so I wasnt always grabbing a HOT drill off my side, I also know exactly where my drill is at all time LoL

jkfox624

Lol if we painted stuff white we'd lose it in the snow.

XanadooLTD

Hilti rated like bosch and dewalt 36v. HILTIS!!!!!!