Currently have a 10 yr old dewalt 18v compact li-on combo. Works great however it never caught on and dewalt scrapped the line. I was looking for an extra battery and they are going for $100.

Home depot has a deal on the Gen1 12v Milwaukee fuel hammer drill driver combo for $135. I can get the Gen 2 fuel with a free hicap battery for $200.

My biggest fear is the 12v is not going to be enough juice. I am just a DIY homeowner. The biggest chore the 12v hammer drill will see is drilling about 12 holes in the concrete stoop for a new railing.

I'm looking hard at the Rigid 18v brushless combo or a dewalt 20v. Both rigid and dewalt are going to be $40- 100 more. I'm wondering if I should wait till fathers day to see if there are any better offers but I might miss out on this one.

12v hammer drill? Are you sure it isn't an impact gun?

I think you will be fine. I've since switched to Milwaukee tools (sadly, the drill and driver I have are 18V, so I can't compare directly), but I used a 5+ year old Bosch non-brushless 12V drill with drill bits and hole saws of various sizes up to 3" drilling in fiberglass installing stuff on my boat with no problems. I used a similar vintage Bosch non-brushless 12V impact driver to drive 100+ 4" long 3/8" lag bolts in pine assembling a swingset/playhouse for my kids (needed battery changes, obviously, but still).

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:
12v hammer drill? Are you sure it isn't an impact gun?

Milwaukee makes 12V hammer drills. So does everyone else, I think.

I have the dewalt drill, impact driver, 2batteries and case, 20v lithium ion, I got the whole deal around Christmas time for $146. What size holes are you drilling in concrete? I drilled 4” deep 3/8” holes with a Bosch bit with no issues whatsoever and it’s not a hammer drill. If you’re drilling 5/16” holes 4” deep the 12 volt should be enough with 12 volt.

I carry Milwaukee cordless for work that the company provides. In the process of converting all my home stuff to Makita 18v and the difference is night and day. Check out their sub compact line, things are very handy and have plenty of power.

I'm a DeWalt fan when it comes to cordless tools.

Have you looked at the 18v to 20v max converter Dewalt makes? I bought one for my brother who has a ton of 18v Dewalt tools and he loves it. It is letting him use the 18v tools he has until they die and then replace them with the max family of tools.

The 20/60/120v max lineup is really impressive. I have a set of 18v Rigid tools that are bullet proof but heavy.

If you are interested the part number is: DCA2203C You might see if it is compatible with your current set up.

Mark

quote:

Milwaukee makes 12V hammer drills. So does everyone else, I think

I would never buy 12v hammer drill unless it came with six batteries.

I'd suggest the XR version of dewalt 20v Max.

Make sure you select set with 4.0 ah batteries, not 2.0.

EWALT&CAWELAID=&kpid=1000083557&CAGPSPN=pla&store_code=1125&k_clickID=ae7692dd-0b7b-4409-a5f4-2a9a60fea2dd&gclid=CjwKCAjw_47YBRBxEiwAYuKdw3m8sAnwqtYYE5jT7hLe-QmfKCl7YTODAvpSEJc9x361ruW1xKJ7rhoCjYYQAvD_BwE" target="_blank">https://m.lowes.com/pd/DEWALT-...1xKJ7rhoCjYYQAvD_BwE

quote:

In the process of converting all my home stuff to Makita 18v and the difference is night and day. Check out their sub compact line, things are very handy and have plenty of power.

MattW, thanks for the comment on the Makita LXT line. I’m looking at $199 for drill, impact driver, and reciprocal saw, and they are brushless. 2 2 aH batteries included.

I like the idea of compactness of 12V with power of 18V.

12V drill and/or driver ---> Yes, please.
12V hammer drill ----> No thank you.

I stick strickly to corded drills when it comes time to punch holes on concrete.

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:

quote:

Milwaukee makes 12V hammer drills. So does everyone else, I think

I would never buy 12v hammer drill unless it came with six batteries.

I'd suggest the XR version of dewalt 20v Max.

Make sure you select set with 4.0 ah batteries, not 2.0.

EWALT&CAWELAID=&kpid=1000083557&CAGPSPN=pla&store_code=1125&k_clickID=ae7692dd-0b7b-4409-a5f4-2a9a60fea2dd&gclid=CjwKCAjw_47YBRBxEiwAYuKdw3m8sAnwqtYYE5jT7hLe-QmfKCl7YTODAvpSEJc9x361ruW1xKJ7rhoCjYYQAvD_BwE" target="_blank">https://m.lowes.com/pd/DEWALT-...1xKJ7rhoCjYYQAvD_BwE

You weren't even aware it existed - how do you know it wouldn't perform satisfactorily?

I agree if you are doing a lot of jobsite concrete construction work, a 12V hammer drill wouldn't be the right choice. For drilling the occasional hole in concrete, they work just fine.

The high end 12V brushless drills of today are a far cry from the underpowered 12V tools of years past and put out more torque than many 18/20V drills from a few years ago.

quote:

Originally posted by bigdeal:
12V drill and/or driver ---> Yes, please.
12V hammer drill ----> No thank you.

I stick strickly to corded drills when it comes time to punch holes on concrete.

A number of current-generation 18/20V tools are more powerful than plug-in tools that run off a 120V/20A circuit. The batteries can put out an insane amount of current and deliver more power than the 120V/20A circuit can.

Of course, you still have to charge them. If you're drilling holes in concrete all day nonstop, you probably don't want a battery, regardless of performance.

I have a Milwaukee 12 volt drill. The batteries don’t last very long. I have three batteries that won’t charge and one battery that is probably going to fail soon. They were less than a year old when they stopped working. The batteries were expensive as well.

quote:

Originally posted by maladat:

quote:

Originally posted by bigdeal:
12V drill and/or driver ---> Yes, please.
12V hammer drill ----> No thank you.

I stick strickly to corded drills when it comes time to punch holes on concrete.

A number of current-generation 18/20V tools are more powerful than plug-in tools that run off a 120V/20A circuit. The batteries can put out an insane amount of current and deliver more power than the 120V/20A circuit can.

Of course, you still have to charge them. If you're drilling holes in concrete all day nonstop, you probably don't want a battery, regardless of performance.

Last time I used a hammer drill, I punched ~50 1/2"x4" holes in a commercial slab. I don't think I would have attempted that with a rechargeable.

Don't get me wrong, I have a slew of 12v and 18v Milwaukee tools that I use all the time and swear by. But for masonry work, I'll always default to either my Milwaukee or Hilti rotary hammers.

quote:

Originally posted by Suppressed:
I have a Milwaukee 12 volt drill. The batteries don’t last very long. I have three batteries that won’t charge and one battery that is probably going to fail soon. They were less than a year old when they stopped working. The batteries were expensive as well.

You should have contacted Milwaukee prior to the end of their warranty and had them address your issues. I have a bunch of Milwaukee 12v and 18v tools, and none of them exhibit the problems you noted.

Yes they are fine. I bought two of the FUEL kits with hd and impact back a month ago. I have the heavier stuff too but the 12v is a solid tool.

quote:

Originally posted by bigdeal:

quote:

Originally posted by maladat:

quote:

Originally posted by bigdeal:
12V drill and/or driver ---> Yes, please.
12V hammer drill ----> No thank you.

I stick strickly to corded drills when it comes time to punch holes on concrete.

A number of current-generation 18/20V tools are more powerful than plug-in tools that run off a 120V/20A circuit. The batteries can put out an insane amount of current and deliver more power than the 120V/20A circuit can.

Of course, you still have to charge them. If you're drilling holes in concrete all day nonstop, you probably don't want a battery, regardless of performance.

Last time I used a hammer drill, I punched ~50 1/2"x4" holes in a commercial slab. I don't think I would have attempted that with a rechargeable.

Don't get me wrong, I have a slew of 12v and 18v Milwaukee tools that I use all the time and swear by. But for masonry work, I'll always default to either my Milwaukee or Hilti rotary hammers.

You might be surprised... Here's a test video on Milwaukee's 18V 1-9/16" SDS Max rotary hammer - they drilled 4, 1-7/16" holes 16" deep on one charge.

https://youtu.be/BbC1qxMz_xs

Here's another where they drilled 42, 3/4" holes 3.5" deep on one charge. A 3/4" hole is 2.25x the volume of a 1/2" hole.

https://youtu.be/OlG7ZzP16z8

Reviews say the power and drilling speed are similar to similar sized corded SDS Max rotary hammers.

There's definitely still a place for corded tools - particularly when you have to work and work and work without stopping. But the battery and motor technology has gotten so good that current cordless tools are unbelievably capable compared to 5-10 years ago.

Hell, for that matter, Milwaukee makes a 12V 5/8" SDS Plus rotary hammer that gets really positive reviews.

Thanks for the input so far. Some of you guys are taking this a little too far. The hammer drill is not going to be used for large jobs. I have access to other tools. The worst it will face is twelve 5/16 holes for a railing.

Will this get the job done?

As long as you buy decent masonry bits, easily.

quote:

Originally posted by gpbst3:
Thanks for the input so far. Some of you guys are taking this a little too far. The hammer drill is not going to be used for large jobs. I have access to other tools. The worst it will face is twelve 5/16 holes for a railing.

Will this get the job done?

With Bosch masonry bits absolutely. It will do it on one battery most likely.