Better drill for hard use? Milwaukee M18 "2904" or ...?

[Sid Post]

I am specifically looking at this kit:
M18 FUEL™ ½” Hammer Drill Driver | Milwaukee Tool

The street price is ~$350 for it. I need a solid drill for mild steel and other hard uses on a farm. I have been told the M18 batteries are the best in the business. I am not impressed with the DeWalt cordless stuff I have generally. It is great for normal homeowner use but, the batteries die early and have short lifespans. The DeWalt tools I have don't work well on my farm. I am looking to start the conversion process to another brand.

While this drill is not required to be cordless, that is preferred for obvious reasons. I need something reliable and durable though so, I question the expense of owning another cordless drill. I have a 3500W generator so, I can power a big plug-in drill if that is better. The problem for me is that the local options are DeWalt and aren't impressive. There is a ~$160 electric drill at Lowes which might be a reasonable choice.

I am not mixing sheetrock mud or grout for tile floors but, 3/8" holes in 1/4" mild steel or anchors into concrete are not that uncommon either. I have a small drill/driver for light tasks so, I am not worried about using my new drill for simple tasks around the house.

What are my better options in the $200~$400 range for a hard heavy-use hammer drill? I'm thinking "buy once, cry once" here.

TIA,
Sid

 

[2manyrocks]

Bosch corded hammer drill

 

[5030]

Bosch corded hammer drill

What I have and it's been 100% without issue and I have core drilled 1" diameter holes for expansion anchors in 6 bag mix before. They ain't cheap but like anything, you get what you pay for. In low gear, it has the balls to wrap you right up in the cord if you don't watch and spin you around. Don't ask how I know...lol

Bosch or Metabo. Both excellent tools.

 

[airbiscuit]

I have had great luck with the M18 tools and batteries. I have the lighter duty 1/2" hammer drill/driver. My only (minor) complaint is that the lowest wetting on the impact driver is kinda high. H have dropped these tools from 10' on concrete way more than I should and they have always survived.
I have their high torque 1/2" impact wrench and I can loosen or twist off anything I've put t up to.

 

[jyoutz]

I am specifically looking at this kit:
M18 FUEL™ ½” Hammer Drill Driver | Milwaukee Tool

The street price is ~$350 for it. I need a solid drill for mild steel and other hard uses on a farm. I have been told the M18 batteries are the best in the business. I am not impressed with the DeWalt cordless stuff I have generally. It is great for normal homeowner use but, the batteries die early and have short lifespans. The DeWalt tools I have don't work well on my farm. I am looking to start the conversion process to another brand.

While this drill is not required to be cordless, that is preferred for obvious reasons. I need something reliable and durable though so, I question the expense of owning another cordless drill. I have a 3500W generator so, I can power a big plug-in drill if that is better. The problem for me is that the local options are DeWalt and aren't impressive. There is a ~$160 electric drill at Lowes which might be a reasonable choice.

I am not mixing sheetrock mud or grout for tile floors but, 3/8" holes in 1/4" mild steel or anchors into concrete are not that uncommon either. I have a small drill/driver for light tasks so, I am not worried about using my new drill for simple tasks around the house.

What are my better options in the $200~$400 range for a hard heavy-use hammer drill? I'm thinking "buy once, cry once" here.

TIA,
Sid

I’ve had a corded Milwaukee 1/2” hammer drill for over 20 y. It’s a beast and will twist your wrist if you don’t have a firm grip. It’s my go to for concrete and heavy steel. But for other jobs, I love my Dewalt 20v battery drills and have never experienced the issues you describe.

 

[spitter]

Cordless drills are a joke compared to a good, corded drill. I have a Milwaukee hole shooter that's 25 years old that I use when drilling repetitive holes through steel. I have a Black and Decker 1/2" drill for mixing concrete and spackle and large diameter holes 3/4" and above that's 35 years old. Bosch bulldog that's 20 years old and a Bosch rotary hammer that's about 20 years old.

In that time, I've had 4 Dewalt cordless ,2 Makati 1 Hilti which I still use and 3 Milwaukee 18's 1 12. That being said you can't beat the convince of the cordless tools. But when the real work comes out, I go back to the corded tools.

 

[DMW]

The 2 piece kit regularly goes on sale for a similar price. The 1/4" hex driver is useful for smaller stuff.
Corded is still better for continuous operation. The tool and battery will heat up with too much use.

M18 FUEL 2-Tool Combo Kit | Milwaukee Tool

MILWAUKEE® M18 FUEL 2-Tool Combo Kit includes an M18 FUEL 1/2" Hammer Drill, M18 FUEL 1/4" Hex Impact Driver, (2) M18 REDLITHIUM™ XC 5.0Ah Battery Pack, with an M18/M12 charger & carrying case

www.milwaukeetool.com

 

[5030]

I will say if I need nut busting power and torque I always go back to my air tools, especially my air impact guns. No cordless tool that can deliver huge torque and do it for a long time exists in my world.

I do a a gob of heavy duty excavation bucket work and replacing plow steels on commercial snow plows and no way any cordless tool (don't care what brand or cost) can cut the mustard on corroded on Class 8 Dome head plow bolts that secure plow steel edges.

It takes big power to bust them loose and usually I wind up twisting them off anyway. I either use my Astro Thor ultra torque 1/2" drive impact (1500 foot pounds continuous breakaway at 150 psi) or the IR 3/4 drive extended anvil impact (1900 foot pounds continuous breakaway at 150 psi) No way any battery powered cordless drill and I don't care how much it costs, can deliver that kind of power.

Why I use HF Bauer 20 volt cordless tools for around the shop, general use. Cheap and reliable. Not gonna ever budge the big stuff so I don't get excited.

Like my daddy always said, you don't use a claw hammer to bust concrete, you use a sledge hammer.

Cordless is handy and cordless is convenient but for long duration high torque or power applications, none of them can cut the cheese. Cost is not a factor.

 

[Lineman North Florida]

I am a believer in Milwaukee M-18 FUEL cordless tools and it all started with ethanol gas, as a lineman I found myself using gas powered drills all the time when there was no truck access and it got to where they failed to start more and more, so we were always looking for something else, we had tried DeWalt stuff at that time and weren't really satisfied with their stuff back then, so a Milwaukee rep rolled in and made some bold claims about battery life , durability and power, I told him if it proved out to be half as good as he said we would want a kit for every crew, after a month of hard use we were convinced and ordered multiple tool sets and I slowly started picking up my personal set of Milwaukee M-18 FUEL tools, I have has ! cordless skill saw quit that I am not sure how old it was, I went online they sent me a shipping label I sent it back to them and 10 days later another one was at my doorstep, they paid the shipping both ways so customer service for the 1 time I needed it was good, I suspect that if your battery powered tools are older then they may be outdated, IMO Milwaukee set the bar in cordless tool technology but I think the others have probably caught up and more than likely make a good product, bottom line we used the drill you are looking at daily and sometimes nightly on the linecrew and if it held up under us it should survive life on the farm. good luck with whatever you go with.

 

[paulsharvey]

So, I have and like the Rigid 18V line. The warranty is great, battery's are good, prices are really good, it's got maybe just a couple fewer tools in the total line up then Dewalt/Milwaukee. Only complaint is the base model drill that comes with the impact is kinda light duty if your going to be using it for mixing, or other extended, hi-torque stuff.

I had the 6 piece kit from ages ago; but they where never registered (bought through company card at a contractor that no longer exists); and bought the 2 piece drill/impact kit for $99; and those new batteries work just fine with the saws from the 15 year old kit. Then I picked up a 4AH and 3AH battery, mostly to use with the Sawzall and circ saw.