Hilti Drill - Which one?

[potentz]

Hello,
I just bought my first home and I want to buy a good drill that will last a long time. I decided on Hilti, but I am not sure if I should get the 18-A or the 144 version? Also, I don't think I would ever have a use for the hammer drill version. Finally, any good places to buy on-line?

 

[potentz]

Also, wanted to add that I will be primary using the drill for electrical work, other standard home use.

 

[scooby074]

Some of the Hilti's (at least the cordless ones ive seen) are of Chinese origin. I have no idea as to the chinese ones durability, however if its as good as their Corded hammerdrills they should serve you fine.

Hopefully someone will chime in who has direct experience with the cordless products, im curious myself.

 

[Scotto]

You look into lithium-ion drills at all? My next drill will def be one.

 

[HandyManny]

Hilti is a good tool from what I've heard from users of it. Don't own one myself. For general home use you can get along just fine with a much less expensive drill. If you go cordless just go with 14V to 18V. 12V only seems to be good for small stuff.

 

[sberry]

I am not sure I would go Hilti if I wasn't in the market for hammer drill, that is where their expertise is. If I wanted a common corded drill it would be Milwaukee 1/2 hole shooter. I would be hard pressed to purchase a corded drill these days anyway.

 

[Vinko]

I use the 144 for general maintenance work. Drill is made in Europe (either Switzerland or Germany -- I don't remember which). Batteries are from Czech republic. One battery went bad really quick, and they sent a new one out and I had it two days later.

 

[S85B50]

the chinese ones aren´t bad. but i would get a festool T15+3

 

[Scotto]

Hilti is a good tool from what I've heard from users of it. Don't own one myself. For general home use you can get along just fine with a much less expensive drill. If you go cordless just go with 14V to 18V. 12V only seems to be good for small stuff.

12V is fine for almost all jobs. I have a 12V Nicad Ridgid and I've built decks, sheetrocked rooms, and done anything you can imagine. My dad's a general contractor and he only has 12V drills too. The larger battery ones are really heavy and you get fatigued using them a lot. If I need a good amount more power to drill something then I use a corded drill.

 

[HandyManny]

the chinese ones aren´t bad. but i would get a festool T15+3

Festool??? For general home use??? You must have more money than Trump and Gates combined!!! Even among the professionals the only ones I know of that can afford Festool power tools are contractors turned celebrity and now get the big bucks. Guys like Tom Silva or Norm Abrams.

 

[HandyManny]

12V is fine for almost all jobs. I have a 12V Nicad Ridgid and I've built decks, sheetrocked rooms, and done anything you can imagine. My dad's a general contractor and he only has 12V drills too. The larger battery ones are really heavy and you get fatigued using them a lot. If I need a good amount more power to drill something then I use a corded drill.

I actually find anymore that for work around my home I prefere a corded drill. When I worked installing windows, cordless was the way to go. But around my house for some tool I don't use daily I don't want to have to charge the batteries use them partially then let them sit and slowly lose charge over the course of 6 months until I use it again. Even during a large job I may be doing on my house I don't want to have to worry about batteries dying at the worst time. I can only afford to have two or three batteries with one charging all the time. A long extention cord and a corded drill suites me just fine for occasional and even big jobs around my home. And you are right, they offer better power.

 

[Major Ramifications]

Festool??? For general home use??? You must have more money than Trump and Gates combined!!! Even among the professionals the only ones I know of that can afford Festool power tools are contractors turned celebrity and now get the big bucks. Guys like Tom Silva or Norm Abrams.

He's from Germany, so maybe they are cheaper over there, or more common.

I find Hilti products to be good, but not worth their ridiculous prices. Their tools often don't do so well in tool reviews versus more sanely priced brands.
Almost any cordless drill is pretty much disposable due to the cost of replacement batteries. You could buy a whole combo kit of Dewalt, Bosch, Hitachi, Milwaukee, or even Ryobi for the price of a Hilti drill. Why dump so much money into something you have lived without this long? I have always promoted the stepping stone approach, but then I am cheap.

 

[HandyManny]

He's from Germany, so maybe they are cheaper over there, or more common.

I find Hilti products to be good, but not worth their ridiculous prices. Their tools often don't do so well in tool reviews versus more sanely priced brands.
Almost any cordless drill is pretty much disposable due to the cost of replacement batteries. You could buy a whole combo kit of Dewalt, Bosch, Hitachi, Milwaukee, or even Ryobi for the price of a Hilti drill. Why dump so much money into something you have lived without this long? I have always promoted the stepping stone approach, but then I am cheap.

I always bought good tools when I worked on the job. And I worked many different trade jobs early in life and even later after retiring from the flying business. But that was because I was using these tools daily to make a living.

I think these days there's too much influence for the average modern day home owner to want to emulate the pro's. I see it in my own neighborhood. A few people who obviously have desk jobs, smooth hands, and when you see them on weekends occasionally attempting to do some work around their home they appear to not even know how to handle a hammer properly, let alone a circular saw. Yet these same folks have a garage with $400 miter saws, $200 cordless drills, $250 circular saws, plus other stuff. Almost $1000 worth of professional grade tools that sit unused most of the year. I don't know, to each their own I guess. It's their money.

 

[sberry]

I can only afford to have two or three batteries with one charging all the time.

A modern drill only needs 2 batteries to keep a guy busy full time. They aint the same as back in the day. I have 3 heavy duty (among others) corded units and cant recall the last time I use one. They are packed away.

 

[HandyManny]

A modern drill only needs 2 batteries to keep a guy busy full time. They aint the same as back in the day. I have 3 heavy duty (among others) corded units and cant recall the last time I use one. They are packed away.

Try using one to install both deck screws and lag bolts with a 7/16th hex head into railings on a new deck and stairs. I had to recharge both DeWalt batteries twice. Ended up just using my corded drill.

 

[Major Ramifications]

Try using one to install both deck screws and lag bolts with a 7/16th hex head into railings on a new deck and stairs. I had to recharge both DeWalt batteries twice. Ended up just using my corded drill.

Sounds like somebody needs to step up to the 36 volt stuff.

 

[HandyManny]

Sounds like somebody needs to step up to the 36 volt stuff.

I was asking a bit too much from that 12V when I used it to rebuild a new deck this past summer. I had sold my 18V cordless DeWalt a couple years ago because I was no longer using it for doing that type of work. It took up too much space and I already had a corded drill anyway. In any case the older corded DeWalt serves perfect for me anymore.