Hammer Drills Reviews

The Hyloft is perfect for us, as we have a high ceiling in the garage and lots of things we want to save. I ordered 2 systems thru Amazon and initially tried to install them. I watched the video yet found the studs to be very difficult to locate.

Via the Hyloft website, I found a local operation to install them. The company, however, needs to make money as well and required me to have at least 4 units to install versus the 2 I bought here. I completely understood, especially given the drive time and fuel costs.

The Hyloft system itself is a great way to expand your storage and provide an archival system for things you just can't throw away.

I'm very happy I worked through an expert company who installs these daily. It took them less than 2 hours to install 4. They had to drill thru steel to access the wood stud, which was even hard for them. They Hylofts are now perfectly aligned along the ceiling which looks very clean. The extra cost was well worth it.

I just recently gutted my garage and played my own version of Clean Sweep. Couldn't have done it without these. We installed 3 and it took several hours but WELL WORTH IT! Highly recommended, you'll be more than pleased!

I bought two of these and cannot believe how much they hold. It took my husband three hours to install with much of that time finding the first stud. Someone wrote a review about their unit only having two support beams, but each of mine has four as pictured. My huband said the instructions are easy to follow and the assembly is painless. I just love how nice they look and how much stuff I was able to pile on them.

If you can deal with a cord, you can't do better than this drill. It's very impressive. Amazon is selling them a little high, so check around. I got mine on ebay for $80 brand new.

POWER is the word! I was on a ladder drilling with a 4" hole saw overhead. You can see where this is leading. Use to wimpy 18 volt guns I was 1 handing it when hole saw hooked up and stopped! My new magnum however kept on turning. I hung on for 1 turn and got clobbered on the following 2! I love my drill! It broke my wrist and I still say it's the best! It's the Top-Fueler's of screw guns.

The 302's long fault is that it needs a cord.
I have had this drill for 3 years and I don't use it much.
I use my cordless drills including my powerful Dewalt 988.
Today I used a 3 in holesaw to drill thru a 2 by 4,once I used the Dewalt,It struggled but drilled the hole. Then I used the
Milwalkee 302,it drilled It with ease and didn't even slow down.
I was very impressed.I will use the Milwaukee for the really heavy drilling from now on.I will use the cordless drills for
light to fairly heavy use (about 95% of the time). Why put unneeded strain on a good cordless drill?
If you are looking to buy a strong corded drill,look at Milwaukee first.

I had this kit for less than 1 month and cannot tell you how many times I have used it..I just built some shelves for my mom and it was a breeze having the cordless conveinence but furthormore the circular saw does not stop..I ripped down some boards with no problem and it has plenty of power. I did look at dewalt circular saw and the milwaukee is built 10 TIMES BETTER..
Dewalts cordless drills seem fine but I think milwaukee is built with tough standards..Buy this combo you will not be dissapointed...I know this was the best purchase I made!!! Hope this helps...

I tried an entry-level Ryobi quad-pack (at the Orange store) with circular saw, sawzall, 1/2 drill, and flashlight. Not all that bad for $199.00, but I needed a hammerdrill and wanted longer battery life as well as more precision tools. I bought the Dewalt saw and hammer/drill and found it was physically impossible to make one-handed 45's with the saw. Very clumsy "safety" switch, probably ends up being somewhat dangerous considering what you have to do to be able to finally pull the trigger switch.

I then discovered Milwakee's saw/hammerdrill combo on Amazon, all I cold find was the higher item count sets at the Orange store. I am extremely happy with my choice. Some of my oldest tools are Milwakee and I have no reason to get new as they are tough and capable ene though 25 years old (sawzall and 1/2" angle drill, both have lot of miles on them).

One thing no one has mentioned is the brake on the saw. Let go of the switch and it stops instantly, something my wormdrive and other circulars don't do. When it comes to safety, that is right up there as far as effective. A coasting cirluar can do a lot of damage, if it gets away from you. Safety switches and blade gaurds are questionable in the final analysis, but without them, the lawyers would be driving bigger cars, I suppose.

Another reason I bought this saw was, aside from the incredible conveinece, is it is light and well balanced and at 60, I'm just not as strong as I used to be. This saw is light comparatively speaking.

I am a homeowner and hobby woodworker. I purchased this set of cordless tools after using a friend's DeWalt set. Milwaukee sends DeWalt to the back of the line in quality, ruggedness, power, you name the category. You want to see a friend cringe with envy, pull this set out while he is using his DeWalt. I chose this set from shopping in the local stores and using Amazon's reviews. Thanks everyone who posted five stars, you all were right. This is one of my first reviews on anything, I usually don't take the time, but I just had to tell the world about this set of Milwaukee tools. Simply, these tools ROCK!

I'M AN ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR AND USE THE HOLE HAWG ALMOST EVERY DAY...THE ONLY OTHER ONE I'VE USED ALOT IS THE MAKITA AND THO IT'S A GOOD TOOL, THE MILWAKEE JUST SEEMS TO BE TOUGHER. I DEFINATELY RECOMEND IT TO ANYONE THAT HAS TO DO SOME SERIOUS HOLE DRILLING, ESPECIALLY BIG HOLES...BUT PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT YOUR DOING, IT'LL HURT YOU IF YOUR CARELESS.....

This drill puts others to shame. Drilling through the toughest material, this one has enough torque to get the job done, and still more to spare. The limit to what you can get done with this tool is determined not by the torque that the drill puts out, but by your own strength--when the bit binds on you, the drill will literally wrench itself out of your hands. The warning that the Amazon review gives is apt; new users should be careful with this behemoth because it has more power than you might think. Screw on the secondary, perpendicular handle to keep a hold on this monster as it bores through wood, concrete, asphalt, metal--the tool can handle it all. But can you handle the tool?

In addition to being an outstanding tool for electrical and plumbing, mine survied 3" of water. I let it dry out, cleaned up the outside and it runs like new still. The self-feed bits pull it through the heaviest 2" solid, dry, and well aged oak -- without burning the wood. And its not just for pros. Anyone who has to do electrical, plumbing, or has to drill through studs or heavy wood, will benefit from this tool.

I have a lot of hammers. This is the best. A joy to use. What else can I say.

The art of making a good hammer isn't exactly new. This claw hammer isn't too different therefore from the claw hammers of our fathers or our father's fathers. This hammer does absorb the impact very well, and is very lightweight for its strength. The hammer is made by Stanley, so you know its going to be a good quality construction, but there is really nothing here that is much different from any other hammer. Its not laser guided and doesn't have GPS tracking, but it is reliable when it comes to knocking nails into things.

Amazing hammer. Works like a hot darn. Easy to hold when it gets wet. Packs quite the punch but does not feel awkward. My only complaint is the checkered face on mine wore down very quickly, not a huge deal however. It sure has made the tendonitis clear up in my elbow. Keep up the good work Stanley!

I land survey - bought for drilling 5/8" holes into asphalt/concrete pavements to set 1/2" rebar for property corners-land monuments -- I used a 16" Milwaukee Magnum44 bit - This unit will walk right through the pavement - drilled 2-5/8" holes 14" in depth - and today drill a 1/2" hole through a 6"X12" depth concrete compressive strength test cylinder 4000 PSI - after drilling these three holes the battery level is still shows three lights. These is a very impressive tool - better than a 1/2 gas powered hammer drill. I would recommend the Bosch 11225VSRH to any one - and the name is correct - ANNIHILATOR.

great tool love the power indicators on the batteries handles everthing i throw its way day in day out just wish it had a chipping only mode gotta plug in my bulldog model to get that type of work done

I am a concrete contractor who since the cordless era has tried nearly all drills, hammer drills or any drill claiming to have the ability to drill 4-6 inch deep holes in concrete with close to the power of a 1 inch rotary hammer. Finally Bosch has done the job. The 11225 will drill 60-70 1/4 inch holes 4-6 inches deep in cured 4000 psi concrete. As most concrete contractors we use tapcons for all our form work and this rotary hammer has proven itself as a time,which means money, saver. We can now set forms on footings without generators or cords. Enough said.

This hammer is an excellent complement to a full-fledged framing hammer. Because it has a shorter handle than the Estwing framing hammers, it works great for sheathing roofs and roofing, as well as other closer-in work. Still has the rip claw like a framing hammer. The 20 oz. weight gives it the right punch to drive nails without being unwieldy. The new shock-reducing handle does seem to work. Certainly softer than the old handle style.

I purchased my Estwing 20 oz. Vinyl Grip Rip Claw Hammer from a certain Blue store recently. Although it costs more than other hammers, the Estwing is superior due to its simple one-piece design. During a long day of installing wood siding with this hammer recently, I appreciated its flawless weight distribution and rigidity. The grip is of excellent design and proves comfortable day after day on the job-site. After a redesign from previous generations (which I have occationally used), the new grip material is softer, thereby reducing vibration noticably over previous models.

Let me start by saying that I am not a contractor and I don't use my tools for a living. Having said that, I do all of my own home repair/renovation work and at one point or another I have built everything from furniture to room additions to a 24' by 40' pole barn. I have owned this hammer for a long time - at least 6-8 years, and although the metal has tarnished to a dark grey it is still in as good of shape as the day I bought it. The face has remained very flat and true and the handle grip is holding up just fine. I love the balance of this hammer and the weight is just right for jobs like framing where power is more important than finesse.

All in all this is what I would consider a useful and indestructible tool at a great price.

(This is an amendment of my earlier review, based on some feedback from the discussion posts. Thanks M. Black and Stevie Q for your comments)

My Dewalt cordless drill had served me well, but the batteries were getting weak, and I thought it time to step up to a new technology. There were several choices out there: Panasonic's superb, long-life drills, Hitachi's cool-looking powerhouse, and Milwaukee's 28 v lithium ion kit. Which is the best choice?

I almost bought the Panasonic, which was a great value for the drill alone, certainly from appearances a better buy than the Makita. But I thought I could use the extra tools in the kit. Ultimately, I went for the kit, and I'm glad I did. Put me in the category of those who never had that much use for battery powered tools (other than a drill) because of my perception that they had limited power. I always wanted the biggest, the best. The Makita lithium ion combo kit changed my perception.

First, the drill. That 560 in-lbs of torque is more than enough. It compares favorably to Milwaukee 28 v.'s 600 ft-lbs, and weighs less, only 5.2 lbs. The drill has 3 speed settings, and within each setting you can also vary the speed by pulling the trigger less or more. You have to wonder how they crammed all of that power in such a light tool!

Well, it's not just a drill. Flip the top switch, and it's a hammer drill. I had never used a hammer drill before, always having forced those concrete bits using a regular drill, which worked okay. But as a hammer drill, this Makita tore right through tiles and concrete so fast I had to slow down--deep, fine holes without overheating the bit, and fast. What a pleasure.

All of the Makita tools in this kit have a light that comes on when you start to work. Touch the trigger, and even before the tool starts spinning, your work area is illuminated. If you are working in an area where a lot of shadows are cast, this is a really nice feature. Unlike the Hitachi which also has a light, this light runs right off of your rechargeable battery (apparently the Hitachi requires separate batteries).

Now, the circular saw. What, pray tell, can you possibly do with a battery-operated saw, I thought. The answer, I have found, is just about anything, and better than I could do it with my electric circular. My other saw is the worm-drive Skilsaw, perhaps the top-rated circular saw. It hasn't come out of its canvas bag since I got this Makita. I really put the Makita saw to the test, ripping 8-ft pieces of bubinga , 1 1/2" thick the full length. Bubinga, also known as African rosewood, is one of the densest, hard to cut woods around. I could get a good 3 8-ft rips before the battery played out. Now, that may not sound like much, but then, you have to know bubinga. On 2" zebrawood (also a hardwood) I could get 5, and I reckon it could get 10 8-ft rips on pine. And for a guy making furniture, it gives me all of the cuts I need between charges. So the power to cut just about anything is there. Just don't expect to run all day on a single charge while sawing. With the extra battery on the charger, you should be fine.

But the real beauty of the saw is in the quality of cut and control. Whether a cross-cut or a rip, the cut is really smooth, with no wood burns. And the blade guard never gets stuck, even when I'm shaving off the finest amount on an edge. It is so well balanced that I can control it with my left and alone (and I am right-handed). Now, compare this to my monster Skilsaw worm drive. Powerful, yes, but difficult to control, with a lurch when you start it up. Both hands are absolutely necessary. On trimming edges, the blade guard often gets stuck (and this is common on almost every other corded circular saw I have used). So, you have to use your hand to slide up the blade guard while holding the monster with the other, which is difficult. Because it is so powerful and hard to balance, wood burns are common. Keeping it flat on the wood while shaving off the edge is next to impossible. I get much better quality cuts with this Makita. A further advantage is the dust reduction. The Makita, first of all, has a finer kerf blade, 1/16" I think. So, dust is reduced proportionately. Most of the dust exits through a cleverly designed hole in the blade guard in a neat little pile next to the cut, instead of blowing it all over me and the workshop. The texture of the dust is different also; it's not fine dust that blows all over the place, but slightly coarse, so it stays put. Now I won't exactly say that I exit the shop dust-free. But I will say, there's a lot less dust on me, and shop clean-up is a lot easier. And unlike the Panasonic cordless saw, the Makita takes standard arbor diameter blades which you can pick up cheap almost anywhere.

Finally, the impact driver. What's this? I'd never used one before. Well, it is extremely light to begin with, just over 3 lbs, and puts out 1280 in-lbs of torque, which is over twice that of the drill. By using short bursts of power, it knocks in bolts and heavy duty screws with a lot more ease than your drill, without torquing your arm off. In fact, you hardly feel any torque at all. It's not for every screw, because it has no clutch, so it will break off screws and bolts that can't handle the 1280 in-lbs. Reversable too, so great for changing tires. I've found myself using it quite a bit. I've driven #12 screws into 2" of hardwood without so much as a starter hole. It's the tool to use when a lot of torque is required. By comparison, the Milwaukee 28 lithium ion impact driver delivers 600 in-lbs of torque. That's nice for lighter screws, which would not break on the lighter torque. But then, for lighter screwing, I use the drill, with its adjustable clutch. Comparing weight, Milwaukee's impact driver weighs over 8 lbs vs. 3.3 lbs for Makita's impact driver and 5.2 lbs for Makita's drill. The hammer drill and this impact drill combined will pretty much takes care of all of my drilling and screwing needs.

The set also comes with a light, which will stand up anywhere and which you can use to illuminate your work area. With all 3 tools providing their own light, I've never used it in the shop. But as a flashlight it's great-lightweight, and 5 hours of run-time on a charge, and the xenon bulb is very bright. You can stand it upright and point it at a white ceiling and it will illuminate the entire room. If you need a broad area lit up for some reason, it does quite a good job. The head is adjustable, so you can point it perpendicularly or at a 135 degree angle as well.

Milwaukee has a 28 v lithium-ion set. Milwaukee's 28 v are good if you are doing exceptionally heavy work, and you will get more done on those massive 28 v batteries. But I can't imagine doing much more than cutting through thick, dense tropical hardwoods, which my Makita does just fine. And the Makita tools weigh less-a LOT less. Makita's battery charge time is 45 minutes vs. Milwaukee's 60 minutes. Using the two batteries, I have never been lacking for power between charges. Since the Makita gives me more than enough power, it was a good choice for me. Recently I note that Milwaukee is selling a lot of reconditioned lithium ion equipment and not the new equipment. Maybe there were some bugs to be worked out. I've been working the Makita tools daily for about 4 months now with no problems.

What about those lithium ion batteries? All indications are that they are supposed to take a lot more recharges than even NiMH, and the weight savings contribute to the ergonomic beauty of this whole set. There is a great discussion at the Tool Barn website on this set, including the advantages/disadvantages of lithium ion batteries, and it is worth a read. Apparently, some believe that they can lose amp-hours over time, even if not in use. Makita denies this. Their charger is fan-cooled to control the effects of overheating on battery life, and it charges them up full in 45 minutes, which I can verify. The 3 amp-hours will go a long, long way on everything but the saw, and even with the saw, it should get you by until your spare is recharged. Personally, I can't say if those batteries will lose power with time yet, but it's not really an issue, given that the cost of a pair of new batteries is reasonable, which I can budget for every couple of years if necessary.

In conclusion--if you want a set that is lightweight, ergonomically exceptional, will light up your workpiece, powerful enough to drill, screw, or cut just about anything, will last long between charges, and is a lot easier to control than your current mega-tools, the Makita set is cutting edge. It out-specs the competition in every way that matters to me, and at the price I paid, it really can't be beat. If you don't need every tool in the set, check out offers on any individual tool and see if the extra tool for free is still on offer.

Treat yourself! This stuff will keep you smiling for years to come.

I bought this combo kit as an impulse from home depot. There was a mail in promo for a free Makita recipro saw. There was also a Home Depot promo for $100.00 off. I paid $399. for everything. The impact driver alone is worth almost that much. Makita makes great tools. They are durable and comfortable.

I would say that I'm an occasional "Do-it-yourselfer" from Mililani, Hawaii but this combo kit from Makita just blew me away. I can't believe the technological advances of their product since my first Makita cordless, a 9.6 Volt Drill-Driver 20 years ago-and I still have it. You'd expect an 18 volt cordless tool to be very bulky, but the tools in this kit are compact, very ergonomic, well balanced and not bulky. You won't be wasting energy, straining to work the tools. You'll also appreciate LED lighting on the all the tools. The power and torque behind the Circular Saw, Impact Driver and Hammer Driver-Drill are impressive compared to other brands I've tried. The free mail-in offer for the Cordless Reciprocating Saw was impressive too. It packed power just as my corded Reciprocating Saw. The High Capacity Lithium-Ion Batteries did not fail me. They packed a lot of juice and lasted a while in between charges. Also, I came to appreciate the 4-Position Flashlight. With all the rain that we've been having lately, the flashlight came in handy during blackouts. I didn't need to bringout my gas lantern; flashlight supplied all the light we needed. Overall, the tools performed flawlessly and I had joy using them. This 18 Volt Lithium-Ion Cordless Combo Kit from Makita is truly a great product. Aloha.

i'll preface this by saying i'm a professional carpenter and make my living using my tools.

i have owned or used worm-drives from skil, makita, and bosch, as well as sidewinders from porter-cable, makita, hitachi, skil, and dewalt. this milwaukee is my saw of choice in nearly every situation--it is light (4+lbs less than a worm-drive), powerful, accurate, and the tilt-lok handle is a great feature. at first, i thought i'd not use the tilt-lok often, but i end up using it in a different position several times a day. another feature easily overlooked but crucial is the positioning of the secondary handle. i most often cut one-handed anyway, but when i do grab the front handle, my hand and wrist are far enough forward to stay well away from the blade sightline.

my only (small) complaint is that i'd prefer the dust collection to be a bit more organised. porter-cable saws do a great job with this, and i wonder why the other manufacturers can't seem to get it together.

if i had it to do over again, i'd spring for the blade brake model--the blade can do a lot of damage in the 8-10 seconds it takes to spin down.

I received this saw as a birthday present, allowing me to retire my old underpowered and inaccurate Black & Decker "Sawforce" saw. The Milwaukee arrived in perfect condition and purred like a kitten from the start. I have been very impressed with every aspect of this thing, most notably:

The tool-less ability to change the base plate angle as needed;

The POWER. It cuts wet framing lumber and quarter sawn white oak with equal ease;

With all that power, I have not experienced any binding, stalling, kicking, burning etc;

The tilt lock handle is fantastic. I cannot conceive of using a saw without it now that I have it;

The blade that came with the saw is quite good.

Overall I cannot say enough good things about this saw. Its relatively light, very accurate, powerful, and feels like it will outlast me. Buy one yourself and you won't be sorry!

I bought this saw about 5 months ago to replace an old Makita and have used it almost daily since. I did a lot of research before buying using online reviews and magazine comparisons. After reading the reviews and having previous experience with other Milwaukee products, I opted for this one.

The tilt-lok handle makes it very easy to change positions, allowing for maximum control and comfort while sawing. I especially like the adjustable front handle. It makes beveled cuts a snap, keeping maximum leverage right where it needs to be. Once you use it, you will miss it if you have to use anything else. With 15 amps, I haven't found any wood too tough to cut with it even with a dulling blade. I purchased the edge guide about two months ago. This is a necessary addition if you cut lots of plywood.

I am becoming quite a Milwaukee "fan-boy". Every tool of theirs I've bought has been a winner. As long as they keep making tools with this kind of quality, performance and features, I'll be a user for life. This saw will be a welcome addition to any serious woodworker's shop or contractor's truck. If you're still undecided, give this saw a try. You won't regret it.

Read all the reviews here and decided to give it a try. The saw I previously used was a 20 years old SKIL saw. Let me tell you,this saw doesn't hold a handle to the old SKIL. It sounds like any other cheap saw from Harbor Freight (kind of rocks instead of bearings feeling). Besides, a pretty strong vibration would come and go while you are cutting. I don't know what I'm going to choose next, one thing I know for sure, I'm not going to keep this saw. The hight adjustment leaver got jammed and it took all my strength to loosen it. Bottom line, it would be a good $30 saw, not a $130 one.

well. The saw is powerful, and fairly lightweight. Not jumpy either, very smooth. The case is clown-shoes big and the adjustable handle is a bit stiff, but overall a worthwhile investment and a good deal at that. (this review is for "left blade" consumers only. I cannot speak for the other side.)
And I am over the age of 13. Really.

Good strong saw, 2 things bother me though, 1 made in mexico, 2 the saw slides around in the case and seems to be a circular saw / router case, not a standard saw case with slots to hold extra blades or small parts.