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

[5030]

I know I can charge up a Li-Ion D cell battery and let it sit for a long time and when I use it, it has almost a full charge Switched from conventional D cells to Li-Ion D cells for my cheapo HF portable pump. It would eat conventional D cells quick.

 

[Sid Post]

Yep, engineer and solar power user so, Lithium Ion and Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries are pretty common to me. They beat Ni-Cd batteries by a significant margin.

In terms of power, it is both Voltage and Current that matter. Charge capacity and capacity over time is a subject way beyond a simple post in a forum.

 

[rScotty]

I have almost a full set of Milwaukee cordless heavy duty. They used to make them 15 years ago. They were called the V-28 series cordless tools.. They used the V or M 28 battery. About twice the power of the M-18, and correspondingly better built and yes....more expensive.
I also have the M18s, and they are very impressive. But for hard duty the older V=28 cordless have more weight and also more quality. Even small things like triggers and tool holders or chucks are a whole different and better quality.
I'm keeping mine. Don't know where to find them. None of mine have needed anything in 15 years now. Including building a couple of boats and rebuilding a barn.

 

[5030]

Scotty, believe me, you ain't gonna blow out grade 8 or 325 Dome head 3/4" dome head rusted in plow bolts with no battery impact. They don't have the suds. I will say that I have had excellent luck with the HF black oxide impact sockets however. Too bad they only come in sizes up to 1". I abuse the hell out of them all the time. I like to take a Williams 1/2 to 3/4 impact adapter and drive them with the IR 3/4 drive impact. At 1900 foot pounds, never broke one yet.

I've split or grenaded every other brand in the past, some have been violent too. Got a nice scar on my arm from one of them that came apart. The bigger sockets are all Williams 8 point impact, with heavy walls. My motto is, if they don't unscrew they will snap off. Snow plow steels really get corroded from the road salt up here.

 

[rScotty]

It's not difficult to design a cordless DC tool with the power of a corded one, but it will have enough large copper windings to be fat & heavy The V-28 half inch drill or 3/4" impact driver have almost - not quite...., but almost - as much torque of their cordled cousins. But they are already heavy and bulky enough to be a bit unwieldy.

Their V-28 right angle cordless drill is real monster cordless. Milwaukee allowed it to go ahead and be heavy. It is almost too heavy for comfort, but it enjoyed brief fame as the "go to" power package for cranking the manual winches on big sailboats. There was even an aftermarket "winchbit" - a special adapter bit just for that drilll so so it could be used in a sailboat winch.

"Recommended: Milwaukee Model 0721 - V28 Right Angle 1/2 inch Right Angle Drill with over 1000 in/lbs. of torque
see: www.winchbit.com

rScotty

 

[plastikosmd]

M18/m12 for me

Yellow stuff went into the garage sale pile

 

[m1garand762]

As a professional user my m18 kit is around 14 years old. It still works great. I have about a dozen batteries in the 5 -8 amp range that last forever. If you do a lot of mechanical work look into the 1/2 inch impact wrench. I have the high torque model and it will loosen the tightness bolts and break red lock tire. I can take off brush hog blade bolts without it even flinching

 

[5030]

Must be a wimpy brush hog as the torque spec on both my 8 footer and my bat wing is 220 foot pounds for the pivot bolts.

 

[chim]

Must be a wimpy brush hog as the torque spec on both my 8 footer and my bat wing is 220 foot pounds for the pivot bolts.

Piece of cake for 1/2" 20V impacts.

 

[5030]

Piece of cake for 1/2" 20V impacts.

remember that is tightening torque, not breaking torque on a corroded fastener. break away torque is usually more than 2 times tightening torque or more, depending on the level of corrosion and the condition of the threads. When I install new plow steels on road plows, the torque spec for 3/4" DHPB nuts is 450 foot pounds with a split lockwasher. I've never had any of them break at 450, ever. Most break at 1000 foot pounds or more and often times way more so they shear off entirely which I actually prefer because all I have to do is use a punch and ball pein hammer to drive out the sheared bolt. That reminds me, I need to swing by Fastenal and pick up a couple boxes of DHPB's and split locks and heavy hex nuts, plow steel season is coming soon.