I like lighter duty hammer drills like this one from Milwaukee as I can turn off the hammer action and just use it as a drill. With the heavy duty commercial hammer drills I can turn off the rotation but not the hammer action and for some drill bits the hammer action will quickly destroy the drill's cutting tips or even knock them off (as they are brazed onto the tool). The hammer action of this drill is adequate for small holes in masonry which is where we have used this drill. For large holes we have moved away from the TCT core drills to the laser welded dry cutting diamond core bits, like the ones from Blue Boar and Husqvarna, where no hammer action is needed or recommended.
The drill is an excellent drill though a bit on the heavy side for extended overhead use (where a Makita is a better choice). The best feature of the drill is its ability to use old NiCads that I had from an older Milwaukee 18v drill. Milwaukee has recently started to sell its new "M series" lithium-ion cordless which are replacing the old "V series" drills like this one. The "V" drills work with either the V lithium-ion batteries or the old NiCad batteries, but the new "M" drills work only with the new "M" type lithium-ion batteries.
Over time it will become more difficult to find the "V" batteries as this was a pretty short model run by Milwaukee. Anyone buying a drill they want to be able to use and get new batteries for over the next 5-10 years would be better off getting the M18 or another brand that is more stable in this regard.
One aspect of this drill that is much better over the new M18 is the design of the second handle which can be positioned (like the DeWalt XRP) anywhere in a 360 degree arc. The new M18 side handle has to be 90 degrees, left or right side, to the drill handle is quite a bit more limiting.
A nice aspect of the new Milwaukee M18 lithium-ion drills is that there are 2 different sizes of power packs so a lighter one can be used by many people who will not need the amps of the full pack and have a lighter drill to work with and the recharge times are half as long for the smaller battery packs. Something that is a little curious is that the Makita lithium-ion battery packs charge in 15 minutes while the small Milwaukee M-type battery packs take 30 minutes and the large battery packs take over an hour to charge.
For most people the full kit will be a better deal but if you have an old Milwaukee 18v NiCad drill and want to gradually ease into lithium-ion this would on the surface seem like a good approach. Unfortunately with the new M-type drills that will not work with either Milwaukee Ni-Cad or Milwaukee V-type lithium ion batteries, this drill is a bit of a dead end and a dubious investment over the long run.
Having been bit in the past by manufacturers that stopped producing batteries for early NiCad drivers and drills I am now much more cautious and want to verify the easy availability of replacement batteries (at local stores) before making a purchase decision. Whether Makita products are better or not is up for debate but their replacement batteries have the widest distribution of any manufacturer which should be a consideration.
If you are chucking your old NiCad batteries there are places including Home Depot that have recycling bins which keeps the deadly cadmium out of local landfills and the water supply.
(11 customers reviews)Customers Rating=4.5 / 5.0
More Detail For
Bare Tool Milwaukee 0824 20 18 Volt Cordless V18 Lithium Ion 1 2 Inch Hammer Drill Tool Only No Battery - Powerful 18-volt cordless 1/2-inch hammer drill
- Provides 550-inch-pounds of torque
- Magnesium gear box for reduced weight and added durability
- 1/2-inch metal ratcheting chuck with carbide jaws for superior gripping strength
- 5-year limited manufacturer-foots warranty
