Electrician's Right Angle Drill, Festool option?

[leftistelf]

Looking at wiring a 2500 sq ft basement and, while I love my C12, tripled king studs are a bit much to drill all day.

I've been looking at a Milwaukee Hole Hawg, but I do have a fascination for the green candy...

Is their a suitable Festool product in the USA?

 

[Brice Burrell]

The Festool PDC 18v drill is a beast.  It could be a reasonable substitute for the Hole Hawg.

 

[ear3]

+1 on PDC.  Though if you don't have the 18V platform yet, it will be a bit pricey to get the full kit.  Good news is, once you have the platform, you can get the bare tool option for the other cordless, like the TSC55 or the Carvex.

 

[deepcreek]

I love Festool but not to the point of excluding all other brands from my toolkit.

For drilling stud packs, I use a Milwaukee Super Hawg.  It's a beast.

http://www1.milwaukeetool.com/tools/drills/super-hawg-drills/1-2-inch-super-hawg/1680-20

 

[#Tee]

get the green, its clearly the right thing to do.

 

[Sparktrician]

I have loved the Milwaukee Hole Hawgs for decades.  Be aware that you absolutely must take a good grip on them or they can beat you cross-eyed, then sit there laughing at you. 

 

[tjbnwi]

If all you're drilling is 7/8"-1" holes to run an electrical system the Hole Hawg is way over kill. I drill studding for EMT all the time with the 90º adapter on my T-15. This type of work is the primary reason I both it. The T-15 out performs all the corded right angel drills I own but the Hole Hawg.

I have no problem turning 2-1/2" Fostner bits with the T-15 and 90º adapter when needed.

Make sure you get the Hole Hawg with a clutch, if not you'll soon understand why you should have.

Tom

 

[rizzoa13]

My votes for hole hawg also. There's nothing you'll need to drill that it cant do. Plus you can use it as a mixer for concrete/thinset/spackle/ anything.

On the other hand if your in need of a new drill/driver go that route and get the biggest cordless you can.

 

[Cheese]

I use both...a C 15 right angle with a Milwaukee 1" ship auger bit for 5-10 holes or a corded Hole Hawg with the same ship auger bit for many, many, many holes.

The new M18 Fuel Hole Hawg cordless also looks very interesting.

 

[pingvinlakrits]

That M18 Hole Hawg looks like a serious machine  [eek] though I don't fancy chucks that need a chuck wrench. Feels a bit old. At least the chuck wrench stays on the machine though.

I have a DRC18/4 and I have no problems drilling large holes through beams. I do fit the extra handle though. Working 3-4m up on a ladder drilling beams can be hazardous.

Nowadays I try to do most things with my cordless gear. Occasionally I bring out the gimp and plug in something more powerful but for the most part I try to keep things tangle free. I have turned Green over too many trip wires (cords) in too small a surface area once or twice. I am 18V convert, with a touch of CXS.

 

[yetihunter]

The PDC and DRC do have the right angle and all, but they don't replace a hole hawg or it's variants.   

Hilti has a drill that they claim will substitute the hole hawg.
I honestly don't see how it's a remote comparison, aside from power.

http://www.protoolreviews.com/tools/power/cordless/drills-drivers-cordless/hilti-sf-10w-a18-4-speed-drill-preview/13835/

i'd just stick with the milwaukee.  they have a slew of battery powered and corderd options. 

 

[sancho57]

Though I haven't got it yet, I'm getting the PDC for that purpose. Sure the hole hang is more powerful but can be over kill.

But if Toms T15 can do it then I might save me some $$$ cuz I got a C18.

 

[Locks14]

Though I haven't got it yet, I'm getting the PDC for that purpose. Sure the hole hang is more powerful but can be over kill.

But if Toms T15 can do it then I might save me some $$$ cuz I got a C18.

One thing to consider in terms of "overkill" is that when you're working in tight spaces, sometimes where vision/space is limited, the extra oomph of the hole hawg means that it can power through without causing kickback to the operator. The smaller tools might jam and transfer the force to the operator possibly causing the hands to be jammed against a joist or wrists to be tweaked, etc.

Sometimes the "overkill" aspect has an inherent safety aspect, like a large sharp knife being safer than a small blunt one.

 

[pingvinlakrits]

I have the C18 too - but it is definitely worse for hole hawging since you can't fit an extra grip. I have used it to cut up joined cabinets for running plumping but when the C18 binds the kick is nasty.

With the DRC18/4 it works better with the angle unit and the extra grip. Even more so on a ladder. Running a sharp hole saw and letting the saw / machine do the job takes care of most business.

I don't deny what a Hole Hawg would be a better option but if I look at the amount of holes I usually drill in this fashion my conclusion is that the DRC or PDC will see me through easily - and the C18 in a pinch - and getting a Hole Hawg would be unnecessary for me. One more machine to haul around in the base kit.

If I worked as an electrician or did a whole lot more of framing or even plumbing preparations I would probably see a Hole Hawg as a necessity or a convenience.

 

[Throwback7r]

I have found that it is more the right bit on the end of the drill and not the drill it self. I like the speeder max bits

http://www.amazon.com/Irwin-Industrial-Tools-3041006-Speebor/dp/B000LQ905E

 

[pingvinlakrits]

Those Irwins are nice.
There are similar bits out there that are great too but I use those Irwins and a set of Bosch Speed Cut, blue coating and fast drilling.

Up to 35mm there is nothing wrong with using the C18 or any other drill with an angle attachment but when you get into 50+ diameters and start using hole saws the torque when/if it binds to the material is much more strenous. The reason I often use the Irwins or small hole saws is that the bigger drill bits often are a bit too long to work with in confined spaces.

 

[JSlovic]

I recently completed some remodeling and picked up an old used Hole Hawg at a local pawn shop for what I needed to do.  I'm glad, I did I think it worked better than my T18 especially fitting in some tight areas between joists. 
I'm wrapping up another project mid next year and then will sell it. 

 

[marmot]

I haven't used the Milwaukee that's being referenced here, but I can say the PDC 18/4 Quadrive will be more than enough tool.  The genius behind it is it basically has 4 gears similar to a manual transmission in a car - the lower the gear the more torque you have.  The higher the gear the higher the speed.  It also beeps at you when you've reached the torque limit in the current gear, to tell you to move down a gear for more punch.  It's quite the drill - the kit I purchased also has the right angle chuck and the perpendicular handle for stability and more leverage.  The noise the drill makes at full tilt through a Kreg jig is positively sadistic.  That's not even discussing that you also get the hammer mode (or 'percussion' as Festool calls it).

The new version comes with the 5.2 a/h battery, which lasts forever as well - I basically used it throughout this past weekend and never put in the second battery once.  It's still sitting in the charger and the original battery is snapped into place and when I checked the battery level it was still at 3/4's charge.

I can't say enough good things about this machine.  If I was offered a clean switch between the PDC 18/4 and my dad's Lithium Ion cordless Makita hammer drill, I'd take mine all day.  I used to think the makita would put hair on your palms, but it's not nearly as beastly as the PDC 18/4.

 

[JimD]

I only wired my 14x24 shop but I drilled through as many as 5 2x4s side by side with my Ryobi 18V drill and a 1 inch Irwin speedbor bit - actually a couple since I hit some nails and dulled the first one.  I also needed a short extension to reach through all the 2x4s.  My 1/2 corded drill was an old Craftsman and useless (I threw it away, literally).  My DeWalt 3/8 corded drills are high speed, low torque drills and wouldn't do it.  The only drill I had that would drill the holes with this bit was my Ryobi.  I've also used it to make 2 1/8 holes for locksets in solid doors. 

I am pretty sure that a Festool would do this if a Ryobi did.  My Ryobi is not a right angle drill but worked fine.  If Festool makes something that is similarly not real long, it would be helpful.  There are probably some places a right angle is necessary but I didn't run into any.  Sometimes I used an extension to extend the bit so I could place the drill in a wider stud cavity, however.  Extensions are cheaper than right angle drills.

 

[DiscoStu]

I have the Ryobi right angle drill / driver and it's great and was only £45. I already had batteries.