It’s easy to imagine that to the untrained eye, drills are just drills. Should the brand of your cordless drill and the power tools you buy matter?
Are the Hilti drills worth the price? What about the generic drills and drill bits from China?
These are just a few of the questions that will be tackled here. For the new do-it-yourself project you are planning, knowing the answers will help you to decide which tools to get and which to stay away from.
Why Hilti?
Yes, Hilti power tools are high-priced. In the construction industry, they are still the preferred choice. The high prices for Hilti drills are justified not because they are popular and used by top corporations. On the contrary, it’s never about brand name, but about being dependable and of quality. Here are some of the best features of Hilti power tools:
- Can handle rough use
- Designed to last for generations. You can actually pass Hilti drills on to your children
- Easy to find replacement parts
- Replacement parts are equally tough and will not compromise your project
- Hilti drills are ergonomically designed. This means it should fit comfortably in the palm of your hand without stressing your fingers or elbow
- Multi-purpose in the sense that the Hilti cordless drills can be fitted with different bits. You will not have to buy different Hilti drills for specific jobs. One Hilti drill is good enough for a wide range of DIY projects
There are different kinds of Hilti drills but you can first narrow down your choices to the corded or the cordless. Obviously the Hilti cordless drills are far more convenient but they do sell at a higher price. At this point, you can make a practical choice to buy the corded drill and a long extension cord. If you do this, be sure to take the necessary precautions against tripping over wires or getting entangled in the middle of your drilling.
Hammer Drill or Rotary Hammer Drill – What’s the Difference?
When you drive over to the hardware or your local home depot, you’ll be bombarded with choices. You’ll notice that there are hammer drills and rotary hammer drills. Here’s the difference:
A hammer drill is meant to make holes up to one inch in diameter through hard surfaces like cement blocks or brick. Rotary hammer drills are the heavy-duty drills that are used for big slabs of pure cement or areas where poured cement needs to have holes. Also, it makes bigger holes faster with less wasted drill bits. Keep in mind that drill bits will wear down so the sooner you finish the job, the more likely your Hilti drill bits will last.
You can also differentiate them by the way they operate. Hammer drills are like little fingers drumming on a table while the rotary hammer drills pound away with full force. Get the picture?
For DIY projects, the hammer drill is good enough for almost all kinds of projects. A DIY project is not a massive scale plan like building roads or skyscrapers. At most, you will be using it to drill holes for small constructions like a garden shed, fence, or even a dog house. On the other hand, if you’re planning to tear down a wall, the rotary Hilti drills for sale may not make sense because it’s a one-time task. You’re better off still buying the hammer Hilti drill and renting a rotary hammer drill for a day.
Hilti Drills Compared To Other Brands
Compared to other brands, most professionals would still recommend the Hilti drills for home DIY projects or small scale construction projects. From the many Hilti drill reviews, the majority of buyers have expressed extreme satisfaction with the Hilti. It has been dropped from second floor heights, kicked, thrown aside in frustration and even stored for years – it still manages to work. You know how it is when you’re so intense about finishing a job or completing your DIY on time, you become a little rough and careless. There’s no need to worry about the occasional tough treatment; your Hilti drill can take it.
A generic drill that has a name you may not even be able to pronounce will probably fall apart within two years. Even one whose name you can pronounce, and hear quite often, is more than likely still of poorer quality and construction than a Hilti drill.
You also have to consider if the generic drill even has an office near you or a website you can successfully call and discuss issues with the drill. With Hilti, whether you’re in the United States or the United Kingdom, you’ll always be able to find the drills you need, with easy access to customer service.
The Hilti Cordless Drill Models
The different kinds of Hilti drill models are the following:
- The Cordless Rotary Hammer 3.9 kg uses the NiMH or NiCd batteries and runs on 24v
- The Cordless Rotary Hammer 3.3 kg use the Lithium Ion battery and runs on 22v
- The Cordless Rotary Hammer 4.0kg uses the Lithium Ion battery and runs on 36v
- The Cordless Rotary Hammer 4.9 kg uses the Lithium Ion battery and runs 36v
- The Cordless Compact Drill Driver 1.5 kg and gets up to 1700rpm
- The Cordless Compact 3 Speed Drill Driver runs on 14v and achieves 2250 rpm
There are other Hilti drills you can buy but they are electric drills. Performance-wise, the Hilti electric drills are just as capable as the cordless; it’s only a matter of price and preference.
Hilti Drill Bits
Another interesting thing about Hilti drill bits is that they have easy recognition codes. There are just 3 basic kinds of drill bits:
- The TE-T Connection Ends
- The TE-C Connection Ends
- The TE-Y Connection Ends
It’s not difficult to figure out which bit you’ll need to use. Each drill bit will have a letter on it indicating the kind of drill bit it is. So, you either see a letter T, C, or Y. Of course, they all have differences in appearance but as a new user of the Hilti drills, this coding will work better until you memorize their end shapes.
In summary, Hilti drills are amazing power tools that can get a job done quicker and neater. You will have less debris to clean up or cracks to fill in. However, you have to get the right tool to do the job properly. If not, you’re wasting time and could end up frustrating and dumping the DIY project for good. That’s where the Hilti drills come in handy.