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Tool Test: Right-Angle Drills
From Tools
of the Trade, March/April 2002
By Rex Cauldwell
The Hole Truth
 Our
tester compares power, balance, and features on seven
new right-angle drills.
I've been a plumber and electrician so
long, I could've wired Ben Franklin's key to his kite.
I plumb and wire both stick and timber frames, and right-angle
drills are perfect for my roughing-in tasks because
they fit well between joists and studs. These brutes
will drill big, deep holes in practically anything,
from bone-dry double 2x10 spruce to 1-1/8-inch-thick
OSB subfloor and rock-hard 8x8 timbers.
Test Criteria
I tested medium-duty and heavy-duty 1/2-inch
right-angle drills. The medium-duty tools include the
DeWalt DW120K, Makita DA4000LR, Milwaukee 3107-6, and
Porter-Cable 7556. The heavy-duty units include the
DeWalt DW124K, Makita DA4031, and Milwaukee 1676-6 Hole
Hawg.
I reviewed the tools' owner's manuals,
tested for power, and evaluated speed-change, balance,
and feel under load. These drills are too powerful to
test in softwood, which wouldn't have yielded useful
comparison results, so I upgraded to white oak timbers,
which I frequently encounter in timber frames.
Out of the Box
Owner's manual. I once worked
with a guy named Elvin who was drilling a ceiling joist
from a stepladder when the bit jammed. The bit stopped
dead, but the drill kept going — and so did Elvin
— until I unplugged it and he dropped to the floor.
When you work with tools this powerful,
it's important to read the directions. Milwaukee has
the best manual in this test group. It covers all the
bits we use and warns about "reaction torque,"
which is what happened to Elvin. The DeWalt manuals
provide little spec info, nor mention anything about
reaction torque. Makita's medium-duty drill manual only
provides maximum diameters for two bits, while its heavy-duty
drill manual is complete. However, both manuals are
in metric. Porter-Cable's manual covers general safety
rules, bit specs, and speed change.
Kit box. Milwaukee and Porter-Cable
have the best kit boxes of the medium-duty group. Both
companies provide tough cases with strong handles and
clasps. Makita's is much too big for its tool. DeWalt's
is made of thin, malleable plastic and doesn't seem
like it will hold up for very long. All the heavy-duty
drills boxes are good and tough, although Makita's is
unnecessarily huge.
Power
Drilling test. Based on manufacturers'
bit specifications, I pitted all the tools against 8-inch
and 15-inch white oak timbers. For each test, I put
a brand-new bit on each tool and buried a 41/2-inch
hole saw, a 29/16-inch self-feed bit, and bored into
the timbers with 1-inch and 1-1/2-inch auger bits.
Medium-duty drills. All of these
tools devoured the white oak and all cut at nearly the
same speed. Each tool easily buried hole saws and self-feed
bits, which means they'd easily cut holes for waste
lines, vents, and wires in softwood for new construction.
They'd also have no problem drilling other materials
like siding or plywood. All the tools spun the bits
in and removed them easily. Makita's was the smoothest,
quietest drill, while the Porter-Cable tool had the
most power of the bunch.
When I buried the 1-1/2-inch auger bits
into a 15-inch timber, the drills finally bogged down
but I couldn't get any of them to back out. Medium-duty
drills' capture bolts can break if you try to reverse
stuck bits. If you encounter serious timber drilling
like this, you need heavy-duty units. Their gearing
mechanics make them heavier, but it's well worth the
weight.
Heavy-duty drills. These models
are the Olympic drill team. All the tools cut at the
same speed but performed differently on the 15-inch
timber test. The 7.5-amp Milwaukee and 8-amp DeWalt
drills labored towards the end. But the 10-amp Makita
steamed through. It spun smoothly and quietly on the
way in, then easily spun back out. The DeWalt and Milwaukee
drills had trouble removing the auger bits.
Features
Feel. Weight is distributed similarly
on most of the medium-duty models. They're comfortable
for drilling straight in, overhead, or sideways in stud
and joist cavities. The Porter-Cable drill, however,
is longer and heavier than the others, which makes it
slightly less manageable. The heavy-duty models have
similar weight distribution, although the Milwaukee
Hole Hawg has the best balance and feel.
Trigger design and handle size impact
how the medium-duty drills feel. Makita has the best
trigger; it's oversized and parallel to the handle.
Even with gloves on, you can get your hands in there
without catching the trigger and there's plenty of room
to engage the forward/reverse switch. DeWalt's small
trigger is okay, but the bottom of the handle gets smaller
and cramps big hands. Milwaukee's handle is a tight
squeeze too, especially near the trigger, which sticks
out too far into the handle space for me. The handle
on Porter-Cable's drill allows lots of room for your
fingers, but the tool would benefit nicely from a flat,
oversized trigger.
Speed change. This is the most
important element separating these two types of drills.
On the heavy-duty tools, you flip a switch to change
from low to high speed. To change speed on a medium-duty
unit, you have to remove the right-angle head and flip
it around, which takes several minutes.
Cool stuff. Small features like
slotted chucks, detachable cords, and clutches make
a big difference with these tools. Slots in the back
of the DeWalt and Makita medium-duty drills' chucks
afford mechanical connections to the gear systems. That
removes pressure off the capture bolts when the tools
are under load in reverse.
Milwaukee and Porter-Cable use a different
chuck mechanism that can put too much pressure on the
capture bolts and could cause them to break. I've snapped
enough bolts to assure you that it's possible and it
isn't fun.
I wish all my tools had a power cord
like Milwaukee's Quick-Lok three-prong, replaceable
power cord. Instead of rewiring a damaged cord, you
simply unplug the Quick-Lok and buy a new one. The only
three-prong cord in the bunch, it doesn't kink in the
box and stays in the receptacle better than a standard
two-prong cord.
Drilling with right-angle drills is dangerous
work, which makes the clutch an important feature. If
the bit sticks in the hole or jambs on a nail, the clutch
kicks in and you don't get hurt or lose control of the
tool. The best feature on the DeWalt DW124K drill is
its clutch. It's nicely tuned and didn't engage during
any of the heavy-duty drilling tests. I think all of
these drills should have a clutch.
Favorites
Overall, I like heavy-duty, direct-drive
models best. They fit in anywhere medium-duty tools
do and they carry out more work. Milwaukee's Hole Hawg
is a great choice if you want a tool that's lightweight,
has good power and easy maneuverability. If you're searching
for pure power, Makita's DA4031 is the answer. However,
DeWalt's DW124K provides the best power and mobility
combination, and it has that terrific clutch.
Makita's DA4000LR is the best of the
medium-duty drills. It's powerful, runs smoothly and
quietly, and has a slotted chuck. I like DeWalt's DW120K.
It's lightweight, powerful, has good speed change, and
it's got a slotted chuck. Next is Milwaukee's 3107-6,
which has good power and a great cord, but lacks a slotted
chuck. Porter-Cable's 7556 is the most powerful of the
medium-duty group. However, it's the heaviest of its
class, lacks a slotted chuck, and has a difficult speed
change.
Too New to Test:
Milwaukee Super Hawg
Milwaukee's new Super Hawg 1/2-inch right-angle
drill, expected to hit the market this month, has the
highest amp-rating in its class, the company says. At
13 amps, Milwaukee also says it's the fastest-drilling
right-angle tool out there, putting out 1,750 rpms in
high gear and 450 in low. It's got a 90-degree rotating
trigger handle for optimum drilling leverage, low-profile
T-Bar front grip, and a clutch in low speed.
Rex Cauldwell is a licensed contractor,
master electrician, plumber, and home inspector. He
lives in Copper Hill, Va.
Tools of the Trade has arranged with
the companies in this test to donate their tools to
Habitat for Humanity.
THANKS to Magna for supplying the
self-feed bits and Lennox for supplying the auger bits
and hole saws.
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