Question about drill type for Conversion Kit

[Scott O.]

I know it's been asked before and most have recommended a DeWalt or Milwaukee or other type of drill for the conversion kit, but I was wondering if a compact or a hammerdrill type is better for the kit. I've been looking over different drills to get for it, but most good hammerdrills can be $100 more than a compact that has two 20v lithium batteries. I know there's more power and torque in the hammerdrills, but would a compact drill, such as the DeWalt CD780C2 20v Max Li-Ion Compact 1.5 Ah Drill work for it?

[Jim Kusuda]

It is about power and torque. Some have tried the DCD780 compact drill and found that it doesn't work well, only drilling a few holes or burning out. The DCD 980 and 985 have a much larger motor portion when you compare them in the store. The large brushless models work really well in performance testing, Dave Genz had one at Orr last March.

This year the Clam Auger Drill Plate will accept more types of cordless drills. Last year I would sandwich a steel mending plate with an extra bolt and nut, along with the U-bolt and knobs to extend the angle bracket for attaching the handles on drills of different dimensions.

[Scott O.]

Thanks Jim. That's what I needed to know. I figured it was probably best to use a hammer drill, but wanted to make sure. Are there any other brands that work well besides going for the high end DeWalts, Milwaukees, etc? Any middle brands work well, such as Craftsman, Ryobi, Makita, Hitachi, Bosch, etc.? Looking for a good drill in the $150-$200 range. Want to make a good drill purchase, but don't need the absolute best as I'd be drilling at the most around 10-15 holes per location I move to.

[Lawrence Luoma]

Here is the perfect setup. I ran the same one last season but wasn't brushless. Drilled well over 5000 holes without any issues. I will still run that one and the brushless model seen here this season. The new 5Ah batteries will also prove to be key!!

[Scott O.]

Thank you Lawrence for the recommendation. I'll keep it in mind for sure as it looks like an excellent drill. However, not sure that the price of this model is in my range with the small budget I have this year. Are there any other brands that work well besides going for the high end DeWalts. Any middle brands work well, such as Craftsman, Ryobi, Makita, Hitachi, Bosch, etc.? Looking for a good drill in the $150-$200 range. Want to make a good drill purchase, but don't need the absolute best as I'd be drilling at the most around 10-15 holes per location I move to.

[amateurfishing]

Scott, honestly the price range you r talking bout may only bgood for early ice If they work for that. I had a makita on mine last year and immediately went to dewalt after 1 outing in 3-4 inches of ice. The amount of torque and power necessary to turn the auger and drill into ice really does require a better drill. Keep eye open on websites or even used/clearance stuff. An under powered auger us almost no auger at all.

[Lawrence Luoma]

I agree with amateurfishing on this one. Keep an eye out for sales. I picked up the kit here at runnings for $209 on sale a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, you get what you pay for, everything from drill performance to battery performance is effected on the quality of drill you get.

With that said, I can't say what would work better or worse as I can only report on what rocked for me last season. I've heard some people having bad experiences and everyone of those stories points to the quality of drill they used. The Clam Drill plate does help performance though of any drill and allows the drill to last longer.

[Tod Todd]

Scott not sure about the hammer drill but I run the Milwaukee M18 lith with great results and looking at the picture Lawrence posted that is not a hammer drill.

[Lawrence Luoma]

Todd, last year I used Model DCD985M2 which is the hammerdrill but not brushless. My guess is drilled over 5000 holes with it and didn't have a problem. The one I pictured is the normal drill and I bought it because after some investigation. As far as I could tell there isn't a difference between the new brushless hammerdrill and the normal brushless drill that I could find other than the switch setting. So when I saw the brushless normal drill on sale for $209 I picked it up.

[Scott O.]

Thanks for all the help guys. It seems that I can't set my sights too low since I hope to use the plate all season so it looks like I'll need to get ahold of a higher end model. Thanks for recommending looking at sales. Maybe I'll get lucky.

[Tim Moore]

I ran the Dewalt compact last season and burned it up on my second outing (I drill a lot of holes guiding). I switched to the 20V Dewalt brushless (DCD990) and I am very happy with it.I agree with Lawrence about the new 5Ah batteries. I'll be upgrading to them this season which will give me four batteries.

[Tony Mariotti]

I ran the Milwaukee "M18 Fuel 1/2" Drill Driver Kit 2603-22" last year: bought it new on hsolist with 2 of the 4 amp batteries for 190+ shipping: So it was delivered to me for about 215 bucks. Don't bother wasting your money on a 100 dollar 18v drill, you will end up just throwing the money away after it doesn't cut the way you want.

[muc33]

I know there are more threads about this, but this one cuts to the chase right away and is great information for those who may be holiday shopping with lots of DeWalt and Milwaukee tools specials for Black Friday and such! Great info..

[Bob Hicks]

Go here: CPO Milwaukee. I saw this item in action last season and my bride is getting it as my Christmas gift this year. You'll notice it comes with 2 extended use batteries which will get you through 2 feet of ice over 100 times without recharging. And it meets your budget limitation. Does it get any better than that?

[rwill]

Wife got me Dewalt 20v Brushed drill with Clam plate. Worried about burning it out this season. Will the Dewalt XR take the same batteries? I can get just the drill online for cheap

[Jim Kusuda]

Yes, if they are lithium ion 20V Max Dewalt tools and batteries, all are compatible.