# HILTI cordless tools!



## FragElectric (Mar 2, 2010)

My primary 18 volt hammer drill/driver for the last 8 years has been a HILTI SF180-A and though I am on my second set of batteries in that time it still works almost as good as new. At the time I bought it HILTI didn't offer much else in the way of cordless tools so I had to look at the other brands for reciprocating saws, circular saws, etc. In that time I have gone thru two sets of Milwaukee 28v tools, a set of DeWalt 18 volt tools, and a set of 18v Makita LXT tools. All those brands had to be serviced under warranty at least twice during the time I had them and getting them serviced was a pain in the @$$ as the only place near me that serviced them was 40 minutes away and it took at least a month to get the tool back. The batteries from all of them seemed to be junk as well. 

So now that I started my own business I decided to go back to HILTI for my cordless needs. I purchased one of each of almost all HILTI offers in cordless and have been using them for about a month now. Since I purchased so many at one time the HILTI rep gave me 30% off the entire order and also thru in some of the tools for free so I ended not paying much more than if I had bought one of the other brands. I must say I am impressed with the tools so far. They are simply amazing. I can't believe I haven't gone back to HILTI sooner. My favorite so far is the TE 7-A cordless rotary hammer. That thing kicks some serious @$$. If anybody is looking into getting a new cordless tool anytime soon I would highly recommend HILTI. Don't let the price scare you as its pretty easy to get the reps to drop the price in line with the other brands.


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

What's your address, and how good are your locks?:laughing:


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

MDShunk said:


> What's your address, and how good are your locks?:laughing:


 
Naaa. We'll just wait until he rolls up on the jobsite. I'll push him down and hold him, you grab the goodies.:whistling2:


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## Mike_586 (Mar 24, 2009)

480sparky said:


> Naaa. We'll just wait until he rolls up on the jobsite. I'll push him down and hold him, you grab the goodies.:whistling2:


that just didn't come out right.....


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## cdnelectrician (Mar 14, 2008)

Mike_586 said:


> that just didn't come out right.....


Hahahaha! LOL Yea, it didn't!


I love Hilti's tools:thumbup: That still must have cost you a small fortune, hopefully your employees treat them well!


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## captkirk (Nov 21, 2007)

I agree with marc. For the van I just want pretty good. I dont need the best. To many sticky fingers.and guys dropping them off roofs and ladders.... And for what its worth when I needed to get a big hammer drill I got almost double the drill for the same money when I got a Metabo. The hilti equivilent was almost double. And its not a tool that I would use a lot of to warrent such a splurge. And I am pretty hard on my tools. I demand a lot from them sometimes. Millwaukee does a decent job for me. Although I still think the old NiCad 18 v was a monster.


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## FragElectric (Mar 2, 2010)

captkirk said:


> I agree with marc. For the van I just want pretty good. I dont need the best. To many sticky fingers.and guys dropping them off roofs and ladders.... And for what its worth when I needed to get a big hammer drill I got almost double the drill for the same money when I got a Metabo. The hilti equivilent was almost double. And its not a tool that I would use a lot of to warrent such a splurge. And I am pretty hard on my tools. I demand a lot from them sometimes. Millwaukee does a decent job for me. Although I still think the old NiCad 18 v was a monster.


This set was for the truck that I work out of. I asked the electrian running my other truck what setup he wanted and he chose metabo. I got him the new Metabo LTX combo kit which comes with the hammer drill reciprocating saw, circular saw, and flashlight. I also got him the Metabo 25.2v rotary hammer. He is a big Metabo fan and I have to admit they are pretty nice tools. I haven't had a chance to use them yet but they seem like they are on par quality wise with the HILTI's. They weren't cheap but they were not quite as much as the HILTI's either.


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## GEORGE D (Apr 2, 2009)

Wow. How much did all that set you back? I never looked into Hilti cordless tools . Are they really superior to milwauke, dewalt, makita etc...? If so then they will definitely be my next set especially if the batterys last longer.


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## Frasbee (Apr 7, 2008)

FragElectric said:


> This set was for the truck that I work out of. I asked the electrian running my other truck what setup he wanted and he chose metabo. I got him the new Metabo LTX combo kit which comes with the hammer drill reciprocating saw, circular saw, and flashlight. I also got him the Metabo 25.2v rotary hammer. He is a big Metabo fan and I have to admit they are pretty nice tools. I haven't had a chance to use them yet but they seem like they are on par quality wise with the HILTI's. They weren't cheap but they were not quite as much as the HILTI's either.


Hey, can I work for you??


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## Vintage Sounds (Oct 23, 2009)

Hilti is awesome! I'm lucky our company has mostly their stuff. Definitely right about it being a target for theft. We had a GX 120 gas nailer till it was stolen with a UH700 corded hammer drill and SFH18A cordless hammer drill. 

Be careful with your stuff.


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## captkirk (Nov 21, 2007)

My favorite all around core drill with stand and vacum pump is the Hilti DD130....I used that drill soley when I worked for one EC for about two years and I feel like I know it and its limitations better than a marine with his rifle. I was close to buying one till I came to reality. Im almost there again.


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

Mike_586 said:


> that just didn't come out right.....





cdnelectrician said:


> Hahahaha! LOL Yea, it didn't!!


Shows where your mind are! :laughing:


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## Mike_586 (Mar 24, 2009)

480sparky said:


> Shows where your mind are! :laughing:


Yup :jester:


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## Toronto Sparky (Apr 12, 2009)

I agree.. Hilti cordless is the best.. But... Only if you are working by yourself.. Tools require respect.... BUT! only the guy that bought the tools has true respect for them..


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## Frasbee (Apr 7, 2008)

What's the stroke length on that cordless sawzall?

I paid 70 dollars for my bosch (tool only, already had 3 batteries), and it switches between 3/4'' and 1 1/4'' and I've been very happy with the results. With a good blade that thing cuts like butter with the 1 1/4'' stroke.


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## NY ELECTRIC (Sep 27, 2009)

The hilti customer service is the best in the biz. I bought a sfh 144a on ebay had it for over a year. My buddy or my boss no one wants to come clean, dropped it off the ladder sunday. It broke in half at the handle. I took it to hilti on 109 street and the rep handed me a brand new drill with the box and side handle right over the counter no fuss no charge and that's not the first time.


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## FragElectric (Mar 2, 2010)

Frasbee said:


> What's the stroke length on that cordless sawzall?
> 
> I paid 70 dollars for my bosch (tool only, already had 3 batteries), and it switches between 3/4'' and 1 1/4'' and I've been very happy with the results. With a good blade that thing cuts like butter with the 1 1/4'' stroke.


I believe the stroke length is 1 1/8". I have used it a couple of times and it seems to cut a good bit faster than the milwaukee 28v I had before.


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## Frasbee (Apr 7, 2008)

Yeah, longer strokes are better, and you can make a blade last a long time if you don't run it a full speed. I've seen people use the cheaper ryobi/craftsman sawzalls, but the ridiculous RPM, coupled with the short strokes, just burns the blades up better than it cuts.


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## the_tool (Mar 9, 2010)

Wow, how come I've never used HILTI tools before!??? Everyone is saying their great, and we work with and provide every other brand but them lol. I'm gonna have to speak with the people who hold the "power" and see if we can get a few of these HILTI guys in to check em out. Or we could plan a heist for FragElectics place


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## mutabi (Jun 2, 2009)

I bought a SFH18A a few months ago, and I have nothing but good things to say about Hilti, plus their customer service. The UPS guy left the package on my porch which they always do. The next day I got a call from Hilti, wanting to make sure I received it as they saw that UPS had left it on the porch and were concerned. 

The drill itself is amazing on concrete, much better than the equivalent craftsman (cough) and milwaukee. I am planning on buying another. 

The only bad thing about Hilti is their website. It would be nice to see some prices 
FWIW the SFH18A is a cordless hammer drill. Came with 2 batteries and a charger. 18V, but I believe it actually runs at about 21 or 22V. I paid like $429 to my door, and had it next day.


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## NY ELECTRIC (Sep 27, 2009)

you have to set up an acct. then log in and you can see the prices


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## administr8tor (Mar 6, 2010)

I just bought the 18 v hammer drill, sawzall combo for $450 at hd you gotta talk to the hilti guy to get that price.

These tools are freakin awesome:thumbsup: they really put my milwaukee 28v to shame


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## RIVETER (Sep 26, 2009)

Mike_586 said:


> that just didn't come out right.....


I WAS kind of wondering, myself. Why not go for the Hiltis?


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## Ampere (Jul 16, 2010)

I've used HILTI tools for over 20 years.. The TE 72 rotary hammer (now obsolete) turned concrete to dust in a hurry.. I definitely prefer it over the Bosch equivalent, and I like Bosch a lot.


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## slowforthecones (Sep 13, 2008)

I tried to get your rep's name to see if I could get a deal too. I am looking for new Hilti tools for a good price.


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## Wiredude (May 14, 2010)

Hilti makes great tools, no doubt about it. My gripe with them is their lack of support for older models (granted not cordless). We have a couple older SDS-Max drills (TE-52, TE-54), and the trigger is starting to go bad on one. I called Hilti, and I can't even get a replacement any more. Luckily I have a friend who's done tool repair for years, and he had one lying around in his old stock I got, but It really annoyed me to have that kind of tool become essentially garbage for such a minor part.


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## Toronto Sparky (Apr 12, 2009)

I would look for a power tool repair company in the phone book..
In Toronto we have "The Tool Doctor" and they have always been able to supply replacement parts for most my older tools. 
Their labour rates are fairly low as well so I normally just let them fix them.

I must assume that most major citys would have something similar..

http://www.tooldoctor.ca/


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## Johnpaul (Oct 2, 2008)

We use the Hilti rotary hammers, though the new Bosch are a very close second in performance. For 18 volt cordless we have switched 100% to lithium-ion and tested out a lot of different brands. It should not come as a surprise but the heavier the battery pack the more power it provides. The 1/2 size 1500mAh are not worth buying. The 3-speed DCD740/DCD970 drills from DeWalt will outperform any 2-speed gearbox equipped drill from any manufacturer. What is unique with the DeWalt drills is that the middle speed is actually in the middle at 1000 RPM. A lot of the time the highest RPM is too high and using it all the time quickly destroys the gearbox, as many Makita owners can verify. Too low and there is not only slower cutting but less inertia so when a hole cutter hits a tougher section of material it catches and torques the drill around along with the person holding on to it. At 1000 RPM the drill has enough torque and at the faster speed a hole cutter will run a lot more smoothly - especially the new big gullet models like the Blue Boar TCT or the Milwaukee Big Hawg hole cutters. Lithium-ion batteries have thermal runaway protection and this limits the amount of draw they can provide before they simply shut down. Being able to match the RPM range helps get a lot more power out of the drill without activating the thermal shutoff. We had a Milwaukee 2611 and a Makita drill and both would cut out so fast that the drills' LED lights would start to flash and create a strobe light effect. When this happens the time it takes to drill a hole can more than double. Battery warranties also vary and Hilti and DeWalt provides 2 years for their lithium batteries while many companies are giving you only 1 year. I like being able to spread the cost of the batteries over two years having had to send many a NiCad cartridge off for rebuilding by Voltman.


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