Customer Reviews

Milwaukee 1680-21 13 amp 1/2-inch Super Hawg Joist and Stud Drill

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is an improved version of the Hole-Hawg. This new tool has more power, easier to use, and fits into tight spaces better. I depend on Milwaukee tools for my livelihood and they delivered a great new tool with this one.

The new "Super Hawg" is what all hole drills should be. As a Southeast Texas homebuilder I put it through it's paces and it has turned some of the dreaded work into pleasure. I shopped all of the hole drills before chosing this one. It costs a little more than the others but it is worth it. I am very impressed with it's high quality construction, power, and comfort. The swiveling trigger handle is a feature all hole drills should have. The more powerful motor, (almost twice the competition), is put to good use running the drill at higher RPM's than all of the competitor's. This is one fast hole drill.

I'm an electrician and have used Milwaukee power tools since 1978. I've watched the line of old hole hawgs do some amazing things in the past, as well as some frightening things (breaking wrists, knocking men off ladders, locked bits twisting the handles and ripping through 2x4's). Up until now I've avoided them like the plague. Two years ago my plumber bought one of these new super hawgs (after years of the old dangerous ones) and liked it so much he bought 3 more for his small crew. He showed it to me, I lifted it up and put it down, telling him I couldn't possibly use this tool overhead every day.

Today this same plumber brought the same (very used) drill to have me use on my totaly remodeled house (I'm playing his helper to save $). I laughed and said I'd try it, but no promises. Although only 5 pounds heavier than my usual right angle drills, it seems heavier than the advertised 15 pounds and more awkward to carry and use than my right angles, possibly because I had no idea it comes with a side handle (not offered to me today). Key for the chuck poorly designed - needs to be deeper to clear head (little things get to me, sorry). Put various sized hole saws and self-feed bits on it and away I went.

Holy crap. Dull as most of his bits were (aren't all contractors bits shot?), this damn drill was flying through everything I touched. Self-feed bits chewed so fast through 2" stock I was peppered with wood shavings. Hole saws - dull ones at that - cut through wood like styrofoam. One hole was a bit slow in cutting until I realized I had the drill in reverse, and it had been going faster through the board than would my own right angle drill in forward!

I braced myself, keeping hands and head positioned for kickbacks that never happened. Not once did I hear the safety clutch kick in or did I experience even one kickback. All day drilling and not one kickback, not even when I abused the drill grinding out angled holes that surely would have thrown me off my ladder with my other Milwaukee. I was laughing all day, saying over and over "I can't believe this tool"..."Did you see how fast I drilled that hole?" The drill's rotating speed is so fast the hole saws never "grab" on initial full contact with wood like my drill does. Your fingers never act as the bumper once the drill exits through the wood like when using my right angle. Tight stud bays were no harder to get at than with my right angle Milwaukee, too. Although heavy, just lift it like you mean it and the tool does the rest.

My plumber even used this to drill out my shower/tub valve holes. I held my breath while he simply squatted, rested the huge drill on his knees and used his body as a drill press to delicately slice through the 1/8" fiberglass as if using an Exacto knife.

My 23+ year old right angle had trouble the other day drilling 1 1/4" through 50 year old douglas fir floor joists (new bit, too), and I thought, well, time for a new right angle. My plumber offered me his hawg to use for a few days, as he has spares. No need, because guess what I'm buying online tonight? In a couple days I'll be in Super Hawg heaven, despite turning 53 with a torn rotator cuff.

We are a non-profit on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, and we have a diverse collection of inexperienced volunteers that work here short term. Homes are frequently built on 12' piles because of flood elevations, and require many bolts and threaded rods to make connections for wind resistance. Last week we had a little college girl drilling 60 3/4" holes through 30" of solid wood with the Super Hawg, and she was surprised how quickly she got through so many holes and the ease of controlling the drill .
This drill offers plenty of power to work its way through wood without much effort behind it. Most importantly for us, it does not bind in the hole and torque your body off of the floor like the previous generation of Milwaukee Hole Hawgs did. It is no longer terrifying to drill large holes from a ladder.
My only problem is the chuck key. It is not quite long enough to stay out of the way of the drill body when rotated, and it bent after 3 days of use.

powerful, very easy to cut round holes into metal or wood studs. nice rotating body, a bit heavy but gets the job done with ease.

I did a good bit of searching around for a really solid, heavy duty joist-type drill and quickly came to decide on this super-hawg drill. I personally like to buy one tool for the purpose and not have to have different levels of tools for light duty vs heavy duty. I also like my tools to last and don't mind paying a premium for the higher build quality of the pro-level tools. This hawg is really heavy duty (additional emphasis on heavy so make sure you don't have a bad back if you are interested in purchasing this brute) and exactly what I look for in my tools-namely, can do just about anything for it's purpose and not limited by under-power with large diameter holes, etc. I haven't used it too much as yet, just a few 2.5" holes through hardwood floors/subfloor but it ate through those like butter. I was really impressed with the lack of kickback as well. My 24v Ridgid cordless drill seems to always bind up when using hole saws and kick to the point of screwing up the battery where I have to stick it back on the charger for a few seconds to get the voltage/polarity back working again. Again, I must emphasize how powerful this drill is. I also like that the handles are all removable, including the short one on top (I was cutting holes below an elevated fireplace hearthstone for in-floor speaker brackets and had to remove the top handle to get the drill to fit underneath). The whole front/top part of the drill is rubberized to give you plenty of grip options if you find yourself not using the handle, and the rear handle rotates as well. Nice long cord also has the light-up style plug which is a great tool/extension cord feature. Other comments have decried the fact that this drill is made in China and was previously USA-made, but it seems like it must be the good part of that country because it is worlds above the cheap Chinese tools you get at the discount tool stores. While they may have shipped jobs overseas and I haven't had a chance to own a USA-made hawg, Milwaukee still produces a high quality tool with this drill. Amazon also had one of the best prices around especially with the Prime shipping.

As expected Amazon has done it again. Shipped a quality product in record time. If they were only a client of mine I would again believe in a handshake and a persons word . The Super Hawg is the right choice for those who have gone through other drills. It is faster and more powerful than a Hole Hawg , which I have used much. The Super Hawg will fit in tighter spaces is longer and has a 90 degree rotating handle. If a bored hole is your goal the Super Hawg is the tool.

this drill is very easy to hold with the new rubber style grip, and is'nt as heavy as the older model. the 13 amps make it a pleasure to drill holes in beams all day. if your a plumber that does alot of new construction rough work like me,this is a must have peace of equipment on your truck. it works wonders with the new milwalkee switchblade selffeed wood bits and the hole hawg saws....

We've had this drill on the job for about 2 months now. Bought it after our Milwaukee RA drill busted while running a self-feed bit. This is one of the most powerful tools I've used. It got away from me, threw me off the roof into a pile of sand, pushed over a huge stone chimney, then spun out into the driveway and crushed a concrete truck, then knocked over a row of porta-potties with guys using them. The crane operator dropped a unit of pan decking on it to get it under control. Make sure to use the side handle!

I am a marine contractor for 26 years and have 2 there the best electic drills we ever owned ....