Customer Reviews

Milwaukee 5371-6 1/2-Inch Magnum Heavy Duty Hammer Drill Kit

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

 

 

I bought this drill because I needed to secure a few walls to the concrete floor of a basement. Okay, so it was overkill, but I'm not much on renting. Did the job, no problem. That was expected. I then used it to "cut" a large chunk out of the foundation so I could add a door to the outside from the basement. The foundation is 12" poured aggregrate, and here in Mass. (next to NH, the Granite State), the aggregate contains quite a bit of granite. Anyway, 150 or so holes later (1/2 holes, all the way through the 12" aggregate), the chunk is out and the door is in. In short, I don't believe a mickey-mouse drill would have drilled 1 of those holes, much less all of them.
Took quite a while (several evenings), mainly because bits don't do well when they hit granite. Nonetheless, the drill worked (and still does work) great. No problems recommending this one highly. Heavy duty? Without a doubt.

I bought one awhile back to drill holes in a slab for anchor bolts. I was drilling 3/4" inch holes 6" deep. It did the job, but I think it was at its limit. For anything larger, I would go with a rotary hammer. The only problem I had was keeping the chuck tight enough to keep the bit from slipping. In one way that's safety advantage since the slippage acts like a friction clutch if the bit grabs. I use in now for lighter duty work such as drilling holes for TapCon screws. It's also better for drilling wood than the Hole-Shooter since the rotary speed is higher - 2500 RPM vs. 800 RPM if I remember correctly. I have both, and I use the hammer-drill the most.

Now, don't you guys come sniffin' around out here; my wife gave me this drill for my birthday two years ago! I have used it for wood and concrete drilling. I have run bits up to 1/2" diameter in concrete and 1 1/2" spade bits in wood with good results. The larger diameters in wood do bog the speed down a little if you try to drill too fast. I find that a cut and clear strategy works best and keeps the holes smooth.

When tightening the chuck, remember that old shop teacher's trick - tighten the bit with the key in EACH hole in the chuck - three separate grips! That will keep smooth bits from slipping unless you REALLY stick them. I use this method on all keyed chucks.

I have several Milwaukee tools and all have lasted well. This is the newest one I own. My 8 1/2" circular saw is coming up on 20 years and is still going strong!

I'm loyal to Milwaukee; needed to drill concrete for spiral staircase installation. Glad I bought this monster, but: 1. The trigger well recess can be a real skin pincher, no big deal,

2. The locking ring for hammer vs drill can fool you sometimes after slipping from drill to hammer. takes a little familiarization.

Otherwise, a real workhorse that takes everything you throw at it. It will heat up under load, but no problems yet in 4 years' usage.

I burned out Dad's old hammer drill, and I needed
one to finish my job and get him a replacement.
Unfortunately, Dad has not yet got ahold of this one.

In hindsight, I wish I had gotten the keyless chuck
version, but this is a rugged piece of equipment.
It has enough power to easily rip the drill from
your hand if the bit happens to grab ahold of something.
And dual variable speed is a nice touch.

What I dont like about it is that the collar to
switch from hammer to regular drill is easily
bumped and switched inadvertently.
Also, the power cable must be detached from the
drill before it will fit into its carrying case.
Attaching and removing the cord is relatively easy,
except in dark corners, but I wish the case
were just a bit bigger so that I wouldnt have to
attach and detach the cord everytime I get the
drill out and put it away.

I used my father's to drill over 40 1/2 inch holes 14 inches deep in a VERY dense concrete foundation. We were cutting through 18 inches of concrete for an egress window. The drill heated a bit, but never faltered. There is no tougher application I can think of - unless you are getting into rotary hammer territory.

This is the king of lightweight hammer drills - I really think for the DIY-er with a good rechargable - this drill can fill in all the other gaps.

I bought this drill because I needed to drill some 1/2" holes in concrete. Before buying, I read a number of reviews of both this drill and others (by DeWalt, Bosch, etc.). This drill got the most favorable reviews, and after using it I can see why. It drilled the holes like it was drilling through warm butter. I didn't notice it heating up, but I only had to drill 25 such holes for this particular task. I did have the problem of the locking ring slipping from hammer to drill, but only once and that was while drilling the first hole. If it had happened again I'd blame the drill, but it didn't so I blame myself. I had no problems with the trigger hole pinching my finger, although ... the trigger lock is in an awkward position. Nonetheless, I give it five stars because it drills like five stars.

The old addage, "you get what you pay for" is so true. There are other less expensive hammer drills out there, but none will stand the test of time as this one will. By the time you compare buying a case and drill bits alone, this stands out as a great deal. I worked for an HVAC company in Alaska, and believe me, I put this drill to the test. This time, the drill is all mine, and to be sure, my son will enjoy in the years to come as well.

Although we have used this model for years, it is gradually being replaced by a similar model which has a keyless chuck. Once you get used to the keyless, it becomes difficult to find fault with the system. This particular model works beautifully, performing all appropriate tasks without a hitch. If you need a half-inch hammer drill, this is clearly my first choice in a keyed-chuck model.