Replies

1. 
   LeeLamb | Mar 24, 2007 05:41pm | #1

   Yep, it can bully you around. I have the Milwaukee right angle drill and usually have the gear reduction in the low range. It has a lot of torque so I use the side extension handle to control it.  Have a firm footing and pay attention. Watch out for nails and knots that can jam the bit - the motor will move YOU around.

   Enjoy the high-speed surfing.

    

2. 
   ponytl | Mar 24, 2007 05:43pm | #2

   i have 3 of the first and one of the super...   plumber and sparky prefer the std i prefer the super...  in have'n them repaired it's my understading that they both have a clutch system... ie i had one slipping and had to have a new clutch installed... that or they screwed me...  cost to repair... $119  price i can buy em all day long at pawnshops... $89... next one broken gets sold on ebay for parts... and i'll go buy another....

   a few months back... i sold all my broken paslode frame'n guns on ebay i kept all batteries and chargers and cases... sold em as "NON working and Parts only  or fix em if you can...."  they brought over $100 each... i can buy like new ones used for under $200 with batteries and chargers... used working chargers bring $20 on ebay... so for $80 i have like new guns and extra batteries...

   i also sold all of my old black paslode frame'n guns... they brought over $120 each...go figure...

   p

1. 
   shellbuilder | Mar 24, 2007 06:48pm | #5

   I am trying to sell mine on Craiglist..framer and trimmer 85 for both and no takers. The trim gun still works fine. Cases are in great shape. I should learn to sell on Ebay, I knw how to buy. 

3. 
   malthompson | Mar 24, 2007 06:06pm | #3

   I have an old one and it's great.  Much greater leverage than when I was boring holes with power drill which did often catch and wrench my wrists.  Just use the right spead settings for the bit type and job.

4. 
   frenchy | Mar 24, 2007 06:31pm | #4

   webby

    The first hole hogs had 15 amps the currant one is 13 amps. While that is still capable of damage if you are careless it's enough of a differance that  your wrists stand a chance. I have one and I've used it for well over a decade.  I'm anything but muscular and I'm an old fart but while it's beaten me up it's never hurt me.  Nothing is better I assure you!

    you should be just fine..

   
   

   ---

   Edited 3/24/2007 11:32 am ET by frenchy

5. 
   nikkiwood | Mar 24, 2007 06:55pm | #6

   I have one like this:

   http://www.mytoolstore.com/milwauke/1675-6.html

   Even though it is an enormously great drill, I don't know that I would recommend it, unless you have a gazillion holes to drill.

   One of their other right-angle drills might be more suitable, especially one with a clutch.

   The 1675 is a two speed,(300 rpm and 1200 rpm); I do use it for mixing mud, thin set, etc. but a true variable speed would be better.

   ********************************************************
   "It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."

   John Wooden 1910-

6. 
   dug | Mar 24, 2007 08:24pm | #7

        I have a holehawg and its a monster of a drill. I bought it to build some log furniture and railings on a project I was working on. I do not like it for mixing thinset, Its just to big. It will mix it just fine, but I like to leave my drill in the bucket while Im waiting for thinset to slake or "sit for a few minutes". Unless I am mixing a full bucket, it will flip it over. I eventually bought a 1/2'' Milwuakee to mix with and I don't think I've used the holehawg since. It is a nice tool to have in your arsenal though.

     dug

7. 
   inperfectionist | Mar 24, 2007 09:48pm | #8

   I picked up a Milwaukee ra drill and some bits a couple years ago and it was some of the best money I ever spent. I love breaking that thing out. Don't have a clutch on mine,,,,, use it in low gear. The trigger is real smooth, gives you a lot of control. It will break your arm, or smack you in the head, or throw you off a ladder etc.

   Milwaukee makes great self feed bits also.

   Harry

8. 
   webby | Mar 25, 2007 02:12am | #9

   Thanks for the info guys, I realized that the holehawg is not a vsr drill it is a 2 speed drill. I bought a Dewalt vsr spade handle drill for my mud mixing needs model DW130v. Reveiwers said that the vsr was better for mixing mud and thinset,  left less air bubbles in the mix.

   Nine amps and 0-550 rpm. It was about half of the cost of the Milwaukee

   Webby

9. 
   Jemcon | Mar 25, 2007 03:55am | #10

   I have the 1680 Super Hawg. It's an animal. It don't stop for nothin. I got it at a tool show and got a set of self feed bits for free. Not a bad deal.

   If you have alot of big holes to drill it's great but it is heavy.

    

    

    

   Headstrong, I'll take on anyone!

10. 
    davidmeiland | Mar 25, 2007 04:39am | #11

    You only need a Hole Hawg if you're drilling joists for 3" drains. Anything smaller (self-feed bits for 2" drains, and your various augers for wiring) can easily be done with a Milwaukee Right Angle Drill, and for mixing thinset you can go even smaller... my rig for thinset is a Bosch 1/2" drill and if you're not paying attention it will throw a full bucket across the room.

1. 
   frenchy | Mar 25, 2007 05:30am | #12

   davidmeiland,

    or doing timberframing.

1. 
   SBerruezo | Mar 25, 2007 06:37am | #13

   The Holehawg is an animal, and around here, it's generally the drill of choice for plumbers and electricians.  It can toss you around if you don't pay attention though. 

1. 
   davidmeiland | Mar 25, 2007 08:53am | #14

   When I lived in the Bay Area there was a story going around about a guy in Napa killed by a Hole Hawg, early 90s. Apparently he was wedged in the crawl space of a house drilling a hole with the trigger locked. The bit jammed and the tool started spinning and bashed him in the head before he could get out of the way. Could be an urban legend... maybe he just got a blister on his pinkie... but lots of folks were talking about it.

1. 
   dovetail97128 | Mar 25, 2007 09:22am | #15

   Maybe not a myth. I know an electrician who damn near killed himself with one. Pulled his long auger bit up out of a hole thru a top plate, drill bit tip swung toward him just enough to catch and grab his beard, then his shirt and have the tip penetrate his skin before he got it to stop. Had a nice circular scar to show off for a while after that .

2. 
   SBerruezo | Mar 25, 2007 08:34pm | #18

   I haven't heard that one yet...A guy I knew, a former electrician told me of a time when he was just starting out.  He was up on a ladder, drilling something in a 12' ceiling (not sure what).  He was a scrawny little guy at the time, and the Hole Hawg caught on something.  He didn't let go, and the drill swung him around the ladder until the cord unplugged itself from the outlet, at which point all he could do was fall to the floor.

   I'm not so sure that actually happened, but it's a funny story about the HoleHawg's power.

   A year or two ago a guy died in my friend's crawlspace...Somehow cut himself in the neck with a Skilsaw.  Tragic, to be sure, but I'm still trying to figure out how that happened. 

3. 
   davidmeiland | Mar 25, 2007 11:12pm | #19

   I will probably buy a Hawg someday, but will be looking for one with a clutch. No point in going for a ride. My RA drill is bad enough.

11. 
    Notchman | Mar 25, 2007 09:47am | #16

    I'm not a great big guy, but my 20-some year-old Hole Hog has never gotten the best of me.

    I was a construction millwright in a past life and we did a lot of boring with Delta-Rockwell 3/4" and 1" drills which, of course, had long pipe handles for leverage.

    Usually, there was two of us on the 1" drills unless the bits were relatively small.

    Point is, I learned on some real mean drills....always set up to anticipate torque with an awareness of where your body parts in the event the bit hangs and the drill becomes an angry bull.

    The Hole Hog (a well-made, quality tool) is, to me, tame by comparison, but the operating cautions remain the same.

    As far as I'm concerned, running a large bit or a hole saw in a pistol-grip drill is far more dangerous.

     

1. 
   MarkH | Mar 25, 2007 03:18pm | #17

   I permanently damaged by thumb with a holeshooter and a holesaw. 

12. 
    bobbys | Mar 26, 2007 01:27am | #20

    10 years ago i bought a new hole hawg, used it once, just always used my one half inch Milwaukee drill It always did everything, I also bought a new worm drive at that time, just kept useing my old one, My boy is 26 now and a contractor, he came over and took both items from me, he loves the hole hawg but then again he has a 8 inch lifted truck and things need to be big and macho. I never needed the hole hawg, My neighbor has the right angle drill and that sure looks usefull i would buy that first

1. 
   ahneedhelp | Mar 26, 2007 02:19am | #21

   the super hawg has a clutch in the 300 rpm setting.
   it is a large and heavy beast and the 90-deg rotating trigger grip is a nice feature.