Milwaukee 0724-24 V28 Lithium-Ion 1/2-Inch Cordless Hammer Drill/Driver Kit

I am not a pro, but a do it yourselfer with a 100 year old house. There is no such thing as a small project. This drill was a Christmas present that replaced a 5 year old Craftsman 19.2 volt. WOW!!! Just to "play with my new toy" since I didn't have any projects going on Christmas Day I went out to the shop and drilled some 2 1/2 inch holes in some 2x scrap. It was like cutting butter with a hot knife. 20 holes later the battery still had 3/4 of its charge left. I have since used it for a couple of projects and have been equally impressed. The belt clip works wonderfully. The balance is great. It is a tad bit on the heavy side, but when it drives 3" deck screws like a machine gun that doesn't really matter since you don't have to hold it as long to get the job done. I highly recommend this tool to anyone who will listen to me.

A great product to use, lives up to it's reputation as being the best drill on the market. Extremely satisfied with this product.

Don't let my computer nickname fool you, I just finished a complete remodel of my home, as well as a number of decking and outbuilding construction projects. The real test of the 0724-24 came when a buddy decided to build a deck cover that required drilling holes in a 6" thick concrete pad (why I can't remember). We borrowed a 3/4" Bosch heavy duty hammer drill but the masonry bits just weren't getting the bite they needed to chew through. Rather than go to the store and buy a new $20 bit we decided to try the masonry bits we had lying around the garage. I had my trusty V28 Milwaukee for the framing work and we decided to try a 5/8" masonry bit in hammer mode. In less than a minute the hole was done. The Milwaukee tore through all 6 holes plunging the bit all the way through the pads without incident. We even managed to get all the framing assembled on the same charge.

Pros: Batteries go forever it seems. Hammer mode works great without tearing your arms and shoulders out of socket. Batteries can slip on from the front or the back depending on how you want the drill to balance in your hand (I find the battery from the back very useful when working in a vertical position because it changes the center of gravity). Tremendous torque in both speeds. The high speed will almost rip your arms off if you aren't careful.

Cons: This drill gets very hot, very fast when in hammer mode. Batteries go dead very quickly in the cold. Milwaukee has offered to replace the batteries under warranty for me but this seems to be a Lithium Ion issue not specific to the V28. All of my rechargeable batteries die in mere hours when left in the garage but if I store them inside they hold a charge for months. I can only assume that the cold is the culprit since the garage is about 45 and the house is 65-75 degrees.

Final thoughts: This is a very pricey tool for the casual DIY'er. I bought mine because this was all the store had in stock at the time when my old Dewalt died. The contractors I hired to help with the heavy remodeling work were so impressed that they went out and bought thier own V28's. I have since justified the purchase of a second one so I don't have to keep changing bits during the drill a hole, drive a bolt while on a 24' ladder. I strongly recommend a holster through, makes toting the tools a lot easier than the belt clip that comes standard.

Milwaukee 0724-24 V28 Lithium-Ion 1/2-Inch Cordless Hammer Drill/Driver Kit

Cons:

- much heavier and larger than 14 or 15.6 volt drills. However, it seems no heavier or larger than my Bosch Brute 18v drill/driver.

- the main switch sometimes pinches my finger, where it meets the red frame. I scrapped some of the sharp edge around the switch and that helped; but it didn't fix it.

- should have a way to connect a safety strap; to wrap around my hand when working on a ladder, so the tool can't be dropped.

Pros:

- 28 volt Lithium-Ion batteries; the highest voltage available, and longest lasting, batteries; latest battery technology. If you can afford a professional-grade cordless tool, get NiMH or Lithium-Ion batteries. NiCad is cheaper, but it's inferior technology.

- V28 power. 600 in lbs. of torque is more than any 18 volt tool. Even though it lacks the maximum torque of many corded 1/2" drills, it handles 99% of my heavy drilling. I might used a corded drill once per work week. (Doesn't count using a Milwaukee SuperHawg for the really big holes.)

- Press a button on a V28 battery and 1 to 4 LEDs will shine, indicating remaining power. You'll know if it needs a charge BEFORE climbing the ladder, etc.

- Excellent ergonomics; comfortable grip, good switch function, plenty of clutch choices, excellent side grip. Battery is reversible if it the normal mounting gets in the way.

- Good all steel chuck (necessary to take the pounding of the hammer-drill function).

- Good speed choices: 0-600 (lo) and 0-1800 rpm (hi); lower powered drills need lower speeds to get decent torque ratings - not this one.

- Excellent tool-belt-hook. Slide the tool on the hook and it locks in place; plus it's easy to unlock and remove. Tool holsters are pathetic by comparison.

- Tool is guaranteed for 5 years, parts and labor. (Register online at Milwaukee dot com.) Batteries are guaranteed for 2 years at full replacement, and prorated for 3 more years.

Other:

- Choose drill or hammer-drill by turning the black steel ring behind the clutch ring. The hammer function is for lightweight use, when compared to a rotary hammer. But of course, it's a much smaller tool. It works well for small holes in concrete or drilling mortar/brick/cinder block.

- This drill is too big and heavy to by my primary light drilling tool. For those jobs, I still use one of my two Panasonic 15.6v drill/drivers (the best light-weight cordless drills on the market, IMO). This isn't a "con" of the tool; powerful drills are heavy.

Summary:

I have to agree with Fine Woodworking's 2008 Tool Guide, which calls Milwaukee's cordless line-up, "the best tools for serious work".

My advice is to consider buying this hammer drill/driver as part of the Milwaukee 0928-29 V28 Cordless 4-Tool Combo Kit. For $200 more, you also get the V28 Sawzall, the V28 circular saw, and the V28 flashlight. All are excellent and designed for day-in day-out contractor use.

I'm a commercial electrician and use this drill daily. Sometime for hours at a time. It has a ton of power. So much in fact it will darn near break your wrist if what you are drilling catches the bit and turns the drill when you least expect it. I'm constantly using large bore step bits to drill into steel j-boxes, door frames, etc. It's perfect. I have 3 other cordless drills and they stay at home. This is the only one I take to the job site with me every day. I'm so hard on this thing. I use it and use it hard. I have no clue what Consumer Reports could have possibly done to break it. I've used it so hard the drill body was too hot to rest your palm on and it didn't even smell. I've dropped it off a 10 foot step ladder onto concrete, picked it back up and used it the rest of the day. I've owned it 8 months and have put it through more than most people will in a lifetime and it's still going strong. I can't say enough about how extremely durable it is.

On the hammer setting it will drill 1/4" holes in block but that's about it, so don't expect much from the hammer setting if you have anything heavy-duty to drill. I use the Milwaukee 28v cordless SDS hammer drill for 99% of my hammer drilling anyway. (that drill is a superb hammer drill BTW)

I have had 8 of these batteries fail, all so far have been replaced under warrenty,

i own the hammer drill, impact , sawzaw each has cooked batteries with small poof of smoke from battery and its dead

i advised Milwaukee of what i believe the problem is and the batteries failing they advised that ITS me causing the tool to fail. but they have replaced batteries under warranty

when i first phoned into their support they advised me of a issue with the batteries which caused them to fry under load. Since that point if i call back they deny they ever told me this and turned the blame on me

if your using the drill and or sawzaw and the bit or blade binds for a split second it fries the battery.

bottom line dont risk it and buy this tools , mine have been broke more then they have worked

i have used a cheap 30$ walmart drill to finish the job that the milwaukee fried on,

still currently fighting Milwaukee to fix my issue, this time they are CHARGING ME to mail my batteries back in for inspection

BOTTOM LINE IS IF THE DRILL CANT TAKE A SLIGHT STALL OF THE BIT THEN IT SHOULDNT HAVE A DIRECT DRIVE MODE.

DONT GET ME WRONG WHEN IT WORKS ITS GREAT.. MOST OF THE TIME ITS NOT

At 600 pounds of torque and 1800 RPM this baby makes quick work out of any project. It is a heavy bugger, so you if you're a pansy don't even pick it up. You have to pay attention while your using it, I've seen people let it spin around on then and get jaw-jacked by the battery. The batteries seem to last forever and they recharge very quickly. Unbelievabley better then the old Ni-Cad batteries. No complaints at all.

I have had this drill for about 3 months, so I guess now is a good time for a review.
I got this drill to replace my old milwaukee 18 volt, which I was very happy with. This drill is powerful! I like it because it can handle just about anything, and the battery lasts forever. The led indicators on the battery are very useful; you don't want to go across site to find you need a fresh battery.

However I can't reccomend this drill for any one, newer drills are now much more powerful and the milwaukee is very heavy.Only buy this if power is essential to you.Most of my friends don't like it because of it'e weight, but borrow it once in a while for certain jobs ' because your drill is more powerful'.
I plan to buy a lighter drill for less demanding work. However if I were to have only one drill, this be it.

this drill has the power I need to drive large drill bits/ 2 9/16 and the large timberlock screws we have to use every day it holds up to daily hard use. my one complaint is the overall life of the batterys they have been only lasting me a little less than a year.