Accessories

built like a tank
i use a dewalt 18v at work all the time because it's what we have, but when i work for myself this is what i use. it's solid as hell that's for sure.
the bad: it's heavy. the hammerdrill isn't very powerful.
the good: it's heavy duty. it's as powerful as you're likely to need in the non-hammerdrill mode.
i haven't tried the milwaukee compact drill/driver, but i might err on the side of getting that unless you really want to have a hammerdrill and will only use it for small holes (under 3/8") in masonry. if you're going to use a hammerdrill more than once in a while i would definitely recommend going with a corded hammerdrill or rotary hammer. if you're using it a lot then go with a bosch bulldog ($220), if not then go with the bosch hammerdrill that goes for about $120.
overall i'm happy with the purchase. it does what i need it to do and then some. versatile and should last a long time.

Awesome Tool
I was leery about buying yet another quality "American" tool now manufactured in China, but despite the cheap made in China connotation this is a very well constructed & designed, powerful tool.

I have found the batteries charge much faster than stated, about 30 minutes from empty to full and they last much longer than any NiCad tool I own. When they deplete, unlike NiCads, the tool will completely stop with little warning. This was a little unnerving at first (I thought drill broke). The built in battery life meter can prevent this from happening. Reversible battery actually feels more balanced in backward position, but not a noteworthy feature in my opinion, other than if a connector ever fails there is a backup.

The tool has a steel chuck that has a distinct ratcheting locking mechanism which can be tightened or loosened one handed. Locks very securely and releases easily, I haven't had a drill bit or driver come loose yet.

Drill/driver/hammer drill selector and gear select are all easy to operate and readily accessible but not likely to be selected inadvertently. Same applies for the forward/reverse switch. Nice having the drill and driver as separate selections - allows selection of drill without changing the torque setting of the driver mode when going between pre-drilling and fastening sequence.

All together a solid tool that feels good in your hand with ample power.

Note: I bought the tool only Sawzall 6515-20 (which is listed as a NiCad saw) and the batteries that come with this drill are a match. Cheap way to get a $200+ Li-Ion Sawzall...

Milwaukee Hammer Drill
After carefull evaluation of half a dozen cordless drills available and having used a Milwaukee drill of a friend of mind in the field, the Milwaukee drill out performed all of them. It had much more power and the battery lasted much longer than all the others I observed.
Rich

Milwaukee ain't Milwaukee no more!
This kit was purchased mostly for the lithium battery upgrade because the price was only a little more than the batteries and charger alone, and who can't use an extra drill, right? The only problem is that I would never want to use this one after having used my older one, the Lok-Tor Hammer drill model 0624-20. Whereas the Lok-Tor is smooth as silk and the fit, finish, ergonomics, and feel of the drill just ooze quality, this one is very loud and heavy with below-average ergonomics and a tawdry look obviously designed to be as flashy as possible for marketing reasons. Trouble is, it's all hat and no cattle. Yes, it's a powerful drill, and yes, it will definitely get the job done. But the reason I bought Milwaukee tools at their premium price is not simply because they get the job done, but because they made the highest quality tools and using them was truly enjoyable. They always felt a step above anything from Dewalt, Makita, or even Bosch, and their slogan, "Nothing but heavy duty," seemed to be a real mantra of the company that its employees took pride in rather than simply a catchy but empty marketing line. I also appreciated the fact that they were one of the only power tool companies to make most of their stuff in the USA (although the Lok-Tor drill is from the Czech Republic - still, I'd much rather have that than one from China). This drill was made in China with the goal of minimizing costs, and it shows.

It's not that China can't make good stuff, but when companies move their production there, that's generally a sign that they put the making of money, by whatever means, ahead of pride in the product that actually creates the wealth. And once that attitude takes root, the company starts cutting corners wherever it can to minimize costs while generating a huge marketing push to sell products based purely on flashy images and slogans rather than substance, which no longer exists. Despite what the brand loyalists might say, this drill is no better than the offerings from Dewalt, Makita, or Hitachi, yet it is much heavier than the other brands.

It's a shame what the company has become since I bought my first Milwaukee tool, a magnum hole-shooter, 12 years ago. The changes began when they were bought out a few years ago by the same China-based company that makes Ryobi and Ridgid, and now Milwaukee is pretty much just Ridgid in red instead of orange. They still make a few tools in the USA that have remained unchanged, such as their corded circular saws, sawzalls, and I believe the magnum drills. If you need them, you better get them while you can, because slowly but surely I see more and more Milwaukee tools showing up that are made in China, and it's only a matter of time before it happens to these old standbys. In cordless tools, nothing about Milwaukee stands out from other brands except the weight. If you aren't too concerned with weight, I'd say Bosch is now probably the most consistently high quality of the main brands. For the weight conscious, Makita or Hitachi are your best bet.

On the plus side, the lithium batteries are terrific and make my old tools just a bit more powerful than fully charged nicads, and believe it or not, they are made in Canada (yeah, I'm scratching my head on that one, since the vast majority of our electronics have been made in China for a long time already). But if Milwaukee were to maintain the honesty of the slogan regarding their actual tools, it should be changed from "Nothing but heavy duty" to "Nothing but heavy, period."

Milwaukee 0824-24P
I purchased this kit at in town for $219 after trying out the Makita LCT200W Driver Drill/Impact Driver combo. After a great deal of research and much deliberation, I decided on the Milwaukee for several reasons:
1. It feels more solid
2. The chuck is much higher quality (all-metal with carbide teeth)
3. More power (I actually used both drills with a 1" space bit on a 4x4 post. The Milwaukee didn't have a hiccup while the Makita bogged several times.
4. The warranty is better on the Milwaukee
5. All the switches and actions feel much more solid on the milwaukee. Switching torque settings feels VERY solid and same with transmission gears and hammer/drill/screw selector.
6. The attenuation on the trigger is very smooth. To me, that says a lot about the quality. There is very good control of the speed you are drilling/driving at.

Many will mention I compared this drill with the compact Makita (which I did). I didn't consider the Makita BHP451 because I didn't feel the need for three speeds and feel it's just one more thing to break. I originally bought the Compact Makita combo but after bringing it home and trying it out (the store didn't have any with good batteries), it just didn't feel as solid as I wanted. I was more than willing to get the Milwaukee despite the almost three pound increase. To me, weight is not as important as getting a quality tool that will last for years. Besides, the Milwaukee feels really good and the weight isn't that noticeable at all.

To sum it all up, the tool feels great after some general use, and I will have this around for a long time.