Milwaukee 2411-22 M12 Cordless 3/8″ Hammer Drill Kit Review

Manufacturer:
Model: 2411-22
Price: $160
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The Milwaukee 2411-22 M12 Cordless 3/8″ Hammer Drill delivers 275 in-lbs of torque and has a two speed transmission with speeds that range from 0-400 RPM in low and 0-1,500 RPM on high. The gear box is made of metal and the 3/8″ metal, single sleeve ratcheting chuck provide maximum durability, superior grip and bit retention. The torque setting ring is also metal and offers 18 different settings. Squeezed in behind the torque setting ring is the function selector that allows adjusting modes for driving, drilling and hammer drilling. With 22,500 BPM (beats per minute) you will have no problem drilling holes for Tapcon fasteners into masonry materials. The overall body is made of red ABS with tons of black rubber overmold. Some of the things that we have come to expect from the M12 line of tools is the on-board fuel gauge and the built-in LED light. What we picked up on as being different with the LED, is that when you slightly depress the trigger, the light is switched on without starting the motor and the light will remain on for 10-15 seconds after you let go of the trigger. Effectively this allows you use the drill as a flashlight for when you have to work in not so bright areas.

2410-22 M12 Cordless 3/8″ Drill/Driver (left)
New 2411-22 M12 Cordless 3/8″ Hammer Drill (right)

What surprised us is that the overall size of this tool is for all intents and purpose is nearly the same size as the regular Milwaukee 2410-22 M12 Cordless 3/8″ Drill/Driver. Yet in this new tool, the engineers at Milwaukee managed to squeeze in an additional 25 in-lbs of torque and the hammer-drill functions. To further boost power and productivity, this kit is shipping with the new RedLithium Batteries. These batteries offer significant performance and power over the previous generation M12 Li-ion batteries. The included charger will have these batteries fueled back up in just 30 minutes. One of the other great things with this kit is the blow molded hard case that just says pro-quality all over it; no junky, zip up nylon tool bag included here!

Testing and Use

To test the Milwaukee 2411-22 M12 Cordless 3/8″ Hammer Drill we used it to install and secure an exterior rated panel box, timer switch and about eight conduit straps onto a brick wall. Using a properly sized masonry bit, we set the drill to hi-speed and engaged the hammer function. Once we drilled the holes to the proper depth, we swapped out the masonry bit for a 1/4” hex head drive bit. With this we were able to securely drive home the Tapcon fasteners to mount the electrical boxes and devices to the brick wall. We drilled nearly two dozen holes into the brick and drove that many Tapcon fasteners. During this time the drill never slowed down or ran out of power on the single battery that we loaded. We though the small size of the M12 would be a negative for a hammer drill, but we were pleased to find that it was easy to control and had what we would consider a normal amount of vibration for it not being a SDS type drill. In driving mode, it never felt strained or under-powered for the applications that we used it for. You will notice that this hammer drill does not come with a side handle and the thought here is that if you need that much control or extra support, then you probably need to move up to a larger size 18V product to do the holes you are trying to drill. This tool is best suited for finesse and small size holes in masonry products. Things like conduit hangers, pipe brackets and shelf hanging are great examples of what this drill is more then adequate for. With a variety of Tapcon fasteners and masonry bits, you would be all set.

2 speeds, 3 drilling modes & 18 torque settings

Conclusion

The Milwaukee 2411-22 M12 Cordless 3/8″ Hammer Drill is the perfect companion for the tradesman that is looking for a powerful, yet compact, solution to having to hang conduit and mount pipes on masonry walls. This new drill driver effectively combines the best of a hammer drill into the compact body of a driver – and you only need one tool.For our Performance rating we gave the M12 a 9/10 thanks to its ability to tackle all kinds of smaller sized projects that need the usefulness of a hammer drill yet can also function as a driver too. For our Value rating we gave this tool a 9/10 because for not a whole lot of money, you have a powerful performer that comes with the next generation of batteries. Plus, there’s nothing like it on the market. We suspect that this hammer drill kit will set the standard that other manufacturers will try to follow if they can.

Specs

• Weight: 2.8 lbs
• Size: 7-5/8″
• Charge Time: 30-Minutes
• Chuck Type: 3/8″ Single Sleeve
• RPM: 0-400 / 0-1,500
• BPM: 0-22,500
• Torque: 275 in-lbs of torque
• Voltage: 12V