17 Best Mill Drill For The Money (2023 Updated)

The online manual is outdated–this comes wired for 120, with a 120 plug. However, they say to use a 30 amp breaker–that’s obviously no good, since commercial plugs and recpts are only rated for 20 amps.

I set it up for 240v. , and a double 15 amp breaker. Easy switch around, and lowers the overall load in my shop. Tolerances are within spec. Table action is actually pretty decent. I found it to be a smooth run all the way in all directions, with only a.

004 backlash on the screw. I used Simple Green to clean the packing grease off–it did a great job. The stand is easy to assemble, and provides a decent work height. There’s a place inside for your coolant res.

, and holes in the back for coolant feed/drain lines. *Note: While the stand is included, it will come via your local delivery guys, so don’t panic if you get the mill, and no stand–it’s coming. If you plan to bolt it to the floor with 1/2 inch anchors, you’ll need to open up the holes on the bottom of the stand.

The included chuck? Probably better suited as a paperweight–get a real one. While the bit runs straight, the chuck body wobbles a good. 050 at the top–that’s vibration I can live without. For precision work, use a collet.

The facemill? Now that’s one heavy duty rig. It uses the square carbide tipped cutters like you’re used to seeing on a lathe, not these little traingle shaped doodads. The gearing to raise/lower the head could be smoother, but not a game changer–it may smooth out with a few more runs up and down the gearway.

It’s a fairly quiet machine too. The speeds are real easy to change. It comes set at 2300 rpm. The attached eye hook (inside the cover), makes lifting it into place a whole lot easier–and safer.

I bought the Proxxon MB200 drill stand and KT70 x-y table previously and after an annoying amount of fettling and cursing have been able to drill holes accurately at last – hurrah. My thoughts turned to a mill as I need to make odd shaped holes especially for PCB’s and panels.

Q. Why do manufacturers all compete to make the most awkward and weird component mounting holes? Anyway, the mill turned up very quickly – Axminster do send stuff out fast – and luckily it works out of the box.

I like Proxxon stuff, but the quality control is not good enough. The mill does sound like a bag of spanners at any speed (possibly a dodgy bearing as the motor itself runs quietly – I did have a quick peek inside – naughty) but it does mill accurately and there doesn’t seem to be any slop in the chuck.

Obviously for the price it is limited and the the x-y table does flex a bit but it does the job of milling accurately enough. 2mm seems to be the best compromise between not breaking the 1mm bits (oh no not again, doh.

) and the 3mm getting a bit bogged down in heavier materials. It would be nice if the x-y table was larger and stiffer and it was quieter with a bigger motor but for the money it is reasonable – I’m not making cuckoo clocks or nuclear weapons.

Counting out the measurements it is easy to forget where you have got to but that’s not the fault of the mill, just my old brain. I can see why people convert it to CNC, which I may look at later. Maybe a job for an Arduino or Raspberry Pi controller? I use a little Ikea USB gooseneck LED lamp which lights up the work table perfectly.

Happen it’s a fair t’middling do for t’price.

Pretty happy with this little mill. It’s very well designed for its price, but has a few limitations. The slide ways are adjustable with a brass gib, just like a full size real machine, to take up slack and compensate for wear over time.

They can also be used to lock the table. However, whereas the Z (cutting head) adjustment is very accessible, the table adjustment is difficult to get the appropriate wrench and Allen key combination in to adjust.

The other little complaint is the motor is not very powerful. It is something that people need to be aware of and should really expect given the cost. Other than that, it’s pretty smooth to operate, and surprisingly solid and heavy.

The base is cast iron, and the column is a pretty stiff aluminum extrusion. Some of my co-workers said they thought it looked bigger in the pictures, so read the dimensions carefully. It’s pretty small.

The largest collet and corresponding tool shank diameter is only 1/8″ inch. You won’t be doing a lot of face milling with this machine, lol. I bought this instead of a Sherline Mill (I have a Sherline lathe) due to the smaller size and significantly lower cost than the Sherline.

So far I’m happy and hope the long term reliability matches this good first impression.

I bought this for machining small pieces if timber for model ship building. I really cannot speak too highly of it. The XY table works well and the precision in all three dimensions is at least 0. 05 mm.

I use it often with the matching dividing table to machine flats on circular sections (eg masts and spars) for which it is outstanding. Exceptional value at this price. Only shortcoming is absence of a position scale in the Y direction (so you have to count the rotations of the handle).

I gave 5 stars for durability even though I just bought it. Thirty years of buying Makita power tools tells me it’s durable. I’m still using a 20 year old 14V cordless drill, impact and light set. Yes, I have bought new batteries.

The drill fell from second story onto concret about 15 years ago. Killed the battery, sent the guts flying. But the drill’s stil running fine. I bought the Dewalt $60 drill with bag at HD. Great value, 8 amp, but as soon as I took it out of the box I felt the weight and imbalance.

It felt like a two hand drill. Almost like a ½” drill. I don’t need 8 amps. The Makita is noticably lighter. If you find yourself often holding material with one hand and drilling with the other, the Makita makes it easier on you.

Less fatiguing. Still plenty of power for hole saws, etc. Con: a little pricey? But if it goes 20 years, is it really?.

I bought this model drill many many years ago. I have put it through hell drilling, sanding, screwing screws and lags and bolts, really hard work and it has never let me down. There were times I really needed a 1/2” chuck but I got by.

I can’t say enough good things about it. The new one I just bought is still in its plastic case. I know I have it if my old one ever gives up the ghost.

I am a Makita maven and not a casual user. Over $4,000 of power tools, 80% are Makita. This is the only Makita tool I am disappointed in. If you only need a light tool for around the house, this is probably fine.

For medium to heavy use, this will probably not handle the load. For me, it will not drive a 2. 5″ high-end, self-pulling screw into pine. It’s going to Goodwill because others may well find it is perfect for them.

I’ve used mine less than a dozen time before it broke. Trigger won’t stop drilling. I’m asking for money back because its not worth the price. My dewault cordless atomic brushless drill does better with its 2speed verible trigger.

I REALLY LOVE THIS DRILL ! I did a lot of research before choosing this one. I am a Do-it-yourselfer, so, I will not be using this commercially, but. what I can say, this “baby” does the job well. I am erecting a 30’x50′ garage, and needed to drill about 50 each 7/8″ holes into 2 week old concrete, 10″ deep.

I didn’t try and do that with one 7/8″ bit. I started at 5/16″, and worked my way up to the final size, with ease. It was a back-breaking job, I spread over a few days, certainly made easier with the right drill and combination of drill bits.

Don’t skimp on the bits, I made a “fishing hook” out of a low grade 5/16″ bit. Only draw backs: The knob for selecting the #1 or #2 setting on the side (its barely visible in the stock photo, black, just forward of the Milwaukee label) has become loose internally.

It still functions, but now the virtual digits are at the 1 and 7 o’clock position, instead of the real 3 and 9. As you would expect, heavy duty work generates a lot of heat buildup in the drill. It did get very hot to the touch when I needed to grip the “black” area to change bits.

“red” areas stayed relatively cool.

Bought this drill to replace my old workhorse, which was a 1984 AEG hammer drill- which by the way, is part for part, exactly the same drill. Even takes my old right angle adapter. I have used this drill for extensive concrete work for residential construction.

When installing almost 100 circuits in a residence, with the right angle adapter, for the wire runs, I could quickly and easily drill 2″ holes, 3″ from the top of the joist and 3″ from the support wall, in 2×10’s on 12″ spacing.

I’m now relying more on the M18 Concrete drill, but when I need the power, and AC is available, this is my goto concrete and big hole drill. Great for mixing drywall mud and all types of concrete anchor dilling.

BTW, if you use GRK Caliburn concrete screws, wich you can screw in or out numerous times, and still leave a concrete hole that remains good and solid, you’ll never touch a Tapcon again. This drill and GRK Caliburn concrete screws – are a match made in heaven.

This Klutch milling machine is the same basic Sieg X3D model and sold by several other vendors like Grizzly Industrial or Harbor Freight. Works smooth and it’s pretty accurate. However, needs a lot of tuning and adjustments just to get there.

Need improvements and you need to spend extra money for a belt conversion kit and tooling.

I used this for milling small aluminum parts and it does excellent work and is portable if need be. Weighs about 135 pounds. Nice safety features, too.

Perfect size for my little garage-front shop and the parts I’m typically making (brackets, adapters, etc. In addition to being a mill I didn’t have, it replaced my bench top drill press, as it has plenty of stroke for what I do.

Actions are smooth, no sign of excess clearance or slop anywhere. The combination of a high torque variable speed motor and an instantly switched two speed drive works very well.

1 now have 10 6408 drills. They are used for sanding in my woodturning business, one for each grit. Without fail, they get multiple hundreds of running hours without breakdown or failure. Very dependable and reasonably priced.

Highly recommended.

This is a great drill. I’ve always found Makita to be an excellent brand in power tools. This drill will be supplementing my old cordless Makita drill which is still going strong. The case is a nice addition and everthing fits easily inside the case which is nice.

I’ve noticed with other brands it’s a puzzle to get the tool back in the case. The keyless chuck is easy to use and the drill has power to spare. I would recommend this drill to anyone looking for a quality power tool that will last.

I’m a homeowner who is entry level when it comes to tools and DIY projects, but I can get things done when I need to. My 10yr old inherited cordless Ryobi batteries died so rather than pay the same amount for new batteries, I opted for this economic – namebrand, old fashioned plug and play bad-boy that could also give me extra power for tougher drill jobs.

Upon unboxing, I found this guy a little un-wieldly as all the weight is in the front end of the drill. Also the instinctive one finger pistol grip I was used to with other drills didn’t help. Instead, the drill is designed to be held with index and middle fingers on the trigger, and ring and pinky on the handle.

Maybe this is standard for corded drills, but I figured other amateurs like myself might like to know. Once I started putting holes in the wall, this thing worked great. I could give it full speed, or spin nice and slow with the smooth trigger pull sensitivity.

The chuck can be tightened by hand (and probably should be until you’re familiar with the trigger pull). This drill is ambidextrous, the rotation switch sits over the trigger, and feels a little chintzy, but should hold up for household purposes.

Overall I love this thing because it was under $100, has lots of power, but still handles little tasks as well. If I were on a jobsite, I’d probably pick a sturdier/pricier drill, but for my purposes it’s great!.

This is my second 3/8 Milwaukee. After using one for 4 complete house flip remodels, my original one fell off a 12 foot ladder onto cement and the back half of the case cracked completely off. Not just where the screws hold it together, but the entire back case.

In a pinch we put the inner pieces back into place (brushes, bearing, trigger, cord) and super-glued the case back on. It still worked and held up enough to finish the job until I could get a replacement.

I’ve had the replacement for about a month, but my beat-up old one is still working fine. Lots of guys like the battery versions, but when I’m remodeling, I’m using a drill non-stop so I prefer a cord.

This drill is variable speed which allows me to get long drywall screws in fast, then slow down to keep from driving the head right through. And although it’s not a hammer drill, I have no problem using mason bits to drill into cement.

I’ve used it to drill 1/2″ holes in 3/8 steel running about 1/4 trigger and it’s like a hot knife though butter. 3/4 spade bit through a 4×4? No problem except to hold on tight if you don’t want to twist your arm off.

Also a fan of the keyless chuck. Makes it super easy to switch bits FAST when needed. She’s a bit heavy for all day use, but if you want torque, you’ll need it’s big 8 amp motor. Love my big red.

I had the first m18 fuel hammer drill that Milwaukee put out. It lasted me nearly 8 years without much issue other than a siezed chuck one time that was fixed under warrenty. Amazing drill. I updated to this new drill recently, and i am horribly disappointed.

Where i could use my other drill for both screwing and drilling, able to set the clutch for a wide range of settings. The clutch on the new drill is 100% useless. There is no way one can set the clutch to stop driving at a certain depth.

Even the lowest clutch setting strips screws before the clutch activates. On top of this, both this brand new drill, and the brand new fuel impact driver i bought have trigger issues randomly for no reason, where pulling the trigger does nothing at all for about 30 seconds.

The quality of tools Milwaukee is putting out now has decreased substantially over the last 10 years. Talk about planned obsolescence. absolute garbage. I am highly considering never buying another Milwaukee tool again, i will definitely never recommend anyone buy mikwaukee.

I have also had my 5ah batteries crap out on me and only hold half the charge they should. While my first set of batteries from 8 years ago are still going strong. GARBAGE.

I am on my third drill in 10 months. My first one lasted 10 months, the second 1 day, and the third has handles pretty well so far after a week without any problems what do ever. This drill, especially combined with a high output battery, delivers enough power to get through almost anything.

The problem my first drill had was after about 3 months the chuck would begin to slip or loosen around smaller bits (masonry bits and 6ft flexible auger bits). The nail in the coffin was a drop that cracked the casing and made it stick in 2nd gear.

I managed to exchange the first. The second one didn’t get to finish its first task. As I drilled a 3/4” hole with an 18” long auger bit through a true 2×10 (very dense stuff) the bit got stuck. Attempting to remove the auger bit the shear torque from this drill was too much for the connection points in the casing to handle and the grip snapped.

The chuck and the battery could be manually twisted 30 degrees in opposite directions. I returned that drill. Now I have this one and it is holding up pretty well after continuous use over the past week.

It’s overall a great drill, but I would be hesitant to use it on an older home.

This has been a fantastic tool to use over the three years I worked as a cable and internet installation technician. I think in that 3 year period I only ever needed to charge my batteries a few times.

It has been the most reliable tool I ever had. It belonged to the company I worked for so when I left I had to get one for my own workshop. The only problem it had was the chuck would stick a lot and not let go of my drill bits so I had to constantly tap the chuck with a hammer lightly to loosen it.

But regardless of that issue the tool has kept on trucking along even in extreme weather conditions. I worked in all weather and have had this tool out in the rain a lot. The key was to occasionally spray a little lubricant on the chuck after using it in the rain to keep the rust from taking hold of it.

Very good tool and my favorite drill of all time!.

I’ve had this drill for only 4-5 months and am disappointed in the quality. I bled red until this drill, now I am taking some very hard looks at DeWalt. First of all, and probably the biggest issue, the handle attaches to the weakest part of the drill, which is this soft metal where it grips the drill using about 1/8″ of material.

So if the drill catches on something the impact will damage the metal until eventually the handle is useless as it no longer grips the drill fully. At that point, the next time the drill catches your wrist will take the hit.

Yes yes it has a stop setting but it gives WAY too soon and is WAY too easily triggered. This is the most asinine design I’ve ever seen. Dewalt uses a strap or a direct screw right into the body of the drill, both of which are FAR more secure.

Milwaukee used to do this but have since gone to this design which is more suitable to a Fisher Price drill than one used for actual materials. Second, the chuck release is unbelievably difficult to do.

After hammer drilling 8 holes into concrete, it took the use of a pipe wrench to loosen the chuck! Happened again today drilling ONE 5″ hole into concrete. My last Milwaukee could take an absolute beating for hours drilling concrete and getting the chuck to release took one twist.

Not so much for this one. This thing is great for light duty drilling, e. g. into wood, MAYBE small concrete holes so the chuck doesn’t seize, but thats about it. If you want something for heavier duty use, get a DeWalt maybe.

As a huge Milwaukee fan, this pains me to say, but this is not a quality tool.

Hello, I’m very happy to see this Review request. I my shop I have eight different drills, all are used for many projects I do in my work shop. The most recent purchase of the MAKITA-DA3010F is a masterpiece of function and power that none of my other drills are with the job I’m using it for.

I’m not saying it replaces the function of my other drills, except for one, but that it stands out as one of the best drills I’ve ever purchased. Thank you very much for making such a fine tool and I certainly hope it lasts as long as other tools I have.

I take care of my tools and they all last a long time.

If you’re looking for the absolute best 3/8 inch corded right angle drill ever, look no further. The drill has gobs of power, that are perfectly controlled with the smoothest power transfer of any drill I’ve ever owned.

Not to mention it is two inches shorter than my Bosch 12 volt battery powered right angle drill with a hand Chuck. Granted these are completely different tools for different purposes, but this right angle drill should almost be on display in your Workshop.

The Chuck has amazing grip on drill bits, which I use this drill with reverse cut drill bits for extracting bolts and rethreading holes. The motor power is phenomenal. It is very well controlled does not jerk in your hand and has a throttle limiter on the trigger so you don’t use too much throttle while you are trying to maintain a good grip on the drill.

As you can see from the pictures, the space in which I drill is very limited. I wish this was the first right angle drill I purchased. It is far superior than the corded DeWalt that is also on the market.

I do not have pictures of the DeWalt, sorry. For my purposes, having the power and smooth motor operation of the corded drill is excellent. The battery power, even the Milwalkee 12-volt is not well suited for this type of drill and tapping work.

This drill has a mostly covered Chuck, which allows you to use your opposite hand to apply pressure from the back of the drill without chewing up your hand, or getting your glove stuck in the rotating Chuck.

Also, not having a hand Chuck reduces the overall length of the drill to fit into smaller spaces, and also allows a firm grip on the drill bit which will never rotate in the chuck, like drill bits have a tendency to do in hand chucks.

They thought of everything when making this right angle drill.

Bought this because I needed a drill that would accept 1/2 inch bits for some large holes I was drilling through lumber. Weak performance caused me to buy Milwaukee which easily did the job. I used it over a year later for hammer drilling some holes in concrete.

It burnt up after two holes. How do I find the mfg date? Guess I’m screwed. Stick with Milwaukee and Bosch if you want quality products to do the job.

I do ALOT of home improvement project at my house as well as help my family and friends with theirs so when my 8 year old hammer drill died a couple of months back (was a Craftsman as well) I of course got another Craftsman! In the couple of months I have been using this it has had ZERO issues drilling through concrete block including poured cells, slabs, and even some decorative rocks we have in our yard.

The chuck never slips and while the drill gets a little warm with heavy use I would not say it gets too hot. I have seen the reviews stating the drill gets very hot but so do most hammer drills when you push them hard or do not blow the dust and debris out with each use.

I am 100% happy with this Craftsman Hammer Drill and fully expect 8 or more years of use out of it like I got from my old one!.

Bought this last summer to make pilot holes for mounting brackets on my garage wall, 12 small holes in all, worked great. Dug it out to make some more holes yesterday and all the factory-installed smoke leaked out on my second pilot hole.

Would give 4. 5 stars for my initial use but with it dying on only my second use I am not happy; at this time my current recommendation has to be no, do not recommend this product. Will try taking it Lowe’s and see if they’re any help (supposed to have 36 month warranty) but I can’t find my receipt.

If they’re no help I’ll buy a different brand from somewhere else.

I bought it as a replacement for a small cordless drill I bought on eBay. There, the drillbit snapped, when it did work, the bit would also come loose often. It was not for heavy duty use. This one has a real tool to tighten the bit, and I bought three heavy duty bits to drill into a dead tree stump which I am trying to remove.

(I’m pouring hot Epsom Salt water in to break up the wood cells. 3x daily. So far, the wood around the area drilled gets easier to remove after a couple days. ) It costs $400+ to have a professional remove that stump.

I have time. So far, both drills and bits have been under $200. I might get fed up with this and have the arborists take it out anyway. I’m having a good time, and it gets me out in the yard.

We bought this drill in may 2018 and we always buy Milwaukee but this drill has been terrible. We have had it in the repair shop 3 times already. Every time no charge which means it’s under warranty but it slows us down.

We have never had so many issues with a Milwaukee drill as we do with this one. We use impact drivers, sds. Etc on daily basis but this hammer drill has alot to be desired.

I purchased to dril 8 1/2” x 4” holes in garage floor to hold down a drill press and a grinder. Working 8 hrs I was able to drill 2 holes with new bits. As the saying goes, stay home or go big. This hammer drill doesn’t cut the mustard! Go bigger.

I’ve had this mill for over (2) yrs now and it has yet to let me down. It takes time to get the hang of it but that’s the same with any new piece of equipment. I’ve used it on just about every type of material without an issue.

The trick is to not go crazy with your depth (take your time!) and simply make sure you’re using the correct bits! I can’t stress using the correct bits enough!! The bits can get expensive but they’re worth it! Lastly, DONT start something that’s important without really really knowing how to “maneuver” the bed!! THATS where all the problems exist.

Know the controls intimately as well as ensuring everything is tightened up, including the main post. Nothing is worse than having it loosen up and start slipping and your cut is all off now.

The design of this mill is appalling. The only way to tram the y-axis of the mill is to use shims, and doing so requires taking the mill apart down to a very fine level. Either the entire head must be disassembled once taken off the column, or the column must be disassembled from the base (and head likely taken off too for balance issues).

You add shims, rebuild the entire damn thing, then test to see if it’s trammed properly. This process can take 3 or more tries, which will take a long time with all the taking apart and putting back together.

The internal high/low gears are plastic, as is the gear the motor drives. The spindle has 2 ball bearings to help it do all its cutting, and these are the cheapest bearings money can buy. The Z-axis feed system is a joke, with all that backlash it immediately makes a DRO necessary.

The key which holds the collet/collar on top of the spindle which preloads the bearings is a press-fit for some reason, making it nearly impossible to get out in order to remove the spindle and aforementioned cheap bearings.

If this is your intro to machine tools and milling, you will not have a good time. Spend the money on a real mill. This is a price-point machine designed to take your money, not do work.

This drill will put a hole through anything so you BETTER RESPECT the power or it will either throw you 10 ft or dislocate a shoulder. It therefore goes without saying that a pipe handle is MANDATORY or else don’t use it.

I also use a slightly older 5/8 model (1754-1) same goes for that although it has higher RPM’s. I don’t know why somebody would give it one star , probably didn’t use it correctly and ended up in the hospital.

These drills have been a constant in our tool rental fleet for over 12 years without a single breakdown. We sell off these drills from time to time and have never had a return or complaint. They just work without issue.

The product is great. The price was the lowest I have seen. Awesome value!

Ive been using Makita tools for 40 years, professionally and as a diy’er. I have finally managed to break a Makita tool, a drill driver, too much time on the hammer drill setting I think. So I have bought this drill driver and will get a corded hammer drill.

Great tools, only let me down twice; the drill and an 18v battery that would not charge after >12 months use. Makita replaced it FOC. Can’t see past Makita or Screwfix for service.

Bought this a few months ago for some small home maintenance projects. Holds charge really well, great size and light weight. Only complaint is that its not very powerful. I specificially picked this one as it was the handheld with the highest power ratio.

Very happy with this drill, it has lot of power, as I was drilling through colourbond and steel.

handy size easy to use powerful

TranslateShow in original languageOmakotitaloon muuttaessa ostettu ennakkoon. Nyt oli vain kokeiltu muutama kerta, joten kokemukset vähäiset, kuitenkin: kahva on mukava ja tukeva, istukka helposti toimii ja pitävä, nopeuden säätö toimii hyvin, samoin momentin säätö.

Kipitän näkyvät jokaisen käynnistyksen ja pysähtymisen jälkeen – lienee olla normin vaihtoehto?.

TranslateShow in original languageHar sedan tidigare en Makita Borrskruvdragare som uppfyllt alla kriterier man kan ha. Med stor sannolikhet gäller detta även den Makita som jag köpt nu annars hade detta köp inte ägt rum.

Dock har jag behövt byta chuck på min tidigare maskin vilket inte är unikt för Makita då den varit med om många tuffa arbetstimmar. Makita för mig är lika med bra kvalitet, punkt slut.