Originally Posted By: Chris B.
Never had a hex drive. Can they take normal bits? The Rockwell had 800 in-lbs and the Milwaukee has only 275...big difference.
They cannot without an adapter or special bits that have the hex end. You'd need something like this to make the conversion:
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00988758000P?prdNo=5&blockNo=5&blockType=G5
or this:
http://www.amazon.com/Hitachi-725405-Keyless-Conversion-Drivers/dp/B001717COS/ref=pd_cp_hi_1
The 800 in-lbs is
only in impact mode. There's no way any 12v tool is going to have more normal non-impact torque than even a corded drill.
I've got both the Hitachi and Milwaukee sets (long story). Both have great warranties and are built very well and feel good in my hands. Here's my take:
Both impact drivers are awesome. Great for driving screws and I can drive a 3" drywall screw with them both. Battery life on both is awesome.
The Hitachi drill is lightweight, a little slower and seems to not have decent torque but it gets the job done. I've put spade bits on it and it will drill through wood but you have to go a little slow on the pressure.
If you look around, you can find the Milwaukee Impact, hammerdrill, and oscillating tool kit for $199. That's how I got mine.
The hammerdrill is a beast. It's torquey, can do a driver setting, and the hammerdrill is useful for tapcons and other small masonry fasteners. I ran 20 or so tapcon holes for firring strips and the battery still had 2 bars of charge left.
All in all if I had to do it again, I think I'd just buy 2 of the Milwaukee sets. I really like the Hitachi tools but they seem to have nothing else in the 12v system. A hacksaw and angle drill and that's about it. With the Milwaukee there are tons of tools available with the 12v system.
That being said the Rockwell does get decent reviews so it probably is a decent drill and which one you go with depends on what you plan on doing with it and if you want a system or not.
