A click at Amazon shows at least a half dozen of powerful right angle drills that could be used for raising the main on an F32. All are less expensive. Any ideas?
Agree you’d be well to look for a competitor’s drill. We have a Milwaukee and it is overkill for our f32. Heavy and bulky too. Applying SailCoat to our slides once or twice a season mostly solves our problem.
I can’t disparage the Milwaukee though. Unbelievable torque!
Dale
Milwaukee is a premium brand and commands a premium price. They are using high quality metal gears, precise chucks, and good components. Some of the other makes do as well, and all “pro” level tools are going to be pretty good. But there are other makes where things may not be as robust, or that may not hold up in hard use as long. Whether or not these things makes a difference in raising your sail is another matter- that’s a pretty light task for a big drill, unless something is broken. The Milwaukee Hole Hawg is an a class by itself for power in a right angle drill. But I have a lighter drill, and it can easily rotate me.
If you are comparing drills pay quite a lot of attention to the amperage of the motor- that will be a good indicator of power. You may need to go to the manufacturer’s site to find out what that is. There are now drills with 1/2” chucks that aren’t really intended for heavy duty use. Newer brushless motors are worth the premium and will make a lighter, more compact tool for the same power. For cordless tools it’s worth considering if you want to buy into a particular tool manufacturer’s ecosystem so you can use the same batteries and chargers for a variety of tools. I did that some time ago with the 18V Rigid line, and I’ve been happy to have a collection of Li-ion batteries, compact drills, sanders, multi-tools, work lights, etc. all using the same system. In many cases you can buy “body only” tools at a steep discount if you already have batteries.
I appreciate the comments. I am not disparaging the Milwaukee product at all. Just curious if another can do it for considerably less $.