PrecisionSignServices

I have a customer needing a sign transported from the Kansas City area down to Texas. I can make the trip up to pick it up but would need assistance loading it. Anyone in the vicinity?

Ed, I did your 'Body Central' install at Golden Triangle Mall in Denton. They're one that didn't require a permit. Good to see you here!

I carry plenty of batteries, I've never needed to carry a charger.

Not a problem. I'm a bit of a tool addict, so I don't typically just run out and buy stuff and hope it works. If it takes doing a comparison to see what the better tool is going to be for the next couple, few years, I'll do it. I know everyone has their preferences, and that's cool. I've had my DeWalt cordless SDS for a year and a half and literally drilled thousands of holes in concrete and masonry and even with a heavily used battery, it still isn't too far behind a brand new Hilti which is supposed to be the unrivaled "king of concrete" tools. Not bad for a "cheap" tool.

What turned you off to DeWalt so much?

There's a picture in the first post. All six sets look exactly the same.

It is a lot of research, you're right. When I'm drilling 300 holes in concrete or stone in a sitting, I'd like to know I'm using the best tool for the job. When I see a review saying one tool can drill almost twice as fast as the tool I'm currently using, I get curious. ....Show you pictures of what...?

Not drinking the Hilti KoolAid quite yet. Yes it's a nice tool, yes it performs better than the DeWalt, but marginally. I may pick up the Bosch RHH181. It's performance is better than the DeWalt and just below the performance of the Hilti for about half the cost. Plus it includes a built-in LED light, it's brushless, has a dedicated chipping feature, and is over a pound lighter. Not to mention Bosch is coming out with 5.0Ah batteries.

http://youtu.be/HhBdm3WeUC4 http://youtu.be/19iF_4vDV38

Here are a few comparisons of the Hilti and the DeWalt. If anyone is in the market for a cordless, thought this may help.

I do a ton like this and a lot of the stuff isn't near electric. And I'd prefer to not have to lug around a generator and extension cord when the battery powered stuff they're making these days can basically keep up with the corded stuff when drilling smaller holes like this. Plus there's no way I'd personally put my trust in getting jobs like this done with a Chicago Electric tool. Unbeknownst to me, there was a big comparison done here: click Although my DeWalt cordless works great for what I do, the specs for the other options out there were all over the board with Hilti having some lower numbers/specs (ie: Impact Energy) than others. But according to the tests, bigger isn't always better. The Hilti cordless took 5.1 seconds to drill a 1/4" x 3" hole. The DeWalt (which I think is a great tool) takes 9.4 seconds to drill the same hole. The specs on that chart are exactly what I was wondering about and looking for. Anyway, I purchased a cordless Hilti TE 4-A18. Looking forward to seeing how it does.

I'm having to install the letters shown in the attached photo to the stone-faced monuments. Each letter has 3 or 4 studs, so I have to drill a 3/16" hole for each stud. There are 6 sets of these letters altogether, so when drilling that many holes, my mind always wanders to whether or not I'm using the best tool for the job. I currently have a bunch of the DeWalt 20v stuff including the SDS rotary hammer which works great and is what I use for installs like the above one. I'm always reading up on new tools, specs, etc. though just to see how everything compares. So I figured this morning while I'm laid up sick, I would compare the various cordless SDS rotary hammers. Milwaukee kills it in IPM and RPM but the Impact Energy is significantly lower than everything else. So that makes me wonder if there is a perfect combination of IPM, RPM and Impact Energy when it comes to rotary hammers or.......? It really makes me wonder how these would shake out in a head-to-head comparison. Take all the tools listed below, use the same brand bit in each, and drill twenty ¼" holes then twenty ½" holes....who wins? Not sure if you installers use corded or cordless versions, but just wanted to get your thoughts. Anyway, here's a breakdown (being sick let's you research stuff like this): Hilti TE 4-A18 Weight: 7.3 lbs. RPM: 1090 IPM: 5200 Impact Energy: 1.5 ft. lbs. DeWalt DCH253 Weight: 6.4 lbs. RPM: 1200 IPM: 4500 Impact Energy: 1.7 ft. lbs. Milwaukee M18 Weight: 5.5 lbs. RPM: 1300 IPM: 7000 Impact Energy: 1.0 ft. lbs. Makita X2 LXT (specs are if using 2 batteries I believe) Weight: 7.3 lbs. RPM: 1200 IPM: 4800 Impact Energy: 2.21 ft. lbs. Bosch RHH181-01 Weight: 5.7 lbs. RPM: 1400 IPM: 4500 Impact Energy: ?? Not Published ?? Bosch RHS181K Weight: 4.6 lbs. RPM: 1050 IPM: 4950 Impact Energy: ?? Not Published ??

Probably a bit late, but State Sign might be worth a call.

Give the DeWalt Rock Carbide bits a shot as well. They hold up for an amazingly long amount of time. Glad the Bosch is working for you!

I bought the DeWalt 20v Max cordless a while back mainly because I have most of the other tools in the line. I've easily drilled over a couple of thousand holes (mainly 3/16") in all sorts of masonry and the thing is a beast. I have a brand new corded DeWalt rotary hammer still in the case, still unused, but I have it for just-in-case. I installed about 400 stadium seats a while back and there was another guy using a corded Hilti. The DeWalt kept up with it pretty much hole-for-hole. Figured I'd post in case anyone was considering purchasing one. I had my eye on that Bulldog Xtreme as well. I don't think you can find a bad review on it. Oh, and this was a video I made when comparing the DeWalt to a corded Hilti:

That's about 5 hours from me, otherwise, I'd offer to help. If you get in a pinch, I might be able to work a vacation around it. :)

Chandler Signs did them for a while. Not sure if they still are.

Hey Mark!

I'm a one-man operation, so I can't really afford to do work for "free". If I'm going, I'm charging. Larger companies obviously have more flexibility and can eat the cost in some instances, so ultimately it's your call based on building/maintaining customer relationships etc.

I think it should be a separate line item on your proposal and you should charge for it whether you are awarded the job or not. I don't think most customers expect you to give your work away. If they do, they're probably not the kind you want to deal with anyway. I would bet they had a few other sign companies go out and survey the same sign and awarded it to the lowest bidder. Specifying up front that you will require payment for surveys may eliminate those that are simply sending sign companies out to start a bidding war.

Good deal - who'd you find? No luck with TTB?

Mark, we always used Tulsa Tube Bending (website)....pretty fair prices and great service (and not too far from home).

Looks good. Kind of has a 'hot & cold' look. I like it.

Looks good - look forward to some night time shots.

Just thought I would post up a few videos of the cordless DeWalt DCH213 20V Max SDS Rotary Hammer compared to the Hilti TE 30-C. Just trying to provide a helpful comparison - not trying to say a cordless is a substitute for a corded. But for ½" or less, the DeWalt gets it done. Anyway, just thought I'd share in case others are trying to decide on what tool to go with. I'm very happy with the DeWalt, but the Milwaukee also has great specs if you're looking for a cordless. I've had DeWalt tools for about 20 years now and have always been happy with them.