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The Milwaukee model 0615-24 is a heavy duty drill driver
that offers an excellent balance between speed and torque, and
it has all the features you would expect to find in a
professional quality power tool. Let's have a look at Big Red.
First off, it comes in a decent lockable storage case. The
contents not only fit in easily, but stay where put. A lot of
cases are so poorly designed that they discourage use - not so
this one.
Out of the case, this driver is a sharp looking tool. The T
handle gives good balance, belying its almost 6 pound weight -
in fact it feels like the weight is almost equally
distributed between the top (motor) and bottom (battery). The
battery can be mounted from the front or back. Our first thought
was - gimmick. But not so. Mounting the battery from the back
noticeably improved the balance of the tool. Careful though, in
this configuration the drill invariably falls forward when you sent
it
down.
The body is made of some thick composite that looks like it will
put up with a lot of abuse. The handle has minimal padding.
However the handle is fairly wide, and extra padding would make
it too bulky. If you have
smallish hands you might find it tiring to hold over long
periods of time.
The 14.4V NiCd battery is rated at 2.4 amp hours, and delivers good
power at low cost. This positions the 0615-24 in the middle of
the drill driver pack. It will deliver a lot more power than 9V
or 12V units, while less bulky and costly than a 18V unit, yet
delivering almost the same amount of power. While a lithium ion battery would be a bonus,
it would also increase the price. As a bonus, the 1 hour battery charger
will charge any Milwaukee Power Plus battery from 12V to 18V.
The jaws and chuck on a drill driver can be subject to a lot of
abuse, particularly on a job site or in a high production shop.
We like that Milwaukee has paid attention to this by installing
carbide jaws and using a full metal single-sleeve ratcheting
chuck on the 0615-24. We also like the ability to tighten/loosen the chuck with one
hand.
The torque selector collar has 20 settings, from 0-17 in lbs
(setting 1) to 65-85 in lbs (setting 20). Once the clutch is
properly adjusted you can set screws without worrying about
going too deep (or stripping the screw head) - the clutch will
slip when it reaches a pre-set torque level.
The low/high speed selector switch is located on the top of the
drill, where it should be. At the low setting (0-500 RPM) the
drill delivers a maximum 460 in-lbs of torque, and at the high
setting (0-1,700 RPM) it tops out at 160 in-lbs of torque.
The speed trigger and control switch (forward/reverse) switch
are easily manipulated with the thumb and forefinger.
On the right side of the drill is a clip that securely holds 2
bits. Unlike the clips on a lot of tools, this one works well.
On the other side is the holder for the Clip-Lok belt clip. This
has got to be the one of the best devices we've seen in a while.
Slip the belt clip on your belt, and then slip the drill driver on
the clip and you're ready for action. Use your thumb to
depress the clip that unlocks the drill. It works extremely well. Half
a dozen people who came into the shop tried this out, and
everyone loved it.
Finally, there is a side handle that quickly installs over the
torque selector if you need to apply a lot of pressure while
drilling.
In summary, this is a great drill driver that will give years of
service. Shave off a pound or two and we'd give this drill
driver top marks - as it is, it still earns a 4½
out of 5.
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Product:
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Price:
Manufacturer:
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14.4V Drill Driver (#0615-24)
$249.00
Milwaukee Electric Tool
Milwaukee Tools are available through most tool retailers
including
House of
Tools and
Home Depot.
- 14.4 volts
- 1/2" keyless chuck
- 0-500 and 0-1,700 RPM
- 460 inch pounds of torque
- 2.4 amp hours NiCd batteries
- spindle lock
- 20 clutch settings
- 5.9 lbs tool weight
- 5 year warranty
Includes: High impact carrying case, 2 batteries, 1
hour charger, side handle, Clip-Lok belt clip, #2
Phillips bit, instruction guide
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© Canadian Woodworking
Magazine, 2007
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To report any
specification errors on this page
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Excellent on-board bit storage |
Holder for the Clip-Lok |
The Clip-Lok - love at first use |
Fits securely on any belt |
Just hanging around,
ready to rumble |
Side handle for when the going gets rough |
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milwaukeetool.com
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Lockable storage case |
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Contents fit in easily and stay where put |
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Big Red - a well balanced drill driver |
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Spartan padding |
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NiCd battery gives 2.4 amp hours of power |
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1 hour re-charge time for 12V to 18V Power-Plus batteries |
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Carbide jaws and all metal single-sleeve ratcheting chuck |
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20 setting torque selector collar |
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Low and high speed selector switch |
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Easy one handed control of trigger and control switch (forward,
reverse, lock) |
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