Milwaukee 5378-20 1/2" Pistol Grip Hammer Drill, 2-Speed

1. Posted: May 30 2008

   I've had this drill for a number of years and always liked the balance and it's good power for the size, but several issues always bothered me. The secondary grip doesn't in place, the plastic depth rod is a joke, the reverse switch is easy to bump during gloved use, no case is provided and it is easy to bump the hammer/drill mode switch during use. Recently mine burned out and the repair estimate was almost as high as the cost of a new one. So, time to go shopping. The similarities between the Bosch and Milwaukee tools makes me think they probably have a common factory origin. Looking at the Bosch hammer drill line I found a very similar tool but which addresses all of the shortcomings of the 5378. My replacement is a Bosch 1199VSRK. It is built a bit more ruggedly than the Milwaukee version, has a metal depth rod, a sturdier secondary handle and comes with a good case. I've seen the 1199VSRK as a reconditioned tool on Amazon for about $80, which is a screaming bargain. Bosch also offers a lower end 1194VSRK which looks very similar to Milwaukee's 5378. The 1194 is almost identical to the 5378 and between them I would choose on price, but the 1199 is the one to get IMO.

2. Posted: May 28 2008

   I have owned this drill for four years. Motor runs fine, plenty of power, the drill chuck which is critical on a hammer drill is junk. Made by ROHM. I will not buy anymore drills with a "Rohm" brand chuck. I also own the model this drill replaced, great drill, I see they have come out with a replacement for this one also Model 5387, looks like it has a good chuck on it. In 2005 Milwaukee was bought out by a chinese company, ITT. They would like you not to know that. If you do a lot of drilling in concrete buy a drill with a SDS chuck on it. Not a "One drill does it all". The SDS chuck alows the bit to hammer while the chuck remains still. Much more efficient not to vibrate the chuck and bit while drilling.

3. Posted: Apr 7 2007

   Bought this drill for around home projects... first one to anchor new ledger board to concrete foundation for our deck extension. Put 8- 1/2 inch 3inch deep holes in the foundation like a hot knife through butter. What a pleasure, the depth gage worked great too for depth uniformity. Great tool for the job intended.

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