The 20V battery fits snuggly into the base of the Bauer 1791C-B1 Hypermax drill-driver and you get started.
You slip it in and it lock up. Then you glance at the charge indicator to make sure the battery is charged. Nothing is more frustrating then a dead battery stopping you before you get started.
Testing the Drilling Performance
Controls are simple. On top of the body, behind the chuck, is a two-speed switch so that you can go back and forth between high torque and high speed for the job. Up by the trigger handle is the forward/reverse switch. Flip it up to feel how it operates.
Everything works smoothly
For delicate tasks, there’s a torque selector that goes from 1-17 on the collar right below the chuck. So if you’re doing something that calls for delicacy, turning it down to a lower setting will keep screw from getting overdriven. This protects the screw head and material it is being driven into. Who wants stripped out soft wood screws or crushed drywall?
Then you turn it down to the low setting.
Time to try it at driving. Pull out a few generic wood screws and see how they do. Feed the drill bit down on low torque. It grip the screw head well and drives the screw easy into the wood. It does not spin out of control. Same deal with removal. Flip the direction switch to reverse. Out she comes without much fuss, it is that simple.
Then you’ll do the really exciting part: bore holes into wood.
First, you unscrew the chuck and take out the driver bit. Next, you pop in a regular wood-drilling bit. Tighten the chuck again, nice and tight around the shank. Rotate the collar to the drill symbol and voila! It’s now in drilling mode.
It goes right around the clutch system. In a few seconds, the drill bite into the wood and starts spinning out wood curls. You can watch the lighted hole, seeing how deep you are drilling. It is precise and clean. There is no tear-out. No burning, it just feels powerful and responsive.
The LED light illuminates the hole, making it easy to see depth. The cut is clean and precise. There is no burning or tear-out. It feel responsive and powerful.
Good enough.
And that’s good enough
Last but not least, what about masonry? Replace the wood bit with a masonry drill bit. And concrete is no joke for a cordless tool. Go carefuly around the block. No hammer setting for the Bauer; just straight up pressure and rotation.
But you hold it firmly and press down on the concrete surface. The cutting bit starts grinding against the stone. The carbide tip break through the aggregate. The dust rises into the air as it breaks through the cement. Yes, it’s working…just slow going. It is drill mode in its purest form. There is no percussive action to help break up hard stuff.
It’s not a big concrete buster. This is its limit with the heavy stuff. But it would of begin holes if you already have pre-drilled places to go in soft block.
For really long anchor holes in solid concrete, you’re better off with a hammer drill made for that purpose. With screws and wood, the Bauer shines. As an all-rounder, it do fine on most jobs. It gives satisfactory results.
