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I don’t like gizmos that try to make one tool (like a drill press) do the job of another tool (like a hollow-chisel mortiser). The results are usually sub-optimal. But the Milwaukee Right-angle Attachment is the grand exception.
I’ve received a few questions about this tool because I am shown using it in the November 2016 issue of Popular Woodworking Magazine.
I’ve owned this attachment for about five years and have found it to be an effective replacement for a right-angle drill. Unlike a lot of accessories you can buy at a home center, this one is tank-like – like someone cared.
Its only downside is that its chuck accepts hex-head bits only. So I had to buy a set of drill bits with hex shanks. (That’s no big deal, really.) The upshot to the chuck is that the whole gizmo has a low profile. That allows you to sneak into places even a right-angle drill won’t go.
— Christopher Schwarz
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I’ve been using these for 10+ years. As for durability compared to the cheaper models- I’m a full-time carpenter/foreman, and my crew has been using these for nearly a year installing seismic hold-downs in an historic building. This entails driving literally thousands of Simpson SDS screws (1/4″ x 3″,4-1/2″, 6″, or 8″ hot dipped galvanized lag screws – very sticky-)) into old-growth, 100+ year-old Douglas fir. Frequently you can’t get a straight shot, so these angle drivers are the ticket. We use them with 20v cordless impact drivers, and haven’t broken one yet. ( and yeah, we wax the screws beforehand, but still….) Impressive!
I purchased a stand alone right angle drill this past week. May have considered this attachment if I had seen the review before hand. Considered one of these, but thought that it would be difficult to get the drill in some places that required a long reach.
Depends on how it will be used, but in my case required a long reach in a confined space.
Agreed that this type attachment can take a battery driven tool to new levels. I have had the DeWalt DWARA-100 for a long time, since, I have purchased another for inside the house. It comes in handy a lot more than I would have thought. My DeWalt does what I want, saw no sense in spending 4 times the money to have it in red.
https://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DWARA100-Right-Angle-Attachment/dp/B00C0VSNKQ
I bought a chuck when I bought my attachment like this. You can see it here.
https://www.milwaukeetool.com/accessories/miscellaneous/49-22-1560
I found a jacobs (style)chuck with a hex base, limited in the size of bits it will accept , but works excellent for light work.
Be safe
P
I have had one for 10 years plus. They are a great little tool.