Lightweight Metabo HPT 12V Still Drilling Away 5 Years Later
12V tools are great to have around. For jobs that don’t require all the torque or speed in the world, the lighter weight, smaller voltage drills are quite handy. That’s why we included the 12V drills in our recent Best Cordless Drill head-to-head comparison. Today, we’re looking at the Metabo HPT 12V Drill that showed us it’s not ready to throw in the towel just yet.
Features
The Metabo HPT 12V Drill feels a little behind from a feature standpoint if for no other reason than it doesn’t come equipped with a brushless motor. As a drill that was released 5 years ago, the fact that it had a lithium-ion battery was a big deal. Brushless motors were hardly on the radar at that point, especially in 12V tools.
It doesn’t have any sort of smart controls, either. While features like those are kind of fun, they’re still working on a foothold in the industry.
The Metabo HPT does, however, come with 2 standard modes that you can access via the mechanical switch on the top of the tool. It has a 3/8″ keyless chuck (not all-metal, unfortunately), and you can select between 21 different clutch settings. It features an LED light and a belt hook.
Thanks to the battery design, it can stand up all by itself. Normally, that’s a given, but 12V tools are hit or miss there.
Performance
Torque Testing
Most of our 12V drills drive our soft torque compression rig in the 102–105 in-lbs range. The Metabo HPT 12V Drill is right in the middle of that with a 103. in-lbs average. It’s an 8th place finish, but the important takeaway is that it’s on par with most of its colleagues. The Bosch FlexiClick leads the pack with 116 in-lbs while Metabo and Skil split either side of 108 in-lbs.
Speed Testing
To test a lighter load at high speed, we turned to Milwaukee Red Helix Titanium Twist Bits. Using a photo tachometer, we measured the speed each drill maintained as it drove. Metabo HPT is on the slower end, averaging 810 RPM and well off Skil’s leading pace of 1420 RPM. Holding onto 67% of its tested no-load speed, it can work a little harder before you’re straining the motor.
We tried it all over again with a 3/4″ Bosch Daredevil High-Speed Auger Bit, and the Metabo HPT 12V Drill managed a last-place finish, averaging 653 RPM. Maintaining 54% of its no-load speed in this test, 3/4″ is about as much strain as you should put on this motor.
Performance Takeaways
Metabo HPT has the muscle to hang with this class but lacks speed compared to most of the group. That’s not a huge surprise for a cordless drill with older technology. The important thing to remember is that it’s capable of drilling in pretty tough material.
With most Pros reaching for their 12V drills to tackle light-duty drilling and fastening, there’s no reason to think this drill doesn’t belong.
Size and Weight
12V drills earn their keep with a lightweight, compact design. Go too big and you might as well grab a compact 18V drill and keep everything on one battery platform.
The Metabo HPT 12V Drill has the bulkiest footprint of the group. Its 7.3″ height is spot on, but its 7.8″ length is the longest in a class that’s around 7″ or shorter for the most part.
However, we see some redemption in the weight category. At just 2.43 pounds, it’s in the upper half where only the Bosch PS32 manages to sneak below the 2-pound mark.
Price
One of the major benefits of older tools is that they’re generally less expensive than the newest ones. You can pick up the Metabo HPT 12V drill as a kit with two 1.5Ah batteries for less than $100. Only Skil and Ridgid also manage to get under that mark with the next best option starting more than $50 higher. Metabo HPT sweetens the deal with a lifetime warranty on the tool.
Conclusion
Despite its age in a class of tools that sees frequent upgrades, the Metabo HPT 12V Drill is still relevant thanks to its ability to get the job done at an outstanding price. That said, there’s room to improve this line. Moving to a brushless motor and slide-pack batteries is all it would take to move it forward. We’ll have to wait and see what Metabo HPT has in mind for their 12V tools as they round out their MultiVolt line.
Metabo HPT 12V Drill Specs
- Model Number: DS10DFL2
- Chuck Size: 3/8″ Keyless
- Torque: 300 in-lbs
- Clutch Stages: 21
- No-Load Speed: 0-350/1,300 RPM
- Drill Modes: 1
- LED Light: Yes
- Weight: 2.2 lbs
- Warranty: Lifetime Warranty on Tool, 2-Year Warranty on Battery, 1-Year Warranty on Charger
- MSRP: $82
