“Let’s get out our drills and play hole tapping in steel!” said no one ever. The process of drilling a hole, then manually working your tap and die set to finish off a perfect match. It’s time-consuming and inefficient. Even if you only need to tap the hole without threading the bolt, most people don’t look forward. However, the Champion XLT Tapper promises to make that task much easier if you need it frequently enough to justify the price.
Is it a good fit for you?
Here’s a quick breakdown of what you can expect:
Key Features
- It’s a Power Tool: It goes without saying that a power tool replacement for a hand tool is a good thing.
- 450 Watt Motor: Allows you to tap up to 10x faster than by hand and with less tap breakage.
- Automatic Reversing Action: Saves the step of stopping and putting your drill in reverse. It’s a small thing but keeps the process running smoothly.
- Consistent Speed Control: Keeps the RPMs where they need to be even as the load increases.
- Safety Clutch: Protects you in the event of a bind up.
- Depth Stop: Similar to the depth stop on a hammer drill, it gives you consistent depth in your tapping applications.
Several features stand out, but one that moves ahead of the rest is the auto-reverse function. When it comes to using a power tool for tapping, the smoother the overall operation, the better the result. Since you normally have to shift your grip to switch a drill into reverse, the first rotations might not be at the same exact angle you went in on. Auto-reverse doesn’t force you to make that shift and allows for much more steady action through the tap.
If this sounds familiar, you may remember Metabo has a cordless tapping tool that has the same feature.
For more on the Champion XLT Tapper, including ratings and how it performs in testing, check out Tim Johnson’s review at Shop Tool Reviews!
Champion XLT Tapper Specifications
- Model: Champion XLT Tapper
- Power Source: 120V AC
- Motor: 450 watts
- Tapping Speed: 280 RPM forward, 680 RPM reverse
- Steel Capacity: #10 – 9/16″
- Aluminum Capacity: #10 – 5/8″
- Tap Style: Square shank
- Price: $650.00
- Warranty: 1 year
