Hilti SFC 22-A Cordless Drill Review

Hilti SFC 22-A

We recently tested over 50 drills of various shapes, sizes, and power ratings in our recent Best Drill Head to Head Review. Looking at the Compact 18V Drills, the 22V Hilti SFC 22-A entered the fray as the brand’s compact drill. So, how did this drill fare amongst the competition in its category? Here’s what we’ve learned.

Standout Features

Talking about this category in relation to the Hilti SFC 22-A feels a little silly because the brand really isn’t known for blowing minds with a lot of bells and whistles. They tend to favor quality builds and practical functionality. I can appreciate that.

The story isn’t really any different here: this drill won’t wow you with any anti-kickback controls, or light up your life with an LED ring around the chuck. Despite the fact that this drill came to us as one of the brand’s newer releases, it still features a brushed motor. That’s not unusual for Hilti, either. They haven’t jumped on the “all brushless, all the time” bandwagon and still get excellent performance from their drills and drivers.

What you get with the Hilti SFC 22-A is a “meat-and-potatoes” type of drill. It features 2 speeds and 15 clutch adjustments. It also comes with a bit holder, but that’s about as fancy as it gets.

What stands out about this drill is its superb build quality and warranty. It might not be a fancy drill, but with a 2-year free service agreement and a 20-year warranty on the workmanship, the chances are good that this drill gets stolen before it ever breaks down.

Performance

For performance, we test a drill’s speed under load and how much soft torque it can generate. For more information about how we test for these measurements, check out our Best Drill Head to Head Review.

Hilti specs this model at 487 in-lbs of hard torque and 248 in-lbs of soft torque. On paper, it has one of the lowest torque values outside the sub-compact models.

In out soft torque test, the Hilti SFC 22-A displayed a somewhat underwhelming 124 in-lbs of torque, good enough for a 12th place finish. While our test method is clearly different from Hilti’s for testing soft torque, our results put Hilti in line with other drills that spec in the same range.

Considering its weight, the power-to-weight ratio could use some refining. That said, there’s a group of 6 drills in this torque range that includes Milwaukee and Makita models, so it’s not all sunshine and daisies for everyone else.

We also looked at its speed under load using a 3/4″ self-feed bit. It cranked out 1171 RPM under load with a 75% efficiency rating. That means that, even under load, it maintained 75% of its no-load speed. With the 1-1/2″ self-feed bit, it averaged 426 RPM and maintained a 78% efficiency rating.

Its high-speed results are near the back of the group (14th), but it moves way up the list under a heavier load (3rd). This isn’t a surprise, though. Hilti’s no-load speed in high is the lowest of its class and its no-load speed in low is just 24 RPM from the highest. In other words, these speed test results match the way Hilti specs this drill.

Footprint & Weight

There’s not a whole lot to say here beyond that as a compact tool for Hilti, it’s not all that compact compared to others. With its 2.6Ah battery, it weighs in ever so shy of 4 pounds with Ridgid and Masterforce coming in over the 4-pound mark.

As far as its footprint goes, it finished at the bottom, standing 7.9″ high and 8.3″ long.

These results are in line with Hilti’s standard designs for drills. They tend to be heavier with a bigger footprint. A lot of that is due to the quality of the components they use.

Value

Ultimately, the Hilti SFC 22-A didn’t score particularly high from a value standpoint. Its really basic feature set coupled with a higher-than-most price tag for the kit (with Hilti, it’s an a la carte pricing structure) really brings the value down with our objective testing metrics.

While Hilti’s value score is low out of the gate, keep in mind there’s a good chance you’ll go through several of most other brand’s drills before this one gives up the ghost.

Recommendation

The Hilti SFC 22-A performs spot on with how it is designed. Torque is on the low side for compact drills, high-speed drilling is a little slower than most, and its low-speed performance leaves most of its competition behind. Ultimately, it doesn’t struggle to do the jobs we asked of it.

The weight and footprint are characteristically larger than other drills in this class, but it’s a drill that Hilti backs for 20 years. Ultimately, you need a tool that’s willing to work as hard as you and be ready for the job day after day. That’s what Hilti delivers with the SFC 22-A and we can heartily recommend it for Pros that value quality above all else.

Hilti SFC 22-A Cordless Drill Specs

• Model Number: 2149756
• Maximum Torque: 248 in-lbs (soft joint), 487 in-lbs (hard joint)
• No-Load RPM: Gear 1 – 600 RPM; Gear 2 – 1800 RPM
• Chuck Clamping Range: 1/16″ – 1/2″
• Number of Gears: 2
• Torque Increments: 15
• Dimensions (LxWxH): 8 x 3.6 x 9.2″
• Tool Body Weight: 2.88 lbs
• A-weighted Emission Sound Pressure Level: 69 dB(A)
• Triaxial Vibration Value for Drilling into Metal (ah, D): 2 m/s² ²
• Warranty: 2-year free service, 20-year warranty on tool
• MSRP: $276 for kit, which includes two B22/2.6 Li-Ion batteries and one C 4/36-90 charger

For more information about the Hilti SFC 22-A Cordless Drill, or to purchase, visit Hilti by clicking here.