Milwaukee M18 Fuel Hole Hawg 2807-20

The redesigned Milwaukee M18 Fuel Hole Hawg (2807-20) boasts more power and speed than its excellent predecessor with a shorter tool length and just a skosh (0.3 pounds) more heft. Our crew loves the Super Hawg we’ve used for years but having a smaller Hawg is certainly an advantage. Here are the details!

Pros

Highly productive capability for 220 7/8″ holes per charge
Faster work with 300 more RPM than its predecessor
Small profile allows work in tight spaces
5 year limited warranty
Just 7.7 pounds bare

Cons

Caveat not a con: Requires a Milwaukee High Output battery in order to get the most power from the tool

Recommendation

Milwaukee improves upon its winning Hole Hawg formula with more power and speed – just hook it up to a High Output pack for the best performance.

Where the Milwaukee M18 Fuel Hole Hawg Fits

At least until you get some seniority, there’s almost no getting around repipe work. More literally, there’s almost no getting around a sweltering attic while you’re doing it! Maneuvering between truss members, being careful not to damage the ceiling below—the last thing you want is a big, heavy corded drill for all those holes. While the Milwaukee M18 FUEL Super Hawg remains our top recommendation for 2-9/16-inch holes, the updated Milwaukee M18 Fuel Hole Hawg approaches the leader. It presents a smaller, lighter-weight, yet powerful drilling tool.

Even if you’ve never performed this type of work, it’s easy to imagine the advantages of this faster, more powerful Milwaukee M18 Fuel Hole Hawg. What may not be clear, however, is the benefit of being able to drill closer to exterior walls (where the attic narrows sharply toward the soffit) with a smaller tool. Our crew has enjoyed the power of competitor DeWalt’s Inline Stud & Joist Drill, for example, but its size prevents you from getting as close as this Hawg.

Max Power with High Output Battery Packs

To achieve maximum productivity from the Milwaukee M18 Fuel Hole Hawg, be sure to use Milwaukee’s High Output battery packs. We started with regular packs and found we could move faster with the more muscular packs.

Also, when using the cordless Hole Hawg to drill 2-9/16″ holes for plumbing rough-ins, you must use a High Output pack. When testing the tool with 5Ah batteries the tool couldn’t quite drill those holes without stalling out. Even with that pack, this tool doesn’t hit those holes as hard as the cordless Super Hawg. If you spend most of your time roughing-in 2-9/16″ you probably want to step up to the bigger tool.

For everyone else, the cost-savings and reduced size make this a very compelling cordless right-angle drill with oodles of run-time.

How Much Run-time Do You Get?

Milwaukee claims this Hawg will create 220 7/8-inch holes per charge. We didn’t get to test that many holes at once, but it seems plausible. We spend nearly all of our time drilling larger holes. This tool certainly gets the job done—but those tackling 2-inch and smaller-diameter holes will see the most benefits. That’s okay, however. For 2-inch holes and below, this Milwaukee M18 Fuel Hole Hawg is quick!

More Than Plumbing

So it’s not just us plumbers who can benefit from the Milwaukee M18 Fuel Hole Hawg. There are lots of applications for carpenters and electricians, too. One thing seems certain—put a Hole Hawg in the hand of a guy doing rough-in, and he’ll move on to the next job pretty quickly!

Milwaukee 2807-20 vs 2707-20 Hole Hawg

The Milwaukee 2807-20 compares well to the 2707-20 it replaces. You get many of the same hole-drilling capacities—but with a few notable improvements. First, the speed increases dramatically to 1,500 RPM. Secondly, that speed supports greater drilling power—allowing the Milwaukee 2807-20 to tackle up to 2-9/16″ holes. This type of capacity brings the Hole Hawg up nearer to the work typically only tackled by the cordless Super Hawg. Possibly the best thing is that the price doesn’t change—this rolling update simply replaces the older tool.

	2807-20 (2nd gen)	2707-20
Chuck	1/2 in. (keyed)	1/2 in. (keyed)
Length	15.6 in.	17 in.
Weight	7.7 lbs.	7.4 lbs.
Max hole saw	4 in.	4 in.
Max auger bit	1-1/4 in.	1-1/4 in.
Max self-feed bit size	2-9/16 in.	2 in.
Max speed	1,500 RPM	1,200 RPM
Price (bare tool)	$279	$279

Milwaukee 2807 Hole Hawg Pricing

The Milwaukee M18 Fuel Hole Hawg 2807-20 prices out at $279 for the bare tool and $579 for the kit. Here’s a look at the competition.

Milwaukee M18 Fuel Hole Hawg 2807: $279 (bare), $579 (kit)
Makita 18V X2 LXT 1/2 Inch Right Angle Drill XAD03: $359 (bare), $469 (kit)
DeWalt 60V Max In-Line Stud & Joist Drill DCD470: $399 (bare), $549 (kit)
Milwaukee M18 FUEL Super Hawg 2809/2911: $399 (bare), $699 (kit)

Buy Now at Acme Tools

The Bottom Line

The Milwaukee M18 Fuel Hole Hawg’s second generation is a great success with more power and speed in a slightly shorter tool length and just a few tenths of a pound more. You MUST use Milwaukee High Output batteries in order to get the maximum power from this tool—but those XC6.0 batteries come with the 2807-22 kit.