Using drill clutch mode for kickback protection?

Does anyone know/have experience with how well a cordless drill protects you against kickback when using the clutch mode for drilling? Let’s say you use the highest clutch setting, in theory it should slip just at the point when it binds up and tries to twist (if the torque exceeds that setting). 

When drilling metal (i.e. when it binds up just before going all the way through) it just might stop that final twist. The clutch would likely hold through the drilling if the hole isn’t too big.

Hopefully (to avoid embarrassment) this isn’t some commonly known trick that I haven’t heard heard of. 

I wanted to test this theory out today but things came up.

Usually the torque settings on the clutch will r be reached before any significant drilling can be done, the clutches tend to be set far below drilling needs. If your looking for a safer method of drilling metal without kick back use an impact driver and impact drill bits

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It depends on the drill. This is in reference to only drilling metal. Most brushed drills it won’t work because you have to lock the clutch into drill mode where it won’t slip every to you know, drill. Newer brushless drills have e clutches. It just kills the motor rather than any actual slipping so you can put it in drill mode and then adjust the setting to where it will cut out right before the point where it really hurts. Works fairly well. Good enough that if I have to I’ll drill one handed. The only drill kickback protection that I trusted and worked 100% of the time and didn’t sacrifice power was my Metabo. I do believe it was accelerometer based. Metabo makes the best metalworking cordless tools on the market even if the specs say they aren’t.

Thanks for the tips.

I was hoping the higher clutch settings would be close to the drills max torque, so a 70Nm max drill might allow ~64Nm in top clutch mode, allowing some level of drilling.

I’ll definitely try the impact driver. 

@Stercorarius was that one of the newer brushless Metabo’s? 

Hilti has awesome torque kickback protected drills too!

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BS 18LTX BL Impuls @D W

Bosch also have great kickback protection.

I agree with Sterc above that Metabo have easily the best clutch options and quality around. You can get a helluva lot of work done on their top clutch setting. I’ve personally tried to do a runtime test with 32mm auger bits while accidentally leaving it in clutch mode. Got about 10 holes done before it checked out.

Bosch is a great smooth drill little less powered than competition but is really comfortable


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Just an update, I did some brief testing with my DCD796 using a 10mm drill bit, 100mm deep into hardwood.

I was able to drill on all clutch settings above 3 (so 4-13).

I use this trick on a couple of my more powerful drills that don’t have anti-kick, it does work to a degree, but sometimes the clutch just slips way too much. 

The only time I use the clutch is to cinch a bit in the chuck. The “hammer” effect gets it tight enough to keep the bits from falling out.


Mike.
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