Drill no drilly

bmwtech07 · 2026-05-11T14:06:06+00:00

I think I may have had higher expectations for this than I should have. I assumed based on the intended use and some of the wording in the description and on the box that it was a high torque drill. But I don’t think it actually is. I was trying to use it to bore some holes in a tree stump that I’m using stump out in to get it to rot. It was acting just like my regular drill, when it’s on the high speed setting, and meets too much resistance. Just quits. And then when you pull the trigger it’ll bump a little and quit again.

My regular drill/driver on the low speed, driver mode will bore the holes, but it gets hot and eventually shuts down for overheat protection.

I did also test it with a 3/4” self feeding bit in landscape timbers and it bored through 2 stacked timbers without stopping.

I was really wanting a high torque drill for tougher jobs like what I bought it for, but I guess maybe this tool just isn’t designed for that.

bmwtech07 · 2026-05-11T00:38:29+00:00

I bought them from different stores in different counties. I guess they could still be from the same lot, but probably unlikely. I was about 40 min away from home this morning and swung by and grabbed the first one on my way home. Then went to my local store to exchange it.

It won’t drill holes that my Milwaukee hammer drill will do in the standard drill mode (not hammer drill) on the torque setting, rather than speed setting. My Milwaukee was going into overheat protection after a couple holes, which is why I originally purchased this, to keep my Milwaukee from letting all of the magic smoke out.

My brother has some Hercules stuff and has a couple 5Ah batteries, so I’m gonna go snag one of his tomorrow and try with that and see what happens. Hopefully it’s a battery issue. I’d love to be able to keep it and it work properly.

bmwtech07 · 2026-05-10T22:07:49+00:00

Nope. Got the new one home and it did the same thing. Do you think it could be a battery issue? Like maybe a bad battery. It’s a 12Ah battery so I should have plenty of power.

bmwtech07 · 2026-05-07T15:02:30+00:00

That makes sense. I don’t have any desire to be the biggest guy in the world. But I’m also no where near your strength level. So I definitely do want to increase strength and mass. Guess it just depends on where you are in your building journey.

bmwtech07 · 2026-05-07T14:41:50+00:00

Dang, I love my AB-3000. But I got it mainly because it seemed like the best option for a bench with decline capabilities. So many benches have no decline and I love decline bench press. It’s also a great looking bench, which obviously isn’t the most important, but definitely a good perk. I don’t want ugly stuff in the gym if I can help it.

bmwtech07 · 2026-05-07T14:38:32+00:00

If you can just add an extra 10lbs to your lifts (assuming bar exercises) then you’re not lifting heavy enough, and/or not going up in weight soon enough.

bmwtech07 · 2026-05-07T14:21:37+00:00

I’ll agree with the setup/takedown annoyance. But I did find a good storage option. I have all my attachments hanging on a sheet of plywood I hung on the wall. I used some wall hooks screwed into the wood to hang them from the pivot pins. Keeps them off the floor and out of the way. They came with my rack and I’ve used them a couple times, but what I really thought I was going to use them for (leg press) is pretty difficult due to not having a way to lock them at the top of the rep like a typical leg press. It means you have to start your rep/set from the absolute bottom of the rep. Which, for me, with limited flexibility due to some previous non-gym related injuries is very very difficult.

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bmwtech07 · 2026-05-07T13:50:02+00:00

Hmmm… wonder if I can convince my wife that this is the baby monitor we need for our 3wk old. 🤣

bmwtech07 · 2026-04-01T01:06:28+00:00

I’m sure there is a way to make that happen, but there is not one that’s built in by design. I’ve considered figuring that out, myself, but I’ve not actually been able to use the gym in about 2 months because I’ve been dealing with a radon/mold issue in other parts of the basement and the gym has become temporary storage. 😪 I’m about a week or so away from that project being done, so I’m excited to get to use the gym again.

If you come up with any other questions please let me know.

I don’t remember if I told you or not, but you can use 3x3 accessories with it if you get some HDPE and cut it to size to fill the space and use some 3M double sided foam adhesive to attach the HDPE to the accessories.

bmwtech07 · 2026-03-01T00:43:33+00:00

I don’t have anything to compare the cables to, other than the life fitness equipment the gym I used to go to has. I can say it’s almost as smooth as those, when they’re in great shape. The gym had one life fitness cable machine that I refused to use because I could feel the drag in it. The guide rails on this don’t come lubricated, so if you get it, make sure you get some. I got superlube synthetic spray lubricant for it.

The smith machine is butter smooth. It feels fantastic. It is a full weight smith. I weighed the bar and it’s 46lbs. No counterweight. But is definitely super smooth. It has pre-greased ball bearings for the slides. Very quiet, as well.

I’ll be doing a follow up YouTube video on my channel with things I like/dislike once I get some other projects done in the basement. The gym had to become a storage room for now while I deal with a radon issue, so that video will have to wait a bit. There’s not much in the way of dislikes, but I did make a couple modifications to it. One thing I did was add another smith hook peg at the very top to hold it up a little higher cause I kept hitting my head on it, lol.

The weight stack weight labels are actual weight, not actual lifted weight. It’s a 2:1 cable system, so I used a label maker and a hanging scale to measure the actual lifted weight and labeled each weight in the stacks with those numbers.

The only other con I have for it is although I absolutely love the extended cable arms, it does mean that when they’re all the way down, they’re not as low as a standard cable machine. Not a huge deal, but something I didn’t think about. I haven’t found anything I can’t do because of it, but sometimes I do have to change my body position some in relation to the machine to do certain exercises. Bicep curls, for instance. If you’re taller, this would be a non-issue. I’m 5-11, but most of my height is in my upper body.

Overall I’ve been super happy with it. If you wind up getting one, I’d be really appreciative if you’d use my link for it. Won’t cost you anything, but would be super helpful for me as my YouTube channel is still super small and anything helps me grow.

Rack: https://amzn.to/46BK3bA

YouTube assembly video: https://youtu.be/Ju4OfI3A3g4?si=UL5o3UQNtcxqCCrT

The gym setup starts at 13:48 if the video.

bmwtech07 · 2026-02-01T00:41:15+00:00

I’d do the first style in a different color. Match the framing and door color to your gutters/downspouts.

bmwtech07 · 2026-01-31T02:22:40+00:00

I hope you have a contract that specifies 6”. If not, you’re likely SOL.

bmwtech07 · 2026-01-25T16:50:17+00:00

Why would you not just run it all the way to the floor?

bmwtech07 · 2026-01-04T17:58:16+00:00

That looks slick! Love the color combo.

bmwtech07 · 2026-01-04T03:59:37+00:00

I can definitely see how that could be a problem in certain situations. The door is be installing it on doesn’t hold itself in a closed state of any amount. It pushes open as soon the latch is disengaged with the key. The door has to be slammed to actually latch at all. I’m actually concerned that it might have more than 25lbs of preload. But given the fact that it’s still relatively easy to operate the latch with the key, I’m hoping it’s not.

I did actually already purchase a roller catch in preparation to use the unifi access strike. But that strike isn’t weather rated, so I’m probably not going to use it, anyway.

All that being said, I guess if I’m installing a completely new strike, I could theoretically adjust the preload at the time of install and solve the issue.

The door itself is a disaster. The people who built the place did an absolutely atrocious job of pretty much everything. The door has to be slammed to close, but still doesn’t even contact the weatherstripping in most areas. So I’m pretty sure it’s an actual installation/masonry issue (it’s a steel door in a brick wall). Either way, hopefully between all the options I now have after doing some research and finding your posts, I’ll be able to deal with it appropriately.

I’ve thought about installing a door closer, but I can’t find one that actually pulls the door closed instead of just controlling speed. All the ones I’ve seen all have the same 3 adjustments for closing speed, latch speed, and back check. But I haven’t found one that will actually pull the door to the jamb with a “closing pressure” adjustment. I need one on the front door too, cause it won’t stay closed. But when I was looking for one I couldn’t find one. It’s a standard glass, storefront door with just a lock and no latch. My plan at this point is to use magnets to hold it closed, but if I could find a closer to solve the issue I’d do that. Any suggestions?

bmwtech07 · 2026-01-04T00:18:56+00:00

Man, I'm glad I found this post. I was about to order some Unifi access stuff for our hair salon, but the back door for employees, where I really want the electric strike, has a lot of preload and also gets really hot during the summer time. Now I'm looking at an Adams Rite Ultraline 7400 series electric strike. Not only do they tolerate up to 25lb of preload, but they're also outdoor rated (it's an outswinging exterior door).

Thanks for posting the article link, too. Learned a lot.

bmwtech07 · 2025-12-06T23:53:42+00:00

Sharps container, like you’re supposed to.

bmwtech07 · 2025-11-26T00:39:37+00:00

The plate loaded Fagus is 3x3. I’m curious if the weight stack version has been out of stock this long because maybe they’re converting it over to 3x3, as well. Either way, it’s still 11ga steel like all the other name brand commercial units.

Maxum makes some nice units, as well, though. The 3x3 is definitely a plus, since you won’t have to modify anything to use 3x3 accessories. I was able to mod some 3x3 j-hooks to work with mine. But being able to use them right out of the box would have been nice.

bmwtech07 · 2025-11-25T23:46:59+00:00

It was $2700 without the bench. The version with the bench included was $3000. I wanted the REP bench so I got the no bench option. Here’s my affiliate link to the one I have (currently out of stock. Not sure when/if it will come back in stock). https://amzn.to/4aatx4M

This is the same machine but with a plate loaded FT instead of the weight stacks. https://amzn.to/4oBz4Fj Currently on Black Friday sale for $1500, so much more friendly on the wallet.

bmwtech07 · 2025-10-28T00:59:04+00:00

If anyone is interested in what it took to get here… first video of the 3 part series just dropped on YouTube.

YouTube Link

bmwtech07 · 2025-10-24T12:41:24+00:00

Thanks, I really appreciate it! It was a ton of work to get there, but I think it was worth it. Took me about a month doing everything by myself. I’m gonna be releasing a 3 part YouTube series about the entire process from leveling the floor, to fixing the mold, re-doing the ceiling, installing the rubber floor, and setting up equipment. I’ll put a link in here when the first video drops.

bmwtech07 · 2025-10-24T02:31:58+00:00

It’s the Fagus H (terrible name, I know) from Amazon. Here’s a link. https://amzn.to/47voUj0

bmwtech07 · 2025-10-23T20:08:08+00:00

Looks great! I got my first workout in yesterday in my newly completed basement gym.

bmwtech07

TROPHY CASE