and a the average bolt placement costs about $6.20 based on MEC prices.

And I completely agree with that. Except just because someone doesn't have a lot of experience bolting for climbing, doesn't mean they don't know how to use a drill and correctly set an anchor.
The first climbers who set anchors, learned it from the construction industry. There is no school that teaches "drilling rock and bolting for climbers 101".
And quite frankly, it is not rocket science.
If you buy a 3/8" x 3" bolt, then you drill a 3/8" hole, 3 inches deep. You tap the bolt in to depth, and you torque the bolt to 25 ftlbs. So unless the guy is trying to chisel out the hole by hand with a concrete chisel, I think you will be perfectly safe.
Even if you tried to wiggle the drill around to purposely mess up the hole, the anchor only contacts the walls of the hole in the last 1/2" of the hole where the expansion collar is. You can't mess the hole up back there because the drill bit would break at that point. It's a 3/8" or 12mm bit, they break fairly easily.

Actually bolting can be a very advanced and complicated task. Sure, the act of placing a bolt in solid contiguous rock is a no brainer, but it is not that simple. I have spent entire days bolting a single route before because I wanted it to be perfect. When bolting routes you have to examine the rock, and if the rock you are bolting is highly fragmented, such as basalt, this is a pretty critical and advanced job. Then you have to take into account clipping stances. If you make someone clip through a 5.12 move, you could add a letter grade to the difficulty, or you could significantly increase their risk of blowing the clip and decking. Then you have to take into account bolt spacing, when to run it out, when to keep it tight, ect. After that you have to account for flakes, aretes, and sharp rock. You have to examine where the lead rope is running and determine if it is going to cross over an area where the climber's feet need to go, putting them at risk of getting caught in the rope in a fall. You also have to take into account rope drag, and all of that stuff is only relative to bolt placements.

You also have to determine the best type of anchor for use in your application. If you are using glue-in bolts you have to determine the best epoxy for your application. Then once you are ready to drill you have to thoroughly clean the hole and the bolt. If you are using U bolts you have to precoat the bolt and the holes. You have to determine how to insert the bolt into the hole without creating an air pocket. Then once you get the first bolt in, you have to manage the epoxy gun so you dont drip epoxy all of the route.

I could go on for days about the technicalities of bolting. But put simply, bolting a route for lead is significantly more complicated then just drilling a hole and slamming a bolt in there.

Actually bolting can be a very advanced and complicated task. Sure, the act of placing a bolt in solid contiguous rock is a no brainer, but it is not that simple. I have spent entire days bolting a single route before because I wanted it to be perfect. When bolting routes you have to examine the rock, and if the rock you are bolting is highly fragmented, such as basalt, this is a pretty critical and advanced job. Then you have to take into account clipping stances. If you make someone clip through a 5.12 move, you could add a letter grade to the difficulty, or you could significantly increase their risk of blowing the clip and decking. Then you have to take into account bolt spacing, when to run it out, when to keep it tight, ect. After that you have to account for flakes, aretes, and sharp rock. You have to examine where the lead rope is running and determine if it is going to cross over an area where the climber's feet need to go, putting them at risk of getting caught in the rope in a fall. You also have to take into account rope drag, and all of that stuff is only relative to bolt placements.

You also have to determine the best type of anchor for use in your application. If you are using glue-in bolts you have to determine the best epoxy for your application. Then once you are ready to drill you have to thoroughly clean the hole and the bolt. If you are using U bolts you have to precoat the bolt and the holes. You have to determine how to insert the bolt into the hole without creating an air pocket. Then once you get the first bolt in, you have to manage the epoxy gun so you dont drip epoxy all of the route.

I could go on for days about the technicalities of bolting. But put simply, bolting a route for lead is significantly more complicated then just drilling a hole and slamming a bolt in there.

Well, if you knew anything about drills, the volts has nothing to with the actual power of the drill, it's the amount of amperage it draws. The higher the amps, the more power. Voltage refers to the speed at which the electricity travels at, Amps is the actual power, and watt is a measurement of consumption.
The beauty behind the rigid drills is that even though they are only 18V, they are 2.5Ah, much more powerful than most 18V drills.
When you have actually used one, let me know.
I did not say that it is more powerful than a gas powered, I said I have never used a gas powered, and the little bolting I have ever done has been done with my 18V Rigid drill.
Why everyone is getting upset, I have no idea, who the hell cares what drill was used, just climb and be glad someone put the bolts in!

Power is measured in Watts.
The voltage of the drill has nothing to do with its ability to drill holes.
The Ah rating is the storage capacity of the battery and indicates how many holes you can drill, not how fast.
The hammer force on the drill bit is measured in Joules.
The measure of ability to drill is (theoretically) a function of the hammer impact force in Joules multiplied by the beats per second which gives the power. To this you have to add the power required to turn the drill which then gives you the total power demand of the drill. For battery drills this is tyically in the 350-450W range.

The cordless tool industry have tended to go for higher voltages as for a given power output the current is lower and they can use thinner wire to save weight, smaller electronic components and cheaper and lighter cells.

Different drills suit different rock types better, the rotational speed, hammer impact and blows per minute all playing a role in the drilling efficiency. In general slower hammering drills work better in harder rock.

For bolting I use variously a 14.4V Makita, 18V Metabo, 24V Bosch, 36V Hilti, 24V Makita and 36V Bosch. Each has its good and bad aspects and the drill I use most is the 14.4V Makita.

As a manufacturer I certify anchor setters for safety applications and construction workers are sometimes difficult as they tend to think they know everything whereas in reality they have succesfully got away with rubbish all their lives. The construction industry know this and adjust their techniques and the anchor requirements to the incompetence often met on site.

You and that other dude should become partner and open a new EL CAP route

























with your advance bolting skills and his PDF knowledge , you guys be done by 2017

You said you are a manufacturer, and I was trying to figure out what brand you manufacture, but you used about 5 different brand names, so it's a mystery :)

All the bolting I do is just straight upkeep. Removing old damaged bolts and replacing them, installing bottom anchors, stuff like that.

Haha, well thanks Jim for the very valuable information that helps prove my point, and not much thanks for that jab at the end, but regardless.

However, maybe I just worded it wrong, I said Watts is a measurment of the consumption of power, an online definition I found states, "Watts are the amount of energy a device uses in performing its function."

But thank you on the very useful information on battery operated drills.

EDIT: You said you are a manufacturer, and I was trying to figure out what brand you manufacture, but you used about 5 different brand names, so it's a mystery :)
How much do you know about how my Ridgid drill stand up to the rest, would you say it is a good quality drill for both work and play, or should I look into switching to a different brand if I ever burn this out?

Helps prove your point? You thought Amp hours is a measure of how powerful a drill is, and he rightly pointed out that you're totally incorrect. Your credibility is suspect to say the least. You don't have to be an anchor expert to place a decent concrete anchor. I'm sure you learned that they totally over engineer these things to allow for sloppy installation. Even a weekend handyman like me has no problem putting them in. Totally different story when you're trying to bolt some rock types.

I tried to use an 18V DeWalt hammer drill to put some bolts in canadian shield granite, and I had darn good bits. What a joke. Totally inadequate for the job. I doubt your Rigid would do much better.

Great advice. In fact, I think I will bolt a sport route up El Cap and chip a bunch of holds to bring the route down to a 5.7 level. That way guys like you, who have no wall climbing skills, can just sport your way up it.

Don't even bother replying, because I am not even going to read on anymore.

This post has become a high school popularity contest, and I am not here for that.

Thanks to all those of you that posted intelligent and informative posts. I did learn a few things about bolting routes, and the neccessity for more powerful drills in certain aspects.

And don't worry Becs, I am not going out to bolt any routes, that you might climb, you are perfectly safe.

Happy and more importantly, safe climbing!

He manufactures anchors:http://www.bolt-products.com/index.htm. Though I find his website a little, uh, intense to browse.


Really I just posted this so I can follow it more easily if it keeps getting responses, though.

They lower a 2400 feet of static rope off top of El Cap and rap

Guys like me generally do not climb

They lower a 2400 feet of static rope off top of El Cap and rap

Sigh, Majid. What is with the overly elaborate anchor and lockers on every bolt? You are one of those gym types who use steel locking biners on their GriGris, have back-up belayers, climb on 11mm ropes, retire said 11mm ropes when they take more lead falls then the rope is "rated for", and use locking biners on their quickdraws. News flash bro, you dont need to be that safe. Live a little.