i have a buddy who runs his kdrill on a old xrp dewalt 18v nicad drill. he doesnt' get a ton of holes out of it. maybe 100 in of ice on 1 battery but for us that can be 10-20 holes. he has 2 batteries he takes. he'd originally had a lazer for a few years but has used the kdrill for the past 2 years and the drill is still ticking.
i say all that to say that while have a huge rpm, brushless drill makes a big difference, its certainly not a requirement. i run a 2704 Milwaukee and it cuts and cuts and cuts.