Need a new Cordless Drill

audiocr381ve

I'm sick of the one we have now. The rotation is a little lopsided and it's just ready to retire. It's a Durabuilt and has never became my best friend.

I'm on a budget but will push it to get something that will last. Does anyone have any recommendations? Preferably something I can pick up from Lowe's or Home Depot?

Systems

audiocr381ve wrote: »

I'm sick of the one we have now. The rotation is a little lopsided and it's just ready to retire. It's a Durabuilt and has never became my best friend.

I'm on a budget but will push it to get something that will last. Does anyone have any recommendations? Preferably something I can pick up from Lowe's or Home Depot?

Do a search, I think Doro asked this same question a year or so ago.
My vote for the money would be Ryobi.

audiocr381ve

pepster wrote: »

Do a search, I think Doro asked this same question a year or so ago.
My vote for the money would be Ryobi.

Thanks, just pulled up that thread.

gdb

Avoid DeWalt......like the plague !! They've gone straight down the toilet, albeit in a circular motion ! Rigid has the best warranty for inexpensive driver/drills, Panasonic is the BEST, but, very pricey.

Systems

audiocr381ve wrote: »

Thanks, just pulled up that thread.

If I had your MASSIVE amounts of cash reserves Shane, I would have one custom made!

kcoc321

Alot depends on what you are going to be using it for and your budget.
IF you are needing something to drive 3" Framing screws, then I love my Porter Cable 19.2v's.
Had them for years and all I have had to replace are batteries.

Medium job duties, I have a 14.4v Hitachi Cordless drill and plus a impact for driving screws ect...
(FYI: Impacts are the sheit for driving screws )

Small duty, I have a pocket size 10.8v Bosch driver that is great for just driving screws, has suprising torq and will fit in your pants pocket

audiocr381ve

You're not drinking again, are you pep!? Haha

I'm just going to try some out at Home Depot and see which one "speaks" to me

headrott

I bought a Bosch from Lowe's a little over a year ago. Never had a problem with it and it's powerful and works great! It's model number 36618 and is a lithium ion rechargable cordless drill. I couldn't find it on Lowe's web site anymore however, so they may carry a newer model only. There are other places on the net that still have it. I recommend Bosch.

Edit: I just noticed that Home Depot carries that model, but wow has the price gone up since I bought it. I think I got it on sale for $99.99. I hope this helps.

Systems

gdb wrote: »

Avoid DeWalt......like the plague !! They've gone straight down the toilet, albeit in a circular motion ! Rigid has the best warranty for inexpensive driver/drills, Panasonic is the BEST, but, very pricey.

But then again they are "Man Tools".
Only FOOLS that have never used one would say that.
Children should not use tools, and should not have a say in such "MAN" things.
Look at the reviews, and then get some insight.
Beats listening to the 3 letter "TARD".

gdb

Chinese ****,and I read about and use tools extensively. The reviews say it all, and say it much better than you. Stick the "tard" language up yer.....:rolleyes:

Systems

gdb wrote: »

Chinese ****,and I read about and use tools extensively. The reviews say it all, and say it much better than you. Stick the "tard" language up yer.....:rolleyes:

We may be talking about a different "Tool" here my friend.

You might want to check out some other forums at this point.

obieone

Milwaukee, Makita, Dewalt(xrp) Craftsman are good. Stay clear of B&D, Ryobi, Porter Cable.
If you can get by with a corded, go that route, and save some $.

tonyb

Bosch would get my vote, Milwaukee too. Seems to me alot of these power drills all have innards made by the same companies so I wouldn't expect a big difference. Battery life is key to a cordless, along with balls, so do your research and find one that fits your needs.

Systems

If you can get by with a corded, go that route

+1000, thats the way to go if you can.

Dabutcher

Makita is my power tool of choice. Never had any issues. Most people like having the second battery so you always have one charged for projects. I would say stay away from craftsman power tools. Great hand tools. Iffy power tools. Poor battery life and chuck always comes loose. Good luck. D

drumminman

Bought a Porter Cable 19.2V 10 years ago and it's never let me down. Great drill driver.

Be sure and get one that comes with two batteries so you can be using the drill while one's charging.

Zeros

Check this out, stolen from slickdeals. $160 for a Bosch 18v Hammer drill with 4 batteries. Great deal and a great brand.

Bosch 18-Volt Compact Tough Hammer Drill Driver with 2x-1.5Ah Batteries + 2 Extra SlimPack Batteries (HDS181-02) $160 Free shipping from Amazon

Automatic $40 Off seen at checkout. Use rebate for 2 Extra Batteries


Complete the job with ease with the BOSCH Best Built Compact Tough 18-Volt 1/2-Inch Lithium-Ion Hammer/Drill/Driver Kit. It is ready for all materials including concrete, wood and metal. Enjoy the benefit of having the lightest, most compact and most comfortable heavy duty 18V Lithium-Ion drill with Bosch. A powerful and highly efficient 4-Pole motor delivers top performance with strong power and runtime maximizing your efficiency on the job site. This hammerdrill/drill/driver works will all of Bosch 18V Lithium-Ion batteries and chargers for maximum versatility. This kit includes a convenient 30 minute lithium-ion charger, two Slim Pack 18-Volt HC Lithium-Ion 1.5Ah batteries with built-in fuel gauge and tough hard case.


4-pole high performance motor provides maximum power in a compact size
New patented gear train and clutch enables compact design and light weight
Flexible power system, both DD and HDD are compatible with every 18v Li-Ion Bosch battery
Ergonomic grip zone enables better gripping and greater comfort
Ergonomic design provides modified orientation relative to handle, increases comfort
Bosch HDS181-02 18-Volt Compact Tough Drill Driver with 2 1.5Ah Batteries + 2 Extra SlimPack Batteries $160


Rebate for 2 Extra Batteries

http://slickdeals.net/f/4645316-Bosch-18-Volt-Compact-Tough-Hammer-Drill-Driver-with-2x-1-5Ah-Batteries-2-Extra-SlimPack-Batteries-HDS181-02-160-Free-shipping-from-Amazon


That all being said, I own Makita 10.8 v drill, impact, vacuum and flashlight as well as a Milwaukee M18 set with a drill, impact, flashlight, circ. saw and sawzall. I like both lines, but if I had to choose again, I would go with the Milwaukee M12 series for smaller tools since there are so many different tools available now. I would probably stick with with the Milwaukee M18 series for larger tools or get the Bosch I posted above, since I think Bosch tools are some of the nicer ones, just usually more expensive.

heiney9

Did you try the search function?

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?119810-Cordless-Drill-Opinions

H9

maxima

There are many good choices listed above.
Just a little FYI, TTI is the parent company of Ryobi, Ridgid and Milwaukee. Ryobi is their entry level line, Ridgid is their midline and Milwaukee is the top dog. I have tons of Ridgid tools (Home Depot brand) as their Lifetime Service Agreement is hard to pass up (it even covers batteries) and the tools have held up well.

dcmartinpc

I have a set of the new DeWalt 20v LiON tools and they are amazing. I just built my entire basement with them and they always had power to spare and the batteries last a LONG time. The best part of the 20v LiON system is that the batteries typically charge to %100 in about 30 minutes! I have the Hammer Drill, Impact Driver, Reciprocating Saw, and circular saw and I am %100 happy with all of them and couldn't recommend them more highly.

Don

leroyjr1

I like both Dewalt and Milwaukee. Have been using both their brands for years with great results.

DaveHo

I've got a bunch of the Hitachi 18V cordless tools. Couple of drills, circ saw, recip saw, flashlight. Battery life is good & I haven't had any of the batts crap out on me in 5+ years. Cheaper than some of the competition, but made just as well. If you're comfortable buying re-con tools, check out this place for great deals, http://bigskytool.com/

-Dave

Face

Festool.

Willow

Still really like my Milwaukee, 18v 2x Lion battery and rapid charger. The thing has so much torque that my wrist moves sometimes.

shawn474

I have ryobi, black & decker, bosch, dewalt and craftsman. Craftsman is junk as is the Black & Decker. The Bosch and DeWalt are vastly superior. Yes, I know Black & Decker owns DeWalt, but they are nowhere close in terms of quality and durability. I have the DeWalt XRP Hammer Drill and it has outlasted every other one and NEVER given me a problem. There hasn't been a job that it couldn't take care of and the batteries still hold the charge 3 years later. I would spend the extra money and get either DeWalt, Bosch or Milwaukee as they will likely outlast the other brands 2 or 3 times over.

DMara

Zeros wrote: »

Check this out, stolen from slickdeals. $160 for a Bosch 18v Hammer drill with 4 batteries. Great deal and a great brand.


http://slickdeals.net/f/4645316-Bosch-18-Volt-Compact-Tough-Hammer-Drill-Driver-with-2x-1-5Ah-Batteries-2-Extra-SlimPack-Batteries-HDS181-02-160-Free-shipping-from-Amazon

I bit this deal last week. I've just sent out the rebate form for those 2 additional batteries.

Jstas

I grabbed a Milwaukee 18V hammer drill for doing the drywall and other fun stuff in the basement and eventually, the kitchen. I've been beating it up with the hammer drill feature and the screw gun feature and it's taken it all like a champ. I also have an impact driver that came with the "kit" and I picked up an Impact Gun. The battery powered impact guns from most makes used to be junk. Only one worth anything was the $600 Snap-On. That was about 8-10 years ago now. Since then, leaps and strides and this Milwaukee impact gun is as good as that old Snap-On ever was. It's a friggin' beast and made short work of my U-joint replacement task. It's comparable to a 1/2 inch air driven impact gun.

Advice, if you're getting a cordless tool, go for a brand that has other tools that you would see yourself wanting/needing in the future. That way you only need one charger and one type of battery. BTW, get at least 2 batteries. I would get 4 if you are going to use them alot. Certain brands get good reviews, others don't. So find a brand that has all the options you want for a price you want to pay and a decent set of reviews. Milwaukee was all that for me and since I have a few of their corded tools and have been immensely happy with them, I went with them for the cordless tools and I've been equally happy.

As far as reviews go, the "worst tool ever! This is junk!" and "best tool ever! This is what Jesus would use!", ignore those reviews. They are useless. You want to read the reviews that show people actually doing stuff and what they are doing with the tools. I find that often, the best and worst reviews are from people who are not using the tool for it's intended purpose, like using a screw gun to drive 10" long lag bolts into pressure treated 6x6's or drilling holes in masonry or they are using an impact driver to stick screws in the wall to hang pictures. Those kinds of reviews are useless. Find the guy who is talking about refinishing a home or building a swing set for his kids. Those are real world reviews and typically are practical and reasonable reviews.

billbillw

I'm a big fan of Hitachi power tools. I've had one of their 18V cordless drill models (older NiCad version) for about 6 years now. It is still chugging along and just powered through me putting about 1200 backer board screws down into the tile job that I'm doing at our new house. It didn't complain much at all, although the batteries don't last as long as they used to.

Jstas

obieone wrote: »

Milwaukee, Makita, Dewalt(xrp) Craftsman are good. Stay clear of B&D, Ryobi, Porter Cable.
If you can get by with a corded, go that route, and save some $.

I have a corded drill and honestly, depending on what you are using it for, it's not a screw gun. If I tried to use it to screw drywall to the wall, I'd be burying the screws an inch in to the studs with it. I know there are corded screw guns out there but they are as rare as hens teeth anymore 'cause everyone is going cordless. So unless you need the power of a corded drill to make lots holes in things, a cordless is a good compromise. Besides, they are getting so good anymore that there isn't much of a difference.

Jstas

Oh, BTW, one other thing, hold the drill in your hand. Some of the "better" tools are dreadfully balanced and will cause fatigue if you are using them for a long time. That sucks when you can barely hold the drill in place while trying to get that last sheet of sheet rock up.

gdpeck

Jstas wrote: »

I have a corded drill and honestly, depending on what you are using it for, it's not a screw gun. If I tried to use it to screw drywall to the wall, I'd be burying the screws an inch in to the studs with it. I know there are corded screw guns out there but they are as rare as hens teeth anymore 'cause everyone is going cordless. So unless you need the power of a corded drill to make lots holes in things, a cordless is a good compromise. Besides, they are getting so good anymore that there isn't much of a difference.

I don't know what the OP is planning on using, but I purchased this Ryobi corded Clutch Driver http://www.ryobitools.com/catalog/power_tools/drills_drivers/D47CK a few years ago, and it has been fantastic for me. I previously had a 12 volt DeWalt, and had issues with the batteries not keeping a charge after very few cycles (user error). I'm an occasional drill user, and the ease of not having to worry about whether a battery is charged or not, and just being able to plug in and go, far outweighs the inconvenience of having to get out an extension cord. It was cheap too. ($40). I'm not arguing against cordless if your frequency of use merits it.