Cordless drills

Be prepared to pay, but Festool is by far the finest cordless drill in my opinion. The ergonomics are so far ahead of the dewalt/porter cable etc it ain't funny. They are set price, so find a good dealer and buy with confidence--you're not going to find the tool for less somewhere else unless it's used. I'm getting a new CXS tomorrow!!
 
Get a Festool if you can swing it. The new CXS is sweet. I tried it out the other day and it is so nice. Ive used Makita, Dewalt, Porter Cable, Milwaukee, and Craftsmen and none of them compare to the Festool drills. I know they are a bit expensive but once you use one you will understand. They are so well thought out there is really nothing else like them.

Give the new CXS a good look. For $275 you get the drill and a few chucks. Or the T line for more power.

http://drills.festoolusa.com/

I really wish someone would import the Protool line.
 
Hitachi batteries are designed to stop when the charge gets to a certain point. They state the reasons for doing so in their manual, but it still takes a while to get use to when using it.
After owning it for about 3 months I noticed there is a very, very slight sound difference when the battery gets to the point it's going to stop. I can usually tell within few minutes that the battery will need to be charge.
 
I pulled the trigger on a hitachi today. i went and handled the makita, dewalt,bosch and hitachi. the hitachi just feels great in the hand. very light, very comfortable and my buddy praises his. should have mine in on thursday.

thanks for your input guy's. much appreciated.
 
The hitachi is a great drill. If I didn't have a half dozen tools that used the Bosch batteries, I would probably get a Hitachi.

Oddly enough, the Bosch jobsite radio/charger won't charge the 12v Litheon batteries!
 
Hitachi and Bosch, to me, are the kings of the lithium Ion drills these days. There are plenty of other good options, but price to performance and reliability they're really hard to beat. Lithium Ion is the way to go regardless of brand.
Depending on your jobs, 12v is plenty on the new tools IF you get the matching impact driver to drive screws with. A drill is NOT a screwdriver, it has just been the most practical option for a long time. Use the right tool for the job and a 12v drill is plenty for anything you'd do with a common 3/8" drill. Don't expect to efficiently operate hole saw bits or big paddles and such, but otherwise they're great. I prefer a corded drill for those tasks anyway, since they tend to eat batteries even on 18V tools. The Bosch 12v set is my favorite but most of them are pretty good. If you're set on 18v there are some Makita and Hitachi sets with drill and impact driver for around $200 that are great options unless you need full up commercial grade tools, they include their lighter duty drills in the kit rather than the hammer drill model.

The reason hitachi and a few others automatically cut out at a certain point is that Lithium Ion batteries are hyper sensitive to voltage. Go under a certain point and you might as well throw the battery out. There's significant fire risk if you REALLY drain one, but most power tools would have long since stopped running. This is why I always suggest folks stop using the tool when they notice the power dropping off, not try to get one more hole or screw in. Swap batteries, let the old one charge, they usually recharge pretty fast these days. If you push it you might be coughing up a good chunk of change for replacements. You definitely do not want to run them until the tool stops.

Any other questions, lemme know, kind of in that field. :)
 
I did construction contractor work for a year, I got an 18v Dewalt XRP kit (2 batteries, cordless drill (500 IP torque hammer drill, circular saw, recip saw and light) as a wedding present from my Father in Law (a very successful remodeling contractor) the guy I worked for had a sears kit (made by Ryobi) and the other laborer had a Makita kit. When something was too tough for the other kits, both guys would borrow mine. Sure the batteries are expensive, but my first pair lasted 4 years of constant use, I have gotten serious value for the money. I bought a used second kit at the local pawnshop so I would have a kit to keep in my truck. The Dewalts have survived all sorts of abuse (drops, soaking etc. the immersion was when I decided to no longer let my co-workers use my tools) during the year I worked for the contractor he replaced his Sears drill twice. YMMV My money goes to Dewalt for their top-of-the-line tools.

-Page
 
I've used a hitachi and dewalt mainly in my shop. Loved my hitachi and batteries lasted a good 4-5 years of heavy use. My dewalt is still only maybe a year old but no complaints there so far. Used a few others but not enough to give a good opinion on. If your batteries do die look for a specialty battery store. My hitachi batteries were like half the price when I found a online battery store and now they have a specialty battery store in town that I need to check out.
 
Dewalt 18V XRP for the win. I bought mine about 6 years ago, and used it while building our house. All metal soffit, drilled and screwed Hardi-plank trim, metal underpinning on the front porch and the entirety of a vaulted 29x29 big room, all red iron and metal stud framing, strapping MC Cable and mounting boxes, trim screwed all trim...I used that cordless drill for EVERYTHING. I finally shelled out the gearbox right as I finished using a FOUR INCH WOOD HOLE SAW to cut a dryer vent hole through the 4 inch thick rock-face masonry block I used around the outside of the house. Just kept it wet and howled away at it, and it worked great, but the Dewalt fragged just as it started to pop through the inside. Sent it off to Dewalt for the "$100 rebuild." When it got back, it didn't appear to be used so I looked at the parts list that they had compiled in the repair, and there wasn't an original piece in the whole tool. They had basically sent me a new tool for $100. Good gear and a good company. When your batteries start losing their charge too soon after several years, they can be rebuilt, too. I got the house finished after 7 years. If I had to point to tools that made it possible, I'd start with the Dewalt, a Miller plasma cutter, a Klein magnet tip measuring tape, a Swanson tri-square, a Hitachi nibbler.....and gatorade. And a patient wife. We had our first baby shortly after we started, and moved in with 5 kids in tow! :) On a side note, I had bought the set that included a cordless Recip saw and skilsaw, too. Used both extensively along the way, especially the recip. Yellow and black is good stuff.
 
Funny thing..., i've been doing alot of home upgrades these last couple weeks, using my old beat up drill. i hung the last two floating shelves last night. then i pick up my new hitachi this afternoon and have nothing to do. so i've been running around the house looking for something but its yet to turn up :)

love the drill though, this thing feels lite and solid!!!
 
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