Power Drill

GWashington1732

GWashington1732

Joined
Jun 20, 2009
Messages
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My drill, which looks to be from the 50s is starting crap out on me, I'm not sure if I can fix it anymore. I'm looking for a good, preferably US made, drill. I like corded drills best. Any suggestions for new drills that will last me more than a couple of years?
 
Stick to the better brands like Milwaukee or DeWalt for corded.
The cordless are apparently all made in China even the better brands .
 
The oldest, most abused and beat up corded drills I ALWAYS see on jobsites are Bosch and Milwaulkee
 
I would go with a Milwaukee,Bosch or Porter Cable. All are top quality.
 
I got my 50 or so old Black & Decker running again, but it's still not working like it used to. Are Black & Decker's products still any good? I know Craftsman went right down the toilet, all of their tools I've bought recently have been junk.
 
If you want a good corded drill, get a Milwaukee. I have had my 1/2" Milwaukee Holeshooter for about 15 years and it's still going strong.

Bruceter
 
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When my Craftsman electric drill died a dramatic and smokey death, I took it back to Sears and handed it to the tool clerk expecting a new one under the legendary Craftsman lifetime warranty. He informed me that the legendary Craftsman lifetime warranty does not apply to power tools, but offered me A) my dead drill back, and B) to show me their line of new Craftsman drills.

I declined both offers and went to a professional tool store and asked the guy for the meanest, baddest, strongest, most durable drill they had. He said, "Well alll right!" and handed me a Milwaukee that, as I recall, had like a 1 1/2" chuck, a drill that, for a man not in the shape I was in, could easily have necessitated weeks of traction. I asked for something a wee bit smaller and ended up with a 1/2" Milwaukee.

I asked him if they offered it in cordless. He explained that the cord was an important safety feature. If the bit were to bind up on something, and if it was cordless, you'd end up going around and around and around for an hour or two until the battery died. With a cord, at least the cord would wrap around you and eventually pull out of the outlet.

Some time ago, at my church, we wanted to put some book shelves up on a concrete wall. I said, "No problem, I've got my drill in the trunk." And we put probably a hundred holes in that concrete for fasteners for those shelves. Fast and with no noticable wear on the drill at all.

This drill has finished more than one project that burned out lesser tools.

So, get a Milwaukee.

Remember, the joy of low price is quickly forgotten amidst the disappointment and frustration of low quality.
 
IMO, as a professional boatbuilder I would recommend a drill (or anything, actually) from Festool.
 
Milwaukee corded. Recommendation from an industrial construction worker. They last the longest I have seen. Dewalt gets honorable mention because of their warranty program.

If you go cordless I recommend the same brands. I prefer the Milwaukee again, in 28 Volt. Talk about some serious power in cordless tools. I am always impressed. I have the circular saw, band saw, sawzall, drill and impact and they are hands down the most handy tools I own. I would replace any of them immediately if one of them ever broke, but they are incredibly well made and I have had zero issues with them even though they look like they have been through hell and back.
 
i use corded drills only, never buy new. I always go to the pawn shop and buy used Milwuakies, dewalts, Portercable etc etc. $20 - 40 bucks, they run just fine and when they die or get abused by junior workers no biggy........

last one i got was a dewalt 3/8" corded and that was 10 years ago. still works great
 
Milwaukee I used to be a comercial electricain. I bought one about 15 years ago and I still am using it today. runs just like brand new and I used it on all of my jobs and I was not nice to it. when it goes I wil go get another one. dewalk rechargeable drills are the best but the cord one suck big time. If you gave me one I would put it in the trash.
 
Gollnick said:
When my Craftsman electric drill died a dramatic and smokey death, I took it back to Sears and handed it to the tool clerk expecting a new one under the legendary Craftsman lifetime warranty. He informed me that the legendary Craftsman lifetime warranty does not apply to power tools, but offered me A) my dead drill back, and B) to show me their line of new Craftsman drills.

I declined both offers and went to a professional tool store and asked the guy for the meanest, baddest, strongest, most durable drill they had. He said, "Well alll right!" and handed me a Milwaukee that, as I recall, had like a 1 1/2" chuck, a drill that, for a man not in the shape I was in, could easily have necessitated weeks of traction. I asked for something a wee bit smaller and ended up with a 1/2" Milwaukee.

I asked him if they offered it in cordless. He explained that the cord was an important safety feature. If the bit were to bind up on something, and if it was cordless, you'd end up going around and around and around for an hour or two until the battery died. With a cord, at least the cord would wrap around you and eventually pull out of the outlet.

Some time ago, at my church, we wanted to put some book shelves up on a concrete wall. I said, "No problem, I've got my drill in the trunk." And we put probably a hundred holes in that concrete for fasteners for those shelves. Fast and with no noticable wear on the drill at all.

This drill has finished more than one project that burned out lesser tools.

So, get a Milwaukee.

Remember, the joy of low price is quickly forgotten amidst the disappointment and frustration of low quality./
That is an awesome story Gollnick, I lol'd as I read your tribulation in Sears...:)
The last phrase are words to live by, absolutely.
Milwaukee
Dewalt
Porter Cable
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Google Rockwell tools and take a look at their power tool offerings. Wow! I was blown away and they guarantee the batteries for their cordless models. When I go power tool shopping again, I'll start with Rockwell and do I so badly want one of thei 'Jawhorses.'
 
I've been using a 3/8" DeWalt for over ten years with no problems. I also own several other DeWalt tools and each is excellent.

At work everything is Makita, and I've been impressed with the quality and durability.

I'd suggest staying clear of the rechargeable stuff. Yeah, it's a little more convenient some of the time, but most of the time it's a PITA and they cost much more.
 
Old CW4,

I got me a JawHorse from an infomercial two years ago, and it is one of my most used tools; it is AWESOME and is so handy to have around for most any project.

I make hiking staffs from saplings and I can lock the stick in the jaws at any angle I chose and this makes the grinding, sanding, and finishing really convenient. Man, I just love this tool.

Oh, sorry to all for going off track.

I can't recommend a corded drill because I don't have one, but as far as cordless, I just replaced an old Dewalt drill with a 18V Hitachi impact driver and it is really nice. I can't explain the concept, but this thing just powers the screws in so much better than a regular drill/driver.

I would say that if someone makes a corded impact driver, this may be something to look into.
 
I just spent 3 days building 40 feet of 6ft redwood fencing along my property line -- my corded milwaukee drove every screw and bored 8 holes into concrete for anchors -- my sawzall cut off all the fence posts... I am a bit of a milwaukee fan :)
 
As has been mentioned several times already, you can't go wrong with milwaukee. I've been using a bosch cordless for a while now as well, and its held up to plenty of abuse, and still seems to be going strong
 
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