Update I bought one. I Need A New Cordless Dril. Update

[BA_Colt]

I will not be using it on a daily basis. I need something small that holds a charge for a long time as it is going to be spending most of it's time in my tool bag.

Thanks.
Beth

 

[UffDa]

I'm sure that you will get many opinions.

The boss bought 4 Hitachi 14.4V drills about a year ago. Some are used a lot and have worked well. I have an older Milwaukee 12v drill that sits in my tool bag at home and may not be used for months.
The batteries seem to hold a charge very well.

IMHO, buy the best that you can afford or at least avoid those $19.95 specials. I think if you stick to the name brands, you won't go wrong.

They are pretty much all made in China these days. The only brand that I saw at Home Depot that wasn't was Bosch and even some of their tools were made in China.

 

[Tedsauce]

I carry a Milwaukee m12 impact on my tool belt, i very rarely need to break out the 18v. I use it mostly for driving screws and very light drilling

The battery lasts a long time for how small it looks, and it only takes about 20 minutes to charge. Ive had it for about 3 years and its been awesome far, but i have had my eye on the Bosch one for a while now, i read an article where the Bosch 18v survived a 500 foot drop from a helicopter onto grass.

Either way though i think brand choice is a personal preference, but i believe 12v(or similar)Li-ion is the way to go nowadays unless you are using it constantly. No need to be lugging around a huge drill with all the options that are out right now.

 

[ron_m80]

Will you use it primarily for a screw gun, or a drill? What materials would you drill/ screw with it?

 

[1066vik]

get one with litium batteries -- nicad does not hold a charge well and develops a "memory" over time.
Makita, Bosch, Milwaukee all make decent cordless tools with smaller handles. (Cylindrical batteries that fit flush inside the handle)
While I love the older DeWalt tools, the stuff they've sold in the past 5 years is not built to the same standard of quality.

 

[BA_Colt]

Screw gun. I have my Grandfather's brace and bits for making big old school holes.

 

[ron_m80]

Screw gun. I have my Grandfather's brace and bits for making big old school holes.

Then I vote for the 1/4 hex impact driver.

I think Graingers sells repair parts for the major cordless brands now too.

 

[fugawee]

Bought this one for a faithful customer
She uses it a lot.
one of my friends has that setup as well and she uses it a lot.
No problems
battery seems to last a long time
Ive used it a few times (when I didnt have my 14.4v makita with me)
The impact driver has plenty of umph to put in 1 5/8 drywall screws
and adequately can fasten 2x4 framing with 3" screws.
(if your going to do a lot of framing,get something with more voltage)
Its Makita LCT203W 10.8 Volt Lithium Ion Impact Driver Combo Kit
under 150 bucks
well worth it.

 

[yablanowitz]

Bought this one for a faithful customer
She uses it a lot.
one of my friends has that setup as well and she uses it a lot.
No problems
battery seems to last a long time
Ive used it a few times (when I didnt have my 14.4v makita with me)
The impact driver has plenty of umph to put in 1 5/8 drywall screws
and adequately can fasten 2x4 framing with 3" screws.
(if your going to do a lot of framing,get something with more voltage)
Its Makita LCT203W 10.8 Volt Lithium Ion Impact Driver Combo Kit
under 150 bucks
well worth it.

This. My Dad gave me this set for Christmas the year before last. I use it all the time (I'm in building maintenance). That little impact will run in 3" screws like it is nothing, batteries run a long time and recharge quickly. I carry a set of hex-shank drill bits for pilot holes and an assortment of driver bits in the case. I don't know how I ever got along without it.

 

[Bob W]

At work we use Makita exclusively. But you have to watch out, Makita has multiple product lines, some better than others. The good ones, as I recall, are the LXT series. maybe there's even different grades of XLT tools? All I know is that I bought a "lesser" grade Makita once and the boss had me return it to the store and exchange for one of the "good" kind.

Personally, I stick with the corded tools. Better performance, less expensive, and never have to deal with recharging or dead batteries. Of course there are times when a high-quality cordless set would be handy...

 

[plumberroy]

last Makita I bought was a piece of shit (12 volt ) with in a year the batteries woulded hold a charge went and bought a new dewalt 9.6 volt best balanced battery drill made plenty of power for running screws and light drilling. Took me 10 years working construction to kill the first one. Hell I cut the loops off of copper brushes. chucked them and cleaned copper fitting with it.
Roy

 

[slimshaneee]

I have had great luck with the same set Yablanowitz shows. I use mine daily as an electrician. I've dropped them off a six foot ladder. they've been frozen and thawed and baked in the back of a work van, and they work great still.
I also have an 18v Makita set that I have been using for over 3 years on a daily basis as an electrician.

I bought a set of brand new Milwaukee 18v to replace the Makita, then realized that I liked my old beat up Makita more than the brand new milwaukee. The Makitas just feel good in the hand.

 

[Gollnick]

Infrequent use is not the best application for cordless tools. I know that cords are a pain, but if your infrequent use is within extension cord range, you would be well-advised to consider a corded drill. A good corded drill -- a Milwaukee, for example -- will last for the rest of your life for typical homeowner/infrequent use.

 

[ron_m80]

When she mentioned to old drill I thought, Locksmith.

 

[PaulTX]

I have a Sears Nextec 12 volt Lithium drill. It meets my needs without having to buy a $200 cordless.

 

[geargeek]

Bosch PS20-2A 12-Volt Max Lithium-Ion Pocket Driver with 2 Batteries, 76.00 at Amazon. It does not have a lot of drilling power, but it does drill OK, drives screws very well, and is awesome for small jobs. I love mine. Batteries seem to hold a charge for years and take very little time to recharge. It really is tiny but it has a lot of power for its size.

 

[Blownnova]

I have had good luck with Milwaukee but my drills were purchased quite a while back when they were still German made, I have some of the newer Milwaukee Li-ion stuff, it works good but its bulky. Top quality I would buy would be Festool, they have some pretty nice features but they are expensive, on more of a budget as others have said I would get the higher end makita stuff. I work with a professional cabinet installer from time to time and he has the 18v Li-ion compact drill driver set and its tough, works well, and holds a charge for quite a while during installs.

 

[never too sharp]

Lithium ion is the key if you want them to hold a charge. I've been rocking an 18v Makita LXT for a couple of years with no issues. I't a little heavy, though.

It replaced a Milwaukee 12v nicd, which was great except for the batteries. There are alot more options in lithium ion now than when I bought mine(the only ones were Makita and Hitachi). There is a silly oversight on my makita - the light. It's the first drill I've had with a light, but it's on the body of the dril, not on the battery like some other brands. Whatever you are drilling/screwing is in the shadow of the chuck.

The bummer with buying cordless tools is the stores have them chained up without the batteries, so you don't get a true sense of weight or balance.

 

[Infi-del]

A 12 volt Makita can do just about anything.

 

[Domanfp]

This. My Dad gave me this set for Christmas the year before last. I use it all the time (I'm in building maintenance). That little impact will run in 3" screws like it is nothing, batteries run a long time and recharge quickly. I carry a set of hex-shank drill bits for pilot holes and an assortment of driver bits in the case. I don't know how I ever got along without it.

I have that same kit and it has been great, much better than my old Black and Decker