Who makes a good cordless drill?

Sears has good stuff on sale occasionally for about $60. I got an 18V Drill with two batteries and charger from Costco for $40, a cheap price. The batteries last for about a year in professional use.I am on my 3rd Drill. The BIG problem is that a new battery is about $60, same as the whole kit. I tried one of those Batteries Plus stores to solder my own in series,but that too cost about $60. Go no lower than 14V.
 
I've been wondering on this topic, too, for a while.
Are the cordless drills good for the occasional chore kinda guy?
Meaning will the batteries crap out in storage or do they have to be kept on the charger 24/7?

Obviously, I have no clue.
I'm the one with the big yellow knotted extension cord :D

TIA,
Ebb
 
two words...


de walt.

thanking me for you, in advance i am...you is!

theyre pretty damn near unstoppable and i am in no way, shape or form..handy.


got me an 18 volt back in 98-or 99 i think.

occasionally it kicks most ass!
 
I agree with LaBella.

DeWalt. or Makita.

I bought an 18 volt Craftsman Cordless Drill and it came with a charger and 2 batteries. I've had it for about a year and a half and the batteries no longer hold a charge. It's junk and the chuck sucks.

I'll not buy another Craftsman. Their hand tools are great but not the electric ones.

:)
 
Ebbtide said:
Are the cordless drills good for the occasional chore kinda guy?
Meaning will the batteries crap out in storage or do they have to be kept on the charger 24/7?
Click to expand...


Keeping 'em on the charger 24/7 isn't good for the batteries. The batteries should also be cycled frequently for best life.

Besides, let's say you use your drill for two projects per month. Let's say that the batteries will last for two years, that's 48 projects. And let's say you bought the drill for $60. That's $1.25 per project just for the drill.

As a result, for the occational chore kinda guy, cordless drills are not a good idea. Buy a good corded drill and one of those reels to wind that big yellow cord on. Yes, getting out the big yellow cord is a bit of extra work and adds five minutes to your project time. But that corded drill will last a lifetime. And the batteries will not be dead at the time you need it. If you drop the same $60 on a corded drill, you'll get a much better drill. It'll last twenty years (it's not like they go out of style). That's upwards of 500 projects bringing your cost per project to pennies.

My advice is slurge and buy a variable-speed, Milwaukee 1/2" Hammer drill. This is more drill than the typical home owner will ever need. This thing can put holes in concrete, brick, masonry, etc., or turn the hammer action off and use it on metal, wood, plastics, etc. When you're dead, your kids will fight over this drill.
 
Gollnick said:
Keeping 'em on the charger 24/7 isn't good for the batteries. The batteries should also be cycled frequently for best life.

Besides, let's say you use your drill for two projects per month. Let's say that the batteries will last for two years, that's 48 projects. And let's say you bought the drill for $60. That's $1.25 per project just for the drill.

As a result, for the occational chore kinda guy, cordless drills are not a good idea. Buy a good corded drill and one of those reels to wind that big yellow cord on. Yes, getting out the big yellow cord is a bit of extra work and adds five minutes to your project time. But that corded drill will last a lifetime. And the batteries will not be dead at the time you need it. If you drop the same $60 on a corded drill, you'll get a much better drill. It'll last twenty years (it's not like they go out of style). That's upwards of 500 projects bringing your cost per project to pennies.

My advice is slurge and buy a variable-speed, Milwaukee 1/2" Hammer drill. This is more drill than the typical home owner will ever need. This thing can put holes in concrete, brick, masonry, etc., or turn the hammer action off and use it on metal, wood, plastics, etc. When you're dead, your kids will fight over this drill.
Click to expand...


That's really good advice. Now that I think about it I agree. We have all grown into too much of a cordless society that wants everything now now now. :)

No need to get a cordless drill for sure. If you want to, just get one. If not, do like Gollnick says :)
 
I have two 12v DeWalts, AND a Milwaukee Hammerdrill (3/8").

I go for the DeWalts over the hammer drill 60% of the time.

It is not so much a matter of need it now, it is more a matter of where you need it.

I have yet to be let down by the DeWalts, but there are definitely times, like popping holes in flower pots for my wife, that the DeWalt is not the right tool for the job. Extra batteries are expensive, but you get what you pay for.

Durability wise, I like the DeWalts better. I dropped my Milwaukee once, badly, and it cost me $50.00 to get the shaft fixed by a certified shop. I have dropped the DeWalts numerous times, and have not bent the shaft.

Just my .02, YMVM.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
I've gone through 2 Makitas, I was never really pleased with them, Batteries keeled over fairly quickly, not ergonomic at all, the battery latch (old stick style battery) wore out so it never held up the battery enough to contact the terminals, and one had massive chuck slippage. I haven't had much experience with the newer models.

My New Dewalt kicks arse! I think it's got around 14v, and 3 speeds. And has power in all speeds! No problems with it so far, I love it.

Cordless drills are the way to go if you don't have a real work area. At my friend's house, I was working on building a speaker box. I was working in their garage, but they didn't have any work table, or anything. It really was a pain in the neck.
 
Gollnick said:
Keeping 'em on the charger 24/7 isn't good for the batteries. The batteries should also be cycled frequently for best life.

Besides, let's say you use your drill for two projects per month. Let's say that the batteries will last for two years, that's 48 projects. And let's say you bought the drill for $60. That's $1.25 per project just for the drill.

As a result, for the occational chore kinda guy, cordless drills are not a good idea. Buy a good corded drill and one of those reels to wind that big yellow cord on. Yes, getting out the big yellow cord is a bit of extra work and adds five minutes to your project time. But that corded drill will last a lifetime. And the batteries will not be dead at the time you need it. If you drop the same $60 on a corded drill, you'll get a much better drill. It'll last twenty years (it's not like they go out of style). That's upwards of 500 projects bringing your cost per project to pennies.

My advice is slurge and buy a variable-speed, Milwaukee 1/2" Hammer drill. This is more drill than the typical home owner will ever need. This thing can put holes in concrete, brick, masonry, etc., or turn the hammer action off and use it on metal, wood, plastics, etc. When you're dead, your kids will fight over this drill.
Click to expand...


Gollnick has a point. For occasional use a corded drill is a lot better. My mom (she's the DIY'er in the house) has an old beat up corded drill. It's been through a lot. The box is torn to bits but the thing just keeps on working.

Been trying to get her to buy a cordless one but she doesn't want to have to charge it when she wants to use it.

As for brands, go with De Walt. In almost every single TV show about building and construction and stuff like that they always have that yellow De Walt drill. It's so good that i've heard advice from hardware store to not buy it 'cos people will know it's a De Walt and it's gonna get stolen.
 
Corded v. cordless is a question of intended use. If you don't think you'll need to use it remote from power, the corded may make more sense.

If, OTOH, you like to put stuff together on the back 40, at the range, or even in the backyard, it's convenient not to have to worry about a cord.

Make no mistake though, it's awfully nice to just grab the 14.4v DeWalt to drive a screw or drill a hole, rather than dragging out all the kit to run a big corded drill.

I use my DeWalt cordless for driving screws 10x more than I use it for drilling, and the variable torque setting makes it well suited to the task. It charges quickly, and usually holds enough juice between charges for spur of the moment tasks.

Everybody needs a big ol' corded drill - a cordless wouldn't be my first choice for drilling through, say, 5/8" of hardened steel, or a dozen 4x4s. But I damn sure don't want to drag out 8 lbs of drill and extension cord every time I need to drive a few screws.

DeWalt, Bosch, or Makita. 14.4v is enough juice, I like the 3/8" chuck but the 1/2" is more popular.
 
Every day hard use maybe think Bosch, Makita, Milwaukee, Dewalt. For once in awhile, weekend warrior, maybe look at Harbor Freight 14-18volt. Whatever you decide upon make sure it has a quick charger, one hour .... not the three hour chargers some of them come with. Also, get an extra battery so you can keep working and not have to stop and wait for your battery to charge.

For an inexpensive corded 3/8", keyless chuck also look at Harbor Freight, they go on sale regularly for right around $15.00. Normally they are about $24.99 which still isn't too bad.

I know people will poo-poo Harbor Freight. But for many people, it is not necessary to spend lots of money for tools they won't be using all the time. Most of my tools are Dewalt, Milwaukee, Skil, Makita, etc. However, I have a fair share of Harbor Freight tools I keep around.

Mike
 
Nobody mentioned Black and Decker that I noticed. De Walt if you got the extra cash , I have had my BnD for over a year and used the hell out of it and it's just starting to show signs of getting 'tired' , granted it's been dropped off of a roof and soaked in the rain for a few days , still drives drills whatever with some zest.
BnD has gone down some in quality these days but IMO sometimes in tools you are only paying for a brand name. Shop around , check them out , see how it fits your hand for sure. Is it too heavy for you ? too light ? Some of the higher voltage cordless can twist your wrist off if your not expecting it.
Do some shopping and price comparing at Home Depot or whatever you go to.
I did have a Harbor Frieght one a few years back and it was of very dubious quality...
Anyways check them all out , be aware that in the higher price cordless , all of the accessories are also higher priced , sometimes ridiculously so for what your buying.
Ever went shopping for name brand Dremel accessories ? Frikin ridiculous.
 
I have 2 drills.
A makita 9.6v cordless that I got as a housewarming gift and a AEG corded hammerdrill.
Both are still working great and I'm still on the orig battery for the makita.
A friend works at a hardware store and I hung out there often.
 
My opinion, I'm a big fan of DeWalt tools. Their cordless tools seem as good as anyone's.

However, I'm not a fan of cordless drills. Unless you absolutely need the portability of a cordless, stick with a plug-in. Cordless drills simply can't match the rpm or power of a 110 volt electric model. And the cordless models cost significantly more. The batteries a real PITA too.

Compare:
DeWalt cordless "standard 14.4V standard drill"- 1400rpm- $169
DeWalt cordless "18V compact drill kit" - 1500rpm- $199
DeWalt electric "heavy duty drill kit" - 2500rpm, - $59

Happy Shopping,
Bob
 
Dewalt and Black&Decker are the same company but the Dewalt is for the professional. One friend investigated drills and found that Milwaukee is about the only one with METAL gears . Even Dewalt has plastic ones !! Cordless drills and other tools have come a long way. Professionals are using them , just make sure you pick an appropriate on for your needs.
 
With Dewalt, make sure it comes with the "XR" battery, stands for extended run I think. They used to sell cordless kits with their standard battery which I think took longer to charge and wasn't as long lasting as the XR's. Don't know if that's still true or not, but worth a mental note.

If your leaning towards Dewalt, I'd go for the 18 volt with an extra battery. They really are pretty sweet.

Mike
 
I have a dewalt, absolutely no complaints. Very good tool, great value.

My dad has a few old makitas that just keep on going. They're a little clumsy compared to the new T-grip style drills and didn't have quite the power available now. They're probably 10 years old though, very reliable tools. I'd give their new line up a look.

The best deal I've seen around though is the 14 volt Rigid my dad bought last winter. This thing has a ton of power, is built sturdy as heck, and has the best chuck I've seen on any hand drill EVER. The chuck makes the difference, this drill is head and shoulders above most of the competition. Its a little bulky for cabinet work, but as a general use drill I don't think you could beat it. Pretty sure it was less than $100 at home depot with 2 batteries, half hour charger, and a case. Only question left is whether it will stand the test of time.
 
I keep a Dewalt in my truck toolbox. Its done whatever I`ve required of it with no problems.
 
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