Who makes a good cordless drill?

I like Milwuakee as they seem to be the toughest of the lot, and I tend to be hard on tools. I have an 18V Lok-Tor Hammer drill and have no complaints about it. I used it when remodeling a basement last year and it worked flawlessly, drilling and driving whatever I needed. I was able to get real good run time off of one battery too.

At the time I bought it I got a kit with an extra battery and a quick charger, and also a mail in offer for another battery. So I was able to get the drill, case, quick charger, and three batteries for something like $300. I like that the bateries are reversable, and that the same charger is used for all of the batteries so I wouldn't need to buy new chargers if I bought lower voltage tools.
 
Dewalt I use one at work 18 volt along with a work light ,grinder,sawsall all using 18 volt batteries. Great for jobs where power to the site is a sometimes thing.
I dropped the Dewalt drill in the pond while extending my dock and it was underwater for about 10 minutes. Let it drain and dry out overnight and used it the next day to finish the project. Impressed me. Also made me a beliver in dummy cording while working over water. :eek:
 
Who'd have thought cordless drills would go to two pages :eek:
Sounds like I'll be sticking with my "Blackened Pecker" corded drill.
I have no idea how old it is, just that I've been using it for around 20 years.
I think the big yeller extension cord may be close to that old too :D

Thanx all!
Ebb
 
mete said:
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.
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A very successful marketing campaign, one for the textbooks! DeWalt is the "Lexus" to Black & Decker's "Toyota". Word is that B&D was looking for a way to move upscale, and went to great lengths to maintain DeWalt as a distinct brand.

It worked, but only because they are in fact, good tools. I'm sure DeWalt has added tens of millions to B&D's bottom line.
 
I still have my 9.6 volt makita although the batteries are bout shot. I refuse to spend the 60 for a replacement battery but she works for most little jobs. I did several years back start looking for a replacement. I ended up with a dewaly 18 volt set of the hammerdrill,circular saw,recpricating saw,light. I am trully surprised at the abilities of all the tools, The drill had to be fixed after a seven foot fall off a ladder and offsetting the chuck- it was still working but I really like a bit to drill true :) The saws have been great for alot more than I ever thought they would.
 
Corded drills aren't the way to go if you want to drive a lot of screws. At least not your normal VSR, there are corded drill/drivers but they're more expensive. The normal "drills" don't have the low end torque that a geared down cordless has, and the fan cooled motor is meant to be run at speed. You go trying to drive a lot of large screws with one and you could cook it pretty dang quick.
 
An old metal housed black and decker hole gun will last you a lifetime (already lasted through a couple before you...)

I have a cheapie craftsman that gets the job done when it comes to wireless use... but its once in a blue moon that its needed!
 
corded drills are great, but ya darned sure aren't gonna put up 1x6 cedar fencing with one unless you want to haul out a lot of extension cord and then put up with the extra weight of the cord and having to always get the cord out of your way.... go with a dewalt in cordless they come with 2 batteries when you are working keep one in the charger and you will swap them out about every one to 1.5 hours (good break time if you working hard anyway) besides the De Walt has a lifetime guarantee.
 
DeWalt for sure. I have an 18 volt hammer drill/ driver, and an impact driver that I bought last November to replace my older Craftsman professional drill. Best drill purchase I have ever made. I also have the Craftsman 19.2 volt drill/ circular saw/reciprocating saw kit (Ryobi made) and I only use the drill for light duty work. The saws work ok, but not as well as a corded model.

If you are a subscriber to Consumer Reports, they recently did some ratings of cordless drill/ tool kits. Their recommended Best Buy is the Ryobi 18V set that Home Depot sells for around $100. It has a drill, and a circular saw. This set is perfect for the average homeowner, but if you are going to be doing some heavy duty work, get a better drill, such as the DeWalt, or Milwaulkie.

I have burned up a few corded drills in my time, so if you decide to get a corded model, get the top end DeWalt, Milwaulkie, or Makita. My Makita corded model is still going strong after 15 years.
 
Untill recently I had relied entirely on a 20-year old 400w B&D corded hammer drill.

A while ago I decided to supplement it with a cordless for fencing, etc. I bought a 14.4v one for £15 from Argos and it is rubbish. It has no power and the battery won't hold charge for more than a day.

Recently the gearbox in my B&D packed up, so I bought a pack containing 2 Bosch drills, a 600w corded hammer drill and a 12v cordless for £50. The hammer drill is a good all-purpose drill and I thought the cordless (a dinky little thing) would be handy for driving screws and other light work while I looked around for a chunkier (say 18v) cordless to supplement it with. Surprisingly, the little 12v Bosch is quite capable. It runs a long time on a charge and easily drills holes in masonry even though it has no hammer action. Hence still haven't bought that 18v.

In short, buy a good make!

Andrew.
 
I used my dad's 14.4V Makita when renovating, and it was way better than this other guys 18V cheapie. Lighter, more ergonomic, and more power. Before he got the Makita, my Dad had a Bosch that he had for about 15 before the batteries gave out. Remember, you get what you pay for, get the best you can afford, it will be nicer o use and last longer.
 
Since I use my drill more for driving screws than for drilling I prefer a cordless because of the adjustable clutch and the brake that stops it from spinning when I release the trigger. These two features prevent overdriving screws and marring your material. I have driven screws clear through my material with my corded drill. So it's corded for drilling and cordless for driving when I strap on my toolbelt. I have a Porter Cable 14.4V cordless and an old Black and Decker corded.
 
DEWALT _ I have almost all of the 14.4 volt tools that Dewalt makes. No failures in over 5 years of use.

I like the 14.4 volt because it is lighter, batteries are cheaper, pieces takes up less room. Does everything I need it to do.

Dewalt website says you should leave the batteries on a charger when not in use, and to NOT run them all the way down. They don't set memory. At least the new ones.
Dewalts website describes what happens to a batter just sitting on a shelf. Good info..

I have used 14.4 volt batteries for years before needing to replace them. I just use them around the house and ranch. They are very reasonable on ebay.

I like the Dewalt system much better than son in laws 19.2v Craftsman system. It is just too heavy.
 
Buy the tool, not the brand. Check out the different ones at Lowe's or Home Depot, and whereever else you can find. I like Milwaukee, but don't limit myself to that brand. In some cases they're oversized, and overbuilt.
Generally like Makita, and DeWalt has some compact drills that look nice (even a compact 18v). Any of the big name brands favored by contractors should offer more than enough performance for a "casual user". I know my tools are way overqualified for most of my use:D

btw, if you want the ultimate ultimate, Milwaukee is coming out with 28v Li-Ion cordless tools that weigh about the same as their 18v tools, with dramatically increased use time and power (there's even a cordless version of their portable bandsaw!).
 
Buying the tool and not the brand is ok, as long as you are able to stay compatable with your batteries and chargers. Sticking with one brand makes it nice to be able to interchange batteries.

Not all of the brands have all of the tools.

I bought cheapo the first time around. Wish I would have researched more and done it right the first time.
 
Want to add one more thing and I will quit beating on this thread.

There is a lot of mis-conception about batteries, charging, run-down, memory.

For Dewalt users (others also), I would recommend going to www.dewalt.com and where it says search, type in batteries and read the FAQ about batteries and chargers.

May save some of you excessive wear and tear on your batteries. I know I changed my ways on how I use my batteries.
 
My preference is a 12V. Will drive plenty of screws that if you use constantly, the other battery will still be charged before the one you are using will die. 12V are much lighter, and even after a few screws, you will be glad yo got the smaller drill.

There is little to separate top brands, they all have metal gearboxes, and it is well worth spending the money, Porter Cable, Bosch, Milwaukee, Dewalt, etc. The chargers are trickle chargers, so they keep the batteries topped off and always ready to go.

There is little difference between the budget brands, and they all have plastic gearboxes, and will wear out with not much use. Even one long deck screw can hose a cheap drill.

Stay away from any no name chinese drills. They are not worth the effort.

I am a woodworker, and have spent much time working on jobsites. A good cordless drill is #2 only behind a good hammer.

hth
 
Had Dewalt, had Makita. Both are good, especially for the occasional user. If, however, you're going to be using a cordless drill daily, and especially if you drive a lot of screws, then this is the one you want:

http://www.coastaltool.com/cgi-bin/...qw.htm?L+coastest+dsnw0785ff3ca73c+1117918154

Using the hex attachment in impact mode is awesome for driving long screws. The keyless chuck head will do just about anything else.
 
mycroftt said:
Since I use my drill more for driving screws than for drilling I prefer a cordless because of the adjustable clutch and the brake that stops it from spinning when I release the trigger. These two features prevent overdriving screws and marring your material. I have driven screws clear through my material with my corded drill. So it's corded for drilling and cordless for driving when I strap on my toolbelt. I have a Porter Cable 14.4V cordless and an old Black and Decker corded.
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Bingo.

I've had great luck with my two B&D 12v - right up to the point they were both under water for a day in a flood... batteries, charger and all.
 
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