Thread: Cordless Drill/Driver Recommendations

Originally Posted by jcarey9149

I'm quite happy with my Dewalt 14.4.

I know Dewalts and Makitas are two standards in the industry (pick an industry)

Basically, there's a lot of good choices out there.


Justin

You could probably choose your drill based on battery alone. Do you plan on using it constantly, running it down to dead or just as an occasional tool?

Originally Posted by Quick Orange

You could probably choose your drill based on battery alone. Do you plan on using it constantly, running it down to dead or just as an occasional tool?

It will probably have periods of hard use--- followed by periods of inactivity. I won't be an everyday tool


Justin

I'd say go NiCd. Most drills use this and would probably be best suited for your needs. They age really well as opposed to LiIon.

Originally Posted by Quick Orange

I'd say go NiCd. Most drills use this and would probably be best suited for your needs. They age really well as opposed to LiIon.

Cool thanks.


Justin

No problem. One more thing: unless you're not worried about price, watch your local Lowes/Home Depot. I was 30 minutes too late on an 18 volt drill (the brand escapes me- it was a good one) that was originally $150 marked down to $40. They were discontinuing the style, but the "new" one was practically the same.

i have a fire storm 24 v. it stands up to hevy construction work as well as around the house. batery life is realy long . i put my roof on a 16 x 80 with 2 charges that is lape boards with tin and guters, i ues it to sand my scales as well as drill my pin holes.

I have a panasonic. I bought it at a store where professionals come to buy their tools (they carry only quality tools). Several people I asked told me that for cordless drills, panasonic is king.

It has a special gearbox which is different from all other brands. This allows the length from butt to drill to be the shortest there is.
It has a 3.5 Ah battery which allows you to do a lot of work ebfore having to change. I never charged the 2nd battery so that I could start using it if the 1st one ever wears out.
The grip is rubberized, and feels very comfortable. It is also pretty light compared to other brands like dewalt and bosch.

The torque is amazing. If I pre-drill the holes, I can even use it to screw 3/8 bolts in wooden beams to fix window anchors.

I bought it because I (still) have to do a lot of renovation in the house, and I never use nails. I know that if I fix things together, there is a good chance I'll have to un-fix it 5 years later for one reason or other. The previous owner used big nails, which means that often I cannot simpy take things apart without breaking or doing serious damage.

The only downside was the price: 380 euros. And that was only because I had the unit with 'only' 3.5Ah 12.5 V batteries. The Top line was about 570 euros. And since I am unlikely to wear out even 1 battery in a normal 'working-in-the-house day', I didn't bother with that.

This redneck gal prefers DeWalt or Black & Decker.

Originally Posted by kerryman71

I've had luck with my 18 volt Ryobi kit that I got for a Christmas present several years ago. If I were to pick one before I got it, it wouldn't have been Ryobi. I just figured they were cheap, but since using it in some pretty heavy duty renovation projects I realize it can stand up to some abuse.

I don't think they're intended for everyday contractor work, which is what I used it for, but for around the house stuff I think it would suffice. Maybe I just got lucky with mine.

John

Major second on the Ryobi I have used it for major contractor work. The battery charge goes toe to toe with Dewalt, Milwaukee, or Makita , so does the power and it re-charges just as fast too.

Avoid Craftsman, Skil and Black and Decker these tools just can't stand up to the work the charge runs down faster and the charging takes longer than any professional model.

Rigid is also a good tool but there battery chargers seemed to break more often than any other brand I have ever seen.

Another one in the cheap class is Drill Master from Harbor Frieght. they hold a charge as well as the best drills and work as well but the charging time is far to long for heavy use and they aren't built rugged enough to stand up to hard knocks. That said I have two of these and have used them on jobs. The price is hard to beat when you need a tool NOW but don't get paid till the job is done.

Again if you want the best and most cost effective on the market get Ryobi. They are also the only brand who allows you to upgrade to Lithium Ion batteries without buying a whole new tool. That might be worth it if you do drywall or decking with your tool or if NiCd gets discontinued in the future.

I have used all of the above as a contractor, in just about all weather and temp ranges. On none of them does the performance hold up well when it gets below freezing.

I've only seen the Panasonics I haven't yet used one but they are in the professional class as far as feel and weight and price.


18 volt is still the best from a running time to weight standpoint. All of the better drills in this catagory come with chargers that fill a battery as fast as the drill runs one down when under moderate to heavy use with the NiCd system. The reason to get a NaMh battery is for a slightly faster charge time and less chance of the battery developing a "memory" and not charging fully. The reason for the Lithium Ion batteries is an incredibly fast charge time. The Li system would keep even a pro drywaller in power over the course of a day.

To get a little more specific about the battery life The NiCds charge in a hour or two on average and run under Moderate (contractors) use for about 4 hours. Cheap brands often have a charge time of five or more hours so you can see why this is a problem for a contractor as most come with only two batteries and one charger. the LI systems are supposed to have the same running time but charge in as little as 15 mins this is good because some jobs like decking or drywall are drill intensive and will drain a battery in an hour or less.

Cordless saws really suck the power down fast and would be best for even moderate usage with a LI system but thats a whole other topic.