Thread: Cordless Drill/Driver Recommendations

A looong time ago I started out with Makita as my cordless go to. THen a bunch of years ago I got the Dewalt 18v setup. Sawzall, circular saw, drill, light.
these have been through the wringer with abusing them and they hold up VERY well.
Milwaukees were very good too.
I held off on the Ryobi because I didn't experience them holding up well. I'm glad to hear the technology has improved.
I'm only familiar with Rigid heavy equipment. I have heard good things from contractor friends about the Rigid cordless line.

I'd go with Dewalt again..
BUT ... I'm usually wrong

Tom

Originally Posted by azjoe

If you're interested in the cheap side, I bought a 19.2 volt from Harbor Freight... it works ok for around the house duty and the best part is it was only $19 (on sale). I've had it for about a year now and used it when I gutted my kitchen and replaced everything... new cabinets, new countertop/backsplash, some new walls, etc. Currently, it's in use as I convert my carport into a closed-in garage.

If I had more money I would have bought a better one elsewhere... but I can't say I'm disappointed in this one as I've more than gotten my money's worth from it.

Thats the best thing about Harbor Freight, there so cheap that you always get your moneys worth out of the tool.

Like I said I've got two of their drills, also a cordless circular saw and a cordless reciprocating saw. I wouldn't have been able to afford Dewalt and these are better than Black and Decker.

If you know what you NEED go there and buy it. Just know that there are some things you are sacrificing to get that low price. Often its just that their tools are made with thinner more brittle plastics, or older styles that are less convenient. Sometimes though they sacrifice features, even ones important to functionality to keep the price down. Do your homework then decide if their tool are what you can live with. If so they are usually worth it. As an example I've got their cordless drills but I wouldn't buy a corded circular saw from them you lose some features that make the tool much more useful (I went with Bosch) so I was willing to pay five times what Harbor freight wanted to get the tool I needed.

I love Harbor Freight. The closest one to me is now 100 miles away

Sears [Craftsman] has a 20 volt LiIon drill that I have been looking at for a long time. They also have a 7 1/4" circular saw which also uses this battery. These are a tad more expensive than the Harbor Freight model. LiIon is the latest mass produced battery technology available today. They have even been putting them in electric cars lately getting 200 miles plus 100 miles per hour.

bj

Milwaukee makes the highest quality, heaviest duty tools, in my opinion, followed by Makita. DeWalt has a great reputation, although undeserved (again, my opinion). I'd put DeWalt as a higher-priced Black and Decker. Love my Black and Decker AVP cordless drill, btw. The best balance of performance/price for me has been Rigid and Ryobi. Craftsman's always a safe bet. I love my Craftsman bandsaw and buffer.

Originally Posted by Joe Chandler

Milwaukee makes the highest quality, heaviest duty tools, in my opinion, followed by Makita. DeWalt has a great reputation, although undeserved (again, my opinion). I'd put DeWalt as a higher-priced Black and Decker. Love my Black and Decker AVP cordless drill, btw. The best balance of performance/price for me has been Rigid and Ryobi. Craftsman's always a safe bet. I love my Craftsman bandsaw and buffer.

Thats funny you should say that as DeWalt is made by Black and Decker!
I have never owned a DeWalt due to that fact!

Originally Posted by JMS

Thats funny you should say that as DeWalt is made by Black and Decker!
I have never owned a DeWalt due to that fact!

Different target audiences.
DeWalt is made for professionals who don't mind paying more to get high quality tools that last.
Balck and Decker is made for the DIYer who wants to work around the house on a saturday afternoon. Not saying that they're bad (they're middle range) but they are no DeWalt, Panasonic or Makita.

Bosch carries 2 lines: the blue devices for professionals ($$$) and the green devices for DIY.

Im an HVAC Tech/Installer and im partial to using my Dewalt 14.4v XRP ive been using them for years with great success

The nice thing about the DeWalt's is that they are easily to find and they have the full range of tools that are powered by their 18 volt battery.
I haven't found another tool maker that has the variety of these DeWalts.
Plus like I said the availability of all of their tools is a big plus.
Ted

Just to add: It seems these days that Milwaukee , Fein, Metabo are all making their drills in China. I thought Panasonic was being made in Japan, but some are being made in Mexico. I don't know about Makita or Dewalt or Bosch. But if you take a stroll on certain forums , you will hear complaints about the decrease in quality because of this move. It's funny how when I was a little kid, Made in Japan was a joke -- but during the 80's Japan starting making very high quality cars,etc while Made in the USA became a joke --- especially with cars. Now I would be happy to see a Made in USA, Made in Japan, Made in Germany, Made in Switzerland, Made in ..... but everyone is moving to Made in China ----

Justin