How long do you expect a cordless drill to last?

[NinetyTwoFifty]

I'm talking the drill itself, not the batteries. I think that under medium/heavy use, 10 years is a good number.

What do you think?

 

[Syndicate]

I expect my new ones to last 15 years. Makita 18V. My other Makita lasted 10 years but it was me who dropped it off the roof that made it quit. It might have lasted more. I also found a used set that I owned 2 years before I bought my new ones at time. I sold that here. It was good to me, as all Makita stuff has been.

 

[onelochevy]

My dewalt has been going strong for 6 years now.

 

[lzenglish]

I'm still using my Skil 12 volt Top Gun, that is over 12 years old now, and is still going strong. I still like it because of the wide RPM range between low and high speeds. Plus it has allot of torque. So, Id say 10 to 15 years is probably a good mark. But, of course people don't keep them that long, because of the rapid changes in higher battery voltages. Kind of reminds me of my first computer, that had a 750 meg hard drive, in 1981. Also, the last battery I bought from sears online was 29 bucks, which was cheap, in my book.

Wayne

 

[BobsurUncle]

5 years. My Dewalts are going on 7. The trigger switches are shot, the trans housings are cracked, and the batteries are not so great. These have been the best set yet. Mine are have been rode hard and put away wet. I'm looking to buy a new Impact/Drill combo soon.


ETA: My Dewalts have made 10's of $$$. They have paid for themselves many, many times over. I don't feel bad about their condition. Using my hammer drill as a hammer doesn't help though. Those battery packs are tough!

 

[puttsy]

I like to look at the investment of a tool. As a DIY'er I don't use them extensively but I DO value quality so I buy *closer* to commercial grade (the lower end ones) power tools for personal/sudo-professional work. I expect that 5-6 years is where the tool pays for itself several times over so the ROI is now on the profit side 3 fold. I would *like* to get 10 years out of mine but, I've had 2 in the past 10 years so I figure 1 every 5 years is a good place to aim for. I just bought a DeWalt Hammerdrill but before I had 2 Black and Decker drivers and they were 'just enough' for home use but as I began regularly working in facilities, It was time to catch up with what the real guys were using.

 

[Danglerb]

What wears out on a drill other than with commercial use? Its ALL about the batteries.

***Cheap drill might overheat in heavy use.

 

[1967lemans]

had my dewalt 11 years now. still works great. the battery is about shot

 

[canuckian]

I haven't worn one out yet but have had to upgrade due to not being able to find battery replacements easily. Either that or I upgrade just for the sake of upgrading and getting a better tool. So, I'd say about 7-9 years is a safe timeframe for me. Under heavy commercial use though, I'd expect something like a Dewalt xrp to last 5-7 years and a craftsman to last 3-5.

 

[el tanque prohibido]

I think that under medium/heavy use, 10 years is a good number.

Which part of the drill are you talking about? Every single part on that drill is replaceable, including the housing. As long as the parts are available, the drill could out last the drill's owner.

 

[NinetyTwoFifty]

[

Which part of the drill are you talking about? Every single part on that drill is replaceable, including the housing. As long as the parts are available, the drill could out last the drill's owner.

You're quite right.

I meant 10 years before the failure of any part. Chuck, switch, clutch, whatever.

My father's Makita lasted for 25 years before it needed a switch, so I can amend my previous post to AT LEAST 10 years. Anything less and I'd be disappointed.

 

[Outlawmws]

I have two 9.6 V B&D professional battery drills that are at least 25-30 years old; on their third "set" of batteries, (down to one...) but the drills are still good. I got them after probably 5 years of daily commercial use in the sheet metal industry, as they couldn't be bothered to replace batteries. The cases show the use, but the drills themselves are still alive and kicking...

 

[Monte]

Depends on how often you use it
500 hours maybe ?

 

[geologist]

I would expect at least a decade. If it dies by my own hand, I can live with that, but I damn sure better get a decade out of a good cordless.

 

[djjsr]

I had an 18V Ryobi that still worked after 11 years but the variable speed didn't work anymore. Fortunately, Ryobi had a recall and I got it replaced for free,

 

[uart]

Something I'd like to ask. If you get 10+ years out of a drill, roughly how many battery packs would you expect to go through in that time?

 

[djjsr]

If you get 10+ years out of a drill, roughly how many battery packs would you expect to go through in that time?

My experience with Ryobi only, the 18V nicads will go 3 or 4 years before they don't hold a charge for very long. They will charge up but will go dead in a week even if not used.

In 10 years, I probably sent 5 or 6 batteries to the recyclers. Always having 2 good ones.

 

[Milwaukee tool guy]

Milwaukee is coming out with a drill with a brushless motor in May.. It is expected to last 10 time longer than todays drill...... Check it out (Milwaukee Fuel)

 

[Boiler]

I'm still using my Skil 12 volt Top Gun

Wayne

What a memory THAT induced. My stepdad's would not die. I bet he shed a tear when it did. I recall the entire 90's hearing "go get Top Gun..."

 

[Solo]

I have 2 12volt Craftsman industrials one is 18 years old and the other is 17 years old. Both still work very well.

Solo

 

[Underdog]

Dewalt 18V, 10 years and one trigger switch $45. I bought a used one and now it needs brushes. Solid performers. Downside I've seen are the Battery's they just don't last that long.

 

[byoungblood]

I have a Makita that is 12-13 years old now, still works just fine. My only worry is finding good quality batteries for it. First OEM ones lasted about 6-7 years, now the replacements I have are creeping up on that number too, but so far are still holding a charge well (knock on wood).

I've looked around at the prices for replacement 12v Makita brand batteries and I keep kicking myself for not buying more when I bought these. I bought Makita branded replacements for $50 each 4-5 years ago, now the same battery is $80. Grrr...

 

[Tech Guy]

Myself and my guys get 1- 1 1/2 years out of cordless drills. They get used every day. We do look after them but the work just kills them. Panasonic is my longest lasting cordless so far-2 years. Would never buy another Dwalt in my life for commercial work.

 

[smithred67]

My 18V Dewalt is pushing 14 or 15 years now. I thought it was broke last year when I was working on a bathroom project but the slide that goes between regular drill and hammer drill was in the middle. Dooooooooh!!! I was depressed for two days because I thought it was broke but once I slid it over it started working just fine. Sometimes I wonder about myself????

 

[Bronson]

A long time, unless I leave it where My Scum-bag neighbor can get it, to trade for drugs and cigarettes.

 

[bobcatdan]

The drill itself should go to the end of time, look how long corded drills last. Cordless impacts on the other, I hope for five to seven years. I had a Makita and Milwaukee impacts that went about that long before the insides must have gotten worn and didn't have the hit to them any more. Fresh batteries didn't solve the problem.

 

[RichZ]

I have no idea how long the drills can last, because I've never had the batteries last more than 3 years, and I've had DeWalt, Bosch, Hitachi, Panasonic and a bunch of others that I can't think of. I'm not a mechanic like most of you guys, but I'm a farmer, and I use my cordless drill several times/week, usually outisde in all kinds of weather. I got so tired of spending money on drills only to have the batteries die, that 3 years ago, I was in Walmart on my annual trip there, and I saw they had Black and Decker 18 volt cordless drills on sale fo $19.99. They looked cheap, but I figured if it lasted a year, I would be ahead of the game. Well, that cheap drill is still going over 3 years later, the battery is fine and it keeps on working. It's such a cheap drill it doesn't even have a separate charger, you just plug in a charger into the drill. But the thing does what I need it to. It drills into locust fence post as well as my professional type drills did, and locust wood is incredibly hard. When it finally dies, I'll get another. When I bought it, I figured I probably wasted $20, so it's an incredible surprise.

 

[allinon72]

I switched from Craftsman to Dewalt XRP because I wanted it to last a lifetime. Even the batteries are tough as hell and easily rebuildable.

 

[G_P]

10 years is pretty good.

As for the batteries the NICAD ones just use a bunch of sub-C cells packed together. Pick up a random battery or 2 cheap at a yard sale and open it up and keep any cells that are not swollen or leaking. When your pack fails simply open it up find the blown cell and swap it out for one of your spares. I have kept many battery packs going this way!

 

[sometoyotaguy]

I think 7-10 years isn't unreasonable to expect a quality drill to last. The problem is that batteries tend to start failing after 4-5.

I've had my 18V Makita for 7 years or so, but I'm down to one battery.

 

[Harvey Melvin Richards]

I have several Makita 7.2 volts from the mid 80's that still work well. The batteries only last about 4 or 5 minutes at most. It's just not worth buying new batteries for it.

Battery technology keeps changing before I wear out my drills. The only failures I've had were a 12 volt POS DeWalt, which was just **** from the start and a 14.4 volt Milwaukee which some ***** dropped and broke the gear box. I have lots of good cordless tools which no longer work because I don't want to buy an outdated battery.

I'm looking for a Milwaukee 0616-20 drill. I have 6 batteries that will still charge, a couple of impact drivers, and several chargers. It's old NiCad technology, but it cheaper than all new stuff.

 

[ctb]

My 12v milwaukee still works as well now as the day 20 years ago when I bought it. Still have one original battery that works. Keeps its charge for over three months if only used occasionally. And I've had a lot of use from it. It's outlived a bosch 14v I bought here.

Milwaukee's weren't always the most powerful, but they were always the toughest power tools ever made. My milwaukee skil saw is older than the drill and still goes on and on despite being used in -40 temps back in Canada and being run off of an invertor here.

 

[johnnysystems]

It totally depends on the amount of time it is used. I have a Dewalt 12v that is about 10 to 12 years old. I might not use it every day but I still have the original batteries it came with and they still hold a charge for a few hours. The drill still works great and I'm sure one of these days the batteries are gonna die, but it was worth the $$$ for it to last this long.

 

[shoturtle]

Last one, bosch 12v, lasted 12 years. Finally gave up on nicad and went to li ion. Drill still works if I were to buy replacement on ebay.

 

[mikew13]

Ten years before the batteries fail.

 

[toolnerd]

I'm still using my Skil 12 volt Top Gun, that is over 12 years old now, and is still going strong. I still like it because of the wide RPM range between low and high speeds. Plus it has allot of torque. So, Id say 10 to 15 years is probably a good mark. But, of course people don't keep them that long, because of the rapid changes in higher battery voltages. Kind of reminds me of my first computer, that had a 750 meg hard drive, in 1981. Also, the last battery I bought from sears online was 29 bucks, which was cheap, in my book.

Wayne

Dude a 750 mb hard drive would have cost about $40,000 in 1981, maybe you meant 7.5 meg or you meant 1991?

 

[rlitman]

Way to bring back a thread from the dead.

I'm sure it wasn't 1981. The IBM XT came out in 1983. My second XT had a hard drive (first one had two DOUBLE sided floppy drives, and I was damn proud of that upgrade). A whopping 10mb hard drive at that. 750mb was still cutting edge in 1991. That was right around when I upgraded from a 386 with two 40mb drives to a 486 with a 512mb drive.

What wears out on a drill other than with commercial use? Its ALL about the batteries. ***Cheap drill might overheat in heavy use.

For me, the first thing to fail is a plastic gearbox. I've broken gear teeth too many times because of gearbox flex (on corded and cordless drills). Drills overheating has little to do with cheapness. Although I will say that my brushless drill runs much cooler than what I've used before that.

 

[uart]

LOL good call toolnerd. Personal computers in 1981 didn't even come with hard drives, although they could be purchased (at very high cost) as external optional components.

As rlitman points out, by 1983 you could get PC's that came standard with a 10MB internal HDD. Upgrades where soon available to 20MB or 30MB, which was MASSIVE at the time. Sorry but 750MB in '81 is just not believable.

 

[sk farmer]

i have an 18 volt dewalt drill that will be 18 next spring. one of the original batteries still works. not well but it works.

 

[Farmall450]

I'd say 10-15 years.