Which cordless drill?

[derekdehaas]

I'm in a market for a cordless drill and was looking at the new craftsman c3 line but I'm bit scared to buy one even though I don't mind their hand tools. I'm looking at either dewalt or milwaukee drill. I'm looking for one with good battery, powerful and to spend under $200 so which drill are good for many use from basic use to hard use? Thanks for any of your help.

 

[I van putski]

Get the Makita 18v lxt drill and impact driver set. If you get the compact battery set (the white tools) it will be $200.

 

[derekdehaas]

This one? I have had thoughts towards makita before... http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000V2DSE2/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[thightower]

I use the Porter cable 18V. I bought it because the shop I used to work in had bought one. Went through a lot of abuse with 6 or 8 people using it. The Porter Cable outlasted the snapon and other brands bought for the shop.

 

[supra90turbo]

I have the milwaukee m18 hammer drill/impact driver set. Zero complaints, I absolutely love them both. No matter what brand you decide upon, milwaukee Shockwave bits are very highly recommended for longevity if using an impact driver.

 

[96snma]

This question is like who makes a better truck- chev, ford, or dodge. It's all subjective. I say try them all out yourself, find one you like at a price point you like. All the major brands will be good. I myself have a Mikita 18v lxt and really like it.

 

[I van putski]

This one? I have had thoughts towards makita before... http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000V2DSE2/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Yes. Or spend another $100 and get the blue set with the 3.0ah batteries.

 

[neonnblack]

Home owner and light mechanical, you really cant go wrong with Craftsman, milwaukee, mikita, PC, ryobi and dewalt. All will serve you well.

 

[Dick in Wisconsin]

I've had the Craftsman C3 cordless hand tools since 2006. Very, very happy. I use them around the house and on the race car. Have the Ni-Cad batteries and none of them have failed. Drill/driver is great. 1/2" impact is great. Hedge trimmer is great. Jury out on the leaf blower. Highly recommend for the homeowner/hobbyist. Price is right.

 

[Conductor562]

I've got mostly Milwaukee stuff with some Makita and Ridgid mixed in. Have you considered Ridgid? You can get an X4 Hyper Lithium 2 piece set with a Drill/Driver and an impact driver for $199 and it comes with 2 batteries and a lifetime warranty to boot. Lifetime on the batteries as well.

Check it out HERE

You can get the previous generation X3 combo for $169 HERE, but I prefer the X4 myself. Also, the X3 set only comes with 1 battery.

 

[Heaty]

hitachi tied with milwaukee

 

[amitchell]

I had two Makita lithium BL1830 batteries fail this weekend after 30 charges give or take. It seems their is a microchip in the battery that disables the charging circuit.

This chip runs off the first battery cell and if left long enough drains the cell to a low enough voltage to cause a fault. When you try to charge said battery the charger blinks in error and does not charge. Further if you try to do this three times the microchip permanently disables the charging ability of the battery.


I have read online that you can get a replacement battery from a Makita service center if the battery has gone through 150 or less cycles. They should have a Makita battery diagnostic machine that can read the batteries history. So Makita seems to know about the "premature failure" of the batteries. I am off to a service center tomorrow, hopefully I return with two new batteries.

That may be something to think about.

 

[Conductor562]

I had two Makita lithium BL1830 batteries fail this weekend after 30 charges give or take. It seems their is a microchip in the battery that disables the charging circuit.

This chip runs off the first battery cell and if left long enough drains the cell to a low enough voltage to cause a fault. When you try to charge said battery the charger blinks in error and does not charge. Further if you try to do this three times the microchip permanently disables the charging ability of the battery.


I have read online that you can get a replacement battery from a Makita service center if the battery has gone through 150 or less cycles. They should have a Makita battery diagnostic machine that can read the batteries history. So Makita seems to know about the "premature failure" of the batteries. I am off to a service center tomorrow, hopefully I return with two new batteries.

That may be something to think about.

I like Makita, but their tools just don't seem to be the quality they used to be. They've had a lot of battery complaints and my buddies over at Toolsinaction fried 2 Makita drills during reviews. The Makita stuff I have is great, but it isn't cordless either.

 

[vintagefan]

I'm a huge fan of DeWalt's new stuff, the ergonomics are the best in the industry IMO. The 20v compact drill has the highest RPM (2000) in its segment, which is great for me because it frees me up from needing to use the high speed air drill for small holes in metal.

I used to be a huge Makita fan, I still have one of the keyed chuck "candy bar battery" cordless drills from way back when. I have three batteries, all three still hold charge, which is especially amazing considering I found one on the road after seeing the car in front of me run it over.

I don't really find them to have quite that same "knock your socks off" reliability that I found them to have before. I use every brand at work, and to be honest they're all pretty decent now. No major standouts unless you get very spendy.

 

[Heaty]

I own a milwaukee m18 and its pretty bad *** since 2011. Reason why I chose milwaukee was because it was the best bang for your buck. That is when it came down to dollar signs and power. I also had good warranty on the tool from my local home depot store who sold them. Hitachi I heard is also super good from a coworker of mine, but contacting customer service is harder to reach if you run into problems.

http://www.hitachipowertools.ca/en/Products?cat=3&pid=240

 

[dodge610]

Dont be hesitant of the craftsman C3 it is a very good drill I have had mine for 4 yrs still got the original batterys and a bunch of add on attachments all have served me very well. I use the drill at home and on my restoring projects. Card and lawn tractors and not one complaint.

 

[Heaty]

My favorite compact lightweight tool, is a small yet powerful impact driver & drill that runs on 12v. The milwaukee m12 Model : 2401-22 I paid $89.99 Its worth every penny. Don`t think the 12v is weak, its so powerful it can twist your wrist right off! I love Milwaukee and their 5 year warranty. I too dropped this tool in deep water and off a 3 story building and it still runs like new. Never the less go for what you like in your own hands and comfort.
Which ever you pick make sure you get good manufacturer warranty.

All in all in today`s 21rst century era, all cordless drills are super advanced compared to five to ten years ago. They are all equal, just as long as you buy a good known name brand! They all kick *** and are all superior!

 

[carcajou]

another vote for milwaukee m18, imo top of the line.

 

[joshmodelskidoo]

i have porter cable and i got some c3 for christmas because i wanted a 1/2in cordless impact and i like the c3 stuff so far and the selection of tools is better. i got porter cable and i like that stuff to, and the PC drill has more power than the c3 drill. i like the 12volt dewalt because of how light they are with the lithium ion. i had a dewalt 14.4volt drill and that was great but i needed new batteries and a whole 18vold system was cheaper with the nicad. dewalt 18 volt at several places with 2 batteries and charger for $100 and that's cheaper than new batteries

 

[derekdehaas]

Well I bought a drill today and was debating between Mikita or Milwaukee both were priced $99 and went for milwaukee m18 nice case to boot! Also bought me a set of 29 piece impact driver bit set made by milwaukee nice case on this one also

 

[derekdehaas]

The drill is m18 cordless 1/2" compact drill/driver redlithium battery to be exact before anyone asks...

 

[amitchell]

I had two Makita lithium BL1830 batteries fail this weekend after 30 charges give or take. It seems their is a microchip in the battery that disables the charging circuit.

This chip runs off the first battery cell and if left long enough drains the cell to a low enough voltage to cause a fault. When you try to charge said battery the charger blinks in error and does not charge. Further if you try to do this three times the microchip permanently disables the charging ability of the battery.


I have read online that you can get a replacement battery from a Makita service center if the battery has gone through 150 or less cycles. They should have a Makita battery diagnostic machine that can read the batteries history. So Makita seems to know about the "premature failure" of the batteries. I am off to a service center tomorrow, hopefully I return with two new batteries.

That may be something to think about.

Well I now have two new batteries from Makita Canada replaced out of warranty.
Kudos to them for doing me right.

 

[shoturtle]

If you go c3, go with the Li Ion battery instead.

If you are a diyer, and using the tools for home uses in 18v. Craftsman, mikita, dewalt and hitachi are all very capable tools. If you are more serious with your power tool needs, then I would move up to the milwaukee, bosch, hilti, festool, or panasonic.