recommended ('best') cordless drill/driver for home use
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HondaCBMan
Well-known member
The brand with the most diversity of tools is Milwaukee (and also most powerful). So if you plan on getting more power tools down the line, I'd say a M12 Gen 2 combo kit.
engineer2
Well-known member
The brand with the most diversity of tools is Makita (and also most powerful).
^^ I couldn't resist.
Once you commit to a battery platform, it will influence what you buy in the future. Some people are fine with homeowner quality, while some buy heavy duty professional models. The big 6 (Makita, DeWalt, Milwaukee, Ryobi, Bosch, Rigid) often have multiple models with differing features. Most also make battery powered tools for yard work, construction, woodworking, metal working, vacuuming, drywall, etc. Just depends on what you might use in the future.
I have the Makita XPH07 drill and it is a beast that will do anything. Would a lighter duty drill be OK for home use? Sure, but I need to drill holes in concrete and mix tile mud with it too.
^^ I couldn't resist.
Once you commit to a battery platform, it will influence what you buy in the future. Some people are fine with homeowner quality, while some buy heavy duty professional models. The big 6 (Makita, DeWalt, Milwaukee, Ryobi, Bosch, Rigid) often have multiple models with differing features. Most also make battery powered tools for yard work, construction, woodworking, metal working, vacuuming, drywall, etc. Just depends on what you might use in the future.
I have the Makita XPH07 drill and it is a beast that will do anything. Would a lighter duty drill be OK for home use? Sure, but I need to drill holes in concrete and mix tile mud with it too.
Farmall450
Well-known member
Agreed. This will quickly devlove into a color war; however, as seen above, DeWalt, Milwaukee and Makita really are the core providers with pretty much any cordless tool you'd desire. For a budget, and some neat, weird cordless items (full size shopvac, soldering iron, rotary dremel, LED desk light) Ryobi (parent company also makes Milwaukee) is pretty hard to beat.
^^^All of those previously mentioned brands are just fine for home use.
I'd recommend 12V vs 18V unless you have larger projects in mind.
Just go to the stores and pick what feels best because it's pretty subjective. Also look for the best promotions. (ie holiday bundles)
I'd recommend 12V vs 18V unless you have larger projects in mind.
Just go to the stores and pick what feels best because it's pretty subjective. Also look for the best promotions. (ie holiday bundles)
captain14
Well-known member
If you can hold out until the end of October HD should be setting up their holiday displays. Buy this package, get a selected tool/battery free.
honza.vosalik
Well-known member
I have Ryobi combo, very happy with it. Also happy that there's other tool options including a tire blower and hybrid halogen light for use with the same battery.
I'm sure there's a lot of other great options.
I'm sure there's a lot of other great options.
I'd go with 18V-20V in Ryobi, Makita, Milwaukee, Dewalt. Ryobi will be the best bang for the buck. I'd also recommend getting the 1/4 impact drive (1,500 in-lbs of torque) -- makes driving even long fasteners easy.
If you think you will be adding other tools to the mix, may as well buy the combo kit now. You will save money. There's a 6 tool combo kit for $200.
If you think you will be adding other tools to the mix, may as well buy the combo kit now. You will save money. There's a 6 tool combo kit for $200.
Professional Tool User
Well-known member
For home use, if you aren't beating on it too hard, Ryobi.
powertrip
Well-known member
Ryobi. Reasonably priced, over 100 tools that take the same battery and great performance.
Go to a big box store and hold them before deciding. I was thinking about getting a Kobalt drill + impact combo for around $120. There value looked good but the drill was physically quite large. I passed and went with a Ridgid set for about the same price. There is definitely something to be said for the smaller 12V drills. I have a Cman Nextec set (now discontinued) that was sufficiently powerful for most jobs. It had a rather handy right angle impact driver. The torque numbers looked poor on paper but it actually worked great and was easy to control. I bought the Ridgid set because the Nextec impact driver went through batteries in a hurry when I was doing some framing like work. Well that and thanks to eBay prices I could sell the impact driver and pay for the Ridgid set.
Battery family can matter. Do keep the cost of other tools in mind. I bought a deeply discounted B&D 20v string trimmer. Thanks to the stupid low cost of the bare tools I added a leaf blower and circular saw. Neither are very powerful but both are sufficient for light jobs, save me from pulling out AC tools and at $70 for the pair, cheap enough that I bought them. The equivalent DeWalt or Ridgid tools are much better... and cost more than double what I spent. Quite simply they would have been out of my budget. The take away is, if you are like me, the cost of the other tools might be more important than if they have the biggest selection.
Battery family can matter. Do keep the cost of other tools in mind. I bought a deeply discounted B&D 20v string trimmer. Thanks to the stupid low cost of the bare tools I added a leaf blower and circular saw. Neither are very powerful but both are sufficient for light jobs, save me from pulling out AC tools and at $70 for the pair, cheap enough that I bought them. The equivalent DeWalt or Ridgid tools are much better... and cost more than double what I spent. Quite simply they would have been out of my budget. The take away is, if you are like me, the cost of the other tools might be more important than if they have the biggest selection.
Shadowdog500
Well-known member
Look at the platform that has the tools you want to use.
I had the Dewalt 20v drill and impact for a few years so I decided to go with the Dewalt platform. Once I Bought the chainsaw and leaf blower I fully committed to the line and bought the edge trimmer, saber saw, oscillating tool, flashlight, and 1/2” impact. As a home owner I’m pretty happy.
I’m sure Milwaukee is great too! If you decide Milwaukee, go all Milwaukee!
Chris
I had the Dewalt 20v drill and impact for a few years so I decided to go with the Dewalt platform. Once I Bought the chainsaw and leaf blower I fully committed to the line and bought the edge trimmer, saber saw, oscillating tool, flashlight, and 1/2” impact. As a home owner I’m pretty happy.
I’m sure Milwaukee is great too! If you decide Milwaukee, go all Milwaukee!
Chris
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Although I really liked the Bosch 12V drill, this was exactly my thinking when I bought my drill (& impact combo) to replace an old NiCad Ryobi, so I went with Milwaukee. I kind of regret that now.
I like having the 12V size vs the weight and bulk of 18V, but most of the other Milwaukee tools I want are 18V. Also, the 12V is enough for most of what I do, but now I still want the 18V for the remainder (sometimes the 12V struggles but gets there in the end, other times I resort to a corded drill).
If I had to do it again I would either just buy the 18V in the battery platform that I liked the best (which for me is Milwaukee) and deal with the extra bulk or buy the 18V and a separate 12V from whatever brand made the best 12V drill (which for me is Bosch).
So essentially, my mistake was not realizing that there’s very little that I want on a 12V platform. If you want a bunch of stuff on 12V, then that would be different for you.
nh_yota
Well-known member
Ryobi
signcrafter
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My opinion would be m12 fuel drill driver kit. I have the m18 fuel and m12 fuel kits and I don't use my m18 very often. M12 fuel will do almost everything you need at home. I've even used it with some bigger hole saws and other crazy things that you wouldn't expect it to be able to handle.
DFB
Well-known member
Milwaukee M12 FUEL
boiler7904
Well-known member
I'll ask the question I don't remember seeing anyone ask. What are you planning to do with the tools? My needs as a homeowner / DIY kind of person have included building and installing cabinets, drilling into concrete, assembling and installing furniture, replacing doors, and a host of other things. Some of your needs will be similar, others will be different.
I use my Milwaukee M12 tools for probably 90-95% of tasks around the house but have Makita LXT 18V tools for higher damand and bigger jobs. Also keep a Milwaukee M18 drill and impact in the car for odd jobs on construction sites.
I use my Milwaukee M12 tools for probably 90-95% of tasks around the house but have Makita LXT 18V tools for higher damand and bigger jobs. Also keep a Milwaukee M18 drill and impact in the car for odd jobs on construction sites.
Here is my problem with the M12 Fuel suggestion. It's $230 for the kit (drill+impact). For $100 less I bought the Ridgid kit below. If you can find a deal, great. At list price, no. The M12 Fuel just isn't a good value in my eyes.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/18-Volt...-Batteries-Charger-and-Bag-R96021SB/308503673
https://www.homedepot.com/p/18-Volt...-Batteries-Charger-and-Bag-R96021SB/308503673
great feedback! appreciate all of the input. Will have to head to HD or Lowes to start checking these out. BTW... my home use would be all sorts of DIY projects, car stuff... I've don't a lot of car work over the years (& just got a lift) but have never used an impact driver (but wish I had one). So i'm thinking a drill+impact combo may be the way to go.
Shadowdog500
Well-known member
The drill impact combos are a great combination, and I would definitely recommend getting it, but the impact won’t be up to taking off tight lug nuts. May want to look at a 1/2” drive impact and a set of impact sockets In addition to the combo.
The cordless 1/2 impacts are pretty good for working on cars.
Chris
kctyphoon
Banned
Any decent brand will work just fine. But big red is whos getting the most love these days.
theoldwizard1
Well-known member
If you go with "big red" (Milwaukee), save yourself some money and go with their M12 line. For light duty use, save some more money and go with their 3/8" non-Fuel drill/driver (2407-22).
Farmall450
Well-known member
WittHay
Well-known member
You mean SBD Craftsman, yeah they are in a lot of stores now. Just kidding
I have no recommendations for a home use drill. Tons of choices now in brushed and brushless. The lines get kind of blurred when there are powerful 12 volt like Milwaukee Fuel and sub compact 18V like the black Makita's
techieman33
Well-known member
In one forum on the internet.
They get a lot of love on reddit as well.
That website is heavily astroturfed, and I suspect much more so by Milwaukee than the other power tool companies.
It also turns into an echo chamber where the legitimate users buy what gets posted the most and then scurry home to post their own pictures of a brand new drill they just dumped out of the box. After a few iterations of that, the whole place turns into "NTD!! Team Red!!"
HondaCBMan
Well-known member
FWIW HomeDepot has the Gen 2 M12 Hammer Drill and Impact kit for $199 with the packout case.
Ford Farmer
Well-known member
7 or 8 years ago I bought a 12v Hitachi Drill/Driver and Impact set for my wife as she wanted to start doing some light wood working. Soon after we got pregnant with our second kiddo and the hobby never developed but we've used the **** out of that set around the house. It's small, light, and powerful enough to do anything we've asked of it. I'm not recommending Hitachi specifically, but I think the 12v products will likely serve you well, especially the newer stuff which is likely more powerful than our little kit.
Which doesn't really change my bad point but it does make the gap smaller. Depending on need even at even money I might wonder why an M12 vs the Ridgid combo. Kind of a size/weight trade off at that point.
ajchien
Well-known member
I’ve got a mishmash of cordless. Black and decker, porter cable, craftsman, ryobi, Milwaukee. My most extensive being ryobi and Milwaukee.
I now avoid black and decker. I’ve had some back luck with their batteries, it seems to be more than bad luck.
The other brands I’ve used I haven’t had any issues with.
I would consider buying a brand with a tool spectrum of what you think you’ll use more.
Ryobi brings a excellent diversity of woodworking and yard/garden tools. Whereas Milwaukee seems to be geared towards the woodworking/automotive tools.
I now avoid black and decker. I’ve had some back luck with their batteries, it seems to be more than bad luck.
The other brands I’ve used I haven’t had any issues with.
I would consider buying a brand with a tool spectrum of what you think you’ll use more.
Ryobi brings a excellent diversity of woodworking and yard/garden tools. Whereas Milwaukee seems to be geared towards the woodworking/automotive tools.
Yeah definitely. You can put a drill bit in the regular drill and then a driving bit in the impact driver, so if you're doing a lot of pre-drilling to prevent the wood from the splitting, you can quickly pre-drill and drive fasteners.
I am in Makita and Ryobi. I built a deck for a pal, and I used my Makita drills and I handed him the Ryobi drill and impact drills. He helped zoom in a lot of fasteners.
Parrothead
Well-known member
Farmall450
Well-known member
techieman33
Well-known member
There is for sure a Milwaukee, Wera, and Knipex circle jerk going on over there. That being said I’ve been pretty happy overall with all 3 brands.
kctyphoon
Banned
In one forum on the internet.
And the $250 Billion dollar company i work for.
Farmall450
Well-known member
Rolls eyes
You company likely chose Milwaukee b/c they were the lowest bidder. Similar to the POS truck you're always complaining about.
Either money, or because their primary approved vendor stocks/services them, is the reason why.
The measly $6.96 bln (as of close) company I work for is Yellow & Black due to the latter reason.
DFB
Well-known member
You guys can all circle ******** lol about the best "HOMEOWNER" drill driver all you want 
And WHATEVER the f**k that homeowner **** really means. Not buying the any **** either that an M12 Fuel drill driver is too expensive either, a bare tool on Amazon is only like $75 (and really you buy into a system). IMO I don't think any other 12V drill compares...from Mikado, Tachi, Dewally or Yobi, Not for power, chuck size, and torque. And I used most all of them. It easily rivals many 18v versions and most especially the Makita compact series.
And really there is absolutely just no comparison to the brushed Milwaukee 12v model
And WHATEVER the f**k that homeowner **** really means. Not buying the any **** either that an M12 Fuel drill driver is too expensive either, a bare tool on Amazon is only like $75 (and really you buy into a system). IMO I don't think any other 12V drill compares...from Mikado, Tachi, Dewally or Yobi, Not for power, chuck size, and torque. And I used most all of them. It easily rivals many 18v versions and most especially the Makita compact series.And really there is absolutely just no comparison to the brushed Milwaukee 12v model
Years ago I did major remodels with 14.4v Dewalt drills. When 18v came out I remember the Dewalt rep doing a demo at a local hardware store and declaring that we had reached the peak of cordless performance.
Not long after that Dewalt introduced a 24 and then a 36 volt system.
Today I'm doing the same remodel work with modern 18v tools.
We have 12vtools that rival what the old 18v stuff could do. And no one would even dream about using tools as weak as the old 14.4v line was.
The fact of the matter the work got done either way.
Just pick a drill you like and if down the road you find you need something more powerful or something smaller big deal. Tools are cheaper today than they have ever been and perform better than they ever have.
I remember paying $329.99 for an 18v Dewalt drill. Today I can buy a 20v lithium Dewalt drill that will out perform the old tool for $99
Not long after that Dewalt introduced a 24 and then a 36 volt system.
Today I'm doing the same remodel work with modern 18v tools.
We have 12vtools that rival what the old 18v stuff could do. And no one would even dream about using tools as weak as the old 14.4v line was.
The fact of the matter the work got done either way.
Just pick a drill you like and if down the road you find you need something more powerful or something smaller big deal. Tools are cheaper today than they have ever been and perform better than they ever have.
I remember paying $329.99 for an 18v Dewalt drill. Today I can buy a 20v lithium Dewalt drill that will out perform the old tool for $99
kctyphoon
Banned
Milwaukee was chosen becuase or their tools and their general offerings.
Verizon has lots of money. If you think things like this are micro managed in favor of a few $$, you're mistaken. Do u think we "warranty" tools? Lol
Do u think they don't spend $18,000 in repairs for a vehicle that winds up being sent to auction a month later?
The vendor I that gets me whatever I want buys old trailers we spent $130,000 on new, at auction for 5 grand and then rents them out for $3500 a week.
Micro managing money is not something this company does. Milwaukee has been specializing in tools for utility companies, and we happen to be one. U think our vendors don't carry DeWalt too? U think Verizon's "approved vendors" are cheaper than home Depot? Lol.
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