advice on drills

[aussiek2000]

So I am in the market for a drill. I spontaniously bought a IR 7802 off of ebay last week. I think it will be ok for small stuff, but it is only 3/8" and non-everseable. So what should I look for in a good drill? Air or electric? corded or cordless? chuck size? I would like to stay under $150 if possible.

 

[Stuey]

What do you plan on using it for?

Corded will be cheapest, 12V "Max" will be lightest and sufficient for light to medium duty work, 18V will be most versatile.

If you plan on driving screws too, consider cordless over corded b/c they have adjustable clutches for driving fasteners with consistent torque.

 

[aussiek2000]

It will mainly be used for drilling bolts and rivets out and random metal drilling. I already have a 12v impact and drill.

 

[Gregg33]

It will mainly be used for drilling bolts and rivets out and random metal drilling. I already have a 12v impact and drill.

I'd say go with an 18v cordless, for drilling rivets out the portability is nice, if not go with an electric. I'm not a big believer in air powered drills, the hose is bulky to work with imo. For brands, I would go with Dewalt or Makita for cordless and Makita for electric.

 

[pipsters]

I bought a Rigid 1/2" corded at Home Depot for $99, it comes with a lifetime warranty provided you register it.

 

[Stuey]

Random metal drilling?

A heavy duty 18V model should suffice. Or maybe a corded model in case you need the extra power, since you already have 12V impact and drill for driving purposes.

The choice is very subjective. If I had to run out tonight to buy one, I'd look at Bosch or Dewalt, with Milwaukee and Makita being good choices as well.

If no brand preference, flip a coin.

 

[crewchief888]

What do you plan on using it for?

i use air drill at work (shop & field) for the most part, and keep a cheap cordless drill in my truck as well.

in the garage mainly corded drills, have 3/8" & 1/" BD i picked up on clearance at HD, under $100 for both.

mainly use cordless for around the house, if you're gonna go cordless, i'd suggest 18v Li-ion.

 

[mrholeshot]

Milwaukee Magnum 1/2. Bad *** drill.

 

[Odorcide]

I use my 18v Makita lithium a work everyday and I love it, nice and lightweight but tough. I've used the hammer drill to bore 5/8" holes thourgh brick and concrete and she never missed a beat.

 

[diesel research]

Milwaukee Magnum 1/2. Bad *** drill.

Wrist breaker.

I vote for air in a shop type environment. No battery wear, less down time, more longevity, incredible power (if you pick a 1/2" model with low rpms) I use one to extract bolts. Amazingly quicker/lighter than the alternatives. UNLESS I am in deep trouble and pull out the milwaukee mag drill, but that is a beast, and about $2000.

Air drill is automatically go to drill, except for home/parking lot work.

I choose keyed chuck since sometimes I have slipping problems with keyless on bigger bits/harder materials. Reversible is nice once you get stuck, or are using a left handed bit. I look for low rpm first. Let's me know the planetaries are geared for "stump pulling" torque. There was a site called toolsez that sold cleco and dotco aircraft drills for about your price range. Think the site may have went under last week?

I like side handles but broke the handle off a northern tools drill. Tooltopia has a few around $100 advertised as 1/2hp.

 

[4x4gearhead]

In my own shop I use an old IR 1/2" air drill on the road I use an 18v cordless. Ive always liked the air drill over corded, the power is great.

 

[Ritter4.0]

I prefer my air drills at work, and cordless at home. Air drills are awesome for aluminum and wood, but without a regulator will **** with steel. I like how fast it is, and that there is no way to overheat it, you can really lean into it without worrying about burning up the motor. Most will also stall rather than try to break your wrist. Stalling these does not hurt them either. That said, for a really good one, you are looking at $150+. By really good I mean has good power and is also fairly quiet. The 1/4" Sioux that the company I work for provided cost over $200 new, but I got an old "hand me down" one (looks well over 10 years old), and it still works great. It has a keyed chuck, and no reverse. I did not have enough money and wanted a second air drill so I got the old style Kobalt 3/8" to try out. It is reversible, and has a keyless chuck. It was LOUD much louder than most 1/2" impacts. I kept it for a while unused, then made it quieter and "shaved" the main body quite a bit. I love it now, and for a cheap air drill it has a great chuck. Both drills have Jacobs chucks. Another advantage is they can be used underwater if you ever need to drill holes underwater for some reason......

I also have a 1/2" Hitachi 18 volt NiCad cordless drill. I thought I got a deal, but it ***** for what I paid for it. The keyless chuck slips way too much, the handle doesn't fit my hand and hurts after using it hard. Another guy a work has the newer 18 volt Lithium Ion version. It has a much better chuck, and much better handle. I would recommend that one.


So for air drills I would recommend the Kobalt, I will post a thread sometime about how to make it quiet soon. After modifying it, it seems to stand up very well in the power/noise category with similar Sioux, Matco, and Snap-On drills other people at work have. But I am pretty sure the others will outlast this one by several years, maybe even decades. The Kobalt is my "go to" drill, the Sioux I use for more precise work because it is very easy to handle.

 

[diesel research]

Teach us how to modify them.

You don't need a regulator so much, if you choose a dedicated low speed unit like a 450rpm or up to maybe 750.

It is the 1800 and 2000rpm+ that don't do so well.

 

[Ritter4.0]

I was going to post the thread today, but I forgot the tools at work on Wednesday. I was off today for class, and had time after the class to make it. The thread would be worthless without pictures or sound. I will definitely do it on Saturday.

On the drill I pretty much just stuffed the exhaust full of rags. After a few different mixtures of rag/gray scotch pad the drill still has power. I have the Kobalt mini die grinder too, I made it much quieter, just need to keep modifying it to get more power back.

As far as regulators, once you get used to how touchy the triggers are you don't even need one, but it would make the drill much much easier to use.