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American made cordless drill

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Adam McLaughlin

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Hey Guys,

I love my 1990s era corded Milwaukee 1/2 drive drill, but I would like to get a cordless drill as well for drilling light duty things like valve body separator plates, aluminum valve bodies, etc. I am a self employed transmission builder working nights and weekends, and would enjoy the convenience of a cordless unit for ease of transportation as well as a lower torque output which is less likely to damage aluminum components.

Who makes a cordless drill in America? I was in Home Depot today, and everything I picked up on that wall was labeled as China or Taiwan. I'd like to go the extra mile, even when it means paying more for something, if I knew that it was made by Americans.

Can someone point me to the right direction to find an American made cordless drill?

Adam
 
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A

Adam McLaughlin

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I was looking at that one too. There are two components of this item that make me wary:

A. Price. At > $400... This was steep. I too am a Snap On fan, but I also believe that they charge what they do because most people pay on time and this is Snap On's way of addressing the pay on time issue.

B. Replacement batteries, and chargers etc. If I need a new battery, or something, I can't run out on a weekend and snag one up. Nope.. Gotta wait at least >1 week for one of my two reps to order a battery and then hope that it gets here, and is the right one. LONG wait times...

Are there any other alternatives? ( hoping.... )

Adam
 
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Adam McLaughlin

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nissan_crawler said:
Dear god. For some reason my **** hurts after seeing that price...:headscrat
Click to expand...

Yeah.. That's what I was thinking. My Matco box is stuffed with flank drive goodies, and some sweet extra long Knuckle Savers, but good god... That's one very pricey drill, AND rather specific on extra batteries, accessories, etc. Can't get those parts at Home Depot or Lowes...

Adam
 
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nissan_crawler

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Adam McLaughlin said:
Yeah.. That's what I was thinking. My Matco box is stuffed with flank drive goodies, and some sweet extra long Knuckle Savers, but good god... That's one very pricey drill, AND rather specific on extra batteries, accessories, etc. Can't get those parts at Home Depot or Lowes...

Adam
Click to expand...

American is great and all, but...

14.4 bosch 3/8" drill for $110.
http://www.mytoolplace.com/Bosch-144V-38-Compact-Cordless-DrillDriver-Bare-Tool-Only---32614-P3191C1678.aspx?AFID=01

ps30 bosch 3/8 compact drill $147
http://www.acetoolonline.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=BOS-PS30-2A&utm_source=googlebase

ps40 bosch impactor $100
http://bosch.cpotools.com/drills/litheon_cordless_drills/ps40-2-rt.html?ref=froogleps40-2-rt

ps20 bosh driver $100
http://www.toolking.com/products/2100153.aspx?googlebase=PS20-2R

All four for the price of the Snap-on one...
 
E

eric87

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Feb 25, 2009
Messages
175
i would just buy a milwaukee or a makita. they have proven themselves in the past over and over. their batteries have a long run time and life span to. just keep them out of the cold.
 
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Adam McLaughlin

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I can vouch for Milwaukee, those tools are tough as nails and VERY high quality, never had something give me any grief either. I was a little disappointed when I found "Made in China" on the side of the tools nowadays.

Adam
 
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BigK600

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What about HILTI? I dont know where those are made, just a suggestion. Other than that and the Snap On I think your SOL. I got a Milwaukee and love it.
 
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Vinko

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I saw that S-O drill for less on the truck. Don't remember how much, something like $389 or so. It was a "special" of the week.

Have you e-mailed Milwaukee to ask whether or not they still make a cordless model in America?

How about get a Metabo cordless -- made in Germany -- but you're getting the quality and not buying it from China.
 
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oldtools

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Since there is no American made (or affordable) portable drill, might as well get a HF drill. I bought a 24V 3/8 drill for $15. You can get 29 HF drills for one of Snap-On.
 
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-B-

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Buy a Hilti better service if needed and more power to boot. remember voltage of the battery is just marketing amps is what you really need and Hilti has them. BTW who do you think makes SO's?
 
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wyndycity

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That Snap-On price made me cringe too.

Agreed, it's a shame American made drills are becoming harder to find, but it's easy for me to forget where something was made once I start using it and it does what I want it to do.

I have both corded and cordless Milwaukee drills and they haven't let me down. I know a lot of people that have Makitas and they love them. I have a Makita hypoid saw and it's a beast so in a way, I can vouch for Makita as well.

Being as the Milwaukee and Makita are both pretty tough and I've rarely heard complaints about them, they shouldn't be overlooked. Milwaukee is still an American brand in a sense and I'm sure that even though now they may be made in China, the products still have to match up to similar quality control as if they were made in America (or Japan in the case of the Makita). Same stuff, different dirt.

On the other hand, Bosch is also another great option. Usually German made but sometimes the origin varies as well. Hilti would be another easy to find European option since they're usually marketed in Home Depot.
 
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chad s

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3

3/8"indestro

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Dewalt,made in Mexico=America,North America that is! what voltage range are you looking for? I'm guessing,since you do bench ****** work,it will be in the 12-14 volt.the 10.8volts are pretty handy.Milwaukee and Bosch label theirs 12v,Bosch,Milwaukee,Hitachi,Makita have their own versions.they are pretty handy.Lowes got the HItachi 10.8v on sale,try it out and if you don't like 'em,return it.

The older cordless from Milwaukee where made in Germany and the Czech Rep.,the older Bosch where made in Switzerland.
 
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skeletonizer

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Check out Ridgid. I have heard the warranty is far and away the best. I used one briefly and it was very powerful.
 
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oldtools

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chad s said:
I have that drill, and its awesome, however the label on it says "Assembled in USA", not Made in USA.
Click to expand...

Which country is the parts sourced from? Wouldn't be surprise if it is from Taiwan or China. SO jack up the price just because it is assemble in America.
 
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bushhawg73

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I bought a cordless 14.4 volt Makita 3/8 impact driver, 3/8 drill, with two lights a charger and a nice storage bag for 400.00 and I thought that was steep. I do like Snap on but not that much. There are way better deals out there as nissan crawler pointed out.
 
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kartracer55

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Well you can always get a Dewalt. Mexico might as well be the same place these days...
 
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oldtools

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I like Ridgid. They have something like life time garantee on tools and battery. Their price is reasonable. I will be replacing my HF drill soon.
 
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Merkava_4

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BS12XZ1.jpg


This drill might be made in Germany or the USA.
 
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Elroy

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kentucky
Did someone say drill motor?

Now here is drill motor:

Picture004.jpg


Picture002.jpg


Ya we know, the subject is cordless. Never had a chance to post this up and felt this was as close as it was going to get.

As far as cordless goes, this would be the recommendation from Elroy. You might have a hard time finding a USA made cordless. At least this one is not made in Asia

Picture009.jpg


Picture006.jpg
 
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Gregster

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Montreal, Quebec/ Upstate NY
My rigid is made in taiwan and it's been through hell and back... still works great. The charger just took a dump but I am getting it replaced by Rigid.

I asked about a US made drill a few months ago... I couldn't find anything, so I ended up getting a Fein thats Made in Czech Republic.
 
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48548

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Phoenix
I think my v28 1/2 milwaukee said made in czech republic. but after 5 years still going strong and it has taken a beating. You could just about get the a set of v28 stuff for 400 or so....
 
M

Monte

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Gregster said:
My rigid is made in taiwan and it's been through hell and back... still works great. The charger just took a dump but I am getting it replaced by Rigid.

I asked about a US made drill a few months ago... I couldn't find anything, so I ended up getting a Fein thats Made in Czech Republic.
Click to expand...


FEIN Made in czech republic ??? no way !!
 
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Moltar

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Houston, Texas
Fedwrench said:
I don't think there are any American made drills left. For the money, you may want to consider this Makita set. It gives the most bang for the buck. I have it at work and it has served me well.

http://www.thetoolwarehouse.net/shop/MAK-6933FDX2.html
Click to expand...

I'll second that Makita kit. I have three sets. One for work, one for home and another that I haven't even touched yet. Still waiting after 3 1/2 years for the first set to die on me.
 
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danski0224

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Near Naperville, IL
Adam McLaughlin said:
Hey Guys,

I love my 1990s era corded Milwaukee 1/2 drive drill, but I would like to get a cordless drill as well for drilling light duty things like valve body separator plates, aluminum valve bodies, etc. I am a self employed transmission builder working nights and weekends, and would enjoy the convenience of a cordless unit for ease of transportation as well as a lower torque output which is less likely to damage aluminum components.

Who makes a cordless drill in America? I was in Home Depot today, and everything I picked up on that wall was labeled as China or Taiwan. I'd like to go the extra mile, even when it means paying more for something, if I knew that it was made by Americans.

Can someone point me to the right direction to find an American made cordless drill?

Adam
Click to expand...

Lots of luck.

Almost all players in the cordless arena are manufacturing in China now.

Closest you will get to US made is a Mexican DeWalt.

While it is true that Metabo, Bosch, Milwaukee, Makita and more *used* to be made in Japan, Germany, Switzerland and even the USA that is no longer true.

Hell, even the mighty HILTI is outsourcing to China.

I have an older Makita 12v 3/8" drill that was US made when I bought it about 2 years ago, and as a tool only, it was less than $50 including a case. Their LXT stuff used to be made in Japan, but it is all Chinese now.

All new Milwaukee cordless stuff is made in China, and the corded tools are not far behind as all new models so far that I have seen are Chinese (with Made in USA pricing). Milwaukee Electric Tools is owned by the same company that owns Ryobi.

Metabo cordless is all China now.

I have the Bosch 10.8v Impactor stuff, and it is *totally* worthless at or below 40*... in fact, if you want the LiIon stuff and expect it to work at or below 40*F you will be disappointed (I have tried Hilti and Milwaukee LiIon product lines in temps below 40*F).

I really doubt that $400 Snappy drill is US made. I wouldn't believe it unless I saw the labeling. It looks a lot like the new Milwaukee M18 line... which comes from China.

I think the best bang for the buck is Ryobi. They have kept the battery designs backwards compatible, you can get LiIon power if you want it, they have a broad selection of tools and the tools are priced at a point that is reasonable. As much as I hate to say it, but if I was buying today, I would start there.

No point in paying a premium for Milwaukee, Makita, Bosch or Metabo if it all comes from China.
 
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jeepkj02

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Feb 2, 2009
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67
Location
Holland, MI
I've been trying to find a US made drill for the last month! The closest I got was an older 12v Makita Ni-Cad drill that was labeled "Assembled in the US" at Ace Hardware. I thought that Snap-on had the last true US made drill, but I guess not! Not surprising seeing that every company is starting make their stuff in China.

Milwaukee makes a corded drill that is made in the US (or maybe its just assembled in the US). But I really wanted a cordless one. I might just go with Bosch or a DeWalt. Still deciding....
 
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