best 18-20v cordless drill?

[jake00]

Hey Guys,

At work we've got some employees who are currently using 12v hitachi lith ion cordless drills for screwing small (#4x 1/4" pan head ) screws into hardwood.

They work ok, but my guys are looking for a longer battery life.

Would jumping up to a 18-20v drill solve this?

 

[honcho]

cordless impact driver would do the job faster but with no clutch, they would require operator experience to make sure they don't strip out or drive the screws too far into the wood. Just about any brand would do. Dewalt, Milwaukee, Bosch, Ryobi, Makita, Ridgid all have their fans.

 

[STGFordCrazy04]

I love my 18v Dewalt impact driver.

 

[rjwilliams]

I second the DeWalt but more specifically the 18V Li Ion impact. No joke I was too lazy to find my drywall gun so I used it to screw up 12 or so sheets of drywall. Plenty of control.

 

[#1SomeGuy]

Another vote for 18v Dewalt Impact....although the new 20v stuff has some nice touches such as the 3 LEDs instead of 1 LED and the new brushless motors (DCF895).

 

[Big-Foot]

Makita 18v LXT series.. In my opinion, the Makita LXT line is Rapidly unseating Dewalt as the leader in professional construction crews. Do a search here and you will find a lot of information on these..

 

[Pinhook]

I love my drill, got it and the impact driver as part of a set.

http://www.dewalt.com/tools/cordless-drills-hammerdrills-dcd950kx.aspx

 

[hickmlg09]

I have a dewalt and like it so far. my dad has a older craftsman and it works pretty good to. Havent got to use my dewalt much as i bought it for a project i did a couple months ago and just seem to busy to do anything latley with working on things!

 

[bdamico]

the rigid impact tested well. the price on the drill/impact is hard to beat.

 

[Greg_R]

I've owned Dewalt, Hitachi, Makita and Panasonic drills and the Panasonic is the best by a good margin. My 14.4V Panasonic outlasted the 18V options from the other guys. The newest Panasonic drills are dual voltage and will work with 18V or 14.4V Li-ion battery packs. Personally, I prefer a smaller battery pack (due to weight). Most good drills come with 2 batteries and will charge the 2nd while the 1st is in the drill.

One other important note: Drills are poor for driving screws. Get an impact driver... it's a major improvement (less fatigue, more control, torque settings, longer battery life, etc., etc.).

 

[Big-Foot]

cordless impact driver would do the job faster but with no clutch, they would require operator experience to make sure they don't strip out or drive the screws too far into the wood. Just about any brand would do. Dewalt, Milwaukee, Bosch, Ryobi, Makita, Ridgid all have their fans.

X2 on the impact driver being a more appropriate tool...

I just found that Dewalt makes a Clutch Accessory for impact drivers. I will be looking into one of these myself...

http://toolguyd.com/dewalt-comes-out-with-a-clutch-accessory-for-impact-drivers/

 

[rockchucker]

I just recently bought these and they kick ***. The 20V is good for 120 lb/ft of Torque. You can also decide if you want a 1.5MaH or a 3.0MaH. The 3.0 last a pretty long time in the Impact. As stated above though...If you don't have a very skilled operator then these Drivers will drive the Screw to hell and back. If you are looking for a Clutch Driver then I would stick with the Dewalt LiIon 18v XRP with a Clutch.

 

[cheechi]

Any brand will do, and frankly I'm surprised the brand recommendations haven't been more varied. I would obviously recommend Bosch but that's only because it's a better tool.

For the fairly limited expense, try getting an impact driver to go with your existing 12v setup to see if that will suit your needs. Otherwise, pick up an 18v drill/impact set so you have a real basis for comparison.

 

[MacP]

I just picked up the dewalt 20v impact driver and I'm pleased with it.... So far.

 

[itguy08]

Milwaukee fuel impact driver or drill. Nothing else can touch it right now.

 

[jake00]

Would you guys still recommend the impact driver with the size screw I'm driving. #4 1/4"

 

[john88]

Hi,

I have been using bosch tools for 10 years now and I love them. They are reliable (German reliability), can be used for any task and have the best battery life.

I own the 36618 and i can only recommend it. Check out the DDS181 also, it seems to be a good drill.

I would recommend this website, they seem to give great reviews of cordless drills.
http://www.cordlessdrills-reviews.com/bosch-36618-02-18-volt-review.html

http://www.cordlessdrills-reviews.com/bosch-dds18102-review.html

Good luck.

 

[acdc73]

I like my bosch impacts and drills.
panasonic makes a nice cordless drills also, I had one and it was a nice tool.

 

[acdc73]

Would you guys still recommend the impact driver with the size screw I'm driving. #4 1/4"

yes
get a small 12 volt litium imapact driver

 

[itguy08]

yes
get a small 12 volt litium imapact driver

Milwaukee M12 fuel then - I think they either came out this week or are due out in Jan. Again, they are the best at this point.

 

[honcho]

Would you guys still recommend the impact driver with the size screw I'm driving. #4 1/4"

I wrote the first response suggesting impact driver but was concerned about operator skill being required with no clutch. If your screws are #4 size and only 1/4" long I still urge caution with using an impact driver unless the workers practice first and are pretty conscientious about their work.

With an impact driver of any voltage, it will only take a quick blip of the trigger to drive a 1/4 inch long fastener into wood. If you strip the hole or damage whatever you're attaching to the wood, then whatever efficiency you gain using an impact driver will be lost to repair and rework.

 

[cheechi]

OK so the thread says 'best' but it also says '18-20v' and 'cordless drill' Nobody will deny the M12 Fuel impact driver is the best, but 1. you can't get it yet and 2. let's back up for a sec. We're getting a little carried away.

I assume this impact driver will go with your current set of hitachi batteries? For those screws, the important thing isn't the fastener, it's the hardwood they're going into. They're tiny, right? You need a tool that will get a tiny screw into hardwood. Try this one, if it works you can still use your existing tools, you're only out $100 or so if it doesn't work.

If you need to change brands or go up to 18v, at least you made a logical attempt at saving (I assume 'the company' since you said guys at work) money before jumping to something totally different.

If it's the employees buying their tools and they want to buy something else for it, then pass along the M12 Fuel is 'the best' or go up to pretty much any 18v however I still recommend if you have to go up to 18-20v, still probably best to get the drill/driver & impact combo, just giving someone an impact driver and saying 'go drive the same stuff you were with a 12v drill' not going to come out with good results until you give them a few tries.

 

[shooting4life]

I really like my Makita stuff. I recently used my impact installing a couple of 3/8 3 inch lag screws without pre drilling through hardwood. I was impressed to say the least.

 

[jake00]

Thanks for the advice, which is why I asked here. A contractor friend has a small impact, I'm going to call him and see if we can try it out. that may be the answer.

Saving moneys always good as is getting the right tool for the job.

Thanks again guys,

 

[socket_wrench]

voltage is only about how fast the battery discharges which translates to how much power you can get.

the run time is more dependent on the capacity. for example, the makita 18v batteries come in both 1.5 ah and 3.0 ah capacities. they have the same voltage, but th3 3.0 would give longer run time because of the larger capacity.

so, instead of ditching the tools altogether, perhaps consider getting different batteries with higher capacity.

 

[cattleranchmarch]

I have the Dewalt 20 volt max impact driver/dril combo and my dad has the milwaukee combo. Honestly they are both great but the Dewalt batteries seem to last longer; I would go with the Dewalt between the two. I got one of those 1/4 hex to 3/8 square adapters and it works great.

 

[jake00]

tried my buddies impact today,

it works awesome, the problem is, since the screws are only 1/4" long theres not really anyway to zip them in just enough (so that the piece im screwing on can still slide

 

[itguy08]

tried my buddies impact today,

it works awesome, the problem is, since the screws are only 1/4" long theres not really anyway to zip them in just enough (so that the piece im screwing on can still slide

Then you probably want to try new batteries in your Hitachi or get a regular driver like this :
http://www.milwaukeetool.com/tools/.../m12-cordless-lithium-ion-screwdriver/2401-22

They will be coming out with 2.0/4.0 amp 12v batteries shortly but they can take an extended battery that should solve your runtime issues.

 

[BreeStephany]

I've been highly impressed with my Makita BTD141 18V Li-Ion impact in regard to overall driving strength & batter life.

In regard to versatility for a system, I have highly impressed with Milwaukee's M28 / V28 tool system. I have been highly impressed with battery life in both the short and long term and have been highly impressed with the overall strength of the tools.

Milwaukee in general makes a good STRONG tool that lasts forever with a LOT of abuse

 

[Doodledo_0]

Has anyone tried the new PORTER-CABLE 20-Volt Max Lithium Ion Drill/Driver and Impact Driver Combo Kit?

 

[BajaBound]

Craftsman C3 with lithium battery.