JerseyBoatBuilder
Well-known member
Tractor Supply Also carries both 12v and 18v tools, batteries ect
Cordless Drill and Impact combos..
- Thread starter sgrammel
- Start date
Sal Bandini
Well-known member
- Joined
- Aug 30, 2012
- Messages
- 994
I never said it was the best. I said I am pleased with my set. It's not my problem you insinuate based off nothing that was said. However, in regards to the other choices of OP I think it is the best value. You would be hard pressed to find something better at that price. Maybe DeWalt has some comparable refurbished on CPO, but I don't generally look for that brand on that site.
Regarding Stahlwill/Hazet et al, I disagree. 2 of my favorite wrench sets are Stahlwille. What I paid a few years ago on Amazon.de is a fraction of the equivalent US brands. The Taiwanese brands don't come close. the only one I think would be Toptul. I now have Snap-On/Wright/Matco whatever equivalent wrench sets that would only get me about 1/3 of the other premium line. There are bargains out there. You just need to be patient and check frequently.
Bosch is definitely not a boutique brand. As you and other mentioned, yes you can get them online, and in various B&M stores. They have been around for decades in the US. Bosch SDS drills are highly regarded. Their oscillating tool and jig saw are as well. Their 12V drills are the most compact and I agree with another poster that a 12V drill would make a better first choice for a home DIYer.
As a home-gamer who used for working on cars, around house, and a recent remodel, I like the M12 platform. TONs of tools and they all work well... I have a fair few (impact driver, 1/2 impact, hammer drill, screw gun... love this one, rover light, stick light, inflater, jigsaw, multi tool, rotary tool, hackzall, stick pump, lantern, i think that's it?)
For the impacts, drill and a few others I like the fuel versions.
The 1/4 driver (I have the model below the surge I believe?) that thing will zip off lugs torqued to 125ft lbs. The 1/2 Impact has some serious power, I've used it to install 10" long 5/8 lags into concrete with slug inserts. The hammer drill to drill those holes too.
Between Dewault and Bauer, I'd go Dewault. I don't trust HF on longevity of platforms. I buy a lot of stuff there but I don't buy battery tools.
For the impacts, drill and a few others I like the fuel versions.
The 1/4 driver (I have the model below the surge I believe?) that thing will zip off lugs torqued to 125ft lbs. The 1/2 Impact has some serious power, I've used it to install 10" long 5/8 lags into concrete with slug inserts. The hammer drill to drill those holes too.
Between Dewault and Bauer, I'd go Dewault. I don't trust HF on longevity of platforms. I buy a lot of stuff there but I don't buy battery tools.
JerseyBoatBuilder
Well-known member
Here is a Dewalt 12volt Extreme drill with 2 batteries and a charger plus it allows you to pick a free tool and you can get the impact driver for $149
Dewalt 12v
Dewalt 12v
While I said all the platforms are good, Bosch may be my favorite. The batteries are rugged. Mine are at least 10yrs old. They are, in my opinion, a nicer shape than Milwaukee, more like Makita, and I like the release better than both.
The CORE batteries are the size of 1.5 amp, but I think are 3 amp? Something like that. Anyway, I hope there will be a love match here. Bosch is good stuff.
Leon bee
Well-known member
My experience is that all those big name brand tools like this are pretty good for what they are. Never have ventured into Harbor Freight toolwise. Very few duds in many years.
alinc100
Well-known member
This is a good deal and stay with me as we splurge. You could make a second purchase and get the matching drill, two more batteries and a charger for another $150 . You could then select the 1/2" impact as a free tool purchase #1, and the circular saw, or small sawzall, or even the 3/8" impact and you'd be walking away with 4 tools,4 batteries, and 2 chargers for $300 and taxes.
kngelv
Well-known member
Is this thread going to go on forever or has the OP made a decision? Getting the Bauer is foolish IMHO because HF has no track record of support as far as battery tools. They also only have a 90 day warranty and you would have to pay another $34.00 to get a two year warranty which is still less than the three year warranty with DeWalt - a known and trusted brand that has been making cordless tools for decades. Saving a whopping $35.00 makes no sense to me. I always tell people the best deals are usually checking Home Depot's website every day for the Deals of the Day. At least once a week it's power tools. There are some fantastic deals on there.
James
James
OP here. Still holding to see what shakes out on Father's Day sales. The Bauer will likely meet my needs but agreed on the minimal warranty. That and the 1.3Ah batteries are drawbacks. Leaning to the $169 DeWalt package.
TailGunner3000
Well-known member
You'll never go wrong with DeWalt. The big box stores regularly have many types of sales on their tools that can make the price of entry pretty enticing.
Leon bee
Well-known member
I'm kinda vain and elitist. For me, the Dewalt setup has a little bit of class. No Harbor Freight tool I've seen has any class at all.
In the Milwaukee permathread there is a link to an eBay Memorial Day sale. 20% off. More than just Milwaukee are included (e.g. Dewalt)
I picked up two Dewalt 5ah 20v batteries and the DCK227D2 kit which includes a charger 2 2ah batteries, tool bag, DCD793B Drill and DCF840B driver for $190 before tax. Taxes were about $24. I live in WA state on the border with Oregon which has no sales tax. I was thinking of trying to get Lowe's to price match...but I think they exclude Ebay even though the price paid was fixed. Not worth the potential hassle for $24
Thanks to all for your input.
I picked up two Dewalt 5ah 20v batteries and the DCK227D2 kit which includes a charger 2 2ah batteries, tool bag, DCD793B Drill and DCF840B driver for $190 before tax. Taxes were about $24. I live in WA state on the border with Oregon which has no sales tax. I was thinking of trying to get Lowe's to price match...but I think they exclude Ebay even though the price paid was fixed. Not worth the potential hassle for $24
Thanks to all for your input.
Does this seem odd to you..it does to me. In the manual for the DCD793 drill it says
"Speed Selection (Fig. G)
The tool features two speed settings for greater versatility.
NOTE: Do not change speeds when the tool is running.
Always allow the tool to come to a complete stop before
changing speed.
1. To select Speed 1 (high torque setting), turn the tool off
and permit it to stop. Slide the speed selector 7 forward
(towards the chuck)."
When you slide the selector forward..the '2' is shown and the 1 is hidden. This would seem to indicate to me that the drill is in '2' mode and not '1' mode.
"Speed Selection (Fig. G)
The tool features two speed settings for greater versatility.
NOTE: Do not change speeds when the tool is running.
Always allow the tool to come to a complete stop before
changing speed.
1. To select Speed 1 (high torque setting), turn the tool off
and permit it to stop. Slide the speed selector 7 forward
(towards the chuck)."
When you slide the selector forward..the '2' is shown and the 1 is hidden. This would seem to indicate to me that the drill is in '2' mode and not '1' mode.
Aaron_W
Well-known member
With the Bauer kit look at the specific tools. HF has been off loading their older brushed tools, and I'm guessing that kit will be the older brushed tools. The 1.5ah batteries also hamper their performance. You will get significantly better performance from the 3ah or 5ah batteries.
I bought the drill and impact driver sets (tool, 1.5ah battery and charger) and found that they were the older brushed tools. I already had an older Makita drill and driver, but the Bauer were really cheap on sale and I just wanted a second drill and driver I could keep handy for quick small jobs. They were noticeably weaker performers than my Makita, but perfectly adequate for my use and the price.
Later I picked up the brushless drill and driver, and four of the 3ah batteries. Not only were the brushless better, the brushed drill and driver also performed much better with the 3ah batteries. Like different tools better.
I would say the difference between the brushed with 3ah batteries vs 1.5ah is bigger that the difference between the brushed and brushless tools, although the brushless are better in performance and have better features, 3 speed settings on the brushless impact driver vs single speed on the brushed.
I bought into the Bauer line because they were cheap and when they go on sale they get really cheap. I still mostly use corded tools, so I am rather forgiving of cordless tools. I use cordless for convenience and mostly for smaller jobs. If I'm setting up for bigger jobs I tend to go to my corded tools.
I am not going to say the Bauer tools are the equal of Makita, Dewalt, Milwaukee etc, they are not. However I am finding they are good tools, and super affordable. If you wait for sales you can get some really good deals on tools, and particularly the batteries.
Brushless drill / driver
Brushless impact driver
Dual charger
2 pack 5ah batteries
The above comes to $270, which is $100 more than the Dewalt set you linked in the first post. However it is 5ah batteries instead of 2ah, and a double charger instead of a single.
Wait for sales, HF is always having sales, deals etc. For a while there they had almost constant buy a tool get a battery, or buy a battery and charger, get a free tool deals going.
Inside track frequently has Bauer and Hercules deals, some pretty good discounts. Their sales frequently have 15-20% off Bauer and Hercules tools.
Every company discounts their drill and driver sets, Bauer / Hercules will generally be cheaper there, but where you will really see a savings is on other tools, and on additional batteries. I've now ended up with a bunch of Bauer and a couple of Hercules tools for a fraction of what I would have spent for a name brand. I've picked them up here and there when it was a good deal, or I had a need. I have a nice Bosch jigsaw, but I had a job working out on the roof so I picked up a Bauer cordless jigsaw. I think it was $40 (the Bosch was around $200), it did the job without a complaint.
I've been happy with all of the Bauer and Hercules cordless tools I've bought. Are they as good as my name brands, no but they don't **** and have been a solid deal for the price. The reality is I just wouldn't have them at the price of my name brand tools, I'd deal with extension cords.
Even the brushed drill and driver are not bad once I put a bigger battery on them, but I'd suggest you spend the extra for the brushless, it is worth another $20-30. I'd also avoid going smaller than the 3ah batteries. I've got 1.5, 3, 5 and even a couple 8ah batteries. The biggest jump in performance is between the 1.5 and 3ah batteries.
I'm not just a cheap skate HF fanboi, most of my corded tools are name brand, Dewalt, Milwaukee, Bosch, and Makita.
I bought the drill and impact driver sets (tool, 1.5ah battery and charger) and found that they were the older brushed tools. I already had an older Makita drill and driver, but the Bauer were really cheap on sale and I just wanted a second drill and driver I could keep handy for quick small jobs. They were noticeably weaker performers than my Makita, but perfectly adequate for my use and the price.
Later I picked up the brushless drill and driver, and four of the 3ah batteries. Not only were the brushless better, the brushed drill and driver also performed much better with the 3ah batteries. Like different tools better.
I would say the difference between the brushed with 3ah batteries vs 1.5ah is bigger that the difference between the brushed and brushless tools, although the brushless are better in performance and have better features, 3 speed settings on the brushless impact driver vs single speed on the brushed.
I bought into the Bauer line because they were cheap and when they go on sale they get really cheap. I still mostly use corded tools, so I am rather forgiving of cordless tools. I use cordless for convenience and mostly for smaller jobs. If I'm setting up for bigger jobs I tend to go to my corded tools.
I am not going to say the Bauer tools are the equal of Makita, Dewalt, Milwaukee etc, they are not. However I am finding they are good tools, and super affordable. If you wait for sales you can get some really good deals on tools, and particularly the batteries.
Brushless drill / driver
Brushless impact driver
Dual charger
2 pack 5ah batteries
The above comes to $270, which is $100 more than the Dewalt set you linked in the first post. However it is 5ah batteries instead of 2ah, and a double charger instead of a single.
Wait for sales, HF is always having sales, deals etc. For a while there they had almost constant buy a tool get a battery, or buy a battery and charger, get a free tool deals going.
Inside track frequently has Bauer and Hercules deals, some pretty good discounts. Their sales frequently have 15-20% off Bauer and Hercules tools.
Every company discounts their drill and driver sets, Bauer / Hercules will generally be cheaper there, but where you will really see a savings is on other tools, and on additional batteries. I've now ended up with a bunch of Bauer and a couple of Hercules tools for a fraction of what I would have spent for a name brand. I've picked them up here and there when it was a good deal, or I had a need. I have a nice Bosch jigsaw, but I had a job working out on the roof so I picked up a Bauer cordless jigsaw. I think it was $40 (the Bosch was around $200), it did the job without a complaint.
I've been happy with all of the Bauer and Hercules cordless tools I've bought. Are they as good as my name brands, no but they don't **** and have been a solid deal for the price. The reality is I just wouldn't have them at the price of my name brand tools, I'd deal with extension cords.
Even the brushed drill and driver are not bad once I put a bigger battery on them, but I'd suggest you spend the extra for the brushless, it is worth another $20-30. I'd also avoid going smaller than the 3ah batteries. I've got 1.5, 3, 5 and even a couple 8ah batteries. The biggest jump in performance is between the 1.5 and 3ah batteries.
I'm not just a cheap skate HF fanboi, most of my corded tools are name brand, Dewalt, Milwaukee, Bosch, and Makita.
Aaron_W
Well-known member
Ah, I see you bought the Dewalt.
Leon bee
Well-known member
Yeah, doesn't make any sense to me. All mine: slide forward, #2 shows, drill is in high speed.
EDIT: Wait.......I typed that then got to thinking. I got all kinds of different brand cordless, went and looked. My older Dewalt you slide switch back to get second gear.
EDIT: Wait.......I typed that then got to thinking. I got all kinds of different brand cordless, went and looked. My older Dewalt you slide switch back to get second gear.
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My older one is opposite the new one. Looking at other newer models online the wording varies...E.g. move switch back from chuck is speed 1...My guess is the owner's manual is wrong...I sent an email to DW Customer service..will be interested to see what they say. Either way I can tell that 1 is lower speed (and assume higher torque) that speed two which is for sure higher speed.
Update..So I got a message back from Dewalt Customer service...they asked for my ship to address and phone number..to better assist me in my question...Uh..Ok...I guess to confirm I purchased the drill online? Odd...just answer the question..
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