Cordless drill opinions??

[afbrian13]

I searched and read a couple drill threads, but not pertaining to the brands I'm looking at. If you know of any good reads please let me know....

I'm deciding on a new cordless drill. I know this is like a ford vs chevy thing but here goes anyway. I currently have a Makita 18v 2.4a NmH 1/2 in chuck, about 6+ years old. Its been great, but one battery is shot, the other on its last leg, plus its big and heavy compared to all the new stuff out there. I tend to be hard on tools. I just finished redoing my kitchen fromthe studs and floor joists up, I rip into anything on cars, and replaced half the floor in my bathroom today.

While getting plywood at HD today I spotted some good sales on ryobi 1 plus sets. After doing a little reading I dont know they'll hold up well enough. I checked out the newest Makita since mine has been good to me and like it, but everything I've read is stearing me towards the Milwaukee M18 stuff. Rigid has been recommended to me also.

Anyone have experiance with any of the above mentioned tool lines? Any others I should look at? I like the idea of a cordless nailer for trim work, but dont know how well they would compare to airtools. For those of you with impact drivers, do you ever really you your normal drills after you get the impact? Are any of the cordless impacts useful for automotive or just stick to air?

I'm normally using my corded tools for the power, but working in the bath today with extension cord, drill, jigsaw, and sawsall getting tangled really hacked me off!

Thank you for any advice and/or experiences!

Brian

 

[truckaddict]

I have the ryobi 1+ line and have served me well. they see alot of use and abuse in my house and garage and have held up well with the exception of a battery that stopped working after a little fall off the roof last month. What i really like about them is that you can pick up a wide range of tools for the batteries without spending a fortune on each one. Currently i have the 3 1/2 drills, 2 impact guns, the jig saw, reciprocating saw, and circular saw, and grinder that are all working well. The last thing that i really like about them is that Ryobi has shown a real commitment to backwards compatibility with their 18v tools so im confident that when these batteries are done i will still be able to get batteries that work in my tools.

 

[T45]

Ryobi has shown a real commitment to backwards compatibility with their 18v tools

That's a good feature.

Ryobi is a nice brand if you need *something* that works.

I've had decent luck with an 18v lithium but was not too happy about their 12V in earlier generations. They don't punch above their weight, so make sure to get the right class of tool for your job. Some people keep them in their travel kits and what not. Their price makes also it easier to swallow if anything should happen to it.

 

[nowlan]

Ryobi for home.
Milwaulkee for work.

Check this video out.
Milwaukee 18V Lithium Cordless Drill Autopsy

 

[Garage5.9]

Snap on best drill ive owned

 

[sam.coll]

I only ever buy Makita never been dissapointed, use the Milwaukee fuel at work IMO they are on par.

 

[BajaBound]

Ryobi for home.
Milwaulkee for work.

Check this video out.
Milwaukee 18V Lithium Cordless Drill Autopsy

I feel that my milwaukee cordless tool investment is very worth it after watching that video.

 

[MattPersman]

You can get by with most brands for DIY home stuff. Dewalt, Milwaukee, Hilti, Bosch, Makita. Milwaukee has the best warranty IMO and it is what I would buy in your situation.

 

[brass89]

I have an 18v makita li-ion set (drill/impact) for the past couple years and it's holding up well. The batteries don't last all that long under heavy work but I also got the smaller batteries (not the bigger lxt or whatever). The nicest thing is the 15min charge time. The tools themselves are more compact than the older 12v makita set I had. No complaints and have always had good luck with makita.

 

[bob15]

I've had good luck with my Metabo hammer drill/driver.

The hammerdriver makes life great when driving in 8" long Timberlok lag screws.

I also have a 15 year old German made Milwaukee 18v drill/driver. Cannot complain about it, as it owes me nothing.

 

[BD1]

I have all Dewalt 18 volt tools. I started with them and just kept going.
I think Rockwell has free battery replacements, something to consider.
Check Amazon, I bought Dewalt goodies and bare tools last ear at a good price plus a instant $ 25 rebate on a $100.00 purchase.

 

[twertsy]

Just bought the Milwaukee Fuel 18V and battery charger is inop..........they did take care of it immediately though. Haven't had a chance to really abuse it yet. Used the hell out of my Dewalt 20V and it's still going. Chose the Milwaukee this time because of the awesome reviews I'm seeing.

 

[crewchief888]

i use milwaukee 18v fuel, and 12v li-ion (non fuel) in my service truck

ridgid 12v & 18v li ion at home.

i've had better luck with the milwaukee batteries than i did with ridgid.

milwaukee batts are holding up after over a year of abuse.
ridgids were replaced in less than a year because they wouldnt hold a charge

 

[epossum]

I love the Makita impact. The drill/driver is good, and the small hammer drill/driver is very good. No problems ever, even after the impact fell off my roof about 35 feet to the ground, thankfully not on concrete. All are 18 volt. Batteries have held up well. The chargers not as well, but they still work (fan died in one).

For heavier work I have and use Dewalt drills, XRP models in 14 volt to try to cut the weight. They are heavy, no doubt about it. I just got a small Dewalt driver. It is very light and compact and is OK for light work. It's low-voltage, I think 8 volts. I've used the bigger Dewalts including the impact (18 volt stuff) and they kick **** for heavy work. Again, as noted by others, weight is a factor - they are heavy.

Generally speaking I reach for the Makitas first when doing any kind of work. They've never let me down, are fairly light, and have been very reliable. I haven't shopped for any of the newer stuff as I haven't needed to replace anything. If I shopped today I'd look for reviews on Google first, then go do some hands-on. I would also hope Makita got top ratings as I would like to stay with that brand if possible.

 

[Bunit98]

The ryobi drills from Home Depot are great. I love them!

 

[CJM8515]

I have the milwaukee drill and driver set, the one thats right under the fuel set. So far Im very impressed and have beat the snot out of them. The impact driver is VERY powerful for its size.

 

[FMC1959]

I have the Makita LXT and the Ryobi. The Makita work great and I am sure the Milwaukee, Bosch & Dewalt should work as well. Personal preferences over the tools feel, selection of other tools, and deal you can find should be the deciding factor, as they are all going to perform very well.

The Ryobi tools cost less and are notch below in performance but I would say for many DIYers, they should do the trick.

 

[afbrian13]

After doing some research and fondling at the store, I puled the trigger.

I bought the M18 Fuel Hammer Drill/Impact driver combo. Came with charger and 2 4x batteries. With the $150 tool credit I grabbed a flashlight with another 4x battery for free, and the leftover $30 came off the total.

These things are awesome! I installed some plywood flooring when I came home (on a half charged, out of the box battery) After charging up everything I can't believe the power of the hammer drill! Thank you for your opinions. I was uneasy about the $$ spent until I used the drills-very happy. You get what you pay for.

Now which fuel tools to buy next....these wont be the last!