Cordless Drills

[BigDogNMyrtle]

I"m sort of looking for a cordless drill not only for general use but also for using as a buffer for the Mothers Polishing Ball (I'm an amateur detailer). I don't want to spend anymore then $100 for an 18 or 19 volt cordless drill. I have been beeln looking at the Craftsman series drills from Sears and the Hitachi drill that Lowes sells. I like the look and feel of the Hitachi and it comes with a light that also uses the 19 volt battery for the drill. The Craftsman drill looks decent, is priced decent and it can be bought separate or with a light that uses the battery too, and I like it because the battery can be used for the drill, light, reciprocating saw, jigsaw or scroll saw if I decide to buy those down the road. Anyone have any first hand experiece with the Craftman or Hitachi drills?

**keep in mind, I'm only 22 years old, live with my parents, just graduated college, in process of finding a career and I really don't have the need for anything expensive or "Top of the line" because I would just be using it to drill holes, drive screws, use for buffer or anything else that is small in detail.

 

[dink]

Go with the Hitachi!!! They are relatively new in this field but they are getting HUGE praise for there quality and price point.....being in the field and talking to the retailers this is what I hear alot....you wont be sorry with this line

 

[kartracer55]

Well Craftsman does have quite the extensive line, but I was very dissatisfied with the a craftsman cordless driver a few years back. ID look for reconditioned dewalts from northern. Id bet you can pick up a 12v model for around 100, and it will be a much higer quality drill than a craftsman.

Jim

 

[dink]

Well Craftsman does have quite the extensive line, but I was very dissatisfied with the a craftsman cordless driver a few years back. ID look for reconditioned dewalts from northern. Id bet you can pick up a 12v model for around 100, and it will be a much higer quality drill than a craftsman.

Jim

Most things are better then the Craftsmen power tools

 

[BetterDays]

My brother purchased the Craftsman 18.8 Drill/light for me a few years ago.

ZERO COMPLAINTS.
2 batteries, 1 charger..

Also, I picked up a clearance companion (two, actually - one for the house) and a secondary drill. Comes in handy when making pilot holes. Saves time not switching bits.

 

[kartracer55]

My vote for highest quality s with DeWalt, buy it once, and youll have it for a LONG time. Im tellin ya. Look, for factory refurbished Dewalt. Alot of places sell it, and you can get a pretty good deal.

Jim

 

[dink]

My vote for highest quality s with DeWalt, buy it once, and youll have it for a LONG time. Im tellin ya. Look, for factory refurbished Dewalt. Alot of places sell it, and you can get a pretty good deal.

Jim

Depends on where your buying the DeWalt actually....the Dewalt you buy at the big boxes isnt the same DeWalt your buying from a Contract supply house.....they use a totally separate factory for places like Lowes Home Depot...places like that....same exact tool just alot cheaper parts.....if I was going to buy a Dewalt it would be at a Contract supply house or a independent hardware store....they both would carry the real Dewalt stuff

 

[kartracer55]

DeWalt doesnt do that, check the model numbers. The main offender is lawnmower/power equipment and grills, specifically weber. When you buy a weber grill from HD, they dont give you stainless racks, you get cheap cast iron. The burner shields arnt stianless either.

Dewalt is Dewalt no matter where you go.

Jim

 

[dink]

DeWalt doesnt do that, check the model numbers. The main offender is lawnmower/power equipment and grills, specifically weber. When you buy a weber grill from HD, they dont give you stainless racks, you get cheap cast iron. The burner shields arnt stianless either.

Dewalt is Dewalt no matter where you go.

Jim

Errr wrong....they use the same part #'s....but they know were its coming from....being in the industry and selling to customers you learn these things....before I got into the reping business I thought also they all came out of the same place.....they dont....depending on the amount of volume your buying as a store is were your stuff will be shipped or assembled....but only very specific places get this treatment...Home Depot, Menards, Lowes, Sears....the huge stores....were they are spending a million or more a year on one specific item...Manufacturers do this so they can meet those requirements

and everyone can make money

Not all powertool companies do this because they dont want such huge stakes into the big boxes...like Bosch, Milwaukee....they like gearing more towards the contractor in large terms but they still sell to the big boxes

 

[Cebby]

Makita18V

 

[evildky]

I have a 14.4v dewalt that I've been beating on for about 6 years? still using the origional 2 batteries and charger never a single problem and it's been dropped from more ladders than i can count

I also got a Ryobi 18v, it's a but heavy but it's also a hammer drill, it gets a bit more use now and i don't expect it to last like the dewalt as it's about half the price but I've been abusing it for about 2 years now and it's still going strong

 

[coolair]

I just purchased the Craftsman 19v drill & light combo for $99.00 a month ago - so far I've been very happy with it, good torque, adjustablilty and battery life between charges. I've had a Makita in the past that I was very happy with also (stolen from garage).

Mark

 

[jfelbab]

If you are an amateur detailer I'd steer you away from any cordless drill. If you are serious about detailing and want the best tool for detailing, get a Porter-Cable 7424 or 7336. This is the tool the pros use to detail your car in most cases. It's a dual action orbital polisher. They are very durable tools and I've seen them for less than $100 at Lowes.

I bought mine in 1995 and have detailed over 1,000 vehicles with it and it still runs like new. Unlike a drill, this tool with it's orbital action makes it virtually impossible to damage painted surfaces.

Really, using a drill to polish your paint is just asking for swirls and holograms and will damage your paint. Use the right tool for the job.

 

[awdirtdrifter]

I second the PC 7424/7336. I use it and it's great. The only thing "better" is a rotary, but you better know what you're doing if you want to take that next step.

Buy the drill for drilling and buy the PC for detailing.

 

[BigDogNMyrtle]

If you are an amateur detailer I'd steer you away from any cordless drill. If you are serious about detailing and want the best tool for detailing, get a Porter-Cable 7424 or 7336. This is the tool the pros use to detail your car in most cases. It's a dual action orbital polisher. They are very durable tools and I've seen them for less than $100 at Lowes.

I bought mine in 1995 and have detailed over 1,000 vehicles with it and it still runs like new. Unlike a drill, this tool with it's orbital action makes it virtually impossible to damage painted surfaces.

Really, using a drill to polish your paint is just asking for swirls and holograms and will damage your paint. Use the right tool for the job.

You must have missed the part where I said I wanted the Drill for the Mothers PowerBall for polishing rims. The Mothers Powerbal attaches to the end of the drill to make polishing rims a lot easier. Polishing a whole car with a drill would be insane. I already have the PC 7336 that I use to detail.

 

[awdirtdrifter]

Doh! I read jfelbab's post and assumed he read it! Bad, bad! Glad to know you're not planning to drill the whole car into cleanliness. I'll have to look into the PowerBall thing. My rims are a pain to clean.

 

[jfelbab]

Yup, guilty as charged. I misread your post. I got to the part where you said you wanted to use it as a buffer and that thought went "clink" in my mind. Good to hear you have a PC.

As to the Craftsman drill. They have a new 19.2 model available that sports a die-hard battery. The drill, two batteries and a 1 hour charger is available for $100. It was $89 to Craftsman club members recently. I have the whole Craftsman set for use around the home and they work well for my needs. FWIW, the drill worked along side a 18v Dewalt for a two week stint while siding my home with concrete siding and I noticed no difference between the two in terms of power or of battery life.

 

[eschoendorff]

Some food for thought on the Craftsmans...

I might be inclined to look into the Cman C3 series tools when they come out. There is a thread on Cman's own forum that deals with the 19.2 Diehard series... read about it here:

http://www.craftsmantooltalk.com/BBS/Start_your_own_discussions/3710/3710/flat-page1.html

 

[Coach James]

I've got a Hitachi cordless drill and a Hitachi angle grinder. I've put many hours use through both of them and they are still working fine.
Coach

 

[dink]

I've got a Hitachi cordless drill and a Hitachi angle grinder. I've put many hours use through both of them and they are still working fine.
Coach

I am tellin ya Hitachi products are HIGHLY underrated