Cordless Drills

[RichZ]

I have no luck with cordless drills. I got my current one, a Hitachi 18 volt, 3/4 drill on sale at Lowes 2 years ago. The batteries don't hold a charge overnight anymore, and haven't for months. But it still worked well, until today, when I grabbed it to repair some metal roofing and the chuck had fallen apart. The interior of the chuck is actually missing, and I have no idea where it is, so it's time ofr a new cordless drill.

I'm a farmer, and I'm hard on my tools, but this is ridiculois. I've had Dewalt drills where the batteries and chucks didn't last either. So, I figure most drills won't last me for more than 2 years, so I want to get as cheap of a drill that will still be functional. I figure that reconditioned drills are the cheapest. I have a reconditoned Milwaukee Sawzall that I'm very happy with.

Short of Harbor Freight, do you guys have a suggestion for a cheap, but usable cordless drill? I figure that I need at least 18 volts for enough power to do what I usually need to do, such as fixing fencing, barn work, fixing metal roofing, etc.

Thanks for any suggestions!!!

 

[johno]

I have no luck with cordless drills. I got my current one, a Hitachi 18 volt, 3/4 drill on sale at Lowes 2 years ago. The batteries don't hold a charge overnight anymore, and haven't for months. But it still worked well, until today, when I grabbed it to repair some metal roofing and the chuck had fallen apart. The interior of the chuck is actually missing, and I have no idea where it is, so it's time ofr a new cordless drill.

I'm a farmer, and I'm hard on my tools, but this is ridiculois. I've had Dewalt drills where the batteries and chucks didn't last either. So, I figure most drills won't last me for more than 2 years, so I want to get as cheap of a drill that will still be functional. I figure that reconditioned drills are the cheapest. I have a reconditoned Milwaukee Sawzall that I'm very happy with.

Short of Harbor Freight, do you guys have a suggestion for a cheap, but usable cordless drill? I figure that I need at least 18 volts for enough power to do what I usually need to do, such as fixing fencing, barn work, fixing metal roofing, etc.

Thanks for any suggestions!!!

I bought a sears/craftsman several years ago, and it's still kicking, lasted longer than the previous 2 makitas.

 

[mikeweb]

Bosch gets my vote

 

[chevy302dz]

You could go another way and rebuild the battery packs with good cells and replace the chuck as long as the motor is still good. Far cheaper than a new drill even if using top quality parts.

 

[truckdriver]

If you don't mind fighting the Black friday crowds, Home Depot will have the Makita 18V Li-ion on sale for $199 for a drill/impact combo. I have this combo and sold my Dewalt stuff after buying.

 

[porschedude996TT]

I have had problems with some the makita 9.6v were ok, but low on power, The Ryobi's are ****. It did just what you spoke of not holding a charge overnight. I currently have Dewalt 18v and they work pretty well. They hold a charge for a long time.

 

[6530]

I don't know how much you want to spend, but I've had great luck with Milwaukee cordless tools. I have a 5-tool set that has held up great for 5 years. Just make sure you don't get the NiCd batteries - go with the Li-I.

Toolking has some reasonable deals on factory reconditioned ones.

 

[IDASHO]

Go lith-ion, or go home.

I love my Bosch

 

[cashishift]

i wish i could afford to switch over to lithium ion right now

 

[MD11]

I have both the Snapon 6855 (on order) and a Makita 8443 Hammer Drill... I've had the SO 4850 (the NiCad version) and it's great, but it's also $529.. the retail on the Makita was over $500 but the new line is out and now you can get the 8443 on line at many places for $300 or so.. This is a GREAT drill, with 3 modes (hammer, spin and screw), and 16 torque settings with 2 speeds. It's got a depth adaptor and is built like a tank in England of all places, it comes with 2 NiMH batteries.. Run and get one while they last.... the new Makita's with Li Ion Batteries are all made in China.

 

[FNFS2000]

all I can say is, you get what you pay for

 

[Axis11]

I love my Bosch tools and they perform great, but I take care of my tools because i'm a cheap b@stage and I want to squeeze every ounce of life out of them that I can.
I have an old Makita (9.6 volt - circa 1989) that is still kicking on it's second set of batteries but never touch it anymore because the Bosch is that good.
I imagine that on a farm tools and equipment see much harsher conditions than what I dish out here in the "city" so your results may vary.

I'd be interested in what a contractor who uses cordless drills/drivers on a daily basis has to say about battery life and dependability.

Bosch, Milwaukee, Porter Cable, Dewalt, all good bets.

A great place for reconditioned Bosch is CPO. The 36v has the 3 year protection plan; replacement for first year, repair for the last two.

Main page Here.
Cordless drills Here.

Whatever you get let us know what you think since you seem to put your drills to the test, and real world is always the best judge of quality.

 

[06jds377]

Milwaukee. Hands down.

 

[Z06 427]

Bosch

 

[06jds377]

I'd be interested in what a contractor who uses cordless drills/drivers on a daily basis has to say about battery life and dependability.

I work on a marina where we do our own construction. The last Dewalts we had went to junk very quickly (corded and cordless), pretty much everything we use now is Milwaukee and we can't throw enough abuse at those things. They just refuse to stop.

 

[Coach James]

I'm still using a B&D 12V I bought probably 10 years ago and a Hitachi 14.4V I bought 5 years ago. Sometimes you get more than you paid for.

Coach

 

[MD11]

all I can say is, you get what you pay for

that is a fact man... hard learned on some however.

 

[krehmkej]

Milwaukee. Hands down.

+ Whatever. Look for the deals on these and you can do pretty well.

 

[mrjsl]

I have had the best luck with bosch.

I do have trouble sometimes with the keyless chucks, but have been able to get more life out of them by blowing the dirt out once in a while and squirting some lube in there. Makes them work like new.

 

[MD11]

I have had the best luck with bosch.

I have a Bosch jig saw that is Swiss made and works like a charm, but I think they've since sourced most of their production to China, so past experience may not be indicative of future performance.

 

[CamarosRus]

MD-11, Most everyone these days would suggest that the Lithion-ION batteries are the way to go............but yet you're saying to buy the NiMH set up??????

Please elaborate on this line of thinking...........

Another suggest an impending HOME DEPOT Black Friday Makita Combo.........when I GOOGLE search for Makita 18 Volt Li-Ion combos there are a variety of part #'s old and new. Would someone please elaborate on these MAKITA packages and tell us novices what to look for and what to look out for (NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)Thanks for the education..........

 

[MadMark]

You could go another way and rebuild the battery packs with good cells and replace the chuck as long as the motor is still good. Far cheaper than a new drill even if using top quality parts.

Do you have a source for the cells.
I have an old porter cable 12 volt that you cant get batteries for anymore.

 

[MD11]

MD-11, Most everyone these days would suggest that the Lithion-ION batteries are the way to go............but yet you're saying to buy the NiMH set up??????

Please elaborate on this line of thinking...........

Another suggest an impending HOME DEPOT Black Friday Makita Combo.........when I GOOGLE search for Makita 18 Volt Li-Ion combos there are a variety of part #'s old and new. Would someone please elaborate on these MAKITA packages and tell us novices what to look for and what to look out for (NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)Thanks for the education..........

Well First off, I said originally that the best choice is the new Li Ion Snapon 6855 of which I have one on order to replace my 4850 NiCad unit... with that being a $529+tax drill, and the OP wanting "cheap" I suggested the 8443DWDE by Makita as it's being cleared out of inventory due to their new line of Chinese made Li Ion hammer drills being rolled out... what used to be a $500+ dollar Made in England drill can be had (I've see for as little as $229) cheap. 18v is 18v and 2.5Ah is 2.5Ah, the output of a drill will not be all that effected by the chemical composition of a battery.. SURE, Li Ion is better, and I have one on order, but if I had a choice between a cheap quality Home Depot brand with Li Ion or a well made contractors grade Makita with NiMH, I'd take the NiMH drill... get it?

 

[CamarosRus]

Thanks for the great reply.......and I do GET your well made point........

Wish all posts were as thoughtful and comprehensive as yours.

There are so many different people here with differing values, needs and budgets.

Thanks for the education.

 

[MD11]

CamarosRus, no problem.. I try to be one of those members of forums that keeps personal attacks out and provides info (or asks for help) in such a way as to make threads an enjoyable read for someone down the line who might search and find the thread... I am a moderator on a well known pilot forum and that's the tone I try to set there. Ironically I got in trouble here for a political post recently as I didn't know about the rule and found myself banned for a day.. I thought I was banned for good, glad I Wasn't.

I used to have a '68 RS btw, in green... worse decision I made was selling it back in 1999 for $12K... today it's be closer to $50K.. oh well.

 

[Old Donn]

Milwaukee. Hands down.

No question.

 

[radmotorworks]

Life expectancy of a drill is definitely a value-for-money concern. Funny how the batts all die out on you and cost almost as much as the drill. My Mikita 8390 works pretty well as a relatively cheap, ok quality, 1/2" chuck, all rounder. Cheaper than Lith with good batts that are not easily misplaced since the cases come in hunter orange. Nice look and feel with ok price point--so its it gets a one-way assignment, no huge loss. I did jam a screwdriver bit once somehow thinking I could overpower a stripped screw stud, saw smoke come out of the motor but it still works. Bosch is smooth but not sure how tuff their chuck shaft is since I bent one pretty quick after buying it several years back--maybe they have since widened or hardened the shaft. Shame to see such a nice motor, all dress and no place to go. Bosch is the king of jig-a-ma-saws though. I must admit, I did have an orange B&D with a gel handle that looked like a kids sneaker. I beat the living hell out of it drilling 1/2" holes in 1/4" steel. Its gone to drill heaven after its chuck started acting nasty and cutting into my bits...left a legacy of nice holes though. Point is, if you are going to misuse and abuse, its a good throw-away option.

 

[MadMark]

I've heard a rumor that the Coleman co has developed a capacitor driven drill.
The charge stored on the capacitor provides the current to run the drill.
Has anyone else heard of this?

 

[RichZ]

I know some of you guys have said you get what you pay for, but I can't seem to get a cordless drill that will work for more than 2 years. Besides my Hitachi, I've had several DeWalts, a Porter Cable (when they were still quality tools), a Bosch, a Black and Decker and several Craftsaman. Since none of them lasted more than 2 years, I'm looking for a cheap 18 volt cordless drill that should be able to do the job for my usual 2 years. I'm not gonna pay a few hundred bucks to just throw it away in a couple of years. Being a farmer I often use my drills in the rain, snow and mud. I always clean them off and dry them after every use, but maybe most cordless drills are just not built to withstand farm abuse.

 

[FNFS2000]

I know some of you guys have said you get what you pay for, but I can't seem to get a cordless drill that will work for more than 2 years. Besides my Hitachi, I've had several DeWalts, a Porter Cable (when they were still quality tools), a Bosch, a Black and Decker and several Craftsaman. Since none of them lasted more than 2 years, I'm looking for a cheap 18 volt cordless drill that should be able to do the job for my usual 2 years. I'm not gonna pay a few hundred bucks to just throw it away in a couple of years. Being a farmer I often use my drills in the rain, snow and mud. I always clean them off and dry them after every use, but maybe most cordless drills are just not built to withstand farm abuse.

Sometime you should give something like Festool, Hilti, or Metabo a trial run to see if it surpasses the others.

 

[FastEddieG]

Short of Harbor Freight, do you guys have a suggestion for a cheap, but usable cordless drill? I figure that I need at least 18 volts for enough power to do what I usually need to do, such as fixing fencing, barn work, fixing metal roofing, etc.

Thanks for any suggestions!!!

I like Ridgid. Lifetime service agreement on their tools INCLUDING the batteries. Plenty of promotions and coupons you can use to make it reasonable considering what you get. Above all, stay away from NiCad batteries, and get a cordless drill/kit with Lithium Ion batteries.

As someone said, you get what you pay for. Add up all the cordless drills you've gone through and use that to compare when you buy your next.

Good luck,
-Ed

 

[CamarosRus]

Truckdriver (and whomever) , LOOKING at H.D. Online Site and cant find MAKITA $199 Li-On Drill/Impact COMBO.........

So freaking hard to source out your suggestions to actually being able to CLICK buy

Maybe INSTORE only ???? What the freak do I know................

I **** in shopping

Thanks,

 

[RichZ]

I was thinking about getting a Ridgid drill, and I checked their website. I contacted them through the website and asked if they really replace their batteries. The response I got back is that if the batteries die, you have to take them to a Ridgid repair center, not HD, and they will decide if the batteries malfunctioned or if they were abused. My guess is that they'll always say they were abused.

Has anyone successfully got replacement batteires from Ridgid? If they'll replace the batteires, I'll get a Ridgid drill in a hearbeat!!!

 

[nissan_crawler]

Bosch gets my vote

x2.............

 

[CamarosRus]

Sooo..........on this Black Friday, I just returned from the Tukwila,WA (Seattle area) Home Depot.

I bought the $199 ($217 w/WA St Tax) Model LCT2009, which I'm thinkiing is a promotional # for the year 2009 ??? I have NOT OPENED the Box. I have the receipt ready for making the return/full refund

This kit includes the White Colored Drills, (not Normal Teal), which phychologically bothers me !!!!

1) 18V Compact Li-ion 1/2" Driver Drill 450 in lb, 2 spd, 0-400/01500RPM

2) 18V Compact Li-ion Impact Driver Hex Shank 1/4"

3) 2 each Slim 1.5Amp hour Batteries (NOT the 3.0Ah units)

4) 1 each 15 minute charger

5) 1 each 12 pc Magnetic Bit Kit

Box says MADE IN CHINA

HAVE A MADE A MISTAKE????? Was not getting the 3.0Ah batteries foolish???
Alledegedly the actual white colored drill and impact driver are same as teal units
as per tools dept mgr from MAKITA rep who trained him...............

I will now be selling my used Snap-On lower voltage
3/8" Impact Driver


Your comments and/or advice please !!!!!!!!!!

 

[oldwino]

Having been in the construction business for 40 years AND farming and building rods for the past number of years I have tons of experience with cordless tools. Probably some of the most indistructable cordless tools were the old 9.6v Mikita's...not much power by today's standards, but the tool and battery lasted forever. In fact still have one from 1985 that I use for light duty.
I have gone throu tons of 12 and 18v DeWalt's, Porter Cable (18v only), Mikita's etc and have always been disappointed with either performance, durability or battery life. That said, I LOVE my new Milwaukee `18v Lithium-ion...it's a little heavy but not badly balanced...you can use it for hours and not regret it...Power, performance and solidly built...sounds almost like an air tool...solid! Only had it a few months so can't guerantee how well it will hold up, but the thing feels like a tank.

 

[mattwgrizwald]

I'm a diesel mechanic I tend to be hard on stuff at work , at home not so much I can truly say I love milwaukee and have had great luck with them . I can't afford them these days that said I bought two craftsman drills at sears today with all the black friday special going on . $39.00 for the 19.2 volt 3/8 drive one batt one charger the other 1/2 " drive 19.2 volt with lithium ion batt and charger $69.99 .I also bought a extra batt for $25.00 what the hell I figure I'll take the 1/2 to work and the 3/8 for home and down the road get and get another batt . I've heard mixed reviews about craftsman drills so I'll give them a try and see what happens

 

[onewaydave]

Ryobi didn't come up very good here, but let me plug them. They are cheap and Ryobi has committed to staying with the current battery configuration for all its battery tools. So 18v 2 years ago will fit a tool 2 years from now. I buy new batteries every 2 years anyway. Tractor, lawnmower, chipper, hand tools. I've always said that if you want to take America to her knees, bomb the battery factories.

 

[the spyder]

Sooo..........on this Black Friday, I just returned from the Tukwila,WA (Seattle area) Home Depot.

I bought the $199 ($217 w/WA St Tax) Model LCT2009, which I'm thinkiing is a promotional # for the year 2009 ??? I have NOT OPENED the Box. I have the receipt ready for making the return/full refund

This kit includes the White Colored Drills, (not Normal Teal), which phychologically bothers me !!!!

1) 18V Compact Li-ion 1/2" Driver Drill 450 in lb, 2 spd, 0-400/01500RPM

2) 18V Compact Li-ion Impact Driver Hex Shank 1/4"

3) 2 each Slim 1.5Amp hour Batteries (NOT the 3.0Ah units)

4) 1 each 15 minute charger

5) 1 each 12 pc Magnetic Bit Kit

Box says MADE IN CHINA

HAVE A MADE A MISTAKE????? Was not getting the 3.0Ah batteries foolish???
Alledegedly the actual white colored drill and impact driver are same as teal units
as per tools dept mgr from MAKITA rep who trained him...............

I will now be selling my used Snap-On lower voltage
3/8" Impact Driver


Your comments and/or advice please !!!!!!!!!!

I say keep it. I had the same choice 6 months ago. My beloved 19.2v Portercable set finally let me down. After cringing at $100 new batteries, I bought the Milwaukee 1/2" Hammer Drill + 1/4" Impact. When I got them home, I notice how light they were and that they were nothing like my other Milwaukee tools. Tiny letters accross the box answered my fears...Made in China. I decided to not return it after taking full advantage of the 90day return policy. These have yet to let me down and for the $179 I paid for them, it was worth it. You will be lucky to find MADE IN USA powertools in 5 years from now. Your lucky now.

 

[CamarosRus]

Please respond to my concern about the 1.5 Ah (Li-ion) batteries versus your bigger/heavier longer lasting (Li-ion) ones