Need a new battery operated drill

[richard hybels]

I've had a couple of cheap ones go south. Any opinions on most bang for the buck? Dewalt maybe? I've learned my lesson with Coleman
Richard

 

[Teken]

DeWalt - Spend the extra cash for the Lithium powered . . .

 

[Dying Fetus]

I got this Hitachi set for $200 brand new. It's awesome. It charges in 20 minutes, holds the charge forever and has more power than the 18V DeWalt stuff we have at work.

 

[dieseldodge01]

I have been real tempted to buy a set of Milwaukee V28 4 piece combo, at $699 from Amazon, a little out of my price range. They are quality tools and you get what you pay for.

 

[K5blazer83]

My vote is for Dewalt. I've got a 3 year old 7 piece 18Volt XRP set that has built a deck and conquered some other remodeling and home improvement jobs. If you can get the Lithium-Ion Dewalt do it. Just my 2 Cents.

 

[speed bump]

I would take a hard look at the the Milwaukee 18v li-ion stuff or the Hitachi stuff if your not left handed. My personal experiance with the Dewalt stuff is the older stuff is good but I wouldn't buy Dewalt Li-ion batteries and there are lighter, more powerful cordless tools out there.

 

[l_bilyk]

Lighter maybe, but the A123 Systems chemistry used in the dewalt lithium ions is ideal for power tools.

My recommendations are dewalt, makita, or panasonic. Milwaukee is not bad, but not what it used to be ever since the TTI takeover.

 

[Cuda]

My first choice would be Bosch if you want quality.
Second is Porter Cable IMHO.

 

[brian90505]

I've had many (Hitachi 18v, Milwaukee 18v, Dewalt 18v, Bosch 18v BlueCore, Bosch 36v Li-Ion, Miwaukee V28).

My pick is the Milwaukee V28. The Bosch 36v handle is a little too big and the motor has a slight but annoying delay. Not fond of Dewalts. Never owned a Makita but they seem like good ones too.

 

[babzog]

Had a Dewalt 12V. Loved it till the batteries died. Drill is still perfect but with no batteries and replacement batteries being so expensive, it's a paperweight (a real PO!). I'm now using an 18V Craftsman. Works great, much better than I expected. The balance of the Dewalt was nicer but I have no complaints about the Cman.

 

[Eds_tls]

Had a Dewalt 12V. Loved it till the batteries died. Drill is still perfect but with no batteries and replacement batteries being so expensive, it's a paperweight (a real PO!). I'm now using an 18V Craftsman. Works great, much better than I expected. The balance of the Dewalt was nicer but I have no complaints about the Cman.

I'm pretty sure you can rebuild most powertool batteries at home. Theres how-tos all over the net

 

[paulasp]

Makita lithium ion 18 volt. I'll never buy anything else again...ever. Especially dewalt. If you use them all day, everyday like i do, they're great. Had mine for 3 1/2 years now. My dewalt batteries didn't last for 3 years. Batteries still hold a charge for over a week. They even have built in leds for lighting. And you can get a smoking deal on a combo from home depo, like 269$ just that they have the small batteries(1.5a), but they will still outlast a standard battery like 3 to 1.
I was the first one at my work to buy one, now I don't think there is anyone in the whole shop who doesn't own a set now. I paid over $600 for my drill and driver cause they just came out and they didn't offer a combo back then so i had to buy them separately, but worth every penny.

 

[Nosferatu]

I bought a Bosch 18v Litheon set a year ago and absolutely love it! I'm done with trying Dewalt, Crapman.

 

[DARKSCOPE001]

My vote is for the milwaukee 18v stuff. I have one in my toolbox and have never had any problems with it. Batterys last a long time and they hold a charge while stored in my box ffffffooooooorrrrrreeeeeeevvvvvvveeeeeerrrrrr. lol. But that being said I must say that IMO most power tools are verry close. I mean I doubt that I could honestly say that my milwaukee kicks the **** out of a dewalt or makita. And I dobut that some of the kids I go to school with could say the same about there dewalts. Heck there is a kid in my school who swears dewalt 18v ni-cad is all you will ever need. But ill pick any drill other than that monstrosity just because of weight and because of battery bleed off during storage. So I dont think you could go wrong with any of the big manufactures The difference In performance will be minimal. They will all have there strong points and they will all have there week points. (I dont mean to ramble but ill give you an example. My Milwaukee has alot of play in the trigger and revers buttons compaired to makita and dewalt. but It is quite a bit more tourqey than makita and dewalt so I like it ) I bought my drill on price alone. My combo was 199.99 on sale for 2 batterys and a drill and impact driver with charger + my discount brining the total down to about 175 and change. So just look around and see what YOU! like

BEST LUCK
Sean Scott