Picking a drill

[6PTsocket]

I have an old PC 14.4 that works and a newer Bosch 12 volt hex bit drill, and a bunch of corded drills. I am not desparate but having no modern 18 volt drill, I browsed the stuff at HD today. Just looking at Milwaukee and Makita, I never got to DeWalt or Bosch, made my head hurt. The number of choices is insane. Sub Compact, compact, full size, brushed, brushless, with or without hammer drill, with fuel gauge on drill or not. Makita had so many similar drills I could barely sort them out. I realize that some need a monster for a 6" hole saw and a little compact will do for most jobs but there was just more stuff than I could process. Is it just me? There should be more feature comparision charts, maybe even across brands. This is more of an observation than a request for help. On thing I noticed is that high capacity batteries really add a lot of weight. I would rather switch smaller packs

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[seanb02]

Larger battery size for more regular usage, or smaller for standard home stuff. Don't go with a hammer drill model if you don't need it. For normal use brushed or brushless is kind of a toss up.

It's not really that horrible to sort through, you just have to know your needs first and get the best tool that fits those needs. It is a good thing to have so many options as one size is not always fit all for different applications.

 

[6PTsocket]

Larger battery size for more regular usage, or smaller for standard home stuff. Don't go with a hammer drill model if you don't need it. For normal use brushed or brushless is kind of a toss up.

It's not really that horrible to sort through, you just have to know your needs first and get the best tool that fits those needs. It is a good thing to have so many options as one size is not always fit all for different applications.

I had already eliminated the hammer drill. I have a corded Milwaukee pistol grip that I use for the hammer function and I rarely use that. If I had a lot of masonary to deal with I would get an SDS. I like the big side handles on the more powerful drills But those little sub compacts are tempting As a GJ member I should probably buy both LOL!!

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[WittHay]

I agree, the Makita drills are harder to tell apart, they look similar no Fuel or basic design like Milwaukee. I have a Makita catalog which helps, different model numbers in Canada and Australia than in the US which adds to the confusion

DeWalt is different they measure there drills power in Unit Watts Out (UWO) vs. most other manufacturers who use inch lbs of torque.

Was commenting in another thread, about somebody asking if the Craftsman 12V drill with 195 in. lbs has enough power. The Milwaukee 12v has 275 and the Fuel 350. I mentioned the DeWalt 12V is lighter and slightly easier to control than the Milwaukee and drills through steel no problem. The issue is the DeWalt puts out 189 UWO so no direct comparison. My guess it puts out about 250 in. lbs but who knows

Small sub compact and a big honkin drill would probably work the best. Good luck shopping

 

[pstemari]

I bought a Milwaukee M12 fuel a while back (straight drill, not a hammer drill), and it's a fantastic tool. Small, powerful, and batteries that don't self discharge.

I still have an old US-made corded Milwaukee drill for heavy duty and a 14.4v NiCd cordless made in Germany, but this little guy is a real champ.

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[Chucktin]

I bought a 20v DeWalt kit with a drill motor, a percussion drill and 2 batteries a ways back. Never looked back. Since then I've added a new 20v brushless drill for Wifie, a 12v for lite work and a reciprocating saw. Still got my 120 corded drills, saw and etc. Call me converted.
If I was doing it again I'd look at Makita, I think they're underrated because they look gaudy.

 

[Tonyuk]

I have the M18 fuel brushless and an older bosch blue.

The M18 has a 1/2" chuck so will fit larger bits than the 3/8" bosch.

Both have been powerful enough, a good 3/8" chuck drill should be fine for basic DIY type work, a good modern brushless will stand up to serious use.

I still haven't found anything better than a corded SDS drill for use on concrete, but i don't drill into that very often at all.

 

[maydaymike]

I have the black brushless Makita sub-compact. The small size was very handy for drilling studs when I was wiring my garage. It was also able to spin the 4" holesaw for my bathroom vent.

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[Stooge]

I'll admit that i didn't do a ton of research last time I bought a new cordless drill. I had a price I wanted to stay around, and am not married to any brand as far as cordless tools go, decided I wanted an 18v Bosch and went to Lowes to fondle a few of their offerings, and can say I've been very happy with the one I bought. Good usable size that is compact enough, good weight with the smallish batteries, quick charge and great power for my metal projects. it was probably around $130, but honestly, I think if your spending in the $100+ threshold, as long as you like the size and feel, its probably a safe bet that your going to get a decent non-commercial use drill regardless of the brand.

 

[6PTsocket]

I bought a 20v DeWalt kit with a drill motor, a percussion drill and 2 batteries a ways back. Never looked back. Since then I've added a new 20v brushless drill for Wifie, a 12v for lite work and a reciprocating saw. Still got my 120 corded drills, saw and etc. Call me converted.
If I was doing it again I'd look at Makita, I think they're underrated because they look gaudy.

Now, the Makitas are nostly flat black with a little bit of Makita blue. You can't get less gaudy than flat black. Gaudy was the slime green Hitachi's with all kinds of crazy designs. I think the designer came from a sneaker company.

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[exmaxima1]

I have at least 5 brands of drills in use at work, and all of them will drill holes and drive screws. I like the smoothness of the Bosch drills, but their chucks slip when using larger drills or taps (I tap most holes with a cordless drill).

Dewalt lasts forever, but is too heavy for driving lots of screws, and it seems crude. I've tried their newer stuff and may buy some when the others wear out. Metabo feels like quality (it should for what they cost) but is also heavy, especially their batteries, and overkill most production tasks. Plus, Metabo gearboxes slip for no apparent reason. I would not buy again.

We took a chance on Mastercraft, Menards' house brand. Plenty of power, good batteries, all-metal chucks that hold taps well. Only issue is that if you overload the drill, or the battery is getting low, it just locks up until you remove the battery and "reboot" it. Very good value.

Favorite drill/driver for me are the Milwaukee M12 tools. Very lightweight, yet a standard battery will drive over 200 screws in production. The drill chucks are decent, and the drivers employ a smart one-hand hex chuck. Batteries are cheap, they charge fast. I like M12 so much I have their drill, driver, impact, and sawzall at home. Love them.

 

[Davefr]

IMHO the sweet spot is Milwaukie 12V FUEL for general use. The tools are very compact and can get into some real tight spots with the compact batteries. The shorter run time is not a big deal because you usually have the second battery in the charger and ready to go.

The other benefit is the huge breadth of products that use the M12 battery platform.

There's nothing wrong with M18 but you sacrifice compactness and ergonomics and bigger is not always better for the vast majority of tasks. I'd make sure you have a specific need before you go 18V. The M12 FUEL's are very capable tools.