Who makes the strongest cordless Drill?

[eschoendorff]

No gimmicks, no gimcrackery....just the baddest drills ever:

This should cover most of your "light" projects...say, boring a hole in that lignum vitae sculpture you picked up in Africa...

Of course, that might not cut it if something "heavy" comes up. Sometimes, you need a real drill:

Of course, just looking at that picture with no context, you might think is it really big enough? I need something with real power! Feast your eyes on this:

Yeah, it's corded. In fact, you have to plug it directly into an electrical substation. It requires a minimum of 110,000 volts. It may be sentient.

You might ask: "How much could this much bad-assed-ness cost?" Well, you're in luck. Hilti tools cannot be purchased per se; they just "show up" in your life. For many, it goes something like this...

You're relaxing at work. "More power!"you dream.

But dreaming is not enough. Acquiring a Hilti requires a vision quest. This is often accompanied by long periods of fasting and water deprivation.

Just one more dune! You can do it!

Finally, it will simply appear in your hands. You also get a free puppy.

And that, in a nutshell, is how you go about getting yourself a Hilti.

Now that's some funny **** right there....

In my case, you can just go to HD and buy the Hilti drill of your choice. Bring money. Lots of money.


Many of the Hilti drills are made either in Germany or in Lichtenstein. Always check first though.... made in China is bound to show up at some point....

 

[eschoendorff]

a B&D Quantum circular saw, which is basically a green Dewalt, the motor specs the same and the plastic housing is the same, the buttons and guide are even DeWalt yellow, but it was about $80 cheaper and I was in the middle of a garage conversion that I was running up against my margin in when I burnt up a old Skil.

Damn... they didn't even change the color on the buttons. Just wow. How is the B&D? Does it hold its own against the orange power-tool-shaped-objects at Harbor Freight????

 

[Vinko]

Many of the Hilti drills are made either in Germany or in Lichtenstein. Always check first though.... made in China is bound to show up at some point....

I didn't know Lichtenstein exported anything but stamps!

 

[chad s]

I didn't know Lichtenstein exported anything but stamps!

The finest pro audio connectors are made there too. And fairly priced.

 

[lawfarm]

I also vote for Hitachi. My Hitachi 18v Li-Ion has far more power and stamina than my old DeWalt 18v did. I couldn't be any happier with it. There is absolutely no comparison to any of the older generation tools (Panasonic and Makita included).

 

[trackwelder]

Mlwaukee v28, I have the mulititool kit and love it. I have a 18v dewalt, not bad but I hate the batteries, they are a pain to get off sometime. Also the batteries do not hold up well when dropped.

 

[z28toz06]

I holesaw steel all the time with my Bosch 14.4. I bored 5- 1.25" holes through my air compressor tank with it, no sweat. Hell, I was running a 4" holesaw on it through 5/8" T-111 for vent line. It gets used behind bits up to 1" in steel.

doesn't that make it hard to hold air?

 

[Vinko]

What I don't like about a lot of the cordless drills is the battery. It's just cumbersome, often, to have a battery that looks like someone took a solid-lead transfomer housing and stuck it on the end of your drill.

That's why I liked the old Makitas. Great balance I thought (if a bit heavy), albeit only 9.6v

 

[eschoendorff]

What I don't like about a lot of the cordless drills is the battery. It's just cumbersome, often, to have a battery that looks like someone took a solid-lead transfomer housing and stuck it on the end of your drill.

That's why I liked the old Makitas. Great balance I thought (if a bit heavy), albeit only 9.6v

Heavy like a solid-lead transformer???

 

[Vinko]

Heavy like a solid-lead transformer???

Yeah, you know, like a transformer-housing filled with solid lead. That's what they look like to me, at any rate!

 

[Mr_fixit]

I can't believe that nobody has mentioned Hitachi. I have the 18V and it is a monster! 560 in-lbs torque,[/IMG]

MIlwaukee v28 has 600 in lbs, and if you believe their tests, they out drill many of the mentioned brands here.

I think Hilti is in a class by itself, and so it their price.!

 

[Ducroix]

well my 1/2 ryobi *****, I was trying to drill holes into a pallet and it failed

 

[pl_silverado]

I have had a 14.4v XRP DeWalt drill for the last 7 years, and i finally replaced both battery packs last year.

Tough little mofo, it does the job for what i use it for. I thought about getting an 18v or something else, but im just gonna wait until this thing dies.

If i need some more power, i use the corded Hilti TE-6C that i have.

 

[nissan_crawler]

doesn't that make it hard to hold air?

Not once you weld the pipe bungs into it.

 

[Quasarcoupe]

I just sold a dewalt just like the one mentioned, a old style 12volt, still working and beat to hell, i once dropped it off a 25ft ladder, and it made a clicking noise, i gave it a good chuck off the same ladder and wala, noise was gone. , never had a problem with it after that, and i just picked up a new 18volt and another used 18volt, so that when i go over anyones house we are not fighting over the drill and we can get more work done.

 

[rocketman]

All the woodworking tool sites and reviews put the Hitachi above the rest. Many factors besides published torque. Real world tests, the Hitachi had longer battery life, more power, durability, customer support, etc...

The tests I've read were pretty much how many screws can you drill into a board without pilot holes before it dies.

 

[trackwelder]

with my v28 drill I drilled and installed 50 1/4"x1 1/2" tapcons in poured concrete with one battery.

 

[Major Ramifications]

with my v28 drill I drilled and installed 50 1/4"x1 1/2" tapcons in poured concrete with one battery.

Just think of how many you could have done if you had actually used the tool instead of just the battery!

 

[Vinko]

All the woodworking tool sites and reviews put the Hitachi above the rest. Many factors besides published torque. Real world tests, the Hitachi had longer battery life, more power, durability, customer support, etc...

The tests I've read were pretty much how many screws can you drill into a board without pilot holes before it dies.

I haven't looked at Festool drills, but I've been wanting to get a jigsaw from them. Expensive but I'd love to be able to use it on the weekends messing around.

 

[Vinko]

Not a cordless drill, per se, but I saw the Milwaukee cordless screwdrivers at HD. The first one here, was on sale for $30 in clearance. I should've bought it but I didn't because it was made in China.

http://www.milwaukeetool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/category_27_40028_-1_192149_192137

Anyone know if any of the Milwaukee or Hitli cordless drills offered at HD is made in USA or Europe, or do I have to look elsewhere for their higher lines?

I think I might go this weekend to see what's available....

 

[Vinko]

Damn it, I was on my way with my young son to HD and he fell asleep in the car. Didn't feel like carrying him through the shop to check out the drills!

 

[eschoendorff]

Damn it, I was on my way with my young son to HD and he fell asleep in the car. Didn't feel like carrying him through the shop to check out the drills!

When I am at HD and have the dog with me, I simply put her in the cart and away we go. She's a real conversation starter... if I were a single man...

 

[Vinko]

When I am at HD and have the dog with me, I simply put her in the cart and away we go. She's a real conversation starter... if I were a single man...

Yeah, but can your dog hand you a screwdriver?

By the way, I went to HD today -- the lines at that branch at least didn't have any cordless drills/drivers not made in China (Hilti) or Mexico (Milwaukee).

I really wanted to get either one of those brands in a Lichtenstein/USA make.

I did see a kick-*** Hilti Jig saw (made in Lichtenstein) for $199 -- and was tempted to get it, but can't really afford to now. Still, considerably cheaper than the Festool, if not as nice.

 

[Nealcrenshaw]

I think i narrowed it down to a 36 volt Bosch or DeWalt,still can't decide, but it will be 36 volts.

 

[charlie hepler]

I have abused a 28volt Milwaukee set for years and they are still going strong.

 

[gotmud13613]

I have only used my new Bosch 36v a couple of times so far and it's got an unreal amout of torque (snaps decks screws like tooth picks if not carefull), and speed. But after only having 18v 14v & 12v drills this thing seems like a monster compared to my 18v Ryobi <---- go to drill for light duty task.

On a scale from 1-10 I give it a 9.5 only because of the weight of the monster

Drill made in Switzerland
Batteries made in Poland
Charger made in China

 

[walrus]

I have 28 volt Milwaukee, I use hole saws(as big as 4 inches) thru steel all the time, I rarely use a corded drill and I abuse the **** out of the drill. I'm outdoors working in snow and rain and so far the drill has worked great. Had it for several years.

 

[blue302stang]

I use the craftsman 19.2v and have no complaints. I drilled several holes into our concrete walls at work, through armored trucks, stainless steel you name it and has yet to dissappoint

 

[Vinko]

I have only used my new Bosch 36v a couple of times so far


Drill made in Switzerland
Batteries made in Poland

My new Hilti is made in Switzerland with batteries made in Poland as well.

 

[pl_silverado]

My new Hilti is made in Switzerland with batteries made in Poland as well.

Theres nothing wrong with Poland, as a matter of fact, I was made in Poland

 

[Gregster]

I have a 18v Rigid that has seen a few falls from my roof, been left outside during a rain storm a few times as well. Still strong and holding up great. Cost me 79$ a HD last summer, came with 2 batteries and a 30 min charger. Perhaps the best cordless drill i've ever owned.

My old drill was an 18v DeWalt that my dad gave me (Pro contractor) it still works to this day I just need to get new batteries.. but they are pricey.