Cordless Drill suggestions

[vi edit]

My Ridgid impact driver actually sheered two Dewalt Phillips bits in half. The bits went before the screw head did.

 

[vi edit]

FWIW my Ridgid cordless drill would go an entire day driving 3" deck screws into 1/2" plywood when sheeting up my garage. The only thing that sucked the life out of the batteries was cutting that stuff with the cordless circular saw. The drill has some serious battery life.

 

[Greenman]

Originally posted by: Kelemvor
If you're going to be doing a lot of these, get a CORDED drill. Every time I've done deck word and such which was using 3-4" nails, it's just sucked the life out of my cordless drill very fast. I'd go buy or borrow a corded drill and get a long extension cord if needed. Otherwise be sure you have extra batteries charging while you're draining the first one.

You haven't been using the right drill. A good cordless impact driver with two batteries will twist in 3" wood screws non stop.

 

[Greenman]

Originally posted by: NoShangriLa
<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: thecoolnessrune
<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: NoShangriLa
<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: thecoolnessrune
<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: mugs
<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: thecoolnessrune
<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: herrjimbo
food for thought...predrill the holes and you won't be eating up batteries.</end quote></div>

Already do... doean't change the fact that they die eventually </end quote></div>

I usually use a corded drill for drilling holes and a cordless drill/driver to drive screws. Can't beat a corded drill for drilling holes, can't beat a cordless drill/driver for driving screws.</end quote></div>

I agree, but I'd need over 300ft. of extension cord to get a corded drill out to where im working... and I'm not really interested in purchasing a generator

Also, what about impact drivers/hammerdrills.

I have absolutely no idea how those things work.. Will it easily strip screw heads? Can it be used in one hand? I take it that it can't be used for sensitive jobs like putting brackets onto boards correct?</end quote></div>
They are lighter than corded & cordless drills. Doesn't torque the drill out of our hands like drill does, however it will break the screw/bolt if screwing into hard material if careless.

</end quote></div>

But for wood to wood screwing it would be ideal correct?</end quote></div>
It is great for screwing decking & rough work, but isn't great for fine finish work because it is hard to control the powerful torque with the trigger.

I use my 14.4 DeWalt impact driver to do cabinet work all the time, the variable speed trigger works very well and gives you plenty of control for doing fine work. I even use it to screw the cover plates on switches and outlets.

 

[Kelemvor]

Originally posted by: Greenman
<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: Kelemvor
If you're going to be doing a lot of these, get a CORDED drill. Every time I've done deck word and such which was using 3-4" nails, it's just sucked the life out of my cordless drill very fast. I'd go buy or borrow a corded drill and get a long extension cord if needed. Otherwise be sure you have extra batteries charging while you're draining the first one.</end quote></div>

You haven't been using the right drill. A good cordless impact driver with two batteries will twist in 3" wood screws non stop.

I don't have an impact drill, just a regular 19.2v cordless drill. Works great for small tasks but not for non-stop use driving difficult things that take a lot of power.

 

[xgsound]

My boy uses Ryobi 18V tools so much he hardly uses his corded tools anymore. Thier drill has a 2 speed lever for extra high torque when needed.

Check out the 18v Ryobi sets at Home Depot. Batteries are $38 for two. They'll still recharge for 6 months to a year if you use them a lot. The drill/ circular saw/ flashlight combo with 2 18V batteries, charger, and tool bag is $99. For $159 you get all that plus a great sawzall and a small vaccum. At those prices you can get one set for the truck and one set for home which gives you 4 batteries to work big jobs with.

Here's some info from ryobi's site. http://www.oneplustools.com/combos/C75 Check out the one+ 18V tools and combos. I think they have about 35 tools built around the 18V system including a impact driver, a hammer drill, and a chain saw.

Many vendors batteries are costly ($40 to $100 each) when you can find them. Next time you need a battery, buy a $99 Ryobi set instead that includes two batteries.If Ryobi was lousy, (it's not) it would still be more usable because the batteries are so cheap and easy to find.


Jim

 

[NoShangriLa]

Hands-On: Bosch?s 10.8V Litheon Impactor

Nice review with demo that shows the impact driver take on a 2x4 with a 5/8"x6" lag bolt with out pre-drill hole. And, the little 10.8 Volt Bosch impact driver successfully drives over 100 screws (seem to be 1" screws) into 16 gauge sheet metal on 1 charge. The 14.4 Volt impact drives 225 screws.

 

[0roo0roo]

i think consumer reports rated em last month.

 

[bctbct]

Originally posted by: AnonymouseUser
Best cordless drills/drivers - For professional use (in no particular order):

Bosch
Milwaukee (still using my 7+ year old 12V to this day)
Makita
Panasonic

2nd Tier - Good for general purpose/home use:

Dewalt
Hitachi
Ridgid (very heavy)
Porter Cable
Craftsman (very heavy)

3rd Tier - Not recommended (I would recommend corded instead):

Ryobi
Firestorm
Black and Decker
Skil

You need to put milwaukee in the second tier, they went to hell 2-3 years ago. Bump Dewalt to Pro, we have at least 30 combo kits at work and have had excellent performance for the last two years.

We do commercial carpentry work and use the impacts daily for 90% of the work we do, those things are awesome.

I have also used the 14.4 dewalt for building decks. They perform ok, however they do overheat if you are screwing down planks and the batteries will not keep up with production even trying to cycle 3-4 batteries at a time. The 18v might handle it though.

 

[CallMeJoe]

Originally posted by: xgsound
My boy uses Ryobi 18V tools so much he hardly uses his corded tools anymore. Thier drill has a 2 speed lever for extra high torque when needed.
Check out the 18v Ryobi sets at Home Depot. Batteries are $38 for two. They'll still recharge for 6 months to a year if you use them a lot. The drill/ circular saw/ flashlight combo with 2 18V batteries, charger, and tool bag is $99. For $159 you get all that plus a great sawzall and a small vaccum. At those prices you can get one set for the truck and one set for home which gives you 4 batteries to work big jobs with.
Here's some info from ryobi's site. http://www.oneplustools.com/combos/C75 Check out the one+ 18V tools and combos. I think they have about 35 tools built around the 18V system including a impact driver, a hammer drill, and a chain saw.
Many vendors batteries are costly ($40 to $100 each) when you can find them. Next time you need a battery, buy a $99 Ryobi set instead that includes two batteries.If Ryobi was lousy, (it's not) it would still be more usable because the batteries are so cheap and easy to find.
Jim

I had a home project requiring 4 dozen 3/4", 2" deep holes in concrete. I started with a 1/2" corded Craftsman hammerdrill, and killed 4 drills making 12 holes before giving up entirely on Craftsman. Stopped at WallyWorld and grabbed a B&D Firestorm 1/2" hammerdrill, made one hole and returned it because the chuck wouldn't grip the bit well enough to continue. Got a Ryobi 1/2" hammerdrill at Home Depot and finished the job with no more problems.
I got tired of paying the extortionate price of DeWalt replacement batteries for our screwgun at work, so I grabbed a 12V Ryobi to use there. About 1/2 the weight of the 12V DeWalt, and feels every bit as powerful. Also, Ryobi is the only manufacturer who doesn't overprice replacement batteries to where it's cheaper to buy a new drill than to get a new battery.

 

[AnonymouseUser]

Originally posted by: bctbct
You need to put milwaukee in the second tier, they went to hell 2-3 years ago. Bump Dewalt to Pro, we have at least 30 combo kits at work and have had excellent performance for the last two years.

We do commercial carpentry work and use the impacts daily for 90% of the work we do, those things are awesome.

I have also used the 14.4 dewalt for building decks. They perform ok, however they do overheat if you are screwing down planks and the batteries will not keep up with production even trying to cycle 3-4 batteries at a time. The 18v might handle it though.

Nah, I would never consider Dewalt cordless a "pro" tool again. They are the least refined of the "pro" drills, and they aren't the most reliable either. Their corded products are much better, though.

As for Milwaukee, show me another cordless tool with a 5 year warranty. Makita only has a 1 year warranty (LXT series is 3 years), Dewalt is 3 years, and Bosch is also 1 year. I can even use Milwaukee's newest batteries with my 7 yr old drill, but the batteries it came with were so good that I only just recently had one of them rebuilt.

 

[bctbct]

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: AnonymouseUser
<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: bctbct
You need to put milwaukee in the second tier, they went to hell 2-3 years ago. Bump Dewalt to Pro, we have at least 30 combo kits at work and have had excellent performance for the last two years.

We do commercial carpentry work and use the impacts daily for 90% of the work we do, those things are awesome.

I have also used the 14.4 dewalt for building decks. They perform ok, however they do overheat if you are screwing down planks and the batteries will not keep up with production even trying to cycle 3-4 batteries at a time. The 18v might handle it though.
</end quote></div>

Nah, I would never consider Dewalt cordless a "pro" tool again. They are the least refined of the "pro" drills, and they aren't the most reliable either. Their corded products are much better, though.

As for Milwaukee, show me another cordless tool with a 5 year warranty. Makita only has a 1 year warranty (LXT series is 3 years), Dewalt is 3 years, and Bosch is also 1 year. I can even use Milwaukee's newest batteries with my 7 yr old drill, but the batteries it came with were so good that I only just recently had one of them rebuilt.</end quote></div>


Our last milwaukee cordless drivers we bought, all three were returned within 2 weeks for bad clutch or motor.

We then bought 5 of the Dewalt cordless/driver kits and have since bought 5-6 more for my division. I have replaced 1 impact for failure, 1 impact for abuse, and just now the first battery failure after 2 years use.

We use these heck out of these things and IMO they perform better than the old milwaukee quality tools.

Comparably I would estimate that we have half the failure with Dewalt that we had with Milwaukee. Top that off with the fact they are cheaper, I was buying the combo kits for slightly more than what I bought the milwaukee driver kits. Replaceent batteries are half the cost also.

I laughed at the Cordless Impact when it was introduced to the market, but after using it, it is the most innovative tool for interior commercial construction IMO.

Milwaukee still makes very good corded heavy duty drills of course, but their cordless small tool line sucks now.


edit, warranty is a hype. Many crap chineesse tools carry a lifetime warranty.

 

[LikeLinus]

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: AnonymouseUser
As for Milwaukee, show me another cordless tool with a 5 year warranty.</end quote></div>

Hitachi - http://www.hitachipowertools.c...ompProfile/Press?id=26

"And with Hitachi?s industry leading 5-year warranty, they are a safe bet for the long haul."

On that note, you're a fool if you don't think DeWalt are pro tools. I don't know a single contractor or construction company in my area that isn't using DeWalt tools in some form of another.

Milwaukee only started their 5 year warranty in 2003. It's just a gimic to help sales. I've had my DeWalt 18 for 8 years and It's still running as strong as ever. Even with the same two batteries it came with.

 

[bctbct]

Originally posted by: LikeLinus
<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: AnonymouseUser
As for Milwaukee, show me another cordless tool with a 5 year warranty.</end quote></div>

Hitachi - http://www.hitachipowertools.c...ompProfile/Press?id=26

"And with Hitachi?s industry leading 5-year warranty, they are a safe bet for the long haul."

On that note, you're a fool if you don't think DeWalt are pro tools. I don't know a single contractor or construction company in my area that isn't using DeWalt tools in some form of another.

Milwaukee only started their 5 year warranty in 2003. It's just a gimic to help sales. I've had my DeWalt 14.4 for 7 years and It's still running as strong as ever. Even with the same two batteries it came with.

Good point, they upped the warranty, you could buy the 6 pc combo at HD for $300 and get a free radio. Apparently they redesigned the components or switched manufacturing processes to drop prices like that.

 

[NoShangriLa]

edit, warranty is a hype. Many crap chineesse tools carry a lifetime warranty.

Yup!
My whole sale told me that all electrical tools are guarantees for 30 days (Milwaukee/Dewalt/Makita/Bosch), hand tools are guarantees for 90 days (Klein Tools/Lenox/Yellow Jacket/some Ridgid). Most tools that carry lifetime warranty for defects and workman ship, therefore the user must prove that the tools fail due to one of the previous reason and not due to abuse or usage.

Most stores take the return as a lost just to keep their customers happy even if the returned tool failure is questionable.

"And with Hitachi?s industry leading 5-year warranty, they are a safe bet for the long haul."

My co-worker Hitachi drill lasted him just over a year and both of his batteries failed (they hold enough charge for maybe 10-20 screws).

The motor failed after 3 months of use and it was replace for free, however he had to borrow my drill for 7-8 weeks that his Hitachi drill was in for repair.

His Hitachi batteries was in the shop for repair/tests after 8-9 months of use (and they told him that the batteries was fine because it still hold over 50% charge) and is warranty for only 1 year.

The Hitachi my have seen very light usage during the couple of dozen times that it was out of the truck for the last 1.5 year. My Dewalt had seen more action in that time and my Makitas seen much more action action in a week than the Hitachi during the entire time that my coworker own it.

"Hitachi Power Tools

Hitachi Power Tools Warranty
This warranty of the Hitachi Power Tools (hereinafter the ?Hitachi Product?) extends to the original purchaser of the Hitachi Product.
Warranty Duration.
Hitachi Products (except for Grinders, Demolition and Rotary Hammers, Stationary Tools, Compressors, Batteries, O-Rings and Driver Blades) are warranted to the original purchaser for a period of five (5) years from the original purchase date for products purchased after October 1, 2003.
Grinders, Demolition and Rotary Hammers, Stationary Tools, Compressors and Batteries (except for O-Rings and Driver Blades) are warranted to the original purchaser for a period of one (1) year from the original purchase date. O-Rings and Driver Blades are warranted to the original purchaser for a period of ninety days (90) days from the original purchase date.
Accessory Hitachi Products are warranted to the original purchaser for a period of thirty (30) days from the original purchase date. Warranty coverage is conditioned upon purchaser furnishing Hitachi or its Authorized Service Center with adequate written proof of the original purchase date. "

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: AnonymouseUser
<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: bctbct
You need to put milwaukee in the second tier, they went to hell 2-3 years ago. Bump Dewalt to Pro, we have at least 30 combo kits at work and have had excellent performance for the last two years.

We do commercial carpentry work and use the impacts daily for 90% of the work we do, those things are awesome.

I have also used the 14.4 dewalt for building decks. They perform ok, however they do overheat if you are screwing down planks and the batteries will not keep up with production even trying to cycle 3-4 batteries at a time. The 18v might handle it though.
</end quote></div>

Nah, I would never consider Dewalt cordless a "pro" tool again. They are the least refined of the "pro" drills, and they aren't the most reliable either. Their corded products are much better, though.

As for Milwaukee, show me another cordless tool with a 5 year warranty. Makita only has a 1 year warranty (LXT series is 3 years), Dewalt is 3 years, and Bosch is also 1 year. I can even use Milwaukee's newest batteries with my 7 yr old drill, but the batteries it came with were so good that I only just recently had one of them rebuilt.

My Ridgid tools have a lifetime warranty. Even on batteries.

 

[NoShangriLa]

My Ridgid tools have a lifetime warranty. Even on batteries.

I tried the Ridgid 14.4 drill for 2 weeks prior to returning & exchange it for the Makita 14.4 drill & impact combo kit.

HD offers lifetime Limited wWrranty on Rigid tools, but it doesn't hold much water because it only cover defective parts/workmanship.

Ridgid cordless drill is powerful with excellent 30 min dual charger that included cooling fan, however the largest size & heaviest in it class is the down fall. It work very well for screwing down things and drilling, but is impossible in tight places and is a choir to work with when I have to use it for long period of over head work .

Ridgid warranty PDF

90 day satisfaction guarantee with limited 3 years warranty for defective & workmanship. It doesn't cover normal wear & tear, misuse, abuse, alteration, or repair by unauthorized dealer.

 

[CallMeJoe]

Originally posted by: NoShangriLa
Ridgid cordless drill is powerful with excellent 30 min dual charger that included cooling fan, however the largest size & heaviest in it class is the down fall. It work very well for screwing down things and drilling, but is impossible in tight places and is a choir to work with when I have to use it for long period of over head work .

Maybe if you tried a different key...

 

[amdskip]

I :heart: my 18v Dewalt drill. I purchased it from Amazon when I moved into my house and I use it almost everyday and it is just simply awesome.

 

[thumper01]

Originally posted by: NoShangriLa
<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>My Ridgid tools have a lifetime warranty. Even on batteries.</end quote></div>
I tried the Ridgid 14.4 drill for 2 weeks prior to returning & exchange it for the Makita 14.4 drill & impact combo kit.

HD offers lifetime Limited wWrranty on Rigid tools, but it doesn't hold much water because it only cover defective parts/workmanship.

Ridgid cordless drill is powerful with excellent 30 min dual charger that included cooling fan, however the largest size & heaviest in it class is the down fall. It work very well for screwing down things and drilling, but is impossible in tight places and is a choir to work with when I have to use it for long period of over head work .

Ridgid warranty PDF

90 day satisfaction guarantee with limited 3 years warranty for defective & workmanship. It doesn't cover normal wear & tear, misuse, abuse, alteration, or repair by unauthorized dealer.

If you don't register it with Rigid, you only get the 3 year warranty. If you register it with them, you get a Lifetime Service Agreement which covers all worn parts in properly maintained tools, including normal wear items. Registration for the LSA requires that you send in the UPC and a copy of the receipt. With that said, the Rigid drill is a heavy beast and is no fun to use overhead.

For driving screws I use a Makita cordless impact driver (the 6935FDWDE). Fits in tight spaces and can easily be used with one hand to drive screws, even without pilot holes. It also came with a drill which is very nice. I've had the Makitas less than a year, so I don't know how they'll hold up.

Panasonic makes an impact driver that has torque adjustments and an adjustable clutch, but it is something like $300 (the EY7202GQW). Panasonic also makes some nice drills, but they are pretty pricey.