Looking to buy a new cordless drill - price range $100 - any rec's?

[rudeguy]

Every man should own a good drill. Not some refurb piece thing that you can't really count on.

Even if you go cheap for this one project, make it a goal to buy a good one for later on. Its really nice knowing that you have something you can depend on.

(I'm a Makita guy myself but I get flamed for it on here)

 

[BoomerD]

My dad who is a carpenter has always told me, don't bother with a cordless one for any actual work. He would only use the cordless for light stuff around the house, but anything that required actual work he would bust out the wired. The wired one will also last you longer, most the time with wireless the batteries go to shit and to buy a new battery is nearly the cost of an entire new wireless drill.

Definitely can't argue with that. Corded tools are FAR better than cordless...as long as you have a current bush close by.
Cordless are ok for light-duty stuff, but that's about it.

 

[rudeguy]

Definitely can't argue with that. Corded tools are FAR better than cordless...as long as you have a current bush close by.
Cordless are ok for light-duty stuff, but that's about it.

corded have their place....

(back in the 50's with the likes of you)

 

[edro]

DO NOT GET NiCD. (Ryobi's NiCD is dark blue, Lithium is neon green)

Lithium is amazingly better than NiCD.
I highly recommend the Ryobi Lithium 18v impact driver and drill.
I have had mine for 2 years now and I use them heavily (renovating my house).

Also, I highly recommend impact drivers. They are used for screws. They have an internal ratchet mechanism that makes driving screws and bolts a breeze.
You also need a standard drill for drilling holes and such.
That's why I would get a lithium combo with a drill and impact driver.

I don't think brand matters much. I have Ryobi (which is cheap) and it performs great. I can only imagine how good a Dewalt or Milwaukee lithium set is.

 

[edro]

Definitely can't argue with that. Corded tools are FAR better than cordless...as long as you have a current bush close by.
Cordless are ok for light-duty stuff, but that's about it.

Fail.
Try lithium.

I agree that corded are the best when you need the power (like a hammer drill or reciprocating saw), but for fasteners and light drilling, lithium cordless is awesome.

NiCD sucks and the batteries drain after a few weeks, so they are never ready when you need them. Lithium stay charged a lot longer and also charge is less than an hour.

Lithium has really changed the game. You old timers really need to give them a try.

 

[simonizor]

Craftsman 17338 19.2-volt C3 Cordless Impact Driver Kit-$150 Comes with drill, 19.2v battery, 1 hour charger, and carrying bag.

I would go with a Craftsman cordless impact driver. As others say, the impact driver makes driving screws extremely easy. I recommend Craftsman because they are reasonably priced and if it ever breaks, they will repair it free of charge as long as you own it.

:EDIT: Also, you can buy refurbished Craftsman products here, but I don't believe that there is a warranty on any of those.

 

[Hippiewan]

You could try this Lowe's deal for dewalt 18v nicad. Should be 119 after you enter your zipcode, then you should be able to use a 10 of 50 coupon to get it down to $109, drill with 2 batteries: http://www.lowes.com/webapp/wcs/stor...3084-_-Primary

I would stay away from the Craftsman and other cheap stuff, they just don't last and don't have the power. I'm not a carpenter but do use a cordless set everyday for Hvac work. I use Milwaukee but that would be a little out of your price range unless you want to shop Ebay.

 

[herm0016]

i am very happy with my rigid tools. I live in an apartment and work on my camper and other projects in the outside storage place. It is hard to run a cord from my third floor apartment to the parking lot, though i have done it.
cordless is fine. the new stuff has plenty of power and lasts quite a long time. I have the rigid 1/2 drill and reciprocating saw combo and both tools are built well. A drywaller we know recommended the rigid tools, he uses his everyday and really likes it.

i believe they have just the drill for around 150 or so in store.
my kit

for anything but a drill and a recp. saw I still run a cord, i have a corded router and circular saw by rigid.

 

[murphy55d]

Im not sure I'll ever have a use for an impact driver outside of putting that small deck up. I I don't routinely work with 3inch screws. More for gereral use. I'm not sure I can justify $150 on a drill. Think I'm going to get that Ryobi with two batteries

 

[DaTT]

Rigid 18v

/thread

 

[sdifox]

http://www.amazon.com/Hitachi-DV18DC...836084&sr=1-57

just so you understand, this set is with the smaller battery, 1.5ah as opposed to the 3ah one

 

[murphy55d]

You could try this Lowe's deal for dewalt 18v nicad. Should be 119 after you enter your zipcode, then you should be able to use a 10 of 50 coupon to get it down to $109, drill with 2 batteries: http://www.lowes.com/webapp/wcs/stor...3084-_-Primary

I would stay away from the Craftsman and other cheap stuff, they just don't last and don't have the power. I'm not a carpenter but do use a cordless set everyday for Hvac work. I use Milwaukee but that would be a little out of your price range unless you want to shop Ebay.

Ok, I can swing $109. Is the $30 definitely worth spending on a deWalt over a Ryobi? Both NiC batteries. Both sets you get the case, 2 batteries, and 18V NiCad drill. I can get one of those Lowes coupons online.

 

[murphy55d]

I went ahead and ordered the deWalt for store pick-up. Out the door price $115 after tax. a little more than I wanted to spend but for quality I suppose it's worth it, eh?

 

[simonizor]

I went ahead and ordered the deWalt for store pick-up. Out the door price $115 after tax. a little more than I wanted to spend but for quality I suppose it's worth it, eh?

Yes, deWalt should hold up to normal abuse. My dad uses deWalt for his construction business and he's had the same set for at least 5 years. He's replaced the trigger a couple of times in his cordless drill and saw, but everything else is still going strong (besides new batteries, of course).

I just recommended Craftsman above because of the warranty.

 

[BTA]

I love my Hitachi 14v

 

[SphinxnihpS]

I am far from a professional so I don't need an expensive deWalt drill, but after putting up a privacy fence last weekend my 12V B&D does not cut it anymore. It BARELY drove in the 3 inch screws into the 4x4 posts, sometimes i had to use my buddys 18V to finish them off. Looking to move up to an 18v drill. I was looking at Home depot and sears both and ran across these two sets:

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...ckType=G6#desc

http://www.homedepot.com/Tools-Hardw...atalogId=10053

Are the saws that come with these any good? Or would I just be better off buying a drill by itself(home depot has an 18V ryobi with two batteries and a charger for $80, here: http://www.homedepot.com/Tools-Hardw...atalogId=10053 )

Anywhere else I should check? I really want to stay at that $100 price point, which is why the combo kits were most attractive, especially the ones w/ 2 batteries.

My suggestion is a bigger budget. Ryobi is ass. Combo sets are ass.

 

[HomerSapien]

I bought a hitachi 18v cordless last year (Nicad). Li-ion was out of stock at the time, but I can swap li-ion replacement batteries into the tools when the nicads die. I think I spent about 130 at the time on sale, but I have seen them in sets with the impact driver, flash light, tool bag for 175-200 at lowes. They do have a clutch and the batteries seem to hold their charge. I dont use it every weekend, but it has been the best powered tool I have owned.

Corded drills are great, but I have gotten so tired of winding up extension cords. Cordless is more for convenience and quick jobs.

 

[alkemyst]

This Cordless tools SUCK Big time

you may want to move on from the 1980's.

 

[alkemyst]

I bought this one for $199 with two batteries, circular saw and flashlight around Christmas: http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...&blockType=G25

I have the C3 series reciprocating saw, drill, right angle drill and flashlight too. The C3 can take lithium batteries in full size and half size.

I use my tools a lot, there is no need to spend $500 on a drill that a contractor would use for home use unless you too are using it 8 hours a day, everyday.

 

[futuristicmonkey]

Rigid 18v

/thread

+1. My five-piece X3 set I got at the Home Depot a year ago kicks butt. The circular saw has an amazing amount of power given that it's cordless and the lifetime service agreement was an awesome bonus.

 

[rudeguy]

I went ahead and ordered the deWalt for store pick-up. Out the door price $115 after tax. a little more than I wanted to spend but for quality I suppose it's worth it, eh?

100% yes.

 

[Howard]

Was gonna say sometimes HD has Ridgid stuff for cheap. Good value there.

 

[edro]

Maybe I didn't emphasize enough...

NiCD SUCKS COMPARED TO LITHIUM

 

[Kirby]

Your dad is wrong on this one. To my knowledge, no one makes a corded impact driver, if they did I'd own one. A cordless impact driver with two batteries will allow you to run in 3" deck screws all day long. I know this because I do it several times a year.

Don't ever use a drill for screws, get an impact driver, use it, then come back and thank me for telling you about them.

Makita?

http://www.makita.com/en-us/Modules/Tools/ToolDetails.aspx?ID=455

 

[murphy55d]

Maybe I didn't emphasize enough...

NiCD SUCKS COMPARED TO LITHIUM

Maybe I didn't emphasize enough that it was out of my price range. I'm sure my sucky NiCad deWalt will serve my purposes just fine.

It's easy to spend other people's money, especially on ATOT. Thanks to everyone else who replied. Very happy with my purchase.