Which drill should I buy?

[Oyeve]

I still have 2 old 1960s GE drills. The metal ones that spit sparks out at you!

 

[BoomerD]

I've owned several sets of Ryobi cordless tools. Not bad, but not great.

I picked up one of these on sale at Home Depot 2 years ago:

http://www.ridgid.com/Tools/R86008K-Drill/EN/index.htm

Hands down, the best cordless drill I've ever used.

 

[spacejamz]

lulz, these are not exactly AA batteries you know. How do you lose them??? I keep them in the same bag as the tools.

I would guess that most people have the batteries either in the drill or the charger...

 

[vi edit]

I've owned several sets of Ryobi cordless tools. Not bad, but not great.

I picked up one of these on sale at Home Depot 2 years ago:

http://www.ridgid.com/Tools/R86008K-Drill/EN/index.htm

Hands down, the best cordless drill I've ever used.

I picked up a combo set of those a few weeks ago. Love the size/weight of them. My previous set of Ridgid tools are going on 6 years old and the batteries crapped out. I don't feel like these are as powerful nor do the batteries last as long as the old nicad ones did. If I drive 20 or 30 screws the battery is down to 1/4 bars. Upside is that the batteries charge fast and the entire tool + battery weighs less than just the old battery did by itself.

 

[spacejamz]

I've owned several sets of Ryobi cordless tools. Not bad, but not great.

I picked up one of these on sale at Home Depot 2 years ago:

http://www.ridgid.com/Tools/R86008K-Drill/EN/index.htm

Hands down, the best cordless drill I've ever used.

you can find refurb'd 12V Black/Decker lithium drills on ebay for $30

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Black-Decke...R-/330994361949?pt=Drills&hash=item4d10cd265d

Instead of buying a spare battery, I just bought 2 of these drills..Comes in handy if you need to drill/screw alot on a project...one drill with drill bit and the other for the screws...

Haven't had any issues with them at all...

 

[Aikouka]

I recently bought a Black and Decker cordless drill, and it works fine. The only thing about it is that I wish it came with a hard case instead of a soft one, but at least I can store the drill bits that I purchased separately in the soft case.

 

[NutBucket]

You're all doing it wrong:

http://www.festoolusa.com/power-tools/cordless-drills/t15-lithium-ion-cordless-drill-564385

Kidding aside, I would spend about $100 and get whatever has a lithium battery. More than adequate for home use.

 

[yottabit]

I'd say check out Craftsmen (at Sears) for a pretty decent balance of quality/price, but only if you can get them on sale

I would say get something like a ~19V drill and 2 batteries and that should make you good to go. Can go lithium ion if you want but old tech is cheaper and works fine IMO.

I don't think it's bad to get cordless, just the thing to bear in mind is that if you become significantly invested in it you're stuck with a certain platform.

I have a lot of Craftsmen cordless stuff I bought years ago on clearance (around 2006 I would guess). Skill saw, Sawzall, Jigsaw, Lantern, 2x Drills, Impact Driver, etc. I also have about 4-5 batteries.

I would say the Sawzall, Drill, and Lantern are by far the most useful, and having a lot of extra batteries. I've used these a lot and they haven't ever given me trouble. The jigsaw is probably one of the nicest ones I've used even though I don't need to use it often. I can't emphasize enough how awesome it is to have a cordless sawzall. I was actually surprised to find my equipment is compatible with lithium ion batteries so I might start buying some of those down the line when the old ones die. I do have one dead battery now.

Only downside to the craftsmen drills I've seen is they don't have a keyed chuck or good locking chuck. So if you are drilling through thick metal with a big drill bit you are limited to how tight you can tighten the chuck and might have the drill slip if you don't have a shank with flats on it. Dewalts and such are a lot better at this because they have a locking chuck. However the times I've had to drill things out where this might be a problem I usually use cobalt drill bits which have flats on them so they won't slip.

Here are some options:
Drill w/ 1 battery Lion $60
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...7191000P?mv=rr

Drill, light, sawzall, circular saw & 2 Lion batteries $150
http://www.sears.com/craftsman-c3-4p...1&blockType=G1

I know if you were putting these through commercial use they'd probably die out sooner than a Makita or something, but for home intermittent use I don't think you can get a better value

 

[alkemyst]

The OP did in fact link to a drill. It's a 3 in 1 tool. It uses drill bits with hex ends.

I would not recommend that tool.

For those that bash cordless, you must have had experience with a dud or cheap tools. My craftsman 19.2V litium and the 19.2V ni-cad versions before it worked very well for even a day of drilling with a spare battery.

Unless you are using wire wheels, grinding stones, etc (continuous duty), a cordless tool is much better.

 

[onza]

Also - there are some manufactures that have a lifetime battery program..

 

[yottabit]

I don't feel like these are as powerful nor do the batteries last as long as the old nicad ones did. If I drive 20 or 30 screws the battery is down to 1/4 bars. Upside is that the batteries charge fast and the entire tool + battery weighs less than just the old battery did by itself.

Most companies using Lion batteries offer two sizes. The ones they give with sets are smaller and lighter than the old Nicad but with less capacity. There are also some bigger Lions you can buy (still a little smaller and lighter than the Nicads) but with as much/more capacity.

Here's a rigid "compact"
http://www.ridgid.com/Tools/AC840085-Li-Ion-Battery/EN/index.htm

And a rigid "full capacity" (lol!)
http://www.ridgid.com/Tools/AC840083-Li-Ion-Battery/EN/index.htm

Kind of a sleezy thing to do IMO, since I think most people would prefer the "full capacity" batteries

 

[sdifox]

Most companies using Lion batteries offer two sizes. The ones they give with sets are smaller and lighter than the old Nicad but with less capacity. There are also some bigger Lions you can buy (still a little smaller and lighter than the Nicads) but with as much/more capacity.

Here's a rigid "compact"
http://www.ridgid.com/Tools/AC840085-Li-Ion-Battery/EN/index.htm

And a rigid "full capacity" (lol!)
http://www.ridgid.com/Tools/AC840083-Li-Ion-Battery/EN/index.htm

Kind of a sleezy thing to do IMO, since I think most people would prefer the "full capacity" batteries

Thus you should read the fine prints. They do tell you what AH rating the included battery is. I have seen 1.5 and 3.0AH batteries. Haven't seen any other ones, but they could exist.

 

[Puppies04]

The OP did in fact link to a drill. It's a 3 in 1 tool. It uses drill bits with hex ends.

I would not recommend that tool.

For those that bash cordless, you must have had experience with a dud or cheap tools. My craftsman 19.2V litium and the 19.2V ni-cad versions before it worked very well for even a day of drilling with a spare battery.

Unless you are using wire wheels, grinding stones, etc (continuous duty), a cordless tool is much better.

This.

Personally I use Makita drills/impact drivers, which one you need really comes down to what you are going to do with it. 14.4v is fine for a DIYer but 18V or higher is better if you have the budget. Try and get a decent brand with Lithium ion batteries. If within budget disregard the ones with 1.5AH batteries and aim for 2.5-3AH. even with moderatly heavy use 2 batteries will last you all day and if you are really hammering them anything like my makita will charge a dead battery to 80%+ in roughly 20 mins.

 

[Howard]

If you can afford it, I'd say the Milwaukee 0234-6. Keyed chuck for durability and functionality, great trigger, loads of torque, no battery. A little on the heavy side compared to a 3/8" but you never know when you might need a 1/2" (or bigger) drill bit.

http://www.amazon.com/Milwaukee-0234...e+corded+drill

Just look at the reviews. Get an extension cords (heavy duty please) and you can do basically anything around the house. And how much do you value your time going to get replacement tools and repairs?

 

[coldmeat]

I'm just a tin banger, so we generally stick to the 14.4v range. It's usually lighter, easier to get into tight spots, and just easier to work with than a heavier 18v. We just carry a corded drill for the tougher stuff.

I'm not happy with the latest Makita drill we got. We used to always go Makita because they last a long time. This new drill just feels cheap, is weaker than my brother's 14v Dewalt, and wobbles ever so slightly so long screws are a pain. Maybe I just got a bad drill, who knows.

Most guys we work with tend to go with Milwaukee, and it seems like a good brand.

 

[classy]

Buying a cheap drill is a bad idea. I wouldn't pay dewalt money, but you cant go wrong with a Makita or Craftsman. A good drill will last a very long time. A cheap drill, one good strenuous use and its gone.

 

[Humpy]

It's nice to see that ATOT came to a clear consensus for a change.

 

[rudeguy]

It's nice to see that ATOT came to a clear consensus for a change.

Cake is sometimes pie and pie is sometimes cake and custard is heaven in a bowl

 

[stormkroe]

Said it before and I'll say it again: DeWalt all the way. They're cheaper than milwaukee and makita, but even at a higher price they're a better bargain. The 825 18v impact is a monster, and the dcd970 18v is probably the best cordless drill in the history of the world. I've used dewalt cordless tools for 12 years and get to compare them almost daily to other brands. One of my workers has a new makita 18v brushless combo and it's like a toy compared to even some of my old retired DeWalts.
Also, LI batteries are nice and light, but NiCads work form -40 to +115 degrees. It's hard on them, but they're cheap and not getting the job done because of your battery tech is a poor excuse.

 

[iGas]

I'm just a tin banger, so we generally stick to the 14.4v range. It's usually lighter, easier to get into tight spots, and just easier to work with than a heavier 18v. We just carry a corded drill for the tougher stuff.

I'm not happy with the latest Makita drill we got. We used to always go Makita because they last a long time. This new drill just feels cheap, is weaker than my brother's 14v Dewalt, and wobbles ever so slightly so long screws are a pain. Maybe I just got a bad drill, who knows.

Most guys we work with tend to go with Milwaukee, and it seems like a good brand.

I thought that tin bashers tend to prefer 12v, 10.8v, and 9.6v impact/drivers.

I own Makitas, Dewalts, a Bosch, a Milwaukee, and a set of Ridgid. And, IMHO, Makita & Dewalt outlast other brands by far, but Milwaukee and Ridgid make damn good corded drills just as Makita & Dewalt.

As for DIYers, any decent cheap lithium ion cordless driver will do, such as Riobi, etc..., and a corded drill.

 

[sdifox]

It's nice to see that ATOT came to a clear consensus for a change.

That word, I don't think it means what ATOT think it means

 

[rudeguy]

I thought that tin bashers tend to prefer 12v, 10.8v, and 9.6v impact/drivers.

I own Makitas, Dewalts, a Milwaukee, and a set of Ridgid. And, IMHO, Makita & Dewalt outlast other brands by far, but Milwaukee and Ridgid make damn good corded drills just as Makita & Dewalt.

As for DIYers, any decent cheap lithium ion cordless driver will do, such as Riobi, etc..., and a corded drill.

Happen to have a right angle Makita?

 

[alkemyst]

I thought that tin bashers tend to prefer 12v, 10.8v, and 9.6v impact/drivers.

I own Makitas, Dewalts, a Bosch, a Milwaukee, and a set of Ridgid. And, IMHO, Makita & Dewalt outlast other brands by far, but Milwaukee and Ridgid make damn good corded drills just as Makita & Dewalt.

As for DIYers, any decent cheap lithium ion cordless driver will do, such as Riobi, etc..., and a corded drill.

I agree. Always have a corded drill if you really do work.

It's not always perfect, but if your batteries die, your charger dies, etc. You have another option.

I have a Dewalt corded drill.

 

[iGas]

Happen to have a right angle Makita?

Yes I do have a right angle corded Makita drill and it is the best thing ever for tight places.

 

[rudeguy]

Yes I do have a right angle corded Makita drill and it is the best thing ever for tight places.

I miss my 9.whatever volt right angle Makita.

Give me nicad over lion any day.