Which drill should I buy?

[NoTine42]

I'd like to point out that the 20v max name is just a marketing scheme, as the same exact drill in the UK is sold as 18v. That being said, these are still the best drills on the market today.

And to the derogatory nicad commenter, they might be heavier, but I've yet to see a Lion battery outlast one in charge cycles, and they don't hold a candle to nicads for extreme cold/hot performance. Best thing about the new Dewalt Lions is the availability of a whopping 4 amp/hr version.

NiCad is surprisingly useful in a drill

I was given a DeWalt 18v NiCad drill, and I've been amazed by it (I was a corded-only drill guy. It never made sense to me to buy a $80 cordless drill that could only do 25% of the work a $30 corded drill). The batteries keep a decent charge, even if I'm not using it for a few months (eliminates the old DIY cordless problem #1, no charge when you start a project)

But with a spare battery pack, I can fast charge 1 pack while I use another during some halfway significant projects, including drywall.

 

[railer]

Wow @ the length of this drill thread.
OP probably bought a drill 2 months ago, but....
don't buy a corded drill. Jesus, this isn't 1979. I've got old B+D cordless drills from like 10 years ago that still work fine, and still hold a charge after sitting around for months.
I did have a problem with a Craftsman C3 drill battery that I bought just last year. It was a NiCd battery, and it pooped the bed after about 13 months. That's the only cordless drill I've ever had a problem with....so don't buy a Craftsman C3.

 

[BoomerD]

I've come to the conclusion...after all the months this thread has gone on...the OP doesn't want to buy a drill...he wants to get drilled and is looking for volunteers.

 

[FallenHero]

I've come to the conclusion...after all the months this thread has gone on...the OP doesn't want to buy a drill...he wants to get drilled and is looking for volunteers.

I only want sloppy seconds after you. Then I am so in!

 

[ManBearPig]

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[BoomerD]

Is porter cable a reputable brand?

marginally so...not great...not nearly as good as they once were...but better than Harbor Freight stuff.

 

[Quakester]

Makita BTD141 18-Volt LXT Lithium-Ion Cordless Impact Driver Kit

I got this 8/2010. Household/Hobby/Repairs/Light building.

Light as a feather, tough as a tank.

This. Been using mine for 6 years.

 

[alkemyst]

This. Been using mine for 6 years.

If you find one for the price the OP is targeting, I am in!

 

[ManBearPig]

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[phucheneh]

This. Been using mine for 6 years.

That's stupid-expensive for what you get. For that price, you really should be able to get a drill and an impact both. At least you get the big batteries.

But the real deal-breaker for me is the QD chuck. That impact makes enough torque to snap the vast majority of things that have that 1/4" shank. You should see the pile of broken mandrels I have from my old-ass 14.4v Makita.

 

[alkemyst]

That's stupid-expensive for what you get. For that price, you really should be able to get a drill and an impact both. At least you get the big batteries.

But the real deal-breaker for me is the QD chuck. That impact makes enough torque to snap the vast majority of things that have that 1/4" shank. You should see the pile of broken mandrels I have from my old-ass 14.4v Makita.

LOL

Please show us your better drills.

Your whole post makes no sense. If it has enough torque for your 1/4" shanks. Upgrade or downgrade.

It's like saying "I ride a Vespa! Best motorbike on the road!. I was on a Hayabusa today and those should be OUTLAWED!1@@@One!!!one"

 

[phucheneh]

LOL

My whole post makes no sense.

fixed.

 

[sdifox]

Op just borrow a drill from your neighbour already!

 

[alkemyst]

fixed.

Yeah you aren't realizing it's your error and not the drill's.

 

[Mandres]

My advice is to watch the hot deals forum or Slickdeals and pick up the first Lithium-ion kit that comes up on clearance or heavily discounted.

I got a porter cable 18v Li-ion drill/driver/flashlight combo with two batteries for about $80 earlier this year. It's not the heaviest duty drill I've ever used (my old DeWalt 14.4v NiCad seems much beefier and has a better chuck) but it works fine.

I don't know how I ever got along without the impact driver. I use this thing constantly. I have a 3/8" socket adapter on it and it removes any nut/bolt smaller than a lugnut in seconds, and I don't have to wait for the compressor to fill up. Not to mention driving screws/lag bolts effortlessly.

 

[phucheneh]

Yeah you aren't realizing it's your error and not the drill's.

No. Your post literally makes no sense. Either you misread mine, or your brain simply does not function properly. I think we all know it's probably gonna be the latter, there, chief.

Let me break it down:

Someone posts link to $265 impact driver.

I say it's a good unit, but a rather high price. There are a lot of drill and impact driver kits (often got a light in 'em, too, for whatever it's worth to you) available in the 2-300 buck range.

I mention that 1/4" hex shanks tend to be a little wimpy for the power that such an impact driver will generate. Personally, if you really need an IMPACT (which is different from a drill, FYI), I prefer something with a 3/8" anvil on the end, as it won't snap while using the tool to its fullest extent. As in, not just using it to drive screws, which can generally be done with a drill; hence their typical name 'drill/driver.'

You reply with: 'Show us your better drills.' Some kind of non-sequiter challenge...uh, okay... 'Your whole post makes no sense.' Uh, seems like English to me. I know you have trouble sometimes...see, here's an example of a incoherent thought:

"If it has enough torque for your 1/4" shanks. Upgrade or downgrade."

???

Or maybe this 'analogy' that doesn't seem analogous to any relevant topic:

It's like saying "I ride a Vespa! Best motorbike on the road!. I was on a Hayabusa today and those should be OUTLAWED!1@@@One!!!one"

Then you continue to 'troll' (I dunno if it's technically trolling...I think trolling requires some kind of coherent cognitive thought, even if it's disguised...you're not disguising anything).

You might as well just make all of your replied 'DO YOU EVEN LIFT, BRO?!'

Cliffs: you = moron. kthxgoaway.

 

[natto fire]

That's stupid-expensive for what you get. For that price, you really should be able to get a drill and an impact both. At least you get the big batteries.

But the real deal-breaker for me is the QD chuck. That impact makes enough torque to snap the vast majority of things that have that 1/4" shank. You should see the pile of broken mandrels I have from my old-ass 14.4v Makita.

Agree on the price/value, this kit offers the same 3 A/hr batteries, and I prefer a bag to a hard case. Not quite as much torque as the Makita, but for $40 more than that you can upgrade to 4 A/hr batteries, brushless motors, and more torque on the impact

Not sure what kind of crappy bits you were using, but my Fuel impact is rated for 1600 in-lbs of torque, and although it has snapped a lot of fasteners (especially tapcons) and shattered a couple of cheap 5/16" hex drivers, I have never had any problems with the shanks themselves, and I have even used it with a 1/4" to 3/8" adapter and a 13/16" socket to drive in lag bolts. I use my impact almost every day and have had the Fuel driver for over a year and have never twisted a bit.

It is something I worry about, and I have never used my 1/4" to 1/2" square drive adapter for that reason. I think the way the impact head slips compared to the direct drive of a drill prevents twisting. I'll ask my co-workers tomorrow, but I don't remember any twisted shanks, although we are usually just using screws and tapcons, so I suppose your qualifier of beyond those uses comes into play.

 

[ManBearPig]

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[natto fire]

What exactly do the 1/2" and 3/8" sizes refer to? Why aren't they all the same size? Again, don't need a hammer drill.

In reference to a drill, it is the maximum diameter the chuck will open up to. The smaller 3/8" chuck is cheaper to manufacture and finds it's place in the bargain drills.

I'm really surprised you didn't pull the trigger on the DeWalt drill you linked to earlier. That is a great price, and if it doesn't matter which manufacturer makes your batteries, might as well go with the DeWalt, although some of their tools are pricey. Who makes the impact you already own, and is it worth it to get the same for the drill to have interchangeable batteries?

 

[BoomerD]

What exactly do the 1/2" and 3/8" sizes refer to? Why aren't they all the same size? Again, don't need a hammer drill.

1/2" chuck and 3/8" chuck. The size of the drill shank the chuck will accommodate. The larger ones will handle full sized bits up to 1/2 inch in diameter where the 3/8 chuck will only handle bits up to 3/8 inch with out having to have stepped or reduced shank bits.

 

[ManBearPig]

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[phucheneh]

Not sure what kind of crappy bits you were using, but my Fuel impact is rated for 1600 in-lbs of torque, and although it has snapped a lot of fasteners (especially tapcons) and shattered a couple of cheap 5/16" hex drivers, I have never had any problems with the shanks themselves, and I have even used it with a 1/4" to 3/8" adapter and a 13/16" socket to drive in lag bolts. I use my impact almost every day and have had the Fuel driver for over a year and have never twisted a bit.

My 14.4 Makita has a 'working torque' of somewhere over 30ftlbs but definitely under 50ftlbs. No idea what the actual rating is...something in the 30's sounds about right. I'm defining 'working torque' as what I know it does in practical use. I don't assume there are many torque specs used in carpentry, so it's harder to know what kinda load your driver is experiencing. But a hex bolt in carpentry, even if it has a washer under it, never really hits a hard bottom. Even in a bolt-through application, tightening the bolt/nut that's clamping something together is probably the worst abuse most impacts see. And if that something being clamping is wood...again, there's some amount of 'give' as compared to metal.

I mention this because my tools are normally used on cars more than anything else. And if you hear the racket that electric impacts make when tightening things like seats to floorpans...we basically abuse the shit out of impacts. You're slamming bolts in the 13-18mm region (threads around 3/8" or 10mm) home against metal, and then beating the piss out of it until you know it's tight. Loosening and tightening such bolts (the reason I can approximate the max torque my tool does) repeatedly is going to eventually break the weak link- the 1/4" shank on a 3/8" mandrel (for mounting sockets). I've proudly broken one from every tool truck brand, I think.

Cliff's: 1) My Makita has seen some stuff and some things and lived through it; this is why I recommend them the most for impacts. 2) If you're getting one more as an impact wrench than an impact driver, get the kind where the anvil has a 3/8" square drive permanently attached.

Makita tends to make impacts in both varieties, same as they make drills in 1/4" QD and 3/8" chuck.

 

[iGas]

1/2" chuck and 3/8" chuck. The size of the drill shank the chuck will accommodate. The larger ones will handle full sized bits up to 1/2 inch in diameter where the 3/8 chuck will only handle bits up to 3/8 inch with out having to have stepped or reduced shank bits.

There is a caveat with step down. 3/8 have less griping surface hence the shank is more likely to spin/strip in the chuck than 1/2 shank (they both function just fine in new clean chucks, but old worn or dirty chucks will surely give you grieve with 3/8 shanks).

 

[BoomerD]

There is a caveat with step down. 3/8 have less griping surface hence the shank is more likely to spin/strip in the chuck than 1/2 shank (they both function just fine in new clean chucks, but old worn or dirty chucks will surely give you grieve with 3/8 shanks).

Agreed. I MUCH prefer a 1/2" chuck even though the MAJORITY of the time, I'm using bits less than 3/8".
(plus, it seems to me that the 1/2" chucks are better made...or at least more heavily built)

 

[ManBearPig]

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