Buying a new drill (think I have narrowed it down)

I'd go for a decent corded drill with a long extension cord as your primary drill. And if you do see the potential for middle of nowhere away from a plug type spaces by all means add a cheapy harbor freight cordless to that as well.

Never liked the cordless tools much myself, simply put ones with a reasonable amount of weight (distribution of that weight is important too!) don't have the power to do what you need, those with the power tended to be a bit too much strain.

Now if they can make a light weight DC power pack that delivers good juice and simply have a docking station to put the tool away with (so it's always got a full charge when I use it) then maybe I'll change my mind.
 
Dewalt 18V Cordless and a Corded hammer (brand of your choice).

When are you ever going to need a hammer drill more than 6 feet away from an outlet?
 
I got this Milwaukee 18v drill set and just love the hell out of it. Actually my father gave it to me when I turned 28 last year. My favorite thing about it is the little light just above the trigger that when you press, it comes on, and lights up what you're doing. Comes w/ an impact driver too, but i haven't used that too much. Quality seems good but I haven't had it very long. I need more time to beat it up to see what is really made of. :p HTH !
 
stugray said:
I also swear by craftsman for handtools.

I once broke a 3/8" breaker bar and took it in.
The salesman said..."looks like you had about a 4 foot cheater bar on that" I said "no 6 feet!"

He handed me a brand new one and said have a nice day!

I also was driving down the road once and saw something that looked like a craftsman 3/8 ratchet. I swung around & picked it up. It WAS , but had the switch broken off.
I was driving right by a sears minutes later and exchanged it for a brand new one.

Nothing better than free craftsman.

Stu
Click to expand...

I used to think the world of craftsman back when i was barely starting out, great tools for the weekend mechanic but not so good for a pro. I dont like the sloppiness of the ratchets or the fact they fall apart on me after about a month of heavy use. Same goes for the impact sockets and other tools. As far as drills i stick with the makita because mine came with 2 batteries, i only use it 4-5 times a month and it does the small jobs i need it to. I would listen to the builders in the thread if your going for heavy use, if you are a casual user then go with something you like and that does not have too many bad reviews.
 
A lot is being said about "hammer drills" and "imapct drills" here.

I think it is worth clearing up the differences between these tools.

There are (4) distinct types of tools and most people don't understand the differences.

1) Impact Wrench
2) Impact Driver
3) Hammer Drill
4) Rotary Hammer

An IMPACT WRENCH hammers in the direction of rotation, using the force of the impacts to literaly slamp the bolt or nut in direction of rotation. In most cases, the hammer only kicks on when there is a resistance to the rotation.

An IMPACT DRIVER slams a HAMMER into the BIT while the chuck rotates. This FORCES the screw being driven to take a deeper bit with each impact.

An HAMMER DRILL uses a gear to vibrate (for lack of better terms) the ENTIRE chuck assembly as the chuck rotates. The hammering action is very damped by the mass of the chuck. Hammer drills don't hammer very hard at all.

A ROTARY HAMMER (similar to an IMPACT DRIVER) slams a HAMMER into the end of the drill bit several times per rotation. Moving the force of the impact directly to the tip of the drill bit. Most people consfuse an 18V "hammer drill" with a true "rotary hammer". One is a toy, the other is used to drill holes in concrete and other very hard materials.
 
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I have a B&D 18v cordless and three batteries along with several other B&D cordless tools that use the same batteries and I've been happy with it.
 
If I was starting over I head to Sears. At home I use a Ryobi at work Dewalt. I like the chuck on the Milwaukee and Porter Cable. You can really crank down on drill bits with the ratchet type chuck. All batteries sux and I would not waste my time buying the newer type, just make sure you have spares.
 
An impact driver is not the same as an impact wrench. It will not provide the same hammering effect or torque to fulfill any task that would require an impact wrench.

My dad and I both have 18v DeWalt drills (Standard, not XRP hammers), and after 7 years they are still going strong. We both also have corded drills but rarely use them because of the power that the DeWalt's have and the fact that they come with 2 batteries so 1 is always charging.
 
USF Nealio said:
An impact driver is not the same as an impact wrench. It will not provide the same hammering effect or torque to fulfill any task that would require an impact wrench.
Click to expand...

BeanAnimal said:
An impact DRIVER and an IMPACT WRENCH are two very different beasts :)

The driver impacts inward as it rotates. The wrench impacts in the direction of rotation.
Click to expand...



BeanAnimal said:
A lot is being said about "hammer drills" and "imapct drills" here.

I think it is worth clearing up the differences between these tools.

There are (4) distinct types of tools and most people don't understand the differences.

1) Impact Wrench
2) Impact Driver
3) Hammer Drill
4) Rotary Hammer

An IMPACT WRENCH hammers in the direction of rotation, using the force of the impacts to literaly slamp the bolt or nut in direction of rotation. In most cases, the hammer only kicks on when there is a resistance to the rotation.

An IMPACT DRIVER slams a HAMMER into the BIT while the chuck rotates. This FORCES the screw being driven to take a deeper bite with each impact.

A HAMMER DRILL uses a gear to vibrate (for lack of better terms) the ENTIRE chuck assembly as the chuck rotates. The hammering action is very damped by the mass of the chuck. Hammer drills don't hammer very hard at all.

A ROTARY HAMMER (similar to an IMPACT DRIVER) slams a HAMMER into the end of the drill bit several times per rotation. Moving the force of the impact directly to the tip of the drill bit. Most people consfuse an 18V "hammer drill" with a true "rotary hammer". One is a toy, the other is used to drill holes in concrete and other very hard materials.
Click to expand...
:)
 
I've been in the tradres, glazier 25+ years as well as owned a glass shop with my wife for the last 12 years until 2009...

For cordless (for corded tools I tend to lean towards Milwaukee & Hilti) ones go I've always used Dewalt ever since they came out with the 9.6v series (ca. late 80's) and nearly every model since then as well as supplied my employees with them and let them beat the hedoublehockeysticks out them year in, year out... till this day, I still have my original 9.6v as well as about a dozen newer 12v, 18v & 24v models (all are hammers). The only thing I have ever had to replace is batteries about every 500 charges...

Even the one that came out of the back of the rack truck on the Kenedy Expwy at 70mph still works... after adding some duct tape and a few nuts and bolts.

Dewalt :thumbsup:
 
Thank you all for your input... it was quite helpful.

I ended up getting the Makita BHP454. The reason I went this way instead of the DeWalt was because, although I could clearly see on youtube videos the DeWalt had a little more muscle, my needs are a little lighter and the Makita's lower weight, slightly more compact design, PRICE, and Li-Ion batteries at this price point tipped the scale. Well, all that and I got a good deal on ebay ;) I paid ~$205 plus shipping for a NIB drill (it was $280 + tax at HD).

For heavier or daily use I probably would have chosen the DeWalt, BUT at least I'll have Makita experience for next time... although hopefully that doesn't come soon ;)
 
I just purchased the M18 Milwaukie Drill Combo kit. Drill and Impact. Picked it up for $200 (CAD) Very nice drills :thumbsup:
 
headshrink said:
Thank you all for your input... it was quite helpful.

I ended up getting the Makita BHP454. The reason I went this way instead of the DeWalt was because, although I could clearly see on youtube videos the DeWalt had a little more muscle, my needs are a little lighter and the Makita's lower weight, slightly more compact design, PRICE, and Li-Ion batteries at this price point tipped the scale. Well, all that and I got a good deal on ebay ;) I paid ~$205 plus shipping for a NIB drill (it was $280 + tax at HD).

For heavier or daily use I probably would have chosen the DeWalt, BUT at least I'll have Makita experience for next time... although hopefully that doesn't come soon ;)
Click to expand...

Not to scare you, but be careful of "NIB" tools on eBay. A large portion of them are defects or returns from etail and retail markets. They are sold by the truck load to liquidators who don't check or refurb them. They just liquidate them to ebay vendors. Where do you think all of the returns to HD, LOWES, Sears, K-Mart, Etc. end up :)
 
BeanAnimal said:
Not to scare you, but be careful of "NIB" tools on eBay. A large portion of them are defects or returns from etail and retail markets. They are sold by the truck load to liquidators who don't check or refurb them. They just liquidate them to ebay vendors. Where do you think all of the returns to HD, LOWES, Sears, K-Mart, Etc. end up :)
Click to expand...

I will be honest with you.... I did make an emotional buy.
I also had a little feeling about this, but the add didn't say it was remanufactered.... may still be legal, hopefully I'm lucky, but thank you for the warning. I'll be aware of this for the future.
 
headshrink said:
I will be honest with you.... I did make an emotional buy.
I also had a little feeling about this, but the add didn't say it was remanufactered.... may still be legal, hopefully I'm lucky, but thank you for the warning. I'll be aware of this for the future.
Click to expand...

Yup just something to keep in mind :) I buy a lot of stuff on eBay, but tend to stay away from "new" tools and electronics. There are too many dishonest people selling too many "NIB" goods that are factory rejects or returns.
 
ive had and used tons of tools (union ironworker).
i have the dewalt 18v drill, impact driver and the 1/2 impact they take a beating. i also have a 1/2 corded hammer/combo which is fine for light stuff(tapcons) i also have an sds hammer (pretty large) i have used the impact driver with a masonary bit and it works good just dont press hard :)
 
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