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

[BeanAnimal]

I rarely break out standard size corded drill. I rarely break out a drywall screw gun.

I use a bigassed right-angle drill very often for (of course drilling studs and joists with ship augers and holse-saws) as well as mixing mortar, thinset and other heavy mixes.

That said, I am not a bit shy about twisting a 3" holesaw or 1.5" ship auger on an 18V DeWalt XRP drill, or mixing a batch or two of thinset when needed. I beat the livin crap outa my DeWalts and don't have a complaint. Smoke (varnished brushes and rotor) rolls out of all of them from time to time. Nothing a bit of sandpaper can't fix if needed.

Come to think of it, I think the good ol skil variable speed drill went to goodwill last time I cleaned out the tool pile. They are good for repative drilling of metal and steel... something I don't do a lot of. I have a bigassed drill press that takes care of most of my fabrication drilling.

The same goes for the drywall gun.... for anything less than a 5-10 sheets, it is just not worth digging out

I have a bigassed corded SDS rotary hammer... The only replacement for THAT in battery is the HILTE or BOSCH 36V SDS style rotary hammer, but they cost a fortune and few folks needed cordless rotary hammers

 

[TAB]

"all cordless drills suck...just my $.02 "

Unless you always have both at your disposal....

Then cordless has it's place.
Cordless can never replace good old corded, but sure are handy when you need quick or "remote" ( in the attic ).

Stu

Very true, but if you can only have one, get the corded drill and buy some good heavy guage extention cords.

Makita makes a 18volt kit that comes with a drill and a impact driver(basicly a screw gun on roids) While I almost never touch the drill, the impact driver really does work. I'd still rather have a corded drill.

PS, I own/owned everything from no name cordless drills to festool(~$600 cordless drill)none of them are good for more then about 15 mins of real work.
When I go to grab a drill, its almost always the $60 dewalt, yeah its not the best, but I generally get 3 years out of them before I have to throw them away. As a GC I abuse the hell out of them.

 

[headshrink]

I heard a couple years back that DeWalt went to plastic gears right after they were bought by one of the cheap-arse brands (Black and Decker?). Is this true?

Also, are the cordless impact drivers used for the same kind of work as the pnumatic ones? I have a cheapo one that came with my compressor, and I think it still has more power than these cordless ones.

 

[TAB]

Dewalt has been owned by B and D for decades(infact they own most of the companys out there), for awhile they were using plastic clutchs on thier cordless drills I don't know if they still do.

The impact drivers work on the same idea, but are used for driving screws and the like. My makita is the only cordless tool I've ever been impressed with. They work almost as good as the old school impact screw drivers that you hit with a hammer for taking out screws.

 

[Miller_Time]

I heard a couple years back that DeWalt went to plastic gears right after they were bought by one of the cheap-arse brands (Black and Decker?). Is this true?

Also, are the cordless impact drivers used for the same kind of work as the pnumatic ones? I have a cheapo one that came with my compressor, and I think it still has more power than these cordless ones.

Dewalt has been owned by B&D since the 1960s. Every brand had a short run of plastic in the 90s, but Dewalt is now using all steel transmissions on the drills.

 

[AaronReeph]

I just bought a corded milwaukee 0234-6 drill. AWESOME drill, insane torque, incredible build quality. Would highly recommend it.

 

[jcraft]

Head on over to your local Harbor Freight and pick yourself up a 3/8" 18v for $15:thumbsup:

I've owned one for the last year and a half and I have yet to be dissapointed. I've drilled glass, built stands, and have done various home improvement projects- battery life has been great and the chuck actually seems tighter than my old corded Ryobi VSR.

If you have the money, go for the big guys... but for $15, why the hell not?!

 

[Vegas.]

Head on over to your local Harbor Freight and pick yourself up a 3/8" 18v for $15:thumbsup:

I've owned one for the last year and a half and I have yet to be dissapointed. I've drilled glass, built stands, and have done various home improvement projects- battery life has been great and the chuck actually seems tighter than my old corded Ryobi VSR.

If you have the money, go for the big guys... but for $15, why the hell not?!

Agreed:

I've had it for 4 years and have drilled through hundreds of walls..... I used to install cable, + it's a hammer drill. Cost me 20 for the drill and 10 for a extra battery.

 

[RokleM]

The Harbor Freight ones are pure gold in price, but don't honestly expect them to last TOO long. A couple years of occasional use and it's a solid purchase. I think mine lasted 30 or so packs.

The Hitachi lithium I have is AWWWESOME. Packs a huge punch, and the trigger is very accurate. I can barely spin the bit to full bore with no issues. When I built my monster sump a few years back, I used barely over a pack to drill 10-12 large holes.

It looks like this one but is gold:
http://www.lowes.com/pd_182091-67702-DS14DVF3_4294857554+4294837347_4294937087?productId=1052049

 

[jdargonaut]

From my experience in the drywall/metal stud framing end of construction, you usually see Dewalts out on the jobsite. I've always used the Dewalt impacts and Dewalt drywall guns. Believe me, we give them a beating on a daily basis and I always go back to them.

That said, when I need a simple tool for very occasional use, I will sometimes go to harborfreight. If it's a simple tool that only needs to spin a blade or shaft, then they have thier place. But they will not stand up to daily abuse, and not harborfreight for precision tools. For example, I use the harborfreight low speed/high torque drill for mixing joint compound and mortar and haven't had an issue yet, but at about $50 compared to a quality brand at $180+, I expect it to be short life tool and I can live with that.

 

[BeanAnimal]

I heard a couple years back that DeWalt went to plastic gears right after they were bought by one of the cheap-arse brands (Black and Decker?). Is this true?

Also, are the cordless impact drivers used for the same kind of work as the pnumatic ones? I have a cheapo one that came with my compressor, and I think it still has more power than these cordless ones.

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.

 

[BeanAnimal]

Dewalt has been owned by B&D since the 1960s. Every brand had a short run of plastic in the 90s, but Dewalt is now using all steel transmissions on the drills.

Almost every major hand and power tool brand (other than the china knock-offs) is made, or owned by one of three parent companies. I (and others) have posted the family tree here before so I will leave it to you folks to find it.

Yes B&D owns the company that makes DeWalt tools but DeWalt tools are not B&D tools.

 

[CJO]

If you are looking at driving screws, you want an impact driver, not a hammer drill. Hammer drills are used for drilling through masonry. I have a 12V DeWalt, 36V LIon DeWalt hammer drill, several other cordless drills of various makes and manufacturers. What I grab most of the time is the Bosh 12V LIon impact driver. The NiCAD 12V drills don't have enough torque.. the larger drills are much heavier. The 12V lithium ion impact driver is light and powerful and the impact driver portion of it makes driving screws without stripping them a breeze. I'm sure that the other brands of similar impact drivers are about as good.

CJ

 

[headshrink]

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.

Yes, of course. What about a rotory hammer?

 

[therman]

+1 on DeWalt. Used a few of the the 14V model for years and years and never had an issue. Put them through a severe beating and I regularly drill glass with them at work (dozens of bulkhead holes). The weight and balance is pretty good in the 14V for glass, light enough that you don't get exhausted holding it for a minute or two, and balanced enough that you don't torque the diamond bit accidentally.

 

[headshrink]

After watching youtube videos of DeWAlt vs Makita and DeWalt vs Milwakee (unofficial tests), I have to say the DeWalt does look stronger, inspite of what the box may say.
One thing that is in favor of the Makita though, other than a slightly lower price, is the weight and ergonomics for the DIY weekend warrior. It does look like the DeWalt is very likely the stronger of the two for those who make their living with it, and perhaps either would kick arse at home. Currently watching ebay for a deal, otherwise it has to be HD (partial gift cert).

I am intrigued about Harbor Freight, but I really can't find myself buying anything that plugs in there.... unless for a single job, or a very basic tool. The only thing I have bought from them is a tire bead breaker, and motorcycle wheel balancer. However, those who say they use them all the time may be on to the best kept secret.

 

[sonnus]

I would be very weary of the Rigid warranty. It is very vague and has MANY loop holes that allow them to break it. Also the warranty is actually for the lifetime of the tool, not your lifetime (so I've been told).

I just read the Ridgid lifetime service agreement and it doesn't seem vague at all. They cover the chuck (these always wear out on me within 3-4 years), brushes, batteries, switches, gears or anything else that could wear out. This is a "limited-time" offer and is in addition to their standard 3 year warranty. If I was buying a new cordless tool this would be very hard to beat. They also have a 90 day satisfatction guarantee.

I guess I'm a sucker for these lifetime warranties. I only buy Craftsman mechanics tools too because of their warranty. I left a ratchet out in the rain once and it rusted up solid, they exchanged it without any questions.

 

[stugray]

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

 

[sonnus]

"looks like you had about a 4 foot cheater bar on that" I said "no 6 feet!"

lmao

 

[Miller_Time]

Almost every major hand and power tool brand (other than the china knock-offs) is made, or owned by one of three parent companies. I (and others) have posted the family tree here before so I will leave it to you folks to find it.

Yes B&D owns the company that makes DeWalt tools but DeWalt tools are not B&D tools.

I am very familiar with the family tree, and I completely agree they are the same company, but very different tools. Dewalt and Black and Decker share no parts between the two.