I need a new drill

Best Drill?

  • Dewalt

    Votes: 26 22.2%

  • Makita

    Votes: 24 20.5%

  • Hitachi

    Votes: 9 7.7%

  • milwaukee

    Votes: 36 30.8%

  • other

    Votes: 22 18.8%
  • Total voters
    117

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JJS said:
Metabo has a great line, too. Pricey. A place I used to work was carrying a little cordless 3/8" metabo. It was tiny and had a two-way rocker switch. It had as much torque as a 14v.
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ditto hilti on this, one of the installers sent up to help us with a job had a 12v hilti that had equivalent torque, longer battery life, and was a helluvalot lighter than my dewalt 14.4xrp, weight might not seem like a big deal, but when you are working above your head, awkward positions etc, it is nice to have what strength you can muster to push the drill, not just hold it.

http://www.us.hilti.com/holus/modules/prcat/prca_navigation.jsp?OID=-12200
http://www.us.hilti.com/holus/modules/prcat/prca_navigation.jsp?OID=-12199
 
When i worked at a woodworking shop my favorite cordless was a bosch, very nice feel, good trigger that is easy to modulate torque with (i dont use that clutch s***, i just touch the screws in till they are good and solid, which requires finesse with melamine).

As far as cordless, the only drill that could hold up to our kreg hole jig was a hitachi. We burned up a dewalt and a black and decker in no time at all. The hitachi is still going after about 3 years. Dewalts really suck too.....
 
I rotate 2 different 1/2" drills monthly - a Makita (gets the vote) & a fairly new Milwaukee. Back when I modified my Hummer rims, by holesawing 32 holes (2 3/4" bit) thru 3/8" plate centers, the Milwaukee's motor would heat up faster & I could cut more holes with the cooler running Makita. I recently had my Makita serviced after 4-5 years of constant duty & the repair was minor. My 1st drill was an industrial Craftsman, which was a step below both mentioned above.
 
baxter650 said:
If yer talkin 120 jolt, i got a Millwaukee 1/2" Holeshooter, big torque in a 3/8" style drill. Have to be real careful with it cause it will trash your wrist. If you get one remove the trigger lock.
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If you go with a corded I recommend the Bosch rotary hammer with the dual chuck option (SDS or keyed chucks)... it works as a hammer with the snap in bits or with the keyed chuck for regular bits. Great tool.
 
I have a Milwaukee 18v 1/2" drill/hammer-drill...I love it...plenty of power...had it about 6 years now...one battery died (wouldn't take a charge) and I sent it off to the refurb people on ebay, $35 later I had a new higher rated battery (they take your old battery pack and put new batteries in it) that rocks...now my other battery just did the same thing..so need to send that off also...
 
I think it might be a better question to ask what drills you dont like, it seems like someone has said they like every brand there is so far (except dewalt, they suck).
 
hitachi, milwaukee or german made bosch all seem good. dewalts and milwaukees are lighter and easier to use but don't seem to last.

i'd look for a good sale price and useful extras like an extra battery or other stuff.

i've got an 18v milwaukee hammer 1/2". It heats up if you let the armature get dusty or run it too long but it is a great drill. I got it on sale in one of those 3 in 1 kits with a flashlight and skilsaw for not much more than the drill was standalone. the flashlight with the pivot head has turned out to be an awesome thing and the skilsaw is great for trim work. I've since added a matching sawzall so I now have 5 batteries and two chargers.


check where the drill you are buying is made. cheaper bosch drills are made in mexico,
 
ive got a dewalt and makita,the dewalt two years old drains batteries bad ,the makita is 10 years old and still works great
 
Batteries will go bad evantually even if you don't use them. If you can try to space them out so they don't go out at the same. Yep both of mine already to.

mabrodis said:
I have a Milwaukee 18v 1/2" drill/hammer-drill...I love it...plenty of power...had it about 6 years now...one battery died (wouldn't take a charge) and I sent it off to the refurb people on ebay, $35 later I had a new higher rated battery (they take your old battery pack and put new batteries in it) that rocks...now my other battery just did the same thing..so need to send that off also...
Click to expand...
 
drill it

As a professional cabinet/furniture maker for the last 25+ years I've had nothing but great luck with Makita. Check out Makita's impact. On the job I get **** about my "little" drill. My response? Let's go...chuck to chuck. I've broken more 18v Defaults with my "little 12v Makita. Gotta have fun at work, right?
 
My Panasonic is the nicest drill I've ever owned. But I can't say anything bad about Makita. I've owned a few and they held up well to my abuse. I replaced them only because the batteries wore out. So far the Li-ion batteries in my Panasonic have held up twice as long as the NiCad's in my old Makitas ever did.
 
Dewalt used to make them for Sanp On. I have the 18volt 3/8" Snap On impact as well as one of thier flashlight. My 18volt Dewalt batterys swap between all of them.

My Snap on rep also told that Dewalt used to make them for them.

WristPin said:
+1. But, minus the fo shizzle part. :confused:

Snap-On kills all the other drills.

This is the drill you want.

51289.JPG


this is the link to the Snappy page

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item...group_ID=19914&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog
Click to expand...
 
I've been using 14V Makita impact driver daily for the last two years or so and love it. I rarely use a regular drill unless I have to mix something or make a hole bigger than 1 1/2". With a box of quick connect drill bits and a box of spade bits, I've pretty much replaced my drill. Lots of driving power in a small package that doesn't tweak your wrist....
 
archie said:
I say buy alot of cheap drills. You'll probably not use it often(unless it's your daily tool) and if you got many drills you don't have to change bits too often. Example: one drill for pilot hole, one to create a countersink surface for the head, another to drive the screw in. Three seperate drills are best for this common type of function. All drills are not created equal but if an expensive drill is broken you'll spend some time and money to fix it. If a cheap drill breaks you still got two others to finish the job now and you can throw away the broken one.
I've got a bunch of cheap drills that I'm expecting to replace but they still keep going. My opinion is to save your money on great bits. Drills for masonary and steel use need better quality products than the cheaper drills.
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I agree. Sell your Cruisers and buy a bunch of cheap Samurais or Jeeps.

Lame advice. Buy a good tool and it only hurts once. I love my Bosch 18V and everybody I know who has one raves about it. I have several friends and family in the construction/contracting/millwork trades and they all swear by the Bosch stuff. Totally bomb-proof, all metal gears, torques like a 2F, and great batteries.

For the counter-sinking-with-three-drills jobs, spend the $10 on the counter-sinking tool at HomeDepot that has the pilot hole bit and countersinker on one side and the driver bit on the other so you just drill, flip, and drive. Great way around the three drill problem.
 
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