I need a new drill (1 Viewer)

[White Shark]

Between Cookiemonster and myself, we have:


Milwaukee

4x 18v Cordless Hammerdrills
2x Super Hawgs (makes a Hole Hawg look like a toy)
1x Hole Hawg
1x Drywall shooter
1x 12v caulking gun
3x 18v cordless Sawzalls
3x corded Sawzalls
1x corded metal shear
1x corded fiber-cement shear
2x 18v cordless circular saws
1x 4.5" angle grinder
1x 7" angle grinder


Bosch

1x Bosch Brute 66 lb jackhammer
1x 18v Cordless Hammerdrill
2x Bosch 1-1/8" SDS-plus Roto Hammer
1x Bulldog 7/8" SDS-plus Roto Hammer
1x Corded hammerdrill 1/2"
1 corded 3/8" drill
2x 4.5" angle grinder
2x jigsaws

Makita

1x Roto Hammer 7/8"
1 corded recip saw
see below...

....and a crap load of other drills including at least 5 Porter Cable 14.4v and 12v cordless' that suck, a bunch of older 9.6v Makitas (at least 3 different generations), a couple of $weet Panasonic cordle$$ drill$, a Porter Cable corded drywall gun, and a few others that I know we have, but am too tired to think about. The last time I checked, we had something like 30 saws of different types and configurations, much less the dozen or so nail guns and pneumatic staplers...


The reasion I list this crap is to show what we buy for professional use. Panasonics, Bosch, and Milwaukee are the way to go. Hitachi stuff is usually good too, we have 6 Hitachi nailers, and they are great, but I've never used their screwguns or drills.

I've never used the Rigids either, but everyone says the battery warranty is good.

You can never go wrong with Makita. I've never owned a bad Makita drill, but I like the Milwaukee and Bosch ergonomics better. Just a personal choice. I would never have any issues with buying Makita.

I'd stay away from the 28v. If you are drilling with a holesaw all day long in a remote location or an attic, that might be the way to go, but you'll kill your arm from the constant weight. An 18v is a much better option for all day use. It will still do the big jobs without killing you.


Just one Contractor's opinion....

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[NaterGator]

Just one Contractor's opinion....

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Do you actually show up??

 

[White Shark]

Do you actually show up??

Heck no. I'm far too busy. I'm out buying tools.....

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[atoyot]

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.

I will have to agree with you. I have broken to many generic tools. My last drill didn't last very long (Craftsman it was a gift). I just want the best for my money. It looks like Panasonic sounds really good but really pricey. I havn't found any negative reviews on that brand yet. It's looking like Makita, Porter cable, milwaukee or Bosch.

 

[Johnnymiz]

craftsman cordless drills are made by ryobi....
not in the same league with milwaukee,makita,etc.

 

[PHBeerman]

I will have to agree with you. I have broken to many generic tools. My last drill didn't last very long (Craftsman it was a gift). I just want the best for my money. It looks like Panasonic sounds really good but really pricey. I havn't found any negative reviews on that brand yet. It's looking like Makita, Porter cable, milwaukee or Bosch.

What are you going to use the drill for?

 

[Dave-T]

I voted for Hitachi without hesitation. We have worn out several Boschs and this thing just keeps going. It's a 14 volt impact driver, very sweet.

 

[greenmonster304]

The panisonic is great. it has a well balanced feel to it, tons of power, long batery life, and short charge time. I have 2 and plan to buy the new lithium one.

 

[Eric Winkworth]

My dad has had a few year old dewalt drill dropped in a bucket of paint, which screwed it.. brought it too the re work dewalk place and the guy handed him a RW drill....

Now what more could you want..

 

[atoyot]

What are you going to use the drill for?

Whatever it can handle. Drilling wood, steel, screwing. I do all my own work on my house and vehicles so I want something that will last and handle abuse (like my cruiser).

 

[bsevans]

I've got a Rockwell T-handle 3/8 triple gear reduction corded drill I've been using since '73 that looks like hell but keeps on ticking.
I also have a Milwaukee Hole Hawg that has drilled thousands of holes from small to as large as 4" OD. I have had it since '73. My only complaint with the Milwaukee is that it has broken two wrists.

 

[JayMilla]

If you are buying cordless go panasonic.
If you are plugging it in go Milwaukee, hands down. I have a 1/2 inch magnum hammer drill that has drilled tens of thousands of holes in concrete(I install carpet) and has served with distiction for 10 years now.

 

[NMuzj100]

A nice review of the reviews here ...

Consumersearch on cordless drills

They like the Panasonic and the Bosch. I've never bought one of the better brands but my Craftsman 14.4v batteries are shot after only 2 years of very light service (house repairs ect...).

I'm not sure the Lithium-Ion batteries are going to be the best choice for a while

"A unique drawback of the Li-ion battery is that its life span is dependent upon aging from time of manufacturing (shelf life) regardless of whether it was charged, and not just on the number of charge/discharge cycles.
At a 100% charge level, a typical Li-ion laptop battery that is full most of the time at 25 degrees Celsius or 77 degrees Fahrenheit, will irreversibly lose approximately 20% capacity per year. The capacity loss begins from the time the battery was manufactured, and occurs even when the battery is unused."​

 

[atoyot]

A nice review of the reviews here ...

Consumersearch on cordless drills

They like the Panasonic and the Bosch. I've never bought one of the better brands but my Craftsman 14.4v batteries are shot after only 2 years of very light service (house repairs ect...).

[/INDENT]

My craftsman batteries gave me a orange light (i think) after a couple years when I plug them in which I think means they are bad but I found out if I unplug the cord and plug it back in to the wall quickly the light turns red and the batteries charge fine. The drill itself is what finally gave out. The batteries are still kicking after 7 or 8 years.

 

[jts560]

Anyone have experience with the Festool drills? Spendy, but supposedly do not wear out, ever. I have a Dewalt and have had no problems.

 

[nikos8]

Hilti. Worth the extra $.

 

[spressomon]

Festool. Their drill is on my list...but I have other Festool tools and they're as well designed/manufacturered as they say.

 

[archie]

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.

Why not sell the cruiser? . When gas gets to be 4 buck a gallon like in Europe you'll wish you had a least a Sami and corolla. Going to pick up a pack a cigarettes at the convenience store with a Cruiser is like cutting butter with a chain saw. If price didn't matter anybody could buy each of the major brands. Drills are more disposible than most major kitchen appliances, most people replace them rather than repair them. How many people have repaired their drill and how much did they pay? Just imagine the labor and parts.
The 10 dollar counter sink tool at home depot is only good till the drill falls off the table and snaps off the bit. At that point you'll be switching bits again and again on the same drill. Drills are not the same as cars in terms of price, size of storage, and the amount of daily use (unless it's your trade), so the comparision is not justifiable. If you are in the trade you should have already looked into trade magazines such as Fine Woodworking or Fine Homebuilding for their reviews of the drill products.
Good tools are great. OK tools will still do the job. Sometimes it's not the tool but the technique.

 

[archie]

Here's a good example of how "good quality" products have inconsistent quality.
https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=126985&highlight=drill+cordless

 

[archie]

If your think of drilling through some rock and want to know which is the best drill, go to a forum were all the rock climbers. They are always drilling holes on some sport routes for bolts a loooong ways from the nearest electrical outlet in some of the extreme environmental conditions.
http://www.rockclimbing.com/cgi-bin..._string=cordless drills;guest=11906797#337732