Which brand 18v cordless drills (1 Viewer)

[Radd Cruisers]

I've had Makita, Dewalt, Millwaukee, Bosch, Black & Decker and many other brands of tools - used mostly for industrial stuff.

Makita has been hands-down better than the others that I have owned (the Bosch saw has been pretty good though).

The really old B&D stuff was pretty darned good, but that all fell apart some time around the early '80s, and then B&D stuff became complete garbage, and the Dewalt line is only a tad better.

If you're going to get into the cordless stuff: 18V with Li-ion batteries and spend the extra and get the higher amp draw tools (3A compared to 1.5A I think is what they are). Higher voltage/higher current is almost always going to work much better than similar tools with lower volt and amp ratings.

Quite a few of the tradesmen in my area laugh and say that Yellow power tools are for beginners.


~John

 

[WristPin]

I have a snap on drill. its 18 volt.

had it for about 4 years. just the other it just flat out died

was real nice for a while. but now im not gonna buy another one. except i always hated the Jacobs key less chuck.

i beem looking at the dewalt units. i want lithium ion, but they only make em in a weenie 3/8" chuck.

the hammer drill XRP is sick but i havent really got to use one for more than a few weeks. thats the one im probably gonna go after

 

[harshmarsh]

I've been a carpenter for 10 years and have used all of the major brands and always go back to dewalt. Now I go to pawn shops with a block of wood, a few 4 inch wood screws and buy every 18v dewalt xrp drill I can find. I bought a full cordless 18v dewalt set (drill, saw, impact driver) for $100 a month ago.
They have good ergonomics, pretty tough, the clutches last the longest, cheap to have rebuild, and all standard (non-lithium) batteries are the same.

 

[bigbrowndog]

Last week I was installing a Venetian blind in an office and my 18v Hitachi got knocked off the window sill and fell 800mm [approx 31 inches] landing on the vinyl covered floor. I was shocked that the thing had snapped in half at the handle, adjacent to the trigger area. Two crappy thin plastic plates is all that holds it together there. My personal 18V Dewalt is starting to smoke and will be replaced with another Dewalt.

 

[crashn]

Ok! I have numerous Dewalt 18 volt drills and hammer drills. They are used by different tradesmen every day and I have found the transmissions in these drills are junk. Yep I said it and mean it. If you are a homeowner and don't mind paying to much for these tools and only use them on ocasions then go for it. I have replaced the transmissions on 70% of these drills. The transmissions only cost around $28.00 on the net. Some drills I have replaced the trans. twice. They start slipping, as in striped gears.
I am now in the process of using Hitachi and really like what I have seen so far. If you are not using (abusing) your drill on a regular basis then anyone you buy will work for a long time.

 

[Everett80]

I've used most of the major brands and currently have and absolutely love my Milwaukee's. They go forever and are TOUGH. Much more durable than any other brand I've used. Metal transmission and chuck, high quality plastics, have dropped my drill from 6' onto concrete with nothing more than a couple light surface marks. yeah it's a little more bulky than others, but it's worth it IMHO. The battery goes on the grip two ways which is nice. I demo'd a Hilti a year ago, and that thing was amazing... left my buddies Snap-On in the dust. My pockets aren't that deep though!

I really don't like Dewalts... Some of their older stuff is decent, but for the price, there is better. Rigid's are a good deal for what they are - they have a great warranty and are a good price, but are just so-so in performance and durability. Again... Everybody loves my red tools... I recommend them to everybody.

 

[debushau]

Makita is the best I've owned (compared to Bosch, Milwaukee) aside from Festool. Festool is really good but it's hard to justify the price for the same basic functionality.

 

[Desert40]

Hilti makes an 18 volt li-ion set with an impact wrench and a hammer drill, kinda spendy but will just about twist your arm off. great tools

 

[autobon7]

I like the Bosch Brute, seems to have more a** than others I have tried.

 

[Pin_Head]

I have had B&D, Makita, Dewalt and others. They all outlast their batteries and replacing the batteries is about as expensive as buying a new drill set. The most recent was a Chinese made Kawasaki at Costco for $50 with 2 batteries and a charger. It has lasted the same as the other ones: about 3 years. Sure enough, replacement batteries were $30 each. I bought another Kawasaki set for about $60. If I was making my living with it, I might have bought a more expensive one.

 

[Joe_E]

I have had B&D, Makita, Dewalt and others. They all outlast their batteries and replacing the batteries is about as expensive as buying a new drill set. The most recent was a Chinese made Kawasaki at Costco for $50 with 2 batteries and a charger. It has lasted the same as the other ones: about 3 years. Sure enough, replacement batteries were $30 each. I bought another Kawasaki set for about $60. If I was making my living with it, I might have bought a more expensive one.

That seems to be par for the course.
When both of my Milwaukee bats died I figured the cost of two new bats so i went and bought a whole new set for a couple more bucks.

 

[fsusteve]

tool opinions are always varied. I'm a huge Makita fan, deviated once and bought a dewalt 18v drill and totally regretted it in a few months. I recently got a porter cable li-ion and am really happy with that little drill, used it on several boat projects and the batteries last forever.

 

[woody]

I've got Ryobi cordless stuff...with LiIon batteries...all from Home Depot

Drill
Hammer Drill
Impact
Sawzall
Angle Grinder

The angle grinder alone was my biggest reason for Ryobi...that has proven very useful in camp for welding prep and driveshaft mods...

The LiIon batteries have been great...they run full throttle and then just stop. No winding down at all.

Just added the hammer drill, and it made easy work with six 1/2" concrete holes.

 

[batcon]

I also got a cordless grinder with my Makita set. I brought it with me on a wheeling trip with some other mudders where one of the guys had a problem and needed one. Were they suprised when I pulled that tool out.

 

[bullbars45]

Millwaukee is what the Mrs just got me recently for my birthday 18 volt drill and impact driver combo pack , sure they are heavy but metal is , compared to plastic , she did a lot of searching for the best prices, warranty, and quality , kinda what i did when i was looking for a mrs now i just need to find a job for them to do

 

[Frankencruiser]

I'll second the ryobi cordless. I have several and none have given me any problems.

 

[JonPalmer]

I would go with the Makita, I have alot of the Dewalt 18v tools and the batteries suck they are the biggest pain to get off the tool when they're on and then they don't secure to the tool very well and have the tendancy to fall off in the worst of places often causing damege to something when they land.

I will never buy another Dewalt tool.

 

[SM Racing]

I have a Hitachi 18V lithium Ion and it is great. I use it everyday. It is lightweight and the 1.5AH battery last forever. I also have the matching recirpocating saw. It could use a bigger battery, but it works great for everything I put into it. I am going to order the 18V impact and a couple of 3.0AH batteries. That should give me a little more life on the saw and keep the 1.5AH for the drill and driver. Keeps the weight down and the balance perfect.

 

[scottm]

I've has a Bosch for a couple years, doing well. Guys at the shop go through them pretty quick, borrow each others, several have gone to Bosch after using mine and are happy with them. I went a little bigger to get the 1/2" chuck, most guys prefer lighter models.

All the brands seem to go up and down in quality. Some years all the guys go with one brand, then a few years later they have problems with that brand and switch to another.

 

[toy4xfun]

Ridgid!