Milwaukee 14.4v cordless drill - which to buy?

I am in the market for a cordless drill / driver. I'm not interested in one of the cheaper 3/8" drills (Skil, B&D, etc.) but for my modest DIY uses I probably don't need the top-of-the-line pro models either.

Being very happy with Milwaukee jigsaw I've bought a few years ago, I'm leaning towards one of their 14.4v 1/2" dril / drivers. The specific models are the 0612-22 Compact Series drill and the 0616-24 Lok-Tor drill. The 0612 is a bit smaller and lighter, but the Lok-Tor beats it in torque (460 vs. 390) and run time. The Lok-Tor also has a side handle. One think that bothers me about the Lok-Tor is that it is a "new" product; in most cases this is a good thing, but in this case I really want to hear that the new product is better (esp. considering Milwaukee is under new ownership).

Pricewise, it looks like the Lok-Tor 0616 will run me about $20 more than the 0612.

So, what I'd like to hear are any reccomendations between these two models from someone who has used both. If you feel strongly that I should the 18V model, or get a different brand (Panasonic, DeWalt, etc.) let me know that too. Thanks.

Reply to
jrbdmb
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I have the 18v Dewalt set. Powerful, heavy and some times hard to get into places. Did I mention heavy?

If your just doing some DIY stuff I suggest that you consider the Chicago brand by Harbor Freight. Last time I looked their 18 v drill was 40 bucks. Personally if and when I need another cordless I will consider the 14.4v stuff. Size is important when trying to get the drill into places. I own corded drills that go up to half inch so power is not a problem. It is not that big of a deal to string a cord for me at least.

Reply to
SQLit

If this is your one and only drill, you might want the more powerful one.

Reply to
AL

I have one of the original Milwaukee 14.4 cordless drills. I use it almost every day...it's been busy these last few days. Not a hic-up for almost 5 years.... 1/2" variable speed with clutch. I'd do that again in a heart-beat.

Reply to
Robatoy

Why? Corded drills are horrible screwdrivers. Any drill can drill a hole. What sets a good cordless drill apart is its ability to drive screws (via a clutch and electric brake).

Reply to
AL

If it is his one and only drill he should consider getting a much cheaper corded one first.

Reply to
Leon

Everyone should have a corded drill as their primary/backup

So that when those wonderful battery powered ones die 3/4 of the way through a job, you don't have to wait for the battery to recharge.

And don't start the "they should have a second battery ready in the charger all the time" argument. As no one ever does.

If you can plug in a charger, you can plug in a drill.

And to be honest, a REAL SCREWDRIVER works great too, a bit slower, but NEVER has to be recharged or plugged in

AMUN

Reply to
Amun

Put me in the "me too" crowd here also. One battery is always in the charger (Milwaukee has trickle charge, so no harm is done to the battery this way, it actually keeps the battery from discharging by itself), the other on the drill.

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ If you're gonna be dumb, you better be tough +--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Reply to
Mark & Juanita

Milwaukee manual indicates that no harm will come to battery by leaving it on the charger. I probably didn't phrase this right, the trickle charge is not constant, but the charger keeps the battery near full charge, re-charging when it drops some (don't know what the threshold is).

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ If you're gonna be dumb, you better be tough +--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Reply to
Mark & Juanita

I just find something else to do as the battery charges. It only takes an hour or so.

Have you ever tried driving a 3" screw using a manual screwdriver?

Reply to
AL

As a hobbyist, I question the need for a backup for any tool. It is a great way to save money.

Reply to
AL

I have one. Somewhere. Actually I found it a few weeks ago, after not using it for at least five years, but had lost the chuck key. Oh well, it's a lump o-junk anyway. I simply put it back where I found it. No harm.

Buy decent tools and they won't dissapoint you. I bought a 12V Makita over ten years ago. While the batteries are starting to go, it's still useful (as are the other tools I bought using the same batteries). My main drill now is a Porter Cable that makes the Makita look sick. ...both are usefull though. If I needed to drill a 2" hole in a concrete wall, no I wouldn't use a cordless drill.

Perhaps stipid people don't. One of my batteries (from any tool) is always in the charger. The day before I do a significant work I swap and charge them. As others have said, it only takes an hour to charge a battery.

The charger is in the basement on my workbench. The drill (right now) is in the bathroom behind me, where I used it all day. Let me guess, you only use the drill to clean the buggers out of your nose. Heh, my beard trimmer is cordless too. Go figgr.

You *must* be a troll (and not the brightest one in tha pack). Try driving a few thousand deck screws by hand.

Reply to
keith

If it's a NiCd or NiMH battery, a constant trickle charge isn't good for it. I leave mine go, until I know I'm going to need it. I charge one the day before, then swap batteries after the "uncharged" one gets a little light.

Reply to
keith

Hmmm... I bought my Dewalt 18v cordless drill, and I haven't used my corded one since. No reason to. And, as a matter of fact, I do usually have a second battery ready in the charger. As soon as I take a battery out of the drill because it's dieing, it gets slapped into the charger. Even when I was building my deck, I wasn't able to out-pace the batteries. They charge in an hour, and it took me longer than that to wear them out.

Clint

Reply to
Clint

Agreed. When there's heavy work to do, a cordless drill just doesn't cut it as far as I'm concerned. I've got a Milwaukee 12v cordless and I use it whenever I can, but my 120v Milwaukee hammer drill is there and gets used when the going gets really tough.

Reply to
Upscale

Great, you've got yourself a very capable cordless unit. Good for you. I'm sure that next you're going to us that the cordless DeWalt will outpower any and all corded drills.

Reply to
Upscale

Perhaps. Mine has not been touched since I got a cordless about 5 years ago.

I have two ready to go.

Right, but the charger will charge a battery a few feet from the receptical while the battery powered drill can be taken hundeds, thousands, of feet away and still work, no extgensio cord needed. Damned handy to have cordless up on the roof.

True, but putting in those 2 1/2" screws up on the second floor for shutters was much faster using a powered tool.

People used to ride horses and cut firewood with hand saws too, but few will today. But don't let me stop you from enjoying old technology.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

New chargers shut down, not trickle. Maybe some cheap ones still do.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

IMHO, bullshit.

I used an 18 VDC DeWalt driving a 3" hole saw to cut a hole in the aft end of the keel for the propshaft tube of the boat I'm building.

Drilled a hole thru 3/4" of epoxy and double bias knitted glass.

By comparison, drilling that same hole thru a piece of hickory is a piece of cake.

Had to replace the bimetal hole saw, but the drill is still working.

BTW, my corded drill is a 1/2" right angle unit for drilling large holes with a hole saw.

Lew

Reply to
Lew Hodgett

This reply is not just for you but ALL who say their cordless drills are wonderful.

I have one too, in a kit with a little circular and jig saw, flashlight, etc that all works on the same battery

But only use it when absolutely necessary, eg. working on a roof/ladder or crawling under a building when I only need to drill a few holes or make a small quick cut

Over the years I have worked with many who ALSO laughed at me for preferring "ancient technology" with extension cords.

And just about every day one of the cordless people would be asking for a loan of my corded drill. Usually as they ran out of batteries, and were lost.

Batteries go bad, don't always make a good connection in the charger, get dropped and break, or charger cords get kicked out of plugs and no one notices until its too late.

And sometimes on sites with lots of people walking around,.....batteries and chargers left unattended just vanish.

Nobody seems to care about taking my extension cord and scratched up metal casing drill, and if they try I'll know it right away

The ones who had batteries borrowed the corded drill as theirs just were not powerful enough to handle jobs.

Try drilling though concrete or 3' of wood with a cordless drill or any use where you will be using it for more than a few minutes steady. Those batteries just won't stand up.

Corded will still go until you can't hold it anymore or the drill is smoking.

When I go to a site where there is no power, I bring along a small generator. It powers the drill and anything else I need

While you keep running thousands of feet every hour or so to get a fresh batteries, all I need is within a few feet.

In closing to all who think cordless is a MUST.

What did you do 10 years ago ???

All tools have their pros and cons. The best thing for one person is not necessarily the best for all.

But again to the OP. If you have no drill yet, you will see that there are lots of opinions.

AMUN

Reply to
Amun

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