After years of thinking I can get along without one, I've decided to buy a portable drill. What should I look for? Volts, Amps or what? Sears has one going on sale for $70. The ad says it has 14.4 volts. It doesn't mention amp. I want one that I'll be satisfied with.
Any advice would be appreciated.
John
After years of thinking I can get along without one, I've decided to buy a portable drill. What should I look for? Volts, Amps or what? Sears has one going on sale for $70. The ad says it has 14.4 volts. It doesn't mention amp. I want one that I'll be satisfied with.
Any advice would be appreciated.
John
I have a Ryobi 14.4 drill that came with two batteries, charger and a flashlight that was ~ $50. I am not a heavy user and it works great for me. My recommendation is to make sure you get two batteries. You don't want to wait for the other one two charge while you're building a deck or something. You may want to make sure it has the new battery type NiMh or something like that.
Doesn't that sort of depend on what you need the drill for? I mean, Mine is a hand-powered bit-brace.
Like everybody else, you will love it.
If you want cheap, you won't get the best features.
... a switch to lock out the clutch, so you don't have to rotate all the way around to the drill setting... if you don't also buy an impact driver, you'll be glad for that feature
... a single sleeve ratcheting chuck, not to be confused with the two-handed "keyless" garbage
... a choice of low/high or low/medium/high gears
... nickel metal hydride (NiMH) or lithium ion (Li-Ion) batteries instead of cheap/poisonous nickel cadmium (NiCad)
... two batteries, replacement batteries are expensive
... easily replaceable brushes
... light weight
Some swear by impact drivers for driving/removing screws.
If you can afford it and you don't need a very high powered drill, IMO Makita's duo (6935FDWDEX, impact driver plus drill) at Amazon.com looks awesome for $195 US after immediate $25 discount and free shipping.
If you can't afford both, you can get the drill for about $135 US after immediate $25 discount and free shipping. I think it includes all of the above mentioned features.
I have no loyalty whatsoever to Amazon.com or even Makita, and would encourage mention of other merchants and brands. But I do like those features, if I haven't missed any.
Good luck and have fun.
Or if you want to try one and see how it works, Harbor Freight has an 18 volt one for $20. Extra battery for $10.
Get a 12V one. I have a Makita and it can easily drive over 50 3" deck screws on a charge. Plenty of power and lighter than the higher voltage ones. After awhile the weight can get to you, especially if you are holding the drill overhead.
I would suggest less repeats and maybe some additional information. What will you be using it for. If you want to build decks, that would be one thing. Using it to put up the occasional curtain rod, that would be something else.
I would not suggest buying on any one factor (Volts amps etc.) they don't tell the whole story.
Assuming typical home use, not professional, I suggest going to the library and see what Consumer Reports magazine had to say about them the last time they did some test.
I have one of the DeWalt 14V jobs, I bought when the 14V was just out. I have been happy with it. But I don't use it every day as some professionals do. If you need professional use, stand by and one of the professionals around here will come in and make suggestions for that kind of use. Consumer Reports does not judge them for that kind of use.
A quality corded drill will give you many more years of service for the same money. Expect a cordless drill to die in a few years.
I quite agree- unless you expect to be working far from an outlet on a regular basis, or use the drill to make a living, cordless tend to die before they pay for themselves. (Not to mention, they all look like ray-guns lately, probably done by the same stylists that make trucks look like gigantic Hot Wheels cars.) I have a cordless, a 24v B&D that I impulse-bought off the closeout table at the Borg for $25. For the occasional small job, it is great. But when replacing the rotted stairs on the deck smoked my 30 year old B&D corded, I went out and bought a makita corded to replace it. That cordless just didn't have the torque or energy depth to even think about doing 100 deck screws with, in this old hard wood.
aem sends...
Are you looking for a salesman?
Assuming an ordinary person who does things around the house, yard, or car, the time/effort savings will make up for that many times over. Then there's the safety factor of not having a live cord get in the way when you are working. A cordless drill is a must-have for most drill users.
I have a cheap Skil 12 V cordless drill that has lasted for five years.
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Sep 2006 01:21:30 GMT)
Rich256 wrote in news:N00Mg.74254$ snipped-for-privacy@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net:
Rich:
There is one near me as well. Never bought anything there. I'm sure you've picked up winners and losers. How about naming a few of each?
I get the feeling HF purchases end up being either you got what you paid for or plain old lucky.
Al...
On Thu, 7 Sep 2006 16:48:58 -0400, with neither quill nor qualm, "badgolferman" quickly quoth:
I also have a Ryobi 14.4 and likee it. The old Skil 9.6v is still working for small drilling jobs, too, but the next one I buy is going to be a Bosch Impactor 14.4. They're extremely good for driving long deck screws in without even THINKING of stripping out the philips or square drive. Bosch is well made, lightweight, and shorter than most. It should fit where others wouldn't. I could pay $139 for the Ryobi impactor clone or about $200 for the Bosch kit. They'll be on sale next month when the Team Bosch show comes through town and I'll be on 'em like a hound in heat. They usually have $40 off coupons and the kits go for $243.
Try one out. You'll never think of your old rotary-only drills in the same way again. Just don't let your wife try it. You'll end up needing two.
On my job for many years, I have used a DeWalt 14.4VDC drill/hammerdrill. I would personally buy the SAME drill again.
I bought a reciprocating saw from Harbor Freight for $20. I've used it to cut branches from large bushes down and let the handyman I hired to replace my windowsills use it. After cutting one window sill out with it he claimed that was worth $20 right there. He also asked for my catalog.
If you use tools ocassionally or want to buy a specialty tool you'll use once or twice you can consider Harbor Freight tools. If you make your living with tools like this you want better quality and something that will last a long time.
Quality, Price, Service. Pick two. (I think that's how the adage goes).
I've had a Makita 9.6/12V for about 10 years. The batteries are going so I bought a 14.4V Porter Cable. Love it! The Makita rarely gets used anymore so I can save what's left of the batteries for the 3-5/8" cut-off saw and right angle drill that take the same battery.
The above drill is a *LOSER*. I bought a couple just to bang up. They weren't worth the shipping.
Winners: the 10" compound miter saw. One friend didn't like his so there may be a differing quality issue. Chip brushes, Nitrile gloves. $5 multi-meters.
There's a lot of that. ;-)
The quality there can be pretty low. However, in most cases like the drill you won't lose much. Good American Name :-) CHICAGO (Didn't know there was a Chicago China).
The drill is probably made by the same company of one marketed by an Auto Supply for about the same price. (Checker Auto = Parts America). They have one with the Coleman name:
I have one of their Chicago angle grinders that I bought for $19 three or four years ago. I have worked it hard. One of the handiest tools I have. Got a nail that is hard to remove. Just grind it off.
You might want to check your "yellow pages" and see if someone nearby repairs those old battery packs. They cut open the old pack and replace the cells and cement the package back together. I have never used the service but an In-law told me he was quite happy with the price and the results.
It would be a shame to have to junk some useful tools because the battery pack is getting long in the tooth.
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