Best cordless drill?

Milwaukee 28 volt. Lighter weight, more power, longer run. This is a professional grade tool for the long haul. This stuff is new, as in the last few weeks. Saw and used some at a local tool show last Friday. Impressive.

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Reply to
DanG
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On a related note, can anyone recommend a good cordless for $100? My wife has a budget. :-(

Reply to
Bruce Barnett

Depends on what she is going to use it for, at that price a Panasonic 12 volt or maybe a Ryobi. Should last her a few years of home use.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

Reply to
Thomas Kendrick

I have had mixed experiences with Bosch products over the years. Most positive. That Panasonic is awful pricey. ( Maybe trying to get back some of that 400 million racing budget for that Toyota Formula 1 car?)

That's the rub. In many cases, by the time one needs to replace the batteries, the models have evolved into different voltages and sizes. Then what do you do? Buy new batteries and hope the drill itself will keep running? Cuz if it dies, you're out the money for the batteries.

Makes you wonder if that's the tool-people playing computer-people's games, eh? Planned- and progressive obsolescence.

I'm going to take my time on this one.

Reply to
Robatoy

I have had good success with an 18 V Ryobi for the past four years. Lots of people bad mouth Ryobi but my experience has been positive. Previously I had a Craftsman and a Makita and they did not compare.

Dick

Reply to
Richard Cline

But! How heavy is the thing? All the newer cordless I see have batteries that are substantially larger than my Milwaukee cordless.

Reply to
Upscale

Smaller than comparable 18 volt batteries.

Reply to
Robatoy

It's a B-Day present for me. And she likes to go to a real store and pick it up. So I'm looking at Home Depot, Lowes, Sears, etc. and haven't found anything exceptional. I has a Makita that suddently died, and I miss a cordless drill.

Right now I'm looking at some Craftsman models. I'm not a contractor.

Reply to
Bruce Barnett

I'm still very happy with my DeWalt, and I've put that thing through hell on more than a few occasions- of course, since you've already got them, I'm sure you know that for yourself. The only brand I've heard praised more highly in most professional shops is Bosch, though you note below that none of those are cordless.

As far as I can tell, the biggest difference between the excellent ones and the cheaper versions is battery life. If you're not all that concerned about that, you could probably get away with any of them, really. Obviously, an little Black and Decker cordless screwdriver isn't going to work for you, but I can't imagine that there is really that much difference between the name brands. As I said above, I like DeWalt, but I also really like my Porter Cable router. Once you get to a certain point, it's almost more a matter of the color you like and how well they fit your hand than any real performance issue, IMO.

Aut inveniam viam aut faciam

Reply to
Prometheus

Try this one:

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I haven't used it, but I've been impressed with Porter-Cable's quality. It's only 9.6v, but that may be all you need.

Aut inveniam viam aut faciam

Reply to
Prometheus

I would concur most manufacturers are all variations and knock off's of the same. It's all the same technology. Being unique and creative and coming out with the most innovative product isn't always the best for longevity. The problem with cordless is that they can make rather insignificant changes glue on a different model ID and sell you the same product virtually every six months!

Reply to
My M-14

To be honest the BEST Cordless drill is the drill that "feels" good in you hand... and is balanced to be used for long periods of time without causing you to become a weight lifter

I have several cordless...and the one i reach for most of the time is a 14.4 Milwaukee....my 18 V Dewalt is just too heavy .. BUT it too has its uses...

The Milwaukee is getting old (at least 5-6 years) and the batteries are just fine... The DeWalt is only 3-4 years old and its battaries are also just fine...

Just my opinion

Bob G.

Reply to
Bob G.

In a review on cordless drills I read (cannot remember where), there was one other difference. The cheaper drills used plastic gears and the more expensive had metal gears. That's not a rebranding issue - that's a real quality difference.

Bob

Reply to
BillyBob

I only have experience with DeWalt. Mine is now about two years old and I am extremely impressed with this tool! My drill is only 12V, but it's the XRP which I highly recommend (it's definitely more expensive). I bought an extra battery and charger (total three batteries) before starting the project of decking my attic. I was drilling some pilot holes and driving 3" sheetrock screws into the framing with no pilot holes. It was a four day project and I never needed the extra battery and charger because one battery would last long enough to charge the backup. The drill has plenty of power as well, and I like the variable speed trigger plus three ranges (geared).

I don't know about any other brands, but I have no reason to experiment. DeWalt has earned my brand loyalty.

For what it's worth, while my house was being built, almost every single contractor that I saw carried DeWalt tools. They're either great tools, or they are very good at marketing to the pros.

Tom

Reply to
tom_murphy

I only have experience with DeWalt. Mine is now about two years old and I am extremely impressed with this tool! My drill is only 12V, but it's the XRP which I highly recommend (it's definitely more expensive). I bought an extra battery and charger (total three batteries) before starting the project of decking my attic. I was drilling some pilot holes and driving 3" sheetrock screws into the framing with no pilot holes. It was a four day project and I never needed the extra battery and charger because one battery would last long enough to charge the backup. The drill has plenty of power as well, and I like the variable speed trigger plus three ranges (geared).

I don't know about any other brands, but I have no reason to experiment. DeWalt has earned my brand loyalty.

For what it's worth, while my house was being built, almost every single contractor that I saw carried DeWalt tools. They're either great tools, or they are very good at marketing to the pros.

Tom

Reply to
tom_murphy

You won't find anything exceptional at stores that cater to mediocrity. Look for a real industrial supply place. Here in CT we have Coastal Tools.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

Here's a thought. Start collecting on those unsolicited emails. That oughta up the budget.

scrub

Reply to
Scrub

Bruce Barnett wrote in news:d4n0nj$fpt$0$ snipped-for-privacy@netheaven.com:

I spent $180 or so a few years back for the Milwaukee 14.4V which is great. About a year ago, there was a Skil 14.4V on closeout at Lowes for $25, so I took a chance.

Doggone if that's not a nice little drill. It doesn't have near the torque or finesse of the Milwaukee, and the chuck is pretty rough, but it's a nice one to have around.

I find myself grabbing it first, for most light duty chores. So I'd say try a Skil - especially if you can find it for a steal of a deal price.

Reply to
Patrick Conroy

Panasonic or metabo. it depends on what you want. if you want a the most torque metabo is the king. it also has cool features like impulse drive and a one handed chuck.

Reply to
Steve Knight

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