Clutch drills

[Mike S.]

What is a clutch drill? What's the difference between a clutch drill and a regular/non-clutch drill? Which one would be better for a beginner?

[Eigenvector]

A clutch drill will disengage when it meets a certain amount of resistance - nominally it keeps the drill from ruining whatever it's screwing in, or keeps it from breaking drill bits, or I guess keeps it from driving screws in too far or marring the surface. I haven't seen one that could be controlled enough to prevent a screw from sinking beneath a wood surface but I don't really care about a clutch anyway. I'm sure one of the old hands here will have a better description though.

As for which is better for a beginner - you can always turn the clutch up so high that your wrist would snap before the clutch disengaged or you can not worry about it until you run into a situation where you'll need to use a clutch.

[RayV]

Dewalt 959K currently underpriced at Lowes for ~$99

[Lawrence]

I have never seen a clutch on a corded drill. Every cordless drill has them from what I have seen. A clutch is a nice feature but not necessary for a beginner. A beginner should first buy a corded drill and many will agree.

Most situations have electric available and corded drills have more power, last longer, and are cheaper than the cordless ones. When you stop liking your corded drill then you can look a cordless ones. One tip: be sure to buy a drill with a 1/2" chuck. With the 3/8" you are limited as to what size of bit you can use. Really, I think the 3/8" could be dropped and no one would notice or complain. It's only the maximum chuck-opening and has nothing else to do with the performance of the drill.

[Jeff Wisnia]

You never heard of reduced shank drills?

Really, I think the 3/8"

In theory, that is. Generally, the larger the maximum chuck opening, the more powerfull the drill.

And, for a "beginner" I believe a drill with a 1/2" chuck would likely be a needless overkill.

Jeff

[Harry Muffe]

I disagree.

Get the very best drill you can afford and it will last a lifetime. A

3/8" chuck is insufficient for future needs..

My favorite brand is Milwaukee, followed by Boshe, and De Walt.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Agree that no tool is "too good" even for a beginner. I went to the store to buy a Bosh, but came home with a Panasonic. Nice feel, plenty of power with the 15.6 volt, yet it is smaller than may 14.4 models.

[dpb]

But Harry seems to confuse size w/ quality... :)

By his logic we should all have 3/4" magnetic mount monsters because "future use" might require it... :(

There are reasons to still have 1/4" as well as 3/8" and 1/2" in the tool drawer...

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[businessman]

For a beginner, get one of these. Far less chance of having a catastrophic disaster.

[Lawrence]

Since you seem to be talking to me here is my reply: I am familiar with reduced shank drills, so what? It does not elminate the need for a 1/2" chuck. Some drills and attachments will not fit a 3/8" chuck. That is a fact.

In general that is true. What it also true is that the exact same drill is often available with both sized chucks. I owned a 3/8" drill when I started but discovered it's limitation right away. I will not buy another and do not reccomend them. Most who buy a 3/8" drill are simply not aware of it's limited capacity.

To call is needless overkill is a needless exaggeration. The maximum opening of the chuck does not affect it's usefulness to a beginner in any way except that if you buy a 3/8" drill you almost always eventually regret it and have to buy another to replace it.

[Dave Martindale]

The best first drill for someone's needs is more likely to be a good- quality 3/8 inch unit than one with a 1/2 inch chuck. The extra chuck capacity might be useful very occasionally, but the half-inch drill will

*always* be heavier to hold and take up more space. It will also generally be geared lower to give more torque and lower RPM than a 3/8 inch drill, which is good for large bits but worse for small bits.

My father had both a good 1/2 inch drill and a cheap B&D 3/8 inch unit. We used the latter 95% of the time. Now I have corded and cordless 3/8 inch drills, and I've almost never wanted a 1/2 inch handheld drill.

In almost all cases, when drilling a hole larger than 3/8 inch, I want to use the drill press anyway. And that has a 1/2 inch chuck.

Dave

[Edwin Pawlowski]

In the case of corded drill, yes, especially the industrial strength 1/2" drill that take two hands to hold. In the case of many battery drills, no. My Panasonic 15.6 with 1/2" chuck is lighter and easier to use than a couple of Porter Cable and Ryobi tools with the 3/8" chuck.

[dpb]

But what about torque and rpm range(s)?

(Devil's advocate :) )

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[dpb]

Lawrence wrote: ...

I'd say for most "beginner" uses, the higher rpm and lighter/smaller form factor far outweigh the advantage of the larger chuck capacity. I'd also say the other, if determined to be needed, doesn't "replace" the original but "augments" it...

IMO, ymmv, $0.02, etc., etc., ... :)

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[Edwin Pawlowski]

That is exactly why generalizations are generally wrong. The typical 1/2" corded drill of old was a monster that had maybe 500 rpm and lots of torque, thus the auxiliary handles. Today, many cordless tools have a chuck of 1/2" capacity, but nowhere near the torque and they operate a higher rpms, often two ranges on a variable speed. Not at all comparable to the industrial sized drills.

[Dave Martindale]

So, does it have enough torque to actually drill a 1/2" hole in metal? If not, what's the point of having a 1/2" chuck?

Dave

[John Doe]

Well, I guess it means the drill has a clutch.

A clutch is probably most used for driving screws and tightening nuts so you don't overtighten (after you get familiar with the clutch/torque settings).

Cordless drills are the only way to go. I think they all have a clutch. A clutch is great IMO.

You bypass the clutch when you drill. You don't want the drill bit to stop. Keeping the drill bit from binding is what the specific drill setting that bypasses the clutch is for.

Good luck and have fun.

[dpb]

...

:)

But the more realistic comparison is between like beasties -- tailless to tailless; tailed to tailed makes much more sense. And, rarely are

1/2" cordless comparable to the 3/8" cordless, either...at least, if one makes the comparisons at equivalent quality/price points.

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[Edwin Pawlowski]

Not as well as the industrial tools, but yes, it can drill a hole in metal, but there are other bits with half inch shanks for other purposes too and materials too. Saves the trouble of turning down the shanks to fit the smaller chuck.

[John Doe]

Drills have a drill setting that bypasses the clutch. I think the overriding concern is that you don't want the drill bit to bind. If you used a clutch setting for drilling, I think you would be asking for trouble.