Cordless Drill

DeWalt 12V.

There are a lot of good ones out there. For the money and not heavy duty use I like DeWalt. For most people I suggest a 12V or 18V model. 12 is lighter and should handle most anything most people may need.

In most cases, the batteries go before anything else. The 18V Ryobi is suitable for light use and the batteries are cheaper than most. The batteries for the new 18V are cheaper than the 12v or 14.4v so that is why I say get the 18v.

For heavy use, I'd go with the more expensive brands that will hold up better over time.

I would get the DeWalt 18 volt. It is a good drill. 12 volt is just a tad underpowered. I don't recall the cost, but must be in your general price range.

Good Luck !!

--James--

I asked Santa (I'm sleeping with her several times a week) for a Ryobi toolkit. It was 18V and came with a drill, a sawzaw, a circular saw, a flashlight, and a dustbuster-type vac. I got it! I think it rocks, I think it was about 139-169 dollars.

Daremo

Avoid Craftsman -- their batteries are really expensive to replace.

Dave

Battery specialty stores are popping up all over. Most can rebuild tool batteries for about half the price of new. That still might mean $30-40 for some hefty 18 V specimans, though. HTH

Joe

All the replacement batteries are over priced. It is like the safety razor and inkjet printer businesses. Give the printers away and make your money on the ink. When I bought my last printer I paid less for the printer after all the rebates than for my first replacement ink cartridges.

I have had good luck with Ryobi. I use them on my job and they hold up well for me. Also got a Firestorm one Christmas that has held up pretty well.

Bobby

Agreed. Cunning marketing beats quality most of the time. For my dollars, a corded drill is worth the extra effort to plug it in -- more reliable, lasts longer, cheaper when all costs are considered, and often more powerful.

Dave

In 90% of the cases, yes. The real problem with cords is when you are going on top of the roof, out to the mailbox post, etc. I remember the first ads for a cordless drill was a guy on top of a mast of a sailboat. You pay for the convenience.

Funny, I have been at the top of the mast on a sail boat doing repairs, many years ago.

Look up the Consumer Report article from a while back. The 18V Milwaukee and DeWalt were rated well then. There are some lower voltage recommendations, too, which, sorry, I can't recall. Based on that I bought the Milwaukee (on eBay!) and it has done quite well. I don't find the added heft at all a disadvantage, but YMMV. Good luck shopping.

Joe