You may want to consider the Panasonic 15.6V. It did well in reviews. Alternately, the Ridgid cordless drills offer lifetime battery replacement if you register the tool with them.
Dave is right. Today, they are probably all very good. It probably wasn't so 10-15 years ago. So, I'll throw in my favorite. I like the Bosch 14.4 volt. It has a 1/2" chuck and most importantly, the drill/chuck is a one hand unit. When the drill is off, the shaft locks. You don't have to hold a "back ring" to change bits. In fact, there is no back ring. I think that one feature makes the drill. I think they also make a higher voltage/higher torque unit, but I've never needed more torque than the 14.4. I have even used it with a single arm hole saw with plenty of power.
Dewalt 18V. Admittedly I'm biased somewhat because I now buy all Dewalt 18V cordless tools for battery compatability but I have never had a problem.
I have a BOSCH BRUTE 18v HAMMER drill. I picked this drill three years ago (JAN 04) over a near egual DeWalt. It will drive a 4" screw all day long. I still have and use the original batteries.
It's heavy; ask the guy walking by my ladder one day, as I dropped it to my side. Nice "knot" on his head :-)
-- Oren
"If things get any worse, I'll have to ask you to stop helping me."
The Panasonic has the best battery performance than any of the others as measured in Ah. If there is any drill that compares then I challenge you to post the link.
My 12V DeWalt drill (actually the batteries, drill was fine) died after 6 yrs. I just couldnt see replacing the 2 Batts @ $ 50.00 each when I could get the whole kit for $ 100.00 (later on sale for $ 89) Grrr.
I looked into a DeWalt 18V and found a "OneOnly" last years model (new) one at HD for $ 199.00
I was walking to the cashier with it when I passed the DW replacement battery display and saw they were $ 60.00 EACH !
$ 120.00 for Two batteries when they die.. So,
I got a RYOBI 18V Drill alone (Model P220 3 spd w/hammer drill function) $ 49.97
2 Batts $ 39.00 (for both) Charger $ 19.97
Total less than $ 110.00 .....less than JUST the batteries for the DW 18.
BTW, I found a DW 12V on sale for $ 89 with a $ 30 rebate so my cost (finally) for the replacement DW12 Batts ended up being $ 59 for two and I have a SPARE 12V drill and charger. Ahhh, the games they play..
Neither. The 18V are a bit too hefty for my use, the 9.6 not enough at times. I have a 14.4 Ryobi (junk) and a 15.6 Panasonic. The weight to power ratio of the Panasonic is much better, has a better balance in use. YMMV.
I just replaced My 8yo 14.4 Milwaukee(still works)with a new one.The old has seen lots of use and abuse on many jobs. I think the best advantage Dewalt has is they make a job radio with built-in charger,otherwise for the general price range I think Milwaukee has the edge.My faith in the brand started in the mid 80s when a Milw drywall gun(corded) outlasted the others We tried by far. I do'nt buy exclusively Milw tools but when I want something to perform daily for years it's the brand I try to go with.
Black & Decker, Dewalt, & Porter Cable are owned by the same company & use many interchangeable parts.
Milwalkee, Ryobi, AEG, DreBo, Homelite and Hoover are all products of the same Chinese company. That should tell you where the Milwalkee reputation is headed.
I know what you're implying but believe you're wrong. TTI, the parent of Milwaukee, etc., isn't really "Chinese" in the sense you're using it. It is actually based in Hong Kong which is night and day difference from mainland China despite the UK lease having reverted political control over the island. The two founders of TTI are a German and a Hong Kong native educated in UK (Warwick, no less), both with advanced degrees in engineering and/or business.
Milwaukee itself is still headquartered in Wisconsin and is also their R&D, manufacturing support, marketing, sales and information systems. Production facilities are in Greenwood, Jackson and Kosciusko, Mississippi; Blytheville, Arkansas and Matamoros, Mexico, for US products. For the products marketed directly in Europe or Asia/ Australia they also build the same products to the same standards overseas for those markets.
Ryobi pretty much also remains what it always was/is/is intended to be
-- an entry-level low-priced mass-market-targeted product line. To confuse it and Milwaukee simply because of common ownership is mistaken analysis.
TTI did begin (in 1985) w/ production facilities in China and began manufacturing products for Sears in '87, then parlayed that into acquiring the Ryobi deal w/ HD, then the Ridgid licensing arrangement, ultimately working their way into the high-end market by the purchase of AEG and Milwaukee. I see nothing in their operation that indicates anything other than a desire to continue to succeed as an overall company and to continue to compete in all market niches. To do that will require maintaining the brand loyalty the acquired brands have achieved and that is a stated corporate mission.
(I happen to know most of this from research I did when considering whether investment was good idea or not a couple of years ago...)
I was able to use a DeWalt for some time, before I bought my BOSCH. Done the same job and a solid tool (dropped a couple times from a ladder). My friend with the DeWalt, went and bought a BOSCH to add to his tools.
I marked and dated my batteries with a perm-felt pen. with the dates. The only way I knew how old the drill was:-) I see ads on Craigslist now and then offering to rebuild batteries (in CA). They need the case for a rebuild They promise a higher AH.
I was in a DeWalt repair center a few months back. Think they had a
36v(?)...
-- Oren
"The voices in my head may not be real, but they have some good ideas!"
Check your yellow pages under "Batteries". Chances are you'll find a rebuilder local to you. Chances are it'll be cheaper than shipping it off even if the cells are cheaper.
I once managed to find a web site that had, for example, 12v Dewalt compatible packs from 1.4AH up to almost 3AH (which is rather higher than my local rebuilder thought possible in Nicad, and you can't do 12v in lithium).
The 1.4AHs were around $22. The 3AHs were around $75US. Plus shipping (ouchie across the border), also US, plus taxes. Ick.
Here, new Dewalt 12V XRPs cost ~$80(CDN) at HD. My local rebuild (2.2AH) cost $60CDN, and it has noticably more power and longevity than the XRPs.
Did they? Be interesting to see how those things stand up, not that I'll ever need one. They're just barely available in some stores so far.
My 12V Dewalt and its two XRPs was a rebuild/return from their repair center. The "Mastercraft" 12V hammer-drill was a "overstock" from the repair center (This drill was a relabeled Black and Decker 12V unit I think). The drill and two 1.7AH bateries (not quite XRP, but still compatible with the Dewalt) cost me less than a new XRP battery.
The 36v dewalt system uses a123 batteries- a fairly new tech version of lithium batteries that has several advantages over lithium ion batteries. They (a123 systems) are starting to sell them to the r/c electris guys that potentially can put the packs through hell- pulling huge current from them and really pushing the charging. From what I've heard on a couple of the rc groups, they are living up to their performance data. Pat
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