I Have An Excuse! Which Cordless Hammerdrill / Drill / Driver?

In 6 weeks to 2 months I'm going to help my brother put up drywall in the house he's building. My HF and 13.2 v "FireStorm" cordless drill/drivers aren't up to the task of putting drywall screws into 2x4's so (Yipee!!) I'm looking for something I can use for (hopefully) many years.

Sunday afternoon I spent an hour or so fondling drivers at the local HD. The 18 v DeWalt HD/D/D feels pretty good in my hand, but I'm wondering about the NiCad / Other battery technology issues. I'd also like to stay "mainstream" so it will be easier to get replacement batteries in the years to come. (The 13.2 FireStorm batteries are available factory-only, and really expensive.)

I've also seen the "Drywall screws on a belt" at Lowe's and wonder what sort of driver / attachment is needed to use these.

Thoughts? Thanks!

-- Mark

Reply to
Mark Jerde
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Keep in mind that (typically) more power = more weight. In particular, if you're going to be working over your head (i.e. hanging ceiling drywall), lighter would definately be better.

I've got the DeWalt 18v drill (not hammer drill), and am quite happy with it. I'd buy it again.

Clint

Reply to
Clint

If you are going to be driving srywall screw screws into drywall I suggest a corded drywall drill. Typically a corded dry wall model will run at 4000 rpm and some times faster and insert the screws faster. Typically the battery operated model drills do not run any where near that speed. Faster battery powered ones tend to be 1200 to 2000 rpm.

Reply to
Leon

I'd also recommend getting a corded screw driver. I bought one of those cordless Senco drivers. It's ok for drywall, but the corded one (Dewalt if it matters) drives the screws in faster, has more torque, and I don't have to worry about the battery getting weak. It's a little more trouble to drag an extension cord around, but worth it, IMO.

Or you could just buy/use a regular corded drill. If I had it to do over again, I'm not sure I'd buy a dedicated screw gun again.

Reply to
bf

Mark Jerde wrote: > In 6 weeks to 2 months I'm going to help my brother put up drywall in the > house he's building. My HF and 13.2 v "FireStorm" cordless drill/drivers > aren't up to the task of putting drywall screws into 2x4's so (Yipee!!) I'm > looking for something I can use for (hopefully) many years.

Can't help you with the drywall, but have the 18VDC DeWalt drill for

8-9 years now.

Replaced the batteries, but otherwise, it doesn't owe me anything.

Lew

Reply to
Lew Hodgett

My wife got me a backup 14.4 Volt Makita Drill Set for Christmas. It came packaged with the smaller 14.4Volt impact driver. It weighs a lot less than the drill motor and does a great job. I just set more than 2,000 2" deck screws during a privacy fence project and the biggest problem was getting my finger off of the trigger before I drove the screw through the cedar fence boards. Best part is it is lightweight.

RonB

Reply to
RonB

get a regular 'ol corded drywall screwdriver. get it used- they show up at pawnshops and swap meets in droves. drywall is an unpleasant trade with a high turnover....

Reply to
bridgerfafc

I have a Hilti SD4500

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has an attachment that takes the screw strips. It makes for attaching drywall very fast. Others like Milwaukee make a version as well.

However, unless you plan on hanging a bunch-O-rock - just nail or use a regular battery drill. The only problem with using a regular drill to drive drywall screws is they usually set them too deep, tearing the paper and thus reducing the holding power.

Dave

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Reply to
Teamcasa

The 4000 rpm screwguns are intended for metal studs; the 2500 rpm screwguns are better for the wood framing. Buying a used or refurb 2500 rpm screwgun is the right choice. BTW, obtain hearing protection...in use, the trigger is locked ON since the clutch determines when a fastener is driven. That's a noisy whine to listen to for hours on end, even if the noise is not from the one you're using.

The tool list goes like this - Screwgun, extension cord Speed square, carpenter's pencils Drywall square, utility knife Rasp or drywall plane to trim to fit Lipstick for marking outlets Regular claw hammer and pouch for screws First-aid kit Big honking circulating fan to blow air/dust out a window

Reply to
IBM5081

I'm with the guys above who recommend a corded model. .

I believe the ones on the belt are Hilti - there might be others

Reply to
Joe Bemier

There is a 4 or 5 dollar bit you can buy for a regular corded drill that works like the dry wall screw guns bits and it prevents over driving. Normally found where carious drill screw bits are sold.

Reply to
Leon

Hard to credit that the 13.2 Firestorm is too gutless to put in drywall screws. We used my 9.6V and my 12V Panasonic concurrently and they both did the job without complaints. Well, maybe that explains the huge difference in price .

Anyway, like most of the others I can also recommend the corded drywall drivers that take the belts of screws. The one we borrowed was a bit shagged so we had to use the cordless drills in the difficult corners, but for working overhead and quickly driving lots of screws those corded machines are great (we used a Hitachi, b.t.w.) for ease of use as well as speed.

-P.

Reply to
Peter Huebner

LV has them:

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$5 CDN, likely cheaper in the US.

They also have a lifter for the bottom of the sheet, which has saved my life a few times:

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Reply to
Tanus

Yeergh! Sorry to bust yer bubble but I slunk around the innernet and finally found a place to call eht, er, hte, er, the FireStorm 13.2 v folks. After spending about $100 of my dollerares they sent me a charger and a new battery, but I only set about 1.75 screws into the top of an (I'm Sorry!) IKEA dresser that SHMBO bought before all the 13.2 little electrons were spent, lying in the gutter gasping their last. Couldanta have been more than $5.00 per screw... (Insert favorite _______ joke here!)

I'd ruther take up smoking Kuban ceegars, lighting them with hunndert-dollars bills, than send the FireSTORM annother hunndret of minea dollardes, da jo whatta meen?

-- Mark

Reply to
Mark Jerde

SSsssshhhuuusssssssshhhh!!! This is my chance to ditch the nearly-dead 13.2 FireStorm for something "real", like a DW!

-- Mark

Reply to
Mark Jerde

Thanks for the feedback. I appreciate it.

-- Mark

Reply to
Mark Jerde

Thanks. I haven't crossed Makita because of their color....

-- Mark

Reply to
Mark Jerde

Sorry, I didn't kommunicate well...

Gentlemen (and ladies),

I have 3 cordless drills/drivers that don't accept charge very well anymore. Sometimes I smash a lighting bug and attach the ends of a jumper cable to each end of the smashed bug to attempt to jump start my drill /drivers. It doesn't work very well but I do feel a glow.....

In 6 to 8 weeks I'm gonna help my bruder and his family put up a buncha drywall in the house their building. I kould show up with nobbat my undies and tool belt and Alla wouldbe kool. But that aint the point. I wanna throw away my 13.2 v FireStorm drill that, even though it's on its third set of batteries, refuses to take much of a charge. I wanna show up with a hammerdrill /drill /driver that goes

Rrrrhheeeeee! Rrrrhheeeeee! Rrrrhheeeeee! Rrrrhheeeeee!

and tightly screw in my portion of the drywall screws.

Then, when I leave my bruders after a couple days, having helped enclose

3,000+ sq ft with drywall, I want to take away the driver I brought with me. I'm hopeful that, with the feedback from y'all, it will be a very useful tool for me for the next 10+ / 15+ / ... years. My two HF and one 13.2 FireStorm D/D's have worked very well. With y'all's help I can make a good selection for my next "main" cordless D/D.

Thanks.

-- Mark

Reply to
Mark Jerde

Cut to the chase.

Any decent cordless drill you select will represent a 1,000% improvement over the cheap crap you have.

Put some names in a hat and pick one.

The names I would put in my hat would include, Milwaukee, Panasonic, and DeWalt.

You might want to add Makita.

Lew

Reply to
Lew Hodgett

"Mark Jerde" wrote in news:eYXsg.19287$LS6.8900@trnddc03:

Look at HD for a lifetime Ridgid warranty... That's one I'd consider buying first...

I've been sold on a Makita ever since I picked one up. It was love at first lift. It felt much lighter when in usage position, obviously transfering the weight to my body effectively.

Oh, and you need two drill/drivers. One small 9.6 volt one and an 18 volt one. ;-) The 9.6v will do most the little stuff just fine and the

18v will handle bigger tasks like 2" and 3" screws. (You can also chuck a drill bit in one and a driving bit in the other.)

Puckdropper

Reply to
Puckdropper

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