Cordless drill recommendations? (One that will last)

[SHADOWFOX]

I'd suggest a 14.4V from a good major brand (Dewalt, Ridgid, Bosch, Milwaukee, Makita, Porter Cable, Ryobi, Hitachi)

When I was at Home Depot this weekend it looked like they had a really nice Ridgid 14.4V kit that had all the trimmings.

I see most people buy the 18 volt drills and hammer drills since they're only a few bucks more, but when you factor in weight I feel the 14.4V drills offer the best balance of weight vs power.

My opinion of course, you should weigh your needs in your purchase. All I can say is the most used drill in my arsenal is my 14.4V Ridgid, and if I could have only one that would be it.

I saw on ebay there were combo kit of ridgid 14.4V cordless drill and impact driver/wrench for cheaper than what you will pay at borg. You just have to be careful and make sure you review the user feedback of the seller.

[mpc]

Dad had a 9.6volt Makita drill for many years now, I'd guess somewhere around ten years or so. He did have to buy a new battery pack once or twice but the drill itself held up pretty well... drilling holes with spade bits to run wiring, driving screws, surviving drops/falls from the ladder, etc. Last year the clutch assembly began to loose its bite... so the available torque at the bit was pretty low. Now he's using a 14.4volt Makita half inch drill bought on sale from Ace - when it came with a free 14.4 volt impact driver too. Such a good deal that I ran back and grabbed one for myself. The NMiH batteries seem to stay charged forever sitting on the shelf; way better than the old NiCads. The drill is very powerful. As is the impact driver. I don't use the drill to drive screws now; the impact driver is lighter but works a LOT better. It's much stronger - I demo'd it to a buddy of mine... letting him drive a lag bolt into a very dry 2x8 - with no pilot hole - and it acted like it was no work at all... and the kickback was zilch. "Jane could do this!" he said, referring to his very petite wife.

So I'm a Makita fan. But I'd also be very tempted by the Ridgid stuff with the free lifetime guarantee - if you sign up for it. That guarantee COVERS BATTERIES too! Had this guarantee been available a year ago I'd have Ridgids instead of Makitas.

mpc

[onedash]

I have had a craftsman 19.2 volt for a few years and The batteries were starting to die so I was hunting for a good bargain. Well none came along so I bought two new batteries for $55. What a huge difference. Not sure if them being die hards has anything to do with it. But new batteries brought it back to life. I will keep the old ones since they will still power the light.
Its kinda heavy but the only thing it hasnt done for me so far is break lug nuts loose.

[rockfish]

I have two DeWalt XRP 18 volt drills (one is a hammer drill), one Ryobi 18 volt 2-speed hammer drill and one Ryobi 18 volt angle drill.

Although the Ryobi's are great values for the price, I don't think you can compare them to professional tools such as the DeWalt, Milwaukee, Makita, etc., etc..

The DeWalt XRP models that I have offer incredible torque, long-lasting battery life, chucks that grip drills tight and won't let go, and tough overall construction that handles abuse day in and day out.





rockfish

[johnalay]

Battery cost is very important

I bought a Porter-Cable 14.4V cordless about 3 years ago. Don't know what I ever did without it! Great drill and does everything I want it to do. BUT, the batteries are starting to go and the cost of two new batteries is very close to the cost of an entire new P-C drill. Certainly more than the cost of the Ryobi 18V.

When the current P-C batteries die, I'll try the Ryobi. I did a lot of web research and there are a number of folks who say you should your cordless drill as a 2-3 year disposable purchase because of the battery cost. I hope that's not literally true!

John

[Lancer]

I asked this same question of a neighbor since I am still kind of a novice. He is a custom woodworker and carpenter. He stated to me if the cordless drill is going to be used for general purpose work around the house that a 14.4v would be the best. He favors Dewalt, but also recommends Makita. If you are going to do more than just general around the house stuff he told me to go with 18v or better. He did say from his own experience to stay away from the Craftsman cordless drills. In his opinion the batteries for some reason just don't hold their charge long enough as other cordless drills will. (His opinion folks, don't wish to insult the Craftsman fans out there.) I am definitely going to take his wisdom and experience into consideration when I go to get a cordless drill. Hope this helps you out.
Just my little 2 cents worth,
Lancer

[Jeffrey Schronce]

I will throw my vote in for the 14.4 volt Bosch 'BRUTE' drill, it has more power and longer battery life than my 18volt Ryobi, and it weighs like 2 pounds less. I paid $120 last year at Lowes.

Lee

Very, very, very strong second of this recommendation. The 14.4 Bosch Brute is a tank. Fell off roof a couple times this weekend with zero problems. Tourqe is in a class by itself. The regular 14.4 batteries are fine, but the Blue Core technology is awesome. The Blue Core batteries run much longer, not that the regular batteries are a problem. I caught mine on sale as well, and it is a huge bang for the buck. Batteries last forever, plows through maple and red oak with no problem, speed settings are great (hi/lo).

[Jeffrey Schronce]

If you can't find the Bosch on sale, I am sure the Milwaukee that is currently on sale at heavydutytools.com would be a great deal.

[Raymonator]

Presently I'm eyeballing a brand new 14.4V 1/2" Bosch Brute Model 33614 on E-bay. They usually go as a "buy it now" price on e-Bay for around $180.00. Hopefully I'll be able to get a lower bid in than that. The drill comes with additional battery, quick charger, case and a few other gizmos. Wish me luck.

[Jeffrey Schronce]

Hey, check out bargin alerts for deal on Milwaukee drill. You should sign up for email alerts at heavydutytools.com. They had the Milwaukee 0616-24 on sale for $99, which is a great deal. It was rated best by Editors and Readers in 2006 Fine Wood Working Tool review. 2nd best in number of holes drilled on one battery, but scored Excellent on other catagories beating out the drill that could drill 1 more hole per charge.
The deal is sold out right now but they frequently make 2nd and 3rd runs of any given deal. If you can snag one, then great.

[Holbren]

I have a 9.6V Makita 6260DWPE that is brand new if you are interested. It still has the paper sleeve over the plastic box, never been opened. I am selling it for $75 delivered to your door which should be a good price. Here is a link.

http://www.makita.com/menu.php?pg=pr...t&tag=6260DWPE

[uncle al]

I just bought a Coleman 18v 3/8, with a charger and 2 batteries, all the bells and whistles, from Costco for $38.00. It replaces a craftsman 14.4 volt, with 2 batteries, that lasted about 2 years ( maybe less) because the switch broke. Not worth fixing. The craftsman replaced another craftsman that I had for a while with 2 batteries, but they died.
I actually bought 2 of the Colemans's so I would have 2 drills and 4 batteries, all parts interchangeable. I figure at $ 38.00 for each set ( which included some driver bits and a small set of drills) it really couldn't be too bad, and now I don't have to switch out drills and drivers when doing a project with lots of screws to drive, etc. That was always a nuisance; now i don't have too, plus if one or 2 batteries start to fail, I've got spares to keep them running.
So far, they work just fine; probably not the absolute greatest quality( although every bit as good as craftsman IMHO), but a darned good value for money; if it breaks in the next few months, I can return it to Costco.
I personally wouldn't consider the cost/benefit ratio of one of the $150 - $200 drills to be worth it. I am sure they are terrific, etc. but the bottom line is that they drill holes and drive screws, and I can replace mine every few years, get the latest in technology and save a bunch of money.
So far, so good!!