Cordless Drills and must have tools for Newbees

[NewDIYer]

Hello Everyone,

I am a new DIYer. My first contact was with Loring on the BT3K FAQ and have had a very helpful experience from him.

Are there some cordless drills (or corded) recommended for someone who is starting out? What other tools are a must have? (I have a BT3K with the dado set and router mounting set, a sliding 10 inch compound miter saw, and today my friend just gave me a bench top drill).

Thanks for a great forum.

NewDIYer

[Luckbox]

Router and once you get one you will realize you need more.

[dbhost]

I am no fan of cordless tools. They always seem to let you down suddenly in the middle of a project. Others have had better experiences, but I simply don't think cordless technology is up to snuff yet...

Having said that, corded drills are getting fewer and farther between, so that means you will probably be stuck having to pick a cordless...

What cordless tools I have been around, I actually like the Ryobi One+ 18V tools with the Lithium Ion batteries (the slime green ones). We use one at work for doing things like drilling stripped rack screws out etc... I have several friends that have these drills and they have proven to be durable. Common battery among all the various tools etc... Battery life seems pretty good for cordless.

Mind you, if you have the budget to buy into it. The Ridgid, with the Lifetime Service Agreement is most likely the way to go. Should cover batteries and all... Sadly though, I don't see any Ridgid models that include a clutch, which I have found while driving various fasteners to be priceless... Which is why I recommend the Ryobi...

From my experience first hand, stay away from B&D and Skil cordless tools. Total waste of money...

You will want a Router with 1/2" and 1/4" collets, and an assortment of bits at some point soon too... A router really opens things up to you!

[jseklund]

It depends on your budget and what you're looking to do....I am always coming across many tools that would be helpful, wanted or even needed.

Cordless tools, IMO, are nice, but you can do most of what you're looking to do with the corded version, which are often more powerful anyways.

Two of my most used tools are an impact driver and a reciprocating saw. I would buy an impact driver before a cordless drill if I had a corded drill. I literally only ever use my drill to drill holes or sink screws into concrete. I use the impact driver for about every screw I sink.

Right behind that, I would place the circular saw, random orbit sander, belt sander. Since you have a table saw, the circular saw becomes less necessary except for cutting larger panels or for portability.

And in my mind the tools that open new possibilities are the router and the multi-tool. These are tools that you will get by without, but will be able to do so much more (and better) with.

Then there are the over-looked tools that get used. Nail guns and clamps come to mind. I would think a couple of good clamps will serve you very well and I may even place 2-4 of these at about the same usefulness as the impact driver. Not only will clamps allow you to do things better, they may improve safety in many situations...and allow you to keep your fingers.

[pelligrini]

Must haves: Hearing and eye protection. (eyes first)

Jseklund sums up the cordless tools well, and the next on the list power tools. I have some dewalt 18v cordless tools. The impact driver being the most used (I'd about say it's almost a must have). I do look for battery interchangeability in cordless tools. I'd like to have some lighter weight LION tools, but I'm not replacing what I already have that still works.

[cwsmith]

While I probably would recommend a "corded" drill/driver before a "cordless" (the Ryobi D45 being a primary choice), I do have to admit that "cordless" is handy...although quite expensive, comparatively. The exception being Ryobi's little Tek4 drill/driver with it's 2-speed gear box, and drop in 4V Li-Ion battery. Good for screw-based assembly, and for light drilling.

(I should add that I own three Ridgid cordless drills, all have adjustable "clutches".)

My first tool however would be either a detail sander or a ROS. Ridgid is my first choice because of it's LImited Lifetime Service Agreement (with proper registration). At about $70, it's a good buy. For a really nice bargain, the Ryobi "Corner Cat" is also a good deal. Corded, works very well, and is well built at $30... but the paper can be comparitively expensive.

My sanders are probably the most used tools in my shop, as every piece of stock requires some work. Saws are needed for sizing and I'm lucky enough to have a BT for ripping AND a RAS for cross-cutting to length. But the RAS has largely been replaced with most people with either a CMS or a hand-held circular saw.

So much of what you do, your projects, will dictate what tools you should buy first. My first tools were screwdrives, pliers, a hammer, hand saw, framing square, and a level... all bought when I was in highschool. My first power tools, in order, were a 3/8, variable-speed corded drill, circular saw, jig saw, and then a sander.

I hope this helps,

CWS

[JimD]

A corded drill is something you will always find a use for unless you have a LOT of batteries for your cordless. DeWalt makes a good reasonably priced corded drill with enough power to do work (more power than any cordless I've used). A keyed chuck is a bit more hassle but holds bits better than inexpensive keyless chucks.

A Milwaukee ROS, 5 inch, is a good buy for a sander. It will do about 90% of what you need a sander to do.

For a router, I like PC but Bosch are good. A combination fixed and plunging base set is a little pricey but very much worth having.

Jim

[pelligrini]

For a router, I like PC but Bosch are good. A combination fixed and plunging base set is a little pricey but very much worth having.

Jim

+1 on the multi-base. I can also put my router motor into a router lift that fits into a custom table on my saw.

I still think the best purchase I have made was a sharkguard for my saw. Increased Safety, ease of use and dust collection all in one little package.

[cabinetman]

From my experience first hand, stay away from B&D and Skil cordless tools. Total waste of money...

Maybe you just got a bad one. I picked up a Skil 14.4 LI-ION VSR from Lowes marked down from $90 to $45. I couldn't pass that up and just had to try it out. It's a great tool, no complaints, and I use it almost every day. It's basically the same drill as Firestorm.

.

[dbhost]

Maybe you just got a bad one. I picked up a Skil 14.4 LI-ION VSR from Lowes marked down from $90 to $45. I couldn't pass that up and just had to try it out. It's a great tool, no complaints, and I use it almost every day. It's basically the same drill as Firestorm.

.

It's been several Skil cordless tools. A 3/8" VSR drill a few years ago that had a battery explosion that ruined the drill, and an 18V recip saw that just died while cutting apart fence panels while I was cleaning up the destruction left by Hurricane Ike...

The B&D stuff, well just because everything B&D I have tried recently except for the miter saw, and angle grinder has been absolute junk...

[Cochese]

I'm personally a fan of the Ryobi One+ line. The blue tools are the older models that came with the NiCd batteries, the green ones are the ones marketed with the Li-ions. Either battery will work in any tool. I've owned the basic 4pc set for over three years now and still get regular use out of them, and the NiCd batteries (although they've been relegated to the radio and fan). I own a corded drill that never gets used, as the Ryobi is up to anything I want it to be. The cordless saw isn't that spectacular, even with a Diablo blade and the LiIon battery, but it's serviceable. I use a supercheap Task Force saw on a clamp for my crosscutting needs.

A big advantage of the One+ system is all the things you can use the same battery in. I've only found a couple of duds in the whole lineup, most of the tools are very useful, especially for what's marketed as a 'homeowner' level brand.

Craftsman's current routers are very good, regardless of how cheap they are. You certainly get more value there than most other places, but the Bosch 1617 EVS router is one to look at as well. More expensive, but well respected.

A multifunction tool can be very handy, and the HF model is a pretty good one for the price. I own the Craftsman corded.

Here's my general rule for corded/cordless: if you're going to be doing a lot of something, or something for a long period of time, opt for the cord. If it's something where you need to do a medium amount, or something for short periods, the cord gets the boot.

[vaking]

Who do you want to be - tool collector? Don't bother with tools - start with projects. Projects will tell you what you need. It happens when you come to a step where you need to do something and can't figure out how with your existing tools.

[NewDIYer]

Thanks to those who have posted replies thus far. I have the eye and hearing protection. (Thanks for the reminder).

From project standpoint I have made a small stool (4 legs, and plywood top), 2 small carts, 1 featherboard, 1 push shoe. (My wife now has a honey do list for me). I have also put trim on 2 windows and one door in my garage and now need to finish them.

A router sounds like a must have. I believe a variable speed jig saw may be good to have. I will look into the recommendations made thus far.

Thanks again.

[leehljp]

I have tools going back to the 60's. I have lots of cordless tools also. But I use a corded drill on a rare occasion (if I am drilling metal) and a Japanese version of Hitachi 6 1/2" circular saw regularly. The Hitachi tool is the only "corded" hand tool that I use regularly.

Having said that, I have Japanese cordless tools and US ones. I really enjoy the ability to take the tool to the work instead of rigging the extension cords up for that. There is not a week goes by that I DON'T use one or two cordless tools.

CORDLESS:
My daughter just bought a house (on 1/2 acre) and moved from an apartment. She wanted a weed eater for trimming. I didn't want her to have to mess with mixing gas/oil or having to stretch cords for 30 to 40 yards at a time for the weed eater, so we looked at the cordless 18V. And After my 7 to 8 years of exprience with numerous Ryobi 18V tools, and with the new Ryobi Lithium batteries, I bought one for her, along with a couple of other 18V Li-on tools. After charging the battery for the weed eater, we used it for about 25 minutes and it did a good job. Not as powerful as my gas model but for her yard, it did fine.

A Suggestion - IF you uses screws at all, get a cordless impact driver. Those things do things with screws that a drill driver can't touch. I personally use my cordless impact driver more than any other tool, period. I have three, - 2 Ryobi. I had one in Japan and one in the US, until I moved back here and now have both - one in the house and one in the shop. I also have a Hitachi right angle impact driver for driving screws in tight places. I don't use it as often as the Ryobi but when I need it, NOTHING else will do.

Suggestion number 2: If you get cordless, go Lithium. Cost more but in my short experience with them, it is worth it.

BIG TOOLS:
Different people go different ways in choosing large tools, but about every other person will mention "Drill Press" as their second large tool to purchase, after table saw.

[steve-norrell]

I have had good luck with the Ryobi 1+ line, but have stayed with drills and one of those all-purpose hand tools that accepts several different heads (including ones made by Rigid). I keep one extra battery in the charger so running out of juice has not been a problem for me (home and hobby work only).

I am not impressed with battery operated saws, lawn edgers and other sorts of tools where battery life would be expected to be short (because of the load). I also have only corded ROS sanders that could be attached to a shop vacuum.

But, as already mentioned, eye, respiratory, and ear protection should be at the top of your list.

Welcome and regards, Steve.