Cordless Drills

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I haven't but after playing with one in a store I would say that they're simply too heavy and clumsy to be practical.
 
I have an 18 volt Makita that is a eally nice drill. It has the lithium ion battery which makes it light. I guess someone needed the case, battery and charger worse than me. I still have the drill so I need to get another charger. I did however buy a 24 volt Milwaukee combo pack two weeks ago and have not taken it out of the box yet. For some reason I just don't want to use it, kinda like getting a new pair of boots dirty I guess. One day though I need to at least try it, if I don't like it I can sell it to an employee. The Makita just felt good in the hand to me.
 
I was contemplating getting one of those 36V monstrocities, but worry that it will have more power than I can handle. I don't want a drill capable of twisting my wrist off -- too dangerous to handle.

Anyone else have experience with one of these?
 
I've got a 12V and a 9.6V Dewalt, 2 chargers and spare batteries for both. I like them because the same charger works with both batteries. I keep one charger in my shop and one in the truck.
I don't think that I want anything larger or heavier that uses a battery.
If I need more power, I break out the 1/2" Milwakee, or the 1/2" Bosch Hammer drill.
steve
 
j_erickson said:
18V is enough cordless power for me. After that I use my 120V drills.
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Same here, I actually use a 14 volt 90% of the time.

I just bought a 14 V impact driver, it's light small and powerfully, other than being loud it is great.
 
mike12347 said:
Could anyone that shelled out the big bucks for a 36v DeWalt tell me if it's worth the investment.
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I haven't . . yet. I have been using the 24v model for quite a while, along with the reciprocating saw, and I still love it. When it dies, the 36v will be next, unless something better comes along.

As for the torque, yeah, it's strong, but that's why I want it. Maybe I'm bigger than the avreage guy, but I can hold a drill straight-armed with one hand and bore solid wood with an auger.
 
I can hold that same drill one armed, and bore thru wood with an augar. The problem I have is when that bit encounters a rather large nail and stalls the drill.

I don't want the drill to be so powerful that I end up injuring my wrists or arm.
 
kbsparky said:
I can hold that same drill one armed, and bore thru wood with an augar. The problem I have is when that bit encounters a rather large nail and stalls the drill.

I don't want the drill to be so powerful that I end up injuring my wrists or arm.
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That hasn't happened to me, even when it catches. Either I cut the nail or just release the trigger.

By sheer coincidence, I just bought a 36v DeWaltdrill kit tonight. There was a buy-it-now I couldn't pass up on eBay.
 
LarryFine said:
That hasn't happened to me, even when it catches. Either I cut the nail or just release the trigger.

By sheer coincidence, I just bought a 36v DeWaltdrill kit tonight. There was a buy-it-now I couldn't pass up on eBay.
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How much did you pay Larry?
 
$260 + $25 shipping & insurance. This is the complete DC900KL kit, with drill w/side handle, charger, 2 batteries, and case.

dc900kl.jpg


Since I already have a collection of 24v tools (drill, recip, and circular), I decided I only need a newer drill. That gets by far the most use.
 
iwire said:
Same here, I actually use a 14 volt 90% of the time.

I just bought a 14 V impact driver, it's light small and powerfully, other than being loud it is great.
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I actually use my 1/2" chuck 12 Volt dewalt much more than my 18V. I use it as a screw gun, and very often drill with it. From my 3/4" wood eater, to 7/8" auger, to 1 3/4 self feeds, and up to hole saws. It has nearly the same torque as my 18 volt. I use the 18 volt when I have a little more to do and don't want to kill the 12v. If my 12v had a hammer feature, I'd use the 18 even less.

How much better is the impact driver over the plain old drill?
 
j_erickson said:
How much better is the impact driver over the plain old drill?
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Well you still need a drill for drilling, but for 'screw-gun work' it is well worth the money to me.

It has power and speed, for Tek screws it is very good.

It is also light and small so it is just easier to use.

The only drawback I have found is it is loud when it is actually in impact mode.
 
Check out this video and you can see how compact it is.

Video

By the way I have a 'Yellow One' but I have seen that the other brands also have impact drivers.
 
18v makita impact driver is awesome . Also the 28v milwakee is great The ones with lithiom ion batteries
 
101010 said:
18v makita impact driver is awesome . Also the 28v milwakee is great The ones with lithiom ion batteries
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To each their own, for me that kind of goes against the reason I got my 14.4, it was all about getting a smaller easier to use tool.

If you drive a lot of Tek screws you will find the small lightweight tool is easier control and still has more than enough power to run a Tek screw into 1/2" steel plate.

If I need a big power I have a 1/2" drive 120 volt impact driver. :)
 
iwire said:
The only drawback I have found is it is loud when it is actually in impact mode.
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My 1/2" Bosch hammer drill is so loud that people stop and look when I use it.
I don't know how fast it hammers, but it really buzzes. It will run a hole quick.
The only problem is that the variable speed is messed up. It's either wide open or off. Plus the chuck key was very soft and didn't last long.
steve
 
101010 said:
18v makita impact driver is awesome . Also the 28v milwakee is great The ones with lithium ion batteries
Click to expand...
This stuff is getting like buying a PC, where rapid developments require buying new, instead of upgrading.

After buying my first impact drill, I thought matching charger and voltage for all my cordless tools was smart. Now with lithum batteries, buying new tools turns my NiMH investments into junk.

Can you see it now, just after I settle on a common lithium voltage for all my cordless stuff, the fuel-cell or Nuclear powered tools will make junk of everything I own once more.
 
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