Cordless Drills

[guitarchris]

I'm on the hunt for my next cordless drill/impact set. We have been using Makita's 18 volt Lithium Ion set for the past 2 years and have ruined 2 drills (impacts are fine). We are VERY rough on our drills, we drill stuff we probably should get out the cord for, using auger bits etc......yet that's what I need it to do. Am I asking for too much? I would prefer not to go up to the 28V monsters as this is my do everything drill which needs to be fairly light. os What are you guys using/ have you used and what's the feedback??
Note: I bought the Porter Cable 18V lith-ion set today and it sucked, bad! It has a overload control that cut it out at the slightest amount of stress....pretty weak drill imho. I hope they will take it back at Big blue. I was really pulling for this set too because it was $79 cheaper than the DeWalt or Makita sets and you can buy all the other tools seperatly w/o buying a package deal.

 

[Dom99]

I prefer Milwaukee drill/impact .Dewalt may have a faster rpm but Milwaukee has more power.

 

[guitarchris]

dewalt is yellow in the poll, funny huh?

 

[DavidA]

I've been very happy with my Makita 18v Li set but the most stress the drill gets is the occasional 2" hole saw into metal enclosure. At another box store there was a rep for Hilti that was showing off there drills. Worth a look if you're shopping.

 

[guitarchris]

Hilti does make amazing corded drills, our TE-17 is a million years old (ok, like 30 years) and works like a CHAMP!!!

 

[George Stolz]

I bought the Porter Cable 18V lith-ion set today and it sucked, bad!

The Ni-Cad 18v hammerdrill stinks too. Solid drill, lousy batteries.

It has a overload control that cut it out at the slightest amount of stress....pretty weak drill imho.

The 18v Hitachi Li-Ion had that same feature, drove me nuts. I won't buy anything Hitachi over 12v again.

I'm pretty disgusted with all of them, but I lean Milwaukee at this point.

Edit: After looking at the poll and thinking a bit, I'd probably buy DeWalt next spin.

 

[guitarchris]

Does the DeWalt or Milwaukee have the annoying overload feature?

 

[ActionDave]

I picked Makita because I think their batteries are the best, but you have already trashed two of their drills.

I have a 18V li Milwaukee that I like, but it won't finish a hole on a fresh battery sometimes. I think it is some kind of overload protection in the drill.

 

[hurk27]

I have had my Dewalt set (18 volt Ni-cad, 3 speed Hammer drill, Snake light, 6 1/4" skill saw, SawZall) for about close to 15 years, paid 239.80 at Sam's Club with a coupon for the SawZall for 99.00, lost the snake light and a battery about a year ago, so I bought the florescent light, and a set of two batteries, I now have 5, 3 new and 2 that just don't want to stop kicking. fairly used hard, up to 41/8" holes, 7/8" concrete, the Hammer drill reverse switch went bad this summer had a back up dewalt drill that wasn't a hammer drill that was dropped, so I robed the switch out of it. battery's have been put back on charge after every use, only had two go bad, and still have one of the original ones that came with the set, they won't last too long if you leave them laying around half charged.

I myself if I ever get some free funds want to buy the LI batteries that will also fit my drill, I checked one out that a co-worker had for a week and it lasted way longer then the NI-Cad, and both my chargers will charge them.

I know this, that 1/2" hammer drill can twist your arm off in low gear, I rarely use it in anything but high, about the only time I put it in second gear or low is just when I have it driving my Green Lee wench to pull wire a little slower, I set the clutch so if the wire hangs up it will stop.

What was kind of weird was there was about 4 of us in the shop that had Dewalts, three had Milwaukee's, and others had various cheep brands, after about 5 years we all had Dewalts, none of the others lasted or the batteries were too costly, maybe a clue as to why the poll is pointing in that direction?

Of course nothing will last if you don't take care of it.

 

[hurk27]

I'm adding this because I have heard that the slide on battery Dewalts are not as good as the slip in, but that is only what I heard.

 

[cadpoint]

I voted with out reading the question! I hate yellow but my dewalts have never
failed me in service through the years!

 

[norcal]

Has anyone here had experience with Panasonic? Have heard good things about them & they are supposed to be the only ones who builds their own batteries.

 

[busman]

For a impact driver, I love my Bosch 10.8V units. My plumber friend called them "bitch-drills" until I let him try one. Then he bought one.

For auger bits, I've had good luck with the DeWalt 18V 1/2" Hammerdrill/Drill, but those big bits will kill the DeWalt 18V 3/8" Right Angle Drill in no time (less than a year). I've kill 3 already and am looking for an alternative.

Mark

 

[renosteinke]

There's probably a different answer for each of us, but I'd like to share my 'history.'

My first drill was a Bosch; never really got to use it much before it was stolen (shop burglary). Since then, Bosch has stressed how tough its' drills are, even guaranteeing it will survive a 21ft. drop. Something to consider.

I then went all DeWalt - mainly because they had a good selection, I didn't want multiple chargers, everyone else had the old Makita. Milwaukee wasn't a serious player then.

Since then, DeWalt has disappointed me. The batteries seem to require frequent repair / replacement. They've been quick with the 'gee whiz' stuff (radio, vacuum, light) and slow to offer grinders, band saws, etc.

Meanwhile, someone at Makita woke up. Their 18v Li-ion line impresses me much. The product line is extensive, the tools are readily available 'naked' (no charger or batteries), and every tool has nice little 'extras' I appreciate. For example, the impact driver has a little light on it - something my DeW lacks.

I've parted with the idea of having but one battery / charger. I've got no brand loyalty these days. I go to the tool house 'counter days' and try out everyones' latest and greatest. I'll have to admit ... everyone, even DeWalt, has some attractive ideas. Nobody has a monopoly on 'the best.'

Given a blank slate and unlimited funds, here's what I'd put on the truck today:
-I'd start with the DeWalt alarm system that uses the cell network;
- Most stuff would be Makita;
-I'm not sure I'd even bother with and ordinary drill, as I use my impact for everything;
-DeWalt has an SDS rotohammer with an attached vacuum. I love that idea;
-Stout has the best accessories for their cordless bandsaw;
-Milwaukee has a cordless impact driver for the Forsterner-style bits - has to be better than using a Hawg;
-I'm very, very happy with my tiny, pocket-sized Bosch (10v?) impact driver; and,
-There's a role for specialty tools, like the Fein Multimaster (or even the T&B crimper, the Greenlee ACSR cutter, and other electrician tools!)

This, of course, brings up keeping it all charged. I'm not sure truck-mounted solar is up to the task yet, so I'd lean towards a Honda or Panasonic generator. A tiny, very quiet one. Something with specs like 35 pounds, 50 decibles, $800.

 

[sgunsel]

Years ago I had a 12 v porter cable that was really great. After replacing chargers and batteries a couple times, decided to look around for a replacement. P-C seems to have forgotten how to produce a good cordless drill. I bought a Milwaukee 1/2" hammer drill and it is terrific. Started out with NiCd battery packs and recently added two lithiums. All batteries still run OK and the drill does everything I want and has plenty of power. As a bonus, the Milwaukee drill chuck is by far the best I have ever used - including those on corded drills and drill presses. I'm in the market for a corded drill, but want the same chuck!

 

[busman]

I forgot to mention that my only gripe about the Bosch Li-Ion is that the batteries don't work if the temperature is any where near freezing or below. Is this common to all Li-Ion batteries? It's a real pain when trying to work outside in the winter.

Mark

 

[guitarchris]

the Bosch 18V drill looks to have the best torque in in that range. Do you Bosch users find it to take the abuse I'm talking about? Big Blue has the drill/impact combo for $200, same as what the P-C was.
Also, Hitachi's looks decent. It's fairly comparable to the Makita that I have and cheaper, with a 10 year warranty. If I'm going to have to replace it as soon as I have the Makita it would be great to pay less......but then again do you get what you pay for with these drills and should buy something more expensive? Seems like with all of them once the Bat is shot you are looking at buying another drill as the cost is so high for just a battery.

 

[rustifer]

bosch

bosch

I own the bosch 36v combo, and I absolutely love them. I know you said you'd prefer to stay away from the big ones. My coworker has the 18v bosch kit, and he likes them alot. They have the same warranty as mine which is what I really enjoy about them. Let me say that I am very hard on my power tools, I have broken my drill, but with one call to bosch provantage, they had a new drill on the way with no questions, and a prepaid label to send my old one back. 2 days after I called. Now the reason I like my 36v so much is the run time. The sawzall, and circular saw are unbelievable. I just built a house and wouldn't have to turn on the generator all day, 2 charged 36v batteries kept me cutting decking, sheathing... Also the bosch warranty, I call say a battery isnt performing well, they send a new one. Thats for five years, the best part is no hoops to jump through. You dont have to send your stuff first. In fact the dont even ask for the old batteries back. And as for the size of the 36v, they are about the same as the old nicad 18v, I carry a 10.8v impactor for screws and tapcons, so when i need a drill the weight dosnt bother me.

 

[readydave8]

I bought a few cordless recently, not to big on brand names.


Hitachi impact driver on sale w/coupon $79 plus tax. Bosch impact driver was more like $150, I bought one because a few years ago they were the first ones I'd seen. I expected the Bosch to be a lot better but I sorta like the Hitachi best.

I bought a Dewalt set on sale, I think its 18 volt, 2 batteries, sawzall, and hammer drill, less than $200. But part of the reason I bought it was because the batteries fit my older tools, didn't want to buy replacement batteries.

So I'm happy at this point with all 3, 3 different brand names.

 

[JES2727]

I've burned through a couple of DeWalt cordless drills, and I've been disappointed by Milwaukee's corded tools, so pretty much everything I use these days is Makita. I've cooked one of their cordless drills too but it lasted longer than the DeWalts. Also, a Makita refurb shop is about 5 minutes from my home. That's a big plus. They've helped me out several times.