Thread: The BEST Cordless Drill

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I am on the hunt for the best cordless drill I can find. The drills I have owned have eaten the batteries. The drill itself works great but I can't keep buying batteries. The batteries are now more expensive than the first cordless drill I bought.

What is the best cordless drill?

What si the best value cordless drill?

Thanks

The guys on "This Old House" use a small black and neon green drill (not makita) with a funky handle that looks as if it kicks a$$. I am sure they know quality tools as well. I have tried to catch a glimpse of the brand, but they put tape over the labels, since the show is sponsored by The Home Depot (the drill is not something sold at HD)...

For now, I use DeWalts.

I think I found it. Festool...its pricey, no wonder.
http://www.toolsforless.com/product/...less_Drill_Set

Watch this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTMk6GnZqeY

Ingersoll Rand makes some cordless drills and they of course speak highly of them. I don't know what you've got now but Milwakee has some pretty nice ones too.

As far as drills go, there are two categories....home user and commercial user. For the home user, there are a zillion makes and models....some are designed for a very low life as short as 40 hours. For the commmercial units, you have to go 18 volt or higher. Both Milwaukee and DeWalt make very good units...Makita used to be the standard of the trade but has fallen in the last few years.

The most important thing to consider is the battery....according to the DeWalt factory guy, a battery is good for about 800 recharges.....every time you slap the battery on the charger, you have used one of its 800 lives. DeWalt makes a $179 battery (battery and charger for that amount) that lasts something like 2000 charges.

The new XP DeWalts are much more powerful....power is a function of the battery and these new models suck batteries. We have five or six of the new models....I bought several 3 packs of the XP batteries when DeWalt ran a special on them for $125 a pack so we would have three batteries per drill motor. Now, if you can find 2 for $125, you're lucky.

Also, the DeWalt battery has a date code on it and a really good warranty...with some unpublished grace period. If you have bad batteries, check them to see if you can get a free replacement.

There are several DeWalt and Milwaukee sites that sell refurb units with full warranties..a 1/2 DeWalt 18 Volt XP drill is about $89 while a charger is $15....batteries not included

I have an 18v DeWalt that I really like. Actually I have one at home and one here at the shop also. I also have a 24v Bosch. It is very powerful and is great for big projects like putting in deck screws. However, it is larger and doesn't have the "feel" the DeWalt has. The Bosch seems to go forever before needing a recharge. The DeWalts stay up long enough for most home and shop projects. I couldn't get along without a cordless drill any more.

The reason it dies is that the battery needs to be in daily use ,I have some batts that have lived 3 to 4 years in constant daily use ............let em sit for month between uses and they all fail to last long.
I would get the one with cheapest battery replacements.............ryobi comes to mind for cheap and good.

I gave up on all the cordless stuff and went back to my air drills a couple years ago so I'm not really up on the brand new stuff.... Seems the good ones are so big and heavy now that the convenience factor is pretty much gone...

DeWalt, Makita and Milwalkee are all good, but the cost is not so good.. Stay away from the Harbor freight ( I stripped out the gears of a B/N corded drill in seconds, there cordless versions can't be any better )... I have a couple B&D cordless drills, and they are adaquate for what I use them for, and if the batteries go bad, they won't break the bank.

For those that care to read, the DeWalt 18V 1/2" VSR driver/ drill is available for $59.95 from these guys up Uncle Bob's way....until they fall off into the ocean...batteries not included

http://www.hardwaresalesinc.com/Shop...id/0/SFV/32362

That's not a bad price... also, there are companies who sell rebuilt/ remanufactured batteries for most major brands, altho with no warranty, they are cheaper but even if they go bad, you could still buy a name brand 1 later on

Originally Posted by 37 Caddy

I am on the hunt for the best cordless drill I can find. The drills I have owned have eaten the batteries. The drill itself works great but I can't keep buying batteries. The batteries are now more expensive than the first cordless drill I bought.

What is the best cordless drill?

What si the best value cordless drill?

Thanks

Can you give some details on what you plan to use it for , besides the obvious "DRILL"? Metal , wood , light or heavy work, maybe even all the above?

Dave
I gave up on all the cordless stuff and went back to my air drills a couple years ago so I'm not really up on the brand new stuff.... Seems the good ones are so big and heavy now that the convenience factor is pretty much gone...

Drills have come a LONG way in the last couple years with the lighter and more powerful lithium Ion batteries , there are also a couple other types that are even better. Drills have gotten smaller and more powerful...

IDK.. my grandfather has a 1/2" montgomery Ward drill, circa 1950's, only has forward, but if it catches, it does have enough torque to break a wrist if your not careful. I'v never used a more powerful drill than that.. but I'v never used a heavier drill than that also

I am doing a lot of fabrication with steel, so more often than not I am drilling steel.

I am not sure why the batteries keep dying. The drill is used quite frequently, not daily but usually 2-3 times a week at least.

Anybody find a deal on batteries?

What brand of drill you have?