Cordless drill recommendations

Zralou · 10-17-2008, 09:38 PM

My 'Skil Extreme' cordless drill just took a dive today, nothing, dead, not even the little light comes on.

I need one for work, so i'm going to have to pick another drill up this weekend. I'm hoping to keep the price under $100 (which basically removes Dewalt, Milwalkee, Hilti, Rigid, etc from the list), but I need a good one that will last and take the abuse of everyday use at work.

I'm looking for recommendations, some of the techs I work with are using Ryobi and swear by them, and they are within my price range.
The Skil I was using is a good drill, had it about 3 years, but it is heavy!!, and after the way this one just stopped, i'm uneasy about getting another.

I've been looking at those Li-Ion drills, anyone had any experience of them?, do they last the 'claimed' 4 times as long battery life?, have they as much power as the regular batteries?.

Any info/recommendations welcome.
BTW, i'm an RV tech and a cordless drill gets used a LOT in this business!!.

Sara Lou

BadBandit69 · 10-17-2008, 09:44 PM

I've got a makita at work that just won't die, although it seems weak on power compaired to other drills of the same size. Don't know how much it cost, but might be worth lookin into if you don't need big power.

01ssreda4 · 10-17-2008, 11:08 PM

i have had several. my craftsman 19.2 was the smoothest to operate by far. i have a shitty Skil 18v now and it sucks balls.

Duffster · 10-18-2008, 02:21 AM

I've had a 12V Craptsman and two Ryobi 18V cordless drills. My next purchase of a cordless drill, will most likely be either Ryobi 18VLi or Porter Cable 19.2V.

Damian · 10-18-2008, 02:30 AM

I've got several drills, but my favorite is my Craftsman 14.4v. VERY smooth operation.

I also have a 24v Makita drill that'll snap lug nuts loose if I put a 1/2 drive chuck in there with a 19mm socket. Works well for swapping tires on the fly

Silverback · 10-18-2008, 06:33 AM

I've had several ranging from 2 cheap skills to some of the high dollar ones, and for just over $100 (I bough mine durring a father's day sale and had a coupon so I think I got the whole package for $8x, but even at the normal price it's a killer deal, at the time I was actually going to buy the panasonic Li ion setup and am glad I tried these) the craftsman drill and impact driver combo (the C3, 19.2V) are about the best buy that I've ever run across.

For screws, nuts and bolts nothing is better then the impact driver once you get used to it (at first an impact driver is a bit wierd for driving screws) and that half inch drive drill is just awsome. I bought an extra battery figuring nothing is worse than being in the middle of something and running out, but have never even had it out of the package. the impact driver takes less power, so what I do is when the battery in it starts getting worn down I drop it's battery in the charger and the fresh battery goes in the drill and the driver gets the battery out of the drill

BTW, the charger also conditions the batteries so they should last much longer than a normal setup, and if you're looking to upgrade further down the line, craftsman has Li batteries that work in the same line of tools, though the ones that I have, much less the spare, show no signs of even getting weak so I doubt that I'll get to try them anytime soon.

Zralou · 10-18-2008, 09:45 AM

Well, thank you guys for all your recommendations. Seems the Craftsman is a popular choice.
I'm about to get ready and head out and see whats on offer out there. I was checking out the Craftsman series last night online, there was one for $69, but it was just the drill, battery and charger not included (Li-Ion).

I'm leaning toward the Ryobi for the simple reason, a few of the other techs I work with have them, so I can borrow batteries, chargers, etc if needed, and they have most of the accesories for the Ryobi (flashlight, circular saw, sawsall, etc) that I can also borrow if needed. Plus one tech told me Home Depot has them on special offer this week.

Sara Lou

Z06PSI · 10-20-2008, 11:15 AM

Makita everything here. Fell in love with their LXT series and now have the 90 degree ratchet, 450ft lb impact, grinder, sawzall, and drill. Love them all.

Camaroholic · 10-20-2008, 11:37 AM

I'm a DeWalt addict. I bought a big reconditioned kit from Toolking.com for like $429 or so, shipped. Included a hammerdrill, sawzall, circular saw, 1/4" impact, 4" angle grinder, and light. I've since added a vacuum. All run on the same 18V XRP battery (I have 3 batteries and 2 chargers). I've found every piece to come in handy when I need it and didn't want to drag out the corded tools. I use the impact as a screwdriver, which keeps the drill bits in the drill (handy to have side-by-side).

Check http://www.toolking.com for reconditioned tools. Might find something there, who knows.

Grimes · 10-20-2008, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Camaroholic

I'm a DeWalt addict. I bought a big reconditioned kit from Toolking.com for like $429 or so, shipped. Included a hammerdrill, sawzall, circular saw, 1/4" impact, 4" angle grinder, and light. I've since added a vacuum. All run on the same 18V XRP battery (I have 3 batteries and 2 chargers). I've found every piece to come in handy when I need it and didn't want to drag out the corded tools. I use the impact as a screwdriver, which keeps the drill bits in the drill (handy to have side-by-side).

Check http://www.toolking.com for reconditioned tools. Might find something there, who knows.

I have used DeWalt at my last 2 jobs, and I agree. I beat on the drill and recip saw, and they keep coming back for more....I've pretty much put my entire body weight on the drill dilling, and it never killed it.

bgblockelcamino · 10-20-2008, 01:37 PM

i had a dewalt 18v XRP drill. best drill i ever owned. i finally killed it after notching steel tubing for roll cages lol. i had it for abour 4 years. i ran 18inch auger bits with it. mixed joint compound. drilled 1/2 inch steel several times with it. the tubing notcherr is what finally killed it. i will get the same exact drill in a heart beat.

xfactor_pitbulls · 10-20-2008, 08:49 PM

Hitachi 18V. I have owned EVERYTHING, including full sets of dewalt. I have had atleast 3 professional tradesmen use the hitachi drill and go buy one for themselfs. All kidding aside, everything else is a toy. Batteries last forever, and the thing is rock solid. I have 2 of the big bodied ones that have the hammer option. They are like $299 at lowes. I dont know how much you lose buying the cheaper ones.

Zralou · 10-21-2008, 09:14 PM

Well, thanks again for the advice guys.
I opted for the Ryobi, I got the drill, circular saw, flashlight, 2 batteries and charger for $103.00.

I know the Dewalt stuff is excellent, but unfortunately, WAY out of my price bracket, I used to work with someone who swore by Dewalt, and one day I borrowed their drill, it nearly snapped my wrist when I hit a stubborn screw!!.

Sara Lou

ultraz · 10-21-2008, 11:05 PM

Bosch Lithium Ion. Its as small as you can get and light weight. Its advertised to be stronger than 18v while it is only 9.6V. It feels nicer than my Dewalt which broke or craftsman. I use my drill every day and I must say I am extremely happy with my purchase and Ive converted some co-workers once they tried my drill compared to others at the shop.

Best thing is that they have a standard drill verson as well as a Hammer Action available.

LS1>girlfriend · 10-24-2008, 11:30 AM

Ridgid lithium 18v. best drill ive ever had. fits great in your hand, its balanced well, excellent torque function and 2 speed setting. $200 at home depot with 2 batteries and a charger.

BlueIroc-z · 10-24-2008, 03:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Silverback

I've had several ranging from 2 cheap skills to some of the high dollar ones, and for just over $100 (I bough mine durring a father's day sale and had a coupon so I think I got the whole package for $8x, but even at the normal price it's a killer deal, at the time I was actually going to buy the panasonic Li ion setup and am glad I tried these) the craftsman drill and impact driver combo (the C3, 19.2V) are about the best buy that I've ever run across.

For screws, nuts and bolts nothing is better then the impact driver once you get used to it (at first an impact driver is a bit wierd for driving screws) and that half inch drive drill is just awsome. I bought an extra battery figuring nothing is worse than being in the middle of something and running out, but have never even had it out of the package. the impact driver takes less power, so what I do is when the battery in it starts getting worn down I drop it's battery in the charger and the fresh battery goes in the drill and the driver gets the battery out of the drill

BTW, the charger also conditions the batteries so they should last much longer than a normal setup, and if you're looking to upgrade further down the line, craftsman has Li batteries that work in the same line of tools, though the ones that I have, much less the spare, show no signs of even getting weak so I doubt that I'll get to try them anytime soon.

+1

My dad got that kit for Christmas, and that impact driver really comes in handy on the cars. Lot faster than a ratchet, although some of the tighter bolts have to be broken loose first.

adrian87camaro · 10-25-2008, 02:12 AM

I've worked in the hardware dept at Sears for the last 2 1/2 years and I gotta say that the impact/driver combo is one of the best deals out there and hella popular, I sell them all the time. Now the thing with Craftsman drills is they came out with weird voltages in the past (15.6, 18.0, 13,.2) and we don't carry most in the store. Now Craftsman is awesome for home use but don't even try to use it at work, trust me I've seen some ridiculous breakdowns. When you go to try to get a replacement battery for your drill for those voltages we dont carry in the store expect to pay the same you would for a DeWalt one. This is because they have to store them in temp controlled storage and someone has to pay the bill. If you are going to get a drill go for the 19.2 because you have so many options to go with from the C3 platform. Also, you can upgrade the 19.2 to a Lithium Ion now, but that technology is still expensive. Bosch makes nice drills too but I don't sell to much of those but know they are pretty decent. DeWalt is a work drill period, using it around the house it will last you forever, but their price reflects it. My favorite is the Milwaukee 18.0 V lithium ion drill it is compact and kicks ass. If you guys have any question regarding Sears tools, policies, warranties I will be glad to help you out so you don't get screwed over by some newbie working in the dept at your local sears. Oh yeah our hardware has lawn & garden, fitness, paint, water heates/softners, sporting goods, and fitness and I've been handling those depts just as long too.

rebuilt · 11-11-2008, 05:49 PM

I would go with Ridged if you use it for work. If you register your warranty card with them it has a lifetime repair warranty. Ryobi and Craftsman are made by the same company so its a toss up between them (Sears has them put one extra cell in the pack to bump the voltage). I've had good luck with both my 19.2 Drills but my Ridged hammer drill is my fav. I worked at Sears for over 4 years in the tool dept and most of the drill failures I dealt with could be traced back to operater stupidity.