Cordless drill recommendations

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R

rwhite

Minister of Fire
Nov 8, 2011
1,986
North Central Idaho
Considering buying a new cordless drill. Have an older Milwaukee 18v NICAD cordless hammer drill now that is a horse. I'm one my 3rd set of brushes and it keeps going. Thing is that I'm down to one battery and hanging on. I don't need the hammer drill as I have a corded hammer that does all I need. Do I pony up the $70 for another battery or spend a bit more on a new drill. So far I've looked at another Milwaukee (pricey but probably worth it), Dewalt Makita, and Porter Cable. I know at one time PC made good tools but I have never bought any lately. The PC is priced right for a 20v drill and impact w/2 batteries for $150.

Thoughts?
 
I've had my Milwalkee hammer drill about 7years and still going strong. Had to change the switch a few years ago, brushes and got fresh batteries last year. Also got an impact with it - pretty impressive. At the time I got them we were using Dewalt (B&D)at work which were not as good. Currently have Ryobi at work and have used a few Craftsman's. Neither is even close, but they are a fraction of the price. Have had good luck with PC tools, but no experience with their cordless.
 
I've been doing some looking around myself, however I'm more in the market for an impact than a drill. At lowes the other day there was a Dewalt 20v combo pack,impact and 1/2" drill, 2 batteries and a charger. Made in USA with global components. $179.99. Almost bought it, I didn't though b/c they also had 4 piece combo kit. Same as above plus reciprocating saw & LED flash light for $279.99. I'm trying to decide if the saw and light are worth $100.
 
Zkx14 said:
I've had my Milwalkee hammer drill about 7years and still going strong. Had to change the switch a few years ago, brushes and got fresh batteries last year. Also got an impact with it - pretty impressive. At the time I got them we were using Dewalt (B&D)at work which were not as good. Currently have Ryobi at work and have used a few Craftsman's. Neither is even close, but they are a fraction of the price. Have had good luck with PC tools, but no experience with their cordless.
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I think mine is about a 00-03 vintage. I have used the hammer function out of convenience but have never really done anything I couldn't have strung a cord to if I hadn't been lazy. I don't think the hammer function works as well as my corded Milwaukee hammer drill. In reality this is more a want than a need. I don't do any production work so 1 battery does 95% of what I need. I just like knowing that I have a back up. Plus I use it to run my ice auger. I can usually get 15-20 holes on 1 battery.
 
Buzz Saw said:
I've been doing some looking around myself, however I'm more in the market for an impact than a drill. At lowes the other day there was a Dewalt 20v combo pack,impact and 1/2" drill, 2 batteries and a charger. Made in USA with global components. $179.99. Almost bought it, I didn't though b/c they also had 4 piece combo kit. Same as above plus reciprocating saw & LED flash light for $279.99. I'm trying to decide if the saw and light are worth $100.
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Comparing kits can be a challenge. Havent looked what Dewalt is doing, but watch what batteries are included. Number of batteries, type Nicad or Li, and capacity Ah. Often makes a bigger difference in value than the tools.
 
rwhite said:
think mine is about a 00-03 vintage. I have used the hammer function out of convenience but have never really done anything I couldn't have strung a cord to if I hadn't been lazy. I don't think the hammer function works as well as my corded Milwaukee hammer drill. In reality this is more a want than a need. I don't do any production work so 1 battery does 95% of what I need. I just like knowing that I have a back up. Plus I use it to run my ice auger. I can usually get 15-20 holes on 1 battery.
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We use all Milwaukee stuff. The M18 stuff is much better than the old nicad stuff. And the fuel is even better. What i like about it is the 5 year warantee. We use our stuff hard it gets wet it gets dropped and beat on and they always fix it free of charge with int that 5 year period. The new dewalt 20v stuff is pretty nice to but their warantee sucks in comparison. It all depends what you need it for our stuff is used hard every day so i think it is worth paying more but for a homeowner ryobi or pc are not bad. Also be aware that the stuff you buy at lowes or home depot are made for those stores to meet their price point. They have different model numbers and specs. They are not the same tools you buy elsewhere
 
Zkx14 said:
Comparing kits can be a challenge. Havent looked what Dewalt is doing, but watch what batteries are included. Number of batteries, type Nicad or Li, and capacity Ah. Often makes a bigger difference in value than the tools.
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Very true about batteries. I'm glad you mentioned the batteries. The 4 piece set includes 2.0 Ahr batteries, while the 2 piece set batteries were 1.5Ahr batteries.

Another factor is weight. Carrying a heavy tool all day gets old fast.
 
Shop eBay for batteries. I've gotten some good deals on excellent batteries there.
 
bholler said:
Also be aware that the stuff you buy at lowes or home depot are made for those stores to meet their price point. They have different model numbers and specs. They are not the same tools you buy elsewhere
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This isn't always the fact. I used to believe that till a few years back I was looking at circular saws. The saw at home depot was the same model number as the saw at the local supply house. I ended up giving the supply house the business because they saved me a lot of money on other supplies.
 
Buzz Saw said:
This isn't always the fact. I used to believe that till a few years back I was looking at circular saws. The saw at home depot was the same model number as the saw at the local supply house. I ended up giving the supply house the business because they saved me a lot of money on other supplies.
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You are right it is not always a fact but when you see that really great deal at one of the box stores that tool is probably not the same quality. For an average homeowner that wont make any difference but to a pro it will.
 
Zkx14 said:
Also nice to know how much charge you have with lights.
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yeah but i still forget to check them before i go up on the roof lol
 
I've had a M-18 Milwaukee cordless drill and impact driver for several years which has been fantastic. As mentioned being able to tell how much juice is in the battery before starting a project or while working halfway through the project is nice.
 
Hard to go wrong with a Milwaukee, but the cordless I have right now is a Bosch, and I've really been impressed by it. I think it's the dds181. Battery life/ capacity beats the red guys... or at least it did when I got it.
 
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I've been using he makita 18v set for about 4 years now and have been very impressed. With that said, the factory batteries are expensive, and the chinese (ebay) batteries work but dont last as long. If I were to get a set of tools today it would be Rigid from the HD... lifetime warrenty on tools and batteries.
 
spawner said:
If I were to get a set of tools today it would be Rigid from the HD... lifetime warrenty on tools and batteries.
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Read the fine print first. I had a rigid set at one time. The batteries went bad so I took them into home depot. I thought it would be a "trade" for a new battery. Boy was I wrong. You need to provide the original receipt (at least thatnis how it was at the time), warranty registration. After that the batteries are shipped out to be tested/repaired. I ended up not completing the process due to lack of paperwork. I was in the middle of remodeling my house and had zero clue were the paper work might even be located.
 
Buzz Saw said:
Read the fine print first. I had a rigid set at one time. The batteries went bad so I took them into home depot. I thought it would be a "trade" for a new battery. Boy was I wrong. You need to provide the original receipt (at least thatnis how it was at the time), warranty registration. After that the batteries are shipped out to be tested/repaired. I ended up not completing the process due to lack of paperwork. I was in the middle of remodeling my house and had zero clue were the paper work might even be located.
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I think now you have to submit everything within 90 days of purchase.
 
Took a look at some testing of Milwaukee 2603-22 and Mikita LXPH05.

The Milwaukee had a little more speed, weight 12 lbs. and sells around $330
The Mikita weight is 3.8 lbs., recharges battery in 30 min. and sells around $300.

Both are 18 volt and come with recharger and 2 LI batteries.
 
I'm checking too.

I've asked two guys here who used their tools every day for their work, and have access to both Milwaukee & Dewalt, and both told me Dewalt. I was kinda surprised but they seemed pretty convinced.

Now having looked at Dewalt, there seem to be a wide range in prices on stuff that looks almost the same. (Talking 20v LiIon, XP I believe). So - what is/are the main things to look for in the drill itself, if it will be seeing heavy drilling use? I think I have seen some advertised as brushless - would that be a prime consideration?
 
maple1 said:
I think I have seen some advertised as brushless - would that be a prime consideration?
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I have never used dewalts brush less ones or their new 20v stuff for that matter. But i really like the Milwaukee brush less stuff the battery lasts longer and the tools seem to hold up better. There was a time i would not buy dewalt stuff but they have caught up to the others now. If i was starting over i would definatly consider them now. But i still like the Milwaukee watantee. And i never had any luck with the rigid warantee they said the tools were abused.
 
actually my favorite drill was a Panasonic but they are expensive and they don't have much selection in tools. But that drill and 2 batteries lasted me 10 years 6 of those years it was used hard every week day. I would regularly run it till it was smoking set it down to cool and it just kept going. The batteries finally quit holding a charge that is when i switched to Milwaukee.
 
I am still with my 28 volt Milwaukee gear, I picked up one of the 2nd generation batteries and they last for a real long time. I used the circular saw on couple of construction projects and 2 batteries lasted me an entire day. They switched over to the 18 volt line but still support the 28 volt line.
 
rwhite said:
I think now you have to submit everything within 90 days of purchase.
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Both good information. I have read of others having similar issues with warranty. Although if the tools are of equal quality and possibly cost less, the warranty cant hurt. Even if its a PITA ... And don't get me wrong, my Makita set hasn't missed a beat through 2 house remodels, and more abuse than they should be expected to handle... I just wish those batteries weren't so pricey.
 
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