Cordless Drills

[JB]

What type of battery powered drills is everyone running? I ask because I have time while waiting for the 24v batteries for my Firestorm to charge I have had it for a couple years and it has always been OK for what I need it for, but lately, the batteries really do not hold much of a charge. I have basically the same drill but in the 18v for work and it is great for the little **** I occasionally do onsite.

I need a drill with longer battery life, relatively lightweight, 2 speed, and one that does not burn your hands after a few minutes of use. Mainly drilling through metals.I like Milwaukee stuff, but don't even know if they have cordless tools.

[Sharpe]

Dewalt. Mine is only a 12v and has survived 3 years of Dexter abuse and I dont even know how old it actually is, it was my dad's. I had to replace the batteries about a year ago, I should have just bought a new 18 or 21 volt drill.

[Seth]

i qould go lithium if you are buyin new. ryobi is cheap and decent. dewalt, mil, and pc are still good stuff too.

[CheapJeep]

I have a Milwaukee 18v cordless, it kicks ass. Makita's are good too.

[Shaggy]

ryobi but it runs out fast and I would rather use the corded dewalt

[Graystroke]

I have a 14.4 Hitachi Pro. the one w/ the metal chuck. Has some cool features like a little light that doubles as a belt clip. Good battery life too. lots of torque and RPMS. What I don't like about it is the placement of the low/high switch. you tend to hit it when you grab the drill and bear down on it. I use the crap out of mine. so far it's been good to me. I really like the torque of it. I think it had the best torque and RPMs in it's volt class. I think Dewalts are ok but were a little pricey for me (18 volt XRP is like $279). I think Hitachi's are around $169 for the pro model...5yr warranty too. My next one will be the Makita w/ the lithium Ion...That is a bad dude.
http://www.makita.com/en-us/Modules/...ls.aspx?ID=892

what I have:
http://www.hitachipowertools.com/sto...th=1,2,21,p588,
except they only have the lithium ions now..mine is ni-cad

if you've ever used a lithium ion the weight difference is huge...it's amazing so much power comes from such a light drill


edit: here is the exact one I got..you can read the specs. According to Hitachi you can buy a LI-ion battery and their chargers and drills are backwards compatible. ion batteries are from $80-100 each I think I got mine on sale at lowes for around $159
http://www.toolbarn.com/product/hita...4DMR/?ref=base

[DRAGOONRANCH]

x3 on the Dewalt stuff. The 18V seems to be the drill of choice for alot of profesionals. Plenty of power, yet not too heavy for all day use. The dewalts are usually smooth running and easy to hold. While a bit more money than some, I think it is one of the brands that is worth the investment. They have plenty of accessories in the 18v variety also that the batteries will work on.

[bburris]

Get a DeWalt, Milwaukee, or Makita with a lithium ion battery. Milwaukee is probably the priciest, you can get DeWalts on sale between now and Christmas at Home Depot and Lowe's, Makita seems to stay the same price all the time.

[Graystroke]

dewalt is the choice of mexican professionals, w/ ryobi a close second. real professionals use festool
http://www.festoolusa.com/products/cordless-drills

If you ever watch This Old House on PBS the GC on there uses one...THe first time I saw it I thought it was a 20 yr old cordless drill or something...Apparently they make some fine equipment based on reviews that I read. The design makes sense. Compact enough to get in tight spaces.

[Reckless]

We have a rigid we got at a tool sale. cheap but has gobs of torque

[BroncoJo]

I just have a craftsman 19.2v. I drill the **** out of it since I aint got a corded one and its still going strong.

[8Runner]

dewalt 18v - it works like a champ and I love all the accessories and other tools it works with.

[robertf03]

that place I used to work probably had 8 different brand drills ranging from crappy black and decker to dewalt.

the ridgid 1/2" chuck 18v was the best. It was also the heaviest. Heavy is good, heavy is reliable. If it doesn't work you can always hit them with it

[DRAGOONRANCH]

that place I used to work probably had 8 different brand drills ranging from crappy black and decker to dewalt.

the ridgid 1/2" chuck 18v was the best. It was also the heaviest. Heavy is good, heavy is reliable. If it doesn't work you can always hit them with it

While being heavy does have it's advantages ( ), it can wear you down after a good day with it...

[robertf03]

if you have a good day with a drill you need to use a cord, or better yet a drill press