Cordless Drills

[mlehikoinen]

any cordless that I've owned has been a POS (I've had 2) with being under powered and crappy batteries. But then I can't justify buying the good stuff when a corded drill works just fine for me (I don't stray far from the source of electrons ).

[dinop1833]

My money is on the Bosch 10V. It's small and light enough to carry and fit anywhere. The battery charges fast and gives you full power until the final pull. I've put this thing through all of the paces and at $130 for the drill gun, 2 batts, charger, and case it was money well spent. For the big jobs I picked up a Makita 18V. I've had nothing but good things to say about that as well.

Has anyone tried the Makita 18V circular saw. I'd like to up-grade but my old corded Skil saw just won't die.

[somethin4nothin]

i use porter-cable drills... 18v nicad. we should have a battery debate

[Beechwood Chip]

i use porter-cable drills... 18v nicad. we should have a battery debate

CPO was just offering a refurb PC drill for a little over $100, and they threw in a circ saw, a recip saw, a flashlight, a charger, and probably a couple of batteries.

[somethin4nothin]

sounds like a good deal! i think i paid 100 for the drill and a circ saw, 2 batteries and a charger... now for 120 back in july i could have gotten that same deal as what you said but new. but that deal is over...

[PaulMarcel]

Some people here mentioned the Makita drill/impact lithion set (and I know another similar thread elsewhere also praised it). It's today's Gold Box deal of the day on Amazon. $125 for the kit.

[Mike G]

I'm in that yellow tool camp as well.

I bought my initial impact and 18v XRP hammerdrill at Home depot, and added another hammer drill, circular saw, right angle grinder, and recipro saw from sales on ebay. I've also bought several new in package 18 volt XRP batteries on ebay dirt cheap, so I have 10 batteries on hand right now, and 4 chargers.

i also have 2 of the 7.2 volt screwdrivers, and a Bosch 12V LiON driver. it is my favorite by far.

[Jim Rimmer]

A lot of good recommendations here. But consider how much you'll use it, what you'll use it for and how much you're willing to spend. I'm not a contractor and don't work my drills all day long so I am happy with my Ryobi's from the BORG. I bought the blue kit several years ago and when the LiIon batteries came out I got a special deal on a drill plus batteries and charger and have added a couple of batteries since. The drills stand up to the use level I put them through and stand up to a lot of abuse. I have dropped them off the top of 6'step ladder several times and knocked them off the workbench and they just keep on ticking. If you want to use it all day on a jobsite, I would definitely go for the DeWalt or something in that line. For home repairs and hobby work and a small budget, Ryobi is great.

[Tom B]

I use to have 14v Bosch with 2 NiCd batteries. Worked well. Then switched to Makita's (LXT218) Combo kit (18V LXT 1/2" Hammer Driver-Drill (BHP454) and 18V LXT Impact Driver (BTD141). Was very pleased. Hammer drill is a bit heavy, but did the job nicely. Battery life - the best of all cordless drills that I've had.

Now: Sold the impact driver and bought Festool C12. Next step will be on selling Hammer drill and buying Festool's T 15+3. Don't get me wrong. I loved my Makitas, but really wanted to upgrade.

My advice - don't go cheap. Buy the best.

[Jim DaddyO]

I have an 18 volt RONA brand (Canadian lumber chain) that I like. Best of all, I paid $5 for a raffle ticket and won it! Has an impact feature which is really nice when you have to put 400 screws into a deck.

[capnjack2]

where are you ridgid people. how can you go wrong with the lifetime warranty. i have a 3 piece kit (drill, light, skill saw) i have had for 10 or 11 years. the batteries just a few months ago died. a phone call to a warranty center and 2 arrived in the mail free of charge, didnt have to send the old ones back or anything. i am thinking about taking them in and having them rebuilt so i have more 2 more batteries. the circ saw is nice cuz you can actually cut a 2x4. most of the circ saws that come in those kits wont cut a 2x4. i added the sawzall to the kit and added a bettery a few years back and added the cordless shop vac and a newer drill driver a few months back. everything works well and i have a pile of batteries, and they keep coming.

Just had to jump in here. I bought the Ridgid 18v Li-ion when it first came out and I love it. I did have a problem with getting the batteries replaced under the LSA. It took four months. You'd be amazed at how spoiled you are once you DON'T have a cordless dril in your arsenal. Apart from that, the drill is amazing, lightweight, has a good light under the chuck, 1/2 " chuck, decent torque. I don't have the other tools but wish I did. A friend of mine has the Makita bagged set (the blue kind, not the black-and-white) with the 18v drill, impact driver, circ saw, recip saw and light. It's also great and I think has a better battery life and more torque. Anyway hope that helps. Happy shopping!