Cordless Drill

[Manny]

I decided to upgrade to a quality cordless drill. Problem was I was overwhelmed by the number of choices that are available. The last time I bought a cordless drill was a Makita about 20 years ago. Would appreciate suggestions on buying a new "modern" cordless drill.

Thanks in advance.

[Walter_lars]

Manny how do you like the cordless impact drivers over a regular style drill ?

[Michael Hritz]

I grabbed a 19.2v Craftsman on Black Friday in '07, along w/a spare battery. It has been fine so far, although the batteries are starting to tire some. Even when I melted the back end of the housing (too close to a clamp light) it didn't quit, but I do miss that built-in bulls-eye level that now is just a blob...

Ran thru a couple cheapie off-brand drills before I went w/this one, & it was worth it. Also have a Makita hammer drill, an old 1992 Skil that's still cooking fine, & my Grandpap's old American Hardware with the metal housing that has to be 50-ish years old! I try to use it in every project just so 'Pap gets to be a part of it.

[Rick]

The best way I found to choose is...what are the 2 main components of a cordless drill that apply across the board?  Torque and battery life. After that, it's only your budget.

[Mike Kahle]

I read the first page and skimmed the rest.

I have worked in the CATV industry and the electrical industry for years, and the only drill I have owned is a dewalt 18v hammer drill. the non hammer drill and the hammer drill is almost the same weight. They are very heavy drills. Around the house, I own three Black and Decker Firestorm drills. The cost of replacing a dewalt battery when it dies is between $70 and $100 depending if it is nicad or li-on. I found that once a year I can get a new drill and two batteries for my firestorm either at walmart or at the black and decker outlet store for between $30 and $50. Last year I picked up a firestorm combo kit at the outlet for $80, the kit had a flashlight, drill and a circular saw in it, as well as two batteries.

The B&D drills weigh so much less than the dewalt drill there is no comparison in that field. The firestorm drills have performed very well for me drilling pocket holes in common wood (havent done any exotics other than cedar), and run my screws home very well.... just play with the clutch at the beginning of every project or wood type/cut (making the project out of the same type of wood, but two different planks are of different moisture content and a screw goes onto one easier than another) to make sure you dont over tighten the screws.

I was on a job helping a guy assemble a large kids fort/play set, and I had my trusty dewalt and he had a set of 14v drills. I cant remember the brand, makita or some other, they were grey/white. felt very good in my hand, light, much lighter than my dewalt, and smaller - get into that places my big old dependable dewalt would not fit..... and they had nice power.... I asked him and he said they were in the $150 dollar range... dont remember...

I recommend you go to both the big box stores, and sears and anywhere else that displays the drills with the battery in them and fell them and play with them and find a few that you like the feel of and the weight, then ask people what they think of the ones you like... fet the pros and cons that way and make your decision from there.... and also, make sure the place you buy from will give you a 100% refund on the tool if you just flat out dont like it after you buy it. Kind of a pain in the arse to have to take a tool back because you dont like it, but its even more of a pain if you cant return it.... I have done it, bought a nice bostich brad nailer from the say so of other people, and I just flat out did not like the nailer... took it back the next day and they refused to refund me because I used it.... I asked them how else would I know if I liked it if I could not use it and they told me tough luck....never shopped there again....