Your opinions of Cordless Drill-Drivers

[ship]

Impact drivers are great tools. In a different post about some 10Kw fresnels, it was a pneumatic impact in this case I think wrench which removed a very stuck nut. They do have the power to do more work by suscessive blows than normal drill/drivers. For a bolt, there might be nothing better. There is also for contractors some cordless wire cutters and crimp tools. We have a four pin indent multi-cable pin crimp tool for such pins and it's sweet. Were I doing more distro racks, I would want a cordless or pneumatic crimp tool.

Such impact tools even on a stick drywall screw might have promiss. Otherwise it's a question of need for use in tightening boltls verses the other more general tool. Such a tool is probably on my list to puchase given a in general bulk of them. Good point in another tool on the market that's well within need at times. Impact tools also work as torque wrenches much more accurately than that of trusting a clutch setting based upon power or battery. If you need a specific torque, thest tools can't be topped.

 

[sound_nerd]

Right now I have a Bosch 14.4V hammer drill. A year ago, I blew the clutch, and then screwed it up even more by changing gears with a hammer and screwdriver. Had it repaired, they had to replace the clutch, gear assembly, casing, chuck...basically everything except the motor. It's running strong still today.
At the college, we use all Dewalt drills, and impact drivers. The only beef I have with them is that the batteries die within an hour of hard use. Otherwise, I would recommend the DeWalt XRP drills anytime.

 

[ship]

Just got the newer version of the 14.4v DeWalt Hammer Drill/three speed. It's nice in having a higher RPM, but it's weight and configuration is off a lot from the origional one I'm used to. Finger/hand position on it is way different, instead of using ones second finger, it's more like the third by how it's laid out in holding the drill in one's hand and which finger is operating the trigger.

I very much like the older discontinued gun better but at least it's still a pistol grip instead of T-Handle.

I also dislike the chuck on the new drill.

Interesting note on the duration of change on a impact cordless. Makes sense I suppose for what its doing.

 

[Diarmuid]

I recently decided that I would buy my own cordless drill, as the one at my theatre, is quite old and slow, I also thought I would find it quite useful at home.
I bought a Black and Decker 18V CD18CA.

I have found it to be excellent, and perfect for itss intended use, of drilling through wood etc, to construct sets. It can also be used on metal, but I havent tried this out.
The only problem with it is, that it doesnt have a stand alone charger, and I think that this would be much better than having to plug the whole drill into the mains when charging it. I do think that the 18V battery, does last quite a long time, when it has been fully charged.

 

[soundlight]

FEIN cordless drills are, without a doubt, the best. I was at at a theater this summer that had tons of different drills, different voltages, different brands. They had ONE 14v Fein drill that could take out the 18v Makita any day. It worked like a charm, and everyone in the scene shop wanted to use it, and would make excuses to borrow it from people and not give it back. And it was one of the older ones. I've tested new feins (can't remember what model), and they are still top on my list. They're great.

*edited after guest posts deleted*

 

[control]

i personally own a craftsman 18volt with a led at the bottum to light the work area but my school has dewalt 18volt xrp drills which keep on vanishingi think the bandies took them.

 

[gafftaper]

My first two cordless drills were Craftsman because like the original post from Ship said, I was raised in a Craftsman home. I quickly learned that while the hand tools are great the cordless drills are crap.

I currently own both a Black and Decker 14 Volt and 18 Volt Firestorm drills. I got the 14 volt for $40 at the factory outlet store and a few months later Lowes had a closeout on the 18 volt combo kit with a circular saw, flashlight, drill, laser level, and dustbuster for $90 so I just had to get it too. Both of these are good basic drills. Nothing special about them but they work fine for all my household needs.

My current work situation has me a year away from purchasing all the equipment for a brand new college theater. I'm definitely going to buy Dewalt at that point. They are sturdy, powerful, and just feel good in your hand.

When purchasing drills for my old high school shop I tended to buy Black and Decker because tools have a habit of walking away. While I would have loved to own Dewalts, I could buy 3 or 4 Black and Deckers for the same price. So it wasn't worth the risk when I had one or two stolen or broken every year (I think the custodians stole half of them).

Black and Decker has factory outlet stores... see if you can find one in your area. You can get refurbished 12 or 14 volt drills with two batteries and a charger for $30-$50 (the price is different every time you go). There was one time I went and every tool in the store was half price, even the refurbished stuff... I spent $400 that day. Yes it's inferior equipment but it's not bad equipment like Craftsman. It'll handle light work at home and if you're buying for a High School shop where tools are abused or stolen, it makes sense financially.

 

[MircleWorker]

I too prefer Dewalts also, but in my space I use now a $90.00 18 volt firestorms. When we opened, a "Box store" had them on sale for $80.00 each with two batteries and a fast charger they were $110 at the time. Yes they are cheap, but when a student breaks one I don't cry.

 

[MircleWorker]

One of the best cordless drills I have ever owned was a Panisonic. it was a 12 volt beauty, after 8 long years it died on me. Now I have a Dewalt.

 

[MHSTech]

Right now I have a 12v Craftsman, and it's just not cuttin it for me. I'm thinkin about buying the Milwaukee 28v set. Can't go wrong with that. Those are some serious cordless tools.

 

[soundlight]

We just recently got a B&D 12V at my high school, and it works pretty well. It only has one battery, and it won't cut it for putting in lag screws, but it'll do most everything else. But I still would take a Fein over anything else. I used one this past summer and they're the best cordless drills that I've ever used.

 

[gafftaper]

Hey Soundlight you can get a quickcharger for B&D batteries for around $30. It'll make your life much easier.

 

[saxman0317]

Re: cordless drills, what I have used

At the stage right now, we have a bunch of dewalts, as well as what we used to use at work. But dewalts cant handle a beating well for what you pay for them and the batteries are terrible.. Too behonest, the cordless i just bought personnally as well as a few at work are 18v Ryobis. You can only get em Home Depot i think, but their really inexpensive, and from the way that i use stuff like that, it lives still. Battery life is really good too. The last set we did i used to battery for 2-3 days without charging it. And thats with alot of use. Cheap, and **** good durability...just make sure you get the 18v and you can interchange it with a multitude of other tools. I bought a set with a one of those big lights that works real well gelled, a chainsaw, a sawzall, 2 drills, 4 batteries and charger, a vacum, and a circular saw for about 300$. You can also get just the drill for about 50$ on sale.

 

[tenor_singer]

I started my school year with four different cordless drills...

1 12 volt Black and Decker ($29.99 sale at Lowes)
1 14.4 volt Black and Decker (Came with a kit of tools that cost a total of $49.00)
1 14.4 volt Skill drill ($129.00)
1 19.2 volt Craftsman drill ($199.00... set with a saw, light, drill etc...)

Three of them broke throughout our constructions. The funny thing is... guess which drill is still working?

Yup... the freaking $29.99 black and decker drill (with the gell filled grip none-the-less). AND the only reason the other B&D drill broke is because a kid used it to bang in a nail, ruining the battery (which we couldn't find a replacement for).

Since then we've invested in a 12 volt DeWalt. It's a very good drill, but still doesn't beat our beastly 12 volt, on sale special Black and Decker (that was dropped 28 feet from a lift and still runs).

 

[jamsession]

Great topic! Worth discussing - albeit tools, esp drills is practically a religious topic*, with emotional favorites - thx for all the detail on your favs and why.

*(my all-time fav Christmas gift 10+ years ago still remains a Craftsman industrial strength corded drill - I've made beds, houses, sets, castles, bookcases, tables, who knows what else with it. The original rubber cord is due for replace, but it's still going strong and forever has a special place in my heart.)

funny - my favorite cordless drill isn't on the OP's original list that I could see, and scanning didn't see it mentioned. I'll keep this short and sweet.

My friend and I recently knocked out a 12' stage ramp in 2 hours. He was a trim carpenter for many years by trade, had daily used/abused/wore out every cordless out there (including Makita and DeWalt), and the ones he was using now were by _far_ his favorite. I'd have to agree - they have CRAZY torque and were a joy to use. Our pick:

RIDGID RIDGID RIDGID


If you're going to spend the $$$ for a good cordless or pair or more, check them out.

 

[derekleffew]

Call me a traditionalist, but Makita was the first, and I think still the best. I still have a 9.6V, 12V, and 14.4V. Anything greater than 14.4v weighs too much for general use. for very heavy-duty work, I'm also fond of the Milwaukee brand, but I understand they're not as good as they used to be. The DeWalt seems very rugged, but again too heavy.

I mentioned in another thread I prefer the Stanley Yankee screwdriver over any cordless, in some applications.

 

[gafftaper]

Derek you have to try one of the new 18 volt Makita Lithium Ion's. It weighs about the same as a 12 volt but has AMAZING power. 15 minute recharge on the battery. No battery memory. Even has this little LED light focused on your work area which is great when you are working on a set in some crazy location in the dark. This thing kicks some serious butt.

 

[len]

I purchased a Makita Li-Ion 18v package recently from e-bay brand new. It had a work light and an impact wrench as well, and I found it for $260. I'm very happy with it so far, although I haven't been able to use it much as I've been busy with other things, and the weather is too cold to do anything outside right now. But it's very comfortable, and light. Batteries charge fairly quickly and last a long time.

 

[len]

RIDGID RIDGID RIDGID


If you're going to spend the $$$ for a good cordless or pair or more, check them out.

My dad ran the factory that made the chucks for 90% of the drills mfg. in the 1970's. And they were all made by Rigid.

And if you drove a Big Joe material handler made in the early 1980's, that was my dad also. Last job he had before retirement.

 

[DaveySimps]

I got one of the new style Makita's with Li-Ion 18v battery. I LOVE it. The LED task light is becoming one of my favorite features.

~Dave