Anybody know anything about cordless drills

[strep3241]

I may be in the market for an 18volt cordless drill. Currently we have a Dewalt 18v hammer drill that is about 3 years old. We don't use the hammer feature that much. I am not to impressed with Dewalt right now. We already had to replace the transmission, luckily it was under warranty. More recent, it has a clutch going out. We do not use it every day. We use it on a dairy farm and use it more in the winter time.

I am just wondering what a good brand of drill is. I would like to have one that the batteries last several years. We have two Dewalt 18v batteries and both of them went bad at the same time. I have been looking at Milwaukee's and I like that they have a 5 year warranty.

$200 would be the max I would want to spend, less is always better. I just want something that will last. Using a electric drill is out of the question. This drill will get used on a cow lot so I don't want a cord dragging through the manure.

I know this is a tech forum but surely somebody on here has some input on this.

 

[WaTaGuMp]

I know they are cordless.

 

[SandEagle]

I believe most of them are without cords

 

[olds]

Never, ever had an issue except for replacing a 5 year old battery on my DeWalt.

 

[RavenSEAL]

I got a 12V Black and Decker that's been working like a charm for 3 years. They make some quality stuff, i would check em out.

 

[olds]

I know they are cordless.

How is the battery pack charged?

 

[olds]

Just googled this:
http://www.cordless-drill-reviews.com/index.html

 

[MovingTarget]

Cordless drills are convenient, but I've never seen one match up to a true corded drill. The trick is to find a drill with a common battery type with other cordless tools so that you can replace it easier when it eventually dies.

Is there any particular reason that you need a cordless? Would a regular corded drill or (drool...) drill press due?

 

[techs]

Not recommended:

 

[strep3241]

Cordless drills are convenient, but I've never seen one match up to a true corded drill. The trick is to find a drill with a common battery type with other cordless tools so that you can replace it easier when it eventually dies.

Is there any particular reason that you need a cordless? Would a regular corded drill or (drool...) drill press due?

I need cordless because it will be used on a cow lot so I don't want a cord dragging through the manure and the cows will be messing with the cord. We already have a corded drill and a drill press.

 

[MrPickins]

Never, ever had an issue except for replacing a 5 year old battery on my DeWalt.

QFT

I've used a lot of Dewalt 18v cordless tools when I was a ran cable and again when I was a handyman. Aside from batteries (which wear out just due to their nature), I've had almost zero problems from them.

I definitely recommend going for the 18v over the weaker models. The torque is much better.

 

[WaTaGuMp]

How is the battery pack charged?

With electricity.

 

[olds]

With electricity.

Cordless electricity? I'd like to subscribe to your newsletter.

 

[roguerower]

Based off of what I've seen on my jobsite, I see a lot of Dewalt and Milwaukee tools on the jobsite. My supt has a dewalt cordless drill and an impact driver and they're both really nice tools. If I had to go out and buy a new set of tools, I'd go with a Milwaukee or Dewalt. Look at these:

http://tinyurl.com/2uok6kh <-Impact driver and cordless

http://www.amazon.com/DeWalt-DCK265...f=sr_1_11?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1293388246&sr=1-11 <-Impact driver and cordless

http://tinyurl.com/2b33rho <-4 tool kit

 

[WaTaGuMp]

Cordless electricity? I'd like to subscribe to your newsletter.

Lightning doesn't use a cord.

 

[strep3241]

Based off of what I've seen on my jobsite, I see a lot of Dewalt and Milwaukee tools on the jobsite. My supt has a dewalt cordless drill and an impact driver and they're both really nice tools. If I had to go out and buy a new set of tools, I'd go with a Milwaukee. Look at these:

http://tinyurl.com/2uok6kh <-Impact driver and cordless

http://tinyurl.com/2b33rho <-4 tool kit

I don't need all 4 tools. I already have a Dewalt circular saw and reciprocating saw.

It would be nice to have a cordless impact driver even though it probably will not get used that much. We have an air impact driver. Are those new or used on Amazon?

 

[RipGlitter]

DeWalt is generally pretty good stuff. Milwaukee is considered by most I know to be the best, though. One thing with ANY of those batteries is that if you don't use them on a regular basis and run them all the way down (or pretty close to it) when you use them, the batteries will usually not last as long. Don't recharge them until you run them down.

 

[bolomite]

Also, avoid Ryobi - their products are generally crap.

 

[Imp]

DeWalt is suppose to be cream of the crop. Got a dud?

I have a Black & Decker 12v, but barely use it. FYI, Black & Decker and DeWalt are the same company.

 

[olds]

Also, avoid Ryobi - their products are generally crap.

I concur.

 

[Rubycon]

Aren't they all made in China now?

 

[iGas]

I have use pretty much every make of cordless drill in the past.

Currently I have a 14.4V Makita drill & an impact driver, four 18V Makita drills & 2 impact drivers, a 9.8V & a 18V Dewalt drill, an 10.8V Bosch impact driver, and a 18V Hilti drill. (I also have about a dozen other cordless tools).

My coworkers have Milwaukee, Bosch, Dewalt, Porter Cable, Makita, Hitachi, Panasonic, and Ridgid.

So far the Makita, Dewalt, and Milwaukee batteries seems to last and hold the charge better than the rest of the other tools. I keep dropping one of mine Makita impact driver I have had for 4 years from atop of the ladder and it keeps on going. And the last time I dropped it off a 43' lift onto concrete floor and amazing enough it still works so as the battery (I have broken a few batteries in the past upon dropping them).

I have had 1 Dewalt & 2 Makita failed battery chargers. But, all in all you can't go wrong with Makita (lightest of the bunch), Dewalt, or Milwalkee (heaviest of the bunch).

 

[iGas]

DeWalt is generally pretty good stuff. Milwaukee is considered by most I know to be the best, though. One thing with ANY of those batteries is that if you don't use them on a regular basis and run them all the way down (or pretty close to it) when you use them, the batteries will usually not last as long. Don't recharge them until you run them down.

That is true with the old NiCd and NiMH batteries, but Li-Ion battery doesn't require a full drain.

And, not all Li-Ion batteries are created the same. My older 2~4 year old Li-Ion batteries doesn't hold the charge as well as my newer Li-Ion batteries (and I think it was like that since I got all of them new.)

 

[PhoKingGuy]

Something not made in China?

 

[ussfletcher]

DeWalt drills are great! But the problem is they cheap out on consumer grade parts. For example, when you purchase these drills at Home Depot they swap transmissions and other parts that are normally metal for parts that are plastic. The best place to purchase high quality drills will be at a company that specializes in supplying these to commercial companies. One by me is Fastener's Inc. but any region should have their own equivalent companies.