Buying a power drill

[Pandamonium]

I live in an apartment so my drilling needs are minimal, but I hate the thought of buying a tool that can't grow with me for a few years. I'd like it to be useful for 5 years or so.

Really, I just want a cheapish drill. I'll probably be receiving a corded hand-me-down in a year or so, so I'm looking at cordless ones for now. I'd like for the batteries today to be available in 3-5years, but I don't know what kind of life cycles power tool manufacturers work with/who is more likely to support older batteries. What would you recommend for a <$50 budget and a "best bang for your buck" buy?

 

[dawp]

can't really go wrong with craftsman

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...4&amp;blockType=G4

used to have an older craftsman until it was stolen.

I'd also pick up a spare battery. Hate to have to stop in the middle of a job because of a dead one.

 

[PottedMeat]

just wondering - what's wrong with a nice corded & quality extension cord in an apartment? never run out of power and you won't have to worry about finding batteries

 

[x-alki]

just wondering - what's wrong with a nice corded & quality extension cord in an apartment? never run out of power and you won't have to worry about finding batteries

Nothings wrong with a corded drill. The convience of a cordless makes it better. I'd say if you arent going to use the drill much get a corded drill. Not using a cordless drill for 6 months then finding out the battery is dead sucks when you need it.

 

[Vette73]

You need to make a choice, 5 years+ or low price.

If you want 5+ years then look at rigid drill with Li-Ion battery as they have a lifetime warranty on the drill and batteries. There are other drills that have 2-3 year warranty&#8217;s on their drills and battery&#8217;s but they also get as costly.
I just got a Hitachi Li-Ion 18v drill. Lifetime on the drill but only 2 year on the battery.

If you want cheap then get a $40 black/decker or other cheap drill.

 

[skull]

I'd go with ryobi. Alot of people don't like them but i've never had a problem with them. I do apartment maintenance and heating and air. I have seen plenty of guys use them. I've had a ryobi litium ion set for a year now. They still work just as good as new and I put them through more than your going to. There sitting in my truck right now 15 degrees outside. They have been there all winter batteries still hold a good charge.

 

[Bartman39]

can't really go wrong with craftsman

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...4&amp;blockType=G4

used to have an older craftsman until it was stolen.

I'd also pick up a spare battery. Hate to have to stop in the middle of a job because of a dead one.

Have to agree Craftsman is the best price/value for just about anyone in the home market or even someone that makes their living with tools like I do... Here is my recommendation for home user that most likely lets it set for long periods of time... You could get the extended warranty for a few bucks more but the Lithium-ion battery is far superior to a NiCad type for length of service... Also it should have enough power for what you do or need it for...

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...2&amp;blockType=G2

 

[iGas]

Don't buy a cordless drill if you don't use it often or have it plug in regularly, because the battery will die if it discharge below the point of no return.

Get the cheapest corded drill that you can find with 1/2" chuck because it will out power any cordless that you will ever find. 1/2" chuck is much better than 3/8" chuck is that you don't have to hunt down 3/8" shank bits and less slippage when drilling larger holes.

 

[Throckmorton]

Get a Fiskars hand drill.

http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1348232

 

[Zenmervolt]

If all you really want is something cheap that will work, just pick up something from Harbor Freight. I know, I know, people are going to come down on me for even saying that, but for home use the "Chicago Electric" stuff is just fine. I've had a Harbor Freight special for 8 years and it still works fine for "everyday" things around the house. I did recently buy a nice DeWalt XRP because I started doing more projects around the house, but the average person should find a Harbor Freight drill perfectly adequate for any common uses.

ZV

 

[Howard]

I did recently buy a nice DeWalt XRP

ZV

Baller

 

[Gillbot]

You need to make a choice, 5 years+ or low price.

If you want 5+ years then look at rigid drill with Li-Ion battery as they have a lifetime warranty on the drill and batteries. There are other drills that have 2-3 year warranty’s on their drills and battery’s but they also get as costly.
I just got a Hitachi Li-Ion 18v drill. Lifetime on the drill but only 2 year on the battery.

If you want cheap then get a $40 black/decker or other cheap drill.

I thought the same, but the $4.99 special I got at harbor freight is still kicking after 12 years of abuse. It's a lowly 12v model but batteries are cheap and rebuild-able when they crap out.

 

[Vette73]

I thought the same, but the $4.99 special I got at harbor freight is still kicking after 12 years of abuse. It's a lowly 12v model but batteries are cheap and rebuild-able when they crap out.

Yea the 5+ year part is more the battery than the tool. Hitachi gives a lifetime for my drill but the battery is 2 years. I think rigid is the only one the battery is also covered by a longer warranty.

 

[Gillbot]

Yea the 5+ year part is more the battery than the tool. Hitachi gives a lifetime for my drill but the battery is 2 years. I think rigid is the only one the battery is also covered by a longer warranty.

When I bought it, I expected it to literally last a year tops. They had a sale on batteries about 6 months later so I picked up two for $6 each. (Ironically, the drill was $5 with one battery but they stopped selling it.)

After I had the two spare batteries I opened up the old one to find simple AA cells so I rebuilt it. Now after a couple of rebuilds, the drill is still kicking and has a better capacity overall since I upgraded cells while I was in there. IMHO, I'm pleased with it since I can easily rebuild the batteries myself and am not stuck with a proprietary (and high $) pack like many others.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Baller

Home Depot had them on sale a while back, got a great price on it.

ZV

 

[SyndromeOCZ]

Honestly I'd spend some money on something from Milwaukee or Makita.

I've had most of the recent(past 7 years) cordless drills. Hilti 14.4V impact and hammer drill, Hitachi 18V impact and hammer drill, two different models of Milwaukee 18V, Two different models of the Makita impact, and one model of the hammer drill 18V, And the Dewalt 18V impact and hammer drills, And the Makita 10.8V set.

If your going for cheap but still usable, I would probably go with the Makita 10.8V set. They look really little, but they are pretty impressive, only down side to the hammer drill is it doesn't have a real chuck. Although Milwaukee has a similar model that does, but I haven't owned one of those yet.

Makita's 18V set is the best for carrying around in a tool belt and is very nice for the size. But if you want the most powerful of them all then its hands down Milwaukee 18V.

 

[T2urtle]

i have 2 drills now. both craftsman one was $100 and one was $50 sale.

$100 drill was a 19.2v one. Its bigger and stronger, i thought i needed it but really it got annoying because of the size and weight but it did have the power when i needed it.

The $50 14.4v one i saw on sale about a year after i bought the 19.2. I love this thing. Its smaller but more importantly it has a good balance feel. I need more projects to do using this.

 

[SparkyJJO]

My 18V Craftsman is a workhorse. It is the Professional so it does have a little more guts to it than the standard one I've noticed. One battery quit on me but the thing is 7 years old, and it also hasn't seen a lot of use over the past 4 years. I did use it very heavily at one point.

I wish there was a Li-ion battery kit for it, that would be nice, but the NiCads haven't been bad over all.

The only thing I don't like about the drill is it has a 3/8" chuck instead of a 1/2", but for most stuff that isn't an issue. I do go to use a few drill bits and auger bits occasionally that have a 1/2" shaft so I have to borrow a different drill. I'll eventually upgrade the chuck on it probably.

 

[marvdmartian]

Check your local Sears advertisement from week to week, and when they put their C3 19.2V cordless drill/driver on sale, with the lithium ion battery, grab one.
The Ni-Cad's aren't bad, but they will eventually die off, and replacements are $35 ($30 on sale, from time to time). Might as well invest a little more for a longer lasting battery, imho.

I owned my last 19.2V Craftsman C3 for ~7 years before I had to replace it. Did it give up the ghost? Nope.....my house blew up, and I couldn't find the damn thing in the wreckage! Lucky for me, the insurance company paid for the replacement. :thumbsup:

 

[jlee]

You need to make a choice, 5 years+ or low price.

If you want 5+ years then look at rigid drill with Li-Ion battery as they have a lifetime warranty on the drill and batteries. There are other drills that have 2-3 year warranty’s on their drills and battery’s but they also get as costly.
I just got a Hitachi Li-Ion 18v drill. Lifetime on the drill but only 2 year on the battery.

If you want cheap then get a $40 black/decker or other cheap drill.

Oh really? Hmm, I might buy one then - I had an 18v Craftsman drill and the batteries died after a few years. After pricing batteries, I bought a Dewalt corded drill.

 

[Vette73]

Oh really? Hmm, I might buy one then - I had an 18v Craftsman drill and the batteries died after a few years. After pricing batteries, I bought a Dewalt corded drill.

Yea but it has a lot of "words" and you have the register for it within 30days after buying. You have to mail any bad tool to them and wait. Many report the wait is up or over a month. You also need to send back the FULL kit, not just the broken part.

May have changed as I have not kept up. So on paper sounds good but read current reviews to see if it has got better since I looked into it.

 

[JCH13]

OP: if you want a drill to last 5 years, get a quality corded one. If you're spending less than $50 on a cordless drill it doesn't matter much because they'll all be light-duty and pretty junky.

I say this having owned a DeWalt XRP, 12v craftsman cheapie, and watched my Dad use the same corded drill for longer than I've been alive.

Home Depot had them on sale a while back, got a great price on it.

ZV

Then it doesn't have the guts of a real DeWalt, unfortunately. The home despot part numbers are different because they get cheaper versions. This is the case with seemingly anything they sell that has an electric motor or gas engine

 

[Zenmervolt]

Then it doesn't have the guts of a real DeWalt, unfortunately. The home despot part numbers are different because they get cheaper versions. This is the case with seemingly anything they sell that has an electric motor or gas engine

Some are, some aren't. You can't make a blanket statement like that. For example, the Echo products sold at Home Depot are exactly the same as the Echo products sold in specialty stores (though Home Depot doesn't have anywhere near the full selection, the ones they do offer are the same).

As for the DeWalt, you're also wrong about it specifically. The part number matches the part numbers on DeWalt's website and in specialty stores.

ZV

 

[JCH13]

Some are, some aren't. You can't make a blanket statement like that. For example, the Echo products sold at Home Depot are exactly the same as the Echo products sold in specialty stores (though Home Depot doesn't have anywhere near the full selection, the ones they do offer are the same).

As for the DeWalt, you're also wrong about it specifically. The part number matches the part numbers on DeWalt's website and in specialty stores.

ZV

I added "seemingly" to make it not a blanket statement.

Some of my experience has been through a couple small-engine related debacles where the small engine repair guys have said that many of the 'name brand' stuff at HD use inferior engines. John Deere and Torro to name two.

As for the Dewalt stuff, my experience was actually taking the drill apart to get the motor and transmission for something else. The motor in the DeWalt from HD was different from the DeWalt from a local hardware store that I had take apart previously.

Clearly I was mistaken in your case, perhaps HD/DeWalt has decided to not carry/make a cheaper version in recent years.

 

[Christobevii3]

I was in a similar situation as you and bought the crappiest $20 14v harbor freight drill. I bought this thing around 2006 and hot damn does this thing still work. It isn't insanely powerful or fast but the battery hasn't died yet which is amazing to me. I let it sit outside in my cold ass garage for 2 winters and yet it still works and holds a charge.

There are always 20&#37; off coupons in the back of car magazines and often they run on clearance this time of year. The nice thing about the crap drills they sell is they often have batteries around at the store for $10 if yours does die. I got my dad a nice lithium ion rigid one. Compact and half the size with more power and 1 hour charges, but the damn batteries died after 2 years and they cost $50 a piece.