I am buying a hand drill today and need recommendations.

[Siddhartha]

I need a hand drill for putting up curtains, drilling holes through wood, that kind of thing. But I know diddlely about drills. I would appreciate any suggestions, recommendations, information, etc I can get.



Thanks

 

[Squisher]

Corded or cordless?

How much do you want to spend?

 

[StageLeft]

I came here months ago looking for advice and before I knew it I had to spend $200 or "not bother". For what you want to do you can basically go with the cheapest thing there. You don't need something that will handle 2 hours of drilling a day like a professional needs. I ended up spending $30 on a low end black and decker one. I've since done a reasonable amount of drilling and the thing is fine for me!

 

[Siddhartha]

Originally posted by: Squisher
Corded or cordless?

How much do you want to spend?

Not sure, what are the prices ranges?, What do you get for what you pay?

For example, what will $100 or $200 buy me?

 

[Ornery]

I've wanted one of these 1/2" Milwaukee Magnum Hole-Shooters for 20 years! Finally bought one last year. Wish to hell I'd have purchased it way back when. It costs twice as much as a comparable generic drill, but it's ten times better and will last a lifetime. It's actually cheaper in the long run to buy quality tools from the start.

You can get by with a $25.00 cordless for the projects you mentioned. They do have there place, but some day you'll need the real thing. Might as well get that one first! Next year your family will ask what you want for Christmas. Those cheap cordless jobs make a great gift!

 

[Tominator]

Yea, but why by a Ferrari just to go to Wal-Mart?

 

[Ornery]

My dad is still going through one Walmart special after another. By the time he figures out it's more practical to buy quality, he'll have spent $300.00 on junk, and be too old to bother with them anyway. I've learned from his mistakes!

 

[tm37]

If you have a menards near by they sell the makitia 7.2 for about 50 bucks.

Nice little drill. I had mine three years before I upgraded to the 12V.

Home Depot sells the 12V with the Nimh Batteries for 130 or you can get the Mforce for 170

My dad has like 4 makitia drills and the only reason he buys new ones is the batties stop holding a charge after about 3-4 YEARS.

I do not own any corded drills. But I still use that little 7.2 for small projects. Light and has quite a but of power for its size.

 

[Lvis]

I own a makita 7.2 as well. Nice tool for someone who doesn't use them for a living. Ornery is right about buying quality, it will save money in the long run.

For what you want to do, a cheap cordless will work fine. If money isn't an issue, treat yourself to nice one.

 

[FrustratedUser]

I say it again.

The Home Depot has some nice deals on RYOBI.
I payed $99 for a 18V cordless drill + flashlight + extra battery. Flashlight runs on the same type of battery as the drill.

Works great.

 

[Sleestak]

Makita are always an excellent buy. Maybe a bit more than some but worth it. That being said, unless you are going to be doing a ton of drilling on a daily basis just run down to Sears and get a Craftsman. They are good quality and inexpensive. I have this one and it is reliable and does good work.

 

[teqwiz]

Originally posted by: Dr Smooth
I need a hand drill for putting up curtains, drilling holes through wood, that kind of thing. But I know diddlely about drills. I would appreciate any suggestions, recommendations, information, etc I can get.



Thanks

Dewalt! Nuff said!

Maybe, Ryobi from Home Depot if you only want to hang CURTAINS was it? eww.

 

[Sleestak]

If you're just going to be doing light duty work with it go get this drill

 

[dman]

Assuming cordless:

Foward/reverse is a rqmt. Don't laugh, they don't all have that!

Look for one w/ variable speeds. Some of the cheap stuff has a high/low but it sucks for driving in screws w/o variable speeds at the trigger. A good drill should go up pretty high in RPM's to allow drilling into hard materials (metal, concrete,etc).

Keyless Chuck is very handy. (For changing bits) The ones with an allen wrench (type thing) are a pita for swapping bits, but, are good for holding drill bits tight to prevent slipping.

A second battery is a nice option, you can have one charging while the other is in use.

I have an older makita, L shaped. It is very front heavy and I don't like it for that reason... Look for one w/ good balance from front to back (more of a 'T' Shape). If it's front heavy, you get tired holding it steady.

The volts stuff is mostly marketing nowadays, there is a difference, but, the higher voltage ones aren't necessarilly better. I'd compare that last, but, others may disagree.

 

[Squisher]

A corded drill will be cheaper, more powerful, and last longer, but once you buy a corless drill, it will only be used about 2% of the time.

Of the cordless drills my favorite is a Bosch($160 for my last one).


BTW-after you get past 12volts the weight of the battery becomes a little cumbersome to me. YMMV

 

[Smaulz]

Might as well throw in my two cents as well. I'm in total agreement with those that said, "buy quality or don't bother." I've gone through a few cheapos, and regretted it ever since. Spend the few extra bucks and get one that's going to last, and that's going to do what you want it to. Personally, I'll never buy another power tool that doesn't say "DeWalt" on it, but Milwaukee and Porter Cable are also great quality tools. The Makitas are alright, but they've got their problems, (as previously mentioned).

 

[etech]

Does anyone recommend buying a cordless drill with a clutch?

I was trying to do some drywall screws the other day with my clutchless cordless and I could not consistently set them to the proper depth.

Is there any other use for a clutch besides drywall?

 

[Lvis]

Originally posted by: etech
Does anyone recommend buying a cordless drill with a clutch?

I was trying to do some drywall screws the other day with my clutchless cordless and I could not consistently set them to the proper depth.

Is there any other use for a clutch besides drywall?

Sure, they are handy. The clutch comes is useful driving screws into softwoods, when you want the screwhead flush with the surface, and not buried.

It's a feature I would pay extra for. If you're doing a lot of drywall, the newer cordless drywall guns are pretty sweet. Self loading, the screws come on a bandalier, and with a clutch, they really make it easy.