Power tool recommendations

[Doggiedog]

I'm looking to buy a cordless screwdriver and maybe a dremel type saw as I probably need to do some fixing up of a house I'm going to buy.

Any recommendations on brand? Nothing too expensive. Should I get 14.4V or 12V or 9V?

 

[bmacd]

DeWalt, Makita, and Old Milwaukee (not to exclude others, just off the top of my head from personal use) make excellent tools. Black and Decker makes mediochre, while local house brands (like kmart's benchtop brand) are questionable in reliability and strength, but i have yet to have a problem using a Benchtop tool @ work.

-=bmacd=-

**edit: i forgot Craftsman...<---also an excellent tool

 

[Doggiedog]

Ok so B&D is the emachines of power tools then? I was going to buy either B&D or Makita so I guess I'll scratch them off the list.

 

[KenGr]

Old Milwaukee is an excellant tool but if you want one that plugs in it's a Milwaukee.

Recommendation - Do not mix Old Milwaukee and Milwaukee. Impromptu amputations sometimes occur.

For power tools - Higher voltage = Better.

Black and Decker is fine for the average home user as long as you don't buy the super cheap line.
Some of the Sears tools are a good buy as long as they are on sale. At regular price they are too expensive.

The yellow DeWalt stuff looks way cool if you can afford it.

 

[Cyberian]

What is your budget? Try not to scrimp on stuff like this, because quality tools will last a lifetime.
What is a dremel type saw?

 

[Doggiedog]

Originally posted by: Cyberian
What is your budget? Try not to scrimp on stuff like this, because quality tools will last a lifetime.
What is a dremel type saw?

Since I probably will hold onto these things Maybe like $100/tool? The Dremel is that rotary saw that looks like what dentists use when they lop off the top of your crown (like they did mine). I want to use it to cut through some dry wall.

 

[bmacd]

Originally posted by: Doggiedog

Originally posted by: Cyberian
What is your budget? Try not to scrimp on stuff like this, because quality tools will last a lifetime.
What is a dremel type saw?

Since I probably will hold onto these things Maybe like $100/tool? The Dremel is that rotary saw that looks like what dentists use when they lop off the top of your crown (like they did mine). I want to use it to cut through some dry wall.

i'd consider a saw-zall or roto-zip for cutting through drywall. A dremel is not the tool of choice for that job. There's a saying, "use the right tool for the right job". At kmart, there's a rumored saying, "use whatever tool is available for all jobs", thus the big screw ups that exist in the company.

-=bmacd=-

 

[loup garou]

Originally posted by: Doggiedog
I'm looking to buy a cordless screwdriver and maybe a dremel type saw as I probably need to do some fixing up of a house I'm going to buy.

Any recommendations on brand? Nothing too expensive. Should I get 14.4V or 12V or 9V?

How much "fixing up" are you planning on doing? An electric screwdriver and a Dremel are just about the last things I would think of to work on a house with.

 

[chansen]

DeWalt is the high-end of the Black and Decker line (same company). B&D is OK for occasional use. I prefer Porter Cable stuff, but it's closer in price and quality to DeWalt than B&D. Makita makes good stuff too. Pretty much, you get what you pay for. There is no such thing as a free lunch. Caveat emptor. To each their own. (what?!?)

For the Dremel-type saw, don't bother with a typical dremel tool. Use a RotoZip or something similarly beefy. The Dremel Moto Tool is pretty wimpy.

 

[Cyberian]

Go to a Sears or Home Depot and look around, ask questions and at least hold the tool to see if it's comfortable.
I am partial to Makita cordless drills, but there is plenty of other good stuff out there.
For a cordless drill I would definitely recommend variable speed/reversing.

 

[FrustratedUser]

Home Depot ha sa nice deal on a Ryobi 18V hand drill + flashlight including 2 batteries and a charger for $99.
I am happy with it.

 

[flot]

For light-duty stuff I have been amazed with the quality of my Black and Decker / Craftsman "3 in 1" tool.

It's a cordless Drill / Sander / Jigsaw. I haven't really used the sander for anything, but the drill and jigsaw work great. I got it a year ago for $99 and don't regret it at all. Ironically I bought it fully intending to be disgusted with it and return it - but I really like the thing for any kind of small/medium project.

It's a power unit with attachable heads that change its function. You snap off the drill and snap on the saw. I swear, I thought it would be junk too - but it's definitely a decent piece of gear. Also in all honesty it's a great "starter tool" in that you can use it and figure out what it's good for and then buy more $$$ tools as you see fit. Also, if you aren't super-hardcore, keep in mind that something like this can be useful to start, and later if you think you need better cordless (or corded, sometimes nothing beats the torque of 110v) tools, things like an extra cordless screwdriver ALWAYS come in handy. For instance, if you're drilling pilot holes and then screwing things together, it's great to have two cordless drill-drivers handy - one with a drill bit loaded, the other with a screwdriver bit.

Dremels have very specific things that they are very good at. But outside of those things (which I never seem to really need) they're mostly worthless. For house-size projects, I'd steer clear of them.

As for you get what you pay for: stay near the middle of the price range on tools and you usually do okay. Don't buy the cheapest and you probably don't need the most expensive.

 

[KokomoGST]

If you want the super-cheap... try Harbor Freight... a Dremel is pretty darn useful to make small jobs faster. I'd get a cordless if I had that option back then.

 

[chansen]

Oh, for voltage rating, a good quality 12V is better than a cheap 14.4V tool. It'll be lighter for overhead work, too. If you want to keep a battery-powered tool a while, check to see if the battery packs are assembled with glue or if they're screwed together. There'll just be standard-sized battery cells in there. The battery packs may be hard to find in a few years, but if you can open the pack without destroying it, you can replace the cells.

 

[Doggiedog]

Originally posted by: werk

Originally posted by: Doggiedog
I'm looking to buy a cordless screwdriver and maybe a dremel type saw as I probably need to do some fixing up of a house I'm going to buy.

Any recommendations on brand? Nothing too expensive. Should I get 14.4V or 12V or 9V?

How much "fixing up" are you planning on doing? An electric screwdriver and a Dremel are just about the last things I would think of to work on a house with.

I'm not planning on building a house with a screwdriver and Dremel . Mostly light stuff. There are a few patches of dry wall I need to repair. I'll probably need to hang some vertical blinds above a sliding glass door.

 

[tm37]

I have a 7.2v Makita that I used when I did apartment maintnace. WHen I bnought my house I bought a 12V makita. I love that 12V the 7.2 still gets used quite a bit though for wall anchors but for driving in scres I use the 12V. Make sure you get the Nimh Batteries instead of the NICAD though as they last alot longer. Menards seem to only carry the Nicad while Home Depot seems to carry the Nimh batties. I am gonna buy a 12V Mforce (makita) in a few months. You can get the 12V regular for 139.99 @ home depot. I just picked up a 7.2v at menards today for 42 bucks (I had a 16% off bag) for my MIL for XMAS. I did some light work in a guys apartment and my little 7.2 was a better drill than the B&D 9.2.

When buying tools Don't skimp and buy junk. If it's corded check with pawn shops of if you have a used tool place around. With cordless BUY NEW. The batteries cost more then the dang tool.

 

[Farmall]

Originally posted by: FrustratedUser
Home Depot ha sa nice deal on a Ryobi 18V hand drill + flashlight including 2 batteries and a charger for $99.
I am happy with it.

I have the 18V drill, recipricating saw, circular saw, and flashlight package. I really like the drill and light, the others are a bit hard on the batteries imo. They do work great for the times when a cord is a major pain.

I have a variety of Dewalt, Makita and Ryobi. For cordless drills I like the Ryobi better than the rest. If you are looking for a roto-zip type tool, get the cordless Ryobi - it works great and the batteries are the same as all the rest of their tools.

Getting a Dremel for doing drywall would be a major mistake, and don't even consider using a saw-zall as was suggested earlier, that is asking for a seriously messed up chunk of drywall and everything behind whatever you are cutting around.

 

[KenGr]

If you are just doing a little drywall fix, a small "keyhole" type saw and a utility knife will take care of all your cutting.

 

[Sundog]

Originally posted by: chansen
DeWalt is the high-end of the Black and Decker line (same company). B&D is OK for occasional use. I prefer Porter Cable stuff, but it's closer in price and quality to DeWalt than B&D. Makita makes good stuff too.

True, DeWalt is the high-end B&D. If you want good but very expensive look at Porter Cable, Makita, Bosch or Milwaukee.

If you are not going to be drilling/screwing for hours on end at a time then a brand like Craftsman or Ryobi would do just fine. BTW, Ryobi (which is now owned by Home Depot) now OEMs the drills for Craftsman. Same drills, and can be bought much cheaper under the Ryobi name.

You can get a Ryobi 14.4V drill w/5.5" circular saw, flashlight, 2 batteries, battery charger and case for $99, or the 18V (w/2 batt. and charger) drill w/case for $79.

 

[arcas]

Heck, if you're just doing repairs around the house, you might even look at Harbor Freight for your cordless drill. I bought a 16.8V drill for $60 from these guys back when the "big boys" were still pushing 12V and the occasional 14.4V wares. While I don't think I'd use it to build a house, i works fine in the role of repair. Whatever you do, make sure you get at least one extra battery. Or get a corded drill as a hot standby.

I noticed in this weekend's paper that Sears has a couple Rotozip-type tools for $60. Not sure if I'd recommend a traditional Dremel-type tool (Dremel, RTX, Wizard, etc) as a drywall-cutter unless you were only doing a room or two. Their motors top out at around 2 amps whereas the Rotozip-type tools are a beefier 5-6 amps.

 

[Armitage]

I won't buy any power tools by black & decker or crafstman anymore. DeWalt is marginal. But my tool use is closer to contractor then typical homeowner.

edit: My preference in hand tools is Porter Cable & Hitachi
for stationary tools, Delta or Bridgewood.

 

[JupiterJones]

Be advised that there is NO compatability between batteries for cordless tools. So you are sort of "stuck" with one brand once you start buying. Ryobi has been rated best bang-for-the-buck consistantly, with their tools falling just short of DeWalt. Home Depot has some great combo deals right now.

 

[alm99]

I have the 18V drill, recipricating saw, circular saw, and flashlight package. I really like the drill and light, the others are a bit hard on the batteries imo. They do work great for the times when a cord is a major pain.

I recommend this as well. Home Depot has a great package deal on these power tools. The package Farmall is refering to is $169, but they do have a package that includes a hand vac for $199. But if you really want the hand vac and the money to do so, I say buy the $169 combo, but then buy the hand vac seperate for $60. The hand vac comes with a battery and charger. So this way you have 3 batteries and three chargers instead of just two for 5 tools.

 

[Sundog]

I don't care who makes it, but the hand vacs are absolutely worthless. DO NOT buy any package thinking the hand vac will be of use.

Hmmm.....let's see, the vac comes with a drill and a saw. So what would I possible be vacuuming up, sawdust naturally. The filters on the vac can't handle any real amount of saw dust. It just coats the filter......what a waste of plastic.

 

[Doggiedog]

Thanks for all the recommendations.