[NA] Cordless drill

Have a Milwaukee 12V. Works well. Usually comes as a set together with a nifty flashlight. Stick with a major brand in case you need to buy battery packs down the line. But then, at one point everyone was flocking to 24V DeWalt until they just stopped making them for some reason.
 
I haven't bought a drill in a long time. I always liked Dewalt, their chuck always seemed to hold a bit the tightest. A lot of things have changed since then so they might all be good now.
 
Your selection will depend a lot on what you do. I probably have five DeWalt drills of various configurations (two are powering VThrust tow bars).
But I also have a little 12V Milwaukee which is a lot lighter than any of the DeWalts and is more often than not my goto drill of choice.
 
When I needed to buy one a few years ago I watched and read all the reviews I could and ended up buying an 18v Makita. It was one of very few (or maybe the only one) that has metal gears. It came with 2 batteries too. Wasn't the cheapest and I haven't used it enough to really put it to the test so I'm not sure how much my input is worth. I have no complaints about it though :)
 
What are you planning to drill? Just poking holes in drywall or the occasional 2x4 then go with whatever is cheapest.

Running a hole saw or drilling metals? prolly should go for at least an 18 volt drill. Prolly wanna look at the quality of drill bits too.
 
I know Ryobi’s often get a bad rap, but I’ve gotten reliable service from quite a few of their 18v drills, radial saws and the like for over a decade.
 
I've been happy with my Ryobi drill and driver. Got the combo for $100 when they ran their annual Fathers Day sale. We got our son a set for Christmas last year as well, he likes them.
 
Grum.Man said:
I haven't bought a drill in a long time. I always liked Dewalt, their chuck always seemed to hold a bit the tightest. A lot of things have changed since then so they might all be good now.
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Cordless drills, drivers and every other cordless product all seem to be caught up in cycles of constant evolution and marketing. To my eye the only place there is clear cut improvement is in batteries (obviously). The rest of it you discover through use.

Ironically, recommendations from casual users are often useless because they’ve been using a product that has been replaced twice over. Sometimes for the better, sometimes not.

It does make shopping for a new tool fun if you enjoy the process. And if you don’t, there’s a lot of good stuff out there under the usual brand names.

I had a real good time with a used Dewalt driver some years ago but don’t own a single Dewalt product now for no particular reason.


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If it's only for occasional use, you might go with one of the cheaper models that can also double as a hammer drill. Those sure come in handy for putting anchors and such in masonry. If you'd going to work it hard, Makita's stand up to some abuse.
 
I went Makita 18V LXT when my Craftsman 19.2V died. I spent extra for the brushless motor version with hammer drill and the impact driver. My biggest project to date is a whole house renovation and this thing is doing a great job. I think all the top brands will do fine (Milwaukee, DeWalt, Ryobi, Makita). Size the thing based on the heaviest type of work you'll do (or borrow one when you need the heavy duty stuff).

And my biggest beef with all of these brands is a pair of batteries will cost nearly what you pay for the kit with the drill & driver. I've replaced 2 drills just because the batteries cost as much as replacing the drill. My Craftsman was the exception: it smoked while drilling a hole in plastic. :dunno:
 
Get a Ryobi 18V set of the drill and impact driver. Home Depot has them and they're every bit as good as some of the other name brands (for the average joe), only less expensive. You can find the set of both w/ battery and charger on sale several times a year for $99.

The beauty of sticking with one brand is that most brands now have a full line of tools that all use the same interchangeable battery.

If you're trying to drive screws using a screwdriver you're cheating yourself. Impact drivers make life so much easier.
 
I've been running a DeWalt 18V for the better part of a decade. The original batteries still hold a decent charge, though I don't often use it continuously-enough to judge capacity. It is hefty though, so if I were in the market today, I'd go with one of their 20V units which weigh considerably less. I wouldn't really worry about having a hammer-drill function on a 3/8" or 1/2" cordless drill. If you need a hammer drill, get a hammer drill. Same goes for impact drivers. I have a corded 1/2" chuck dual-action (regular drill/hammer drill) DeWalt for just that purpose. Honestly, I don't think you can go wrong with most of the major brands. There are only so many ways to make a cordless drill and battery pack. I'd just pick a few of them up and judge based on feel/balance in your hand.
 
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I saw a 12 V Black & Decker at Menards last Sunday for $15 after their rebate. Depending on your needs, it's almost cheap enough to be disposable.
 
Depends upon what you want it for. I've owned a professional woodworking business for several years but kind of backed away after buying my airplane. DeWalt makes some good stuff along with Milwaukee and Bosch. Not much luck with Ryobi (they don't give you a warning when the battery is about to die, it just stops) and I wouldn't buy the cheap stuff such as Harbor Freight or Black and Decker unless all you want it for is to remove screws.
 
brushless/lithium dewalt.
 
My shop uses Dewalt battery drills 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. Drill motors last 10+ years. Batteries wear out every few years. Battery changes have made perfectly good drills obsolete. I have Dewalt and Makita at home. I prefer Makita.

Lithium Ion batteries are amazing but the tool will go from full power to zero power instantly when the charge runs out. That takes getting used to if you've used NiCad battery tools.
 
+1 on avoiding the Black and Decker. I went through 2 batteries since I use it occassionally and the batteries failed to charge up again. I have since gone to a corded drill since that is always reliable.
 
Dewalt IS Black and Decker (since 1960).
 
N659HB said:
Finding myself in need of one. Any recommendarions, or at least what to avoid?
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I got the dewalt XR brushless impact, it basically does everything and does it VERY well, one standard battery will almost to a full day.
 
SoonerAviator said:
I've been running a DeWalt 18V for the better part of a decade. The original batteries still hold a decent charge, though I don't often use it continuously-enough to judge capacity. It is hefty though, so if I were in the market today, I'd go with one of their 20V units which weigh considerably less. I wouldn't really worry about having a hammer-drill function on a 3/8" or 1/2" cordless drill. If you need a hammer drill, get a hammer drill. Same goes for impact drivers. I have a corded 1/2" chuck dual-action (regular drill/hammer drill) DeWalt for just that purpose. Honestly, I don't think you can go wrong with most of the major brands. There are only so many ways to make a cordless drill and battery pack. I'd just pick a few of them up and judge based on feel/balance in your hand.
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I've got a very nice Bosch corded hammer drill. I haven't had it out of the case yet this year. For Tap-cons and plastic anchors (the overwhelming majority of what I use a hammer drill for), the Makita does an excellent job as a hammer drill. If I had to drill a large bore hole or a core, I'd get the Bosch out.
 
Dewalt=Black and Decker=Stanley=Craftsman. I've done OK with DeWalt, but prefer Makita.

For light duty stuff, Ryobi can be OK, but the batteries for the older series (ni-cad) tended to have short lives and the rejuvinators didn't work very well at all.
 
wsuffa said:
Dewalt=Black and Decker=Stanley=Craftsman. I've done OK with DeWalt, but prefer Makita.

For light duty stuff, Ryobi can be OK, but the batteries for the older series (ni-cad) tended to have short lives and the rejuvinators didn't work very well at all.
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NONE of the NiCd powered stuff I bought is still in service. I had a B&D that seemed to need a new $50 battery nearly every time I used it. I've been using the Ryobi set for a few years now, with zero battery failures. One charger at home and another at the hangar, and I try to keep a battery on charge since they don't give any warning when they crap out.

Their little tire inflator was a great deal... same battery, of course, and it saves running the compressor every time I need to air up a tire. It handles the 85 PSI bike tires just fine. I don't use these things to make a living, so I don't buy Makita or Dewalt. I do probably use them more than the average person, though, and so far they haven't let me down.
 
jsstevens said:
I've got a very nice Bosch corded hammer drill. I haven't had it out of the case yet this year. For Tap-cons and plastic anchors (the overwhelming majority of what I use a hammer drill for), the Makita does an excellent job as a hammer drill. If I had to drill a large bore hole or a core, I'd get the Bosch out.
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Yeah, cordless tools are great when you need rpm, but not a high-load situation. Hence why my dual-action heavy duty drill is corded. I was using it to drill 1/2" holes for rebar/spikes into 50 railroad ties (200+ holes). I started out with a smaller Craftsman Professional corded drill and smoked it after about 10 railroad ties, lol. I got the DeWalt (much larger motor) and it powered through them like it was nothing. Right tool for the right job. I haven't used the hammer-function on the DeWalt yet, but I bet it'd do just fine for setting anchors in concrete.
 
Agree with @Bill Watson
We've had different brands at work and at home. They all have had their pros/cons.
Regarding the built in hammer drill feature, while it's limited to smaller jobs, it is indeed nice to have when those jobs pop up.
I've had Craftsman and Black and Decker at home. Both have lasted me well over 15 years other than the battery packs, and I definitely put the Black and Deckers through the ringer.
Currently we have Milwaukee at work. They seem to be nice. Powerful and compact.
Also agree with @GeorgeC - brushless/lithium.

One of our maintenance guys calls them uncorded drills lol.

Alas,the keyless chuck was a great invention.
 
As others have said, if you're not going to use it much then it probably doesn't matter much, get the cheapest thing out there.

If you are going to use it often, don't pay any attention to what you hear here, go to a local job site and look around. And not a residential job site, a real job site. You won't find a lot of the crap that's recommended above.
 
Have 18v cordless DeWalt tools I bought 9 years ago. Used them to build my house and the outbuildings. All still work fine, although I am on my second pair of batteries. No complaints. Reliable tools that work when you need them.

Hammer-drill function worked just fine as I set numerous anchors in concrete during the construction. Impact driver is the tool that got used the most, works as well today as when it came out of the packaging.
 
I have a Hitachi 18v. Got it as a present, and it's been good for household use. It replaced an old Porter Cable 12v.

The newer tool is much more compact, and the lithium batteries (came with 2) charge much faster, hold a charge in storage much longer, and are smaller and lighter.

My contractor buddy sticks strictly with DeWalt.
 
Fesstool

Dewalt use to be the Gold Standard in the professional world and they now are just a weekend warrior brand.

I have probably 8 Dewalt cordless drills and even more cordless tools between personal and work. The drills are fine, the batteries are now complete s#!t.

Makita used to be considered toys and you would have been laughed at showing up with Ryobi, but both of them have stepped up their game to respectable brands.

Whatever you go for, having one battery to work across multiple tools as you expand cordless inventory is just as critical.
 
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FastEddieB said:
I know Ryobi’s often get a bad rap, but I’ve gotten reliable service from quite a few of their 18v drills, radial saws and the like for over a decade.
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Until my hangar was burgled a few months ago, I had been using a Ryobi drill for 15 years. It was a HS graduation gift from 2002. It screwed every piece of drywall in my house, screwed every screw in my shop, drilled holes in concrete, bricks, steel, and anything else I needed it for. It was still working fine when it was stolen. Actually it was even better than new after the getting lithium batteries, which I'd put up against any of the major brands in reliability. I replaced the stolen one with another Ryobi. Still using the cross-cut saw that came in the original set, and I've also had one of their 18V impact drivers for a few years. I would recommend Ryobi with confidence. Haven't had one fail yet.
 
I too use Ryobi around the house.. Had one of their table saws, miter saws, and several of their cordless drills from 6-18V. the 6V is still around and kicking.. Sold everything else when i got divorced and downsized to an apartment.. Now that I'm back in a house, wish i still had all the tools.
 
Another vote for Ryobi 18v one plus. Had Dewalt, got tired of paying out the wazoo for batteries. Sold all the Dewalt rechargeables and moved to Ryobi. Very satisfied with performance and cost.
 
My 25+ year old 12V Dewalt still works fine, but the cost of the replacement Ni-Cad batteries is painful. A couple of years ago, I bought a Porter-Cable 20V set with drill and impact set with Li-Ion batteries. I used it frequently, several times a week, but not nearly full time. The batteries last MUCH longer than the Dewalt Ni-cad. The batteries also charge quickly and are much lighter. They have a "fuel gauge" so you can see how much you have left. I've been pleased with them.

A few years ago my wife bought me Ryobi fan with 18V Plus One battery pack/charger. Again Li-Ion and it held up well and ran forever on a charge. I found a battery powered Ryobi circular saw (tool only) for less than $40 so I bought it. It has held up. Unfortunately, one of the original batteries and the oringal charger both crapped out. I think one was the cause of the other as they died together, more or less. I bought an aftermarket charger and replacement battery from Amazon for about what I paid for the saw and both along with one original battery have held up well. I use the saw for a number of things and even after weeks of non-use, the battery is always ready to go. Bottomline, battery/charger seems Ryobi's weakest link. Porter-Cable has been trouble-free (though it will likely die tonight since posted this.

I once bought a Coleman 18V drill set for $35. It lasted for years at the airport where it was used a couple of times/year for removing the 300 screws on the Swift at annual and anything else which required a bunch of screwing action (no, not that kind). The Ni-Cad batteries died after about five years, mostly from infrequent use. But the tool still ran strong, but replacement batteries were unavailable.

I asked the Dewalt rep at a Trade-Show why Dewalt batteries are so expensive. He told me that it is because they don't make their own and they contract them in their trademark design/colors. Apparently, there are a limited number of factories that make virtually all the batteries and prices are pretty standard. My own search for batteries has confirmed there isn't much price variance in name brand replacement batteries. I've actually had some good luck with no name replacements...which is what my Ryobi now has.
 
If you watch any of the outdoor/Alaska shows, you'll see that most are using Dewalt. I converted my 14.4V Dewalt drill over to 20V when the batteries wouldn't charge anymore. I figure it will eventually burn up and then I'll get the 20V version.

Several professionals have told me to skip the drill and go to a driver and get the driver bits for drilling. They say the drivers are easier to use and just plain better.
 
+1 on DeWalt. I believe Milwaukee to be a good brand as well.

Stay away from Ryobi, when I was working in a plant as production support I was often drilling into soft steel or other materials to mount equipment etc. I completely broke probably 3 Ryobi drills in one day, recharged the battery, no life left in the drill. They're just junk.
 
Sounds like someone is hard on their equipment.
 
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