Est. 1998 — 27 years of woodworking knowledge
Cordless Drill Recommendations?
Rick VS
>Greetings! It's time that I parted with my B&D drill as the batteries are holding little charge. So on to a replacement. I'm looking for a lithium-ion 14.4 drill/impact driver and am having difficulty finding any recent reviews. Do you have any recommendations? What should I stay away from? What should I definately look for? Appreciate your comments. Thanks!
Rick
Re: Cordless Drill Recommendations?
Mark in Michigan
>I love my 19.2 volt Porter Cable.
Re: Cordless Drill Recommendations?
Luke Herzberg
>If there was a record for posts of a particular subject, cordless drill recommendations are probably #1 (closely followed by shop wiring, dust collection and drill press recommendations).
Everybody wants to suggest the brand that they own. We all feel the need to justify our purchase, and what better way than to proclaim your tool as "the best!!". How many people do what I do in making an impluse buy and THEN looking at reviews, filtering out in the grey matter database any negative comments you may find.
Cordless drills today seems pretty darn good overall. Get one of the major brands that have been at this a while and you'll do fine. "You get what you pay for" is generally still true. If happy with 12v or 14v or 18v or whatever you had, get it again. Happy with a brand? Get it again. As soon as you buy several things will happen. That model will be discontinued, you'll never see it advertised for as much as you ended up paying, and you'll run into some negative review...all inducing tool regret. Such is life. Use tool be happy.
- Luke
Oh, and just to justify my own past purchases...Buy DeWalt! It's the best!
Hard to beat Makita Impact Drivers
Dave Anderson, SoCal -- Tools Need Wood!
>Hi Rick,
When it comes to impact drivers, I think Makita makes the best.
I have their 12v model and it is my favorite tool in the shop. Small, fairly light and unbelievably powerful. Runs on the Ni-Mh battery.
A quick search of Google on "lithium-ion tools" will give you many returns, including sites that include Makita impact drivers. I found a Makita 14.4v lithium impact driver kit (BTD130FW) for @ $285.
Might be something for you to look at...
Work Safely!
Re: Cordless Drill Recommendations? *LINK*
Howard Norman-Prescott, AZ
>I have the Makita 14.4 v combination of a cordless drill and an impact driver. A great combination in my opinion. I bought it from McFeeleys a couple of years ago. I notice that they have the combination that I bought now with a work light included for $229US.
Howard
Makita combination
Re: Cordless Drill Recommendations?
Dan Arrowsmith
>I have a dewalt 12v that I left out in a thunderstorm when building my deck, found it next morning. Let it dry and its run fine ever since,so if you need a water resistant tool this brand works.
Since all the major brands are...
Gary Camp - Bend, Oregon
>Pretty good, get the one that fits your hands best. I find that certain tools just don't fit ME. The best tool that is awkward in my hands is not as good as the 2nd or 3rd place tool that fits me like a glove.
Just my opinion and worth what you paid for it.
glc
Re: Since all the major brands are...
NickB
>I'll second that. I took a tour of my local tool store when I was last in the market for a cordless drill/driver and the Panasonic fit me best (the tool works well too-I'll be picking up another in the not too distant future). Frankly, I was a bit surprised at how different the tools from various manufacturers felt, even though they have the same general layout. I really like my Panasonic, but I'd imagine it wouldn't be comfortable for someone with really big hands.
Nick
Re: Cordless Drill Recommendations?
Doug Reynolds in Seattle
>I received the Panasonic digital impact driver with additional drill for Christmas. Very compact and well balanced. Only used it dor driving three inch screws so far and didn't break ine of drive into the other side of the cabinet either. Believe it is the only digital on the market so far. Not Lithium Ion though I don't think.
Panasonic..........
Michael Stadulis, in Gloucester County, NJ
>
Re: Hard to beat Makita Impact Drivers
vlparisian - Houston
>Makita. No question the best. Figured this out watching/helping my older brother install a garage door. Lots of driving going on there. They are nearly indistructable and have great torque.
I decided to choose . . . . .
Rick VS
>The Panasonic 14.4v Lithium-ion combo kit for $369 at International Tools. $7 Shipping. No sales tax. Comes with the impact driver - no brushes - and the drill/driver, two battery packs, a case, and a charger. Part of the promo was the inclusion of a tool bag. I will let you all know what I think of them when I have a chance to work out with them. I couldn't find this combo with other manufactures in Lithium-ion, so hopefully I'll be able to sleep well with my purchase. Thanks for everyone's input.
Rick
You will love it!
Joe Rogers, Northern Virginia
>The 14.4 is great power for the weight and the impact driver will make you hate the drill for anythig other than drilling.JR
Re: Cordless Drill Recommendations?
eliot d
>I shouldn't comment on the Rigid because I don't own one and have never used one, but I was impressed that they now offer a life- time replacement for all parts -- including the battery. That's a big draw for me, so I may get one. It's probably worth looking into for this reason alone.
Re: Cordless Drill Recommendations?
Ronald Walls East Liberty,Ohio
>I work for Honda of America Mfg. and that is all that they use. The batteries last the longest and great torque.