Cordless Drills
 

OT-- Cordless drills
Who makes the best one --14.4V ---18V

We have the best luck w/ the dewalts. Make sure not to get a referbed unit and make sure it's the high torque commercial unit not the consumer/ price point model. Dewalt just came out w/ a new charger that will totally drain the battery for you and then recharge to achieve the best charge and battery life. We have found the best pricing so far to be at Grabber on Patterson south of 44th st. We have have real good luck w/ Milwaukee on the larger (cannot remember if 18,20 or 22 volt package kits where you get a cordless, sawzall, circular saw, and one other thing (a light?). We buy those from Hoeksema on 28th in Grandville. Let me know if you want me to check my pricing against yours at either of these places. As you know, sometimes the large home centers sell stuff cheaper than our commercial outlets, just have to make sure you're getting the same models.

Depends on the use. DeWalts are great. If its just for homeowner use, I bought a Craftsman (Sears) 18 volt a year ago and have used/abused it alot. They had it on sale at the time with a carrying case and some bits and stuff for under $100. I have seen it on sale from time to time and I think its up to 19 volt now.

Snap On. Without a doubt the best cordless I've ever had and it's only the 14.4v, they also have an 18.8 volt model. they're not cheap but very powerful. They also make a great battery impact. Same batteries as the drills and you can dismantle an entire engine with it, Head bolts, main caps and all. No need for air hoses or extension cords with these.

cordless drill
 

im partial to the Dewalt 18v. im in the construction biz and weve been using the same drills and batteries for over two years now.
dropped off ladders thrown around takes a beating. very reliable and a **** load of torque.

contrary to a previous post, i buy all factory reconditioned dewalts and havent had a problem with anything yet..
Saved alot of money too.

second choice ....Porter Cable

check Tool Crib.com or Harbor Freight tools ..both sell factory reconditioned tools

cordliss drill
 

I bought a Ryobi 18 volt a year ago and have built my garage and truck port with it and not a single problem with it, and lots of power. I am very hard on suff and killed a Mackita(sp) 9.6 in two months building my deck. The ryobi was $89 at Home depot with case charger and two batterys. Cant beat that. Charlie

Thanks guys
I am looking to replace my 1 year old MAKITA 14.4 that started to have problems shortly after purchase and now it wont charge the batteries properly.

Bill what model of the DEWALTS 14.4 or 18 comercial drill do you buy and what is the cost???

I am not looking for a hammer or impact drill.

cordless drill
 

DW 987 K

heavy duty commercial grade 1/2 " chuck
450 ft/lb torque w/ two batteries

269.00 but you can get factory recon. for generally under 200.00

I'll pull an invoice Monday and let you know. BTW, we do not like Dewalt cordless hammerdrills. Cordless screwguns and drywall guns only. We have purchaseed many refurb units and have had spotty luck w/ them, that is why I personally don't recommend them. They do appear to be brand new units w/ an R stamped in them, but we tossed about 10 of them last year. Just don't trust them anymore. Maybe it was bad luck. One of the best things about the Dewalts is the battery will get a full charge on the charger before wearing out the one in the gun, even under constant use. I don't personally use these guns, but I have about 35 guys telling me what they like and don't like and why.

Intolerent, I have the same one as you. I happened to be at Sears buying a new tool set, when they came out and were putting things on a clearance table. They had the whole set marked $49, and only had one, I snapped it up. I'm pretty sure it was mismarked, because they had the same drill, without the set on the same table for $99.:) Very happy with it so far.

I understand, Black and Decker owns DeWalt. I purchased a Black and Decker 14.4 volt (Firestorm series) Drill, 4" circular saw and Sawsall. It's the same as the DeWalt 14.4. Same battery everything. I bought a Dewalt Radio/charger and use it to fast charge all my batteries. The charger that came with the Firestorms is a cheap one.

I use them all around the farm for almost 2 years now. They are half the price of DeWalts.

I have been beating, dropping, and generally abusing my Porter Cable for about 6 years now. Both batteries still charge fully and it works like the day I got it....it doesn't look like the day I got it.....but it sure takes a beating.... My vote.

Dewalt, I have a 12v 2speed from 92 Ive used and abused
it only replaced one of the 2 batteries in 99
I had good luck with my Bro has the same one and also no prob
I do know of a couple models they had some problems with
otherwise if mine ever breaks Im getting a new one.

I had a Ryobi 18 volt and when thru over 6000 3" screws building decks for me my buds. The batteries finally gave up. The drill is still "GREAT". I found that it was almost cheaper to replace the drill than replace the batteries. I found a 19.6 volt drill, circ. saw, and light at Sears for around $135. 00 and I am very pleased with the performance so far. The saw is great for a couple of cuts, but dont plan on framing out a house one charge.

Somebody rang? :D

I have 3 cordless Makitas. 1 9.6v that I got new back when 9.6v was the hot ticket, and two 12v that got a good deal on. I love the makita's and wouldn't trade the world for them. Try swinging over to the fine home building site. They do comparison testing of the drills and may be able to provide some insight. For that matter, go to your library and check out consumer reports too.

Most of the drills we have are Dewalts. For what it's worth, the guys seem pretty happy with them.

Can not go wrong with the Dewalts. I have a 12, 14.4 and a 18 volt. I also like the Miliwakees but I think that bang for the buck Dewalt has it hands down.

Jon

Dewalt.

:)

Iv'e had an 18v Black and Decker ( Dewalt) since they were introduced, use almost every work day, in heavey construction. It's been dropped, rained on, abused, and only had to put a new chuck, and two batteries so far.

I've got a Craftsman 15.6V and a Dewalt 12V. The dewalt has a better trigger and slow speed. But the gearbox on the Craftsman seems alittle better. It a better feel to it when it changes gears. I had the gear box apart on the Sears and there was very little sign of wear. This things gets used alot. But I prefer the Dewalt to it because of weight. I havent hurt or wore out either one. I've had the Sears for about 5 years. That thing has gone through everthing. The only failure I had with it was one chuck jaw wouldn't line up with the other two. I really use but don't abuse my tools. These things just keep going. By the way the Sears has higher RPM's for drilling but the Dewalt has better torque.

My cousin is an electrical contractor. He brings the stuff over to my dad to fix that his guys break. The Dewalts that he fixes are beat to hell, but the only thing that seems to go is the speed control, or the battery.

cordless
 

hey guys, I sell power tools for a living to the commercial industry only, and am very well versed on quality and so forth. I have some great deals on dewalt cordless . Please PM me for any questions or prices on anything regarding tools!!!!! Mark

I went to Berlands hose of tools here in Chicago for a new cordless DEWALT 18v 1/2 inch chuck. A guy that works here says what do you ant tht piece of chit for!!! I said ok, give me your sales pitch, ,,, he showed methe new Panasonic,,, I would have never considered a anasonic befre, but OMG does thisthing kick azz....its 15.6 volts 1/2 indexed chuck, weights ALOT less than A Dewalt 18 volt and has more power, plus the battery lasts alot longer and was $100 cheaper to boot !!!!!!

Obnoxus,
Does the Panasonic have descent speakers and a remote control?:D

Just kidding

Hope to see you at the COPS pirates ball

Dewalt
 

Dewalt, you can have them rebuilt by Dewalt for under $100-00.
I have tried most of the well known brands as an electrical contractor have found the Dewalt best ,not only thru use but with service & the ability to rebuild over & over.

Cordless Drills
 

Tinkerboater: If I may chime in about your cordless drill search, all above postings offer pretty sound advice. I'd been a SNAP-ON Tools dealer for about 6 years, and own a 14v cordless drill of theirs, which has proven bulletproof. Good news: Not only a quality tool, but all kinds of other tools available for use with the same batteries; cordless impact guns, droplights, etc., all top quality. Bad news: Top dollar, and unless you're being visisted regularly by a dealer, your only option is online, and service would be tough to get. I have also owned a DEWALT 14v 1/2" drill forever, I beat the living garbonzos out of it, and it doesn't owe me a dime, so I would also recommend those. By the way--DEWALT is said to have heavier-duty components (gears, etc) than their Black & Decker counterparts, so don't let corporate ownership fool you. Also, battery voltage, I've been taught, determines length of charge more than it does drill strength. Finally, maybe PANASONIC does make a good product (as per earlier post), but be sure to get a drill from a factory-authorized distributor (including refurbs), because service of the tool is one of the most important factors to consider. Good Luck, sorry for the dissertation.

Risky-the two of us should get together. I have a couple of Snap-on ratchets that need to get rebuilt.

BTW-they are my favorite ratchets. :D

WOW this thread went a lot farther than I thought it would.
Thanks for all the advise. I think it is going to be a DEWALT 14.4 V

Push-N-Throttles on the site owns a tool rental and sales store. Maybe he can tell us which ones he fixes the most.

Steve, talked to Grabber this afternoon, computers were down, said he will call me in the morning.

I just got a great deal !!

Home depot had a package of Ryobi on sale .Maybe still do .
It is 18 volts .
-IT has :
-Miter saw
-circular saw
-saw zaw
-drill
-roto zip
-flashlight
-3 batteries
-charger
and a big heavy duty case on wheels with a telescopic handle & the box doubles as a work bench for the mitter saw .

All that for $399 . The tools alone are almost $600 if you buy them seperate plus the case !! My brother is a contractor and is hard on equipment . He has had his Ryobi saw for about a year and uses it hard . He said the battery is the only thing went bad .

Here at the shop we use/abuse a DeWalt 14.4 drill. We use it for everything, not just drilling holes, we run bolts in and out of fixtures using the clutch head for a pretorque.
Based on my use at work I bought one for home and it's been great. Was using it prior to a hurricane to put up storm pannels over our windows when it started to rain, heavily. The water running off the roof was pouring down into the top vents on the drill flooding it. You know, that damn drill kept right on running. Never shorted out and continues to work perfectly today.
I'd highly recommend it.

CHECK OUT THIS SITE
 

Check out this website: www.harborfreight.com

They sell everything from cheap stuff to good stuff. They are a mail order company that offer a lot of reconditioned tools in addition to new ones. They only charge 5 or 6 bucks for shipping & handling no matter how much you buy. I have bought quite a few items from them, and their customer service is second to none if you ever need anything. But to the point, Their reconditioned tools look like new ! (I think they may have just been those that don't meet the factory specs that were re-conned at the factory) and sometimes you can get them for significantly less than the local stores. (these have the "- R" after the part numbers. I am going to buy another dewalt just so i can leave one up north and have one at home.

In response to the original Question, I have had the follwing cordless drills:

Craftsman (I think it was around 14.2v) - went through 3 or 4, and got my $$ back, under easy use. gears stripped, charger did not work, chuck was bad, etc.

Porter cable 14.4 v - I liked it alot, - had enough toerque to snap the shaft that holds the chuck (twice). I have to admit, with an adapter to put sockets on it, I abused it.......returned it, none left, so I got the dewalt 14.4v. But I think the PC was a great drill all in all also.

Dewalt 14.4 v - Had it for a few years, beat the S*&t out of it, and it's still going strong. The batteries still hold a charge, as good as any, and it just wont die ! It looks like it's been through a war, but if I ever had to buy another...........it would be a dewalt, no question. In comparison to the 18 V, when they just came out & my buddy got his, we took the screwdriver bit, locked the two togehter and pulled the triggers. Mine just smoked a bit, but the 18v couldn't turn it........................Don't ask why we did it, we just did

Just my 2 cents worth