Cordless Drill Recommendations, Anyone?

[shertex]

There's a thread that's eight years old...so I thought best to start a new one.

Need a new cordless drill. For basic homeowner stuff but also for stuff that's car related. Don't want to go hog wild in terms of cost....but I'm glad to pay a bit more money for quality and versatility.

What would you guys recommend?

[Father Of Giants]

Makita! Best bang per $$$.

[Quahog]

get a Makita from Burns, not the big box stores.

the internals are better & they repair tools in the unlikely event of an issue

[Shortsguy1]

Do you plan to use it for drilling holes in wood or for screwing fasteners?

I do more screwing that drilling (and am on a budget), so I got a Dewalt 20V Max VR impact driver and have really enjoyed using it compared to my old cordless drills.

I bought a lot of Makita tools early on, but these days, on a budget, I am happy to get just "pretty good" tools as I am not a pro using these things every day.

[carock]

Makita and Milwaukee are the top choices

[shertex]

Best friend's son is a "tool guy." He recommended a Milwaukee brushless that Home Depot has for $100. Looks like a decent deal.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-M18-18-Volt-Lithium-Ion-Compact-Brushless-Cordless-1-2-in-Drill-Driver-Kit-W-1-2-0-Ah-Battery-Charger-Tool-Bag-2801-21P/305529238

[tyl604]

We use Dewalt, Milwaukee, Rigid, and Makita at Habitat. My vote goes to Dewalt. But they are pretty expensive.

[pawoSD]

I've been using a Bosch 12V Li-Ion for 7+ years, I've bored 6" holes with it, renovated half my house, built a deck, a shed, used it till it smoked, let it rest, still going strong...including the two batteries!

Just used it tonight to work on my GLK...it will never die, still runs smooth and strong. And its small, fits anywhere!



I would also vote for Makita, they make good stuff too. Or of you want real nice, Festool

[Mxfrank]

I bought a Ryobi at HD several years ago. Once you buy a tool, the battery configuration pretty much locks you into one manufacturer for all your battery stuff. I've built quite a collection of Ryobi tools and three high capacity lithium batteries which I interchange among them. I find them at garage sales mostly, sometime E-Bay. These include the imact wrench, circular saw, reciprocating saw, flashlight, dustbuster, and multitool. The drill is the best of the lot, and I also get a lot of use out of the impact wrench. The circular saw is nice because it's small and light. The reciprocating saw is a POS. I know that there are better tools, but this stuff has worked well for me for years. And the batteries have me locked in.

Also, you should know that each manufacturer has different quality levels...the stuff you buy in HD is definitely not the same stuff you would buy at a serious industrial supply. When you buy the premium brand at HD, all you may be buying is a decal.

[pawoSD]

Nah, I have 4 different tool battery systems currently. Gotta have some variety!

[Mxfrank]

Originally Posted by pawoSD

Nah, I have 4 different tool battery systems currently. Gotta have some variety!

The problem is that each battery system requires a charger, a plug, and an allocation of bench space. Having one system saves all of that, plus you have a reasonable chance of having an extra charged battery when you need it. That first tool is more than an appliance, it's the beginning of a beautiful relationship. So choose well.

[jake12tech]

I just bought a Makita kit at Home Depot last night for 139 with two batteries case and an impact.

[97 SL320]

Originally Posted by shertex

Best friend's son is a "tool guy." He recommended a Milwaukee brushless that Home Depot has for $100. Looks like a decent deal.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-M18-18-Volt-Lithium-Ion-Compact-Brushless-Cordless-1-2-in-Drill-Driver-Kit-W-1-2-0-Ah-Battery-Charger-Tool-Bag-2801-21P/305529238

I had this at my old work ( thinking of it, it might have been the brush version ) , the pair if 2.0 Ah batteries were just starting to tail off after 7 years of industrial maintenance use. I'd consider this heavy home owner use but not production line / contractor use.

Recently I bought the brushless hammer drill version from the discount rack, came with a 5.0 AH battery but nothing else.

With any brand, batteries are kind of pricey compared to the tool so look at things as a package / system rather than individual parts. ( Like a printer and ink )

There are aftermarket batteries but I'd tend to stay away from them due to unknown quality. There are " original " batteries on e bay but looking at the low prices I wonder if they are counterfeit / stolen.

[Clemson88]

I've used Makita, Milwaukee and Porter Cable. Imo, Milwaukee is the best then both the other tools. I have a Dewalt which has done a lot of work over the last couple years but if I buy another cordless tool I'll buy it from Harbor Freight.

They stand by their stuff pretty good and I've had excellent experience lately with their tools. Imo, the first thing to go out on cordless is the battery. The cost of a new Milwaukee, Makita or Dewalt battery can make you consider buying a whole new system. Harbor freight sells the batteries fairly cheap.

I would buy an extra battery or two because they will probably discontinue the supply before the gun dies.

[dude99]

Milwaukee All the way. I actually prefer their 2nd tier m18 still. Their top of the line fuel drill is a beast and I find it too heavy (have one at work) I have their brushed m18 model and love it. Often goes on sale with their impact for ~$200

Worth every penny.