Cordless Drills

[hornadylnl]

I've got an 18v LI Makita drill and impact at work. They're smaller and lighter weight than my Ridgid set I have at home. I'm pretty happy with the Makita set.

 

[littletommy]

I like Makitas and Milwaukees, but I bought a Skil cordless kit a few years ago, and it's an OK drill, but the batteries suck big time. One died within the first few uses, and the other is still hanging on. The drill itself is really nice, well balanced, and has decent torque.

Have not tried Ryobi tools, but have a Ryobi chainsaw (gas) that I absolutely love. Easy starting, runs great, and is comfortable to handle.

 

[Tactical Dave]

Last one I bought was a Milwaukee for about $160. I worked at AT&T at the time and the one they gave us was a DeWalt and it wasn't good for much beyond driving screws and drilling through soft wood, so I used mine. I forgot it in the truck when they canned me. : (

They have 18 volt dewalts now.... Huge step up over the old 12's, drill through mason no problem.

 

[davedolli]

18 v Bosch probably use it more than any other tool.

Dave

 

[tv1217]

They have 18 volt dewalts now.... Huge step up over the old 12's, drill through mason no problem.

I had an 18, they ran out of drills(and snips ) the week they were handed out to my group in Joliet, IL.

I didn't end up getting one until I got to my garage(really a CO)in Kankakee, and it was an 18

 

[TWalker]

My favorite brand is Hilti but thats over your price range. I would suggest Rdigid like a few other already suggested.

 

[loudpedal]

I replaced my old 14.4 DeWalt after many years of good service only because both batteries gave up at about the same time. I replaced it with an 18v DeWalt Lithum Ion partially because of the good service that the last one provided me, but also because the compact model is very comfortable to use for a long time. Yup just like a 1911.

 

[phrozen5100]

I'm a huge fan of the whole Bosch 18V lineup. The latest series of drills is very lightweight and has strongest in-class torque...and the impact driver is phenomenal.

I think as far as drills go, you'd be happy with any of the top tier brands (Bosch, DeWalt, Makita and Milwaukee), but I think Bosch has the best overall lineup. Just have a look at the Bosch 18V deluxe stereo.

Bosch PB360D 14.4V-18V Li-Ion Power Box 360 50W Digital Media Stereo/Radio/SAT/Charger

If you use your drill for driving much, you may want to check into the drill/impact driver combo packs. I purchased a Bosch 18V Li-Ion drill + impact driver for $160 from Lowe's.

 

[GLOCKMAN23C]

DeWalt, Porter-Cable, Black & Decker, and Ryobi are owned by the same parent company, Electrolux. They all are of good quality, but DeWalt is the more expensive of the group. The only issues I've ever had is with the batteries. A new battery will run almost as much as buying a new set.

 

[Tactical Dave]

I had an 18, they ran out of drills(and snips ) the week they were handed out to my group in Joliet, IL.

I didn't end up getting one until I got to my garage(really a CO)in Kankakee, and it was an 18

I know a retiree who said back in the day they were to afraid of hand tools and made them use hand drills.....

 

[LtScott14]

Like the Dewalt line, but own Black & Decker 18v.(hammer drill) Kinda heavy, wifey bought me a lithium 12v. for Father' Day. Much lighter to install screws, small projects. Batteries have always lead to the demise of my cordless drills. After 5yrs, cheaper to replace drill and batts. We'll see about the lithium model. My arms and back appreciate the weight saving.

 

[indyjoe]

Craftsmen can be good or not. It all depends on who makes it. Just like Kenmore.

There is a search engine somewhere that shows the base manufacturer. I know there were some deals on Jigsaws a while back that where Craftsmen, but just re-branded and slightly less expensive Bosch.

Home Depot's house brand (can't think of the name now...) can be a decent value for tools you won't use a lot of. I have a right angle drill that has worked great for years. But my real hard use tools are DeWalt, Ridgid, Makita, or other major makers.

 

[Lilsoup]

I have 2 sets of Milwaukee hammer drill/ impact combos, and I will never own another brand drill. I have used one set for 3 years drilling thru wood, concreat, brick, morter, and so on, have never been let down, the other set is just for home use (got a good deal on the second set). As far as battery life, its all in how u care for your batterys, i let mine completly die before i recharge them, some batterys have a memory and if you charge them at half charge, then thats all you get is half a battery. Eeryone has there favorites, whatever brand you do buy, check the warrenty information and read if the batterys have a memory and when they should be charged.

Just my

 

[CountryBoy19]

I've had really good luck with my Porter Cable stuff. For the cost of it I can afford to replace it a couple times before I've approached the cost of the commercial Dewalt stuff.

 

[Kernal1984]

You cant beat the lifetime warranty rigid offers and they are made by the same company that makes milwakee

 

[cosermann]

Porter-Cable.

 

[Brandon]

Porter Cable and DeWalt are my top 2 favorites.

 

[BluePig]

My next set will be Ridgid just because of the lifetime battery replacement.
Have had too many others fail cause of batteries going dead.

 

[Ricnzak]

Rigid does make some pretty darn good tools.

I have a 18v Ryobi set of tools in 18v and they are good for around the house but thats about it. They would never make it on a job site. I bought the weed trimmer as it used the same battery but came with a lithium. It kind of sucks as well.

Have you priced batteries at Batteries Plus?