sundance-communications.com/forum Forums General General Telephone & Systems Information Best Cordless Drills?

What cordless drills do you guys use and why those particular ones?

I primarily use two: an 18V Firestorm (left over from my hotel maintenance days) for most moderate work. Pros: it's cheap and rugged, gets most jobs done. Cons: it's a bit portly and a bit awkward, and the battery run time isn't great on heavier drilling loads. My other drill is a 3.6V Firestorm two-speed that is perfect for wallplates/jacks and rack screws. Pros: light and fast, smallish, and fits into my tool bag. Cons: none

Also, has anyone here had any first-hand experience with the 36V cordless hammer drills?

Jack

I think Ive had the all the brands over the years. My current drill is a Milwaukee 18v. This has been a great drill for heavy work but a bit to big for some things so I got a baby Milwaukee think its 2.2v good for phones and switches and wall plates.

Hammer drills? Give me a 110vac drill, most of this work is to heavy for a battery. I can't imagine bolting down a row of racks and having to stop and wait for a battery to recharge.

I won a Ryobi combo kit as a door prize and must say that I'm impressed. It is the "One+" 18 volt system and it does an awesome job. The set that I got in this package included a 3/8" drill, a reciprocating saw, a circular saw and a flashlight. It included two batteries, a charger and a canvas tote bag. From what I've been told, the whole set can be purchased at HD for under $200.00. I'm impressed, especially since they offer plenty of other compatible tools that work with this battery system. For a day's worth of routine drilling, two batteries manage to do the job. The tools, battery pack included, are relatively lightweight.

I have a friend who owns a Dewalt 36 volt set, including a 1/2" hammer drill. After using it, the only thing I found to be missing was the power cord. That hammer drill ran just like the real thing. Even with the battery pack installed, the tools don't seem to weigh much more than a corded version of the same tool. VERRRY expensive for the combo kit that he bought (nearly $700.00 for five pieces), but I must say that for a full-time tradesman, it is worth the money to go 36 volts.

I've used Craftsman drills in the past with minimal results, the batteries did not last very long. For a while I borrowed my uncle's Dewalt 18V and was very impressed. I ended up buying my own Dewalt drill and it's been great. It doesn't have the hammer drill function but otherwise I love it. It cost around $230-250 at Home Depot.
https://www.dewalt.com/us/products/tool_detail.asp?productID=16338

18v Milwaukee for the 1/2 hammer drill, 1/4 impact driver, and the combo kit with cutoff saw, reciprocal saw, 3/8 hammer drill, and flash light.

12v for the drill driver...light but sturdy. Had it for over a decade.

Skil battery screwdrivers from the hardware store that do the faceplates, etc., that are cheap and throw away. I wear out about two a year...or lose them....

:rofl:

I've got a Ryobi 18v One+ like Ed mentioned (nice kit you got there Ed). Mine has a 1/2" Drill with selectable torque clutch, circular saw, recip saw, flashlight, and dustbuster. I've since bought a 1/4" impact for it.

I've had great luck with my set. I've used the 1/2" drill to drill sheetmetal, block, brick, footers. Even used it as an oil pump primer in a Ford 302 a while back (ran it for 20 minutes while checking for leaks). The impact makes really quick work of piloting tapcons or driving screws in old wood studs (it's also lighter having a 1/4" hex quick-release chuck).

They make a hammer drill but I'm in the same boat with Zap. Usually when I am in need of a hammer drill it's cause I have to install a set of racks.

The one nice thing about the ryobi is the batteries are inexspensive, they last, and they make Car chargers for the batteries. They also have about 30 different things you can plug into them like weedwhackers, hedge trimmers, electric caulk guns, staplers, etc.

18v 1/2" Dewalt I buy 1 or 2 every Christmas when they go on sale. $99 for drill, charger and 2 batteries is hard to beat.

Another Ryobi fan here my 18 volt set is about 4 years old and still running strong (they replaced my 14 volt set that lasted 6+years). I do have the 18volt hammer drill and it works great . I let somebody borrow it on a job site and when he returned it he said "I cant believe this is a ryobi , tons of power"

like James said the batteries are cheap , another nice feature is the older nicad tools are compatible with LiOn batteries .

I bought a 12 volt Ryobi LiOn drill to use as a screw gun and I love it . its compact and light with plenty of torque great for face plates backboards and light drilling

Like Zap said Ive been through them all Makita, Dewalt ,mulwuakee etc before trying the Ryobi

I've had a bunch of them over the years. For now, I won't buy anything but Rigid. Very good performance and they now come with a lifetime warranty, including batteries.

We have several of the 18V cordless hammer drills. They work very well.

I have a Ryobi at home, it has been good to me; but the battery is on the fritz now, but it is about 4 years old. I used to volunteer at the zoo here and they always used Dewalt and I think those are better, but they were out of my price range when I was buying.

Steve

have you ever had a battery replaced under warranty Larry ?

I was reading on another forum that you had to send the tool/ battery and charger off to a service center to get a battery replaced

No Skip, I have not.

I was a Dewalt guy for a while, and still use the 18V hammer for most of my work. I also have the Dealt 7/6v screw driver which I my favorite, I find myself grabbing it for just about everything. The Milwaukee lithium ion stuff is really nice as well. For my heavy stuff I have a 110V Bosch hammer...that thing just rips...threw walls, pipes, wire...etc...lol

I caught Ryobi sale at HD or Lowes, I get them mixed up! Anyhow, right before Xmas bought a drill, flshlight, and circ saw combo with bag and 2 batteries for about $100 and then pick 1 from assortment of others; Recip saw. Best Xmas present I've gotten in years!
If I was still working in the field, I'd sure look @ Bosch's little drill. It's expensive and heavy, but 2 year everything guarantee, as I recall. And same package for more $ includes hammer. I looked it over at a 'free lunch' at a supplier. It'll break your wrist, if you're into that sort of thing. ( ) John C.

I use a Dewalt 18V cordless drill. It has the hammer setting which is really nice for using anchors. I had a Dewalt 14.4v before that went through hell and still worked.

I've got an 18v hitachi that I picked up a while back and really like it. Plenty of torque and good battery life and not being to big is a plus as well. Reasonable for price. Hammer drills I still use corded hilti but we do have for the larger drills 4 bosch. I think alot comes down to personal preference with things like this.

I bought a Makita 18v Lithium Kit about 6 month's ago and it's been very reliable. Extremely light weight and comfortable. Battery life is great however they don't like the cold.

My recommendation would be Makita!

The smallest, lightest, highest torque and best balanced drill that I have ever used is the Panasonic. I have a 12V Panasonic and love it. The downside is that not many places carry it and they are a little pricey.
I also have a Dewalt 18v that serves me very well and a Bosch 120v hammer drill for the really tough stuff, but my favorite is the Panasonic.

I use an 18v Hitachi that has a very good hammer drill. On hammer drill it works better than my corded 1/2 inch Milwaukee.

I use a 12V Makita most of the time. It's been dropped more times than I can count, even a few times from more than 10', and seems indestructible. After 7 years the batteries are finally starting to wear out. When I need a hammer-drill I have a corded Milwaukee, but I can't recommend it, the Makita often does a better job.

Another happy Ryobi owner here. I have one of the original One+ 18v sets at home, and the Lithium set at the office. I'm very happy with both. I didn't expect much from the little circular saw, but it actually has worked very well. And knowing that I can actually buy replacement batteries when I need them is a HUGE plus. Usually by the time you need to replace batteries, they aren't making them for your drill anymore. A year from now I can keep the same cordless drill and buy the Lithium battery/charger set.

Many of the cordless drills out there use the same parts. The first Ryobi I bought was for my dad. I was going to buy him the Dewalt...then I did some research and found that the motor and chuck were identical in both drills, plus the Ryobi had a better warranty and cost 50% less.

28V Milwaukie; powerful, arm breaker. Good balance for a big drill. The other contractors have drill envy. Has hammer drill function. It seems to have about 3/4 the power of a corded Hole Hawg. Get careless with it and it will spin your arm off - and I am 225lb+.

Negatives: Lithium has no warning of battery going dead. Bigger than some people like to use.

I use the 28V hammer drill/Sawzall kit. Not cheap, but you do get what you paid for (Great warranty too!)