Thread: The BEST Cordless Drill

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I've always made due with my 12volt Makita. When we built our addition 3 years ago, we had 18 volt Dewalts. Wow what a difference. They were real work horses, and Dewalt replaced 4 batteries which were toast, no problem. The Dewalt portable table saw also kicked butt. For my daily use for small jobs the Makita still plugs along. But for a work tool, I was impressed with Dewalt. Best buy for the price IMO.

Nothing will beat a DeWalt, if they weren't good, they would not be selling them as much as they do. If you have a problem they will replace whatever it is with no questions usually.

IMO, I would'nt buy a DeWalt... Last few that I used, were used when I worked for Hunter mtn, 18v cordless drills with the torque limiters.. every last 1 of them stripped out the torque limaters and became useless. that department uses Makita stuf now, still not what I would expect from a professional grade tool, but better than a DeWalt by far.

I was a die hard Dewalt fan also , nothing but the best or so I thought.Forcing myself to try others I found better or just as good and cheaper..... Never looked back.

Makita and Milwakee are great also. And as far as DeWalt, I have used their chop saws and grinders mostly and they worked great and no problems (yet). Hitachi (sp) has not failed me nor my father yet. BigTruckDriver, what brand are you using?

Originally Posted by FMXhellraiser

Makita and Milwakee are great also. And as far as DeWalt, I have used their chop saws and grinders mostly and they worked great and no problems (yet). Hitachi (sp) has not failed me nor my father yet. BigTruckDriver, what brand are you using?

Really any top name brand is good but again I will say go with lithium batts. I have used all of the major brands and have owned all except for Hilti drills. I Bought one of the Bosch drills a couple months ago but ended up taken it back cause it hurt my hand after using it all day, it was the small compact impact drill. IMO its a excellent little piece. Battery as small as it was , a little bigger than 3 AA's, lasted a full day of use and plenty of POWER. It has the same or more than the top name brands like makitas but smaller. I Just bought the combo Makita but it just wasn't for me either. After reading the specs on milwuakee and almost buying but on the way out I read the rigids specs and it had a couple more fp of torque compared to the milwuakee but a few dollars cheaper I figured I would take a chance on the rigid. So using the rigid for a few days now I am happy so far.
If you really want to know my oppinion on the best drill, its one with a cord.....LOL

Actually it's funny you say Rigid because I use a Rigid when I help a friend install TV's and such for his business. Works great. I have Rigid shop vacs that are VERY quite for their big size and work awesome. Can't go wrong with them either.

Originally Posted by Gusaroo

The guys on "This Old House" use a small black and neon green drill (not makita) with a funky handle that looks as if it kicks a$$. I am sure they know quality tools as well. I have tried to catch a glimpse of the brand, but they put tape over the labels, since the show is sponsored by The Home Depot (the drill is not something sold at HD)...

For now, I use DeWalts.

I did not read all the posts, but the drill is a hitachi. Imo This drill in the lithium ion battery is the best out, followed by the millwaukie lithium. I do metal framing and we use these drills all day long, unlike most other trades that use them from time to time throughout the day, we never stop, so that will tell who has the best product. My hitachi is over a year old and it still holds a charge 6 hours straight, unless im doing full drilling, then it goes through them in a few hours.

As a side note, i hope all you dewalt fans realize that all dewalt is, is a high priced black & decker. Back in the 70`s or early 80`s black & decker had a professional line, i still have the circular saw, looks just like a dewalt only grey. At some point they colored them yellow and named them dewalt. They used to be the best around, now i and most tradesmen i know will not touch one.

I use them to death at work- installing HVAC systems. The best? Today- there is no best. All the same junk. I need it to last more than 18 months & I'll be a happy camper.
Ridgid- lasted 2 months.
Milwaukee? Battery contacts are a joke. Makes a great doorstop.
Costco Kawasaki? Lasted 1 day on the job.
Black & Decker? Homeowner quality. Won't last day-to-day.
Hitachi? About a year which seems average.
Makita? They used to be the best. They worked for years & then some. Drop it off a roof & still would work. The stuff from Makita today pales in comparison. Bought an expensive lithium ion Makita, 3 weeks later- dropped it from 4 ft & it was history.
Dewalt? As of today- it's the go-to brand. Current set-up has lasted over 2 years. Batteries don't last though. Get about a year out of them. 18v is about all I'll get lately as the bigger ones need Popeye arms to run one of those heavy monsters all day long. Snagged a 3 battery set w/charger at Home Depot recently- on sale at 99 bucks.

I don't care what color it is- don't care what brand it is- I want a tool that's light- lasts more than 2 years (including batteries & charger), will run continuous duty, can take a 10 ft drop w/o becoming a doorstop.
What I don't need is a battery that's bigger than the friggin tool itself!

What I really want are a bunch of old Makitas-- NOS!
They were tanks!

I guess nothing works great anymore because it's all imported junk. China mostly even though it will say USA or whatever (I know those tools are not but I am saying that even the ones that do say USA are not).

Originally Posted by hotroddaddy

I did not read all the posts, but the drill is a hitachi. Imo This drill in the lithium ion battery is the best out, followed by the millwaukie lithium. I do metal framing and we use these drills all day long, unlike most other trades that use them from time to time throughout the day, we never stop, so that will tell who has the best product. My hitachi is over a year old and it still holds a charge 6 hours straight, unless im doing full drilling, then it goes through them in a few hours.

Its actually a "FESTOOL" they use on TOH, a very high end item.

http://www.festooljunkie.com/catalog...13-ah-set.html

I've got an 18 volt Bosch that I like; the battery seems to last forever. Only drawback is that it's pretty heavy.

I was looking at the festool product yesterday at the local hardware store. They look (appearance) cheap or like a toy because of the design but are supposedly really good. Expensive too which is good since you normally get what you pay for.

Ace Hardware has a lost leader going on thru this Sunday, 18 volt Makita 1/2 hammer drill, with 2 batteries, charger and flashlight for $79.99. Their web site crashed, due to the volume of people, they were out on line and locally, so I drove 30 miles north and got the last one, too good of a deal to pass up!