Bye bye Ryobi

[Burt Alcantara]

I've given up on trying to get my Ryobi 18v drill fixed. The chuck won't hold hardly anything anymore. Worse, I tried to request information from their website and it rejected my request with one of the incredibly lame messages "Request rejected for unknown reasons." Phooey.

I'm not fond of their impact drive either so as soon as I find a replacement pair, up they go to CraigsList.

So. I need a decent drill and impact drive pair that won't break the bank. I'm not a professional and use the drill(s) about 2-3 times a week for light chores. I have a cheap HF 1/2" corded drill for heavy work that thinks it's the Energizer Bunny.

I don't want keyless unless there is a quick & easy conversion readily available. I'm also not adverse to reconditioned.

Looking forward to your replies,
Burt

[Chris Harry]

The Makita drill/driver pair gets lots of good reviews.

I have an 18V (NiCD) Ridgid set and I love them aside from the weight (it can use the 24V LithIon batteries too, just never got around to buying any)

[Prashun Patel]

You won't find a consensus here.

I've been happy with my Makita 18v LiIon set. You can often get a good deal at BORG on these units.

If you don't want to go LiIon, Dewalts have a good history

[David Keller NC]

"You won't find a consensus here."

Indeed - you're going to get flooded with "I like brand XXX". The important point is that regardless of how lightly you use it, a cheap tool is, well - cheap. The saying of "buy well, cry once, buy cheap, cry often" is very true.

If you want re-conditioned, most of the major (good) brands like Makita, DeWalt, Milwaulkee, etc... have factory stores where they sell factory reconditioned models. I'm not sure about Makita or Milwaulkee, but most big cities have a walk-in DeWalt factory store. That may be your best bet to get a good tool ar a reasonable price.

[Ed Labadie]

I've had good service from my 12v DeWalts. Batteries do start to degrade after 2 years, but thats my only complaint.
I've got both new and reconditioned, no difference in quality or performance.

Ed

[John Coloccia]

Best cordless I've owned is the Hitachi, hands down. Built like a brick. I've been abusing it for 3 years and it's like the day I bought it. The new Makitas are really nice too and seem to be very well built from what I can see.

I won't say anything bad about others, but quality seems to have slipped a bit with a bunch of manufacturers the last few years.

[Prashun Patel]

If you want re-conditioned, most of the major (good) brands like Makita, DeWalt, Milwaulkee, etc... have factory stores where they sell factory reconditioned models. I'm not sure about Makita or Milwaulkee, but most big cities have a walk-in DeWalt factory store. That may be your best bet to get a good tool ar a reasonable price.

I've bought 2/3 my drills reconditioned. You usually get screwed on the batteries, though...

[Paul Steiner]

I have 2 dewalt 18v batteries going on 5+ years. Yes I use them. I have not seen a noticable degrade in power or longevity. Having a charger with tune-up mode helps. I know everyone has a favorite I would just recommend you get something common and that has been around for a while. My business partner has 18v dewalt tools and it is nice to be able to borrow a tool or battery and not the charger. It is also easy to get replacement tools, batteries, parts, service.

[Matt Meiser]

I've had a PC for about 8 years. I had the batteries rebuilt once and they are starting to go again so I've been looking at new ones. Porter Cable has really gone down hill. I had a Dewalt 12V impact that one of the batteries literally burned up (had to throw it out in the snow because it was smoking badly and getting very hot) so I'm not a big Dewalt cordless fan. Now I have a Bosch 10.8V Li-Ion driver and a Makita 14.4v Li-Ion impact and both seem to hold up great. If I could get a Makita that used the same batteries I'd do that hands down, but the 14.4 Li-Ion is only offered on that impact. I've been looking pretty hard at the Bosch "Compact Tough" 18V Li-Ion drill. I almost bought a recon while on vacation in TN but the shipping and worry about the batteries being partially used up made me think twice. Menards had it on sale a few weeks ago for $179 and I think Lowes has it for $189. Panasonic also seems to get great reviews.

[Ellen Benkin]

I just bought a Makita 10 V LI-Ion set for less than $150. It comes with two handles, two batteries, and a charger. You can get it even cheaper at Amazon, I think.

I like the design of the Makita. It is very light and easy for me to handle and it comes with a light. I thought the light was a useless gadget until I started working inside a bookcase and found it really helps. Li-Ion batteries are supposed to last a long time but, since I just got these, I have no experience with that.

[Larry Edgerton]

I've had a PC for about 8 years. I had the batteries rebuilt once and they are starting to go again so I've been looking at new ones. Porter Cable has really gone down hill. I had a Dewalt 12V impact that one of the batteries literally burned up (had to throw it out in the snow because it was smoking badly and getting very hot) so I'm not a big Dewalt cordless fan. Now I have a Bosch 10.8V Li-Ion driver and a Makita 14.4v Li-Ion impact and both seem to hold up great. If I could get a Makita that used the same batteries I'd do that hands down, but the 14.4 Li-Ion is only offered on that impact. I've been looking pretty hard at the Bosch "Compact Tough" 18V Li-Ion drill. I almost bought a recon while on vacation in TN but the shipping and worry about the batteries being partially used up made me think twice. Menards had it on sale a few weeks ago for $179 and I think Lowes has it for $189. Panasonic also seems to get great reviews.

Matt, I just bought a couple of years ago three Makita sets with a impact/drill/flashlight that use the 14.4 LiIon batteries. I still see them on the market for sale for about $170 for the set. I replaced all my Hilti's because of battery issues, and so far the Makita's are working fine. I do miss the auto chuck lock on the Hilti's.

[Jason White]

I've been THRILLED with my little 12v Hitachi impact driver (the one that looks like something out of a Godzilla movie).

I have an 18-volt Bosch, too, that is much more powerful (and heavier). But I much prefer the Hitachi because it's so lightweight and comfy! I don't think I paid much for it, either. Must've been on-sale at Lowes.

Jason

I've given up on trying to get my Ryobi 18v drill fixed. The chuck won't hold hardly anything anymore. Worse, I tried to request information from their website and it rejected my request with one of the incredibly lame messages "Request rejected for unknown reasons." Phooey.

I'm not fond of their impact drive either so as soon as I find a replacement pair, up they go to CraigsList.

So. I need a decent drill and impact drive pair that won't break the bank. I'm not a professional and use the drill(s) about 2-3 times a week for light chores. I have a cheap HF 1/2" corded drill for heavy work that thinks it's the Energizer Bunny.

I don't want keyless unless there is a quick & easy conversion readily available. I'm also not adverse to reconditioned.

Looking forward to your replies,
Burt

[Prashun Patel]

That Hitachi gets a lot of high marks.

[Matt Meiser]

Matt, I just bought a couple of years ago three Makita sets with a impact/drill/flashlight that use the 14.4 LiIon batteries. I still see them on the market for sale for about $170 for the set.

Looking at their site, I see 14.4V drills that use a NiMh battery but none with LiIon. The two aren't physically compatible. Got a model number? I'd love to find a compatible drill.

[phil harold]

5 years going strong for two makita 18v ni-mh drills I have
bought 2 new batteries last month and the drills seem like new again