Cordless drill/drivers

[Laurie Brown]

Well, it's about time for me to start thinking of getting some new drill/drivers. I had a Craftsman and two cheap Japanese ones, and eventually all the batteries and chargers died.

I'm tired of batteries that don't last more than a year or two, and chargers that don't charge. Seems every time I need one, I don't have one with a functional battery. I now have three drivers I can't use.

I'm in the market for a GOOD cordless drill/driver. I know I'm going to have to shell out some bucks, but at this point if I can get one that will LAST, it will be worth it. What do you guys recommend for a good reliable driver with long battery life? There are lots of good brands out there, how do you know which is the best?

Ideally I want to get a driver that comes with two batteries and a charger, so I can charge one battery while using the other. I'm not interested in any other tools coming with it like flashlights or hammers or whatnot, I just want a good quality driver with a battery that won't be dead next year, leaving me with another driver I can't use.

[Will Overton]

You didn't mention whether your looking to drive small screws or lag bolts. I have a mess of drills/drivers from 10.8/12v max up to 36v.

Around the shop I use the small Bosch ones the most ... about 80% of the time. I know some have picked up the Milwaukee and are very happy with them.

The PS 30 has a regular style drill chuck, while the others use the hex, quick release. I recommend getting 2, and you might find them in a package.

1> the PS30 for drilling
2> either the PS20 if you want a clutch, or PS40 if you want an impact driver.

Check out equivalent tools in the other major brands. And, of course, if you're going to be installing decks or such, you will probably want to jump to an 18v system.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

FWW has the 2011 tool guide out. Just got it yesterday...... They tested 18V drills. Summary: Top to bottom, Milwaukee, Makita, DeWalt, Bosch, PC, Ridgid, Hitachi, C-man, Ryobi and Skil. Makita had best overall and best value and readers choice went to Milwaukee. Price ranges 110 to 220. Pretty much you pay for what you get.

[Rob Steffeck]

I have the Makita BHP454 and a Dewalt 18v XRP drill / driver. I don't know the model # of DeWalt. They are both great drills, but for ergonomics and recharge time I prefer the Makita. The Makita battery will recharge fully in less than 30 minutes. The DeWalt seems to have a higher drill speed though. If I would be replacing them, I'd choose the Makita.

I have a friend who has the new Milwaukee and it does seem nice. I don't think you could go wrong with any of the aforementioned drills.

You may want to look in to a combo kit of drill/driver and impact driver. I know you said you don't want flashlights and other accessories, but an impact driver works in conjuntion with your drill. As most people who use them will probably agree, you don't think you need one until you use one. If you are drilling pilot holes for screws, you'll appreciate having both and it really seems to extend battey time.

[Greg Portland]

Panasonic ranks above all of the FWW ranked options IMO if you are looking at battery life. They don't sell a 18V option because their lower volt options have plenty of power & why would you want to haul around extra weight? Rip apart some of the drills from other companies and you'll find Panasonic batteries (or batteries made by Panasonic with a different name). The only difference is that they get to use technology 1-2 years behind the Panasonic drills. Take the popular Makita Li-on as an example. It's a near-clone of the Panasonic that was available 1.5 years earlier.

[Laurie Brown]

True, I didn't mention what I use it for. I mostly build cabinets and furniture and don't drive much beyond 1.25" screws. I have an electric drill I use for pocket holes. Dewalt and Makita are the ones I've seen in use around most job sites by contractors.

[Rob Steffeck]

They don't sell a 18V option because their lower volt options have plenty of power & why would you want to haul around extra weight? Rip apart some of the drills from other companies and you'll find Panasonic batteries (or batteries made by Panasonic with a different name). The only difference is that they get to use technology 1-2 years behind the Panasonic drills. Take the popular Makita Li-on as an example. It's a near-clone of the Panasonic that was available 1.5 years earlier.

Panasonic does sell an 18v drill. In fact, they sell a 21.6v drill.

What technology differences are there between the current Panasonic Lithium Ion battery and the current Makita or DeWalt Lithium Ion battery? I'm not trying to be argumentative, I truly want to know what is different.

[Will Overton]

... don't drive much beyond 1.25" screws.

The little 12v ones will serve you well.

[Clint Olver]

Craftsman has a 3 year warranty. Get it replaced for free! - I did.

C

[Darl Bundren]

I have a Makita drill I like a bunch--it came with two batteries, and one's always charged for when the other runs down. It's a 14.4 model, 6337D. It is heavy for cabinetry and messing with tiny screws, so I also have some Ryobi green Li-ion drill. It doesn't have a clutch and the chuck is kind of crappy, but it is light and small for jobs that don't require that much brawn. Two batteries came with it, too.

I think Makita is well-regarded for drills. I was shopping around some and tried to find a Panasonic kit when I was looking (some years ago), but I couldn't find one locally.

[Steve Leverich]

I have two of the 18v DeWalt drill/drivers, and love 'em for pure brute force - but on their lowest clutch setting they would probably strip out a #10 screw in oak (ok, a slight exaggeration) - then I bought one of the 18v Milwaukee compact drill/impact kits ($200 from Amazon at the time) - the compact batteries don't last as long but the clutch on the drill is AMAZING - at it's lowest setting, you could almost drive a #6 screw into balsa wood without stripping, yet the other end of the range has buckets of torque.

Unlike the DeWalt, every click of the clutch is just a tiny bit more torque (as it SHOULD be) - liked the Milwaukee well enough that I went looking for one of their full size drills, ended up getting that with two (full size) batteries, charger and a freebie impact driver like the one in the compact kit. Clutch on the larger drill is every bit as good as the one on the compact.

The milwaukee batteries have a built-in push-button "gas gauge" which is really handy if you're going somewhere to do a moderate drilling/driving job - you just push the button, and if you still have 3 of the 4 led's lit you don't need to carry an extra battery. I like it.

Also, the DeWalts being nicads don't charge as quick - but that's mostly a nicad vs. Li-Ion thing, not a brand thing.

Oh, I do quite a few pocket screws and I set up a milwaukee corded drill for drilling also, then use the milwaukee 18V drills for driving.

If you're just going to get one drill/driver, I'd stick with Li-Ion for the charging speed - before you run down the second battery, the first one will be fully charged and ready to go... Steve

Oh, I second the comment that you will use the impact driver more than you ever would have thought... Steve

[Brandon Craig]

I can sympathize with your battery frustrations! I like to keep an old corded drill around just in case.

That said, I recently purchased a Milwaukee 18v and love it. I can't comment on the life expectancy of the battery since I've only had for a couple of months, but it's a great driver with plenty of power and charge length.

[Thomas Canfield]

I recently bought the Milwaukee 12V lithium drill and impact driver combo and have been very happy with compact size, battery life and fast charge, and ability of the impact driver to drive lag screws. Both only have the hex drive, but you can get the adapter 1/4" chuck. I was considering going with 18V, but they are just too heavy and bulky for a lot of uses.

[Callan Campbell]

You can buy them with no other tools, like a base set as you mentioned with 2 batteries and a charger. I use my impact driver every day at work. The battery life is amazing. I also have the drill/driver version, but don't use it nearly as much as my impact driver. As they say, your usage may vary. Lithium -ion batteries, and the size of these tools allow alot of access into tight places that my old 1/2" Makita 14.4 drill just couldn't get into. Head over to a decent store that actually stocks enough models for you to try out. Put them into your hands and decide for yourself on what feels/works best for you. From your post, it doesn't sound like you really need anymore power than 12 volts max, esp with a newer Lithium-Ion powered tool, since your hardware driving is fairly short in length. Good Luck and tell us what you decided to go with.

[Van Huskey]

I am a fan of 18v for an all-rounder. If I hadn't gotten such a deal on Dewalt 18v tools I would have gotten the Makita.