Time for a new drill... bring on the input plzzzzz>>>>

[Kirk Butler]

I to am in the market for a new drill...

What I have now:
1) 3/8" corded B&D (don't even know how I acquired this drill but can't bring myself to get rid of it)
2) 3/8" corded Makita (I like this drill quite a bit but, it does have a cord attached to it)
3) 18V cordless Ryobi (part of a set bought @ HD. This drill has served me well and been used ALOT more than the Makita primarily b/c it's cordless. Downside is that the batteries were left in the charger to long & I think the heat has really taken its toll on the battery life.

What I'm thinking & what it will be used for:
1) I've recently gotten into woodworking and have grown weary of 20 min batt life in my ryobi. I consider myself a novice woodworker w/ big ambitions.
2) I'm 100% I want to go cordless.
3) I'm planning on adding a drill press to my garage shop as soon as $ allows.
4) This drill will be primarily for driving screws.
5) Comfort & weight are BIG things to consider for me (~ 10 yrs ago, I shattered one of my wrists & have lost about 50% of the strength in that wrist).
6) One other thing I should consider is that I own a brick house & there have been a half dozen or so times in the last year or so that I think an impact would have come in handy for boring into the brick for whatever reason I need too.

Of course, $ is a factor.
I recently looked (Lowes) @ the Hitachi 18V Li ion drill/impact driver combo for $269. This is definately more than I want to spend but, I could prob be talked into it.
I REALLY liked the way these two drivers felt in my hand. Total weight and balance was spot on for me.

What do you all think...should I just get a ryobi impact driver from HD ($119 for 18V cordless impact)? Going this way will allow me to use the new batt's in the already owned ryobi set of tools. Out of the ryobi set the only other tool used much at all is the small trim saw. The batteries are not 100% shot, they still have a lil life left. Should I just suck it up and spend the $ for the Hitachi set?

Edited to note that I just saw that HD has a makita drill/impact 18V Li ion set w/ 2 batt's for $214.

Thoughts?

[Jerome Hanby]

I really like my 18V LiIon Hitachi. My Dad got it for me reconditioned for a pretty good price, drill, charger, and two batteries. I've been looking for a good deal on the matching driver... I think you can Google on Hitachi and reconditioned and find the place.

As to Ryobi, i liked the idea of their 18 Volt LiIon batteries working with their existing "one" products, so I bought a set during one of Home Depot's Christmas deals with a big rebate. They stuck it to me on the rebate, over two years and still no reply to inquiries. Kind of soured me on the whole Ryobi thing, I've never even opened the box. The rebate thing was a free tool from their list, my choice was the right angle driver...

[Robert Chapman]

Look carefully at the Bosch 12volt line. They have a wide range of quality tools. They are light, easy to handle and well built.

[Timothy Wolf]

For the price I would go with the Makita set (Drill and Impact). For the comfort I would go with the Bosch 12 volt set or Dewalt 12 volt set (both sets are perfect for screws). I personally use the Dewalt 18 volt set but they are kind of heavy I have about 10 cordless tools and it would be cost prohibitive to switch now. As far as Ryobi goes, My Father in law has them for around the house and they just feel more like toys than actual tools. If I were looking today (My wrists are fine), I would get a Harbor Frieght 20% off coupon and try to use it at HD for the Makita. If I was in your shoes I would probably go with a 12 volt set (using a HF coupon if possible) and look for a cheap (~$40) corded Hammer drill on craigslist, ebay, garage sale, or a pawn shop for your occasional masonry needs. I hope that helps.

[Buck Williams]

I have the Makita drill and impact driver set and I've been very satisfied with it. Normally the tools sold separately are price d at the level that the two tool kit is priced. I love having the two, piolt holes and counter sinking with the drill and drivong screws wi the impact driver. If you have issyes with your wrist, you'll love the impact driver for drivibg screws, there's no torque or twist like you experience in driving screws with a drill. Both tools at a little over $200 is a great deal.

[Chris Tsutsui]

Here's a brief history of my drill experiences..

My first drill was a $20 black and decker that feels like a "toy". Only had two speeds and a keyed chuck, and 6V power. Sounds like a kids toy... My 18V harbor freight cordless drill was WAY better though using it still felt like it was a toy.

The older Ryobi stuff sort of reminds me of Harbor Freight's current lineup of cordless drills so if you're happy with the Ryobi and have a HF nearby then you can save a ton of money by going that route...

At work I have the Makita compact 18V lithion ion set. This is a great set for medium duty jobs. It's not super heavy, but it ain't that light. I consider this a benchmark contractor's set and i wouldn't be suprised if this model has the most sales of all the drills. I believe the set goes for $230, and I've seen it on sale at Amazon.com goldbox for $189 shipped (lowest i've ever seen it)

I have an older Hitachi 18V compact lithium with only 1.4ah batteries and I would say it's a step down from the Makita. The keyless chuck is plastic and doesn't ratchet on my version. If the battery is low, the drill just stops so I can't tell how much battery is left in it and am constantly caught off gaurd. I don't really have anything against it and it is priced somewhere between Makita and Harbor Freight's drills. You can buy these refurbished online... reconditionedsales

I have craftsman professional 1/2" 20V lithium drill. This has a better motor than the hitachi, durable metal ratcheting keyless chuck. I've dropped it from a ladder and still works fine. I believe they are discontinuing them though for not enough sales, closing them out. The bad part about a big drill like this is it weighs like 5lbs so it's not my "go to" drill. The best part is the battery lasts forever in a 20V non-compact lithium ion. I can drill 30 pocket holes and not see the battery indicator drop at all.

Makita combo impact driver and drill/driver 10.8V lithium set went for like $130 during black friday 2 years ago and price fluctuates. This is by far my favorite set ever... They are super comfortable, light weight, the driver has more torque than my craftman 1/2" 20V lithium ion drill and plenty for any household job such as driving anchors in wood studs and that sort. Battery life isn't the best, but because it's feather weight, it more than makes up for this. Been using mine for 2 years and I use these the most of any of my drills due to the compact design/light weight. The drill/driver with clutch is great for most of my usage.

Tom Silva from "ask this old house" uses this 10.8V lithium set and I will see him grab this instead of his Festool C series which he also has. One drawback to this set is it has quick connects and no chuck. I think they also have a chuck version now.

Bosch, Dewault, Milwaukee and soon festool all offer these ultra compact 10-12V lithium drill combos and some come with chucks. I highly recommend these and If I had to save one drill from my collection it would be a 10-12V lithium compact drill/drivers with a chuck. Dewault is relatively new to this game and I liked the way theirs felt.

I know budget is a concern but Festool has sub $300 compact CSX drill/drivers as well. These are new and I havn't even seen them at my local festool dealers yet so can't say anything about them.

Good luck!

[Shawn Christ]

You mention cost is a factor. I own several Ryobi tools, which I find to be a very good value. If you are still using the Ni-Cd Ryobi batteries, recycle 'em and search eBay for a deal on a lithium battery and charger. They can be found for half the price of new. I think you will see a dramatic improvement over your old batteries. If you like it, get another full-size battery and a couple compact batteries. Spend the cash you save on the impact driver (also a wonderful tool) and the compact driver. Bare tools are dirt cheap on eBay.

[Bobby O'Neal]

I've got a 12v Mileewalkay impact that I love. Its pretty much just for driving screws and does a fantastic job and is very light, compact. Fits anywhere. Its my only cordless drill. I have a DW corded drill for muscle.

[Timothy Juvenal]

If weight is an issue, I'd recommend 12v. For the rare instances where 12v isn't enough power, you still have your AC drills as back-up.
I use the 12v DeWalts in the shop & have been happy with them. They hold up well in an industrial setting where they get frequent and heavy use.
Recently picked up a new drill/charger/2 batteries/case kit at Lowes, and it is the nicest one of the bunch. Model DC742. It is more compact than my older DW972. The DC742 is also more powerful, and has a tighter more positive feeling clutch. The Jacobs 510 series chuck is a big improvement over the older Hand-Tite chuck, and clicks tight or loose easily with one hand. THe DC742 also has an LED headlight, which I thought was just a silly gimmick, but which quickly proved it's value while installing new drawer slides in a customers existing cabinets. Lastly, it's made in Mexico, so even if we can't find made in USA anymore, at least your tool-buying cash stays in & provides jobs in North America.

Timothy

[Andrew Joiner]

I have an early 90's top $ Porter Cable and 2008 Makita. Battery life/cost has not been worth buying top of the cordless for me.
I like the 18V Ryobi line. When you look at the cost to keep them running Ryobi is my pick. I see them on lot's of heavy use jobsites and commercial wood shops.
Now if I had a 50% weaker hand, I'd try several 12v or 10.8v compacts. Most sellers will let you buy and return if you aren't happy.

[Fred Damkroger]

Look carefully at the new 12 V drill and impact driver kit from PC. For $139 you get both tools, two batteries and the charger. They are small, light and plenty powerful for woodworking. I have a couple DW 974 drills, a DW 967 driver, and have not used any of them since getting the PC's.

[Greg Portland]

You definitely want an impact driver, not a drill for driving screws.

My vote would be for the Panasonic Li-on or Makita Li-on impact drivers. You'll note they look virtually identical & both have similar levels of performance.