Li-Ion drill motor

[Bruce Page]

I need to replace my Ni-cad XRP drill motor with a reliable Li-Ion type. Other than Festool, what are the best brands & models to look at? I don't need mega heavy duty voltage and I can't justify the Festool price.

[Malcolm McLeod]

BORGs are driving huge share of the market, so most replies will be 1 of their offerings. I bet. And I'm one. I have no complaints about 18V Ryobi 1+ 'system' (everything's got to be a 'system') drill and driver in DIY use. I have other 1+ tools as well (circ saw, 90* grinder, vac - picked up on clearance rack), but can't recommend any.

Seems like a lot of pros use Dewalt, but that may simply be big-$ promo budget on TV...?

[Erik Loza]

No complaints with my DeWalt. Don't remember the model but it's the one with the more industrial metal chuck. 20V? I would go to the BORG and handle a few. The differences become more apparent then. Good luck.

Erik

[Tom Ewell]

We use a lot of Bosch around these parts.
I have several of the little guys in the 12V range, they're not too bad compared to the couple of Festools I have.
The other guys are going with the 18V series and they work them to death with no problems so far.

[Lee Schierer]

My daughter purchased a Dewalt drill and Driver plus saws all and flash light set for her husband and I had a chance to use it. It worked very well and had plenty of power for driving large screws into deck framing and decking. When my old 14 volt Dewalt dies it will be a the top of my list.

[Gerry Grzadzinski]

My preference is normally Makita, but I bought a Rigid set for 1/2 the price, and a lifetime warranty. It works just fine.

[James Gunning]

+1 for the DeWalt. I bought a 20V brushless impact-driver and couldn't be happier with it. The batteries last forever and the tool is smaller and lighter compared to its' 18V predecessor. Plus, DeWalt sells an adapter that will allow use of the 20V li-ion batteries on my 18V drill when the 18V Ni-cads give up.

[Mike Henderson]

I use the DeWalt 20V system and have been happy with it. Unless you have some unusual needs, I think all the major brands are pretty good.

Mike

[Bruce Page]

Thanks. I'm going to check them out this afternoon at the borg. I don't have any unusual needs, I just need something reliable. I'm on my 6th 14.4v Ni-cad for my XRP and it's dying. The drill motor still looks and works like new, I'm just tired of buying batteries for it. It's time or an upgrade.

[Randy Viellenave]

I have all of the 18V NiCad stuff, and have started moving toward the 20V stuff. I bought a 12Vmax 1/4 hex driver for light duty stuff, and it does better than expected, as it will run a 3" dw screw into douglas fir. Best thing is that it weighs nothing compared to the 18 and 20V stuff, made way more difference to me than I thought it would. Batteries don't last all that long, but they charge quick in the 20V charger.

[Garth Almgren]

BORGs are driving huge share of the market, so most replies will be 1 of their offerings. I bet. And I'm one. I have no complaints about 18V Ryobi 1+ 'system' (everything's got to be a 'system') drill and driver in DIY use. I have other 1+ tools as well (circ saw, 90* grinder, vac - picked up on clearance rack), but can't recommend any.

Same here, no complaints about the Ryobi drill/driver set I got for my birthday last month.

I like the number of available tools in the Ryobi One+ system, and the fact that any One+ tool will work with any One+ battery no matter what the chemistry.

[Garth Almgren]

If the XRP motor is still in good shape, you can buy just the Li-Ion battery to match.

Sometimes it's cheaper to get a whole new drill or combo set with batteries included than just the battery though.

[Bruce Page]

I didn't see anything I liked at Lowes so I ordered one of these from Amazon:
DEWALT DCD791D2 20V MAX XR Li-Ion 0.5" 2.0Ah Brushless Compact Drill/Driver Kit

It should be here in a couple of days. Brushless motor and 2.0 Ah batteries.
Thanks for the help.

[Erik Loza]

I didn't see anything I liked at Lowes so I ordered one of these from Amazon:
DEWALT DCD791D2 20V MAX XR Li-Ion 0.5" 2.0Ah Brushless Compact Drill/Driver Kit

It should be here in a couple of days. Brushless motor and 2.0 Ah batteries.
Thanks for the help.

That's the one I have. You'll like it. Plenty of power and good battery life.

Erik

[Bruce Wrenn]

I've had Ridgid 12V LI drills since 2007. Filled out LSA and sent it in. Took a couple months to get confirmation back. Since then I have has the batteries replaced TWICE at NO COST. Anyone purchasing a Ridgid and mailing in LSA form, GET A CERTIFICATE OF MAILING at post office. I had one set that they swore I never sent in LSA, but after sending them a copy of COM three times they finally came around and completed LSA. This process only took THREE YEARS, SIX MONTHS, and a couple days, plus threat to take them to small claims court.