Cordless drill(s) failure

[Bob Jones 5443]

I have an 18v, 1.5 Ah cordless drill/driver set from Bosch. The chuck on the 3/8” drill is stripped “closed” with an important bit stuck in it. I’ve tried to loosen it free, but it slips and won’t engage to open up. The driver still works fine, and I have two batteries and a charger.

I also inherited a heavier, seemingly more robust — but maybe just older — Makita driver that was once part of an 18V 3.0 Ah 3/8” drill/driver set. It came with two batteries and a charger.

I’ve been using my corded 2005 Craftsman professional 3/8” drill in lieu of a cordless one. It’s stored in the plastic case under the workbench, so I need to take it out, plug it in, and re-case it after use.

The Craftsman is a fine drill and has plenty of power and torque, but there’s just something about reaching into the French cleat wall for a cordless drill, always ready at arm’s length. You know what I mean.

Which replacement cordless drill should I buy: a Makita or a Bosch? I’m leaning toward the Makita because of the bigger batteries.

But would a contemporary drill be compatible with older batteries? I suppose I can bring both to Home Depot or Lowes to answer that question.

And is there a good way to free up the Bosch chuck?

[Greg Quenneville]

I think that the Makita would be the more “pro” choice. I am starting to migrate to Makita drills from DeWalt myself due to the poor chucks.

[Warren Lake]

I had two makita batteries pack it in earlier than I thought but maybe they got cold. The makita worked fine otherwise. I bought milwaukee as I have more of their stuff and find the chuck drops bits too often. The chuck itself is not easy to grab like the makita and its slippery same time, Still ive tightened it well and still have bits falling out from time to time. Maybe just that model but making the chuck as smooth as it was made it hard to grip compared to the Makita. There are supposed to be battery adapters that allow you to use other brands of batteries on diff brands of tools. Not sure if anyone here has tried that and if so how did it work.

[Rick Potter]

I have a set of Makita 18V tools that I bought circa 2004 They are still going strong, and have some recent batteries that I use in them also. The new 'Star' batteries with the charge gage, are slightly different in their mounting, but if you simply take a Dremel, and grind a small bump off the inside of the old tools receiver , it fits fine.

Strange, but some of the old tools do not need to have the bump ground (or never had it), while some do. Easy to find out, by just sticking a new battery in the tool, it fits or it doesn't. Once you locate the bump, it takes about two minutes to fix the problem.

About the drill, mine has a lot of use redoing rentals, and it still works fine. The newest Batteries I have are either 5AH, and/or 6AH. Lots of run time there.

[Dean Arthur]

For what it's worth, I've encountered chuck issues with the Bosch drills as well.

The PS31 12V drill driver chuck fell apart completely and the chuck in the HD18-2-RT had issues when I first bought it, though Bosch warrantied it and I've had no problems since.

That said, after the PS31 failed I replaced it with the GSB12V-300N (brushless) and it's my favorite drill for 90% of what I do.

I picked up a corded Makita 6407 specifically for it's chuck though, and use it for more demanding jobs, after a similar corded Dewalt failed after twenty years. The dewalt, like many drills, had the keyless chuck which is very convenient... but it's always a matter of time before it goes.

So essentially, horses for courses. I find the 12v bosch ideal for most tasks, but if I was doing more construction I'd pick up an 18v Makita.

Take that corded Craftsman out of the box and find a home for it that's readily accessible. All my drills are easy to grab from a shelf - I hate having to dig through boxes and then put them back up. Snappy makes a nice quick change chuck for hex bits that I keep in my Makita most of the time as well - well worth it to make keyed chuck drills more convenient.

[George Yetka]

These are your contender due to the batteries you have on hand?
Bosch definitely has robust stuff if not purchased at lowes. They are bigger in europe these days. The sets they sell there are designed to be of lower cost and fit the needs of the typical homeowner. But if you shop online you can find the tough stuff. I have a bosch drill that has over 1300 lbs of torque.

Replacement batteries is what it comes down to. The Makita batteries are less expensive but arent as good but I dont think you can go wrong either way.

[lou Brava]

I started using Makita cordless drills I think in the late 70's. I've had many since than all of them used and abused hard on job sites, even used outside in the dirt, rain & never a failure. I think my very 1st one would still work if I had the charger. Anyway I'm now using 2 year old Makita drill and impact & they are fantastic tools.

[Cameron Wood]

I have had a number of Bosch tools starting in the '70s.

My overall experience has left me pretty much hating the brand, and I think their quality control was better in the past.

I use mostly Makita. Not perfect, but a consistently high batting average.

[mike stenson]

Bosch definitely has robust stuff if not purchased at lowes.

Makita also has professional and consumer lines. I think that Milwaukee does as well. It's not uncommon. I end up buying my tools at a locally owned tool store instead of a big box, the prices may be higher, but they last longer.

I inherited a Milwaukee drill, its chuck sucked. So I replaced it with a Metabo chuck.

[John Ziebron]

There seems to be quite a bit of information regarding stuck bits in drill chucks. I'm sure you appreciate the advice on a replacement brand drill but it sounds like you still really want to get your bit out. And in doing so you might end up ruining the chuck or it's rubber cover. But if the drill is still good I would just get a replacement chuck, just not a Bosch replacement. Here is one link that might help you:
https://topcordlesstools.com/blog/dr...how-to-remove/

[Tom M King]

I too still have a Makita 6010D that I bought new when they first came out with them in 1978. I still use it in the sailboat kit for drilling out rivets. Long ago I changed the chuck to a good quality Jacobs that will hold cobalt bits securely for drilling out stainless steel rivets. I've also long ago forgot how many times the stick battery has been replaced.

I've been with Makita ever since then and have replaced chucks on several of them. I have a new Metabo chuck to go on the current one, but have been having an impossible time getting the screw loose that holds the chuck in. I've never owned any stock chuck that I liked. I wouldn't worry about trashing the stock stuck one.

[Dave Zellers]

I started using Makita cordless drills I think in the late 70's. I've had many since than all of them used and abused hard on job sites, even used outside in the dirt, rain & never a failure. I think my very 1st one would still work if I had the charger. Anyway I'm now using 2 year old Makita drill and impact & they are fantastic tools.

This is exactly my experience as well. I still have my old 9.6v Makita cordless drills and flashlight bought way back when. They still work (with newer but now oldish batteries) but I have replaced them with 18v Makita tools. I have never had a single problem and I now have many different 18v tools. Drills, drivers, sander, reciprocating saw, blower, chainsaw, string trimmer, hedge trimmer, plus some I can't think of right now. Zero problems. I like buying refurbs- just as good as new.

[Paul McGaha]

I used to have a couple of 18 Volt, Makita battery drills. Used them in my hobbiest woodworking shop for something like 15 years. The drills never had any issues but the batteries eventually failed.

I would up replacing them with some battery drills from Milwaukee. They’ve been find so far but remains to be seen if they’ll last like the Makita’s did.

Good luck with it.

PHM

[Rich Engelhardt]

Makita and/or Milwaukee are the best.

[Alex Zeller]

About 15 years ago I had a 18v Makita cordless that had 3 speed gearbox. It was a POS. Before that I was solidly in their camp. Other then batteries dying they worked. The 3 speed had the fastest speed gear strip so it became a 2 speed drill. Then the middle speed died. Finally the low speed stripped out. A new gear box was almost half the price of a new drill with two new batteries. So ended up going with Milwaukee simply because they and DeWalt looked like they were finding new tools to turn into cordless while Makita was dropping the ball.

I recently had one of my 18v Milwaukee drills commit suicide when it decided to slip from my grip while working 20' up on an extension ladder. The plastic housing cracked. The drill still works but it's days are numbered. When looking for parts to fix it I found I can buy a new bare drill for just over $40. A Makita driver/drill bare tool is over twice the price.

I would look at all the tools made by the company you eventually choose. You'll be surprised at what they offer that you might want.