What Drill/Driver do you use?

[Christian Aufreiter]

Hey Christian, two questions: 1) Do you have about every single tool Festool puts out?! (I admit...I too am a big fan!) 2) Is there a specific reason you chose the CDD over the regular pistol grip? Just curious, more than anything...

Hi John,

unfortunately I don't have all Festool's which are available.
Currently I own a vac, plunge saw, ROS and router. The cordless drill belongs to my dad but I talked him into, of course. The Trion jigsaw is definitely on my list, maybe the MFT and some more sanders. The CT Mini would be cool too, but who can afford a second vac. I know a couple of hobby woodworkers who have more Festool's
The reason my dad went for the CDD is that Festool offers a set here. It consists of the CDD, both attachments, 2 NiCd 2 Ah batteries, ECU 45 charger (not the 15 min charger which is offered in the US) and a systainer. This set is not available with the TDD.

Regards,

Christian

[Phil Phelps]

....the Ridgid drill drivers offer a "lifetime" battery warranty this month. Now that's worth lookin' into. Personally I have three DeWalts 18v. Commercial use.

[Michael Cody]

Panasonic 15.6v or 9.6v Makita --- both great at what they do. The Panasonic was recommended to me by a friend who owns a Office Furniture business. His crews tried just about every brand and after a while he now buys nothing but Panasonic's.. Mine is a used one he retired and it's still going strong. The battery recharges in 15-20 minutes and it will drive 4" deck screws enough for a 10x12 deck on a single battery. This is my main drill I use for all things except assembly (it's well balance but my Makita is a lot lighter).

The Makita I've had forever -- it still just keeps going and going. I did buy a new NiMH or whatever battery & smart charger at a closeout sale here in MI when Quality Farm/Fleet went out of business - 30$ out the door for the pair. But I still have the original NiCad and it's going strong. It won't drive to many 4" deck screws but for everything else a drill driver is for, it's just the ticket. Light, battery lasts forever, nice balance...

You don't need 24v or 18v to drive 1.5" screws in cabinent assembly, 9.6v is fine for that or even smaller... but if you want to drill a bunch of 3/8" holes, drill metal or drive those long deck screws (or drive 8" landscape timber screw w/a 5/16" socket head) then the Panansonic is what I recommend.

[Don Abele]

OK, like someone else posted when they mentioned Craftsman, I too am an odd-man out. I use Skil. I have a total of 3 of them - two 14.4's and an 18v. I use the 14.4's for every day stuff and the 18 when I need more umph. I previously owned a Dewalt which died horribly when I dropped it off a ladder. After that I just couldn't see spending that kind of money for something prone to accidents. I have since dropped my Skil's several times without even a wince. And while they aren't looking their best, they work excellently. If they do ever break, the sticker shock of replacing them won't be there.

Be well,

Doc

[Paul Kunkel]

Panasonic 15.6 -3.5 amp NMH batts. After 2 -12v Skills, 2 - 12v PC's (all dead) I took the plunge to Panasonic. They are THE battery pro's, make batterys for most of the major brands and then some. After a year of really heavy use it's still running strong and even LOML will reach for it before her PC. I spin the chuck under power all the time (30-40 times a day) and while the sound is unnerving at first I don't think it'll harm the mechinism. When I go off on an install, I don't bother to bring the charger. If 2 of these batterys die before I do, I've put too much time in on the job anyway. I've never been able to kill both in a day, but i don't build decks with it either.

[Scott Greaves]

Doug is not the only odd man out! My current favorite is a Hitachi impact driver. Now don't scoff! It is light, compact, well balanced, and still drives those three inch lag bolts! It does not have a regular chuck, but is designed to hold 1/4" hex bits. There are a number of drill bits available with hex shanks, so you can drill just fine with these tools. Of course, the Makita impact drivers are rated even higher than the Hitachi!

As for ordinary cordless drills, I have two of the 9.6v Makitas. They just keep going and going!

Good Luck!

Scott.

[aurelio alarcon]

I have a DeWalt, Makita and a Craftsman. All of them are fine drills, but I use the Craftsman more than any of them. I like the feel of it (weight, grip, etc.). But I would recommend any of the three that I own. All of them perform quite well. I have been wanting to try a Milwaukee. I was told that their tools have a lifetime wauranty, though I'm not entirely sure if that is true and if it is tru, what all it covers.

[Mike Harrison]

Well I'm gonna wrankle some with my recomendation of the HF 44849 18V unit. It has been a great tool and I've used it to drive some pretty good sized screws into a variety of materials.

[Byron Trantham]

If you to buy just one, the DeWalt 14 V XRP just can't be beat. Balanced well, powerful and versatile. I own three, a 9.6 Makita "stick battery" unit dedicated to raising and lowering my router lifter (it is my first drill), a 9.6 DeWalt used for light work where stripping might be an issue and finally the 14 V unit for everything else. I just like the feel of the DeWalt.

[Ken Salisbury]

This is what I normally use. I can't afford all that expensive power-aided stuff on a fixed income
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[Ed Marks]

But I noticed it was DeWalt yellow Ken

[Ed Marks]

Thanks to everyone for the many responses. I didn't go back and count the "votes" but it sure seems like I ought to take a look at the DeWalts.

Thnaks again,
Ed

[nic obie]

I use old 9.6v Makitas. I've got 4 of them now. All my friends keep giving me their old ones when it comes time to buy new batteries. The darn things just won't break.

I figure anything they don't have enough power for probably is done best with a big corded tool anyway.

[Dave Hammelef]

I would look at the Ridgid with the LIfetime warrenty (INCLUDES BATTERIES). Cant go wrong with that option in my opinion.

[aurelio alarcon]

I use old 9.6v Makitas. I've got 4 of them now. All my friends keep giving me their old ones when it comes time to buy new batteries. The darn things just won't break.

I figure anything they don't have enough power for probably is done best with a big corded tool anyway.

I have an old makita stick battery drill. But I would like to know where I can get a charger and battery for this. I looked every where and found the charger with battery to cost about 90 dollars. But I found the same style, although new and don't know if it is the same quality, at amazon for 87 dollars which includes the drill, batteries, charger and case. My charger gave out. And all I have left is one battery. But the batteries are also very expensive. Any recomendations on where to get chargers and batteries? Or should I go with the amazon deal?