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Buying a cordless drill... - Page 2

post #31 of 56
4/21/03 at 1:28pm
Quote:
Electrical components actually run on smoke. If you let the smoke out they won't work any more.

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post #32 of 56
12/16/03 at 1:15pm
I have used a Dewalt for about six years, two of those as a contractor, and it has been great. I had a problem with the charger, THREE years past warranty, and Dewalt replaced the charger and both batteries. I have never had a company stand behind their products like this for me.

Regards
KrisM
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post #33 of 56
3/31/09 at 9:09pm

Re: Buying a cordless drill...

I thought I'd resurrect this thread since I need a new drill. My Milwaukee 14 volt nicad drill is dead. That is, both batteries are done. New batteries would cost me $50-60 according to my online search. I bought the drill and batteries as a set 3-4 years ago. It did not get heavy duty use and I guess I didn't pay enough attention to keeping the batteries charged.

I was looking at this drill: Amazon.com: Factory-Reconditioned Milwaukee 2601-82 18-volts 18-volt Li-ion Compact Drill Kit: Your Store on Amazon, though I could go directly to the merchant. It would be about another 50-60 bucks to buy it new.

The current Milwaukee I have would satisfy my needs but I'm thinking why invest in older battery technology when Li-ion batteries will last longer. I'm also thinking I'll keep the batteries and charger in the house and not the garage this time to prevent exposure to prolonged cold.
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post #34 of 56
3/31/09 at 9:32pm

Re: Buying a cordless drill...

Quote:
Originally Posted by Johnny Angell
I thought I'd resurrect this thread since I need a new drill. My Milwaukee 14 volt nicad drill is dead. That is, both batteries are done. New batteries would cost me $50-60 according to my online search. I bought the drill and batteries as a set 3-4 years ago. It did not get heavy duty use and I guess I didn't pay enough attention to keeping the batteries charged.

I was looking at this drill: Amazon.com: Factory-Reconditioned Milwaukee 2601-82 18-volts 18-volt Li-ion Compact Drill Kit: Your Store on Amazon, though I could go directly to the merchant. It would be about another 50-60 bucks to buy it new.

The current Milwaukee I have would satisfy my needs but I'm thinking why invest in older battery technology when Li-ion batteries will last longer. I'm also thinking I'll keep the batteries and charger in the house and not the garage this time to prevent exposure to prolonged cold.

The Li-ion systems are awesome. I would definitely recommend an upgrade, if it fits your plans. Unfortunately I think you've probably missed some great deals by a few months. Many of manufacturers just brought "new" models to market and that led to closeouts on the "old" stuff. Keep in mind the differences were negligible and in a lot of cases just cosmetic. Maybe there are a few of these deals still around.

I was still using my 12 volt Dewalt until last summer. I bought one of the smaller impact drivers by Bosch that was li-ion. It has been awesome and I also got a free driver with it. These 10.8 or 12 volt systems worked better than my Dewalt and my friend's old Rigid 14 volt for most stuff, but they don't have a chuck. After seeing my drivers in action, my buddy bought one of Makita's competing models.

I didn't really need a new drill, but a couple of months ago I started noticing great deals on 18 volt li-ion drills. I actually ended up getting a four tool combo set for about $100 less than some of the drills were going for. The drill that was the impetuous for the purchase was a Milwaukee V18 that has some similarities to the one you linked. I love it.
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post #35 of 56
4/1/09 at 6:36am

Re: Buying a cordless drill...

Quote:
Originally Posted by DavidJ
The Li-ion systems are awesome. I would definitely recommend an upgrade, if it fits your plans. Unfortunately I think you've probably missed some great deals by a few months.

I didn't really need a new drill, but a couple of months ago I started noticing great deals on 18 volt li-ion drills. I actually ended up getting a four tool combo set for about $100 less than some of the drills were going for. The drill that was the impetuous for the purchase was a Milwaukee V18 that has some similarities to the one you linked. I love it.
What's the model number on your drill?
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post #36 of 56
4/1/09 at 10:20am

Re: Buying a cordless drill...

Quote:
Originally Posted by Johnny Angell
What's the model number on your drill?

0824-20
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post #37 of 56
4/1/09 at 1:57pm

Re: Buying a cordless drill...

Quote:
Originally Posted by DavidJ
0824-20
I checked it out. CPOMilwaukee is selling it for $180 and Amazon for $79. Both are drill only, no battery. What a price difference.

What is a hammer drill, anyway?
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post #38 of 56
4/1/09 at 3:29pm

Re: Buying a cordless drill...

Quote:
What is a hammer drill, anyway?
Hammer drills do not spin continuously like a basic drill. They spin the bit until a certain torque threshold is reached and then transitions to a hammering action. The driver will then spin the bit in short bursts with extremely high amounts of torque (i.e. 2k ftlbs vs 300ftlbs of a normal drill). These units are exceptional at driving screws and lag bolts (MUCH better than a normal drill) and tend to be more comfortable for these applications. Larger hammer drills are often called rotary hammers and actually produce a down/up hammering action (similar to a jackhammer) as the bit spins. These are used for drilling through masonry or rock and are large and heavy (not recommended for driving screws). Hammer drills meant for driving screws do not use a normal chuck that you'd see on a drill (i.e. you can't use normal drill bits) but rather bits with a notch on the end (you've probably seen them before).
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post #39 of 56
4/1/09 at 3:52pm

Re: Buying a cordless drill...

Excellent explanation Greg. The 0824-20 and a lot of these drills have a setting switch or ring to turn the hammer action on or off. The 0824-20 has a setting for driling, driving, and hammer action---if I'm remembering correctly.
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post #40 of 56
4/1/09 at 7:31pm

Re: Buying a cordless drill...

Speaking of Li-Ion batteries, these from B & D (Black & Decker lithium-Ion kit and 14.4 cordless drill) last a long time on a charge. They're light duty for around the house stuff but I use them constantly.

Also, I have a Skill 12 V drill that I've had for over 20 years on the same batterry. Still going strong.
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post #41 of 56
4/1/09 at 8:47pm

Re: Buying a cordless drill...

Dave, does your hammer drill have a normal chuck or an A Bee Normal (couldn't resist the Young Frankenstein reference) chuck? Is it appropriate for light household use and well as tougher work? Is the side handle removable?
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post #42 of 56
4/1/09 at 9:53pm

Re: Buying a cordless drill...

You can definitely use it for light household work, but that is not what it is designed for. It is a fairly big drill with a long nose and it has a lot of power. You can certainly control that power, but it is not as convenient for typical household tasks as the smaller 12 volt li-ion drivers.

I think it will excel at most heavy duty tasks. I used it last weekend with a 1/2" forstner bit and it was like a was drilling with a 3/16" standard bit. And, yes, the side handle is removeable.

The V18 li-ion batteries will surprise you if you've never used them or something like them before. As they run down, the power output doesn't change like a nicad battery. It will work at essentially full power until it doesn't. It just stops. It is a nice feature, but it can be surprising. The batteries have a fuel gauge so you have some idea how much juice is left.
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post #43 of 56
4/2/09 at 8:05am

Re: Buying a cordless drill...

Dave, does your drill have a normal chuck? I'd just as soon be able to use all my existing bits.
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post #44 of 56
4/2/09 at 11:22am

Re: Buying a cordless drill...

Quote:
Originally Posted by Johnny Angell
Dave, does your drill have a normal chuck? I'd just as soon be able to use all my existing bits.

Oops. Forgot to answer that one. Yes, it has a normal chuck.
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post #45 of 56
4/2/09 at 1:14pm

Re: Buying a cordless drill...

Quote:
Originally Posted by DavidJ
Oops. Forgot to answer that one. Yes, it has a normal chuck.
Excellent. Now I just have to clear this through SWMBO.
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post #46 of 56
4/3/09 at 10:24am

Re: Buying a cordless drill...

Hey Johnny. Happy Birthday!

Did you get a new drill?
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post #47 of 56
4/3/09 at 2:46pm

Re: Buying a cordless drill...

A drill would make a nice birthday gift. Happy Birthday Johnny.
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post #48 of 56
4/3/09 at 2:50pm

Re: Buying a cordless drill...

A gift that keeps on giving....

Until the rechargeable batteries die!
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post #49 of 56
4/3/09 at 8:14pm

Re: Buying a cordless drill...

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike Frezon
Hey Johnny. Happy Birthday!

Did you get a new drill?
Thanks to all for the birthday wishes. No drill yet, haven't made a definite decision. I had previously requested that my b'day gift be the BD set of Star Trek, season 1. So I have a few weeks to wait. In the interim we picked up Roy Orbison-Black and White Night and Goldfinger. We watched the latter tonight. BTW, I highly recommend the Orbison BD.

Jeez, I'm gettin' old. I even remember when stereo LP's were new.
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post #50 of 56
4/4/09 at 8:43pm

Re: Buying a cordless drill...

I'm wondering, the weights you see for the Milwaukee drills, are they weights with or without the battery? It would seem silly to post a weight without a battery.
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post #51 of 56
4/6/09 at 8:47am

Re: Buying a cordless drill...

This is what I thought of when I saw this thread (from The Wire, so obviously NSFW):

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post #52 of 56
4/12/09 at 9:15pm

Re: Buying a cordless drill...

I went to Home Depot and they had this drill: Amazon.com: Milwaukee 2601-22 18-Volt Li-ion Compact Drill Kit: Home Improvement and this drill: Amazon.com: Milwaukee 2611-24 18-Volt Hammer Drill Kit: Home Improvement.

I found the larger drill to be too big and probably pretty much overkill for the kind of projects I would be doing. It was also overkill on the wallet since they wanted $350 for it.

I've ordered the compact drill from Amazon, HD wanted $199, so it's a nice little savings of almost $25.
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post #53 of 56
4/13/09 at 1:12pm

Re: Buying a cordless drill...

IMNSHO
Unless you are a contractor or use any power tool more than once a day, third tier vendors (like Harbor Frieght) have the tools that will do the job and last throughout your lifetime.

An 18v torque clutch drill at harbor freight, and this is their high end $109.
- Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

I have been using tool from there for years and only had to take back one.
...gene
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post #54 of 56
4/14/09 at 4:17pm

Re: Buying a cordless drill...

Quote:
Originally Posted by genedjr
IMNSHO
Unless you are a contractor or use any power tool more than once a day, third tier vendors (like Harbor Frieght) have the tools that will do the job and last throughout your lifetime.

An 18v torque clutch drill at harbor freight, and this is their high end $109.
- Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

I have been using tool from there for years and only had to take back one.
...gene
I can't speak directly to the quality of this drill, but it is not really that much less than the Milwaukee I bought. The Milwaukee comes with 2 batteries and this one has only one. A brief look at the site indicates an extra battery is abour 25-30 bucks more. That makes the drill cost about $140. For another $35 I got a brand name.

I do notice it has a bubble level. That's kinda nice.
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post #55 of 56
4/15/09 at 6:04am

Re: Buying a cordless drill...

I have a basic Craftsman 19.2v cordless hammer drill that I bought for about $100. It is pretty nice, has a light, and levels for both horizontal and vertical which I find handy, comes with 2 battery packs, a charger, and a T handle for (the hammer drill use), a cordless chock which I find so-so, convenient but not as strong as a chock..

Jay
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post #56 of 56
4/18/09 at 8:25am

Re: Buying a cordless drill...

My new drill arrived the other day. I think I made the right choice in going for the smaller drill as opposed to the hammer drill. This one feels comfortable in my hand and should have enough power for what I will be doing.

I experimented with it a little and I really like the the led that illuminates the work spot.

There is obviously a bigger battery available for it, since the case is molded to hold the drill and batter and I can see there is room for a fatter battery. There's also a spot for another tool of some sort.
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