Drill Advice

[ran]

I have the 19.2v tools, about 6 all together. When my 2007 batts all died, I went to ebay, look for C3 batteries and a company, sells 3 amp (better than Craftsman) that have been working fine, half the cost of Sears. Yes, I wanted to upgrade to lithium, but this will work in the mean time. retired.
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2007 SE V6 Titanium

 

[VA_4R]

That's weird since our shop mainly uses Dewalt and they hold up extremely well, the only issue is that the brushes get a bit contaminated on the older ones after a bit. But I started "Refurbishing" them for my coworkers after a lil cleand and a light rub with valve grinding compound on the brushes and armatures. My 20V 3/8" is like new again and still doing great.

Now add in our environment is probably 20 times worse than yours. and the Dewalts die quicker even the brushless
Yeah were not going to rebuild them, they are used until they die and chucked in the garbage and the Bosch are doubling and tripling the life span of any other, battery charge last longer for the 18v than the 20v's on 2 other brands

 

[jdtaylor42]

One thing to consider is the line of additional tools you may want to purchase in the future. I have the Milwaukee fuel kit with hammer drill and driver combo. I then bought the torque driver that uses the same batteries and it is powerful enough to do lug nuts plus more.

Here is the torque impact I have. There are a ton of other tools that use the same batteries as well.

http://www.amazon.com/Milwaukee-Tor..._UL160_SR160,160_&refRID=1DT3WV51YQ884Q3P5YDJ

This linked impact is the best tool I own. Insanely powerful and lasts a good while.

I use Milwaukee every day at work and on the weekends at home and the batteries definitely last a long time, they have power for days, and I have never had any problems with them. However, I really don't think you can go wrong with any of the three big brands. They all put out quality stuff

 

[tigger]

Well you guys sure narrowed this down to 5. (I started with 4) I will have to think about this more. Too many choices...

 

[trey99ek]

I've always chose Dewalt tools. Cordless hammer drill, compound miter saw, circular saw, reciprocating saw, sanders, drywall gun and so on. I love the durability and feel of their tools. I finally purchased my first non-dewalt tool which was a Porter Cable 20V impact driver and that is fantastic as well. After 7 years of using my Dewalt the batteries started going, picked up a 2 pack at the holidays for $70 and it will keep going strong.

 

[JBurt]

Panasonic drills are amazing. I've had mine for 5 years and they're absolutely fantastic. You might give them a look.

 

[TK-422]

I am in the middle of building a stage with rear projection, pixel light grid, a tiki bar and a bunch of other stuff for next weekend and a couple days ago my ½” hammer drill chuck started giving out on me (dropping bits, grinding and opening the chuck in reverse). I looked back and realized its 6 years since I bought it and have put it thru a lot of use.

I went to Amazon and a replacement Dewalt chuck is $50 plus another $8 for the left threaded screw.

I searched a little more and found a Jacobs 700 series for $20 with shipping. It is supposed to be superior to the Dewalt one. I just got it in the mail tonight so I will replace it tomorrow. It’s heavy and all steel so it should be good. I know they are the name in chucks.

 

[ThorInc]

Have not been disappointing with Milwaukee or De Walt but if I had to choose, Milwaukee.

 

[Cymon]

The batteries on my Craftsman drill are about shot. One lasts about 2 minutes, the other about 15. They are about 8 years old, with below average use.
To upgrade them to Lithium Ion batteries, I am looking at $150 plus for the batteries and a new charger. So at that price, I might as well look at a new one.

These are 3 that I am considering. Wanted to get opinions on these, or recommendations for something better in that price range. I don't need super, ultra extreme, but I want a powerful, light weight unit that will work when I need it.

The Dewalt and Makita have 3 year warranties and the Milwaukee has a 5 year warranty.

Thanks in advance

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product..._act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product...act_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A205NGHGNY52SP

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product..._act_title_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

I got the Makita set 9 years ago for a wedding present and it's still going strong.

 

[tigger]

Just to follow back up on this, I finally picked this up today on Amazon Prime Day. Had a $30 off deal through my Amazon card so got it for $205. Not too bad of a deal. Thanks for all of the input. It may not be the best, but should be more than adequate for my needs.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NHBZ9AA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[nb rob]

I've got the Milwaukee kit shown. I also had a 20-year-old drill before with 2 batteries that gave up the magic smoke.

that lil' impact takes lug nuts off the 4R with ease.

They're so much smaller, lighter, and AMAZINGLY powerful compared to my old drill.

 

[Tucson4runner]

I can also vouch for the Milwaukee set. I've had my set for well over 2 years and I can easily say I use the impact for about 10-15 hours a day during the week and most Saturdays and these things have never given up. I've gone through a set of batteries already but most days I go through almost 2 fully charged batteries so that's understandable. I've got this set and I also purchased the fuel set. If you've got the money you can't beat the fuel, it's lighter and you can adjust the speed of the impact driver.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

 

[Bootboy]

Keep in mind that not all tools from one brand are created equally.

I won't buy Milwaukee stuff anymore ever since they sold out to the Tektronix Taiwanese conglomerate.

For cordless tools, even though owned by Tektronix, Rigid are actually the best for the money based on tear downs by engineers and actual use by many professionals that I know.

Dewalt is a good compromise between price and quality.

If money is not an issue, Panasonic actually makes the most skookum drill money can by ($400)

For corded tools, Mikita is the only major brand that hasn't sold out to a conglomerate and they have been using the same windings and triggers on all their stuff for 20 years. If it's got a cord, I only buy Mikita tools unless it's something really specialized. Don't bother with Mikita cordless stuff though.

 

[the_dude33]

Personally when it comes to cordless tools, I go with Milwaukee, the tools hold up to tons of abuse, and the batteries keep a charge. I am however, intrigued by the current promotion that Rigid/Home Depot is advertising on their 18 volt gear -- Free battery replacement for life. At work, we have DeWalt tools, the things are always breaking, batteries going bad, you name it. From that experience, I choose to avoid DeWalt (Black & Decker) at all costs. Which ever brand you go with, make sure your drill has a hammer drill setting, and a 1/4" impact driver may become your best friend around the house. Just my two cents.

 

[T4R2014]

Any of the three are years ahead of Craftsman, which based upon the number of people in Sears yesterday, may not be around too much longer.

Haha, isn't that the truth. The most action my local Sears store saw in recent years was when they were having a liquidation sale before closing a few months back. I thought I woke up that morning in 2004, because I hadn't seen that place so full of life in a long time.

FWIW, I like Bosch stuff. Metabo is another good name.

 

[Ferdelious]

I have a Dewalt as well and its been great. But honestly I don't think you can go wrong with any of those 3.