Cordless Drills Again

[GMike]

Did a search here and newest info I could find was 3 years old.



People were happy with Millwaukee, Panasonic and Rigid.



I now have 2 Makita 14. 4V drills that are getting tired. Replaced batterys once, brushes look good. But just dont do the job. They are about 12 and 15 years old.



Guess I'm looking at Millwaukee 28V or 18V. 14. 4V used to drive a screw in well enough so do I need a 28V? Guess I just want it.



And whats with the Hammer Drills? Do I need that? The only experience I have with a hammer drill is with somebody else using one to drill concrete. Will a hammer drill do well for semi presision drilling, say for drilling metal or driving screws?



Sorry for my long winded thread. I tried looking on the net but just got over loaded.



Anything made in the USA?



Mike

 

[monkeyman]

I have had them all but love my 28 volt Milwaukee, it is as powerful as any electric, I use it almost daily I have the combo kit with saw, light, sawz all. I have had it over three years with same batteries.
Rick

 

[GMike]

Thanks Rick, thats exactly what I was looking for, someone that has used them all. That 3 piece kit does look nice as I dont have a sawsall. They have a 4 piece kit that includes a circular saw also. Will see what I can afford.



Many folks say good things about Milwaukee.



I noticed on their site that the 28V is a hammer drill, no other option so looks like I will have a hammer drill.



Thanks again



Mike

 

[monkeyman]

Actually I have the four piece kit! I have not used an electric circular saw since having the kit. Did an entire deck with it. The batteries have a "fuel" Gauge and go till they are dead. Tools do not slow down, they just stop when battery is dead. Good luck, and check e-bay for good prices.
Rick

 

[p-Bar]

I am a custom cabinet maker and use the Dewalt line of tools . 18volt works fine for me. I would highly recommend the lithium batteries in what ever you buy. Be sure you look at the milliamp rating on the battery it cost more to make higher milliamp batteries. wouldn't waste time with the hammer drill use the real thing when you need it .

 

[RHestand]

Dito p-bar except:

I like the hammer drill option. It's handy to have for occational masonry situations.

Not to use it all day long, but to have it in your tool box for 30-40 holes in concrete, is mighty handy.

Ray

 

[seafish]

Really you MUST check out the Makita LXT series BEFORE you buy anything else.



They are extremely well designed and built, LIGHTER, but more powerful then any other similar voltage cordless unit. I use their 18 volt series and it has never let me down. The impact driver leaves all other drivers I have ever used in the dust in terms of power and ease of operation--as I get older, I prefer my tools to be lighter as well as powerful.



Just a note, when I first bought the set, I laughed at the inclusion of their LCD light on eact tool that helps to light up the area of operation, but NOW I laugh at myself each time it turns on automatically when I pull the trigger, because more often then not I need more light to see what I am doing, and the little LCD actaully throws enought light for me to be grateful for it. !!



Just my 2 cents-- they are AWESOME!!

 

[Grizzly]

I also have the 18V Makita LXT. As seafish said, it's light weight and has plenty of power. I have the 8 tool combo set that includes everything, even a AM/FM/ipod ready radio.



I also have Milwaukee, DeWalt and Ridgid cordless tools. The Makita with 4, 18V lithium batteries is the best. Yes, I use these tools every day.

 

[bheiting]

We used the Dewalt 18V series at work. They took a lot of abuse. Batteries lasted
about 2 years. The hammer drill is good for cinder block, not solid concrete. If you
have an older Makita, I would hang on to it. They had a very good power to weight
ratio, and were will made.

 

[seafish]

We used the Dewalt 18V series at work. They took a lot of abuse. Batteries lasted

about 2 years. The hammer drill is good for cinder block, not solid concrete. If you

have an older Makita, I would hang on to it. They had a very good power to weight

ratio, and were will made.

IMHO, the new Makita LI ion 18v blow the older NiCad or NiMh away interms of power to weight ratio. I am also pretty sure that volt per volt, they pack more punch then the Dewalt, and are also MUCH lighter.

 

[MVenditti]

I have Dewalt 18 volt, including their hammer drill. you can use the hammer drill or just switch off for regular drilling. They have many tools that share the 18 volt batteries and the newer batteries work in older drills. I also bought charger that takes 2 batteries at a time and charges 7. 2 volt to 18 volt batteries all Dewalt types.

 

[rholcom2]

I just got a deal today on a Milwaukee combo kit from ToolDispatch.com. I purchased the Milwaukee V18 NiCd kit including the Drill/Hammer Drill, Impact Driver, Sawzall, Light, 2 Batteries and Charger for $315. Everyone I work with raves over the power of the V18. I have always owned a DeWalt 18 Volt, I am anxious to see how this new Milwaukee staks up.



Oh, if you are in the market for the Hammer-Drill only tooldisptach has them for $249.

 

[mickeyblueyes]

Bosch make excellent products and they have a 36 volt drill that will spin you like a ceiling light.

 

[BobSacco]

I also use my Milwaukee drill daily, have an older 18V one (must be 10 years old now!) that I now use w/V18 lithium ion batteries, best cordless I have ever used, and I've used most of them. V18 batteries last a lot longer than the Ni-cads.

 

[GMike]

Thanks guys for all the replys. Man, they have come a long way with these cordless tools. From what I'm hearing the 18V would have done the job for me but I ordered the Milwaukee 28V, 4 piece kit the other night. I am sure I will be tickled with it, I kind of like overkill when it comes to tools and trucks.



I drove all over town looking for 28V the other day, nobody had them. But I did find Milwaukee 18V 4 piece kit on sale at Home Depot for $399. Might should have got that. Oh well 28V is in the mail.



Thanks again for your replies.



Mike

 

[Grizzly]

Thanks guys for all the replys. Man, they have come a long way with these cordless tools. From what I'm hearing the 18V would have done the job for me but I ordered the Milwaukee 28V, 4 piece kit the other night. I am sure I will be tickled with it, I kind of like overkill when it comes to tools and trucks.



I drove all over town looking for 28V the other day, nobody had them. But I did find Milwaukee 18V 4 piece kit on sale at Home Depot for $399. Might should have got that. Oh well 28V is in the mail.



Thanks again for your replies.



Mike

The only problem with overkill cordless tools is the weight, especially when you're doing overhead work for long periods of time such as a circular saw or a reciprocating saw. That's why I prefer my 18V Makita tools. They have the weight of a 12V with the power of an 18V. Also the battery charge last much longer.

 

[seafish]

The only problem with overkill cordless tools is the weight, especially when you're doing overhead work for long periods of time such as a circular saw or a reciprocating saw. That's why I prefer my 18V Makita tools. They have the weight of a 12V with the power of an 18V. Also the battery charge last much longer.

Totally agree ... weight to power ration is crucial IMHO... and that's where the Makita 18v LiIon kit ROCKS... Plenty of Power and NOT heavy at all!!!Oo. Even their sawzall works great. The cordless grinder (super convenient sometimes) DOES slow down if you bear down on it ALOT, but it is also thermally protected, so you can't hurt it. All of the other tools are AWESOME.

 

[CBlack]

Home Depot had a sale on the 18V Milwaukee Driver/Hammerdrill for $169... . I picked one up and WOW... great drill. Lots of adjustments and options. Not that heavy either.

 

[mberry]

I just got a DeWalt 18V combo kit. The drill, sawzall, circular saw, and for some reason, flashlight that I don't need. I have a 9 year old DeWalt 14. 4V drill that the battery finally just wouldn't cut it anymore. One of these days when I can justify the $80 for a new battery I will replace it. Nothing wrong with the drill and it has done quite a bit of work in that time.

The new 18V set is going to be building a storage shed and a patio cover in the near future so it is going to be working hard.

GMike,

Please let us know when you get your kit and how you like it. Thanks.

 

[GMike]

GMike,



Please let us know when you get your kit and how you like it. Thanks. [/QUOTE]



I like it.



My 4 piece kit arrived just at the 1st of the month. So I have had 2 weeks. I will say this, it is is a very strong set of tools. The drill and sawzall feel like they are electric powered. The circular saw seemed kind of slow, but it cut through a 2x6 and the length of 2 sheets of plywood with no trouble. It didnt bog or slow a bit even if I pushed it a little, just felt like it needed a little more RPM, probably too used to the AC saw there.



Where the circular saw will come in handy for me, is in those some time cuts you need to make and dont want to stretch cords outside. I dont think I would expect it to cut wood all day every day.



The drill is as powerfull as any electric I have used. I sure had to use the torque selecter collar when setting wood screws. It would snap a wood screw in a heart beat. I snapped 2 before I set the torque.



The flashlight probably wont get used too often, however we do get a bunch of power outages here and the instructions suggest that the battery will power it for 5 hours.



I have only used it for 2 weeks, but it has worked well, and for home use. Just putting storage above the garage.



Mike