Cordless drills

[Mendonsy]

I have several of the Ryobi 18 volt tools (drills, impact driver, pole saw, weedeater). All of them have worked flawlessly.

 

[RBLapham]

You might check at a place like Batteries+ or the like. They can replace the batteries inside your old battery pack for cheap and better batteries.

 

[EddieWalker]

I've tried most of them and Makita is the only one I'm spending my own money on.

Eddie

 

[sld]

I just replaced my Craftsman 19.2 nicad batteries with the lithium replacements. They are better in every way. With coupons and sales I got 3 batteries and a charger for around 110.00. This will probably give me another 5 years at least on the 4 drills I have had for 7-10 years.

Granted, I am a DIY guy and I don't use these everyday to make a living.

 

[s219]

For the price you're considering, I would suggest you take a look at the Ryobi 18-Volt ONE+ Lithium-Ion Starter Drill Kit at Home Depot for $69. Meets your criteria for price, power and battery type.

Ryobi 18-Volt ONE+ Lithium-Ion Starter Drill Kit-P1810 - The Home Depot


I received this Ryobi drill bundled with the Impact Driver kit as a gift a couple of years ago and both of them have worked flawlessly. When I first received them, I really didn't expect much from them at all, but I have been VERY pleasantly surprised by both of them. The Li-Ion batteries are great, too -- fast charges and much longer lasting. I've beat the heck out of both of these tools and they haven't given up yet. Plus, the overall ONE+ system is pretty broad if you decide to expand your suite of cordless tools.

You may be able to pick up the 2 battery kit for only $10 more... at least it's on sale at our local HD (not sure about yours):

Ryobi 18-Volt ONE+ 1/2 in. Cordless Lithium-Ion Drill Kit with 2 Batteries-P817 - The Home Depot

Have to agree -- while I love my Milwaukee cordless tools the best, the Ryobis I got from Home Depot have done just as well (I tend to use them for rougher projects down on my pier where there is more likelihood of damage or getting dropped in the water, but they are living up to the challenge and doing fine). Any time I need new batteries, it's always cheaper to buy a new kit, so I either use the opportunity to expand my tool selection or end up with extra backup tools. The newer LiIon batteries are great. The smaller size packs the same capacity of larger NiMH and NiCad batteries into a smaller package. Or if you go with the larger battery, you get double the run time. Either way it's a plus.

 

[JRobyn]

I have been pleasantly surprised with just how satisfactory the REALLY CHEAP Harbor Freight 18v NiCad drills are. I have 2 of the old 12v NiCad ones that are about 10+ years old and now hold a charge poorly but still work and 2 of the later model 18v NiCad ones that are about 2-3 years old and still work perfectly. They are cheap enough to get several and keep in various places. They are definitely NOT heavy-duty, NOT impact, and are designed for light-duty drilling and driving only. Despite this, I often use mine for driving up to 3" deck screws. They can be had with a coupon for $17. If they fail or won't hold a charge well, you can just toss them and be out little.

- Jay

 

[Ed of all trades]

I just bought a corded Ridged Hammer drill and it has A life time warranty and when I registered it I saw that they will replace the drill and or batteries FOR LIFE. My next cordless drill will be ridged.

 

[LD1]

I just bought a corded Ridged Hammer drill and it has A life time warranty and when I registered it I saw that they will replace the drill and or batteries FOR LIFE. My next cordless drill will be ridged.

Wow, never known anyone to warranty batteries and cordless tools for life.

I would be concerned though that they are ridgid. A few years ago I had a pipewrench that had busted the lower jaw. I just wanted them to send me the part. But they insisted on being able to inspect the tool to see if it was warrantable:confused2:

I questioned them on that cause it has a lifetime warranty. They response was that their lifetime warranty wasnt MY lifetime, rather the tools lifetime. I asked what the **** the difference was. And they said if the tool is used alot and wears out, thats the end of its life. The more often you use it, the shorter its lifespan. Less frequent use and its possible it will last MY lifetime.

My final e-mail to them was not a pleasant one. I had sent them pictures showing the tool was almost like new with little to no jaw wear. And didnt want to spend ~$12 to send to them in the off chance it wouldnt be warranted when the replacement jaw was only $8 and the whole wrench was only ~$30. Never heard back but a few weeks later I had a new lower jaw in the mail.

Things turned out okay for me, but am Leary of ridgids warranty policy. It certainly isnt like HF where it is no questions asked kind of warranty.

 

[RedNeckRacin]

If your going to set a max dollar amount for a tool, don't be surprised if you buy a cheap tool. The big box stores sell on price and not quality. The big names make special tools just for the box stores. If your more than a homeowner/tinker-er do some research and find a quality tool. It will pay you back many times over. This is especially true of batteries and the "lightweight" size that is lighter but doesn't last half as long as the bigger ones. Also, be careful of the plastic geared drills that will NOT hold up. Just my $.02.

 

[Kenneth in Texas]

Thanks for the replies, I was just kidding around when I said $60 was the maximum price, under $100 is the accurate one.

So never owning a Lithium ion battery will I surprised at the difference of that and the NiCad?

Basically I just use mine for light duty stuff, like drill some holes here and there and screw some screws when needed, any bigger jobs I always go to the corded drill. Before this sears drill I had a 2 battery 18 volt black and decker that I really liked only problem is some meth head liked it better and stole it along with other assorted tools and chain saws. I never had 2 batteries with this sears one but I sure remember that 2 batteries came in very handy when doing sheetrock work by always having a hot battery to use. One thing Ive ran into researcing drills the last couple days is the RPM specs, would I necessarily go after the highest RPM one or the one that has the highest ft/pounds?