Cordless Drills

[RichZ]

I have no luck with cordless drills. I got my current one, a Hitachi 18 volt, 3/4 drill on sale at Lowes 2 years ago. The batteries don't hold a charge overnight anymore, and haven't for months. But it still worked well, until today, when I grabbed it to repair some metal roofing and the chuck had fallen apart. The interior of the chuck is actually missing, and I have no idea where it is, so it's time for a new cordless drill.

I'm a farmer, and I'm hard on my tools, but this is ridiculois. I've had Dewalt drills where the batteries and chucks didn't last either. So, I figure most drills won't last me for more than 2 years, so I want to get as cheap of a drill that will still be functional. I figure that reconditioned drills are the cheapest. I have a reconditoned Milwaukee Sawzall that I'm very happy with.

Short of Harbor Freight, do you guys have a suggestion for a cheap, but usable cordless drill? I figure that I need at least 18 volts for enough power to do what I usually need to do, such as fixing fencing, barn work, fixing metal roofing, etc.

Thanks for any suggestions!!!

 

[Travelover]

I've had good luck with Ryobis that I bought from Home Depot. Around this time of year you can get nice package deals on them with extra battery packs, etc.

There was a posting on the shop tips thread suggesting that dead batteries can be juiced back to life with a nudge form a 12v battery charger. Something to consider.

 

[kennyd]

Rich,
Do you keep the batteries on the charger all the time?
Do you keep them outside where they freeze or bake?

I have some De Walt batteries that are 5 years old and still very healthy considering the age and usage...But I never do either of the things above...

 

[RobertN]

I use my 18V stuff a lot. My 18v batteries last a couple years before they start getting weak.

It is more a matter of how the battery pack is built. On my DeWalt, there are a couple of batteries righ in the middle of the pack; they get hot, coll reall slow, and that is where you will have problems.

The chuck on my DeWalt 18v drill/driver got wobbly. Replaced it 5 years ago; it has worked great; there is a DeWalt service center only 45 minutes from me though...

Beware the batteries at Lowes, HD ect. If you buy just one, a DeWalt 18v is like $80. If you buy a 2-pack, they are only like $120. Worth the extra $40 to just get two batteries. I have bought off the internet, and got them cheaper. I can't find the link at the moment though...

 

[2manyrocks]

I have a 18v recon Rigid drill and I have a couple of old 9.6v makitas I picked up for next to nothing at pawn shops. I was working on a project where I had to back out some masonary screws and would up using one of the makitas because it appeared to me to have lower gearing and wasn't as bad about stripping the screw heads. Plus it wasn't as tiring to hold--and I was using the lithium 18v battery packs at that. YMMV.

 

[kenmac]

I own/use 1/2'' makita 18 v lithium. Have had no trouble. I burn up 2 1/2'' ridgid drills

 

[RichZ]

I used to keep the drill and batteries in my house, but they didn't last any longer than 2 years, Now I keep them in my unheated shop. in my garage, and they last the same amount of time. I don't keep them in the charger, I know that burns them up. I wasn't surprised that the batteries got weak after a year and a half, but I was shocked that the chuck fell apart. Hitachi tools are supposed to be pretty good. Several years ago I bought my wife a Harbor Freight 18 volt cordless drill for her to use in the house. I figured for her light use, it would be fine, and it was until one of my dogs chewed it up. It wasn't as powerful as my Hitachi or my DeWalts, but it lasted just as long. And the chuck didn't fall apart as both the Hitachi and Dewalts did. Of course my wife didn't use it as hard as I used my drills, but I still at least expect the chuck to stay intact.

 

[beenthere]

My next one will be the 18 v lithium battery powered Milwaukee. Light weight and good staying power. Carpenter friend helped me with a project, and he had one. Really nice unit. May be other brands just as nice.

I've had a few other brands, but the best has been a 12v DeWalt. Bought a 14 v DeWalt, and the batteries didn't last long at all. I get a lot of life out of one of the 4 12 v batteries for the good DeWalt. The others won't hold a charge for long. Just long enough to get the one good one back on the job.

But it seems to be a crap shoot, and a lot of luck.

 

[randy41]

I've had a porter cable 14.4 V for almost 10 years now and it still works good. The batteries don't hold a charge like they used to but I have 2 batteries and when I need to use it a lot i just switch the batteries. I use it on the farm all the time. If I have to do a lot of heavy duty drilling I run extension cords and use a half inch drill. I guess an 18v would help with that.

 

[jejeosborne]

I would put in a vote for Ryobi also. I have had three different sets and contiuned upgrading as batteries quit holding charges. The great thing about the Ryobi, is that replacement 18 volt batteries are only about $20 each. They have so many tools that use the 18 volt batteries too. My wife wanted a chainsaw to work in her section of the woods so I bought the Ryobi one that uses the 18 volt battery. My last set is a lithium set and I will now never go back to NiCads again. These batteries don't trickle down when not used for a few days and are much lighter in weight. The Ryobi lithium batteries have an onboard gauge and fit the older tools as well. I added an impact driver and wonder how I ever have lived without one. It will 3 inch drywall screws without requiring any pressing force and I never strip a head. I have never had a Ryobi cordless tool fail with fairly heavy use as I have built two houses and have been using them for 15 plus years.
Jeff

 

[Charlesaf3]

get a makita lion or a bosch.

I have still dewalt everything, as I've got a fair amount invested in it. It'll get replaced by makita or bosch. Dewalt is junk now, I'm sad to say. Full of plastic parts and the repair guys have nothing good to say about it. They are riding off what the brand used to be.

I've got a lot of yellow tools, but don't actually think I'll be buying another one. And its their own fault. Know a lot of contractors who feel the same.

 

[EddieWalker]

My experience pretty much mirrors Charles. I had quite a few DeWalt tools, but have been replacing them with Makita. I also had Porter Cable, but that was strictly a home, hobby brand. I'm iffy on Milwaukee. Some have held up, like my big sawzall. It has features that I don't care for, like the guard in front, so I wouldn't buy another. Though I rarely use it because my battery powered Makita is my first choice.

My Dad has Ryobi that I borrowed one time. It was a huge disapointment compared to what I'm used to. No power to it at all. My brother bought a full set of Grizzly battery tools. He thought they were pretty good, especially for the money. But then he used my Makita tools, which changed his mind. He's buying Makita now.

I read an article recently that said it was bad to run the batteries totally out. It was best to put them on the charger when they start to show a lack of power. With my 18V Lition Ion batteries, they stay strong almost to the end, then go down quickly. A sales rep told me that you get 3,000 charges out of them and that's guranteed. If you don't feel you got that many charges, you can take it in and they can tell by a built in counter of some kind.

I use my cordless tools just about every day. Sometimes, I'll have both chargers going and four batteries in use. Most of the time, I'm good for the day on one or two batteries.

Are you looking for a dril to drive screws or to drill holes? If it's to drive screws, the impact drivers are three times as powerful as the drills, lighter and easier to use. The impacting action of driving the screws in releives your rist of any twisting. It's like magic, the screws just keep on going without any effort at all.

Since buying my Makita Impact Driver, I've switched over to square screws almost exclusivly. They grip and keep going better then philips tips. I have attachments for hex hed screws, like used in attaching metal to roofs and sheds. I also have an attachment for attaching sockets to it. I swear, it's rated at 1,400 pounds and it can tighten a bolt almost as good as my air impact wrench!!!!

Eddie

 

[Charlesaf3]

I've had good luck with a couple of tools from porter cable - brad and finish guns, and biscuiter. Can't think of anything else I'd buy from them.

I have a lot of Ryobi, but its not in the same league, even as the dewalt. I have it as backup - sometimes making doors I've used as many as 5 drills with different bits in them.

 

[ultrarunner]

I'm still using the Makita combo drill flashlight set I bough 15 years ago... I never charge a battery until it is dead/dead... I put the weak battery in the flashlight and turn it on to kill it and then charge... I have 120v and 12v truck chargers.

A friend bought the same set at the same time I did and he didn't get two years... he always stored his batteries in the charger and my guess this is the reason.

I also have very good luck with my Bosch 12v drill... use it all the time at work and have a second at home... work as the standard charger and a few months ago one of the batteries would not charge.

At home I have the expensive quick "Pulse" charger and it charged the battery that wouldn't charge just fine... I also don't charge until the battery is 99% dead...

No experience with the lithium batteries.

 

[Steve C]

I have Craftsman, Milwaukee, Skill, Makita, Dewalt, Denalie, and several off brand cordless drills. My oldest ones are the Craftsman 18 volt industrial model (Ni-cad) that I purchased with a circular saw in 1995. ( also have some 7.2 and 9.6 volt Craftsman and Makita's that are even older) It came with 2 batteries. One of them is still around 100% the other one is down to about 80% of its origional capacity. My newer Milwaukee, Makita and Dewalt all have the Lithium Ion batteries. I don't think you could kill any them if you tried. I have used the 1/2" craftsman for a long , long time. It is big and heavy and just keeps going. I haven't found a cordless drill that can out perform it except for my 36 volt Dewalt. I use it with 4 inch hole saws to drill holes in ceilings for electrical boxes and long ship augers for electrical wiring. It can't be stalled it will break you wrist first.

My 18 volt lithium Ion Milwaukee performs very similar, except the battery has a lot more capacity so it will do more work between charges.

What has worked for me all these years is I don't store the batteries with a charge in them and I keep them in a temperate invironment...well above freezing. I always run the ni-cads a little low before I put them away. Not all the way dead but discharged somewhat. For the money I don't know how you could beat the craftsman drills. You can get one for under $100 with 2 batteries and they are upgradable to the Lithium Ion batteries. I have read that both craftsman and Ryobi are made by the same people and that they use a premium cell in the battery pack. I don't know about that but the C3 Craftsman series has the advantage a lot of other tools that can be powered by the same battery. One of my favorites is the caulking gun, it makes laying a professional bead very easy and your hand never gets tired.

The keyless chuck on the Milwaukee is my favorite. It clamps down with incredible force. My Milwaukee tools that I have are the V18 series that will use both the lithium and the Ni-cad batteries. I have the 1/2" hammer drill, sawsall, hatchet sawsall, metal cutting circular saw, 6 1/2" circular saw flashlight, 3/8" impact driver, 1/2" impact driver and the SDS hammer drill. They are all great tools.

I have the lithium ion Makita drill, Reciprocating saw, 3/8 inch impact driver and flashlight. I have the Dewalt 18 volt Drill, reciprocating saw, 4-1/2" angle grinder/cut off tool, 3/8" impact driver and spiral cut saw. I have the Dewalt 36 volt reciprocating saw, 7-1/2" circular saw, 1/2" hammer drill and flashlight. These tools have the power of corded tools but weigh a little more than you might expect.

I think I have every Craftsman 19.2 volt tool made. They are hard to beat for the price and variety. I have not had a battery go bad on me yet, but the Lithiums are scarry. They will work at full power, then the next time you pick it up it won't even try to start. The first time I did this I thought I had broken the tool.

I use my Milwaukee tools more than any of the others probably because of all the sawsall work I have been doing lately. If you look them up on Amazon you can find detailed Milwaukee V18 reviews. Many of them written by me.

I use my 1/2" drive Milwaukee cordless impact to rotate the tires on my one ton dualley and to change the blades on my 60" zero turn. It makes the task painless. A complete tire rotation takes almost nothing out of a fully charged battery.

 

[jimmyj]

My neighbor ordered instructions on how to rejuvinate dead rechargable drill batteries. I'm going by memory but I think this is what you do:

1. You have to get a good, charged batter that is bigger than the dead one. Say you have a dead 14.4v battery, then you'd need a charged up 18v to use to fix the 14.4.

2. Get some 14/2 wire, strip the ends

3. (this is where my brain gets fuzzy, but I'll check and repost). Connect the negative on the 2 batteries with one of the wires.

4. Connect the other wire to the positive on the bigger, good battery.

5. Tap the hot wire from the good battery on the positive for about 1 second over and over again for about a minute.

6. Charge the previously dead battery.

It is all about somehow resetting the battery "memory" or something like that. He says it works, I have not tried it yet.

 

[heehaw]

i am sold on the ridgid brand: because of their lifetime service agreement: it includes the battery: buy them at home depot or on line: but remember to register them with ridgid or the lifetime thing is void: but they do have a 3 year warranty anyway.
heehaw

 

[Steve C]

My neighbor ordered instructions on how to rejuvinate dead rechargable drill batteries. I'm going by memory but I think this is what you do:

1. You have to get a good, charged batter that is bigger than the dead one. Say you have a dead 14.4v battery, then you'd need a charged up 18v to use to fix the 14.4.

2. Get some 14/2 wire, strip the ends

3. (this is where my brain gets fuzzy, but I'll check and repost). Connect the negative on the 2 batteries with one of the wires.

4. Connect the other wire to the positive on the bigger, good battery.

5. Tap the hot wire from the good battery on the positive for about 1 second over and over again for about a minute.

6. Charge the previously dead battery.

It is all about somehow resetting the battery "memory" or something like that. He says it works, I have not tried it yet.

I have just revived a almost brand new Craftsman 19.2 volt battery that had been "flat lined". I have a radio that uses this battery. It had been left "on" for about 6 months. I probably accidently turned it on when putting it away. This battery had been drained as far as it is possible to drain one.

When I put the battery in the charger, the charger refused to do anything with it except to register that it was defective and should be discarded according to the owners manual.

I have read that some cells in the ni-cad batteries can actually reverse polarity when they are drawn down like this. At any rate I thought what the heck, the battery is already junk, there is nothing I can do to it to make it more junk so I devised a plan.

I made up a set of small jumper wires with a spade connection on one end and the other end left bare. I then got a fully charged 19.2 volt battery and installed the 2 wires on the positive and negitive terminals using the spade connectors. I then touched the coresponding terminals on the dead battery with the bare ends of the wire, positive to positive, negative to negitive for a short moment, got a spark and took a voltage reading, it was around 8 volts. I touched them again and brought the voltage up to around 12 volts. I then put the revived battery in the charger and it charged up just fine.

Money saved to spend on more tractor stuff

Don't do this.

It could blow up or catch on fire....but if you think you need take such a risk to save a lousy $50 or $100 make sure that you protect your eyes with safety glasses/googles and protect your hands with gloves.......

 

[Bedlam]

This is the post I was searching for for some time today...Im saving it to try now LOL

 

[BruceWard]

I think I have every Craftsman 19.2 volt tool made. They are hard to beat for the price and variety. I have not had a battery go bad on me yet, but the Lithiums are scarry. They will work at full power, then the next time you pick it up it won't even try to start. The first time I did this I thought I had broken the tool.

I have several Craftsman 19.2 volt tools and have given sets to my Dad and one Brother. My experience with these tools goes back about 5 years. Most of my 19.2 tools were purchased off of ebay used for less than 1/4 of retail. I have broken a used drill and circular trim saw. My experience has been great. I have used the drills for crazy things like 1/2" holes through 1/4" steel, 3/8" holes through railroad ties and ripping 2x12s with the trim saw. Every 19.2 volt tool I have used has worked great. The flourescent flashlights are great when the power goes off. I have 3 of them. They light a whole room and run all night on a battery. I currently have 1/2 drill (2), 3/8 drill, sawzall, circular saw, 1/4" impact, spot light, flourescent light (3), staple gun, vacuum cleaner and a jig saw. The batteries have held up well. The only battery failures have been batteries that came with used tools.