Cordless Drill
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I had a 19.2 volt Porter cable cordless drill for the past 6 years or so (I really can't remember it has been that long). Well last week it finally gave up. It was the most valuable tool in my garage and so I am looking for a new one.
I know that the new Lithium Ion batteries are the best now (correct me if I am wrong) but I see that Porter Cable has not added LI to their drills. Insert boo hoo here as I am a PC loyalist.
Anyway, what brands do you guys recommend?
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I have a Hitachi 12v. It kicks butt - major. I used to have two 9.6v drivers (well, still do).
It's an Impact driver, so when the screw driving gets tough - it turns into hammer mode. Awesome.
Todd.
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I have a Makita 12v model 6270D that comes with three batteries. Light(ish) quiet and comfortable in use. Bought mainly for use in the workshop. Not sure if it would be ideal for heavy work on the house though.
Also has hammer mode.
Alan -
I have a DeWalt 14.4V with NiCd batteries. I bought it because we have several of them at work where we do everything from driving screws to drilling stainless steel. Always good service from the tools.
I've considered going to Li-ion power but it's hard to justify a change when the stuff I have works so well.
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Thanks for the replies guys.
Todd, Alan, are those Lithium Ion batteries?
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Eric,
Is the drill itself dead or just the battery? I have a Mikita with about 8 years of service and still going stroing - except last year I did need to replace the battery. A mail order place called "Battery Barn" in St. Charles Illinois had them. They have quite a large selection of current models and substiutes for those no longer manufactured. I took a look and they do have Porter Cable batteries, but they are Ni-cad.
Good luck.
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Thanks for the info Jim. Unfortunately the whole shebang seems to have failed. Using it the months prior the batteries were not holding a charge overnight. Then weeks prior I got an odd smell from the drill when using it, maybe too much sawdust build up inside I don't know. Then the final straw, either both batteries completely failed the same day or the charger stopped working.
I had a Porter Cable funeral last weekend.
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Hi Eric,
In reply to your question they are Ni-Cd batteries.
cheers
Alan -
My absolute favourite tool of all time and the one I use most and which has never let me down and which is wicked work horse
= pause to take breath=
is my Makita Impact 12 v cordless driver.Light, powerfull and reliable.
The impact action makes driving screws about 300% easier.
Granted, it's not realy siutable as a drill, but as a driver it can't be beat. -
Thanks again guys, time to go shopping.
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Here are some pictures of my only styleof cordless drills.
For small holes.
For holes a little larger,
and for large holes.
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if you're main task is driving screws and/or bolts, i highly recommend This one or This one..
these new litium ion batteries are amazing compared to what's been out there for the past few years.. very quick charging, comparatively very light and small, and so far the batteries appear to last longer (i've had two of the makitas for over a year now and the batteries are not loosing their memory)...
the impact drivers themselves are amazing simply because of the amount of torque they produce -- driving 3" screws overhead is easy now..
i use corded drills for boring holes but if i were to go back to the cordless offerings, i'd definitely get the ones with lithium batteries...
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Thanks Jeff.
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between my partner and i we have the following cordless drills-driver-impacts
Dewalt 14.4v impact - good all around shop driver
Dewalt 14.4v drill- limited use due to short battery time but can drill about 10- 2" holes in plywood on one charge.
Dewalt 18v impact- this is a literal nut buster
Dewalt 18v drill- can handle most everything we throw at it in the shop or the field
Hilti 15v drill- tremendous torque and fast speed for drilling in lumber but limited run time compared to others. hammer drill mode is fast for drilling Tapcons
Bosch 10v Li impact- great tool for hardware install, small but packs plenty of run time and torque. can drive 3" deck screws in PT with ease but i rather not push it too hard.
Bosch 10v Li drill- very limited hole size, 1/2" max, and power but fits in small places like inside cabinets or a tool box
Hitachi- all garbagethe hammer drill feature is nice for limited use(its hard on the drill and the user too) but rarely do i ever use it. i have corder Hilti hammer drills that i use for all concrete drilling applications.
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Thanks again for all your replies.
I battled a nasty cold through a ton of deadlines the past week so I had no chance to shop until yesterday.
Well today at lunch I got me a Milwaukee 18v Lit-Ion 1/2" compact driver/drill.
I know, nobody here recommended it but I did some other research, looked online for prices, did some shopping (all in the past two days) and decided on the Milwaukee. It was cheaper to buy locally than to get the sale price I linked to above.
I could not see the need for an impact driver as the main use for me would be household repairs and the occasional garage wood shop (if I ever get the time again). -
happy for you Boo. for me, buying tools has to be one of the most enjoyable aspects of being a carpenter. almost as good as actually using them to build something. all things being equal tool brand choice is as personal and yet trivial as ones choice in underwear. everyones skivvies perform the same function but its your reason and preference on style, that makes it personal. happy drilling. FWIW http://www.rockler.com has all sorts of great drill bits and drivers of every type as well as screws to go along with it.
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Thanks, I appreciate that.
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Titmas is so right. I don't believe there is a huge difference between the different brands in terms of the tools ability to preform the task for which it was bought. For me, one of the major factors in deciding which brand to buy is the service track record of the company or vendor. Lets face it, any brand tool can break down or be found to be defective. The question then is what kind of service will you get from the people you bought it from. Will you be greeted with a "We're here for you, how can we help" type of attitude or will you find yourself wasting valuble time running around trying to get service and/or answers?
Also, I'm reminded of the time my daughter asked for a puppy for her birthday. She had very spcific ideas as to what the puppy she wants should be like. I told her to try and let go of those ideas and to go to the adoption center without a specific puppy in mind. I told her to just walk around for a while and that she and the puppy will choose each other. And that's exactly what happened. The puppy we adopted was nothing like she had described as 'the perfect puppy' but she (the puppy) has been a much loved member of the family for 5 years now.
It's a lot like that with tools. You'll pick up a tool and it will just feel right.
"It's a mystical bond between man and machine." - who said this and in what movie? -
I don't know, but I am going to take a wild guess it was one of the Wright Bros., credited in the US with the first airplane flight.
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Not even close, Joe.
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