Cordless Drill

Dave R · 9 Apr 2008, 10:22

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.

boofredlay · 9 Apr 2008, 13:55

Thanks for the replies guys.

Todd, Alan, are those Lithium Ion batteries?

jim smith · 9 Apr 2008, 15:28

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.

boofredlay · 9 Apr 2008, 15:36

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.

alan wood · 9 Apr 2008, 16:17

Hi Eric,
In reply to your question they are Ni-Cd batteries.
cheers
Alan

Gidon Yuval · 10 Apr 2008, 05:43

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.

boofredlay · 10 Apr 2008, 13:46

Thanks again guys, time to go shopping.

Sawduster · 10 Apr 2008, 17:15

Here are some pictures of my only styleof cordless drills.

For small holes.

For holes a little larger,

and for large holes.

jeff hammond · 11 Apr 2008, 16:52

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...

boofredlay · 11 Apr 2008, 17:35

Thanks Jeff.

titmas · 11 Apr 2008, 22:17

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 garbage

the 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.

boofredlay · 18 Apr 2008, 18:09

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).

titmas · 19 Apr 2008, 01:10

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.

boofredlay · 19 Apr 2008, 04:18

Thanks, I appreciate that.

Gidon Yuval · 19 Apr 2008, 09:16

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?

Chiefwoodworker · 19 Apr 2008, 12:52

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.

Gidon Yuval · 19 Apr 2008, 22:24

Not even close, Joe.

boofredlay · 19 Apr 2008, 22:59

Bobby Bolivia (Bernie Mac)

Gidon Yuval · 19 Apr 2008, 23:14

I knew you'd know it, Eric.

"Bobby Bolivia, like the country but without the runs."

Best part of the movie IMHO.

Roger · 15 Apr 2009, 08:01

I think cordless drills are a pain in the ass (and please don't tell me I am using it the wrong way.)

I had a Dewalt go bad and they wanted 65$ to put in a new trigger mechanism when I could buy a new one for $75. Then I bought a Ryobi and it worked fine until I had to get a new battery. They quit selling the old battery and the only difference between the old and the new was that they put in a key slot to keep them from being interchangeable. However, I found that the cells from the new battery fit perfectly into the old casing. And I kept going till the charger itself burnt out. Then my wife bought me a Milwaukee which is OK for the time being.

But I find the brace and bit is hard to beat unless you are working with needle thin bits. I have yet to have a charger burn out for one of those. And I have used units older than I am (they were made of stone).