Cordless Drill
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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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Bobby Bolivia (Bernie Mac)
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I knew you'd know it, Eric.
"Bobby Bolivia, like the country but without the runs."
Best part of the movie IMHO.
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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).
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Once you have done Festool there ain't no going back. I honestly regret buying any other brand.
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Sorry, but I read all the way through this thread, folks passionately recommending different Makita models, De Walt, Bosch, Hilti, etc.... and then Boo's post saying he's settled on a.... Milwaukee!
... and then Gidon comparing his cordless drill to his daughter's beloved pet dog.
Say what you like, but puppies are useless in wood, nevermind brick and concrete.Not at all a criticism, just really made me laugh, thanks guys!
Keep on drillin'...
p.s. I favour Makita- have an 18v Ni-Cd drill for driving and wood and a corded 240v percussion drill for the tough stuff.
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I just recently did a LOT of research on the topic of cordless drills building this site. (BTW, my research suggests that Panasonic has the best drills.) But I just came across Festool recently, which surprised me. What's the deal with this brand? I haven't seen them sold anywhere and only talked about in two places. But when I see something mentioned only twice and the people say it's the best thing ever, I'm intrigued.
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Festool has been around for a long time. Their products are for sale online from quite a few sources. I'm surprised you haven't heard of the brand. I don't have any of their cordless drills although with the business end being interchangeable with several different chucks, they seem to be very handy. I have three corded Festool tools along with a dust extractor. They are, by far, better than any equivalent tool I've used. Not inexpensive but I won't ever be buying replacements due to wearing them out or breaking them.
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Looks like you got the last laugh Jackson. Just under 2 years and my Milwaukee died. The batteries will not hold a charge long enough to tighten a bit in the chuck. Whether or not it is the charger or the batteries makes no difference, I pitched it already. Off to buy a Makita.
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Eric, get a drill with Li-ion batteries. They'll last longer.
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Get a Festool C12 or T12 / T13 drill / driver - they are the best tools you can buy and the system they are a part of is second to none. You will pay more initially but the investment will be worth it over time. I have used Makita / Dewalt / Metabo but Festool outclasses all of them by miles - we also get a three year guarantee on all their products over here on this side of the pond.
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@dave r said:
Eric, get a drill with Li-ion batteries. They'll last longer.
Funny, the Milwaukee was a Li-Ion set and only lasted 1/3 the time as my old Porter Cable Ni-Cad.
I will check out the Festool. The closest retailer is in Scottsboro which is almost 2 hours from my house. I just might order online.
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That's odd. I have a DeWalt Li-ion drill and have excellent service from it.
Festool is indeed good. I have several of their tools but not the drill.
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@dermotcoll said:
Get a Festool C12 or T12 / T13 drill / driver - they are the best tools you can buy and the system they are a part of is second to none. You will pay more initially but the investment will be worth it over time.
@bluecollar said:
Once you have done Festool there ain't no going back. I honestly regret buying any other brand.
What they said, +1. I have a couple of the C12's with 3.0 ah batteries. The interchangeable chucks are great time savers. I can install most of a kitchen (near continuous use) on one battery. Have used them with a 4" hole saw on occasion with no problem. I honestly think they have near as much torque as the 18v Dewalts I used to use. The price is hard to swallow if you don't use 'em every day, but well worth it IMHO.
BTW, LOVE that SU version Jenny!
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Thanks
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Are you going to get the Festool C12 cordless with your winnings on the challenge Boo????
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YES! ha ha.
I had surgery recently so all "projects" have been on the back burner. I am getting back to normal, whatever that is, and will most likely order one soon.
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My 4 year old Festool cordless was stolen the other year. I was gutted. When i first had it a freind of mine looked in the case filled with eccentric and round corner attatchments and said it looked like a sniper rifle. In terms of precision and performance the comparison proved pretty much spot on.
I went for a Makita Li ion 18v replacement, it was on offer at a significant reduction, dont remember the number but it is strangely coloured white and grey and it certainly does all i ask of it through timber (big forstner bits) and 8mm mild steel flat bar (12ml bits): it is extremely powerful. I tend to think that the ah on the battery is maybe more important than the volts. The weight is also a winner after a long day.
Bought this before the Li ion festools came out and i can imagine that in terms of power and controlability these will be somewhere near the best machine money can buy and even though the outlay is large, if they are to be used every day as they are designed to be, they will represent good value for money and be a joy to use. The Festool deburring countersink is also really nicely engineered and recommended.
I also have an old Fein cordless that keeps on going and an obvious weakness for European tools! One day i WILL own a Felder cf741. Good luck with the cordless hunt, dont think you will be dissapointed with the Festool.
Regards
Sam
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