Posted: 12/18/2006 5:53:19 PM EDT
| I'm in need to replace mine. I am looking at the 18 volts. What brand would STAY AWAY FROM! |
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I've owned a DeWalt and am currently still on my Bosch (14.4). I liked both drills; in either case, the batteries will croak long before the drill. The Bosch comes with a 15 minute charger, which is good because the batteries don't hold near the charge they used to. Because of that, I have changed my opinion on what to get. First of all, I don't like the real heavy 18V+ drills. They are not comfortable to use over extended periods of time, and there's *usually* not much need for the extra power. Ultimately, cordless drill are awesome screwdrivers and lousy drills. Yeah, you can drill, but nothing more than a few holes. It's just not what they were designed to do. Any of the "big name" manufacturers make good stuff. DeWalt, Makita, Milwaukee, Bosch, Hitachi, etc. If I had to replace mine tomorrow, I would look for one that: 1) Has 2 speeds. Only the cheapest of drills are single speed. 2) has reasonable torque, 230 in/lb or better 3) Comes with 2 batteries 4) Batteries should have decent Amp-hour rating, preferably 2.0 5) One hour charger or better 6) Reasonable weight 7) Batteries should be NiMH. Not a dealbuster, but it's disappointing that so many still use NiCd. There's quite a few drills that fit that budget, most of them around $150 or so. Like I said - I would probably opt for another 14.4 myself. This Bosch can drive even the biggest lag bolts., so it's got enough torque. |
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If you are the average home user you could get away with buying cheaper brand power tools since they might not get used all that often like jigsaws and circular saws. BUT one tool that is going to see a lot of use is a cordless drill so I would say while it might pay to skimp on other power tools make your cordless drill the best you can afford. Dewalt is awesome in my opinion. |
Someone lied big time to you or else you didn't pay attention. HD's Rigid power tools have the lifetime warrentee. Ryobi tools are for one year. I bought Milwalkee. |
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I have used them all and have burned out every model but one. The Panasonic is in a class by itself. It may sound strange buying a cordless drill from a audio video company but I swear to you, you will not be upset. The Panasonic will work circles around the Dewalt and Milwaukee. |
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I just got this 28volt combo kit a month ago: Milwaukee tools Whoo hoo! It kicks butt. I'd get it again in a heart beat. Lots of power. |
My Daddy's Makita lost it's ability to spin true very early in it's life, though my Daddy is a stubborn ass and refuses to admit it. Based on my experience, which of course is representative across the entire production of Makita products, DeWalt>Makita. Not to mention that the color scheme of DeWalt products is much more schnazzy and popular with the womenfolk. I hear ya can even get an AR-15 in a DeWalt color scheme, ya know. I don't see too many Makita AR's laying around these days... |
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I have two 18volt Black and Decker 'firestorm' drills. I love them. I don't abuse my tools, but they do get used by some highschool students who do. The drills have held up fine. I also like the quick detaching chuck. It lets you keep a drill chucked with a screw driver chucked underneath it. Drill the hole, pop the chuck off and drive the screw in. Pop chuck back on and drill your next hole. Doesn't seem like much at first, but boy is it a time saver and you never loose your screw driver bit. Hey, I like the DeWalt brand like any guy. I just can't afford to spend the extra coin for what amounts to yellow Black and Decker stuff. -Local |