# Which of these drills is the best?



## Jay 78 (Mar 2, 2011)

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## Homervanderjazz (Jan 18, 2012)

*re*

Thanks for the reply, they are actually all hammer drills- in the UK cordless hammer drills are called cordless combi drills, the one with most torque seems to be the makita but it is also the most expensive, how important is the torque difference between these drills? Also why are you saying you would not buy any of these? Thanks


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## 47_47 (Sep 11, 2007)

Wouldn't waste my money on NiCad drills. I've got the Makita a very good, strong and lightweight drill.


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## Homervanderjazz (Jan 18, 2012)

47_47 said:


> Wouldn't waste my money on NiCad drills. I've got the Makita a very good, strong and lightweight drill.


Do u have the makita drill I mentioned above or a different makita? If it's the same one how have you found it to be when drilling masonary? Thanks


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## 47_47 (Sep 11, 2007)

Same one. Only drilled 3/16" holes for small tapcons into concrete and it worked well.


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## robertcdf (Nov 12, 2005)

Buy the makita, I have more makita drills than I can count.


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## builttolast (Feb 9, 2012)

Makita since that is what is on your list. Milwaukee though is my personal preference. 

Stay away from NiCad and go with Li-Ion :thumbsup:


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

DeWalt used to be a trusted brand but something went horribly wrong. Lots of plastic housing, motor and transmission parts now. I would go with Makita of those you mentioned. Pick one that balances nicely and fits your hand if you can. If you have a tool rental place that has models you are considering, you might rent one for a test drive before buying although I suspect most places will let you return or exchange the drill. I bought tools from a tool supplier and not a box store when working. Among other things they carried higher end and more sturdy tools well worth a few extra bucks. They usually were willing to offer loaners if you had to have something serviced. Try asking for a loaner in a box store!:laughing::no:

Ditto on Li-Ion batteries. NiCads have seen their day. 

If you can find a model with a bubble level (or an available add-on option) it will come in handy for drilling straight holes. 

Obviously you will want to invest in good masonry bits or the capabilities of the drill are wasted.

For a low end drill? I am continually surprised by Ryobi. They are what they are but at least the industrial design is nice. I don't know if they make a hammer drill and not sure I would trust things that far. It sounds like you plan to use this drill a lot and need a work horse. 

Just one final comment. I love cordless tools but brick, especially antique masonry that has hardened, can be tough to get into even with a hammer drill and nice bits. Sure you do not want to explore a corded drill with consistent torque and hammer repitition? At least be sure you have extra batteries cycling through a charger.


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## builttolast (Feb 9, 2012)

SDSESTER has it right on keeping batteries handy. TRY to get a model that includes the extended run time batteries, not sure what makita calls them - DeWalt calls them XRP, Milwaukee calls them XC and rigid calls them I think XR? Keep one on the charge and one in the drill while working masonry to avoid ranting and cursing when you get to the last 3 holes and all the drill does is go click :thumbsup:


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## PaliBob (Jun 11, 2008)

...from the Links in Post #1;
1)	The first candidate DeWalt Hammer Drill has two Nii-Cad, 1.3 Ah batteries.
2)	The second DeWalt has one Li-Ion 2.0 Ah battery
3)	The Makita Hammer Drill has one Li-Ion 3.0 Ah battery
The three submittals show that the price is most dependant on the quality and Ah size of the batteries. The Ah ratings have nothing to do with the power of the drill but just the run time. Batteries in the 3 Ah range are considered at the top of the range.

The choice between DeWalt/Makita should also depend on what will be your next cordless tool. Since the Battery is such a big part of a tools cost it's cheaper to keep follow on tools in the same family. If you have an add-on tool on your horizon, now might be the time to consider a multi tool Kit with two batteries. It will be cheaper in the long run.

Another consideration is what type Case is included; the three Links you posted are not clear as to whether or not the case is fabric or plastic. I prefer a plastic fitted case because it is easier to keep everything together in its own little niche and still have room for extra bits, also a case is neater to store than a bag.



Homervanderjazz said:


> [FONT=&quot]........ but I am not sure whether I need something with more power......


 Homer, Your previous Post on Drilling in Brick made me realize that I really did not know how long it took to drill a given size hole in brick. So with my 1st gen DeWalt 18V Hammer Drill DW997 I drilled a series of ¼” holes in a leftover brick from the top side, all the way through the brick(2”).

Results: 1st Test 65sec Drill set to low speed
...........2nd Test 30sec Drill set to high speed
.


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## Homervanderjazz (Jan 18, 2012)

*re*

Thanks for all the help folks, turns out I have had a bit of luck, I mentioned I needed a drill to a friend who said he was selling his drill- ended up buying it for £20 including battery and charger. It is a Ryobi cdi1801 18v, I know its not in the same league as the Makita etc but I have used it for a day now and even used it to drill into masonary and it has worked well. Hopefully it lasts a while. Thanks again for all the advice.


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## PaliBob (Jun 11, 2008)

Congratulations on your success and thank you for replying as to how you made out.


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