# Best hammerdrill/impact driver combo?



## Termite (Apr 13, 2008)

I had a DeWalt hammer drill/driver for years and it was a great drill. I sold it when I got a new Ridgid one as a wedding gift. 

I have a few Ridgid cordless tools and have found them to be of excellent quaility. I highly recommend them.


----------



## angus242 (May 1, 2008)

Panasonic is hard to beat. It's time-tested and has been one of the top rated drills for the past 5 years +. I have used them and the only fault I have is the weight. I use my drills for a living so that makes a difference to me. If you need a work horse, I don't think it can be beat.
Because they're too heavy I recently tired a Milwaukee and have now ended up with Makita. Love it! 
Milwaukee has a 5 year warranty.
DeWalt and Milwaukee are carried at both big box stores.
Ridgid is only carried at Homey Depot and has a lifetime service agreement (not sure what that means exactly).
Makita has the quickest battery recharge.

Bonus for you, lots of good tools to choose from. I personally don't think any of the above suck.


----------



## wrangler (Oct 9, 2008)

I've only had exp with DeWalt, Ryobi, Craftsman and Rigid. My Rigid hammer drill has been great. It gives a good full days work and gan tackle some pretty heavy duty hammer drilling as well. Batteries charge in 20 mins. The Ryobi is cheap, but not suited for full time work, though I have not tried their new Li-ion batteries/products. The Craftsman I used was a 12v gift and I ended up giving it away. I've heard from others that their 19.2v line works much better. 
JMTCW


----------



## SeaOfRed75 (Feb 4, 2009)

Thanks for the advice so far. I think I'm down to the Makita 18v li-on hammerdrill/impact driver combo, or the Panasonic 14.4v li-on drill-driver/impact driver combo.

Any thoughts? Pros/cons of each? Guess I should have stated will be used for diy stufff around my house, brothers, and sisters houses. Ranging from everyday stuff, to eventually building a small deck, possibly a fence, and new railings for my porch. Brick house by the way.

So really amounts to is the hammerdrill going to be that useful for me? Or is the seamingly better performance of the Panasonic better? 

I was burned once by getting a cheapy consumer level Hitachi li-on drill at Lowe's so now I am kinda paranoid about getting something good I can stick with. 

Thanks again


----------



## 47_47 (Sep 11, 2007)

I've got the Makita 18v li-on set (green). I have had no problems. Light weight, charges fast and ample power.


----------



## PaliBob (Jun 11, 2008)

I've got the Panasonic.
Love both tools, The impact driver has three Impact levels.

http://www.toolbarn.com/product/panasonic/EYC143B/

.


----------



## SeaOfRed75 (Feb 4, 2009)

PaliBob said:


> I've got the Panasonic.
> Love both tools, The impact driver has three Impact levels.
> 
> http://www.toolbarn.com/product/panasonic/EYC143B/
> ...


Do they feel nice and solid? I want light tools, but also tools that feel well made, and not cheap plasticky tools if you know what I mean. I have heard great things about Panasonic tools, but never being able to see and feel them at the big box guys, Im not sure about their feel.

Also are they thought to be a durable reliable brand of tools?


----------



## PaliBob (Jun 11, 2008)

Here is a customer review from Amazon:



> *from Amazon*
> Panasonic has done it again! I traded my Panasonic 12 volt impact driver with digital clutch for the new Lithium Ion driver. You really notice the weight reduction and perfect balance that few manufactures have been able to achieve. As far as power I did not notice the additional torque over my older model but what I like best about the new impact driver is the brushless motor and the very linear speed control. I can run the driver as low as 50 rpm's for starting small screws. I feel this is worth the extra $$$


and another


> *from Amazon*
> I am a model maker so I needed a drill that is light powerful and strong. I have had Dewalts Makitas and Bosches. None of them compare. These are by far superior to anything I have ever used. They are sleek and put hand twisting power into some very tight places. I use these drills alot every day and they are a pleasure to use. I will never buy another drill that is not a Panasonic again.


----------



## chb70 (Jan 29, 2009)

:thumbup:My Dewalt 18 Volt is 3 years old and still doing fine.


----------



## hankscorpio (Feb 10, 2009)

I have a Craftsmen Pro series 20v Li on that i love. I dont believe they have a hammer drill Impact combo though. I liked the Makita set too when i was looking for mine. I think you will be happy either way. it sounds like the major difference is the hammer drill function though. I also debated over the importance of a hammer drill when getting my set. It would have been nice to have but it hasn't really been an issue for me so far. I've had to drill into my cinder block walls a few time in the basement. I used a corded high speed drill that worked well. If your house is brick though and you intend on doing a fair amount of drilling into it you might want to favor the hammer drill option.


----------



## sixeightten (Feb 10, 2009)

Do not get the ridgid. Mine has been rebuilt twice in two years and I hardly use it now. We have Dewalt, Hitachi and Black and Decker. I have a B&D 12volt impact that I purchased for 20 dollars 5 years ago and I love the little thing. Dewalt is probably the best if you have money to spend.


----------



## SeaOfRed75 (Feb 4, 2009)

What are peoples thoughts on factory reconditioned? Thinking of going that route so I can get the Panasonic impact driver and the Makita BHP454 hammerdrill once I can find a reconditioned one.

I dont mind used, Most of my golf clubs have been used and you cant even tell.

How about with cordless tools though? Anybody have experience buying these online?


----------



## PaliBob (Jun 11, 2008)

CPO *(Certified Pre Owned)* tool outlets owned by the drill manufacturers are excellent because they give a factory warranty.
Buying from private parties can be hazardous (they may be stolen) but in these tough times there are legitimate bargains to be found.


----------



## bwalley (Feb 10, 2009)

thekctermite said:


> I had a DeWalt hammer drill/driver for years and it was a great drill. I sold it when I got a new Ridgid one as a wedding gift.
> 
> I have a few Ridgid cordless tools and have found them to be of excellent quaility. I highly recommend them.


:thumbsup:

I am a Licensed General Contractor and A/C Contractor, I used to use nothing but Dewalt, a few years ago I switched to Ridgid and have been happy with them, now that is all I buy.


----------



## 7echo (Aug 24, 2008)

There was a review in Fine Home Building, July 2008.

They liked the Panasonic and Hitachi.

If I made a living with one of these I would get Panasonic. I used to think the Rigid tools were really bad, but I know several pros that use them daily and are happy with them.


----------



## bwalley (Feb 10, 2009)

7echo said:


> There was a review in Fine Home Building, July 2008.
> 
> They liked the Panasonic and Hitachi.
> 
> If I made a living with one of these I would get Panasonic. I used to think the Rigid tools were really bad, but I know several pros that use them daily and are happy with them.


I make my living using tools, I use Ridgid, why listen to a magazine when you get advice from a pro?


----------



## hankscorpio (Feb 10, 2009)

I'm by no means an pro but like i said I recently got a Pro Series craftsman set that I love. I've had some experience with Rigid though and that was also a great set. My FIL has a rigid combo that he uses all the time (he's an electrician) and absolutely loves. Only complaint is battery life but its a few years old now.


----------



## PaliBob (Jun 11, 2008)

bwalley said:


> I make my living using tools, I use Ridgid, why listen to a magazine when you get advice from a pro?


 Dear Pro, Would you give the same advice for say buying a truck? Would you say hey I'm a pro so this is the best truck? Buying tools is subjective to a persons own needs, desires, experience, and wallet. What is one persons best ever may be another persons ho hum.

The JLC Forum is for Pro"s only and I have never seen a consensus from Pro's on any tool. When any contributor on this Forum put's in their two cents, let em alone. :no:

.


----------



## bwalley (Feb 10, 2009)

PaliBob said:


> Dear Pro, Would you give the same advice for say buying a truck? Would you say hey I'm a pro so this is the best truck? Buying tools is subjective to a persons own needs, desires, experience, and wallet. What is one persons best ever may be another persons ho hum.
> 
> The JLC Forum is for Pro"s only and I have never seen a consensus from Pro's on any tool. When any contributor on this Forum put's in their two cents, let em alone. :no:
> 
> .


My professional opinion on the best truck is an F250 Super Duty, prior to being a licensed contractor, I was a professional mechanic.


----------



## SeaOfRed75 (Feb 4, 2009)

Back to the topic, what do people think of reconditioned? Have any personal experience with them?

Oh and thanks Palibob. Always at least one on every message board.


----------



## bwalley (Feb 10, 2009)

SeaOfRed75 said:


> Back to the topic, what do people think of reconditioned? Have any personal experience with them?
> 
> Oh and thanks Palibob. Always at least one on every message board.


IMO there is nothing wrong with reconditioned, many times they were used once and returned because a HO needed it for a job and didn't want to keep it.

Just look at the price of the reconditioned tool and make sure it is a better deal.

I use a bunch of Porter Cable sanders and routers, I used to buy them reconditioned, but they started getting to be the same price or more than I could buy them new.


----------

