# Cordless drills



## Hick (Nov 21, 2014)

Well to start, I hate cordless drills. They have been nothing but problems for me, mostly with the battery dying & simply not having enough power to get the job done but there are a few occasions when I need one like when im 20ft up in a ladder screwing stuff down.

Thus, my question of what is the best cordless drill I can get? Need something that wont die within 10 minutes of use & actually has enough torque to at least punch a 2" hole in wood.

Thanks.


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## Olcrazy1 (May 28, 2013)

I have a Milwaukee M18 and live it. light, tons of power, reliable, powerful and battery last a long time. I have had a bunch of big name drills and so far this one is the best.


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## ratherbefishin' (Jun 16, 2007)

Hick said:


> Well to start, I hate cordless drills. They have been nothing but problems for me, mostly with the battery dying & simply not having enough power to get the job done but there are a few occasions when I need one like when im 20ft up in a ladder screwing stuff down.
> 
> Thus, my question of what is the best cordless drill I can get? Need something that wont die within 10 minutes of use & actually has enough torque to at least punch a 2" hole in wood.
> 
> Thanks.


So, what brand and model of drill have you used that's as bad as that? I have old Hitachi drills, newest one about ten years, and I rebuild batteries at about 5 year intervals, but never, ever, had a problem with motors, torque, or run time with a good battery.


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## Mort (Nov 26, 2008)

I have a Milwaukee M18 Fuel. More power than my corded Makita, is also a hammer drill, brushless motor so the 4.0ah battery lasts forever. Not cheap but definitely the best. 

Also, the batteries have a fuel gauge on them so you can check to make sure they're charged before you take them up the ladder.


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## Daniel Holzman (Mar 10, 2009)

I have a Dewalt 18V cordless. Have had it for something like 10 years. The only time I use a powered drill is if the cordless will not fit in the space. Other than that, the drill has lots of power, holds a charge for several hours of work, will hammer drill as well. Not sure what type of cordless you have, maybe a low cost 14V one?


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## Canarywood1 (May 5, 2012)

Hick said:


> Well to start, I hate cordless drills. They have been nothing but problems for me, mostly with the battery dying & simply not having enough power to get the job done but there are a few occasions when I need one like when im 20ft up in a ladder screwing stuff down.
> 
> Thus, my question of what is the best cordless drill I can get? Need something that wont die within 10 minutes of use & actually has enough torque to at least punch a 2" hole in wood.
> 
> Thanks.


 
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-12...CH=RV-_-rv_search_plp_rr-_-NA-_-205152814-_-N

If your only going to use it on a few occasions, this is what your looking for, only 12 volt but it will give your wrist a pretty good twist if your not careful, has plenty of power and a long lasting battery, but i'd still get a spare battery for it, as mine came with two and a fast charger, I still use my 18 volt but most jobs I grab this as it's much lighter.


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## ddawg16 (Aug 15, 2011)

Hick said:


> Well to start, I hate cordless drills. They have been nothing but problems for me, mostly with the battery dying & simply not having enough power to get the job done but there are a few occasions when I need one like when im 20ft up in a ladder screwing stuff down.
> 
> Thus, my question of what is the best cordless drill I can get? Need something that wont die within 10 minutes of use & actually has enough torque to at least punch a 2" hole in wood.
> 
> Thanks.


What drill are you using now?

I have the Ryobi 18 cordless drills....two of the standard ones. Battery lasts plenty long. More than enough torque. 

I can't help but wonder what you are doing wrong.


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## Colbyt (Jan 27, 2014)

I also have the Ryobi 18 cordless drill and the smaller lithium batteries. In the drill it has never let me down. Sawing 3" roots with the saws all the battery went pretty quick.

For a lot of years I used the 9.6 version to install draperies mainly because I needed the smaller size and weight for all day overhead work. The 18 has a lot more torque. Three inch deck screws discharged the 9.6 nicads pretty quickly.

A 5 year old battery is probably only taking a half charge.


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## Davejss (May 14, 2012)

My ten year old Makita LiOn batteries just never seem to die.


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

I only use a corded drill when drilling a lot of holes in metal, or concrete.
99% of the time I'm using my impact cordless drill.


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## McSteve (Dec 8, 2009)

I've got a couple Makita cordless drills, and a few batteries. A couple of the batteries are about 6 years old and still work pretty well. I leave 'em half-charged in my truck for weeks and they're still ready to go when I need 'em. They charge in 30 minutes from totally dead.

I can run fairly large hole saws, spade bits, whatever. I've mixed up plenty of drywall mud, quickwall, and floor leveler with my older drill. It's got enough power to beat the crap out of me when I don't pay attention to my body positioning and a hole saw binds up.

I've dropped them, thrown them, cooked 'em in the sun, froze 'em in my truck overnight, let them get full of dust, and they just keep going.

I've tried a lot of tools, but so far my loyalty is with Makita. Though my Milwaukee M12 heated sweatshirt is also a favorite..


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## SPS-1 (Oct 21, 2008)

Mort said:


> the 4.0ah battery lasts forever. Not cheap but definitely the best.


 That's the only number that matters. Gotta look at the specs. Can't just say one brand is better than another. And boy, you got yourself a monster there.


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## Yodaman (Mar 9, 2015)

If your driving plenty of screws, try a cordless impact driver, you will never use your drill again for screw driving. Also been using Ryobi 18V drills for over 10 years with out issue.

Don't let your batteries freeze in cold climate storage, you'll kill'em quick!


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## Nestor_Kelebay (Jun 17, 2008)

Hick:

You should also be aware that Lithium Ion battery packs are not rebuildable. Only NiCad and NiMH battery packs are rebuildable. So, when the lithium ion battery pack for your cordless drill craps out, prepare to pay darn near as much for a new battery pack as you previously did for the drill AND battery pack.


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## TheEplumber (Jul 20, 2010)

Profesionals that frequent here, myself included seem to like dewalt, makita, etc. And they are darn good.
However, I started using Ryobi a few years ago and continue to build my cordless tool inventory with them.
I like their balance and their performance. But most of all I like their cost.
They are capable of doing any tasks a diy person would perform without stripping your wallet.


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## Canarywood1 (May 5, 2012)

TheEplumber said:


> Profesionals that frequent here, myself included seem to like dewalt, makita, etc. And they are darn good.
> However, I started using Ryobi a few years ago and continue to build my cordless tool inventory with them.
> I like their balance and their performance. But most of all I like their cost.
> They are capable of doing any tasks a diy person would perform without stripping your wallet.


 
I agree, been using them for the last 20 years.


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## Mort (Nov 26, 2008)

SPS-1 said:


> And boy, you got yourself a monster there.


That's one reason I tend not to recommend them to casual DIY users. I wanted something I would never outgrow, and that's what I got. 

They can almost be too powerful sometimes. I'm lucky the impact driver has three power settings, if you leave it on 3 all the time it'd snap off the head of any screw you try to tighten with it. That, and they're heavy and expensive. But man-oh-man, the power! 

Milwaukee's M12 line is what I recommend to homeowners. Still great power, still has the fuel gauge (on the tool, not the battery. I don't like this as much, but its better than nothing), but light and not horribly expensive. 

My only gripe about Milwaukee (and its a small one), is that their tool line seems to focus on electricians and plumbers. Not as many homeowner-only tools (weed eater would be nice, I hate anything with a 2-stroke), or even cordless carpentry tools (their jigsaw is hopelessly outdated, although the Fuel circular saws are pretty cool). 

What they do make, though, is better than anything else I've used.


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## Tom738 (Jun 1, 2010)

Canarywood1 said:


> I agree, been using them for the last 20 years.


 I think this thread about a Ryobi sander that would have exploded into eyes if the sander hadn't been wearing safety glasses is a fairly serious (although anecdotal) reason to spring for the higher-end tools.

http://www.diychatroom.com/f29/ryobi-almost-seriously-injured-me-251961/ 

If it's your own tool or your family will use it, it's not worth losing an eye. If your worker will use it, it's not worth the lawsuit when a worker loses his eye.

But it's anecdotal, and of course all power tools are inherently a little bit dangerous. I would be interested to see good statistics on brand safety, but am not sure that anyone collects them. (They really should collect make and model information for ER visits--maybe as a standard part of follow-up.)


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## Canarywood1 (May 5, 2012)

If you think a high end tool will keep you safe your kidding yourself, they can and have had serious accidents, no matter the name on the tool.


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## TheEplumber (Jul 20, 2010)

Most if not all tool related injuries I have seen or been involved with were expensive "contractor" grade tools.......


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## ddawg16 (Aug 15, 2011)

No response from the OP?


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## PaliBob (Jun 11, 2008)

The Feb 12, 2015 issue of FINE HOMEBUILDING while not recommending any Brand, makes a strong case for Brushless Drills if you can justify the extra $50- $100 cost
.
Ref:
So if you want maximum run-time and power, and you're willing to shell out an extra $50 to $100, you'll want a cordless drill with a brushless motor. Bosch, DeWalt, Hitachi, Makita, Metabo, Milwaukee, Panasonic, and Festool all offer cordless drills and impact drivers with brushless motors

Read more: http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/73041/get-the-best-cordless-drill#ixzz3WVwmnDsq 
Follow us: @fhbweb on Twitter |


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## ToolSeeker (Sep 19, 2012)

The only problems I have had like his were years ago when I thought the bright shiny Craftsmen tools were as good as the high dollar ones. Like I said this was years ago but I had most of those problems.


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## drbob (Jul 10, 2009)

The 20-volt DeWalt DCD780C2 cordless drill was recently given a very high review in terms of power and battery life. You can read the review here:
http://www.cordlesstoolreviews.com/...ill-judged-best-selected-best-cordless-drill/


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## Hick (Nov 21, 2014)

ddawg16 said:


> No response from the OP?


Sorry, been working lots & forgot i even asked this question. I will dig out my collection of my old power drills later so I can list what I have used.

Currently the only cordless drill that actually gets any use from me is a tiny little 4 volt skil drill & about the only thing it gets used for is electrical screwing in outlets & such.

Will go raid my power tool graveyard to show what I have used in the past & have been looking at those suggested by other members.

Appreciate all the advice.


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