# tool recommendations



## rtyui2 (Nov 21, 2007)

Good morning. I'm looking for suggestions as to the best tools to buy. 
1. I had a 14 v. DeWalt drill but need a new one (it was stolen). I've heard that the Panasonic is one of the best. Comments?
2. I want a brad nailer to use for furniture building. Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance. 
Mike


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## Rehabber (Dec 29, 2005)

1 Alot of my friends have panasonics- never heard a complaint
2 I have both a PC and a Bostich brad nailers. Both are good guns


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## bigMikeB (May 31, 2007)

Buy the new Mikita 2 piece (18v lion impact and drill) $269.00 at the depot. You will forget you ever liked DeWalt.


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## jerryh3 (Dec 10, 2007)

bigMikeB said:


> Buy the new Mikita 2 piece (18v lion impact and drill) $269.00 at the depot. You will forget you ever liked DeWalt.


I was at the woodworking show last weeked and they had that kit for 249 with an extra 3.0ah battery.


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## End Grain (Nov 17, 2007)

I have a Panasonic 15.6V NiMH and it's arguably one of the finest drill/drivers made. Amazon has it for $149 and Free Shipping. I own various nailers and although I have Porter Cable's 16ga. finishing nailer, their current 18ga. brad nailer version made in China is IMO flimsy and spartan. I bought an "oilless" feature-laden Ridgid 18ga. brad nailer from Home Depot for $99 and it's excellent.


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## End Grain (Nov 17, 2007)

bigMikeB said:


> Buy the new Mikita 2 piece (18v lion impact and drill) $269.00 at the depot. You will forget you ever liked DeWalt.


I also felt very strongly about the Makita 18V Li-Ion drill/driver and bought it. Nice size, balance, lightweight, powerful and good run time. Unfortunately, it's trigger and switches are not adequately sealed against (or resistant to) run-of-the-mill dirt and drill dust. After the trigger and switches seized up and the drill failed miserably on the minor job I was doing, I returned it for a full refund within only two weeks of receiving it. Maybe you and others have had better luck with it.


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## troubleseeker (Sep 25, 2006)

I have several of the Panasonic drills, they are work horses. Amazon had them a while back for somewhere around the $150 range.. a very good price. Watch the battery specs though. This is where some catalogue/mail orders get you. The prices are sometimes for the kits with the 3ah batteries, instead of the 3.5ah. I believe the Amazon kits were the 3.5ah, but pay attention to it before ordering.

I had the 2" PC brad nailer for years and was happy with it. When it finally broke, I figured that they are too inexpensive a tool to spend money to repair , so I went for a new one. Unfortunately, only the smaller nail length PC were in stock, so I bought a 2" capacity Dewalt. The nail magazine has a lot of slop in the follower, and it jams way more than it should. I would not recommend it. 
I do recommend spending the extra $ for the 2" nail capacity model.


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## Oldhouseowner (Jul 24, 2007)

I know I may be a bit late with this, but hey.

I bought a Bosch 14.4 on boxing day and it rocks. $139 at local tool shop. They give a 3 year warranty on the drill and 2 years on the batteries. 

Good luck with your choice.


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## NateHanson (Apr 15, 2007)

Senco nailers are probably the best on the market. 

That said, I have also been happy with PC 16ga and 18ga nailers.


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## Joining_Heads (May 27, 2007)

Panasonic drills are as good as it gets. Not as much torque but 5 times the refinement. And their NIMH battery tech is better than Lion IMO.


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## Burk (Jan 25, 2008)

Hitachi's new line of 18V lithium ion hammer/drills are nice. Balanced and lightweight make them easy to handle. Plenty of power. They were offering a promotion with $100 off.


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## Kingfisher (Nov 19, 2007)

which cordless drill is like asking what I should name my next kid LOL I have dewalts, pick one brand and stick to it so all your tools use the same battery is my thinking here. Most companies make other cordless tools and that may be something to keep in mind.


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## HomeSealed (Jan 3, 2008)

I always had Dewalts and even with a few minor problems to my hammer drill, (I beat the crap out of it) their service is awesome as they've fixed it for free every time. Last year I ventured out and bought a Makita Lion, today the second of the two batteries died on me. In my opinion it offered less performance in the first place, now it is a paper weight. Never again.


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## Joining_Heads (May 27, 2007)

If you are going to pick one brand don't get Dewalt.


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## troubleseeker (Sep 25, 2006)

Joining_Heads said:


> If you are going to pick one brand don't get Dewalt.


I lean toward agreement here. The only Dewalt tools I still have (or use) are 12" compound miter non sliders, and I can already tell from the noises of the newest one (about 2 1/2 years) that it will never make the 10 years of service that he first ones produced. Their general product quality went down awfully fast once they established a market base. Had three cordless drills and every year they either needed a new battery, chuck, or motor bearings were shot; reciprocating saw lasted less than two years, random orbit sander about the same. IMO, the Panasonic 15.4 volts with the 3.5 ah batteries are the benchmark for cordless drills.


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