9.6 volt or...

[aurelio alarcon]

I have been using 9.6 volt drills ever since I can remember. I have always been satisfied. Is a jump up to 12 or 14.4 volt a big difference? Speed? Battery length? Torque?

[Tyler Howell]

Bigger is better but!!!!

I have gone to 14.VDC Makita on almost everthing because.....One size fits all!
There are still four different chargers on my bench for lingering bat. operated toyls or a weak moment in the borg. The New Makita charger will refresh almost all of its batteries so kind of a mute point.
I have a 19.2VDC Combo kit that I have mixed feelings about, but it does fill a void and serve a purpose. I can't get the (spin you around the room) torque from the 14VDC drill that that I can from the PC 19.2, but the PC will cut out often under heavy load.
Cost and weight are a factor when you increase in HP too!

Don't sell any thing but BS:D

[Bill Ryall]

I have a 9.6V Makita, a 14.4V B&D and an 18V Dewalt XRP. When in the shop, I almost invariably pick up the Makita. It is by far my favorite. I can't tell much of a difference between it and the B&D. The 18V DeWalt has longer run time and arm breaking torque, but it is much bigger and heavier, and can be somewhat unweildy at times, especially working in tight quarters. When the B&D dies, (or I finally get sick of the POS) I plan on replacing it with one of the smaller 12V Dewalts. Unless you are a contractor, or use the drill continuously all day long, I think the 18V DeWalt is overkill for the average small shop.

My $.02

Bill R.

[aurelio alarcon]

I was thinking about getting a 12 volt EX from Craftsman. It had an excellent review in Popular Woodworking. But it comes with a 3-5 hour charger. I almost exclusively use my Makita and DeWalt 9.6 drills and they all come with a one hour charger ( I rarely use one of the batteries up and have to go for the other). The 14 volt EX has a one hour charger but is 20 dollars more. But still cheaper than the others. And this is good considering that magazine said that they might have placed the 12 volt drill with the "professional" grade models had it not been for the lack of a one handed chuck and,of course, the three hour charger. I am assuming the 14 volt is just as good.

[Chris Padilla]

I have the 14.4EX from Craftsman...I like it but I invariably find myself reaching fo the Festool CDD-12 drill! :) Still, the Craftmans does have more torque than the Festool so it has its applications.

[Jamie Buxton]

I use a 9.6 volt drill because it is lighter and smaller than higher-voltage ones. I can hang it on a tool belt, and despite its small size it can do 98% of my drilling and screwing jobs. Yeah, it doesn't have the torque of the higher-voltage tools, but when I need big power I think it is time to pull out the corded tools.

[aurelio alarcon]

Hello Chris,
Thr EX has gotten pretty good reviews. Do you feel that the Craftsman EX is a pretty good tool to use in the shop? I might buy it. Great price vis-a-vis other ones (better stated-within my price range).

[aurelio alarcon]

Hi Jamie,
This is what I usually do. Just like you use yours, I use mine.

[Byron Trantham]

I have a 9.6V Makita "stick battery", a 9.6V DeWalt and 14.4V DeWalt. The Makita is second one that I hve bought. It is one workhorse but the ergonomics aren't that great. The 9.6V DeWalt is nice use, light and blanced well but the bateries don't hold up. The 14.4 DeWalt XRP is one fine drill - realtive to my other two. I use it most of the time. Holds it's charge and can turn an engine over. When I am installing, say #8x5/8" screws I use the 9.6V DeWalt. When I buy another one I really don't know what it will be, probably another 14.4V.

[Chris Padilla]

Hello Chris,
Thr EX has gotten pretty good reviews. Do you feel that the Craftsman EX is a pretty good tool to use in the shop? I might buy it. Great price vis-a-vis other ones (better stated-within my price range).
I like mine just fine and so far so good with it. I got a good price on it (don't recall...$50?) and went for it...it is my first cordless drill.

[Joe Scarfo]

My 12v DeWalt died far to soon for a hobby guy like me.. I picked up a Porter Cable 14.4 refurb from the local PC/Delta store as it has a hammer drill functionally which is great for me...

I'm on the hunt for a low end, very light 9.6 or 12.4. It'll pbly be a Ryobi as all I need to do is drive Kreg screws and cabinet door hinge screws. No heavy duty work at all.. I'm so suprised the DeWalt didn't hold up.

Joe in Tampa....

[aurelio alarcon]

I like mine just fine and so far so good with it. I got a good price on it (don't recall...$50?) and went for it...it is my first cordless drill.
I think that I will definetely get the Craftsman 14 volt EX drill. I already have a few Makitas at 9.6 (right angle stick and two stick regulars). I also have a 9.6 DeWalt (but the chuck went bad so I use this one for remodel jobs where throwing it around or dropping it won't matter). I think that I need to step up just in case I need the extra power, and I like the EX Model.

[John Miliunas]

OK, so somebody has to play the "devil" here. Might as well be me. I've got the 18v Craftsman and, although it's got a LOT of oooomph, the chuck HAS to be the biggest, single piece of garbage I have in my shop! :mad: It doesn't do too bad with hex shaft bits, but I've gotten more regular HS bits stuck in a piece of wood than I care to talk about! At that point, I used to pull out my Festool TDD, chuck it up on the stranded bit and run it right back out. I say, "used to", because I now refuse to use the C-man for such tasks and exclusively use the Festool! I have also been "field testing" the new Ridgid 12v cordless and am quite impressed with the torque, recharge time AND chuck on that one, as well. :cool:

[aurelio alarcon]

OK, so somebody has to play the "devil" here. Might as well be me. I've got the 18v Craftsman and, although it's got a LOT of oooomph, the chuck HAS to be the biggest, single piece of garbage I have in my shop! :mad: It doesn't do too bad with hex shaft bits, but I've gotten more regular HS bits stuck in a piece of wood than I care to talk about! At that point, I used to pull out my Festool TDD, chuck it up on the stranded bit and run it right back out. I say, "used to", because I now refuse to use the C-man for such tasks and exclusively use the Festool! I have also been "field testing" the new Ridgid 12v cordless and am quite impressed with the torque, recharge time AND chuck on that one, as well. :cool:
Funny you should mention that because I have had the same problem with my DeWalt! You don't know how many times I've wanted to throw that thing right in the trash. You might have an argument here as to which is worse--yours or mine. My DeWalt does the same thing as yours. Hex bits are no problem for mine either. But when one of the other ones get stuck, I pull out either my Makita cordless stick drill or my Craftsman Professional electric drill and get the darn bit out. I'll tell you, sometimes that DeWalt is more of a hindrance than help. I've thought about getting the chuck replaced, but I'd rather invest in a more powerful cordless. This is why I was considering the Craftsman EX 14 volt. So far it seems to be the overall winner when it comes to what it has to offer while keeping in mind its price.

[Tom Hintz]

I am testing the Bosch 14.4V drill/driver right now, comes with two batteries, one hour charger, 1/2" chuck (I love that), ratcheting chuck for one-handed bit changing (very cool), a good clutch and very effective variable speed trigger. It also has the two mode, fast and power, both of which do exactly that.
I have been thrashing this drill/driver as much as I can and it seems to be very good on all counts.

[aurelio alarcon]

I am testing the Bosch 14.4V drill/driver right now, comes with two batteries, one hour charger, 1/2" chuck (I love that), ratcheting chuck for one-handed bit changing (very cool), a good clutch and very effective variable speed trigger. It also has the two mode, fast and power, both of which do exactly that.
I have been thrashing this drill/driver as much as I can and it seems to be very good on all counts.I'll check that out. I would like a 1/2 chuck. But it probably has a hefty price on it.

[Jim Becker]

I find the 14.4v tools to be about the best compromise between raw driving power and weight, although some of the 12v units are close. Both of my cordless drill-drivers are 14.4v and I don't want for something bigger or smaller.

[Michael Cody]

Another vote for sticking with 9.6v. I have the same old Makita 9.6v stick battery unit. Picked up a second NiMH battery for it.. it will drive any woodworking project I need no problem, it's lite enough to hang on my belt, it's not ergo-nomically perfect but it works fine and the battery lasts for hours. It's the first tool I reach for to drive a screw. The only downside is the keyed chuck (it's and oldie but a goodie). I also have a 15.6v panasonic I got used from a guy who runs office cubicle setup crews. It's the only brand he uses. This is an awesome drill & pretty good driver. I recommend it .. but it's too heavy. It is better balanced and the batteries last & charge in 15 minutes. What's not to like?? Well did I say it's heavy? You can't hang it on the belt, etc...

To come down to it, the only reason I grab anything other than the Makita is to drill large holes, drive screws for a faceplate on my lathe or drive deck screws. To this end I just found a Dewalt 12v Hammer drill on clearance @ lowes for 109$ instead of 199$ (don't rush out, they only had one on the clearance table in Kalamazoo -- all the others were 169$ which is still a good price)... It's lighter than the Panasonic, etc.. comes with 2 batteries & quick charger. So if I like it I will probably sell the panasonic since my 90% use drill/driver is the Makita.

Bottom line, I don't see where you need more power to drive screws in the woodshop, maybe if you were building decks, wanted one driver for all stuff or did other heavy duty work, well then yes, but for driving #8 & #6 2" or less screws, drilling pocket holes, pilot holes, etc.. I just don't see the need.

[aurelio alarcon]

Another vote for sticking with 9.6v. I have the same old Makita 9.6v stick battery unit. Picked up a second NiMH battery for it.. it will drive any woodworking project I need no problem, it's lite enough to hang on my belt, it's not ergo-nomically perfect but it works fine and the battery lasts for hours. It's the first tool I reach for to drive a screw. The only downside is the keyed chuck (it's and oldie but a goodie). I also have a 15.6v panasonic I got used from a guy who runs office cubicle setup crews. It's the only brand he uses. This is an awesome drill & pretty good driver. I recommend it .. but it's too heavy. It is better balanced and the batteries last & charge in 15 minutes. What's not to like?? Well did I say it's heavy? You can't hang it on the belt, etc...

To come down to it, the only reason I grab anything other than the Makita is to drill large holes, drive screws for a faceplate on my lathe or drive deck screws. To this end I just found a Dewalt 12v Hammer drill on clearance @ lowes for 109$ instead of 199$ (don't rush out, they only had one on the clearance table in Kalamazoo -- all the others were 169$ which is still a good price)... It's lighter than the Panasonic, etc.. comes with 2 batteries & quick charger. So if I like it I will probably sell the panasonic since my 90% use drill/driver is the Makita.

Bottom line, I don't see where you need more power to drive screws in the woodshop, maybe if you were building decks, wanted one driver for all stuff or did other heavy duty work, well then yes, but for driving #8 & #6 2" or less screws, drilling pocket holes, pilot holes, etc.. I just don't see the need.
like you, One of my stick Makitas requires a chuck key (the other is pretty new and has the keyless chuck). I used to do new construction plumbing about 20 years ago. While on the job site I found a brand new Makita stick cordless. At that time they were relatively new on the job site (I questioned their ability and all at that time). I looked around for the owner, but he had obviously moved on, so I put it into my bucket and saved it. I never bought a charger for it because they were so expensive. During the meantime I left construction and went to college and started a substitute teaching career. This whole time the drill was sitting in my closet at my parent's house. Well, I tired of the teaching and went back to doing construction-mostly remodeling jobs now (there's something about seeing a finished project that is so fulfilling). While doing a job and needing a cordless drill, It occured to me that I had a cordless drill at my parent's home. And ther it was, just like the day I found it--brand new and ready for a charge. As they say, the rest is history. I have been using that drill ever since. I almost replace the keyed chuck with the keyless but found the keyed chuck to be smaller than the keyless chuck and it could get into tighter spots, so I kept it just the way it is.

[Chris Padilla]

Aureilo, I can't say that I've had chuck problems with the 14.4EX. If I need the extra oomph, I put down the Festool and grab the Craftsman.

[aurelio alarcon]

Aureilo, I can't say that I've had chuck problems with the 14.4EX. If I need the extra oomph, I put down the Festool and grab the Craftsman.Thanks Chris. Since I already own a few 9.6 volt drivers, I've decided to go with the Craftsman 14.4 EX. I've read some pretty good reviews on the EX line. I recently read that the 12 volt and higher EX line can be used on a daily basis and it will hold up to the daily rigors in a shop. I wish I could get it at the price you got it. Right now it is at 79 bucks (I got a coupon for 5 bucks off = 75 ). Still a great deal. Thanks again.

[Steven Wilson]

If you want a fantastic chuck and gobs of torque look at the cordless models from Metabo. I was fortunate enough to participate in an American Woodworker cordless drill test and I found the Metabo 12V to out torque the normal run of 14.4V drills (Makita, Dewalt, PC, Milwaukee) and to be nearly as torquey as the 18V drills. The 15.6V Metabo is on par with many 24V drills and blows away the 18V models. The impulse feature is similar to using an impact driver with screws; great when you need it. Great drills, not as flexable as the Festool for cabinet building/installing but better than almost everything else out there.