Cordless Drills ... Any thoughts?

[Chris Kelble]

I've been researching and have narrowed it down (I think) to 3:

Makita BDF452HW
Hitachi DS18
Milwaukee 2601-22

I want lithium-ion. My usage is normal hobby/home repair, however I am probably going to be building a deck for my neighbor, so I'd like it to stand up to some intermittent long-hour use (driving screws). I also want one that won't give me popeye arms after holding it for an hour. Prefer the $200 price target range (i.e. no Panasonics).

Any thoughts?

[Matt Brawley]

I have the 18 Volt DeWalt Model # DCD940KX, and I have the hammer version too. Between those two drills I don't think I have picked up a better cordless drill, but these might be a little out of your price range a little closer to $300.

[Randal Stevenson]

Do you have them locally? See what fits/feels comfortable to you, and also check the amp hour rating. The higher the amp hours, the longer the battery will last between swapping/charging. That is the important thing.

I did go with one that is on your not list. My other choice was do to feel and good experience, verses bad experience with another listed brand. (prefer Makita, currently, over Milwaukee).

[Stephen Edwards]

I'm in the same boat that you're in. As for cordless drills I've been loyal to DeWalt for 20 years. Times are changing! The last two that I've bought aren't up to snuff compared to what they used to be, in my opinion. They haven't held up nearly as long, especially battery and charger life. The overall build seems to be not as good as in years past.

I'd love to hear about other folks' experience with the lithium-ion drills. I know that I want one that is small enough for tight places and another that's heavy duty enough for decking/framing projects.

[rich murray]

I have two Makita drills. One with a cord has given trouble-free service for over 20 years, the other is the one on your list: light weight and easy to handle, battery recharges in about 20 minutes, quick and easy bit changes. I haven't driven deck screws with it, but it has done everything I have asked of it, and I would recommend it without hesitation. These are the drills I own, and would buy again. They compare very well to other drills I have used.

[John Thompson]

I'm a Milwaukee fan but... in this case the Makita gets the call. I hated all cordless until I purchased a Makita with Lithium... the hate has been erased. With that said.. the others might be fine also as I have not used either.

Sarge..

[Garth Keel]

I have the Mikita (comes with 2 batteries); and quick re-charge. It's the best battery drill I have used. My 1/2 inch Milwaukee (corded) has sat in its case since this one came home with me.

[Brad Knabel]

I'm looking for a replacement cordless too since my Dewalt 14.4 died after a year and a half of very light use. Does anyone have any experience with the Ridgid 18v lithium ion drills? I'm especially interested because of the free lifetime battery replacement - are there any gotchas with that offer?

[Russ Filtz]

I bought the Makita Li-On kit from HD, came with a sawz-all style and a portable circular saw along with the drill. Work great so far. Nice and light compared to my old DeWalt NiCad.

[Alain Tellier]

Chris,

I have a love and hate relatinship with cordless drill. I bought the Milwaukee 2601 4 months ago and been using it ever since...like it very much.

It's light, compact, plenty of torque and keeps its charge till the very end.
Batteries charges in 30 minutes and a fully charge battery has a shelf life of 18 months.

I use it in tandem with my Bosh PS20 driver and it is a charm to work with.

[Jeff Strickler]

I received a Black and Decker last xmas, which I admit I had a bias against. As it turns out, I've been pleasantly surprised -- lightweight, battery lasts a long time, surprisingly powerful. It has its limits of course (and for a deck I'd pull out my more powerful corded drill) but for hobby work -- hanging pictures, basic household repair tasks, etc, the $50 price is just right. I know you asked about the normal "good ones" but just offering another point of view -- sometimes a cheap tool with a bad reputation can actually offer a surprisingly good deal.

[Prashun Patel]

Owners of the Makita swear by it.
Owners of the Hitachi swear by it.

If you choose either, I doubt you'll regret yr purchase.

Owners of Dewalts, Boschs, and of course Festool also swear by their's too.

I can't speak for the Milwaukee, but I would not be surprised if its fans are just as rabid.

When it comes to cordless drills, the better question is "Which one should I AVOID?"

[Narayan Nayar]

I love Panasonics. Always have. I have 2 12V drills; both of which came with 2 batteries, and an impact driver. I take care of my tools, but in the course of normal use these things have been dropped, kicked, and used until dry, and they're still going strong. I admit one of them, about 7 years old now, needs to have its brushes replaced, which I will most certainly have done. And I will have the older one's batteries rebuilt in the next month or so as well.

But it's a testament to these drills that 7 years later, I'm not only willing but incredibly eager to have one of them serviced. Most tools like this are built to be replaced.

I have a corded Milwaukee which I use for really large stuff (drilling bench dog holes, large holesaws, household construction, etc.), but it's rarely used. And I have a small Bosch PS-10 and PS-20 which see some use, but I usually reach for the Panasonic. Or my Millers Falls braces :)

[Larry Edgerton]

The one I have is the best.

[Karl Brogger]

Panasonic is still the best route in my opinion. They're durable, work well, and they're short. I do like Makita's though, I have a Makita impact I just had the body replaced on because where the handle meets where the battery attaches cracked. Its tiny, and very powerful, doesn't drill holes though.

When I go to buy another impact I will be getting the Li-Ion Panasonic, but they're quite proud of them. I think last time I looked they were $400.

[Mike Heidrick]

Makita BDF452HW


You already found your answer!! Contact Mark at heavy duty tools dot net and he will make you a deal. He rocks and is my go to guy for makita lith ion!!

[sean m. titmas]

regardless of the brand that you choose i recommend that you buy a drill motor for drilling and an impact for driving.

the only negative i can see is the initial cost.

however there many advantages to the two gun set up.

longer battery run time and life
fine tune driving for smaller screws
plenty of power to drive even 4" lag bolts with no kick back
short nose cone adds stability to action and allows access to narrow places
because a 14v impact has more driving power than 18v drill motor you can buy the 14v impact and 14v drill and save money over the 18v guns.
but either way you go buy the same voltage impact and drill so that the batts are interchangeable.

[Nick Abbott]

I think the Panasonic 15.6 volt drill is the finest available. It is small, lightweight and has the power of everyone elses 19.2 volt drills (or better). At $199.00 it's not cheap but as soon as you use one it will only take a few minutes for you to understand why Panasonic's are the best cordless drills made.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Bosch,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

[Mark Koury]

Panasonic __________________________________

[sean m. titmas]

since we're throwin' names out there, my vote goes for

Hilti

[Mike Henderson]

regardless of the brand that you choose i recommend that you buy a drill motor for drilling and an impact for driving.

the only negative i can see is the initial cost.

however there many advantages to the two gun set up.

longer battery run time and life
fine tune driving for smaller screws
plenty of power to drive even 4" lag bolts with no kick back
short nose cone adds stability to action and allows access to narrow places
because a 14v impact has more driving power than 18v drill motor you can buy the 14v impact and 14v drill and save money over the 18v guns.
but either way you go buy the same voltage impact and drill so that the batts are interchangeable.
It's also really nice to have two drills when you have to drill a pilot hole and then put the screw in. If you can't drill all the holes first, it's drill pilot hole, change to driver bit, put screw in, change back to drill bit, etc.

With two drills, you just grab the other drill and keep going.

Mike

[Jason White]

I've purchased cheap cordless drills and expensive ones.

I prefer the cheap ones and am partial to the 12-volt DeWalts. I think I paid $99 each at Lowe's, so I bought two of them -- one for drilling and one for driving. They're nice and lightweight and have metal chucks -- not super powerful but perfect for the shop!

For bigger jobs, I use my 14v Milwaukee cordless or my impact driver(s).

Jason



I've been researching and have narrowed it down (I think) to 3:

Makita BDF452HW
Hitachi DS18
Milwaukee 2601-22

I want lithium-ion. My usage is normal hobby/home repair, however I am probably going to be building a deck for my neighbor, so I'd like it to stand up to some intermittent long-hour use (driving screws). I also want one that won't give me popeye arms after holding it for an hour. Prefer the $200 price target range (i.e. no Panasonics).

Any thoughts?

[michael osadchuk]

I second the advice of Mike and Sean to get a pair of drills with the second drill being an impact driver that has extra power to drive screws.....

Based on a recent review in www.toolsofthetrade.com
on 18v lithium-ion impact drivers I bought this combo kit of a driver drill (BDF452) and a impact drill (BTD142) from Makita: extremely compact and light (uses 1.5amp batteries) and am very satisfied

www.makita.com/en-us/Modules/Tools/ToolDetails.aspx?ID=24067

btw, Amazon.com has lots of end user reviews of most drills that have been on the market for a couple of years.....

good luck

michael

[Mike Lipke]

I have a Panasonic cordless. The best. Period.

But....when I saw a Milwaukee 2601 factory reconditioned with 2 batteries for $109, I had to snap it up. BANG FOR THE BUCK?? You bet. Like it a lot

[Bruce Wrenn]

I would look seriously at the 12V LI's from Rigiid, available from HD. I bought my first about two years ago, and I now own five. You have ninety days to decide if you like them. If not just return them. For the lifetime service agreement, you must send in papaer work in the first ninety days though. Get a cofirmation of delivery though. (OWT is having problems procesing the service agreements.) Ninety day satifaction, three year warranty, and life time service agreement, including BATTERIES, make it hard to go wrong.

[Charles Krieger]

Here's why!

I have an old 9.6V Makita which I got it for my birthday about 15 years ago. I bought a new battery about 5 years ago and I still use the original battery as well as the "new" one. With that kind of service I had to buy Makita again when I decided to go with a LI-ION 18V machine. It has many improved features over the old 9.6V but the 9.6V still has plenty of torque to break screws. Got to love them both! If the new Makita lasts as long as the old one my heirs will fight for it.

So I have to vote for the BDF452 which does every thing I ask it to do.

[Shawn Christ]

For a home hobbyist who wants to build an occasional deck I'm surprised nobody mentioned Ryobi. Check out their One+ system and new lithium batteries. Nice features and performance at reasonable prices. My used Ryobi drill has outlasted the Panasonic and Porter Cable drills I previously owned.

I would recommend an 18-volt Ryobi drill and also an impact driver, and one or two of the new lithium batteries. You don't need the new "alien green" tools, any of the One+ will do, but get the new lithium batteries and charger. I purchased mine on eBay for a fraction of the cost of new (came out of combo units) and substantially less than the other brands.

[Blake Barr]

You simply can't beat a Makita LXT407 combo from ebay... $340 shipped and it comes with the drill/driver an impact, 2 batts and a light... there are a variety of vendors from time to time. I got my set from ebay and had no troubles....

http://cgi.ebay.com/Makita-LXT407-4pc-18v-Lithium-Cordless-Combo-Kit-NEW_W0QQitemZ150346375979QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_Def aultDomain_0?hash=item230157a32b&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2|65%3A15|39%3A1|240%3A1318|301%3A1 |293%3A1|294%3A50

[Tom Godley]

I purchased the Makita combo pack W/O the flashlight -- 18v lith/ion - When they were on sale at HD.

I like them very much -- especially surprised how much I like the impact driver. They are small and very powerful -- mine have the smaller batteries and I like them better than the larger heaver ones.

[Von Bickley]

I second the advice of Mike and Sean to get a pair of drills with the second drill being an impact driver that has extra power to drive screws.....



This is VERY GOOD advice. If you are going to ever build a deck, you will benefit from an impact driver.

Get an impact driver and get a separate drill that uses the same size batteries. That will give you 2 battery chargers and 4 batteries.

Check out the price range on the Hitachi...... :)

[George Murphy]

I am a little late to this party, but I saw no replies mentioned the Hitachi that the OP asked about. I know that it is normal for everyone to advocate for the brand they bought. I just want to say that I have the Hitachi DS18 Li and am very pleased with it. Not gonna claim it is the absolute best out there, haven't used the others.

I like the smaller size (easier between studs or inside of cabinets)
I like the lighter weight (less fatigue)
I like the power and run time
I like the nifty belt hook on the battery
I like that I got it for a steal, like $149 or so. 2 batts, charger, case
from Lowes

Probably can't go wrong with any of your choices mentioned, Chris


Cheers!

[Jon Behnke]

I'm also a Panasonic fan but wanted to add a little more about the impact driver. Built a deck two years ago and used an impact driver for all the screws. The advantage to the impact is you seldom if ever jump out of the screw or round over the bits. You don't have to lean on it so hard to keep the bit engaged so you don't wear yourself out either.

[Brian Penning]

I have the Makita -works great.

Only complaint is the chuck jaws can't take very small drill bits.

[Matt Meiser]

I've been trying to decide between the Makita on your list and a similar Bosch. I almost pulled the trigger, no pun intended, on a recon Bosch at a store in Nashville while on vacation, but the shipping (we were flying) and sales tax killed the bargain. Then Menards had it on sale for $179 and I almost pulled the trigger. Then just this past weekend I found out that the Makita's batteries will fit the charger I have for my 14.4V Makita impact with LiIon batteries (they don't have a drill that uses the same batteries or I'd have that.) Having a common charger will mean one less thing to haul to job sites (i.e. into the house.) So after Pay Day, I've been authorized to pick that one up.

Regarding Ryobi--if their new batteries are improved then they probably make a decent tool. I have a 12V NiCad set (drill, saw, flashlight) that is OK, but the original batteries were terrible to start and quickly got worse. I had them rebuilt with higher Ah cells which was a big improvement, but now they take longer to charge too. The saw is OK and meets my needs for for the minimal use. The drill I like except that the chuck absolutely sucks and I've not been able to get it off to put a better one on. There was a recent thread with complaints about this issue as well. However, I'm also leary of anything sold only by one retailer anymore--Ryobi and Ridgid would all but disappear overnight if Home Depot failed to renew their contract and went with a supplier that would sell them the tools for 10 cents less. Or if Home Depot went belly up which is coceiveable in today's climate as well. I was just going through our receipt folder today looking for something and it was a veritable retail museum--Linens N Things, Circuit City, CompUSA, etc.

[Ron Bontz]

Well the tools salesman I have been dealing with for years swears by panasonic for the best bang for buck. I, however, just bought the Milwaukee 2601 Kit myself that came with the impact driver to replace my Dewalt 14.4v. I like the lithium batteries but would prefer the full size batteries instead of the half size. The case will hold the full size batteries BTW. The tool has plenty of power and does not seem to slowly loose power. The down side is you have to check the little gauge on the front. When it goes dead, it's dead. The little light on the front is really handy for dark corners, cabinets, etc. It is comfortable in my hand as well. I still have my Dewalts sitting around. Just not sure what to do with them since they don't make Lithium batteries for the 14.4v. Time will tell.:)