need some advice on drills (cordless and corded varieties)

[Zahid Naqvi]

The batteries on my trusted Hitachi 14.4V cordless drill finally died on me after almost 10 yrs of use. So I am juggling several options.

1. Get new batteries since the drill itself is fine.
2. Get a whole new drill set, I can get one under $100 if I wait for a decent sale.
3. Go with a corded one.

The reason for the 3rd option are some upcoming home improvement projects (a bathroom redo for one). I had to mix some drywall compound recently with the cordless drill and found it severely lacking in power. In the last several years of constantly using the cordless drill I am almost convinced that I have probably not run into any situation where I could not have taken a power cable. Plus I am not averse to using an old fashioned screw driver.

Now something like a drywall compound mixing is probably once in a 5 yr exercise for me so should I plan around such an activity? I could possibly get an 18V drill which hopefully can mix drywall compound in small batches. On the other hand the corded drill will probably do all I want for a slight inconvenience of dragging a power cable with me. I just haven't used one in several decades and not sure if you can control the speed of one like you do through the trigger in a cordless drill, or if they even come with a clutch like mechanism to control the torque.

I figured some of my esteemed creekers will certainly know.

[Rick Moyer]

I have an 18v Hitachi that I use for almost everything, and I couldn't imagine only having a corded drill anymore. That being said, I had been wanting a small corded drill to replace a very old one I had that finally gave up the ghost. I really wanted a Milwaukee but the price wasn't justifiable to me for what I would use it (I already have a 1/2 hammer drill, too), so I opted for a cheap one from Lowe's. I mainly wanted it for pilot drilling for screws in the shop so I could keep a screw bit in the cordless.
If you are contemplating corded only, I don't think the Milwaukee can be beat. I would probably recommend that you get the batteries rebuilt and buy a cheaper corded.

[Jeremy Brant]

I really like Milwaukee's corded drills. I've got a 3/8", a 1/2", a hammer drill, and a drywall gun all from them. All are tough as nails. I've also got a 3/8" dewalt corded. The dewalt doesn't have the same heft and solidarity as the milwaukee, but seems to be holding up just as well. If you need to mix drywall compound, a corded 1/2" is the only way to go. Drywall compound is easier to mix than thinset, but I was getting smoke out of the 3/8" milwaukee trying to mix thinset (which prompted buying the 1/2" for the power, though still didn't kill the 3/8"). I really don't suggest using a cordless for this purpose. I have 12v and 18v makita cordless drills, which work great 99% of the time, but for repetitive jobs where you're not moving around a lot, I prefer the corded. I also prefer the corded for pocket holes w/ the Kreg jig...the much higher speed of the corded works a lot nicer (2800 rpm vs 1500 rpm).

[Neil Brooks]

I'm sort of losing the love for my cordless drills ... except where cordless is a necessity.

The batteries simply go pffffft at exactly the wrong moment (I have 5 or 6, so ....).

You might look at lithium ions, as replacements, if you can find them reasonably cheaply. Otherwise, I tend to agree: Milwaukee still makes a darned fine corded drill.

[Victor Robinson]

I got a Dewalt 3/8" corded drill (115K) about two years ago because of remodeling projects. At around $60, you can't beat it. I have used it to mix thinset, drywall compound, etc. Like Jeremy, I also got a bit of smoke out of my Dewalt mixing thinset, but mixing thinset is very very demanding and you have to take it slow and rest the drill. You would have no problems with drywall compound.

It's fantastic for drilling, but a little too beefy/powerful for driving screws into woodworking projects. For remodeling purposes, I highly recommend it.

[Bobby O'Neal]

I have a corded Dewalt (1/2") and a 12v Milwaukee impact driver and I dont think there is anything I couldn't do between the two of them. The size of the Milwaukee impact is awesome, especially with the small batter that fits in the handle. Love it.

[John Coloccia]

I now have a Makita LCT300W kit. I don't really care for the light, but I mention this particular kit as Ace Hardware seems to have a smoking deal on it at the moment. $216!

http://www.acehardware.org/hand-and-power-tools/heavy-duty-power-tools/multi-tool-kits/962.html
edit: The $216 deal has disappeared :(

I wouldn't spend a dime on something to mix drywall compound, but if you REALLY need to do that every now and then, something like this will work:
http://www.harborfreight.com/power-tools/mixers/electric-hand-mixer-with-single-paddle-65758.html

If the drill really is fine, I see no reason not to just rebuild the pack you have. If it's 10 years old, it's almost certainly a NiCd pack, isn't it? Rebuilding the packs should be very cheap and very straight forward.

But if you can swing $216 for the Makita set, I think you'll be happy. Instead of inconveniencing yourself for the next 5 years, wouldn't it be better to just inconvenience yourself for the few times you're going to have to mix compound by hand?

[Pat Barry]

I've got a Makita 12V that I've had for years and it is my favorite power tool. I also have a high power corded drill that is geared low. I bought it to drive lots of deck screws but other than that and I rarely use it except for mixing paint. I'd hate to go back to only the corded drill.

[David Prince]

Multiple choice: (D) All of the above.

If your existing cordless still works fine, but just needs a battery, get one and continue using it.

Buy a cheap corded drill for those times when you need one. I have numerous drills. Priced from $10 to over $100. (I use the $10 to loan out if anyone asks) lol

If you get a good deal on a new cordless, updating isn't a bad thing. This will give you another drill if you need one to drill and one to drive or just need another one because you just ran your battery down.

And there is no such thing as too many tools!

[Craig Michael]

Don't use a cordless for mixing things, you will just beat the heck out of it. For any mixing, I use a corded milwaukee, low speed high torque.

For cordless, it depends on your exact uses. I have and like a lot the milwaukee m12 drill and makita 18v. The 18v's are great now for anything because the lithium battery are so light, there is no extra weight to tick you off. I think my makita (blue) 18v weighs 1/2 what my last 18v Nicad battery drill weighed. The white makita set is the 1/2 batteries so it's even lighter. Take a look on craigslist and see if you can find a new or lightly used one for a great price. My blue makita set (drill and impact driver, 2 batt, charger) I picked up off craigslist for 1/2 off new price and my set was still in a sealed box, never used. I'd go for either the makita or milwaukee in the cordless and milwaukee for corded.

[Dave MacArthur]

I bought a 1/2" Ryobi heavy duty hammer drill at HD for mixing thinset and drilling concrete for installing pool fences etc..., it is like $60 and works like a champ. I've installed 3 entire houses of tile floor with the thing and 3 pool fences, runs great and you aren't afraid to beat it up... no smoke mixing thinset, a seriously taxing job.

Buy a cheap corded for such things, rebuild the batteries. Then keep an eye out for the Makita set cheap!

[Rich Engelhardt]

Don't use a cordless for mixing things, you will just beat the heck out of it. For any mixing, I use a corded milwaukee, low speed high torque
You can mix very small batches of wall tile grout - but - other than that +1 to the above.
I just got done using my 18V DeWalt cordless to mix some small batches ( about a gallon) of 45 min set mud.
The drill was very unhappy about doing it. Very.
For the rest, I'm going to drag out all the 18V Black and Decker batteries I have, stick them on the charger, and sacrifice a $20.00 18V B&D cordless to the mud gods.
I'd use my ancient 3/4" B&D corded,,,but,,,that drill is still a useable tool! The 18V B&D cordless is more toy than tool.


Re: the OP.
10 year old cordless?
This is a no brainer (IMHO).
The small pocket type LiIon drill/drivers out today are the way to go.

PS - buy the mud premixed. The one in the yellow bucket Lowes carries is good stuff.

[John Sanford]

Rebuilding the battery packs isn't as cheap as you'd think. Given the much smaller physical size of the 12v subcompacts, I'd recommend "going small" and for the mixing duties "go big." Big, as in a 1/2" Corded. If, for some reason, you don't want to go small, go with an 18v Lithium Ion cordless.

Unfortunately, corded drills with clutches are rare. Occasionally, Ryobi and Craftsman will have one on the market, but when they do it's invariably a 3/8" with about 4, maybe 5 amps. Even if you could find one, you'd smoke it in a hurry mixing, even mixing drywall. Last, I'd suggest skipping on getting a hammer drill unless you know you'll only be doing very light duty hammer activities. My experience (albeit limited) with hammerdrills points me to one of the big SDS beasts if I need the hammerin', especially when you're dealing with old concrete. New concrete (which hasn't been curing for decades) can probably be dealt with using a straight 1/2" HD, but a 30 year old slab will kick a regular HD's butt.

Pretty much any of the main brands (Milwaukee, DeWalt, Makita, Bosch) will be good for the cordless, with Ryobi, Hitachi, Rigid and now (sadly) Porter-Cable just behind, and B&D, Skil and Harbor Freight pulling rear guard. My corded's are a 7 year old 3/8" Milwaukee Magnum and a 30+ year old 3/8" lighter duty B&D, before they went cheapo.

Well, I'm outta here. Good luck.

[art san jr]

The Makita 10.8 V at HD, $139 is a great deal, drill driver + impact + case = pretty good. Good reviews, light weight, powerful.
Also ReconditionedTools always see to have reconditioned Hitachi drills on sale. Most folks seem happy with 'em. Price is always right.
I would stay with cordless and buy an inexpensive corded from say HF,their Hammer, (with normal drill function)
is a beast, under 30 bucks.
HTH.

Art.

[Chuck Tringo]

Sell the drill on the bay or in the classifieds for a few bucks and go with 2 or 3....for 3 I like the Dewalt 7 Amp and will likely be getting one when (if?) my Black and Decker corded hammer drill dies. You can find it here http://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DWD110K-8-Inch-Pistol-Keyless/dp/B0012KN1I0/ref=sr_1_5?s=power-hand-tools&ie=UTF8&qid=1294364499&sr=1-5 or at either borg for a similar price. For a new cordless, I would go with the Porter Cable 12V Drill/Impact set at lowes, I like having an actual chuck. At the moment my only cordless drills (other than a 14.4 Hitachi impact driver....not great for delicate stuff) are 2 Schroeder eggbeaters and an old Craftsman 8 inch sweep brace.

[Michael Simpson Virgina]

I have owned several portable drills some pro grade and some consumer. Nothing. and I mean nothing compairs to my Festool T12+3. The festool is light, powerfull and I have dropped it on to concrete and it runs as smooth as the day I purchased it. The T12+3 comes with removeable heads so you can go right angle, Offset, Drill Driver, or Keyless chuck.

I own a monster corded electrisions Milwaukee that I used drill 1" an larger holes in lumber. None of my other coordless drills could and even some of my coorded drills could handle a 1" auger drill bits. The T12+3 can do it. It gets warm but it will keep up.

[Roger Bullock]

I have several corded and cordless drills that I have used in construction over the years. When the job called for a lot of torque, I reached for the 1/2" Milwaukee, for portability I used either a Milwaukee or PC battery drill. When working in my shop I used both battery powered drills but hated that I also had to have 2 chargers running to make sure I have a fresh battery ready to go.

A few years ago I was faced with the same situation as you, the battery on my PC drill was dying. Since I had corded drills to handle any heavy project that came along, I reviewed what I wanted my shop drills to perform. I liked having more than 1 drill in the shop so that I could drill with one and screw with the other. High torque was not needed as after all it is just wood but a keyless chuck was a must. I also wanted to have only one charging station. Along about this time Sears had there 3/8" cordless battery drill with 2 batteries and a charger on sale for around $70 so for the price I tried one. Keyless chuck, adjustable torque, weight, size, and battery life worked for me so I went and picked up a second one. Now I have my 2 cordless shop drills, 1 charging station, 4 batteries all for the cost of one higher priced drill. Since I find waiting on a dead battery to charge is almost as exciting as watching paint dry or waiting on the LOML to get ready to go out. it is well worth the price of the extra batteries.:rolleyes:

[Brad Patch]

My furniture repair/restoration activities often require that an accurate level or plumb hole is required. My corded Dewalt DWD110 has two bubble levels that allow such precision. I start the hole and then only look at the vial to ensure accuracy. The drill has a keyless 3/8 chuck.

[Zahid Naqvi]

thanks for all the advice guys. Since the mortar mixing will probably be once in a life time activity, maybe I will buy the pre-mixed stuff and avoid the whole corded drill mess. I really don't see why I would necessarily need a corded drill besides the drywall compound mixing. A battery rebuild will typically cost you around $40, which to me is very expensive. Interestingly Ridgid now sells cordless power tools with lifetime warranty, including life time battery replacements. That sounds like a very good option to me. May be I will do what Chuck recommended i.e. sell the drill and use the money to subsidize the cost of a new cordless.

[William Burgess]

Get a decent 18v compact cordless set (impact driver & drill/driver, don't get a hammer drill), then when you need the corded one go out and buy a corded hammer drill / driver. I used a ryobi 18v drill to mix up a bunch of drywall compound when I remodeled my bathroom, so you shouldn't have any issues. I now own the makita compact set and a dewalt corded hammer drill and have used both in remodeling and outdoor work.

[Jon McElwain]

Just remember that cordless drills are sort of like mattresses and furniture. NEVER EVER EVER pay full price. These tools go on sale just as often as a furniture or mattress store has a sale. Search the internet for whatever you think you would like to buy and go for the best price.

I agree with one posters listing of tools in relative quality - good advice.

Personally, I have a makita 14 volt set with drill, impact driver and light. These are my 97% us drills. Got them on SALE for right around $200. I also have a 6 amp corded dewalt drill that I bought for about $35 new on SALE. I use this when I need more speed or torque than my cordless will provide. I have an 18 volt dewalt impact driver that is rarely used. Good drill, got it on CLEARANCE for around $150 with two batteries case and charger. I have a rebuilt Bosch 1/2" chorded drill that I use for mixing - got it for FREE from a guy who didn't want to take the time to put new brushes in. There are a couple more, older drills, drywall drills etc. but you get the point.

I would go for a good quality cordless set with a drill and impact driver (once you start using an impact you will never go back), and pick up a corded drill at some point when you find one on a really good sale. I bet this setup would work for your needs well. If $200 is too much, a corded drill is a much stronger and much faster spinning tool for a fraction of the cost.

[Justin Jones RDH]

http://www.amazon.com/Milwaukee-0234-6-Magnum-2-Inch-Drill/dp/B0000223HF/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1294463014&sr=8-4

This thing is a true time tested workhorse. Plenty of power and not that expensive176986

[Jon McElwain]

This thing is a true time tested workhorse. Plenty of power and not that expensive176986

I'll +1 that. If I needed another drill, that would be close to the top of the list.

[Zahid Naqvi]

Looks like the Makita 10.8V refurb is selling at toolking (http://www.toolking.com/makita-lct203w-impact-driver-and-driver-drill-combo-kit-makita-factory-reconditioned?mc_cid=4901ffdfcf&mc_eid=1d66f92e06) at $109.98, maybe I should take the plunge and get this.