need new drill...corded,cordless???

[Michael J Evans]

Hi guys, i royally screwed up my old made in usa 1/4 corded skil i had. Took it apart just to look at it and i put it back together but think i Didnt have one of the brushes just right cuz it fried the little spring inside... it still sorta works but i need /want a new drill anyways(not much power).
Im not sure which way to go corded or cordless but im thinking corded just cuz the price and itll mostly only ever be used in my garage. Dont have a preferance but would like a good all around drill, my one dilemma though im poor. im trying to save every cent i have for a vacation my grandma is taking the family on. Ive googled alot of the different drills and most of the corded in the <$60 range all have the same specs for the most part... i looked the the clutched ryobi for $40 today but it seems to have pretty low rpms rpms(does that matter). I could bust out the credit card for a cordless drill driver set or a better corded drill if everyone thinks it needed but prefer not to.
It you could do it over again what would you buy ? I dont want crap, just something good that i can drill a few holes and drive some screws with And budget friendly ( young with 2 kids )
Thanks in advance

[ed vitanovec]

I am a fan of cordless drills, I regularly use 12V and 18V Dewalt and Milwaukee. Very happy with both brands.

[Mike Henderson]

I have 12 and 20 volt DeWalt drills and they're both very good. Get a cordless. They're a lot more convenient than a corded drill.

Mike

[Kent A Bathurst]

I have 12 and 20 volt DeWalt drills and they're both very good. Get a cordless. They're a lot more convenient than a corded drill.

Mike

True. But - it sounds like your immediate priority is to conserve cash for a family vacation and a couple kids.

They will always be selling candy next Christmas. You know what the right answer is. Get a name brand, 3/8", corded. Go to the cheap end of the product line for any solid name brand. It will work for many years. Less convenient than a cordless, but it will get the job done. You can upgrade at any time in the future.

And - if you get a low-end cordless, you will have wasted your money. Not so on a low-end corded.

Me - I'm the guy that finally - just 2 weeks ago - pitched a 3/8" Craftsman corded that was > 20 years old. I am sure I paid under $20 for it - likely well under. Did not pitch it because it didn't work - it did. It did a heckuva job for many years - hard work and abuse. But it spent its time on a shelf next to a DW 1/2" corded hammer drill, and there is a fleet of Makita cordless in a drawer in the back bench. So the Craftsman had not left the shelf for 10 years.

I am always a proponent of buy quality, and cry once. But - I am not dogmatic about it.

I will not be an enabler on this deal............conserve the cash - you have more important things on the horizon.

[Scott Brandstetter]

Michael, I can certainly understand not having a lot of cash. My recommendation is to get on craigslist and find a used corded drill. It will be the cheapest way to achieve what you want and meet your immediate needs. It wasn't that long ago that I had to give up convenience for saving cash.

Good luck

[Kent A Bathurst]

Michael, I can certainly understand not having a lot of cash. My recommendation is to get on craigslist and find a used corded drill. It will be the cheapest way to achieve what you want and meet your immediate needs. It wasn't that long ago that I had to give up convenience for saving cash.

Good luck

Perfect, Scott - I feel stupid for not having made that point in my comments. Thanks for the save.

[Michael J Evans]

True. But - it sounds like your immediate priority is to conserve cash for a family vacation and a couple kids.

They will always be selling candy next Christmas. You know what the right answer is. Get a name brand, 3/8", corded. Go to the cheap end of the product line for any solid name brand. It will work for many years. Less convenient than a cordless, but it will get the job done. You can upgrade at any time in the future.

And - if you get a low-end cordless, you will have wasted your money. Not so on a low-end corded.

Me - I'm the guy that finally - just 2 weeks ago - pitched a 3/8" Craftsman corded that was > 20 years old. I am sure I paid under $20 for it - likely well under. Did not pitch it because it didn't work - it did. It did a heckuva job for many years - hard work and abuse. But it spent its time on a shelf next to a DW 1/2" corded hammer drill, and there is a fleet of Makita cordless in a drawer in the back bench. So the Craftsman had not left the shelf for 10 years.

I am always a proponent of buy quality, and cry once. But - I am not dogmatic about it.

I will not be an enabler on this deal............conserve the cash - you have more important things on the horizon.

great word's kent and your right i already knew the answer.... i will browse hd,lowe's again this weekend and take a closer look at some of them.


Michael, I can certainly understand not having a lot of cash. My recommendation is to get on craigslist and find a used corded drill. It will be the cheapest way to achieve what you want and meet your immediate needs. It wasn't that long ago that I had to give up convenience for saving cash.

Good luck

was actually my first thought, apparently no one is selling any corded drills. a few different cordless sets but i have no trust for those.on my lunch break tomorrow im gonna stop by goodwill and maybe a couple different second hand stores never know what i might find

[Mike Heidrick]

You could try a set of new brushes first?

[glenn bradley]

Cordless for convenience, corded for power and speed. For most of us the speeds and power of 12v and up lithium drill motors is very satisfactory. Most cordless offerings top out at 1500 to 1800 RPM with at least one going to 2000 RPM; corded units will go to 2500 RPM and higher if that is important to you.

[John McClanahan]

Michael, I can certainly understand not having a lot of cash. My recommendation is to get on craigslist and find a used corded drill. It will be the cheapest way to achieve what you want and meet your immediate needs. It wasn't that long ago that I had to give up convenience for saving cash.

Good luck


I agree with this option, too. Pawn shops are an option, too. Just be sure to know the value of the drill. Some shops price their used stuff rather high.


John

[cody michael]

I hate, corded drills I have 2 nice 1/2 corded drills, hardly ever use them, battery drills are great, for 100$ you can get this drill, 2 batteries, sign up for lifetime service agreement and in 5-10 yrs when batteries die go get new ones for free.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-18-Volt-Compact-Drill-Driver-Kit-R860052K/205690161

[Scott Brandstetter]

Agree with the pawn shop idea. Just looked at ebay and there are all kinds of drills for less than $50 (some a lot less than that)

[Art Mann]

Maybe not now, but at some point in the future I recommend you go cordless. I have two nice Dewalt corded drills; one is 3/8" and the other 1/2". I haven't used either of them in several years. Cordless is just so much easier to work with that I can't go back to the cord. I am also a big fan of impact drivers.

I agree that the least expensive solution for a reliable corded drill is to search Craigslist if there is one in your area.

[Greg R Bradley]

The standout corded drill in your price range is the Milwaukee 0240-20 at about $65.

It's 2,800 high speed will work well for drilling small holes in steel, has enough power to drill 3/8" holes in steel easily, and has a variable speed trigger.

It's a good replacement for a dedicated high speed 1/4" drill with the flexibility of a 3/8" chuck. It has the great Milwaukee grip groove that fits into the web between your thumb and forefinger.

Even if you buy 5 more specialized drills in the next 20 years, it will still be very useful for some jobs.

I have several in use in shops where they get several hours of use per week and they just keep going strong.

[Jeffrey Martel]

Personally, I think cordless are less convenient. You always have to have a battery charged up and ready to go. I don't ever use a drill anywhere that I'm not close to an outlet, so there's not much hassle in plugging it in. Plus, I think I spent $40 or $50 on a nice dewalt corded drill that will likely outlast me.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Maybe not now, but at some point in the future I recommend you go cordless. I have two nice Dewalt corded drills; one is 3/8" and the other 1/2". I haven't used either of them in several years. Cordless is just so much easier to work with that I can't go back to the cord. I am also a big fan of impact drivers.

I agree that the least expensive solution for a reliable corded drill is to search Craigslist if there is one in your area.


Maybe you want to PM the OP with an offer to sell one.............spring cleaning, and all that?

[Mike Schuch]

The first drill I bought was a 110V Milwaukee hole shooter with a 1/2" keyless chuck. That was 30 years ago and I still use it often. I keep my cordless Dewalts at the house and replace the batteries every couple of years. The 1/2" Milwaukee hole shooter stays in the shop and I NEVER have to worry about the battery not being charged.

I am the only one that seems to be able to work the steel Keyless chuck on my Milwaukee though. It is different than plastic keyless chucks on battery powered drills in that it rachets like an impact wrench when loosening or tightening. The rest of the world thinks they are going to chew up the chuck when it does this.

Like others have mentioned I would look at pawn shops for a 110v drill from a reputable manufacture.... Milwaukee, Dewalt, Makita, Rockwell, etc. I picked up a huge Milwaukee hole hog at goodwill for $20... don't use it much but too good of a deal to pass up. Battery powered drills are a great convenience but if I only had one drill it would be a good solid 110v drill.

[Jim Dwight]

I could have used that Milwaukee hole hog recently. I was using a Irwin bit with screw threads on the tip to bore 1 inch holes in 2x4s for wiring my shop. My corded DeWalt 3/8 drills didn't have enough torque. My old Craftsman 1/2 inch needs thrown out. It will hardly turn. So I put my 1/2 Ryobi cordless in low speed and drilled the holes. Through as many as 6 2x4s. I had to swap batteries a few times but it got it done. I do everything with cordless Ryobis. You need the lithium ion batteries (18V) but with them it will do a lot of work. I've bored 1/2 holes in steel with them too. The cheapest I saw on a quick google is $65 for the drill, two batteries and a charger. I broke one of my Ryobis - drilling holes for locksets in solid doors, and bought a replacement for about $30. They are nice tools. Two speeds so you have torque for big bits and screws, high for drilling holes.

If you want to spend less and have a harbor freight store nearby, they have corded drills as cheap as $20. You might get a "bad one" but if you find that out quickly their return policy is good. A lot of their stuff is worth a lot more than it costs.

[roger wiegand]

Around here we have used tool stores that are really good for this sort of thing, in addition to checking CL. I wouldn't buy a cordless used though, as the batteries always go first and cost as much or more than a new drill with batteries. (I have several cordless ones that want a $100+ replacement battery I'd be happy to give you!) Find a yellow pages to see if there's a used store near you, they probably aren't on the interweb.

I use cordless LI-ion drills 98% of the time, but like having the corded drill to fall back on for jobs like lots of holes with the 4" hole saw or doing 1000 deck screws.

[John Sanford]

The one downside to corded drills is that very few of them, and none of any good quality, have clutches. If I were to have only one drill, it would be an 18v cordless model with a 1/2" chuck, 2-3 speed ranges, lithium-ion batteries, brushless motor, such as this DeWalt DCD995. (http://www.dewalt.com/tools/cordless-drills-hammerdrills-dcd995m2.aspx) However, such a drill is going to set you back $300. Milwaukee, Bosch, Makita, and others have similar drills, all very good, all around the same price.

Since you're looking at staying around $60, and to have only one corded drill (for now ;) ), look for a 3/8" keyless chuck, pistol grip. In addition to the Milwaukee recommended above, I'd recommend the DeWalt DWD110K.

[Rich Engelhardt]

On the - - who'd-a-thunk it side of things...

I had to put in some tap cons once and bought a cheapie Firestorm (Black and Decker) 1/2" corded hammer drill.
Two bathrooms. a kitchen and a dining room of tile (mixing thinset & morter & drywall mud), a few hundred TapCons, who knows how many pocket holes and any and every "dirty job" that comes along - - later, the thing is still going strong!
I gave a whopping $49 for it.

Don't discount the old and the ancient B&D corded drills. I have an old 1/4" and an old 3/8" that are variable speed and reversible.
Both are over 35 years old and both cost well under $20 when new.

I've seen the on CL for as little as $9.

[Kent A Bathurst]

On the - - who'd-a-thunk it side of things...

I had to put in some tap cons once and bought a cheapie Firestorm (Black and Decker) 1/2" corded hammer drill.
Two bathrooms. a kitchen and a dining room of tile (mixing thinset & morter & drywall mud), a few hundred TapCons, who knows how many pocket holes and any and every "dirty job" that comes along - - later, the thing is still going strong!
I gave a whopping $49 for it.

Don't discount the old and the ancient B&D corded drills. I have an old 1/4" and an old 3/8" that are variable speed and reversible.
Both are over 35 years old and both cost well under $20 when new.

I've seen the on CL for as little as $9.

Rich - - don't you just hate it when you sneak out in disguise to buy something like B&D or HF, and tool works fine and won't die? Aggravates me.

[Rich Engelhardt]

hehe - well, sort of, but, I really do enjoy getting a bargain!

[Dave Zellers]

Michael--

I have this drill (http://www.factoryauthorizedoutlet.com/makita/makita-3-8-drill-model-6408?gclid=CKbLzcOA7cQCFUokgQoduLkAdQ) that I would sell you for $35 but I'm afraid coast to coast shipping might be a killer. No tax tho.

I've hardly used it since it was a backup drill to begin with and now I have switched to Makita 18v cordless. Let me know if you are interested and we'll see what we can work out. Plastic case included.

[Stan Calow]

About 50% of every garage/estate sale I've been to, has a corded drill, usually Craftsman, usually for $5-10. I would not buy a used cordless drill.

[Michael J Evans]

sorry it's taken me so long to reply, i just finally figured out how to get the thread to show all the actual reply's... it would send me notifications with new reply's but everytime i actually came to the thread it would only show some of the reply's, weird....
but thanks for all the reply's and insight, i see great appeal in having a cordless drill & driver, especially the driver looks like a great tool to have, but upon thinking about it again corded for the budget & power is definitely the way im going to go, i have nothing to compare to but a few weeks/ month ago i spent 6+hr's spread out in ~ 1 hr increment's hours running a wire brush de rusting a table saw with my with my skil, im sure that would have been very taxing on a cordless drill.

another question, with corded drill's is their such a thing as too much power for driving screws? im also really interested in the milwaukee drill quoted below but it has 8 amps, didn't know if it could be prohibitive to have to much power.


Michael--

I have this drill (http://www.factoryauthorizedoutlet.com/makita/makita-3-8-drill-model-6408?gclid=CKbLzcOA7cQCFUokgQoduLkAdQ) that I would sell you for $35 but I'm afraid coast to coast shipping might be a killer. No tax tho.

I've hardly used it since it was a backup drill to begin with and now I have switched to Makita 18v cordless. Let me know if you are interested and we'll see what we can work out. Plastic case included.

thanks for the great offer dave, im going to look around a little more but may pm you tomorrow and maybe we could dummy ship the package to see cost's. found what seems to be a huge ww estate or garage sell on craiglist and from the pic's it looks like the seller has 5-10 corded drill's for sale, plus ton of other stuff.hoping to score a good deal


The standout corded drill in your price range is the Milwaukee 0240-20 at about $65.

It's 2,800 high speed will work well for drilling small holes in steel, has enough power to drill 3/8" holes in steel easily, and has a variable speed trigger.

It's a good replacement for a dedicated high speed 1/4" drill with the flexibility of a 3/8" chuck. It has the great Milwaukee grip groove that fits into the web between your thumb and forefinger.

Even if you buy 5 more specialized drills in the next 20 years, it will still be very useful for some jobs.

I have several in use in shops where they get several hours of use per week and they just keep going strong.

i wish you wouldn't have posted this..... because the more i look at the spec's & reviews the more i really wanna buy it:D
defiantly looks like a solid drill.

thanks again

[Dave Zellers]

The standout corded drill in your price range is the Milwaukee 0240-20 at about $65.

Wow. That drill reminds me of my old 6 or 7 amp Porter Cable drill that I paid $125 for about 35 years ago. It was my first BIG, just do it, tool purchase. I was so glad I did. We worked together through thick and thin for 30 years until it finally gave it up. I asked it to do things it was never designed to do and it did them all without complaining.

When it died, it was like losing an old dog. And I don't even like dogs. I'm a cat guy. I guess my drill was my dog.* Man, was he loyal.

*The last thing you would want is a cat for a drill. Or any tool for that matter...

[Michael J Evans]

***** update *******
( pic attached )
bought a drill today..... ad popped up on cl, just said 3/8 milwaukee good condition $15.
called the guy and he couldn't give me the model # & their was no pic's, ugh but luckily he lived 3 blocks away so i decided to cruise on over. i seen the drill sitting out ( looked pretty rough ) but i brought a 21/2" chunk of oak and some bits , first & second screw head stripped, so he went and grabbed a 3" deck screw & torx bit and the drill shot the head about 1" below before i stopped. was enough proof for me so i offered him $10 bucks cuz its gonna need a new cord. all in all im pretty happy with the purchase model# 0222-1 , lower rpm's ~1000 but it's got plenty of power for me ( put a 1" spade thru 21/2 inches of end grain oak )
I definitely wanted to buy a new tool as all but 1 of my tools are older & used, but i just have more important things to save for right now.
on a side note the old guy had some pretty cool things in his garage i asked about & he gave me a lesson on, first thing was a bad@ss vise, & stand that looked super old, it was a vise that multiple handle's on it. turns out it was a vise that had ( bench dog holes? ) that you put these wedge things in for splitting metal, the second handle was for a crank operated drill that sat below the vise teeth? and then underneath it had 2 shelves one with what i guess is a forge blower and underneath that a tray to heat coal in for the blower for melting metal. he also had an awesome old hand crank drill press , never seen one before.
& another side note, because i cant leave things alone i tinkered with the broken skil drill, and got it working again...:D

311321

[Kent A Bathurst]

Michael -

You are precisely where you need to be on this topic, IMO.

Out the door for a double fin. Cannot beat that deal.

Well done, Sir. Very well done indeed.

[Mike Cutler]

Michael

You got a nice drill there. Every single part on that Milwaukee can still be purchased in the event something needs to be replaced. It might look a little rough around the edges, but that chuck is bright and shiny. It wasn't left out to rust away. (I'd think about that cord a little bit though. ;) )

Can you have too much power in a drill? Yes you can. There are spring loaded adapters that will seat the screws and not damage the wood available. That drill can easily put a screw right through the material you're screwing together, or snap the head off. There's enough power in that drill to do most everything you'll need, and more. It's a good tool, and you'll have it for years.
Low RPM is good. Occasionally you need to drill a large hole, 1" or more using hole saws, ( electrical, plumbing , vent lines, etc.) ,and the lower RPM's make it easier, and safer.
I have an assortment of cordless drills, and they're very nice and convenient, but I always have my Milwaukee's at the ready. I would never be without corded drills.

Nice drill!

[Jim Becker]

I primarily use the cordless drill/driver format for most things, but do keep an old, inexpensive B&D (a green one) corded drill for things like drilling pocket holes and drilling metal. My cordless is Festool and Dewalt, but the latter is down for awhile right now as I need to rebuild or replace the battery packs. Again. I honestly am very happy with the Festool so I haven't missed the slightly more powerful Dewalt no matter what I'm doing.

[Michael J Evans]

Michael

You got a nice drill there. Every single part on that Milwaukee can still be purchased in the event something needs to be replaced. It might look a little rough around the edges, but that chuck is bright and shiny. It wasn't left out to rust away. (I'd think about that cord a little bit though. ;) )

Can you have too much power in a drill? Yes you can. There are spring loaded adapters that will seat the screws and not damage the wood available. That drill can easily put a screw right through the material you're screwing together, or snap the head off. There's enough power in that drill to do most everything you'll need, and more. It's a good tool, and you'll have it for years.
Low RPM is good. Occasionally you need to drill a large hole, 1" or more using hole saws, ( electrical, plumbing , vent lines, etc.) ,and the lower RPM's make it easier, and safer.
I have an assortment of cordless drills, and they're very nice and convenient, but I always have my Milwaukee's at the ready. I would never be without corded drills.

Nice drill!

thanks mike, oddly enough i tried to search replacement parts for it, just for kicks after you mentioned it and apparently my series / serial # didn't match any on any of the site's. but do you know the name's of those spring adapter things you mentioned? i tried googling different phrases and couldn't come up with anything.
thanks again

[Michael J Evans]

just wanted to say thanks again to everyone who posted in this thread

[Mike Cutler]

Michael

If you go to an authorized Milwaukee repair site, they can search the parts for you. I used to have all the parts lists in my desk at work, but I stopped rebuilding them many years ago. It was one of my side jobs in the earlier part of my career. (Used to have hundreds and hundreds of spare parts too. )

Just about any home center should have the spring loaded adapters. Some may not be spring loaded, but just have a large flange to stop the drill and set the bit DeWalt, Makita, Milwaukee, Smartbit, there are many. Most will be for setting drywall, screws, but some like the Smart Bit are for Torx's heads.

Here is the exploded view of your drill. I guess I stand corrected about the parts being available, at least through this site. I know though that Milwaukke uses many, many common parts throughout their product line, so while may part # may become obsolete, the part may cross reference to a a newer, available part number. Still, though, you can search via part number. When you get a chance buy a set of brushes for it, and just keep them with the drill.

http://www.ereplacementparts.com/images/milwaukee/0222-1_(SER_430-384000).pdf

[Mike Schuch]

bought a drill today..... ad popped up on cl, just said 3/8 milwaukee good condition $15.
called the guy and he couldn't give me the model # & their was no pic's, ugh but luckily he lived 3 blocks away so i decided to cruise on over. i seen the drill sitting out ( looked pretty rough ) but i brought a 21/2" chunk of oak and some bits , first & second screw head stripped, so he went and grabbed a 3" deck screw & torx bit and the drill shot the head about 1" below before i stopped. was enough proof for me so i offered him $10 bucks cuz its gonna need a new cord. all in all im pretty happy with the purchase model# 0222-1 , lower rpm's ~1000 but it's got plenty of power for me ( put a 1" spade thru 21/2 inches of end grain oak )


311321

An excellent price on a quality used drill is very cool. An excellent price on a quality used drill that needs a new cord is even better! Buy a 25' extension cord and cut off the receptacle end... 14 gauge should be fine for that sized drill. A corded drill with a 25 foot power cable is very handy!

I love getting used tools for cheap because they have bad power cords. This forces me to replace the cords in which I always put long cords on which makes the tool much more convenient.

My father had an original Milwaukee drill from the 40's that he bought used in the 60's. Unfortunately that drill only lasted for about 50 years before the winding insulation broke down. It was a beast of a drill that would twist your arm off (especially as a kid, when I used it). I have been a fan of Milwaukee drills ever since.

311988

[Tom Deutsch]

Man - this is the perfect time to be looking for a nice corded drill. Get up early on Saturday and go to 6 or 8 garage sales. I see nice older corded models for $5-20 all the time. Plug it in and give it a test before you pay and if you see a bunch of sparks and smell ozone - pass. Otherwise, go for it. Thrift stores, too. I can't stand dealing with pawn shops - asking price is too high and a lot of their stuff seems to come from contractors who beat the snot out of the equipment.

[Troy Turner]

I've got a 1/2" corded Bosch hammer drill. Needed it for some outdoor projects and mixing paints and muds. Haven't used it since I was through with the projects. I also have a dewalt 20v cordless drill. As much as I would like to have the driver too, haven't really had a need for it. It was on sale at lowes for $99 when I got it. Two batteries and a one hour charger. Came in a soft case.

[John Aiton]

Corded would be my choice if I were you. Big Sky Tools has good prices on reconditioned Hitachi drills. Saw a 3/8" corded unit for under $30.00. On their site.

john

[John Sanford]

another question, with corded drill's is their such a thing as too much power for driving screws? im also really interested in the milwaukee drill quoted below but it has 8 amps, didn't know if it could be prohibitive to have to much power.

Yes, technically no, but as a practical matter it is possible to have too much power. Especially if the drill does not have a variable speed trigger. When driving screws, control is everything. The smaller the screw, the softer/looser the material, the lighter a touch you need. While it certainly IS possible to consistently drive #4 slide screws into particle board sides using an 8 amp 1/2" Milwaukee corded VSR drill, it is much, much easier to do so using a 12v 3/8" cordless drill with a clutch. Doing so with a big, heavy, powerful unbalanced corded drill takes a lot of control and attention with very little margin for error. With the latter, you just start at the lowest clutch setting and keep increasing the clutch setting until you get the proper set without spinning the screw, and then you can go to town on all the remaining screws, running them until the clutch kicks in.

Conversely, driving a #4 brass or bronze screw into something like jarrah or hard maple using that big ol' Milwaukee will almost guarantee snapping the screw head off. That's predrilled. Wax the screw first and you've got a fighting chance. Just don't sneeze or otherwise allow yourself to jerk the trigger. The margin of error is very small.

These are extreme examples, but I've learned over the years that a drill is a mediocre tool for driving screws. It can and will do it, just as you can use a 3 lb sledge hammer to drive brads, but there are better tools. In the case of driving screws, a drill/driver, straight up driver or impact driver are all better. For dealing with the challenges of an overpowered drive tool relative to the screw size, screw and wood/whatever material, a clutched tool is the ticket. Look at the tools used by people who drive screws all day long. The tool of choice for drywallers and folks putting down decking are drywall guns. For electronics assembly it's small clutched screwdrivers. For HVAC installers its generally a drill/driver. Etc, etc. Clutches, clutches, everywhere.

I really would love to see a quality corded drill/driver made, but for whatever reason nobody does so, or at least none are sold here AFAIK. Ryobi/Craftsman has done a corded drill/driver off and on over the years.

[Mike Schuch]

I have driven thousands of screws with my 120v Milwaukee hole shooter. Variable speed is the key. You need to slow down as the screw head gets close to the board. I probably popped a few screw heads off their shafts when I first purchased my Milwaukee hole shooter 20 years ago or so but I quickly got a feel for driving screws with it and haven't busted off a head in many years. My battery powered Dewalt drills are just as easy since they have adjustable clutches. I have never had a dedicated driver / impact driver... I am sure they are nice, maybe some day!

[Michael J Evans]

Yes, technically no, but as a practical matter it is possible to have too much power. Especially if the drill does not have a variable speed trigger. When driving screws, control is everything. The smaller the screw, the softer/looser the material, the lighter a touch you need. While it certainly IS possible to consistently drive #4 slide screws into particle board sides using an 8 amp 1/2" Milwaukee corded VSR drill, it is much, much easier to do so using a 12v 3/8" cordless drill with a clutch. Doing so with a big, heavy, powerful unbalanced corded drill takes a lot of control and attention with very little margin for error. With the latter, you just start at the lowest clutch setting and keep increasing the clutch setting until you get the proper set without spinning the screw, and then you can go to town on all the remaining screws, running them until the clutch kicks in.

Conversely, driving a #4 brass or bronze screw into something like jarrah or hard maple using that big ol' Milwaukee will almost guarantee snapping the screw head off. That's predrilled. Wax the screw first and you've got a fighting chance. Just don't sneeze or otherwise allow yourself to jerk the trigger. The margin of error is very small.

These are extreme examples, but I've learned over the years that a drill is a mediocre tool for driving screws. It can and will do it, just as you can use a 3 lb sledge hammer to drive brads, but there are better tools. In the case of driving screws, a drill/driver, straight up driver or impact driver are all better. For dealing with the challenges of an overpowered drive tool relative to the screw size, screw and wood/whatever material, a clutched tool is the ticket. Look at the tools used by people who drive screws all day long. The tool of choice for drywallers and folks putting down decking are drywall guns. For electronics assembly it's small clutched screwdrivers. For HVAC installers its generally a drill/driver. Etc, etc. Clutches, clutches, everywhere.

I really would love to see a quality corded drill/driver made, but for whatever reason nobody does so, or at least none are sold here AFAIK. Ryobi/Craftsman has done a corded drill/driver off and on over the years.


I have driven thousands of screws with my 120v Milwaukee hole shooter. Variable speed is the key. You need to slow down as the screw head gets close to the board. I probably popped a few screw heads off their shafts when I first purchased my Milwaukee hole shooter 20 years ago or so but I quickly got a feel for driving screws with it and haven't busted off a head in many years. My battery powered Dewalt drills are just as easy since they have adjustable clutches. I have never had a dedicated driver / impact driver... I am sure they are nice, maybe some day!

Actually sortve answered my own question this last week, using my new (old milwaukee). Noticed that i could easily overdrive a screw, and sortve gotta feeL now For when to let off the trigger before The screw strips out.

[Jim Andrew]

Got a new Nicad 18 volt Dewalt yesterday at Ace hardware for 89.99, with 2 batteries, and charger. about my 4th set. Cheaper than buying batteries.