Li-Ion drill motor

[Bruce Page]

I need to replace my Ni-cad XRP drill motor with a reliable Li-Ion type. Other than Festool, what are the best brands & models to look at? I don't need mega heavy duty voltage and I can't justify the Festool price.

[Malcolm McLeod]

BORGs are driving huge share of the market, so most replies will be 1 of their offerings. I bet. And I'm one. I have no complaints about 18V Ryobi 1+ 'system' (everything's got to be a 'system') drill and driver in DIY use. I have other 1+ tools as well (circ saw, 90* grinder, vac - picked up on clearance rack), but can't recommend any.

Seems like a lot of pros use Dewalt, but that may simply be big-$ promo budget on TV...?

[Erik Loza]

No complaints with my DeWalt. Don't remember the model but it's the one with the more industrial metal chuck. 20V? I would go to the BORG and handle a few. The differences become more apparent then. Good luck.

Erik

[Tom Ewell]

We use a lot of Bosch around these parts.
I have several of the little guys in the 12V range, they're not too bad compared to the couple of Festools I have.
The other guys are going with the 18V series and they work them to death with no problems so far.

[Lee Schierer]

My daughter purchased a Dewalt drill and Driver plus saws all and flash light set for her husband and I had a chance to use it. It worked very well and had plenty of power for driving large screws into deck framing and decking. When my old 14 volt Dewalt dies it will be a the top of my list.

[Gerry Grzadzinski]

My preference is normally Makita, but I bought a Rigid set for 1/2 the price, and a lifetime warranty. It works just fine.

[James Gunning]

+1 for the DeWalt. I bought a 20V brushless impact-driver and couldn't be happier with it. The batteries last forever and the tool is smaller and lighter compared to its' 18V predecessor. Plus, DeWalt sells an adapter that will allow use of the 20V li-ion batteries on my 18V drill when the 18V Ni-cads give up.

[Mike Henderson]

I use the DeWalt 20V system and have been happy with it. Unless you have some unusual needs, I think all the major brands are pretty good.

Mike

[Bruce Page]

Thanks. I'm going to check them out this afternoon at the borg. I don't have any unusual needs, I just need something reliable. I'm on my 6th 14.4v Ni-cad for my XRP and it's dying. The drill motor still looks and works like new, I'm just tired of buying batteries for it. It's time or an upgrade.

[Randy Viellenave]

I have all of the 18V NiCad stuff, and have started moving toward the 20V stuff. I bought a 12Vmax 1/4 hex driver for light duty stuff, and it does better than expected, as it will run a 3" dw screw into douglas fir. Best thing is that it weighs nothing compared to the 18 and 20V stuff, made way more difference to me than I thought it would. Batteries don't last all that long, but they charge quick in the 20V charger.

[Garth Almgren]

BORGs are driving huge share of the market, so most replies will be 1 of their offerings. I bet. And I'm one. I have no complaints about 18V Ryobi 1+ 'system' (everything's got to be a 'system') drill and driver in DIY use. I have other 1+ tools as well (circ saw, 90* grinder, vac - picked up on clearance rack), but can't recommend any.

Same here, no complaints about the Ryobi drill/driver set I got for my birthday last month.

I like the number of available tools in the Ryobi One+ system, and the fact that any One+ tool will work with any One+ battery no matter what the chemistry.

[Garth Almgren]

If the XRP motor is still in good shape, you can buy just the Li-Ion battery to match.

Sometimes it's cheaper to get a whole new drill or combo set with batteries included than just the battery though.

[Bruce Page]

I didn't see anything I liked at Lowes so I ordered one of these from Amazon:
DEWALT DCD791D2 20V MAX XR Li-Ion 0.5" 2.0Ah Brushless Compact Drill/Driver Kit (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0183RLVSQ/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A1UMBRA5ZTBCX8)

It should be here in a couple of days. Brushless motor and 2.0 Ah batteries.
Thanks for the help.

[Erik Loza]

I didn't see anything I liked at Lowes so I ordered one of these from Amazon:
DEWALT DCD791D2 20V MAX XR Li-Ion 0.5" 2.0Ah Brushless Compact Drill/Driver Kit (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0183RLVSQ/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A1UMBRA5ZTBCX8)

It should be here in a couple of days. Brushless motor and 2.0 Ah batteries.
Thanks for the help.

That's the one I have. You'll like it. Plenty of power and good battery life.

Erik

[Bruce Wrenn]

I've had Ridgid 12V LI drills since 2007. Filled out LSA and sent it in. Took a couple months to get confirmation back. Since then I have has the batteries replaced TWICE at NO COST. Anyone purchasing a Ridgid and mailing in LSA form, GET A CERTIFICATE OF MAILING at post office. I had one set that they swore I never sent in LSA, but after sending them a copy of COM three times they finally came around and completed LSA. This process only took THREE YEARS, SIX MONTHS, and a couple days, plus threat to take them to small claims court.

[Mike Henderson]

I've had Ridgid 12V LI drills since 2007. Filled out LSA and sent it in. Took a couple months to get confirmation back. Since then I have has the batteries replaced TWICE at NO COST. Anyone purchasing a Ridgid and mailing in LSA form, GET A CERTIFICATE OF MAILING at post office. I had one set that they swore I never sent in LSA, but after sending them a copy of COM three times they finally came around and completed LSA. This process only took THREE YEARS, SIX MONTHS, and a couple days, plus threat to take them to small claims court.
That's why I never went with the Ridgid cordless tools. I know they really can't afford to keep replacing batteries so I would expect them to make it as difficult as possible to collect on the "guarantee". I was not interested in fighting with them.

I went with the 20 V DeWalts. The batteries seem to last longer these days than they did back in the early days of cordless tools. But if they fail, I'll pay the freight to get new ones rather than fight with Ridgid.

Mike

[Leo Graywacz]

I've been pretty happy with my Makita cordless tools. I have a lot of the black and white tools. Those are the once considered to be the home owner tools. I use them in my business and they work just fine. I'm particularly found of the little mini 12v impactors and clutch drills. The size is what I like the most. Gets into cabinets and cramped spaces. Has plenty of power to drive screws in plywood. I have a couple of the 18v, 2 drills, circular saw, impact gun. All work well and have been with me for a while.

[Bruce Page]

I've had Ridgid 12V LI drills since 2007. Filled out LSA and sent it in. Took a couple months to get confirmation back. Since then I have has the batteries replaced TWICE at NO COST. Anyone purchasing a Ridgid and mailing in LSA form, GET A CERTIFICATE OF MAILING at post office. I had one set that they swore I never sent in LSA, but after sending them a copy of COM three times they finally came around and completed LSA. This process only took THREE YEARS, SIX MONTHS, and a couple days, plus threat to take them to small claims court.

Yeow! That's way more aggravation than I want to deal with.

[Gerry Grzadzinski]

I've had Ridgid 12V LI drills since 2007. Filled out LSA and sent it in. Took a couple months to get confirmation back. Since then I have has the batteries replaced TWICE at NO COST. Anyone purchasing a Ridgid and mailing in LSA form, GET A CERTIFICATE OF MAILING at post office. I had one set that they swore I never sent in LSA, but after sending them a copy of COM three times they finally came around and completed LSA. This process only took THREE YEARS, SIX MONTHS, and a couple days, plus threat to take them to small claims court.

You can fill out the Lifetime Service Agreement online. You just supply the order #, and the serial number for each item (drill, batteries, charger). It takes a few days for them to confirm it, but there are no issues with the mail system. It's really quite easy.

It's not that difficult to "collect" on the warranty, but you must follow their instructions exactly. But I think it's well worth it for free batteries for life.

[Jim Becker]

There are bunches of good choices.

I will say, however, that my Festool drill/driver has been the least expensive drill/driver I've ever owned...because it's lasted for so long and still works like new. Mine is only 12v and powers through stuff as good, if not better, than the Dewalt 14.4v that preceded it.

[Greg R Bradley]

In addition to the drills working better for "nice" work than any other, the batteries cost less than any others. 18v 5.2ah is $65. Even Ridgid is $99 and the real commercial brands like Makita, Milwaukee, Bosch, Dewalt, etc. 18v 5ah are about $150. Even a 18v 3ah Makita in a ten pack is $69 each.

[mark mcfarlane]

I need to replace my Ni-cad XRP drill motor with a reliable Li-Ion type. Other than Festool, what are the best brands & models to look at? I don't need mega heavy duty voltage and I can't justify the Festool price.

Bruce, I saw that you already purchased a replacement, but just a note that you can have NiCad batteries rebuilt. I have a 26 year old NiCad drill that I still use all the time. New batteries are long out of stock. It cost me about $50 to get the battery rebuilt: sent in the old battery case, they cut it open and replaced the cells. I did drop it 6 feet off a ladder onto concrete and their glue joint failed so I stuck some gaffers tape on it (not duct tape) and have been using it for another 2 years.

Battery rebuilds are an option if you have an old tool that is still serving its purpose.

Also, gaffers tape is a wonderful thing. 10X the cost of duct tape, but no tape residue if removed in a few days, and no oozing glue if left on for years in a temperature controlled environment. Stuck out in the sun, all bets are off.

[Bruce Page]

Thanks Mark. MTO has rebuilt the two OEM batteries twice for me, they do nice work. Of the current two, one is completely dead and the other is half dead. I want to give the Li-Ion a go anyway. My son-in-law has already picked up the old one.

Thanks for the tip on gaffers tape, I hadn't heard of it before.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Yeow! That's way more aggravation than I want to deal with.
LOL! Wait till you start making phone calls about Medicare...



On topic - -I've been real happy with the Milwaukee 12 V drill and impact driver.
I also have an older 18V NiCad DeWalt for times when I need extra power.
99% of the time though, the light handy 12 V tools do the job.

[Bruce Page]

LOL! Wait till you start making phone calls about Medicare....

Already been there. Just getting enrolled was a joy. :rolleyes:

[Mike Berti]

All manufacturers are offering quite similar cordless drills. They are all mass manufactured in China, sometimes at the same factory. The price range is also quite similar. The Li batteries are an improvement over the old NiCad in several ways. One is keeping charge for a long time when not in use.
Having said that, some old fashioned corded drills are similarly good and much cheaper if you work close to power outlet.
The Festool drill mentioned by the OP is in a different class: made in Europe, engineered to much tighter tolerances and going through rigorous quality inspections that most Chinese made drills don't.
However, it all depends on the purpose of the tool.

[Mike Henderson]

I had a Festool drill but eventually sold it because I like my DeWalt better. For a good bit less than the Festool, I bought a DeWalt drill and a separate driver. When I'm putting in screws, I have the drill loaded with the proper size bit to drill the pilot hole and then use the driver to put the screw in.

There was nothing wrong with the Festool, but it was just a drill and it didn't do anything (that I needed) more than the DeWalt.

And regarding "tighter tolerances" - a hand drill is not a precision tool, at least in my hand. I never checked to see which one had the minimum runout (for example) but it wouldn't make any difference for my usage.

The important things to me were (1) light weight, (2) powerful, (3) good battery life, and (4) cost to purchase (not necessarily in that order). Based on that, the DeWalt beat the Festool for my usage.

Mike

[Bruce Wrenn]

You can fill out the Lifetime Service Agreement online. You just supply the order #, and the serial number for each item (drill, batteries, charger). It takes a few days for them to confirm it, but there are no issues with the mail system. It's really quite easy.

It's not that difficult to "collect" on the warranty, but you must follow their instructions exactly. But I think it's well worth it for free batteries for life.

nd
Did the online for the last set I bought, and still had to send in paperwork. Lots of others had same experience. With HD going to a year for returns, it makes sense to buy a tool,a return it just before year is up

[Mike Berti]

If you install a longer bit in a drill (and more so in an impact driver) you will be surprised at how much the bit wobbles. When I first noticed it, it surprised me so much, that I thought the drill was defective. Since then I used many such tools and they all suffer from similar problem to some degree. You can't use such tools when buiding fine furniture. Yes, they are reasonable for construction, framing, or dry wall mounting. They are also good for roofing and deck building. But not for precision jobs.
That's why I wrote that it all depends on the purpose of the tool.

[Gerry Grzadzinski]

nd
Did the online for the last set I bought, and still had to send in paperwork. Lots of others had same experience. With HD going to a year for returns, it makes sense to buy a tool,a return it just before year is up

I did it about 6 months ago, and didn't have to send in anything.

[Bruce Page]

My new DeWalt 20v drill was delivered today. My first impressions are positive. I'm going to like the 2000 rpm motor for using small drill bits, and the onboard light will be nice too. It's quite a bit lighter than the DW 14.4 XBR it replaces. I put a 5" long 3/8" drill blank in it and measured the run out at the outboard end at .004 - plenty good for fence work, or fine furniture.

My only complaint is there is no on-board bit storage! - It's an $11 option, LOL!! :confused::eek::rolleyes::(
https://www.amazon.com/DeWalt-Holder-DCD980L2-DCD985L2-N131745-2pk/dp/B00GUTR3P0/ref=pd_sim_469_10?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=VXEH3EVP328WX98ZRAAA

[James Gunning]

Sadly, another example of the relentless push for ever more profit. The DCF895 I bought a couple of years ago came with a bit holder on one side and a belt clip on the other. Since then, some accountant figured they could charge separately for them. Nickel and dimeing the customers.

I do love the tool though, just not the present day corporate system that sells them.

[Bruce Page]

Sadly, another example of the relentless push for ever more profit. The DCF895 I bought a couple of years ago came with a bit holder on one side and a belt clip on the other. Since then, some accountant figured they could charge separately for them. Nickel and dimeing the customers.

I do love the tool though, just not the present day corporate system that sells them.

Nickel and dime - the exact words my wife used. There are too many bean counters in this world.