Recommendations on a new Drill

[Tim Boger]

I have a Makita 18 Volt cordless drill which has served me well for 12 years, it's still doing fine. It's big, heavy and powerful.

I'd like some recommendations on the smallest cordless drills available, I will use it almost exclusively for the tiny hardware on 3"X 5" boxes I enjoy making.

Thanks,
Tim

Happy New Year !!

[Paul F Franklin]

I have the Bosch PS22 and PS32 combo and I love them. I have a bigger drill driver I use for construction stuff and big holes, but for almost all woodworking jobs I use the little guys.

If I were buying today, I'd take a good look at the Bosch GSR12V. It has interchangeable heads that could be really handy, especially the offset head for getting close to an interfering surface and the right angle head for close quarters. I may buy one even though I have the other two.

[Phillip Mitchell]

You should take a look at the new Makita 18V brushless "Subcompact" drill. It's got enough power for 80% of what a carpenter would do, much less what you're describing, but it's pretty light and well rounded if you're looking for a single cordless drill to do it all.

If you really just want something specifically for small scale woodworking, consider checking out some 12V brushless drills. I like Makita and Milwaukee drills, but Dewalt's cordless stuff has really stepped up over the last couple of years.

[Josh Lucus]

Lovin’ my DeWalt DCD791D2 20V brushless.

[Tim Boger]

Hey Paul ... sounds like a great option, going to have a look at it right now.
Thanks,
Tim


I have the Bosch PS22 and PS32 combo and I love them. I have a bigger drill driver I use for construction stuff and big holes, but for almost all woodworking jobs I use the little guys.

If I were buying today, I'd take a good look at the Bosch GSR12V. It has interchangeable heads that could be really handy, especially the offset head for getting close to an interfering surface and the right angle head for close quarters. I may buy one even though I have the other two.

[Tim Boger]

Hi Phillip,

Thank you for the very specific recommendations, I appreciate it.
Tim


You should take a look at the new Makita 18V brushless "Subcompact" drill. It's got enough power for 80% of what a carpenter would do, much less what you're describing, but it's pretty light and well rounded if you're looking for a single cordless drill to do it all.

If you really just want something specifically for small scale woodworking, consider checking out some 12V brushless drills. I like Makita and Milwaukee drills, but Dewalt's cordless stuff has really stepped up over the last couple of years.

[Tim Boger]

Thanks Josh, I'll take a look at it.
Tim



Lovin’ my DeWalt DCD791D2 20V brushless.

[Ed Labadie]

12v Bosch or Milwaukee......the brushless models will be the smallest ones out there.

Milwaukee has a broad scope of tools in the 12v line, might be something else there you didn't know you needed......

Ed

[Mike Henderson]

I have the DeWalt 12V drill and driver (two units). I bought them because my 18V DeWalts were getting too heavy for me (I'm getting older). But then I upgraded the 18V units to the 20V units and they are lighter, but the 12V is lighter still. The 12V units work great for me.

Mike

[Gene Takae]

IMHO in your situation I would go with Milwaukee that gives you the option of using either the small battery or the large one. Use the smaller one for light duty work such as your boxes and have the large battery on hand should you nee more run time.

[Larry Frank]

I have a Ryobi Tek4 drill that has a clutch on it. I use it for small stuff like box hinges with little screws. Might be worth a look.

[Greg Parrish]

I recently switched from a makita 18v set to the Milwaukee 12v. I love it. Plenty of power for 90% of general construction and wood shop uses. I’ve not found a task yet that it wasn’t up to but I suppose if you were boring 4” holes through cinder blocks it would not be adequate. Loved my makita but dead batteries prompted the change. The reduction in weight has been huge for me though. The brushless tools are much lighter than the 18v counterparts but are capable of most of the same work. Check them out if you are still looking. Home Depot may still have sales going that include free tools or batteries.

[Jim Dwight]

I like my Ryobi 18V drills but for driving screws I normally use my impact which is lighter. I've used my son's Milwaukee and is very small but will still do real work.

[Jim Becker]

I recently decided to to a second drill/driver to support assembly work. Driving screws isn't a "heavy" task, especially with pre-drilling, so I wanted small and lightweight. Since I'm "married" to the Festool system, I chose the small CXS drill/driver. But most of the major brands have small 10-12v D/Ds that are well suited to the same tasks. When I was installing the large, kitchen "continent" top commission recently, the cabinet guys were using a few of the very small Milwaukee for driving screws. It looked like a very nice, compact D/D. It's kind of a "pick your brand" of preference situation here.

[Nathan Johnson]

I've been eyeballing the 12v Makita to complement my 18v Rigids.
My brother has the 12v Milwaukee, and my brother-in-law the 12v Bosch, both of which use the cylinder style batteries that are part of the handles. They are both nice drills, but they are ergonomically inferior to the Makita, for me personally.

[Izzy Camire]

I know it is not what you asked for but have you considered an eggbeater drill? For small work like you are doing they work quite well they are quiet and no eye protection needed. Something like a North Brothers 1530.

[Jim Becker]

I've been eyeballing the 12v Makita to complement my 18v Rigids.
My brother has the 12v Milwaukee, and my brother-in-law the 12v Bosch, both of which use the cylinder style batteries that are part of the handles. They are both nice drills, but they are ergonomically inferior to the Makita, for me personally.
This is a good point...it's important to ascertain if the D/D is comfortable in your hand and everyone's hand is a little different. It's worth a trip to the 'borg to fondle them, even if you have a different preferred source to procure from.

[Jim Becker]

I know it is not what you asked for but have you considered an eggbeater drill? For small work like you are doing they work quite well they are quiet and no eye protection needed. Something like a North Brothers 1530.
Great for drilling small holes, but not likely the tool of choice for driving screws...which is a big use for these smaller D/D tools.

[Pat Rice]

I have several Ridgid cordless tools but last year I picked up the Festool TXS Li 2.6 set which included two batteries, driver chuck, keyless chuck and right angle chuck and totally love using this as a shop drill/driver. The light weight puts a smile on my face and yet it is very powerful. Many friends have used it and all were amazed at the lightweight and power. I have also been surprised at how often the right angle chuck has been useful. The TXS really fits my hand well.

[Nathan Johnson]

This is a good point...it's important to ascertain if the D/D is comfortable in your hand and everyone's hand is a little different. It's worth a trip to the 'borg to fondle them, even if you have a different preferred source to procure from.

Yeah, I was set on Milwaukee until I held them.
I should specify it's the Makita CXT I'm looking at, with the bottom mount battery. Allows for a less bulky handle without the cylindrical battery integrated.

[Frankie Hunt]

I really like the Milwaukee M12 tools. They are just the right size and have plenty of oomph.
Its easy to add to your set too as the single tools are priced reasonably, with or without batteries.
Having the drill, driver and impact is very handy as each has its purpose.

375115

[Tim Boger]

Thank you Mike, I'll take a closer look at them.
Tim

I have the DeWalt 12V drill and driver (two units). I bought them because my 18V DeWalts were getting too heavy for me (I'm getting older). But then I upgraded the 18V units to the 20V units and they are lighter, but the 12V is lighter still. The 12V units work great for me.

Mike

[Tim Boger]

Makes good sense, thank you Gene.
Tim
IMHO in your situation I would go with Milwaukee that gives you the option of using either the small battery or the large one. Use the smaller one for light duty work such as your boxes and have the large battery on hand should you nee more run time.

[Tim Boger]

Never thought of this option, I'll be checking that out.
Thanks Izzy
I know it is not what you asked for but have you considered an eggbeater drill? For small work like you are doing they work quite well they are quiet and no eye protection needed. Something like a North Brothers 1530.

[Bill Dindner]

I will second the Festool CXS, some nice features like a very precise chuck and quickly interchangeable between Drill and driver, he right angle drill is also nice in tight spot

[Dick Mahany]

I recently wanted a smaller, lighter drill and picked up the new Bosch 12V FlexiClick and couldn't be happier. It has plenty of power, a 1/4" hex driver, 3/8" chuck, right angle adapter, an offset chuck and is a wonderful and well engineered system. For years I used 14.4V DeWalt drivers and drills, and bought a Festool T18 about a year ago. The new little Bosch is now my go to drill for about 90% of my woodworking tasks.

[Matthew Hills]

The hitachi 12V impact driver is really nice.
A lot of the 12V tools out there are very thick. This one feels a bit more streamlined.

Matt

[Frederick Skelly]

I really like the Milwaukee M12 tools. They are just the right size and have plenty of oomph. Its easy to add to your set too as the single tools are priced reasonably, with or without batteries. Having the drill, driver and impact is very handy as each has its purpose.

+1. I went shopping today and compared several brands. The M12 isn't the smallest - I'd say the Bosch Flexiclick is - plus the Bosch has all the neat features. (I didn't need them but you might!) But I found the Milwaukee M12 Fuel to be comfortable, solid and priced right for what I needed. Mine has a hammer feature that I don't expect to ever use - especially in a 12v tool - but has a 1/2" chuck that may be handy for shallow forstner (sp?) holes. It came with a fast charger and a 2 AH battery for $100 at the BORG. I tested the "work capacity" of that little battery and was able to drill 100 pilot holes in dimensioned lumber and drive 50 screws into the pilot holes on half a charge. It took 20 minutes to fully recharge from that state.

It won't out-work or out-torque my tailed drills, but it should work very well as a medium duty drill/driver intended to be used mainly at the bench. I will probably order a 4 AH battery tomorrow, since I'd like a second battery anyway.

Fred

[Jan Smith]

I recently wanted a smaller, lighter drill and picked up the new Bosch 12V FlexiClick and couldn't be happier. It has plenty of power, a 1/4" hex driver, 3/8" chuck, right angle adapter, an offset chuck and is a wonderful and well engineered system. For years I used 14.4V DeWalt drivers and drills, and bought a Festool T18 about a year ago. The new little Bosch is now my go to drill for about 90% of my woodworking tasks. The FlexiClick is very high on my shopping list.

[Roger Bull]

I highly recommend the Milwaukee Fuel line. Light, tons of power, and long run time on the batteries.

[Derek Cohen]

I recently decided to to a second drill/driver to support assembly work. Driving screws isn't a "heavy" task, especially with pre-drilling, so I wanted small and lightweight. Since I'm "married" to the Festool system, I chose the small CXS drill/driver. But most of the major brands have small 10-12v D/Ds that are well suited to the same tasks. When I was installing the large, kitchen "continent" top commission recently, the cabinet guys were using a few of the very small Milwaukee for driving screws. It looked like a very nice, compact D/D. It's kind of a "pick your brand" of preference situation here.

Jim, I have the small CXS Festool as well. It is a great drill for furnituremaking. My other drill is a 20 year old Panasonic 12v. I've replaced batteries several times, and it keeps on going. Both are beautifully balanced drill/drivers. I would recommend either make.

For large holes I use a brace and bits. These chomp through hardwood with more torque than any power drill. Portable as well :)

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Jim Becker]

Derek, I'm working on a commission right now and it's been really nice having the little CSX for driving screws while keeping the larger D/D setup for drilling/countersink. It's very efficient and the smaller tool, is, well...smaller and lighter. That's nice when you're holding material with one hand and driving screws with the other.

[Brandon Speaks]

Makes good sense, thank you Gene.
Tim


I have a 20v Dewalt but I bought the 12 for my wife and really enjoy using it. Its nice and light and does pretty much anything I need it to.

That said I would really look at that Milwaukee, I have been drooling over that one with the battery fully enclosed in the handle since they first came out, I dont see myself buying one as I am pretty married to dewalt, but they are certainly interesting.

I did also pick up an egg beater type recently and honestly really like it. For tiny screws an egg beater drill and then driving a little screw by hand is pretty simple.

[Keith Hankins]

Had a bunch of diff brands and use to love my dewalts, but ergo if overhead use is not the best. After getting the festool many yrears ago, never going back. Ergo as i age is appreciated more and more.

[Pat Rice]

Tim, I picked up the Festool TXS LI 2.6 set last year to use in the shop. It really felt good in my hand and is very small and lightweight, came with 2 batteries, Centrotec chuck, Centrotec bit holder and right angle chuck. I absolutely love this drill/driver and is great for shop use. Everyone that visit my shop and uses it has been amazed with the TXS and loves the lightweight, would recommend checking it out at a dealer. But as others have said all the others offer lightweight options as well. BTW I am surprized at how often I use the right angle chuck/adapter.

[roger wiegand]

I really like being able to interchange my batteries among tools and not having to devote the space to a row of different chargers, so I've limited myself to only one brand. In my case Bosch, though were I to start fresh today it might be the Milwaukee Fuel line. Very happy with the brushless impact driver I added most recently-- nimble with the little battery pack, a workhorse with the big pack. Love that it has a built in half inch square drive for sockets.