a question about handheld drills

[tod evans]

last week when i was visiting my buddys supply house one of his repair techs made mention that folks are just not buying corded drills anymore. he went on to express his surprise that even knowing that cordless drills are much heavier, shorter lived and underpowered most contractors are spending double or more to avoid an extention cord. so my question is why do folks spend what they do knowing the shortcomings for cordless drills?

[Matt Day]

I think b/c they don't have cords ;). For a tool that most people are moving around with all the time, not being tied down is invaluable. If you're in a 20x20 shop, a corded drill would probably be just fine.

[David Duke]

I use the cordless for probably 90% of the holes I drill because of convience but....I will always have my corded drills for the larger holes I need to drill like when drilling through 2xs for plumbing/electrical passage. The number of holes required plus the strain on the drill makes having a stout drill necessary even with the inconvience of a cord.

[Bill Simmeth]

I agree with David... I'll never give up my Milwaukee rt angle Hole Hawg (corded). It's the tool of choice for roughing plumbing and electrical. But, most everything else is done cordless -- mostly 'cause sooner or later I wrap the cord around my ankle and go boomp. :o

[Steve Clardy]

I use my cordless most in the shop and on job sites.
But when it comes to boring a hole for a sink drain, water line in a cabinet, I use my corded Milwaukee

[Barry O'Mahony]

Well, there are times when a cordless is much more convenient than a corded. And if you already have a cordless, what's the point in buying a lightweight 3/8" corded just for the shop?

Like the other responder, I have a 1/2" Milwaukee corded for when I need something heavy duty, and I use the cordless for everything else.

[Jesse Cloud]

Good question Tod. When I think back over the last several years, I have bought a few cordless drills, but no corded ones. But its not because I don't use my corded drill. Its just that the corded drill, though about 20 years old, is still going strong. On the other hand, the cordless ones tend to last only a few years until their batteries are dead/obsolete, the chucks start slipping, or they just come apart.

I suspect I will never buy another corded drill again.

[Byron Trantham]

Another great application for a corded drill is making pocket holes. I have a 14.4 cordless and for the most part it works but the corded drill works better and longer!:p

[Lee DeRaud]

Hmmm...just sitting here trying to remember how many times I've used the cordless to drill a hole bigger than 1/8": I think it's three times, maybe four. It gets a ton of use as a driver for various fasteners, but I've got two ancient 3/8" VSR Black&Decker's that do all the heavy hole-making.

[Jim Becker]

About the only time I pick up my old corded drill is when I'm doing a lot of pocket screw holes like Byron mentions or if I'm drilling steel. It's really a matter of convenience. I suspect that pros out on the job site find that the convenience of being un-tethered outweighs the need for multiple batteries, on-site chargers and the tendency for cordless tools to be heavier. But even they will break out the big-honkin' corded drills for heavy duty holes...something not necessary for driving screws and so forth.

[Barry O'Mahony]

Another issue is that when you're in the shop, the DP is available, which is preferable from an accuracy POV, when itis feasible to use.

[Shelley Bolster]

The corded comes out when doing pocket holes of course and large holes but I actually like the fact that my little Makita is underpowered in comparison....I don't strip as many screws that way. I have several batteries so I always have a couple charged and I really do like the convenience of having cordless. I kept with the 9.5 volt Makita last year when my old one died mainly for the size issue - so many of the big boys are just that - big, and I have small hands even for a woman hence having tools "fit" is sometime hard. Example.....I won a King cordless drill and jig saw package last year - I think the drill is 12.5....anyways, my hands are too small to get a good enough grasp on the battery pak to remove it......talk about maddening!

[Bill Hartman]

On the job it is cordless!!!!
In the shop it is cord!

[Larry Fox]

I have a corded Milwaukee standard/hammer (depending on setting) drill that it would take quite a bit of $$ to get me to part with. Lately it has seen use making pocket holes, as some others mention, but it gets called into service more than my cordless. I have a cordless and the chuck is borderline aweful. The Milwaukee is big, bulky, and heavy but it has served me well for years.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I have a 3/8" corded Makita and 1/2" corded Milwaukee that I use most of the time. I do have a battery powered NHi Makita that I use where power isn't close by. Myself........nothing burns me up quicker than to have the battery run down in the middle of a job! Yes I have a spare battery but it seems to run down about the time the one I'm using runs down.:confused: :mad: :D

[Gary Herrmann]

Like everyone else seem to indicate, cordless for most operations. Corded for large holes, masonry etc. I haven't done too much pocket hole joinery, but I used my 18v for that too. If I build something with a lot of pocket holes, I may go corded for that.

[Dale Thompson]

What is this "Corded Drill" thing? I think that I may be behind the times-again!?! :o Do I need help? :confused: I drill at least three jillion pocket holes per minute(usually in Red Oak) with my Bosch and Fein 14.4v. cordless drills. Sure, the batteries go dead after two or three minutes but I do have spares.

Seriously, though, the only "corded" drill that I have is my DeWalt Hammer-Drill! I REALLY like cordless tools because I am such a klutz! :( When I had my shop cat, Cupid, I was so clumsy that I would stumble over any cat hair that she shed. Cords in my shop, to me, are like crossing the Rockies on a road filled with marbles. :mad: ;)

That is why, as the pictures will show, my shop is ALWAYS totally organized with no obstacles for the old and infirm!! ;) :)

Dale T.

[Corey Hallagan]

I like to be cordless as much as the next guy. I have a cheap Craftsman 12V and 3 batteries that I got for less than 80.00 and a Ryobi 18V that I got with 2 batteries and a Drill, Circ Saw and Flashlight for 99.00. They are on the cheap end of tools but I have plenty of batteries and I keep them charged. When They no longer work, I will throw them away. I don't see that alot of these expensive cordless tools are going to last that much longer. I do have a good corded 3/8 inch and 1/2 drills but I don't use them much. Fr wood working I use my 12V and for most fixit stuff the 18V get's the nod. Maybe my opinion would be different if I used them professionally, but I don't think so.
Corey

[Tyler Howell]

I have 6-8 cordless drill motors and use them almost all the time, but I reach for the Milwawkee 1/2 Magnum Hole Shooter when "I mean bidness"

[Mike Blackburn]

I haven't had a corded drill (except the DP) for years. Ryobi 14.4 and then 18V cordless have been it for about 10 years. And the only hole I've run into that they wouldn't handle was in concrete.

Since I got a cordless circular saw I've used the corded less and less. Usually just when I need two saws.

[Bill Lewis]

What I am finding interesting to this thread is how many of us choose Milwaukee as the one to have for a corded drill. I too have two of them, a 1/2" holeshooter and the right angle kit with the D-handle.
I've actully let some smoke leak out of my hole shooter a couple of times when using it for a morter mixer and it still keeps going strong.

[tod evans]

well guess i ought to chip in on s.o.p. here in hicksville....i own two cordless drills, both milwaukee 14.4s but they are pretty much reserved for ladder work at a jobsite. my go-to jobsite drills are the 850 rpm hole shooter, the 2500 rpm piolet drill, and the bigun, a 350 rpm hole hawg, all milwaukee. at the shop it`s all air.....02 tod

[Jason Roehl]

On the job, it's cordless unless I really need some drilling speed. But, here's the reason I think corded drills are slipping: they're not geared for driving screws (in general). The AC motor in a corded drill just doesn't do well under low-speed, high-torque conditions like driving a 3" deck screw into PT lumber. I've got a corded Milwaukee hammer drill ($180 drill), and I tried it side by side with my PC 14.4V in driving 3" screws. It got real hot real quick (I even let a little of the smoke out), while the PC was in its element. I found the same to be true when I was using a ~2 1/8" Forstner bit freehand for a rustic log staircase I was building. The hammer drill (in drill mode) did ok, but got hot and started to smoke a little. The PC did much better, I just had to keep batteries charged.

So I'd guess that many folks are buying cordless because they are more useful: drive screws and drill holes, plus there's the bonus of no cord.

[Christian Aufreiter]

Different tools for different applications. Being really lazy I hate to change bits. As a consequence I'll try to enlarge my drill range until I own as many drills as bits.;)
Honestly, in the shop I mostly use my drill press and my corded drill for drilling and countersinking, while I prefer to grab a cordless drill for driving screws. As for "onsite work" I don't carry four different drills with me thus the cordless is also used for drilling.

Regards,

Christian

[Bill Ryall]

As a rule- corded in the shop for drilling holes, either the 3/8" Milwalkee or drill press, cordless for fasteners. I have an old 9.6V Makita with several batteries that does nothiung except fasteners. I also have a 12V Makita impact driver for bigger fasteners.

In the field, holes are 50-50 cordless/corded. I have an 18V Dewalt drill/driver and an 18V Ridgid hammer drill. For big jobs, the 1/2" Milwalkee corded hammer drill comes out to play.

Bill R, somewhere in Maine

[Don Bergren]

For several years I was strictly cordless for my drilling unless it was steel. In the past year or so I have drifted back towards corded and tend to use corded the most. I always have one of my cordless drills ready for action, but I really like the speed and extra power my 3/8" corded drill gives me.

If it involves dragging out an extension cord to reach beyond where I can reach with either of my two retractable cord reels I don't hesitate to grab the cordless.

[Larry James]

I agree with David... I'll never give up my Milwaukee rt angle Hole Hawg (corded). It's the tool of choice for roughing plumbing and electrical. But, most everything else is done cordless -- mostly 'cause sooner or later I wrap the cord around my ankle and go boomp. :o
Bill, I remember that drill every time I brush my teeth. About 30+ years ago, I was drilling a 1 1/2" hole in the oak floor of an old building - I was laying down in a tight space - the drill hung-up and I lost control. Result: one chipped tooth. I drilled countless holes with it after that, always mindful of just how powerful and dangerous a rt angle drill with a self-feed bit can be.

Cordless, I use my trusty 9 volt Mikita and a Fein ABS14. The Fein will drill 3/4” holes in 2-by lumber with ease, but I usually use my corded Milwaukee Hole Shooter for drilling holes.

Someone (Mark Singer?) gave a sale heads-up about the Fein drill a while back, good buy and good drill.
Larry

[Mark Hollingsworth]

Another great application for a corded drill is making pocket holes. I have a 14.4 cordless and for the most part it works but the corded drill works better and longer!:p
I agree with Bryon. My corded drill sits on the bench next to my designated kreg jig work area plugged in to an outlet I installed just for it. Some things just call for a corded drill at least in the shop.

[CPeter James]

I like the cordless because of the freedom it gives me not having the cord pulling and getting caught on something. I have 5 or 6 corded drills in various flavors and 3 cordless ones and an 14.4 Dewalt impact driver. The impact gets 80% of the use, including drilling. Twice the power and half the weight. I do have 4 batteries that that fit two of the drills and the impact driver and two charges, so that is not usually a problem. The corded ones come out on rare occasion.

CPeter

[Ian Abraham]

I'd suggest the reason not many people buy corded drills is that they probably good for 20 or 30 years use if you look after them. With a cordless drill the batteries are dead after 5 years and it's cheaper to buy a new drill (with 2 batteries) than to replace the batteries :confused:

So even if everyone had, and used, one of each type, they would still sell 4 times as many battery drills?

I have 2 corded and one battery drill, the battery one is handy for small jobs and driving screws, but for big jobs it's the corded drills:D

Cheers

Ian

[Jim Broestler]

Porter Cable's new line of cordless drills are great for people like the woman who complained about the size of the grips. They come with two sets of grips, one sized for smaller hands.

Cordless drills are best, IMHO, for driving screws and boring smaller holes. Corded are simply unmatched for drilling big holes and pocket holes. But that benefit of greater torque and speed usually makes them unsuited for driving phillips screws. My corded drill stays on my bench for the most part, since I do most of my serious boring there. The cordless goes everywhere else.