More Powerful and long lasting drill

[Mike Hill]

I use a Bosch small drill driver with the lithium battery for driving screws (a really great tool) and an old Makita for drilling holes and countersinking. The Makita is 10+ years old and the batteries are going.

I want a heavy duty battery operated drill with 2 batteries that have some life and are powerful. Probably 18V. Any suggestions?
Mike

[Kristian Wild]

Check out the new drills and drivers from Ingersoll Rand. (Yeah the air tool company) They look really beefy. Two year battery warranty, Three year tool and charger warranty. They come with Li-Ion batteries but you can buy replacements or extras in either ni-cad or li-ion.

I don't have any myself because I just recently got a Makita drill / driver combo set, but they would be a serious contender if I was in the market again.

I presume you already tried the freezing your batteries trick that was discussed here a day or two ago?

[Joe Trotter]

I started with a dewalt 12V several years ago. It finally gave up the ghost on the batteries. I went to replace it and was fortunate to get an 18V version for 89 dollars. That was cheaper than batteries for the old one.

I have had the 18V for two years. It has fallen off the top rung of my ladder one too many times. I was using it in the barn the other day and the clutch quit working. I wasnt too happy but it was my fault.

I now have to start searching too. I like the dewalt brand but I am going to watch this thread to see what is well liked.

Joe

[David G Baker]

Mike,
They may not be high end drills but the Ryobi 18v has served me well and the price is such that you can get two new 18v batteries for around 40 dollars. The one I have is around 4 years old and have used it a lot. It is not as comfortable on the hand as the 14v Makita that I had in the past. For the price of some of the bigger brand name drills you can buy three of the 18v Ryobi drills. Another plus, the batteries fit all of the other 18v Ryobi tools.
David B

[Jesse Thornton]

Does anyone know if Bosch's 'Brute Tough' line lives up to its hype? I once watched a Makita fly to peices as it hit the concrete from a two story drop.
If the Bosch is comparable in performance to others in its price range, that extra durability might be enough to tip the scales in its favor.
I've got a Dewalt 18v battery in the freezer right now. The Dewalt has performed well for the past three years, and I've never had any problems boring large holes or driving lag bolts with it. The three speeds have been handy, and the variable speed trigger is very responsive too.
Check out the torque specs for whatever drill you're going to buy. I remember doing some comparisons when I bought the Dewalt, and it had considerably more torque than several cheaper brands of the same voltage.

[Gary Herrmann]

Check out Tyler Tools. They run sales periodically on refurbed cordless drills and drivers. I picked up a Dewalt 18v Drill and Driver with two batteries and a bag for $109 last year.

[skip coyne]

another vote for ryobi , Ive been through them all . makita , Milwaukee , dewalt and ryobi has worked well for me .

you get a two year warranty on tool and batteries . and as David mentioned replacement batteries are 39.00 for a two pack .

(besides who else has a 18 volt fan ? );)

[Dave Falkenstein]

There is a great deal on a Dewalt 14.4 or 18 volt impact driver and a free hammer drill right now, until the end of January. Check out this rebate offer:

http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/toolsplus/dewalt-impact-promo-winter06.pdf

[Mike Henderson]

I have the Dewalt 18V hammer drill - it's now probably 10 years old. Been a great drill - powerful, reliable, rugged. The problem is the batteries - they just don't last.

I'd recommend that you look for a drill with batteries that last more than a year. Maybe the new Li ion batteries will have more life.

Based on the battery life of the Dewalt, I can't recommend it even though the drill itself is great. And if you find one that has a battery that will last even five years, let me know.

Mike

[Barbara Roberts]

Do yourself a big favor and look at Panasonic. YES Panasonic. The stereo people.Maybe the best cordless tools out there today.

[Mike Hill]

It looks like we may be iced in for the next few days and I needed a new drill. Normally I would have shopped price on line....but. So I went down to Home Depot and bought a Dewalt 18V Drill/Driver with 2 batteries and a shop light for free which uses the same batteries. I drove a 3 inch #10 screw into a 4X4 and had an extended bit holder. It went right in and came out the other side :) I do want to see how the batteries last based on comments on this thread. I hope the thread continues a bit and we get some more opinions on drills.

Mike

[patrick anderson]

I'll have to chip in a vote for hitachi. I've had their stuff for years and never had a single thing go wrong with them.

I think, IIRC, that the blue box is clearing out the current line of tools as the new ones are due out. I remember seeing most of the hitachi stuff on sale.