Inexpensive cordless "screwdriver"

[Dick Sylvan]

I currently have a Milwaukee "cordless drill", that handles any drilling/screwing task I ask of it. However, if I am in the middle of an assembly project, I hate changing back and forth from drill bit to screwdriver head, and am not particularly interested in using one of the convertible drill/driver bits. So, I am looking for a cordless "screwdriver" with sufficient power for driving a number of ,say, 3 to 3-1/2 inch screws without constantly running out of juice. Also, cheap and lightweight would be good. Any suggestions would be appreciated, as the LOML is now asking for my Christmas catalog list.

[skip coyne]

I picked up a Ryobi 12 volt lion drill/driver at thanksgiving to use a screwdriver primarily , for $79.00 drill/driver two battery's charger and case

Ive been really pleased with it , compact , lightweight plenty of power I'm still using the first battery with the initial charge on it .

nice thing is it doubles as a drill if I need to .

I was all set to buy the Bosch palm driver but I got this instead .

for more economical B&D makes a little pistol grip driver for 30-40 that I used at a customers site and was reasonably impressed with .

[Lance Norris]

The Bosch I-drivers get good reviews.
http://www.amazon.com/Bosch-PS20-2-10-8-Volt-Lithium-Ion-Batteries/dp/B000F4GITI/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1197309292&sr=8-2

http://www.amazon.com/Bosch-PS10-2-10-8-Volt-Lithium-Ion-I-Driver/dp/B000F4ILD4/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1197309292&sr=8-1

[Brad Townsend]

The Bosch I-drivers get good reviews.
http://www.amazon.com/Bosch-PS20-2-10-8-Volt-Lithium-Ion-Batteries/dp/B000F4GITI/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1197309292&sr=8-2

http://www.amazon.com/Bosch-PS10-2-10-8-Volt-Lithium-Ion-I-Driver/dp/B000F4ILD4/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1197309292&sr=8-1
The Bosch I-Drivers don't fit the definition of "inexpensive", but I will second Lance's suggestion. The PS20 is the first one I go for. It may seem like an awful price for a driver, until you use it. Fits your hand nicely and plenty of power.

[David G Baker]

Santa is bringing me a Makita 7 volt power driver. Santa paid $109 for it. When it comes to power screw drivers you really get what you pay for. My original choice was the PS20 but Santa was unable to locate it locally.

[skip coyne]

home depot has the ryobi on display next to the bosh about the same size and weight but according to the specs and my observation the ryobi has more torque and RPM.

our home depot has a table with cordless drills and drivers on display along with a piece of landscaping timber and a box of drywall screws , lets you play with weight and driving power .

you might want to check and see if yours dose also , I was set to buy the Bosh but for the $$$ difference I went with the Ryobi

[jason lambert]

I just went throught the same thing and returned several the Bosh is the way to go. the Dewalt at 79 is great, a bit bigger but has tons of tork and you can't kill it. I also tried the Hatachi DB3DL at 70 is a nice driver with grat reviews I returned it though in favor of the bosh the lack of variable speed (it has 2 speeds) was just a pain, to start screws it was going to fast and took me 3 times as long to get the job done since I usally start the screw going slow and then crank it in fast.

[Robert Mahon]

Don't kill me for saying a bad word here.;)

I bought the clutched Black & Decker Swivel Drill/Driver (model XD1200 - 12 volt) kit having 2 batteries and a charger last year for $39.00 and have found it to be all I could want for setting screws. I also have Makita, DeWalt, Ryobi and Hitachi units, which are reserved for other tasks.

Bottom line:
For cheap, this is very, very hard to beat.
Also, the replacement batteries are inexpensive (unlike the DeWalt units).

[Jon Bonham]

Makita 6935FD impact driver. You can drill a 3 1/2" screw the longways THROUGH a 2x4 all day. I've drilled one out the other side before. You get what you pay for.