new cordless drill

[junquecol]

Any HD that has tool rental department can exchange the batteries. Remember that you need to RERIGISTER them within 90 days for LSA to continue.

 

[Volksdad]

For my use Bosch is just not there - seems the batteries are not the quality they should be. I would rate Bosch along with Hitachi, Milwaukee, Porter Cable and Ridgid - all are at best mid-grade. The very best are Makita, Panasonic, Hilti, Metabo and Festool.
Makita is by far the best value

Having sold tools and seen side by side comparisons, inside and out, I have to second Phil's post. I like (and own) Hilti, but they cost more than the average, and it can be hard to justify unless you make your living with it.

Hilti has for years included brushless motors, the finest quality batteries and chargers, all metal carburized gearing, glass fiber composite bodies, design winning ergonomics... Their "18v" line is actually the European standard - 21.5 v!

However the real question is: What do you need in your Home shop?


Makita is a good value, my brother sold for them and they make a decent tool for the money. They are lightweight, and have a decent warranty. They can be found aggressively priced at big box and jobber stores in town. They were early adopters of all metal gearing and good battery technology.
I suggest Makita.

 

[kooshball]

I didn't realize how many 1/2" chuck, brushless options there are now...I think my 8-year old Hitachi is getting tired and needs to be upgraded!

 

[JackLeg]

The "White Makita" is the best drill I've ever owned! Lightweight, but powerful. Good battery life. I own two Bosch screw drivers that have driven thousands of screws. Both are good choices in my opinion.

I have the white Makita drill/ impact driver set. Batteries (I have a set of 3) still going strong after 5 years. Light, powerful, and reliable.
I also have a 12V Bosch impact driver. Nice for driving screws, battery life is so-so, but since I have two, I can just swap as needed.

 

[kooshball]

Is the hammer option useful in this category tool or should that be reserved for a corded special-purpose drill?

 

[Brantnative]

I took my Ridgid battery to the HD on South in Charlotte that has a rental center. After three weeks I checked and they said they were waiting to get more to send in all at the same time. I took it back and to my local HD in Huntersville, no rental center. The service desk had me fill out a form, took the battery and I had another in the mail two weeks later. Bruce is right. Register it as soon as you get it back.

I have to agree about the reliability of Makita. I've had mine for about five years and both batteries seem to keep a charge for about the same time as when new.

 

[rcarmac]

I have a Dewalt 18v that has been rock solid. I went to one of the woodworking shows and got a special on a Bosch 12v with 3 batteries from Klingspor. It is my new favorite go to mainly because of the weight. I have some shoulder issues and when I was installing light fixtures in my shop, my shoulder was killing me working with the dewalt above my head. About a month ago I helped a friend install about the same amount of fixtures. I had just gotten the Bosch and tired it out on that job. No shoulder problems at all. I love the weight of the Bosch and it will do almost everything you want. If it is a real heavy duty job, I go back to the dewalt

 

[Phil S]

Is the hammer option useful in this category tool or should that be reserved for a corded special-purpose drill?

My opinion is the hammer option on cordless drills is worthless. A corded SDS hammer drill works great

 

[Weekendworrior]

My opinion is the hammer option on cordless drills is worthless. A corded SDS hammer drill works great

This depends on which drill with hammering capabilities is being used. I have 2 Sioux 18v lithium drills that have "hammer" and they work flawlessly for drilling concrete, mortar, brick, etc.

 

[kooshball]

Does the makita stuff ever go on sale?

 

[nn4jw]

I have a couple of the DeWalt DC825 impact drivers (one for the shop, one for the house), not to be confused with hammer drills, and they really do work as advertised for screws. I haven't stripped a screw head once since I switched to them and quit using drills to drive screws.

There are all different types of "drills" for a reason. No one type can do it all well. Corded drills still have their place when you need brute strength or will be using them for extended periods. Hammer drills in particular are in that category. If you are going to be drilling 1" holes though 4x4's then corded is the way to go. Size matters.

Between the house and the shop I probably have a dozen different drills counting corded and battery, not counting drill presses.

When it comes to battery powered drills the one thing I do want is for all my drills to use the same batteries and chargers.

 

[JimD]

There are multiple types of hammer drills and multiple uses for hammer drills. For years I've had a light duty corded hammer drill. It has plates with protrusions that rotate against each other when in hammer mode. It works fine for tapcons and small anchors. I more recently got a 10A Harbor Freight hammer drill. It has a hammer only mode so it can be used as a demolition hammer. I used it to reclaim some bricks when I was having a garage added.

A cordless drill could replace my light duty hammer drill but not my new Harbor Freight. The HF will drill 1 1/8 holes in concrete. The weight of the drill is enough to drill a hole. It goes through brick like nothing. It works as a demolition hammer. No cordless will do these things.