I'm looking for some cordless drill recommendations with an emphasis on the best bang for the buck. I really don't know what I need, but I do know my B&D 14.4v isn't it. I'm building a barn and using treated lumber & corrugated metal and will be building a shed and replacing some siding with hardiplank, so I need it mostly for driving screws and drilling a few holes.
1. I've always had luck with Dewalt cordless drills. The 18 volt XRP I have now works great. Bosch and Milwaukee are also good. The 24 volt drills are out now, but are at least $100 more expensive. The 18 volt drills are heavy as it is, 24 might be getting a little ridiculous in weight. Also, the 18 volt has more than enough torque. 2. Dewalt drills are the same price no matter which store you go to in my experience. I don't know if it's the same for other brands. I would buy the drill you decide on from Amazon.com. You avoid paying sales tax and can get free shipping since it's over $25.
I have a Porter/Cable 19.2 volt drill that I have had great luck with. I have no idea how I got along with out. Heavy but not too bad. Came with an extra battery so I never run out of power.
I have a DeWalt 14.4 volt. Built a deck with it. Came with 2 batteries and had to change them more regularly toward the end when I was screwing in the last few planks, but it is a solid drill. plenty of power/torque. Not reallly sure I know what torque is, but it has plenty of it. I use that thing a lot, much more than I thought I would.
What brands would you guys stay away from? I almost alway buy Makita, but I don't really have a good reason why (other than believing what my hardware guy says).
Probably not the best bang for the buck, but Milwaukee and Makita now have tools that use Li Ion batteries. I guess they got all the safety bugs worked out (those batteries can explode in a ball of flame!) You get twice the charge at less weight, but the downside is that they take an hour to charge. milwaukee v28
Bang for the buck would probably be Craftsman. I have had the 19.2 volt drill for a year. I use it quite regularly with no problems.
stay away from Ryobi and Skil, at least from my personal experience. Bosch has got some nice cordless stuff out now as well, pretty tempted to replace my 6 yo 12V Dewalt with one of them. Remember the higher the voltage the more heat built up when recharging or dissapating the battery, hence shorter overall life of the battery. I have gone back to corded for a lot of repetitous stuff, since they are lighter and more powerful. I find the trade off of the cord vs the price/weight/bulkiness/lower power of the cordless is pretty even.
I have a Ryobi 18 volt that has been a good tool. Came as part of a bundled 6 pack - drill, miter saw, circular saw, reciprocating saw, dremel type tool, and a flashlight. Came with 3 batteries. I've built a deck, put down quarter round in 5 rooms, and put decking in the attic with them. Haven't had any problems; for the $300 bucks I paid for this thing, it's been money well spent.
I've used an 18V B&D and a 19.2 Craftsman and have been happy with both. If I had the money, I probably would have tried out a Dewalt or Milwaukee because I have had really good luck with my corded models. If you are going to go with combo kit, the Craftsman 19.2V at Sears is the best value I've seen.
For all that work, sounds like you could use a nail gun. James Hardie actually recommends a nail gun for installing hardiplank.
ryobi 18v is great. i built a deck with that, while the b&d drill conked out all the time. ryobi is a great ******* value. their drill bits are kind of flimsy, though.
Dewalt # pack at COSTCO is running about $300, but I don't know how may volts the drill is, but it looked like a solid deal. Hell if you burn it up just return it to costco!
Thanks for all the rec's. I'm weighing my options with some of the brands suggested including packaged kits. I have a corded circular saw and reciprocating saw, but I'm thinking a cordless circular might be handy to have. The higher volt/weight trade off has me leaning towards an 18v or 19.2 volt, because I'm afraid if I get a better 14.4v drill than I have it might still be underpowered. Does anybody have experience with hammer drills and should that be something to consider? Also any thoughts on Hitachi's?
The cordless circular saws are very handy. The 18 volt ones are only slightly smaller than corded versions. Also, you can buy a Dewalt from Amazon for like 80 bucks without a battery, which isn't a big deal because you get 2 with the drill. Home Depot or Lowes sells extra batteries in 2 packs for around 100 dollars if you decide you want more batteries. I wouldn't get a cordless hammer drill. A regular cordless will work fine if you occasionally want to drill in concrete or masonry and if it's something you're going to be doing a lot of, I would get a corded hammer drill because of the large battery drain on hard materials.
I love my 18 v Ryobi. However, if you're building a barn, I would use a nail gun. If you insist on using screws, then I would use a corded drill.
