I’m looking to but a new cordless drill. I don’t have a huge budget, and I don’t need anything top-notch, but I also don’t want a piece o’ junk. I’ve heard great things about the new Hitachi and Makita lithium ions. Any suggestions?
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Check the prices of the batteries first to be sure you can afford new ones cause you'll be going through them and thats where they GET YOU!!
Some guys here like Ryobi cause they're cheap....almost disposeable.
Lotta guys like DW and Bosch and Panasonic and .....check the battery prices first and you decide. A tiny budget...you might wanna consider finding a Ryobi on sale somewhere...I think some guys here said they saw em' on sale at HD.
A good friend will come and bail you out of jail...
but a true friend will be sitting next to you saying,
"Damn... that was fun!"
http://WWW.CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
that's a good way to look at it...
why didn't ya suggest a Firestorm to him...Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
Yeah, my father bought a Ryobi combo set for about $100 recently. He's highly satisfied all-and-all. I'm just wondering if the quality will last. I'm thinking about doing the same thing.
thats why I said check the battery prices. One battery is almost the cost of the entire drill body on some drills so for the mpney of the Ryobi battery which is pretty cheap......or find another sale ....and buy another...still cheaper than a battery of a mid priced drill in some cases..its all inthe battery prices for you I think.
Also...follow the directions of battery care. That makes a big differance. Never let anyone tell you to always drain the battery b4 you charge it. Thats WRONG! Don't store it in a hot van...or freezing cold!!
Some charges have a button you push every 10th charge to trickle it...makes the battery last longer too.
A good friend will come and bail you out of jail...but a true friend will be sitting next to you saying,"Damn... that was fun!"
http://WWW.CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
Yeah, my father bought a Ryobi combo set for about $100 recently. He's highly satisfied all-and-all. I'm just wondering if the quality will last. I'm thinking about doing the same thing.
Go for it. I'm sure the big names (Bosch, Milwaukee, Makita, etc.) make better, longer-lasting tools, but I've been reading this forum for about 3 years and I don't ever recall anyone ever saying that they regretted buying Ryobi because it wasn't worth what they paid.
I've heard plenty of stories of how they didn't last as long, but the common theme seems to be that they're decent tools at a very good price. If price were not a consideration, I would get a lithium-ion drill (like the Makita). One of the biggest advantages of lithium-ion is that they hold a charge between uses a lot longer than nicad. I use my tools often enough that battery replacement cost is more of a consideration.
Oh, and if you're only 15 (like you profile says), don't spend too much right now. You'll want to have some funds set aside for when the next big technological innovation gets rolled out :-)
I got a Makita from http://www.coastaltool.com/
I'm very pleased with the tool and Coastal Tool's service. I also bought an impact driver. I use the impact driver for only driving and the drill for only drilling. It makes the batteries on both last a lot longer. The batteries are also interchangeable and they offer a combo kit so you don't end up buying multiple chargers.
I've got a couple Panasonics, and the new Makitas that I own personally. At Work I've got a big Bosch 24 volt platinum, and a Milwaukee 14 volt. I have had the best service out of the Milwaukee and I think it only cost about a $150.00. Take it for what it's worth but that Milwaukee is a fine drill. It's got good battery life per charge, and is very durable.
I would suggest that's the one you might want to look into.
They won't sell you a gun if you are crying.
http://thewoodwhisperer.com/
Makita makes good cordless drills that are quite reasonable. I myself have 2 14.4 volt drills, because I got one free as a promo for buying their impact driver.
Check out Makita's MXT line as oppposed to the M-force line of drills. 450 ft lbs of torque, 3 speed all metal gearbox, metal ratcheting chuck, and a good size carry case.
The NIMH batteries kick butt on the old tech NI-CAD.
Makita 6339DWDE Cordless Drill
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Ben, if you play your cards right and watch http://www.heavydutytools.net you can score a sweet deal there. They run a sale from time to time on a nice little combo pack. It's a 14.4 Makita drill body, a 14.4 Makita Impact Driver, and a work light. Comes in a nice kit box with charger and two 14.4 NiMh batteries for right around $189. That's a very good value.
I have the MAkita 18v Lithium ion. It's a decent drill, good balance, not too heavy. I find that the batteries don't last near as long as they say they do. Not to mention that new batteries cost a near fortune. Your best bet, if your looking at makita is to buy the full kit. You get a better bang for your buck. Makita still hasn't come out with a double batterie charger yet. Mine was about $730.00 before taxes (Canadian).
Don't accept the shelf price. The retailers will come down on price for the contractors. If you shop around you might be able to find a refurbished kit for less than that. Overall, I'm happy with my kit. I've had mine for about 6 mths and it has served me well.
Dave
First drill I got was a Makita 6336DWDE...They don't make it anymore, but the 6337 is more or less the same thing. I just went through this conversation with my uncle about a week ago.
Depends on your budget and your use. For the money, you probably can't go wrong with Ryobi. I found a reconditioned Makita 14.4v for $130ish (I think at CPOmakita). I got my drill probably about 5 years ago, and still have the same batteries, and am still pleased with it. New batteries (and better than original) cost around $40. The 14.4v Milwaukee has gotten great reviews, and I'm quite pleased with my 18v milwaukee kit.
Figure out what you need it for, and how much you'll abuse it. If you treat your stuff relatively nicely (and buy decent stuff), you can get years of service from them.
Good luck.
If all you need is a cordless drill, and don't need access to the zillion other accessories that Ryobi offers, then I would look at a different brand: Rigid.
They are actually made by thae same company, but the Rigid has a lifetime warranty - on the batteries even! I love my Ryobi set, but if you don't need all the 18v accessories then 18v is a HEAVY system. On the other hand, I picked up a 12v drill and angle impact set for only $129 awhile back. The angle impact isn't as powerful as regular impact drivers, it's just alot more handy for tight spaces.
the 12v is pretty light, and the changing system seems pretty smart.
Rebuilding my home in Cypress, CA
Also a CRX fanatic!
I'll second Paul on the Rigid tools. I've been beating on mine for four years now. I'm just a weekend hack so the price was definitly a factor. The 1/2hr double charger was also a deciding factor( I just put the batteries on to charge and came in for a beer break). I couldn't justify extra $200 for the Makita or Millwakie.
I use a 9.8vDewalt at work and can't say I'm to fond of them. Batterys don't last long and it's only $20 more to buy a new drill with two batteries and charger than to buy one replacement battery.
So far the Rigid have helped me build 2 cabins, a 200 sq.ft. playhouse for my daughter plus untold # of other projects. Waiting to see how long the batteries last before I try the warrenty.
You know I forgot all about the deal with the Rigid batteries... free replacements as part of the warranty.
Has anyone here taken then up on that yet? Just curious to see what kind of hoops you have to jump through. I'm wondering if you can just take them to the store and swap them or if you have to send them out and be without batteries for six months or something.
If the swap is painless, I should really think about just selling all my cordless crap and taking the beating up front. Then go Orange and be done with it. To date, I've got a 5 piece Makita LI set, a Bosch 18V drill and circ saw, and two 12V Makita impacts.... and that's after getting rid of a bunch of stuff last summer.View Image
I.m on my 4th cordless drill and I've had DeWalt (12v), Porter-Cable (12v), Riobi (18v) & Black & Decker (18v). Avoid the Porter - replacement batteries are too expensive - although the drill itself lasted a half-dozen years before the clutch went out. Darn drill died just after I bought two new batteries for $65 on eBay. The DeWalt lasted barely longer then the warranty.
This time I went with the lower price end, mostly because the batteries are less expensive. I bought a Firestorm late last year. (Lowe's is my closest tool seller.) I Like the ability to drill a pilot hole, remove the outer chuck and then screw it in without changing bits at all. That's really convenient. I keep that one in the house.
The Riobi (which I got as a Christmas gift) has a whole lot more torque than the Firestorm and is the better drill - for the low price end of things anyway. It's my shop drill. It came in a set with a circular saw. The drill is great (the circular saw is convenient but as you might expect it bogs down under heavy loads). I got an extra pair of batteries for something like $35.
I was tempted by the Makita and the Milwaukee (my big 1/2" is a Milwaukee corded and it will drill through anything) but I didn't notice the Rigid. The comments here make me wish I had.
I found a Hitachi 14.4v drill/flashlight kit on coastaltools (brand new). 2 batteries, charger, drill, flashlight, 6 driver bits....$90 plus $10 shipping. Good deal if you ask me. Thanks for all the posts and help!