Drill/Driver Recommendations

[AJ]

Looking for some advice from someone in the construction business. I am about to do a project at the cabin that will likely call for a driver/drill. Basically reframing a wall, installing some windows, etc. I will be driving 3 inch screws into 2x4s for the framing. Quite a few, but I dont want to splurge on the framing nailer. I have some crappy cordless drills with clutches, but they could never drive 3 in screws. At least not more than a couple. I have always gone to my power drill, which is not the right tool. Too many RPMs, not enough torque. So, question is, do I go corded or cordless? And if cordless, do I need an impact driver? What volt, amp, RPM, features, etc? I'm worried about running out of battery power. I dont want to break the bank (under 150 if possible), but I dont want to buy junk either. What should I buy? Thanks.

[jeffreyd]

can't go wrong with the dew alt 18volt system. we have serval at work and are always being used daily. get an extra battery just to have good luck

[Walleye Guy]

I have had Dewalt, Ryobi and Milwaukee. The Dewalt 14.4 volt last 11 years before the batteries were shot. New batteries were very expensive. Bought a 14.4 volt Ryobi. It lasted 3 years. Now I have an 18 volt Milwaukee. Great drill. A bit heavy but it is well built and the batteries are Lithium Ion and charge in an hour.

[PurpleFloyd]

Go cordless.

I have been a big fan of the 15.6 v Panasonic drills with the Ni/MH batteries for about the last 15 years. They are lightweight, ergonomic and tough as heck. That being said over the past 3 years I have bought 3 sets of the Hitachi cordless drill sets with the impact driver and the 18V Lithium Ion Batteries and they have performed very well also. I absolutely love the impact driver for driving long screws.

I am not a fan at all of the Dewalt drills. The Makitas are OK but not at the top of the list. Bosch drills are OK.

[CAMAN]

If all you're going to be doing is driving screws get an impact driver, you will not regret it, especially with 3inch screws.

If you need to drill a few holes, use your corded drill and still get the impact driver.

I'm an 18volt Dewalt guy and use them almost everyday, never had a problem. But it's a Ford/Chevy debate, and you can't go wrong with any big name, especially if you're an occasional user.

[Moose-Hunter]

For the big name drivers, drills or impacts... what sort of price tags to they carry?

[CAMAN]

For the big name drivers, drills or impacts... what sort of price tags to they carry?

If you do some research you can find units for a lot cheaper than you can find in the big box stores. I buy many of my tools on "The Big Jungle" bookstore HSOforum if I don't need it right away. I can always save at least 15% off the final purchase price. $150 might be a little low for 18volt, but 12 or 14 volts you should easily be able to find what you need in your budget.

Also, if you already have the batteries and their still good, you can find bare tools for a fraction of the price of a full kit. The batteries are what makes everything so expensive.

[crothmeier]

I run Dewalt 18volt. Have for years with no issues!

[hanson]

I recently bought a Makita Compact 18v Lithium Ion drill/driver that has impressed me beyond belief.

The Compact has a battery that is half the size of the regular Makita drills but is also like half the price as well. For just wanting to use it around the house, I thought why not. I've sure done a lot more than just around the house work with it and its been great. It has so much torque it'll kick out of your hands if your crank the clutch up too far. Which resulted in an 8' drop off a ladder onto my concrete steps and then a big bounce onto the driveway. Still good to go.

Obviously an impact driver is the way to go if you are driving a lot of long screws. Makita makes a Compact Impact as well and is definitely the next tool I buy.

[Tom7227]

no one has mentioned that there are homeowner lines of power tools and then there are contractor lines. Dramatic differences in quality. Price too, but you get what you pay for.

[Eelpout08]

I have used DeWalt and Bosch for about 10 yrs at work and cant really find any major flaws with either. about a year ago we got a couple Makita 18v litium ion drills and they are pretty impressive, extremely light and lots of power, and the batteries go from dead to charged in 15 min! It does seem like they dont have quite the rpm that they used to though, but we have put in a lot of sheet metal screws(at least a few buckets of 10,000) and drilled a lot of holes with them.

I forgot the best part, the led light by the trigger that i thought was a cheesy gimmick has come in handy more times than i can count. I think quite a few brands are doing that now.

[hanson]

I forgot the best part, the led light by the trigger that i thought was a cheesy gimmick has come in handy more times than i can count. I think quite a few brands are doing that now.

You wouldn't think that would be helpful until you are in a tight spot with poor light and you can't see. Its a nice feature!

[wormdunker]

I recently purchased a Dewalt from Home Depot. After the purchase I started reading posts that the BIg box tools were not built to the same standards as those purchased from Dewalt Dealers. Based on the reviews I hear from COntractors etc....they are bullet proof.

I am here to tell you that the BIG box Dewalt is not a very good drill. I purchased it to speed up my project, give my son a tool to use (my old one of course) to work on the deck with me.

I am having a lot of issues with the speed chuck. It just will not grab and often loosens. Battery life is what it is I got about 60 - 70 screws out of a charge.

Overall the drill is not that much better than teh Sears Skill brand cordless I have that is 6 years old.....oh and the Skil has teh LED light too, not the Big Box Dewalt.

If you buy dewalt get one from an authorized dealer.

[Ufatz]

This is an easy one. Makita all the way. The new generation Makita 18v's are unstoppable and top quality all the way.

Why mess around-pay the man and get the best.

[LightningBG]

I've had very good luck with my Craftsman 19.2 volt. Been using it for 10 years.

Currently...

Craftsman 19.2 Volt C3 Combo Kit, Drill/Driver & Impact Driver

comes with 2 batteries.

cost is $110 right now at sears.

[LightningBG]

Or this is good if you want both and are willing to go a little over budget

DeWalt 12V MAX* Cordless Li-Ion Drill/Driver/Impact Driver Combo Kit

NEW Item !| | Sears Item# 00931071000 | Model# DCK211S2

(Be the first to rate and review this item)

Reg Price: $199.99

Savings: $10.99

$189.00

[grizrunner]

Milwaukee 18v li-ion compact driver. 3 amp/hr batteries(most others are only 1-2 amp/hr) $200. Best driver for price IMO.

[quijibo]

Every contractor I've worked for in the last 15 years has supplied us with Dewalt. They are definitely the best for the money. I've been using their Lithium powered tools for the last couple of years and have had only one issue with them. It was maybe the third day that we had them and I killed three batteries in an hour before I realized that they couldn't take the cold temperatures, luckily they were covered under warranty. It was about 5 degrees that day. They no longer send out any of the lithium tools.

I do have a Makita lithium set at home and, although they are handy, I wouldn't ask them to do the things I use a Dewalt for at work.

I totally agree about not buying from the big box stores. Their versions look like knock offs of what we use. I highly recommend going to Thomas Tool or Seven Corners Hardware. The salespeople at both places have enough experience to tell you what tools come back with unsatisfied tradesmen.

Adam

[hanson]

I just don't understand why companies like DeWalt, Makita, Milwaukee, Toro (from another thread), Sony (from a friend of mine) make the same model of a product of theirs at different quality levels for different retailers. Why would you put your brand's reputation on the line like that? Those buying the above mentioned brands expect a quality product... PERIOD. Doesn't matter where you buy it, you are buying that product because it is better than everything else out there, and I don't want to be buying your product that functions at 80%.

Honestly, I don't believe this [PoorWordUsage] but you hear it enough that you start to wonder. I've owned a Toro lawnmower that I bought from Home Depot (gasp!) that has worked very well for 3 summers now. How can one I buy at Acme Tools, Beissweingers, or any other "not big box" retailer be that much better. I just don't get it and why would a company like these put their reputation on the line like that.

Shoot... I own a Stihl weedeater bought from Acme Tools that has a noise coming out of it now. The most high end tool I own from a "better" retailer is the one that is giving me problems. Go figure.

[hanson]

Every contractor I've worked for in the last 15 years has supplied us with Dewalt.

Are they getting a kickback? Just something to think about.

[quijibo]

Walmart is the culprit here. They employ an army of people whose only job is to find a way for you to make your product cheaper. If they find that you could make your product cheaper then they will refuse to pay yoyu one penny more than that price. It's a given that they will require you to make it at one of their factories in China (or match the Chinese wages), use "value engineered" components, and reduce quality to the bare minimum. All of the major chains have had to follow suit to survive. There are a few notable exceptions like Snapper. Most manufacturers have to make two lines, one to survive and the other to try to maintain some kind of a reputation for quality.

I am purposefully bashing Walmart, I find it hard not to.

Adam

[PurpleFloyd]

I recently purchased a Dewalt from Home Depot. After the purchase I started reading posts that the BIg box tools were not built to the same standards as those purchased from Dewalt Dealers. Based on the reviews I hear from COntractors etc....they are bullet proof.

I am here to tell you that the BIG box Dewalt is not a very good drill. I purchased it to speed up my project, give my son a tool to use (my old one of course) to work on the deck with me.

I am having a lot of issues with the speed chuck. It just will not grab and often loosens. Battery life is what it is I got about 60 - 70 screws out of a charge.

Overall the drill is not that much better than teh Sears Skill brand cordless I have that is 6 years old.....oh and the Skil has teh LED light too, not the Big Box Dewalt.

If you buy dewalt get one from an authorized dealer.

I own a custom cabinet shop and have a brother that is a plumber and one who is a carpenter. On night after several cocktails the one brother who had an 18V Dewalt challenged the little brother with the Rigid 18V to a "Torque-off" They chucked each drill to a piece of ready rod and squeezed the triggers at the count of three.

Result: The rigid stripped the gears out of the dewalt and is still going strong a few years later. The Dewalt went in the trash.

[PurpleFloyd]

By the way. A great place to buy tools in Minnesota to keep the money here is from the Trading Post in Gordonsville, which is between Albert Lea and Austin. I have bought thousands upon thousands of dollars worth of tools from them over the years and like the fact they are just a privately owned business in a tiny town and they compete dollar for dollar with Amazon.

[crothmeier]

Ive bought alot of tools from mathew hall in downtown st cloud. they match prices, and usualy their regular prices are lower than home depot.

they had an in-house certified repair man as well that could do warranty work and repair all major brands without having to ship them off.

[delcecchi]

I just don't understand why companies like DeWalt, Makita, Milwaukee, Toro (from another thread), Sony (from a friend of mine) make the same model of a product of theirs at different quality levels for different retailers. Why would you put your brand's reputation on the line like that? Those buying the above mentioned brands expect a quality product... PERIOD. Doesn't matter where you buy it, you are buying that product because it is better than everything else out there, and I don't want to be buying your product that functions at 80%.

Honestly, I don't believe this [PoorWordUsage] but you hear it enough that you start to wonder. I've owned a Toro lawnmower that I bought from Home Depot (gasp!) that has worked very well for 3 summers now. How can one I buy at Acme Tools, Beissweingers, or any other "not big box" retailer be that much better. I just don't get it and why would a company like these put their reputation on the line like that.

Shoot... I own a Stihl weedeater bought from Acme Tools that has a noise coming out of it now. The most high end tool I own from a "better" retailer is the one that is giving me problems. Go figure.

I would surmise that it isn't the SAME model. Although the John Deere lawn mower I bought from the local dealer, Podein's Power Equipment of Stewartville is the exact same one that Home Depot sold. It was the exact same price only I got service with the sale instead of nothing.

[10,000 Casts]

Quote:

Milwaukee 18v li-ion compact driver. 3 amp/hr batteries(most others are only 1-2 amp/hr) $200. Best driver for price IMO.

+1

and I got the impact with mine which I didn't think I would use but love it for putting in the dock and changing a tire!

I had a similar model Rigid that never worked right (something wrong with the batteries) and I threw it away after they wouldn't help me because it was over a yr old..