Cordless Drills

[wildcard]

I'm trying to catch up with technology finally. I want to get a cordless drill. So what would be a good size for working on my 71 ? (3/8" or 1/2") And what volts ? I looked at a Craftsman with the light, vacuum, and reciprocating saw for around $100. I believe it was a 9.2 volts.

[69rangerf100]

my personnel choice is the Ryobi 18.0v + series. i have the light, hand vac, chainsaw, angle drill, regular drill, impact drill, angle grinder, and miter saw for the series and have not had any issues from them. half of my stuff i got off craigslist. this is just my opinion. good luck finding your choice set. the 18 volt is the way to go depending on which manufacturer you choose

[Doug Comer]

I would get 1/2 inch. Just my .

[fordman]

you want atleast 14.4 or 18 volt. they last longer when charged up. crafstman is made by ryobi i think. or they might be made by skil now. i don't like skil circular saws. they dont last for jack. except for the worm drive saws. they are great.

my cordless drill is a 18v dewalt. which is made by black and decker. my brother in law says that his milwakee. is the best all around stuff to have. and i think he may be right. my batteries are in constant need of charge. i myself probably wouldn't rebuy any craftsman electrical tools.

[ok68crewcab]

I have a 1/2" Craftsman and I think it is a 19.2 volt. I think volts are like horsepower...the bigger the better.

[crazyhorse]

i agree with what Ranger said.
i would add to just decide what is the biggest/heaviest job you will want to do & get big enough to begin with.
you can add the smaller ones later where they are on sale at different places &the smaller ones are not too expensive.
in my case i bought dewalt 18 volt & i stay with dewalt 18 volt add ons to which i now have 14 different dewalt 18 volt tools & have many batteries & chargers that all will interchange..
the reason i choose dewalt was many , some of which are quality for the price, sold at many locations which gives me a good chance to get them on sale,
since i have many batteries & chargers that will work in all pieces i never run low on batteries & so far i have never had to buy a new battery since the other add ons always comes with 1 or 2 batteries & a charger. for instance i can cut 2X4 '' if i am framing a building & never run low on batteries all day.
when i first started i bought any tool/brand/volt that was on sale. in about 5 years i had many tools,many batteries, many chargers , none of which would interchange. i was always looking for fresh batteries, never having enough,always dead batteries so i cut my losses & bought dewalt 18 volt & i have been very happy with my decision.
( in no way am i saying to buy dewalt or that dewalt is the best,i just thought in my case it was best for me)
hope this will shed some light on this to keep you from making the same mistake i did when i first started.
take your time & decide what you want the cordless tools to do & decide on what brand you want & stick with it , good luck.

[amishbuggy]

Makita is the way to go, you may have to put out a little more at the time of purchase but the quality and dependability are more than worth it. I have the LCT200W kit from Makita which I picked up 4 yrs ago at a pre-christmas sale at Home Depot for $169, the impact is very light, well balanced, compact and powerful, I use it for everything. Bosch is a close 2nd in my opinion. When I was installing elevators I went thru all the major brands of cordless tools and Makita was by far the best of the best. I would recommend at least an 18v kit or at least an 18v impact driver and if you can afford it I would pair it with a micro driver.

[binder56jd]

craftsman has 2 grades of pak powered tools(compare the specs on different item numbers that appear to be the same tool)---my 19.2 set has been trouble free for 5 yrs(knock on wood)--i have known several contractors to use the ryobis--when they quit--chuck'em--most people won't steal a ryobi--lol

bosch & hitachi are premo with makita real close

any of the rest are ok--personal choice vrs price

most important is care of the batts--proper cycling and protection from temperature extremes

1 buck as 2 cents ain't worth squat no more

ps--the new lithium ions are really light compared to ni-cad--$$$

[RTG_RACING]

I think the cordless stuff is great for fixing things around the house.
You want a drill to use in the shop skip the cordless toys and go buy this. You will never look back.

http://www.milwaukeetool.com/ProductDet ... in.+Drills

[lrjetmech]

I have the 19.2 Craftsman set-came with two batteries...three years, and no issues whatsoever. Not building houses with it or anything, but use it quite frequently...

[wildcard]

Man, one thing I like about this site, you ask for advice and you're gonna get it. Now all I have to do is decide which to get. Thanks for all the recomendations.

[fireguywtc]

I am another one that is happy with the Craftsman 19.2 set. I got mine for xmas 3 years ago and have well used and abused mine since then. I have used it a ton on my project not to mention countless other things. I have had zero problems and the batteries still hold a good long charge. I am also happy with the amount of power it has for drilling, etc. Now Craftsman offers a lithium-ion batter that last longer and such. For the price they seem to be pretty good imo, but you do get what you pay for and there are better made products out there that are naturally more expensive.

[ForingaMex]

Man, one thing I like about this site, you ask for advice and you're gonna get it. Now all I have to do is decide which to get. Thanks for all the recomendations.

Yes but are you any further ahead? You got about as many opinions as you got answers. For what it's worth, I have 12 volt 3/8" Mastercraft (Canadian brand) and it works good.

[shortstack]

Not sure if you have bought one yet but I would strongly recommend makita. I purchased the 18 volt lithium set, (1/2'' drill, impact driver and flashlight). I used the impact driver at least 9 hours a day, working on lawn mowers, and would charge the battery about every third day. It only takes 15 minutes to charge the batteries, unless they are really hot. The drill had the keyless chuck mess up about 6 months in, and the tool man replaced it with a metal one for free. Overall, I would say it is an extremely lightweight, powerful long lasting set. The small led light that stays on for fifteen seconds is handy in dark spots as well.

[wildcard]

Thanks. I really haven't had a chance to shop for one yet. And now my wife has decided it would make an excellent Christmas gift. Won't I be suprised ?