On Sat, 18 Dec 2004 09:31:00 -0500, "Dan White"
wrote:

I'm looking into Lowes' 20% off sale and want a new drill. The one I have
is a rather weak cordless with the small battery (12v?). I've also lost the
charger, but that's another story. Anyway I want to be able to drill in/out
3" screws into studs, and drill into concrete with a masonry bit. I found
that the 12v drill didn't have the torque to do it. I borrowed a cheap
corded drill the other day and it drove those screws like nothing.

What do you guys recommend? If the price is in the $200's US or lower I
don't care about the money. It looks like the most expensive one is a
Dewalt 18v. Is this going to match up favorably with a corded drill of the
same quality? Will the battery last a long time? I won't be using the
drill often but I wan't one that can do everything a decent corded drill can
do without the cord hassle.

Thanks for any suggestions,

dwhite



I'd use a hammer drill for going into concrete. As others say, it's
going to draw lots of power, so a battery operated model may not be
the best choice. However, if your use is infrequent, maybe this is
o.k.

I just bought (last weekend) a cordless Milwaukee 14.4. My choice was
influenced by the 14.4 volt review in the Tools & Shops issue of FWW.
I think this tool strikes a good balance of performance & price.
Plus, when I got it it came in a kit with a 1 hour charger and a spare
battery. And right now, Milwaukee has a rebate going on that allows
you to choose a tool belt, a folding knife or another battery. I
chose the battery, so now I'll have 3. With a 1 hour charger, for my
use, I'll never run out of juice.

Constuction quality of the tool plays a role too - no plastic for me.
Milwaukee and the other top brands use metal gears and other quality
features. Check the reviews. My previous drill died last week. Not
of any heavy use, but because a plastic boss broke off inside and beat
the hell out of the armature resulting in a short in the windings. It
went up in smoke. Too bad, so sad. What's the point? Too much
plastic in the construction of the tool in the wrong place is a bad
thing.

You might ask, why not 18v? Well, I'm a hobbiest woodworker and just
don't want to hoist the weight of anything that large. And more cells
in a cordless pack and it's going to take a crane to lift it. Plus,
some tools just shouldn't be cordless. At least not yet. Hammer
Drills and Routers come to mind.