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
Dan,
I've seen a ton of different drills as these are a part of what I
sell for a living. The majors all sell very good tools. 14.4V will
fill the bill on most any application that you may come across.
However, you say that you'll be drilling into concrete ... if this is
something that you'll be doing from time to time ... I'd recommend
stepping up to 18V. If more regular ... go 18V hammer. If occasional
concrete drilling with mostly drilling holes in wood and running
screws ... I'd stick with 14.4V. There is no need for the 18V. Quite
honestly, I don't see people using the hammers as much as they thought
and normally run them in drill or drive mode.Why pay the extra for the
hammer mechanism? Most failures of these tools are the gearing,
clutch, and switch. Most complaints are the chucks. For my money, I'd
go Bosch 14.4V "Compact Tough" .... great package. New design that is
extremely tough and you'll love the locking chuck .... no more
spinning drills in the chuck on penetration through metal /
sheetmaetal. Good gearing and very easily repaired. I've owned most of
the majors, and keep two Bosch 14.4's for my workshop. However, mine
are the previous design to the "compact tough".
Steve
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