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

snip

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


It's likely I'm against the grain with this but I'd suggest both. I
use the wired drill for things like using a sanding pad. This
is when you need the drill to last quite a while without
changing or charging batteries. For standard shop use,
a wired drill is fine with all the options like reversible and
variable speed, and torque adjust, and hand chucking.

The battery is great for portability. Working outside or
putting something in the house, walls, etc. Get the
same features as the wired. I'd say a normal home use
a 14.4 volt is plenty good with at least a dual set of
batteries. They'll discharge just sitting there and you
don't want to leave a battery in the charger all the
time either. An 18 volt is likely a commercial grade.
Costs more but has more umph! If you're a weekend
handyman, you can get by with the 14 volt. I'm happy
with my Delta.

You can usually do everything you need to with the
wired drill in the shop and for things the battery
drill can't do, you can find an extension cord
for the wired drill.

I'd avoid brands Black and Decker, Craftsman, and
such. They say the same about Porter Cable tools
as IBM, one doesn't get fired buying either. Or so
it's said.

Anyway, make sure you select the one(s)
that feel good in your hands for heft, sound and
smell. You can sense quality. Checkout Milwaukee (sp)
too. I've heard good things about their tools.

Enjoy the shopping,

Thunder