At the risk of asking a dumb question: are corded drills such a
commodity item that there is no longer a purpose in worrying about
anything other than specs for anything above the Harbor Freight
quality level? I'm tempted to think so, but my landlord would have a
problem with me burning down his house.

None of the normal things I look at seems to have ratings....

Sledge Hammer wrote:
At the risk of asking a dumb question: are corded drills such a
commodity item that there is no longer a purpose in worrying about
anything other than specs for anything above the Harbor Freight
quality level? I'm tempted to think so, but my landlord would have
a
problem with me burning down his house.

None of the normal things I look at seems to have ratings....

As far as burning down the house goes, if it's UL listed you're as
covered as you're going to get.

Not much attention paid to corded drills these days since the cordless
have gotten so good that corded drills are becoming niche products.
Just look for a decent brand with the features you want.



--
--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

On Jan 21, 10:12*am, Sledge Hammer wrote:
At the risk of asking a dumb question: are corded drills such a
commodity item that there is no longer a purpose in worrying about
anything other than specs for anything above the Harbor Freight
quality level? *I'm tempted to think so, but my landlord would have a
problem with me burning down his house.

None of the normal things I look at seems to have ratings....

I wish vendors would put more effort into the "feel" of their hand
drills, but I suppose for no marginl, it's not worth their time. You
can get a name brand 3/8" drill for 40-60 I think. There's really no
comparison still to a cordless for drilling.

Makita makes a light,inexpensive corded drill that is
damn nice and very tough...

http://www.makita.com/en-us/Modules/...ls.aspx?ID=630
http://www.makita.com/en-us/Modules/...ls.aspx?ID=412
http://www.makita.com/en-us/Modules/...ls.aspx?ID=313
http://www.makita.com/en-us/Modules/...ls.aspx?ID=304

Sledge Hammer wrote:
At the risk of asking a dumb question: are corded drills such a
commodity item that there is no longer a purpose in worrying about
anything other than specs for anything above the Harbor Freight
quality level?

I am a fan of many Harbor Freight items, but as you rightly suggest,
consider only those drills above HF in quality. I picked up their
cheapo 3/8" corded drill for about 10 bucks. Drills ok, except the
one I have has a SUPER sensitive trigger. I swear a strong breeze
blowing across the trigger will set the drill into motion. Kinda
scary.

Kevin

Pat Barber wrote:
Makita makes a light,inexpensive corded drill that is
damn nice and very tough...

http://www.makita.com/en-us/Modules/...ls.aspx?ID=630
http://www.makita.com/en-us/Modules/...ls.aspx?ID=412
http://www.makita.com/en-us/Modules/...ls.aspx?ID=313
http://www.makita.com/en-us/Modules/...ls.aspx?ID=304


I have a Makita similar to these, but discontinued: 6406.
I got it for 30 bucks at a HD or Lowes closeout.
It's only 3.3amp, but is remarkably strong.
0-2100 rpm.
I wish it was 1/2, but it's only 3/8, yet keyless.
I may get a 1/2 chuck for it next time they're on sale at HF.

Point is, I beat the crap out of this thing, drop it on the floor, off
the roof. I use and abuse it, and it's still going strong, with only
scratches to show for it.


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com

---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

On Wed, 21 Jan 2009 13:33:34 -0600, -MIKE-
wrote:

Pat Barber wrote:
Makita makes a light,inexpensive corded drill that is
damn nice and very tough...

http://www.makita.com/en-us/Modules/...ls.aspx?ID=630
http://www.makita.com/en-us/Modules/...ls.aspx?ID=412
http://www.makita.com/en-us/Modules/...ls.aspx?ID=313
http://www.makita.com/en-us/Modules/...ls.aspx?ID=304


I have a Makita similar to these, but discontinued: 6406.
I got it for 30 bucks at a HD or Lowes closeout.
It's only 3.3amp, but is remarkably strong.
0-2100 rpm.
I wish it was 1/2, but it's only 3/8, yet keyless.
I may get a 1/2 chuck for it next time they're on sale at HF.

Point is, I beat the crap out of this thing, drop it on the floor, off
the roof. I use and abuse it, and it's still going strong, with only
scratches to show for it.

Have a Milwaukee I could say the same about. This one is an older
model when the triggers were smaller. I don't care for the newer ones
with the elongated trigger and ergonomic curve to the grip. I also
have a milwaukee corded angle drill. Bought it reconditioned for a
really decent price. Gets into places others won't, Has saved the day
more than once. Even their reconditioned tools have a 5 year warranty.

Lenny

On Wed, 21 Jan 2009 08:12:08 -0800 (PST), Sledge Hammer
wrote:

At the risk of asking a dumb question: are corded drills such a
commodity item that there is no longer a purpose in worrying about
anything other than specs for anything above the Harbor Freight
quality level? I'm tempted to think so, but my landlord would have a
problem with me burning down his house.

None of the normal things I look at seems to have ratings....

The worst corded drill is better than the best cordless drill, and
cost a fraction. You can get a high-quality corded Milwaulkee drill
for the same price of a decent cordless (about $150). Chances are
very good ithe Milwaulkee will last a lifetime with some abuse, can't
say the same for a "Chicago" brand.

J. Clarke wrote:
Sledge Hammer wrote:
At the risk of asking a dumb question: are corded drills such a
commodity item that there is no longer a purpose in worrying about
anything other than specs for anything above the Harbor Freight
quality level? I'm tempted to think so, but my landlord would have
a
problem with me burning down his house.

None of the normal things I look at seems to have ratings....

As far as burning down the house goes, if it's UL listed you're as
covered as you're going to get.

Not much attention paid to corded drills these days since the cordless
have gotten so good that corded drills are becoming niche products.
Just look for a decent brand with the features you want.



I bought a Skil to do sanding on the lathe, figuring it would succumb
to the dust in short order. It is still working fine, but I got so
aggravated with the stiff plastic cord that I ordered a replacement
DeWalt cord and put on it. Now both my DeWalt and Skil drills have
long flexible cords. Just something else to note when looking at
tailed tools.

--
Gerald Ross
Cochran, GA

Social Security: World's biggest Ponzi Scheme.

"Phisherman" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 21 Jan 2009 08:12:08 -0800 (PST), Sledge Hammer


The worst corded drill is better than the best cordless drill, and
cost a fraction. You can get a high-quality corded Milwaulkee drill
for the same price of a decent cordless (about $150). Chances are
very good ithe Milwaulkee will last a lifetime with some abuse, can't
say the same for a "Chicago" brand.


I agree about 80%. LOL, Please show me a corded drill with a "clutch", or
a corded drill that will operate with out an electrical outlet or extension
cord. I will probably forever have at least one with and with out a tail.

While the corded drill will operate, in many cases, as well as a cordless,
a cordless drill is a particular power tool that is easily used in most any
location and or position. Other corded tools, routers, jig saws, sanders,
etc. typically are used on a level flat surface and the cords typically do
not have to be dragged all over the work area. A corded drill tends to be
carried around a lot more than any other corded tool, at least that is true
in my shop.

But for power, the corded is very hard to beat and is always ready if
electricity is available. I very much prefer a corded drill for actually
drilling holes, not so much for driving screws.

Leon wrote:
Please show me a corded drill with a "clutch", or
a corded drill that will operate with out an electrical outlet or extension
cord.

Obviously you're not serious about the second part, but for the clutch
you just have to look around a bit. The Milwaukee 6580-20 and 6780-290
both have a clutch, as does the Makita 6827. On the other end of the
spectrum, there is the Black&Decker DR330B and the Ryobi D46CK. I'm
sure there are others.

Chris

Leon wrote:
Please show me a corded drill with a "clutch", or a corded drill that
will operate with out an electrical outlet or extension cord.

I had a POS "cordless", brand long forgotten, that ran off its battery *or*
a corded adapter that plugged where the battery would go. Good concept, but
it has the relationship backwards. What we really want is the power of a
corded drill that can run on batteries for portability. What they built was
an anemic cordless that had a backup power source. (The battery was a cheap
NiCad that died way too early in its service life. I stopped struggling with
it when the brushes started sparking, also too early in its life.)

Leon wrote:

But for power, the corded is very hard to beat and is always ready if
electricity is available.

Just like my drill press. G

"Chris Friesen" wrote
Leon wrote:
Please show me a corded drill with a "clutch", or a corded drill that
will operate with out an electrical outlet or extension cord.

Obviously you're not serious about the second part, but for the clutch you
just have to look around a bit. The Milwaukee 6580-20 and 6780-290 both
have a clutch, as does the Makita 6827. On the other end of the spectrum,
there is the Black&Decker DR330B and the Ryobi D46CK. I'm sure there are
others.

Back in the day, I bought a clutch at a lumberyard for $30. I just chuck it
up and put my drivers in it. It wasn't great, but it worked. I used it to
build a lot of furniture, etc.

When I got my Makita cordless drills, it got tossed out. The new drivers
were much better.

Think of what the tool is to do.

I bought a corded hammer drill. It is intended to do a lot of hammering and
drilling under a lot of back pressure. Cord is best. Even if a generator is
needed.

Now the hand drill that runs around the house and backyard and shop and
truck.... that is handy in battery.

When doing a roof - air or cord. Nice to have cordless but volume demands cord.

I think the gas controlled nailers and such are neat. I have air nailers and a
gas tank on a short hose for back yard fence or the front drive fence.

To me, it means how many batteries I'll need to do a job. If there are a number
and that takes time swapping and charging -

Martin

Phisherman wrote:
On Wed, 21 Jan 2009 08:12:08 -0800 (PST), Sledge Hammer
wrote:

At the risk of asking a dumb question: are corded drills such a
commodity item that there is no longer a purpose in worrying about
anything other than specs for anything above the Harbor Freight
quality level? I'm tempted to think so, but my landlord would have a
problem with me burning down his house.

None of the normal things I look at seems to have ratings....

The worst corded drill is better than the best cordless drill, and
cost a fraction. You can get a high-quality corded Milwaulkee drill
for the same price of a decent cordless (about $150). Chances are
very good ithe Milwaulkee will last a lifetime with some abuse, can't
say the same for a "Chicago" brand.

On Jan 22, 6:55*am, Gerald Ross wrote:
J. Clarke wrote:
Sledge Hammer wrote:
At the risk of asking a dumb question: are corded drills such a
commodity item that there is no longer a purpose in worrying about
anything other than specs for anything above the Harbor Freight
quality level? *I'm tempted to think so, but my landlord would have
a
problem with me burning down his house.

None of the normal things I look at seems to have ratings....

As far as burning down the house goes, if it's UL listed you're as
covered as you're going to get.

Not much attention paid to corded drills these days since the cordless
have gotten so good that corded drills are becoming niche products.
Just look for a decent brand with the features you want.

I bought a Skil to do sanding on the lathe, figuring it would succumb
to the dust in short order. It is still working fine, but I got so
aggravated with the stiff plastic cord that I ordered a replacement
DeWalt cord and put on it. Now both my DeWalt and Skil drills have
long flexible cords. Just something else to note when looking at
tailed tools.

--
Gerald Ross
Cochran, GA

Social Security: World's biggest Ponzi Scheme.

GOOD!! I'm not the only one who gets ****ed at stiff plastic cords...
and here I thought I was weird...

"Phisherman" wrote in message

The worst corded drill is better than the best cordless drill, and
cost a fraction.

In that case, I'll swap you my old Black and Decker corded drill for a
Bosch, Milwaukee, or Panasonic cordless. You'll come out way ahead on the
deal. I'll pay postage for both.

"B A R R Y" wrote in message
...
Leon wrote:
But for power, the corded is very hard to beat and is always ready if
electricity is available.

Just like my drill press. G

The drill press is awkward on a ladder though. I'm thinking a shoulder mount
would help.

On Jan 22, 6:32 pm, Chris Friesen wrote:
Leon wrote:
Please show me a corded drill with a "clutch", or
a corded drill that will operate with out an electrical outlet or extension
cord.

Obviously you're not serious about the second part, but for the clutch
you just have to look around a bit. The Milwaukee 6580-20 and 6780-290
both have a clutch, as does the Makita 6827. On the other end of the
spectrum, there is the Black&Decker DR330B and the Ryobi D46CK. I'm
sure there are others.

I've been using the Ryobi for oh, about a year now. It's not a bad
drill at all. The chuck leaves something to be desired, and if I push
it hard I can smell the fact that it's not happy about it. But
that's what the beat to hell Milwaukee next to it is for. A corded
drill with a clutch is a very handy thing to have. It lives next to
the workbench always ready to go. For 30-40 bucks I can't complain.
I'll put a decent chuck on it when this one is toast, and when the
drill itself dies I'll buy another one, and I still won't have paid as
much as a cordless.

-Kevin

"MikeWhy" wrote in
:

Leon wrote:
Please show me a corded drill with a "clutch", or a corded drill
that will operate with out an electrical outlet or extension cord.

I had a POS "cordless", brand long forgotten, that ran off its battery
*or* a corded adapter that plugged where the battery would go. Good
concept, but it has the relationship backwards. What we really want is
the power of a corded drill that can run on batteries for portability.
What they built was an anemic cordless that had a backup power source.
(The battery was a cheap NiCad that died way too early in its service
life. I stopped struggling with it when the brushes started sparking,
also too early in its life.)



I had a Skil that did that. It was great! At 9.6V, it'd drive 2" screws
all day long (on AC, of course) but could only do 4-5 3" screws before
tripping the overload.

My Makitas are leaps and bounds better, but I still like the idea that
one drill/driver can be cordless, until you run out of power, and then go
corded and charge the battery at the same time. Although... with 3
batteries it's easy to keep flipping between the charger, drill and
impact driver.

Puckdropper
--
On Usenet, no one can hear you laugh. That's a good thing, though, as
some writers are incorrigible.

To email me directly, send a message to puckdropper (at) fastmail.fm

"Puckdropper" puckdropper(at)yahoo(dot)com wrote in message
...
"MikeWhy" wrote in
:

Leon wrote:
Please show me a corded drill with a "clutch", or a corded drill
that will operate with out an electrical outlet or extension cord.

I had a POS "cordless", brand long forgotten, that ran off its battery
*or* a corded adapter that plugged where the battery would go. Good
concept, but it has the relationship backwards. What we really want is
the power of a corded drill that can run on batteries for portability.
What they built was an anemic cordless that had a backup power source.
(The battery was a cheap NiCad that died way too early in its service
life. I stopped struggling with it when the brushes started sparking,
also too early in its life.)



I had a Skil that did that. It was great! At 9.6V, it'd drive 2" screws
all day long (on AC, of course) but could only do 4-5 3" screws before
tripping the overload.

That was it. I replaced it with a cheap corded Dewalt and been happy ever
since. Except it didn't have a clutch. I got a tiny Milwaukee li-ion to
partner with it after I stripped out too many screws driving them. The
Milwaukee is kick-ass, too. It came with 2 batteries, although there wasn't
really a need. The charge lasts essentially forever in my use, and recharges
in 30 minutes. Quite pleased with both of them. There's no replacing a real
corded drill when you need what they do: 2500 rpm and 6 amps of torque.


My Makitas are leaps and bounds better, but I still like the idea that
one drill/driver can be cordless, until you run out of power, and then go
corded and charge the battery at the same time. Although... with 3
batteries it's easy to keep flipping between the charger, drill and
impact driver.

On Thu, 22 Jan 2009 22:16:12 -0500, "Ed Pawlowski"
wrote:


"Phisherman" wrote in message

The worst corded drill is better than the best cordless drill, and
cost a fraction.

In that case, I'll swap you my old Black and Decker corded drill for a
Bosch, Milwaukee, or Panasonic cordless. You'll come out way ahead on the
deal. I'll pay postage for both.

My Dad's B&D from the early 1960's is still going strong, and I'm not
about to part with it. On occasion I still use it today, but the
chuck is a 3/8", double metal insulated, heavy, small, powerful, no
plastic parts. The one cordless I bought in 1995 went to the trash a
long time ago.

"Robatoy" wrote in message
...
On Jan 22, 6:55 am, Gerald Ross wrote:

GOOD!! I'm not the only one who gets ****ed at stiff plastic cords...
and here I thought I was weird...


LOL thinking back to the 60's when I got my first B&D drill and jig saw
around the age of 12, I recall B&D cords being so stiff that you could
hardly get the tool and the cord back into the storage case.

That apparently led to the No cord at all, period, I don't know which was
worse.

"Chris Friesen" wrote in message
...
Leon wrote:
Please show me a corded drill with a "clutch", or a corded drill that
will operate with out an electrical outlet or extension cord.

Obviously you're not serious about the second part, but for the clutch you
just have to look around a bit. The Milwaukee 6580-20 and 6780-290 both
have a clutch, as does the Makita 6827. On the other end of the spectrum,
there is the Black&Decker DR330B and the Ryobi D46CK. I'm sure there are
others.

Chris


Thanks for the update! I'll take a look at those.

"Ed Pawlowski" wrote in message
news

"B A R R Y" wrote in message
...
Leon wrote:
But for power, the corded is very hard to beat and is always ready if
electricity is available.

Just like my drill press. G

The drill press is awkward on a ladder though. I'm thinking a shoulder
mount would help.


I think my drill press would still be to heavy for a shoulder mount. ;~)
After 30 years, I finally put it on a mobile base.

"Martin H. Eastburn" wrote in message
...
Think of what the tool is to do.

I bought a corded hammer drill. It is intended to do a lot of hammering
and
drilling under a lot of back pressure. Cord is best. Even if a
generator is
needed.

Now the hand drill that runs around the house and backyard and shop and
truck.... that is handy in battery.

When doing a roof - air or cord. Nice to have cordless but volume demands
cord.

I think the gas controlled nailers and such are neat. I have air nailers
and a
gas tank on a short hose for back yard fence or the front drive fence.


Consider going to HD and buying a cheap 100' air hose for $10 if you do many
out doors projects. It'll cut down on a lot of back and forth to the refill
the tank.

"Chris Friesen" wrote in message
...
Leon wrote:
Please show me a corded drill with a "clutch", or a corded drill that
will operate with out an electrical outlet or extension cord.

Obviously you're not serious about the second part, but for the clutch you
just have to look around a bit. The Milwaukee 6580-20 and 6780-290 both
have a clutch, as does the Makita 6827. On the other end of the spectrum,
there is the Black&Decker DR330B and the Ryobi D46CK. I'm sure there are
others.

Chris



FIY I looked at all you mentioned. Only the B&D and Ryobi are actually
drills. The Milwaukee and Makita are screw drivers. They do not have a
chuck for a round drill bit. I'll keep looking though.

"Leon" wrote in message
...

"Chris Friesen" wrote in message
...
Leon wrote:
Please show me a corded drill with a "clutch", or a corded drill that
will operate with out an electrical outlet or extension cord.

Obviously you're not serious about the second part, but for the clutch
you just have to look around a bit. The Milwaukee 6580-20 and 6780-290
both have a clutch, as does the Makita 6827. On the other end of the
spectrum, there is the Black&Decker DR330B and the Ryobi D46CK. I'm sure
there are others.

Chris


Thanks for the update! I'll take a look at those.

Dewalt DW281 also. Be careful of those. Like the Milwaukees and the Makita,
it takes 1/4" hex bits only. The B&D and Ryobi have 3/8" chucks. The irony
is the "big" names have big power and speed, while the ones with chucks spin
only 1100 rpm.

"MikeWhy" wrote in message
...
"Leon" wrote in message news:fGmel.

Thanks for the update! I'll take a look at those.

Dewalt DW281 also. Be careful of those. Like the Milwaukees and the
Makita, it takes 1/4" hex bits only. The B&D and Ryobi have 3/8" chucks.
The irony is the "big" names have big power and speed, while the ones with
chucks spin only 1100 rpm.



I think the Milwaukee and the Makita are probably dry wall screw guns, at
leas that's the way the Makita looks and those do usually run very fast.
The B&D and the Ryobi do run pretty slow for corded drills. My Makita
cordless will run up to 1300 and IMHO for drilling 3/8" and smaller holes
that is too slow for me.

Ed Pawlowski wrote:
"B A R R Y" wrote in message
...
Leon wrote:
But for power, the corded is very hard to beat and is always ready if
electricity is available.
Just like my drill press. G

The drill press is awkward on a ladder though. I'm thinking a shoulder mount
would help.


That's why I have cordless drills. G

I have 4 100' hoses. They are not long enough to reach from the shop to the
the house, or fence. They can reach the other barn but that is a lot
of hose to haul around - long length means high impedance or restriction
to air flow. I had to have a local tank for storage. Lots of trouble.

I got the gas and mini hose at Home Depot and it works anywhere I walk.
Yes there is a hose on the gun, but a short one.

Martin

Leon wrote:
"Martin H. Eastburn" wrote in message
...
Think of what the tool is to do.

I bought a corded hammer drill. It is intended to do a lot of hammering
and
drilling under a lot of back pressure. Cord is best. Even if a
generator is
needed.

Now the hand drill that runs around the house and backyard and shop and
truck.... that is handy in battery.

When doing a roof - air or cord. Nice to have cordless but volume demands
cord.

I think the gas controlled nailers and such are neat. I have air nailers
and a
gas tank on a short hose for back yard fence or the front drive fence.


Consider going to HD and buying a cheap 100' air hose for $10 if you do many
out doors projects. It'll cut down on a lot of back and forth to the refill
the tank.

"Martin H. Eastburn" wrote in message
news
I have 4 100' hoses.

Ohhhh!

They are not long enough to reach from the shop to the
the house, or fence.

I truely wish I could say that. ;~)


They can reach the other barn but that is a lot
of hose to haul around - long length means high impedance or restriction
to air flow. I had to have a local tank for storage. Lots of trouble.

I can see that.