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

If you are driving screws most of the time a cordless 19 -24 volt is a great
tool for you. Masonary drilling requires a hammer drill,they do make
cordless combo hammer/rotory drills that work great on bits up to about 1/4
to 3/8ths.Anything larger than that they just don't have the juice (I have a
19.2 Porter cable, Top of the line drill) If your doing a lot of masonary
drilling you can't beat a good old fashion corded hammer drill.


"Dan White" wrote in message
...
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 White" wrote in message:
I'm looking into Lowes' 20% off sale and want a new drill. The one I have
respectfully snipped

Keep in mind that some of the cheaper cordless critters have plastic
gears...

In my humble opinion, I suggest DeWalt. Always been good for me.

Have a nice day, woodstuff

"Dan White" wrote in message
...
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



Cordless hammer drills are just not up to the task. They may drill several
small tapcon holes but anything more is a job for corded.
Makita makes a decent corded hammer/regualr two speed/variable for under
$200 (cdn)

Dan:

For driving screws, nothing beats an impact driver. We just completed
another test of the Makita 6935DWDE 14.4v Impact Driver and it drove 247 3"
long deck screws into "fresh" pressure treated 6 x6 compared to only 171
driven by the Makita 6336DWDE Driver / Drill, also a 14.4v unit.We also
compared it ot a DeWalt DW953 12v Driver / Drill that we had on hand as a
test sample, and it only drove 45 screws. The best news is that Makita has a
special right now that GIVES you a Driver/Drill of the same voltage when you
buy either the 6980DWDE 12v or 6935DWDE 14.4v Impact Driver. Of course, you
have to send back the rebate certificate by January 15, 2005, and follow all
the POP rules etc, But its still a great deal. The Impact driver must be
ordered by December 31, 2004. Without turning this into spam, the 12v is
going to be a bit over your budget $200, and the 14.4v about $15 more than
the 12v. Hope this helps.

Truth in Posting: We sell these.

Jim Ray, President
McFeely's Square Drive Screws
www.mcfeelys.com

"Dan White" wrote in message
...
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 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,

Really depends on what you want to do. I have an 18 volt Dewalt 1/2" hammer
drill from their first generation of 18v tools, and its working fine for
me, does just about everything I have ever tried to get it to do, never
managed to stall it--on low speed I suspect it's stronger than I am.
Haven't tried any big bits in masonry, but it handles up to 1/2" adequately
for my use, and the screwdriver clutch has an adequate range. If you're
going to be doing commercial construction and need a masonry drill or
you're a drywall installer and need a powered screwdriver or the like
you'll likely want something a bit more specialized, but as an all-round
drill/driver it's fine. The new ones have added a third, higher speed,
which answers my one real objection to them.

If you're going 3 inches into studs you really should drill a pilot
hole--the deWalt will drive reasonably sized deck screws 3 inches without
one _if_ the screw head holds up but even with square drive screws if I try
that the driver bit usually torques out of the head before the screw is
seated.

Batteries don't last forever on any cordless tool. You can get the deWalt
batteries rebuilt but with the 18v tools they have a discounted 2-pack that
is cheaper than rebuilt batteries, at least the ones I've been able to
find. How long they will last depends on how you use them and on your
luck--one of mine seems to have an internal short for example--it will
charge up and run as long as the others but if I let it sit overnight it
goes flat--the others will hold a charge for, well, I don't know how long
they'll hold a charge--I've always managed to run them down before they
self-discharged--if you don't use it often then recharging the packs once a
month would be a good idea I suspect.

dwhite

--
--John
Reply to jclarke at ae tee tee global dot net
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

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 like my Milwaulkee cordless.... 14.4 v.. much better then my sons
DeWalt 18 V drill.... and it seems to be more powerful...but that is
only subjective...

Neither could compare with any of my corded drills for drilling
7/8 inch holes in concrete to install anchors for a pool cover...
even the little 3/8 inch corded drills ran circles around both
Cordless drills ...and pulling out my Dads 1950's era 1/2 inch
drill that I inhereted..made quick work of that job...no contest
between the 3/8 inch corded and that baby...

For general or limited use around the house or shop then
Cordless is just fine. I buy by how the drill feels like in my
hand...

For heavy duty work... the few minutes it takes to grab an extention
cord will save you time and effort in the long haul...

Bob Griffiths

"Dan White" wrote in message
...
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.


Lets see, 110 volt over 12 volt... Humm I wonder which is stronger... 110
volt over 24 volt... Still the 110 volt wins by a land slide. If you need
power get corded. IMHO larger voltage drills used near an electrical source
make no since. 110 volts stomps battery operated drills. I have had 8
battery operated drills but all so far all have been 12 volt and less.
Those drills and my corded do everything I want a hand drill to do. The
advantage to cordless are not having a cord to deal with and they get you
out of a bind when there is no electricity to plug in to. The big voltage
cordless drills are way too heavy for my liking.

"Dan White" wrote in message
...
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.

Everyone has made very good suggestions. If you've never used a hammer drill
when punching concrete, you will NOT believe the difference in performance
compared to drilling w/o the hammer feature! The impact driver is next on my
wish list, after all the good things I've heard about them.

Now, to make a short story long, and with ALL Credit to our own Tom Watson:

Ode to a Corded Drill

Of cordless drills I've got a few
'Bout five they are in number
They've chased their corded brethren out
To rusted dusty slumber

But came this morn I had a task
'Twas not within their compass
I'd fifty two inch holes to drill
This called for much more whoopass

So to their box I guilty stole
Flung up the shrieking lid
They lay inside though long denied
And in their coffin hid

Their tails were coiled 'round them tight
Their copper windings glistened
I saw they hungered for the light
Like babes just newly christened

I held one high against the sky
To read the ancient runes
'Milwaukee' read the word inscribed
Not seen for many moons

His tail was cracked and poorly patched
His body caked in grime
But 'twas a smile on his chuck
He knew it was his time

The old dog didn't ask for much
A dusting and some oil
He sighed at my familiar touch
He'd never known but toil

The shank of that great two inch bit
He took into his maw
I plugged him in and saw him grin
Those cordless watched in awe

As Old Milwaukee cut his holes
With wild electric glee
On and on with guts and brawn
So happy to be free
He never asked for quarter nay
Nor quarter was he givin'
He sang in that great light of day
Till all the holes he'd riven

And all too soon his task was done
His body warmed with labor
I laid him soft upon the bench
A moment one should savor

He'd labored well and I won't dwell
Upon his cordless brothers
Who hid their heads while he did work
T'would make them call their mothers

I won't give up my cordless drills
They've got their time and place
But so do drills with tails my friend
And so they need a space

Not locked away from light of day
In never ending darkness
But out in God's good working light
And ready for the harness

So now my ode is done my friends
I'll tell you what I've learned
Not soon again will that old drill
Have cause to feel he's spurned


--
Nahmie
Those on the cutting edge bleed a lot.

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


For corded drills, Milwaukee is good. For cordless, Panasonic. I
tend to favor corded tools whenever possible. I bought an industrial
extension cord ($30) for the outdoor jobs.

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.

Dan,

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.

A few years ago, my wife bought me a Craftsman 18V cordless drill and trim
saw package. I know Craftsman generally has a bad reputation, but I LOVE
this drill. It has more power than any of the five corded drills I owned at
the time, so I eventually got rid of all my corded drills.

We built a garage and a house ourselves, and the cordless drill got a huge
amount of use. I drug it around in the dirt setting up concrete forms (used
3" deck screws for easy disassembly), installed lots of temporary bracing,
installed drywall using screws throughout the garage and house, built
decks, and thousands of other tasks over the past few years.

The only problem I had was the keyless chuck started binding up at one
point, so I ended up replacing that (fairly easy task). I also had to
replace one of the batteries, and eventually the charger died. But, the
drill just keeps going and going.

I did buy a Dewalt 246 corded drill to bore all the large 2" holes I needed
for our plumbing installation. Had to special order it, as most of the
stores only carry the higher speed/lower torque Dewalt models. The 246 is
7.8 amps, variable speed, and a 1/2" keyless chuck. It's fairly compact,
but has a huge amount of torque. With a 2" bit you have to brace yourself
well or the thing can rip your arm off when it hits a knot!

I don't use the Dewalt 246 corded drill much, but when I need a lot of
torque it's my choice. The Craftsman cordless gets used almost daily.

Anthony

A corded drill always has more power than a corded drill.
New batteries for a corded drill cost about as much as the drill.
As a rule (there are usually 20 various drills in my shop)
the batteries are not good a little after a year. (except for some strange
reason, the 4 Ryobi batteries are 3+years old0

They both have there purposes.

"Dan White" wrote in message
...
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

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

e.

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.

Well The outside shell on my Milwaukee (14.4) is plastic...and yes it
will break when dropped off a roof.....I KNOW....

The good news is that a replacement shell retails for about 8 bucks..
Took about 5 minutes to swap it with the broken shell... DAMN the
drill looked like new ... lol

Bob Griffiths.

Leon wrote:


"Dan White" wrote in message
...
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.


Lets see, 110 volt over 12 volt... Humm I wonder which is stronger... 110
volt over 24 volt... Still the 110 volt wins by a land slide. If you
need
power get corded. IMHO larger voltage drills used near an electrical
source
make no since. 110 volts stomps battery operated drills. I have had 8
battery operated drills but all so far all have been 12 volt and less.
Those drills and my corded do everything I want a hand drill to do. The
advantage to cordless are not having a cord to deal with and they get you
out of a bind when there is no electricity to plug in to. The big voltage
cordless drills are way too heavy for my liking.

I'd put my 18v DeWalt against my Dad's 15 buck corded McGraw-Edison any day.

It's not the volts that count, it's what you do with them.

--
--John
Reply to jclarke at ae tee tee global dot net
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

In article ,
"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



14.4 Milwaukee
1/2" Milwaukee hammer drill M A G N U M !!!

no need for anything else.

'cept a close quarter drill.

r

On Sat, 18 Dec 2004 16:04:03 -0500, Bob G.
wrote:

e.

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.

Well The outside shell on my Milwaukee (14.4) is plastic...and yes it
will break when dropped off a roof.....I KNOW....

The good news is that a replacement shell retails for about 8 bucks..
Took about 5 minutes to swap it with the broken shell... DAMN the
drill looked like new ... lol

Bob Griffiths.

Yeah, can't get aluminum housings anymore. Not sure I'd want one
again.

You know what I mean - important parts like gears and such ought not
be plastic. Housings - yes, there's certainly plenty tough plastics
for cover duty.

When it's dropped off a roof, all bets are off even it's made of all
metal.

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

Well The outside shell on my Milwaukee (14.4) is plastic...and yes it
will break when dropped off a roof.....I KNOW....

Plastic is probably the best material for the shell. Up to the breaking
point, plastic will absorb impacts and return to it's original shape,
whereas aluminum or other metals simply dent.

The best drill is the one that suits your needs. Don't get sucked in to the
18 volt set if you don't need it. I had a cabinet shop and we used the
Dewalt 12 volt with the XR batteries. We could drive screws all day long.
The batteries lasted a long time and more importantly, the drill was not too
heavy. WE checked out the 18 volt set and it is very uncomfortable to use
for long periods or over your head. If you want to drill steel or concrete
you need a bigger drill. Period. I have almost 10 years on the original 5
drills we bought and we love them. They can even drill largish holes in
wood.
max

In article ,
"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



14.4 Milwaukee
1/2" Milwaukee hammer drill M A G N U M !!!

no need for anything else.

'cept a close quarter drill.

r

"Richard Cline" wrote in message

I just do not see all this fuss about the heavy cordless drills. I am
no longer a young man (69), I have worked at a desk job all my life, and
I find no problem hoisting an 18 Volt cordless.

Dick


I sort of agree with you for most chores. When you are using it to sink a
lot of small screws, the weight and balance becomes more of a factor. I
chose to get a Panasonic 15.6 volt because I liked the size and the way it
felt to me. Poking a few holes in concrete, I'd go for bigger.

"J. Clarke" wrote in message
...
Leon wrote:

I'd put my 18v DeWalt against my Dad's 15 buck corded McGraw-Edison any
day.

Perhaps I should have qualified my comment with a 110 volt and 18 volt that
are built for the same job.
While an 18 volt drill may stomp a $15 corded when it comes to spinning
large bits or sinking long screws, try comparing a corded drill that
compares in price to the 18 volt cordless. Like this drill,
http://www.dewalt.com/us/products/to...p?productID=19

"ddinc" wrote in message
...
A corded drill always has more power than a corded drill.
New batteries for a corded drill cost about as much as the drill.
As a rule (there are usually 20 various drills in my shop)
the batteries are not good a little after a year. (except for some strange
reason, the 4 Ryobi batteries are 3+years old0


Did your spell checker defeat your entire comment?

"Leon" wrote in message
m...


Better, lets s compare to this drill.


http://www.dewalt.com/us/products/to...p?productID=22

Excuse the top posting...and tyhe inclusion of the Original post along
with the one reply...

Richard you do have me by a few years (I am only 62)..and like the
reply I included below I have no problem "bench pressing" a 18 V drill
either

BUT find them to be a royal pain...(arm, back, even my rear) when I
have to keep it over my head drilling a 100 holes or screwing in a 100
screws in a ceiling etc...

Bob Griffiths




"Richard Cline" wrote in message

I just do not see all this fuss about the heavy cordless drills. I am
no longer a young man (69), I have worked at a desk job all my life, and
I find no problem hoisting an 18 Volt cordless.

Dick


I sort of agree with you for most chores. When you are using it to sink a
lot of small screws, the weight and balance becomes more of a factor. I
chose to get a Panasonic 15.6 volt because I liked the size and the way it
felt to me. Poking a few holes in concrete, I'd go for bigger.

"Dan White" wrote in message
...

Thanks again for all the great responses. I've taken notes and I'm off to
Lowes. I should say that I don't plan on drilling concrete much, but right
now I have a store where I need to remove a concrete counter base that is
about 30 feet long. I used an old corded drill with masonry bit and was
able to drill through the concrete which turns out to be only about 1/2"
thick. I'm prolly going to take a sledge hammer to it, but drilling some
holes in the base might help separate the base from the floor (all poured
terrazzo) more easily. Maybe I'll get something with the hammer feature for
"just in case" stuff.

I think if I can drive 3" screws with a 14.4v (without a pilot hole) then
that might be the ticket for me. My peeve with my last cordless is that it
just didn't have any umph.

dwhite

The discussion has turned towards value with the introduction of price. A
top-quality cordless drill is going to cost about $150. I would venture a
guess that a corded drill with comperable torque and chuck quality can be
had for close to half that price. But that does not tell the entire story.
Take into account the lifetime of that drills and the difference becomes
more profound. I top-quality corded drill can last the hobbyist a lifetime.
Cordless batteries are going to last 5-10 years at best.

Play with the math as you will but I think the long-term cost of cordless
ownership is at least 4 times that of corded models.

Don't get me wrong I own 2 cordless drills... (+ one corded + corded 2
drywall guns if you count that) but they are expensive.

Since even the best cordless will have trouble in some applications, I think
that it makes sense to make your second drill be a beefy corded model and
not wory about asking a cordless to do things like drive a 1" auger bit
through 27 studs for wiring an addition.

Short answer: ultimately, you want both.

Steve


"Dan White" wrote in message
...
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

One factor not often mentioned is the fact that cordless drill batteries
die after a few years, even if not used regularly. If you use your drill
daily, you got your money's worth. However if you use it infrequently, like
an average homeowner, you don't get a lot of value before you need to
replace the batteries. I was in for a shock when I learned that Craftsman
cordless drills have very expensive batteries, almost as much as a new
drill. I found it annoying to reach for the drill and then find that
batteries were low and the job couldn't be done that day.
Therefore for my use, corded tools retain value and reliability, but
cordless (Craftsman) tools are designed to be thrown away after a few years.
Planned obselescence.

Dave


"HerHusband" wrote in message
...
Dan,

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.

A few years ago, my wife bought me a Craftsman 18V cordless drill and trim
saw package. I know Craftsman generally has a bad reputation, but I LOVE
this drill. It has more power than any of the five corded drills I owned
at
the time, so I eventually got rid of all my corded drills.

We built a garage and a house ourselves, and the cordless drill got a huge
amount of use. I drug it around in the dirt setting up concrete forms
(used
3" deck screws for easy disassembly), installed lots of temporary bracing,
installed drywall using screws throughout the garage and house, built
decks, and thousands of other tasks over the past few years.

The only problem I had was the keyless chuck started binding up at one
point, so I ended up replacing that (fairly easy task). I also had to
replace one of the batteries, and eventually the charger died. But, the
drill just keeps going and going.

I did buy a Dewalt 246 corded drill to bore all the large 2" holes I
needed
for our plumbing installation. Had to special order it, as most of the
stores only carry the higher speed/lower torque Dewalt models. The 246 is
7.8 amps, variable speed, and a 1/2" keyless chuck. It's fairly compact,
but has a huge amount of torque. With a 2" bit you have to brace yourself
well or the thing can rip your arm off when it hits a knot!

I don't use the Dewalt 246 corded drill much, but when I need a lot of
torque it's my choice. The Craftsman cordless gets used almost daily.

Anthony

LOL, those expensive batteries that last only a few years are not in any way
an exclusive property of Craftsman drills. They are All like that as far as
the battery goes.

--
If at first you don't succeed, you're not cut out for skydiving

"Dave" wrote in message
news:Jjixd.524091$Pl.102216@pd7tw1no...
One factor not often mentioned is the fact that cordless drill
batteries
die after a few years, even if not used regularly. If you use your drill
daily, you got your money's worth. However if you use it infrequently,
like
an average homeowner, you don't get a lot of value before you need to
replace the batteries. I was in for a shock when I learned that Craftsman
cordless drills have very expensive batteries, almost as much as a new
drill. I found it annoying to reach for the drill and then find that
batteries were low and the job couldn't be done that day.
Therefore for my use, corded tools retain value and reliability, but
cordless (Craftsman) tools are designed to be thrown away after a few
years.
Planned obselescence.

Dave


"HerHusband" wrote in message
...
Dan,

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.

A few years ago, my wife bought me a Craftsman 18V cordless drill and
trim
saw package. I know Craftsman generally has a bad reputation, but I LOVE
this drill. It has more power than any of the five corded drills I owned
at
the time, so I eventually got rid of all my corded drills.

We built a garage and a house ourselves, and the cordless drill got a
huge
amount of use. I drug it around in the dirt setting up concrete forms
(used
3" deck screws for easy disassembly), installed lots of temporary
bracing,
installed drywall using screws throughout the garage and house, built
decks, and thousands of other tasks over the past few years.

The only problem I had was the keyless chuck started binding up at one
point, so I ended up replacing that (fairly easy task). I also had to
replace one of the batteries, and eventually the charger died. But, the
drill just keeps going and going.

I did buy a Dewalt 246 corded drill to bore all the large 2" holes I
needed
for our plumbing installation. Had to special order it, as most of the
stores only carry the higher speed/lower torque Dewalt models. The 246
is
7.8 amps, variable speed, and a 1/2" keyless chuck. It's fairly compact,
but has a huge amount of torque. With a 2" bit you have to brace
yourself
well or the thing can rip your arm off when it hits a knot!

I don't use the Dewalt 246 corded drill much, but when I need a lot of
torque it's my choice. The Craftsman cordless gets used almost daily.

Anthony

"C & S" wrote in message
...
The discussion has turned towards value with the introduction of price. A
top-quality cordless drill is going to cost about $150. I would venture a
guess that a corded drill with comperable torque and chuck quality can be
had for close to half that price. But that does not tell the entire story.
Take into account the lifetime of that drills and the difference becomes
more profound. I top-quality corded drill can last the hobbyist a
lifetime.
Cordless batteries are going to last 5-10 years at best.

Play with the math as you will but I think the long-term cost of cordless
ownership is at least 4 times that of corded models.

Don't get me wrong I own 2 cordless drills... (+ one corded + corded 2
drywall guns if you count that) but they are expensive.

Since even the best cordless will have trouble in some applications, I
think
that it makes sense to make your second drill be a beefy corded model and
not wory about asking a cordless to do things like drive a 1" auger bit
through 27 studs for wiring an addition.

Short answer: ultimately, you want both.


I'm more of an occasional user but I have to do a lot of work on my store
now. My other thought was to keep the 12v I have for small stuff and get a
good corded for the tougher stuff. I can go literally 6 months without
having need to touch a drill. I just have to see if I can get a replacement
battery charger for the 12v. I can't find the original one.

dwhite


Steve


"Dan White" wrote in message
...
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

Dave,

cordless drill batteries die after a few years
even if not used regularly.

My drill has been used a lot over the last few years, but I suspect it'll
be going back to average homeowner use soon.

I originally had two batteries so I could always have one charged up and
ready to go, but I found I was draining them faster than I could charge
them building our house. So, I bought a third battery.

The new third battery never really held a charge. I should have returned it
when I bought it, but I didn't, too many other things to do. Naturally, it
was the first battery to die on me.

The original two batteries are about 4-5 years old now, and one is just now
starting to lose it's ability to hold a charge. It never achieves full
power and dies rather quickly. Time for a replacement.

I was in for a shock when I learned that Craftsman cordless
drills have very expensive batteries

Yep, I think I paid close to $80 for my last one! I've seen some
replacement batteries online for less though, and I'm thinking of giving
them a try.

for my use, corded tools retain value and reliability

True, but cordless tools provide quicker access, and more flexibility when
you have to work a long distance from a power outlet (common around our
place).

Anthony

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


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


There is no such thing as the best drill.
I have 4 drills. Each is good for what it is good for.
I have a 1/2 drive corded drill hammer. It handles all my larger bit/power
needs. I have an older 3/8 drive corded variable speed drill for when I am
doing lots of drilling near power. I have a 15.6(?) cordless for when I
need to do some serious cordless activities. And I have a 9.6(?) cordless
light weight screwdriver for when I don't need a lot of power or drive lots
of screws. It's light weight is what I like it for. Oh and I forgot to
mention the corded sheet rock screw gun.

I guess the one I use the most is the 15.6 volt. Power enough to handle
most every task. Light enough not to require liftiung weights to handle.
Will easily drive lots of 3 inch screws.

As far as a decent one that will do everything a corded one will. Sorry,
not going to happen. You can get close but only close.

"J. Clarke" wrote in message
...
Leon wrote:

Was the OP going to be using it all day long in tight quarters above his
head?

I do not know, I was replying to anoither post that indicated that the 18
volt models were not that big of a deal for him. Fo me it would be as I
tend use drills for extended periods of time rather than for a few holes or
screws.



--
--John
Reply to jclarke at ae tee tee global dot net
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

On Sun, 19 Dec 2004 18:59:21 +0000 (UTC), HerHusband
calmly ranted:

The original two batteries are about 4-5 years old now, and one is just now
starting to lose it's ability to hold a charge. It never achieves full
power and dies rather quickly. Time for a replacement.

My nearly 3-y/o batteries for the Ryobi 14.4 kit were dying on
me this year so I picked up a cheapie off Ebay. ~$35 delivered.
What a difference!

I just now pulled the 6 dead cells out of the two packs and rebuilt
one with the good cells. We'll see soon if this will work out, but
the initial indication (half an hour on the 2-hr charger) shows them
at full strength and torque. An hour's rebuilding time saved me a few
bucks and now I don't need to toss perfectly good cells away, so it's
less in the recycle or trash bin.

--
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