• RME Gear & Apparel

Time for a new cordless drill and impact. Which one should I get?

sixstringsteve

sixstringsteve

Well-Known Member
Location
UT
I've got the Makita 18v LiON drill/impact combo. I've been really happy with it for the past 4 years.

Shortcomings:
- impact gun is really weak and can only break small bolts loose.
- both batteries died within a month. Meaning they won't even charge anymore. Now I have a charger, an impact, and a drill that all work fine, but no batteries.
- batteries are $75 each!


Strengths:
- 15 min charging time
- built-in LED light is super handy.
- they're tough little things. The drill has drilled through 1/4 plate no problem.
- small in size, easy to throw in a tool bag.


I know you cant have it all, but which units have you been impressed with? I'm ready to buy something really good this time around. For some reason I'm not a huge fan of dewalt. It seems like their stuff has been getting cheaper and cheaper built lately (just my gut impression, no research to back this up). I've been eyeing the hilti brand, they seem to make quality stuff.

What do you recommend?
 
sixstringsteve

sixstringsteve

Well-Known Member
Location
UT
Upon further investigation, this is what I've found about the Makita batteries:

Battery design is defective. Chip discharges one cell and the whole pack fails. Don't know why they don't power it from the full set of cells, but you will have to replace batteries every year despite level of usage. It is even worse if you use them less. I have several that we're used just a few times and have failed. I have some used by my crew that were charged 100+ times. Makita knows this is a problem, and now that I have about $1500 of Makita cordless tools, I am stuck with spending hundreds a year replacing these poorly designed batteries. If I hadn't already invested so much in these tools, I would trash them all due to these POOR batteries. Shame on Makita for not standing behind their batteries. But they make lots on replacements...the cells only cost $30, but they get $100 a battery...
 
sixstringsteve

sixstringsteve

Well-Known Member
Location
UT
that looks sturdy.

Are Ryobi tools getting any better? The old ones were junk, but I've been hearing that they've been improving lately. They also have a lifetime guarantee, including batteries, so that is pretty tempting. Plus the Father's Day sales at HD are appealing. However, if they're junk I don't care how good the deal is. I want something that'll last me a good 3-5 years without issue.
 
cruiseroutfit

cruiseroutfit

Cruizah!
Moderator
Vendor
Location
Sandy, Ut
I've been a fan of Dewalt, some love em' some hate em' but I have a fleet of them I use here in the shop, the oldest is ~10 years old and still holds a charge and keeps ticking. I ended up buying a second charger and a second spare battery for both sets so all 4 drills have a dedicated battery. I don't use them everyday but when we do use them they get beat pretty good. I don't carry them with me on the trail however, I use either air or hand tools in that case. I wouldn't mind getting a dedicated cordless drill/impact to use on the trail but it isn't a priority? I don't know if this will work on your Makita batteries but lots of Dewalt users claim it works: http://www.ehow.com/how_6374413_rejuvenate-dewalt-rechargeable-battery.html
 
Cascadia

Cascadia

Undecided
Location
Orem, Utah
I have had the Makita for probably 6 years. Came with 2 batteries. I've never had a battery go bad or stop charging so maybe I'm a lucky one. I also have a Bosch. Lots of torque and battery of course lasts cause its li ion. Had it for probably 3 years with no issues.
 
Rot Box

Rot Box

Diesel and Dust
Supporting Member
Location
Smithfield Utah
We're really hard on cordless drills at work. We use them for things they shouldn't be used for and nobody (out of about 30 people) has their own which is always a bad idea if you want to keep anything nice :D After trying a few different brands we have gone back to the Dewalts. They are a little heavier and cumbersome compared to some of the others but we rarely have them break when dropped and they run much cooler than a lot of the others when drilling for long periods of time. Battery life both long term and while drilling is good too. Fwiw I think the biggest killer of cordless drills is the excessive heat and the hammer drill feature. If used often the hammer will ruin the chuck in no time I would avoid that feature altogether and save hammer drilling for the corded Hilti's that are designed for it.

That said I wouldn't hesitate buying a Milwaukee for home use. I'm curious how the Hilti's hold up as well never tried their cordless drills. Good luck.
 
jeepin4x4james

jeepin4x4james

WAAAAA
Location
Bluffdale, UT
I use Makita at home and Ridgid at work.... Love the Makita aside from the battery shortcomings (amazon is your friend for new batteries)

Ridgid bought direct from HD gets a lifetime warranty on drill/impact AND batteries... Serious. No questions, walk in with a failed battery, they check serial # and you walk out with a new battery.
Hopefully they still do the lifetime warranty... I bought mine about a year ago.
 
idahoyj

idahoyj

Well-Known Member
Location
Twin Falls Idaho
I vote for the Milwaukee. I run the 12 volt pistol grip at home and I also have an 18 volt Porter Cable. I have completely stopped using the Porter cable since I got the Mil. The 12 volt is so small and easy to use and has an LED light. They have an awesome assortment of tools that use the same battery backs too.
Our cabinet installer uses his 18volt Mil drill and impact driver all day every day. It gets dropped and abused, runs large hole saws or forstner bits every day with no problems.
P.S. I dont think these impacts are really designed to break loose bolts...?
I have a 1/2" drive MAC cordless impact gun for that.
 
idahoyj

idahoyj

Well-Known Member
Location
Twin Falls Idaho
The rigid warranty is a good reason to buy from Home Depot. Both of my corded drills and a few of my saws are Rigid for the warranty alone. Same price/features as the DeWalt, but much better warranty.
 
sixstringsteve

sixstringsteve

Well-Known Member
Location
UT
Cascadia said:
I have had the Makita for probably 6 years. Came with 2 batteries. I've never had a battery go bad or stop charging so maybe I'm a lucky one. I also have a Bosch. Lots of torque and battery of course lasts cause its li ion. Had it for probably 3 years with no issues.
Click to expand...

how do you like the bosch? I have a bosch jigsaw that I absolutely love. I am really impressed with its quality.
 
idahoyj

idahoyj

Well-Known Member
Location
Twin Falls Idaho
sixstringsteve said:
does the 12v provide enough oomph to drill holes through 1/4"?
Click to expand...

The problem isn't the thickness of material, more the diameter of the hole being drilled. I use my corded drill if I'm drilling bigger than 1/4'-3/8" hole in something that thick. The 12 volt will do it, but its not really happy about it.
 
sixstringsteve

sixstringsteve

Well-Known Member
Location
UT
ah. I guess I really pushed my Makita then. I've drilled multiple 3/4" holes before, and that's without a pilot hole. Now I know better. :D
 
idahoyj

idahoyj

Well-Known Member
Location
Twin Falls Idaho
sixstringsteve said:
ah. I guess I really pushed my Makita then. I've drilled multiple 3/4" holes before, and that's without a pilot hole. Now I know better. :D
Click to expand...
Pilot holes will REALLY help out!
If you step several sizes up before you get to 3/4" you will really save wear on your bits too. You are also less likely to have the drill bit grab and twist your wrist off and hit yourself in the face.
 
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