Drill recommendation

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  • Texsun66
    Forum Newbie
    • Dec 2003
    • 14
    • San Jose, CA.

    Drill recommendation

    My last Ryobi battery just gave out; One +. I have replaced the two batteries I have once before, about 3 years ago. I am thinking about moving to another vendor's cordless drill; cordless combo. Makita or Milwaukee. Any recommendations? I will use the new set mainly for woodworking projects and around the house.

    I also have found that my old 1/4" 2 Amp drill just isn't adequate for most jobs.

    I am not sure if I want to get a new corded drill along with a cordless set of impact driver and drill.

    Seems like a lot to replace at once so I am hoping to make these purchases in stages.

    Let me know your thoughts.

    thanks,
    Andy
  • dbhost
    Slow and steady
    • Apr 2008
    • 9209
    • League City, Texas
    • Ryobi BT3100

    #2
    I am probably somewhat unique in my exceeding leeriness of cordless tool technology. Pretty much if it runs on a battery, the batteries had better be cheap to replace. With that in mind, I opted for a Drill Master 18V cordless keyless chuck drill. (Harbor Freight). The entire thing battery, charger, and drill was $18.00. Batteries go for about $12.00 but at the price of the entire new tool, if I get a year or two out of it, who cares? I beat the cordless odds already.
    Please like and subscribe to my YouTube channel. Please check out and subscribe to my Workshop Blog.

    Comment

    • TB Roye
      Veteran Member
      • Jan 2004
      • 2969
      • Sacramento, CA, USA.
      • BT3100

      #3
      When I started replacing my ryobi tools i went with Dewalt Expensive yes but very good tool Have 18V Drill, impact drive, saw and sawzall the are all great and worth the extra money.

      Comment

      • Egar
        Forum Newbie
        • Mar 2014
        • 7
        • Minnesota
        • Ryobi BT3000

        #4
        I went the Ryobi to Dewalt route previously. Loved the Dewalt quality, but wasn't happy with the battery life. A couple of years and the batteries would no longer hold a good charge. These were the old NiCAD battery types, I don't know how the new Dewalt lithium ions batteries do.

        A couple of years ago, I replaced the Dewalt with the Ridgid drill/driver combo (with the LI ion batteries). Partially because I liked the lifetime battery replacement guarantee, and partially because I had a few gift cards at HD that added up the about the total cost of the combo.

        I've been really happy with the Ridgid combo and have since bought a couple of other Ridgid tools. They seem to have a good balance between feature, reliability, and cost.

        Comment

        • LCHIEN
          Internet Fact Checker
          • Dec 2002
          • 20913
          • Katy, TX, USA.
          • BT3000 vintage 1999

          #5
          The only problem with that cheap HF approach is that the Drillmaster from HF uses NiCd batteries. While their new performance is probably good, (high torque, flat battery discharge) NiCd batteries are older tech and are significantly bested by NiMH and Li-ion.
          Both will have no memory issues that reduce capacity over time. Both will hold charge considerably longer (Like months vs days), and generally are a lot more livable with. Both should be able to hold more charge for the same size, when new.
          But the NiCd are cheap.

          I decided to go the Craftsman C3 approach several years ago. reasons:
          • They sell lots of units, availability of batteries long term will be better than others.
          • They have 19.2 volts which is reasonably powerful
          • They have lots of tool types, altho I stick to drill, impact driver, and a light


          So far this has paid off as they have transitioned from NiMH batteries to a new set of chargers and Li-ion batteries which I have upgraded to when the NiMH batteries went bad. Prices were not super bad, they have sales periodically.

          NiCD and NiMH batteries seem to have a life of about 3 years.
          Last edited by LCHIEN; 09-14-2014, 11:55 PM.
          Loring in Katy, TX USA
          If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
          BT3 FAQ - https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...sked-questions

          Comment

          • radhak
            Veteran Member
            • Apr 2006
            • 3058
            • Miramar, FL
            • Right Tilt 3HP Unisaw

            #6
            Relevant thread for me - I am also on the lookout for replacement, and am (over)thinking about it.

            I own the Craftsman set Loring mentioned. Bought drill/driver + right-angled driver kit in 2006, followed by their hammer drill in 2007.

            Then last year (2013), all those batteries failed, and I ended up buying just one Li-Ion battery which worked for the hammer drill, and I'm reasonably happy with that. Unfortunately the other drill does not work at all, even with the new battery - so overall my personal experience with Craftsman tools has been iffy. And I feel their drills are bulkier and heavier than others. My next drill will be different. Maybe those from HF.

            This earlier thread might be useful for you.
            It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.
            - Aristotle

            Comment

            • Neal
              Established Member
              • Apr 2012
              • 181
              • Williamstown, WV (Mid Ohio Valley)
              • Ryobi BT3000

              #7
              My Lowes store had some 18v (either porter cable or dewalt, don't remember off hand) 18v Cordless driver/drill combo packs on sale for like $124, seemed like a pretty good deal. However you have to remember that these are going on sale because Lowes is making room for the 20v variety of the same.

              I have the Hitachi 18v drill/driver/flashlight combo. Love it. It is the most used tool in my shop, by far, and it is nice to have a decent quality set (which I would say these are).

              Comment

              • capncarl
                Veteran Member
                • Jan 2007
                • 3564
                • Leesburg Georgia USA
                • SawStop CTS

                #8
                I went to rigid when all my dewalt batteries died, lured by their great warranty. I found this drill and impact set of good quality but may not have bought it if I had known that the entire line of rigid battery tools would not be available in the store. Sure I can order it online, but I won't, if I can't touch it I can't make an assessment of it.
                I learned long ago that drills were for drilling and impacts were for driving screws and tightening and loosening things. It makes my skin crawl when I see shows on tv where they are driving screws with a drill and the bit is just popping and carrying on. If you like a razor sharp screw head to contend with and a screw that is not properly seated this is ok, for some.
                In the end, I would still recommend the rigid drill / impact driver set. Good tools and great warranty.
                Capncarl

                Comment

                • Cochese
                  Veteran Member
                  • Jun 2010
                  • 1988

                  #9
                  If it seems a lot to replace, why not stick with the system and buy new batteries? They fail, it happens. You can try to rebuild them yourself, or just replacing them would be most likely cheaper than switching entire systems.

                  I've looked out for 'loopholes' in the system to upgrade/replace/add batteries in the past. The string trimmer with battery and charger was $10 more than just the battery - no-brainer. Got a drill and two batteries for the cost of one battery, even though I didn't need another drill. Stuff like that.

                  There's been a lot of assumption that the C3 line is made right alongside the One+ line, lots of similarities, but as far as I know the batteries are only the slightest bit different so you can't cross them.
                  I have a little blog about my shop

                  Comment

                  • atgcpaul
                    Veteran Member
                    • Aug 2003
                    • 4055
                    • Maryland
                    • Grizzly 1023SLX

                    #10
                    Originally posted by Neal
                    I have the Hitachi 18v drill/driver/flashlight combo. Love it. It is the most used tool in my shop, by far, and it is nice to have a decent quality set (which I would say these are).
                    I use my corded Ryobi for pocket holes and heavy duty drilling but my Makitas get hauled around everywhere. I bought a cheap Ryobi 1+ cordless drill (I think $40) during a Black Friday sale last year to keep in the house but I still reach for the Makitas. They are smaller and lighter and I like the little LED light that points at your work area.

                    My Makitas are 8 years old. Mechanically they are doing great. I've dropped the driver and drill an equal amount of time and they're fine. I'm noticing, though, that the batteries aren't holding their charge as long as they used to, but with 3 batteries, I just swap them out.

                    I'm probably not going to like the price when I go to get new batteries, but I think I will and not go to another system because I've been so pleased with the Makitas--including the flashlight which I initially thought was a stupid gimick but has become invaluable, too.

                    I also like the chuck on the Makita a whole lot more than on the Ryobis. I don't know the name, but you just loosen or tighten the chuck body. It's not a two piece chuck like the Ryobis. I can never seem to torque those down enough because the lower chuck body is not very tall.

                    Paul

                    Comment

                    • Sawatzky
                      Established Member
                      • Apr 2005
                      • 359
                      • CA
                      • Ridgid TS3650

                      #11
                      I'll throw in my vote for Bosch. I have their smaller 12 volt drill and impact. They are extremely light, the batteries charge in 30 minutes, and they are powerful. I am sure 18 volt is much more powerful, but I have yet to encounter something that these drills can't handle. I also have an older 19.2 volt Porter Cable drill. This was before they got cheapened by Black and Decker. That is one beast of a drill, but after getting the Bosch I rarely use it.

                      Comment

                      • leehljp
                        Just me
                        • Dec 2002
                        • 8429
                        • Tunica, MS
                        • BT3000/3100

                        #12
                        My vote: stay away from nicad batteries! Period! and double emphasis on that!

                        Lithium/LIon batteries.

                        I have the old blue Ryobi One+ tools but have changed to the LIon batteries. ON occasion I find them on sale with a two plus charger or a two tool with two batteries for less than the cost of two batteries alone.

                        My blue Ryobi impact driver and drill work great with the Lithium batteries. I get the smaller ones which make for lighter weight but they give longer runs and seem to have longer shelf life too.
                        Hank Lee

                        Experience is what you get when you don't get what you wanted!

                        Comment

                        • Hellrazor
                          Veteran Member
                          • Dec 2003
                          • 2091
                          • Abyss, PA
                          • Ridgid R4512

                          #13
                          I have been buying makita lxt series at work for my maintenance mechanics to use. I just picked up 4 LXT218 and 1 LXT702 kits. They come with a promotion through the end of September for a free battery pack per kit.

                          (I picked up a LXT702 for myself about 3 months ago. I was a diehard Ridgid user for about 10 years)

                          Makita USA: The Leader In Cordless with 18V LXT Lithium-Ion. The best in class for cordless power tool technology. A leader in power tool technology for the professional.

                          Comment

                          • jabe
                            Senior Member
                            • Apr 2006
                            • 566
                            • Hilo, Hawaii
                            • Ryobi BT3000 & Delta Milwaukee 10" tilting Table circular saw

                            #14
                            Drill

                            I used to use only DeWalt or Makita but, due to cost I changed to Hitachi. I buy them from their factory reconditioned sale web site (forgot the web site address). Works just as good if not better as other brands plus it's cheap. They're the Factory Authorized repair/recondition for Makita & Hitachi tools. I was told that Hitachi makes the motor for all Makita tools. Yes, buy only Lithium battery powered tools, 12V or 18V depending on how hard U plan to use it. I still prefer to use my 12V makita impact driver over my Hitachi 18V driver due to the weight.

                            Comment

                            • Texsun66
                              Forum Newbie
                              • Dec 2003
                              • 14
                              • San Jose, CA.

                              #15
                              Thanks to all who replied. All good info to consider. I think I will just get a impact driver and lithium ion battery kit and see how it goes. Then I can use all my existing tools, upgrade to lithium + and get an impact driver. Seems to be a good compromise. I will let you know how it goes.

                              Andy

                              Comment

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