Cordless drills.

[mapguy]

Hey all-

My new job as an HVAC Technician requires me to purchase a (I'm assuming) cordless drill. Any suggestions on Make and/or Volts?

[Don Quixote]

I prefer the Ford turbo drill to either the Honda or Toyota. But seriously, you can't go wrong with Milwaukee, Dewalt or Porter, but for the money I think that the Ryobi 18 Volt unit is sweet, They also come with a spare battery so you use one while you are charging the other. I would advise not buying a drill with less than 18 volts.

[WickerBill]

I would advise not buying a drill with less than 18 volts.

Are you dissin' my 7.2???


(don't blame you, it sucks)

[Don Quixote]

Are you dissin' my 7.2???


(don't blame you, it sucks)

Er, I just insulted the Boss, how do I get out of this one? Um, what I meant to say was it really takes a big man to get by with a low voltage drill. ;)

[RichK]

I will also vote for the Ryobi 18V that comes with the extra battery. It's been great for me.

Home Depot also had a deal going where you got a free 1,000,000 candlepower flashlight with the drill, and I've been having fun lighting up the neighbor's houses from 100 yards away. Hee hee.

[IlliniRacer]

I have an 18V Makita and love it. I would also recommend the Milwaukee or Hitachi. Personally I have had bad luck with DeWalt and try to avoid anything associated with Black & Decker

[Mr. Vengeance]

I've got a Porter Cable that I wouldn't trade it for anything else. It's done a heap of work and I've had no problems with it.

As far as Ryobi goes, you might want to check out Craftsman because I believe they're both the same thing. (ie: You might find one cheaper at Sears).

[chop456]

I've got a Porter Cable that I wouldn't trade it for anything else. It's done a heap of work and I've had no problems with it.

As far as Ryobi goes, you might want to check out Craftsman because I believe they're both the same thing. (ie: You might find one cheaper at Sears).

100% correct on both points.

[lone_groover]

Don't skimp, power tools are an "investment" purchase. Go for the CAMERON MITCHELL model.

;)

[anait]

We have a 3/8" 12V Skil. No extra battery pack, which is the only thing hubby complains about. :D We've never had any trouble with it, used it for both light and heavy jobs. I like it because it's powerful enough to do what we've needed, and it's not too big for me to manage with my less-than-man-hands. :thumbup: :D

[WickerBill]

I borrowed one of these:

https://www.milwaukeeconnect.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/met/html/images/largeprod/5378-20-lg.jpg

...from my father in law to build my kids' playset. That was April. He hasn't gotten it back. I know it's corded... but it's a monster.


I just wanted to share.

[racer2c]

I was an HVAC mechanic for many years in my 20's and Mikata was always the drill of choice for your personal cordless although the Milwaukee is the only hammer drill we ever would consider using (it's the snobby duct man in me). Love their portable bandsaw also. And the Milwaukee Sawz-all is the best.
Something to keep in mind. Chuckless Mikitas limit access into tight spaces much more than you would think, but the old chuck style is a pain to some.
I fell for the Dewalt when they first hit the market because they were so light weight compared to the Mikita.

[racer2c]

I borrowed one of these:



...from my father in law to build my kids' playset. That was April. He hasn't gotten it back. I know it's corded... but it's a monster.


I just wanted to share.

When I was in the field we did 75% commercial, 15% industrial and 10% residential. When working in large commercial or industrial venues all of us HVAC guys preferred the corded drills. The power and not having the hassle of battery charging was well worth the cord. Plus it's a good way to ease your drill down when working from a 25 foot ladder. I've seen many a cordless drill smash into little pieces by falling from ladders.

[RichK]

As far as Ryobi goes, you might want to check out Craftsman because I believe they're both the same thing. (ie: You might find one cheaper at Sears).

Yikes, I had no idea.

[Warlock!]

If you're gonna use it hard and treat it rough, don't expect a ton of life out of any of 'em... I've had a half-dozen of 'em go to Hell on me. Also, don't buy any cordless drill with a hammerdrill feature. If you do, and you regularly do a lot of drilling in concrete with a 3/16 - 1/4" bit (as I did), the hammer mechanism just beats the hell outta the drill. If you're just using a little 1/8" - 3/16" bit into conc. block, you'll probably get quite a few more miles. Also, don't skimp and get the "household-duty" type drills, i.e. Black & Decker Firestorm products ($100 incl. 2 batteries). They are complete junk for actual construction work, and more suited for your wife for when she puts together an 18" shelf from the Home Interiors collection. Stick w/ heavy duty drills.

And never think a cordless drill is better than a corded one... they're just more convenient. :)

Winter Warlock!