Charles writes – “We recently had to replace a cordless drill and had a heck of a time plowing through all the specs to figure out what diffrentiates the 40+ drills you can get at Home Depot alone. When were were done, we wrote it all up for our blog, Toolmonger, and included the spreadsheet with the specs on 113 different drills. We thought other Makers are bound to run into this problem and might find the article useful.” – Link.
14 thoughts on “Selecting your next cordless drill”
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Pretty interesting article, I’m in the market myself, what drills make/model are Makers ’round these parts using?
Bigger is not always better. If you intend to use the drill all day long a less powerful but lighter drill will be much kinder to your body. I used an 18 volt Ridgid drill to install drywall in two houses and I will probably have problems with my elbow for the rest of my life because of this. How heavy the drill feels in the store is not a good indication of how it will feel at the end of the day on the job site.
A significant amount of the weight of a cordless drill is due to the batteries. Luckily, batteries are getting better at fast clip now. Look for the newer compact Lithium-ion batteries that several manufacturers have out now.
Of course, when it comes to the drill itself, heavier is probably going to be better. Low weight, low cost, high strength: pick two. Except, I don’t know of any cordless drills made out of “exotic metals.”
There’s more information here: http://www.bestcordlessdrill.net
The best cordless drill I have ever bought is the Dewalt DC759KA, it has lots of power and will drill anything I can think of.
cheers
Steve
With over 500 cordless drill brands and models on the market, it’s tough to sort out what’s best for you.
The best rated 18V drill is the Hitachi DS18DL, but it costs over $300. The best-value 18V drill is the DeWalt DC720KA…you can pick it up for about $200.
If you’re not a serious do-it-yourselfer, or want a lighter-weight drill, or just need a good drill to maintain your home, a 12V – 14.4V drill is sufficient.
The top-rated 12V drill is the DCD910KX and sells for around $200. The best-value 12V drill is the Panasonic EY6405FQKW for about $120.
Charlie
http://www.cordless-drill-reviews.com
We have done an extensive review of various components of cordless drills. The article is published here:
http://www.insidewoodworking.com/cordless_drill_review.html
I would agree with Charlie above recommending the Hitachi 18V. However, we had problems finding proper spare part supply on Hitachi products around our area. So you might well want to keep in mind a Makita or Bosch 18V cordless drill with Ni-MH (Nickel-Metal Hydride) battery even if its just for better serviceability.
Hope this helps.
Karl
Based on my experience more like the brand Makita others have not tried because I am quite satisfied http://best-cordless-drill.net