New cordless drill - but which one?

[BigD]

I just read the post about getting existing batteries rebuilt or getting a new cordless drill. I am in a similar situation and rather than confuse that post, I started this new one.

I have decided to get a new drill, but am having trouble deciding which one and if a new drill is all I need, or will I get any good out of buying a combo unit that has both a drill and an impact driver and need some input.

I use my present drill (14V Porter Cable) for my woodworking and don't really see a need for the impact driver but maybe I am missing something.

I am pretty sure I will be looking for a Milwaukee 18V brushless, but there are several versions. I watched a video that highly recommended the M18CPD-402C. I did a search to find prices, but it seemed like only a lot of foreign sites carried it. This includes Amazon UK, but not US.

So, any and all input is welcomed concerning all of the above. Thanks in advance.

[Mac1]

I wouldn't consider any type of batteries except LITHIUM.

[Robert Adams]

For me I use the 12v tools. My main ones are the milwaukee m12 stuff. I do have a dewalt 12v drill and impact driver combo that is a few years old as well and is a good tool for dw.

I don't see the need for anything bigger than any of the 12v systems for woorworking. I do have 18v but almost never use it in the shop.

The only 12v tools I have been disappointed in were the Hitachi. Just not on the same quality as other brands. The bosch ones are a little bulky but they use the good batteries as milwaukee makes them for them and a few other 12v tool brands. That's why so many are virtually the same and some can be interchanged with modifications.

[paarker]

For the shop I would go for a 12 volt version of whatever brand is on sale at the time. I have a set of makitas that I picked up at a Black Friday deal for $100. Wait a month and see what is on sale.

[JR1]

What do you expect your drill to do?
I have an earlier version of this Bosch which is a pure driver and needs hex shank drill bits. This new model will take either hex shank or regular bits. I bought it for electronics work; but for light work it is the one I reach for 95% of the time it does what I need and does it well.
I Also have a ½" drive 18 volt that I got for some heaver wood work. It has the new chuck and can use either hex drivers or regular drill bits. Today if I was buying just for the shop its the one that I'd buy. It will swing a large bit in difficult wood or a sanding mop, and while its rare it will dill metal for templates or jigs.
I also have a large impact driver I use for driving lag bolts, drilling stone or concrete, but it's too large and heavy for use around the shop.
A couple friends who earn their living as handymen have Milwaukee and like them a lot.

You would be foolish, IMHO, to buy anything but a drill driver given the new chuck.

The only real step up from the Bosch/Milwaukee is the Festool. The installers who use their drills 4 or more hours a day swear by them—but they are overkill for ordinary use.

[RedBob]

I bought a Makita 12V combo kits that also came with the little 3" circular saw a few years ago. Love it in the shop. And has come in very handy working from ladders doing things like installing shutters, downspouts, gutters, etc. Find it safer to be toting those little gems than my 18V beasts up there.

The 3" saw is pretty weak, but good for paneling and other thin material.

Good luck with whatever you chose.
Bob

[greenacres2]

What to get specifically depends on what you want it to do. My last cordless purchase took me from 14.4v Hitachi nicad drill/flashlight to 18v Bosch lithium drill/impact driver. Didn't figure i'd ever use the impact, and for probably close to a year i didn't. Grabbed it one day to dismantle some old French cleats that had been a bear to put in. I was hooked. Despite the fact that my drill has a pretty good adjustable clutch, i use now for drilling and the impact for most of the driving. I find i'm more likely to properly predrill and countersink with the drill, drive with the driver. Takes a little touch to not overdrive, but if i picked that up, most anybody probably could.

The impact is loud compared to the drill, but i don't get nearly the cam out, especially on disassembly. And for long sessions, it's less tiring. Being more compact, gets into some awkward spaces nicely too.

If it was woodworking only, 12v would probably be enough for me and the projects i do, but it's a do-all around the house (two decks this summer) so the 18v may be better. Might be overkill--but i don't want to find out!!

earl

[Steve N]

I would wait until Black Friday and see what they are almost giving away this year.

[DogwoodTales]

Like others said, what do you need?
With that in mind I will offer this from my experience.

I really like my 14.4v Milwaukee drill. It's a workhorse in my shop. (I'm not trying to get you to buy one lol)
I only wish it had lithium batteries instead of nicad.
Even then, it gets heavy after a while when assembling a project with a lot of screws, to haul around the house for things etc.
So I bought a 12v Hitachi with lithium batteries for lighter weight and it does a good job of driving screws etc.
However, there is noticeable, sometimes painfully so, less torque.
The 14.v Milwaukee drives screws, drills etc. without effort on the drill or me (except for holding the weight).
The 12v Hitachi is lighter, but while my arm would get tired from holding the Milwaukee, with the Hitachi my wrist and arm get tired from having to work harder to hold the lighter drill steady.
So there's a trade-off and that's something to consider.
Also, with the Hitachi I made the mistake of not getting an all-metal, self ratcheting chuck.
My Milwaukee drill has that and when I use the Hitachi drill I miss that feature a lot.
The Hitachi does a comparatively poor job of holding a drill bit tight without a very deliberate effort on my part to tighten it and even then sometimes it doesn't.

Just offering my experience on those features for what it's worth in your search for a drill that suits your needs well.
Happy shopping

[John Mihich]

1. Li-On only for battery.
2. I think the brand name drills are all about the same in quality.
3. I would look at other tools that can use the same battery in case you want to expand.

I have 2 different sizes. I have the 19.2 Craftsman and 20v Craftsman. With the 19.2 I added a bunch of other tools, CS, Sawsall, air pump, sander, weedwacker, and vac. I Have 3 of the drills. I also have 5 batteries. I like them except it's a little heavy.

The 20 volt is the Bolt on system. Right now I have the drill and router. The router is good for round overs. The 20v LION battery last a pretty good time. It's a lot lighter. I use it with socket attachments to work on cars. Not quite impact strength but not too bad; it can twist out of my hand in drill mode.

I rarely use corded hand tools anymore.