Need a new drill driver

[jhelgesen]

I need a new drill driver. The B&D unit I bought for a track repair at walmart is crap and I'm ready to stomp it.

I've had good luck with Dewalts (yes I know they are made on the same lines as the B&D stuff), Hitachi's here at work, and Mikita's. I like the mid voltage units, 12-14v vs the 18+, less weight and longer run times. I've never needed stump pulling torque with a driver.

What do you guys have and like?

[Jared at Pelican Parts]

Bosch or Milwaukee are what I'd use.

[scottmandue]

I like to buy American whenever possible however I don't think that is possible when buying power tools anymore.

I have had excellent luck with Makita, used them in construction for years dropped them off ladders/rooftops, drug them though dirt/dust and they lasted for years. I presume they still have the same quality. Bosch also make a excellent drill.

And yes the big monster battery drills are silly/stupid. I have a 6V B&D here at work that the guys are always borrowing because they can't fit there big macho drill into some little space where they need to work.

[VINMAN]

Have a 18V Dewalt and an old 12V Bosch. also a 14V firestorm Just picked up a Rigid I'll see how that holds up. the Dewalt is pretty much bullet proof. Stay away from B+ D Firestorm, they are not bad drills, but they change the battery configuration on them too often. Hard to get batteries afterwards. The Craftsman prfessional series are also excellent drills.

[Amail]

Back in '91 I bought a B&D sander that lasted all of 45 minutes. I returned it to the store and was told that B&D had turned to real garbage since the company had been bought by Clorox? or some other non-tool company. I don't know if it's still true, but I've steered clear of B&D ever since.

As for Walmart equipment, you know that a lot of what they sell is built on a separate line in order to keep costs down. Quality suffers. I've heard that Levi jeans sold at Walmart aren't even close in quality to the Levis sold at, say, Mervyns.

I like DeWalt a whole lot. I've got the 14V cordless drill that I really like, but I think I'd have been happier with the 18V version.

[azasadny]

My Ridgid is terrible (the battery life is extremely short) and the DeWalt I had was awful. Makita or Bosch is the way to go!

[RallyJon]

Love Makita, and love light weight. I have the 9.6v Makita drill and 9.6V electric impact. For heavy work, I've got air tools and a $20 1/2" Harbor Freight 120v drill with hammer drill. I'm amazed at how much car & house maintenance work you can get done with 9.6v.

[jhelgesen]

Never tell someone your Ridgid is terrible....besides, they have treatments for that now.....

[jhelgesen]

Pro, where would one find such a set?

[RM512]

i'll second what procon said. That little impact driver is awesome!

[Dave Nordhoff]

I have owned many brands and Makita is the only one I would buy.
Dave

[dad911]

I've owned dewalts & makitas, problem is the batteries only last two years or so, and replacement batteries are typically 80% of the cost of a new drill.

This time I bought Ryobi 14.4 drill/saw/vac/light/sawzall combo at home depo, around $150 with two batteries. Still going strong 18 months later.

[widgeon13]

are these actually impact wrenches?

[cegerer]

Nobody uses Panasonic??? We've been using these for years (drill motors, circular saw, hammer drill) with good results.

http://www.consumersearch.com/www/house_and_home/cordless-drill-reviews/

[deathpunk dan]

Either Festool or Fein if you want something REALLY nice.

Fein and Festool drills

[widgeon13]

What kind of torque capabilities are you looking at with some of these, is 240 ft/lbs adequate or do you need more for the car stuff? DeWalt gets tricky, they give the torque in in/lbs so you have to do some math to see what you are really getting.