I find that the cordless ones are very underpowered and are a pain with the batteries always burning out. I have a 1/2" heavy duty eletric Milwakkee hammer drill that will kill anything that is within reach. Great brand. I bought a porter-cable drill one time and it starting smoking within 5 minutes and died after 10 minutes. No more poter-cable for me. Anyway, I suppose dewalt is the best cordless brand, but dont get one for heavy duty stuff.

 

14.4 milwaukee you can get one with the drills regular and with a pull of a coller its then a hammer drill

 

I have a DeWalt 12V and Porter Cable 19.2v both are very good and don't forget to get the flashlight that goes with them. It can be real handy.

 

A few years ago I started to standardise because I have 9 million different batteries and chargers and crap. Well I started going to Porter Cable because the chargers will charge every battery and I likes the power of the 19.2 volt. Well I still love the tools but just about every battery is going out, about the same age. To replace the batteries will cost more than a new tool so that has me ****ed. The dewalt batteries that I have that are several years older than the PC still work so I think PC has a problem with either the carger or battery design??

I have started switching back to corded tools because they have more power, will last longer and are much cheaper. I am working down to just a few cordless tools for the odd occasion that I can not get to power.

 

Dewalt...take it from me...i use the crap out of it...i know alot of people who use them professionally ...DEWALT.

 

I like DeWalt on principle, but I have a Craftsman 19.V that I must say I have been very impressed with. Heavy-duty, 400 in-lb of torque, dual speed, nice progressive trigger. I haven't owned it long enough to comment on battery life, but I'm impressed so far.

 

I have a compact-style Makita 9.6V that has gotten regular use for 10 years. Before that I went through a score of crap-brand cordless drill before finally breaking down and spending the money for a good one. I really like it for general stuff. It's light and compact so it doesn't get heavy when used overhead for long periods of time. I seem to be one of the few people out that that actually uses the adjustable clutch on my drill. It's great when reinstalling delicate under-pan screws after an oil-change.

For heavier work, we have a beat-up old, 18V 1/2" DeWalt and for serious work I bought the heaviest 1/2" D-handle, corded DeWalt I could get. I also have a right-angle 9.6V Makita for tight work.

I try to limit my new cordless choices to Makita and DeWalt so I don't end up with a shelf full of different charger brands...

 

i use the dewalt 14.4 hammer drill every day.this drill will install a basement full of drywall on only 2 batteries, and has lasted me 5 years of hard use.it's been dropped, rained on, snowed on, frozen to the back of my truck, and it still works.
i have also heard good things about the new rigid drills, my brother dropped his from 20' onto concrete and it's still fine

 

This lot $65 plus ground shipping...
<img src="http://webpages.charter.net/todbnla/tops%20042.jpg">

consists of:
RYOBI model#
FL1400 flashlights, 1 used, 1 new
1400655 batterys 1 works 1 doesnt
1314702 batterys 1 works 1 doesnt
1412001 14.4 charger works used
1400656 14.4 charger works used
RY6201 14.4 Saw works used
HP1442M 3/8" 14.4 Drill NEW, never used!
HP1441 3/8" 14.4 Drill used, works

apx weight of all this is 25lbs, the two batts that work are weak.

PLMK-Thanks!

 

Hey guys thanks for all the replies. If somebody asks me what kind of cordless drill to get. I am going to refer them to my thread. I know where to come to find out what brand of tool to use.

 

I've been a professional carpenter all my life. Drills aren't used that much in new residential construction, but just about everyone including myself uses Bosch. I can't tell you how much they are abused. I drop mine at least once from 2 story plates when I'm attaching fascia boards. Still runs great. Here are some things I've noticed and asked about myself.

Please note these are not opinions, just things guys have out on various job sites I work at...

Sawzalls:

Seems like when they first came out most guys and myself went straight to Milwaukee. Sadly we only got about 6 to 8 months out of them before the motors burnt up. I personally have the best results with porter cable in this category.

Battery Drill:

Seems like everyone gets the most life out of Bosch. We usually have 18v kits. I will say the circ. saw in these kits last much longer than the rest. Course they don't see much use.

Electric Drill:

Hands down the Bosch hammer set up. SDS works great.

Saws:

Seems like as long as you stay with one of the the major brands your ok. For daily use the only saws that handle the torque load are cat style.

Please keep in mind that we abuse our tools on a constant basis. So for someone just wanting to use them for home use these would be quite excessive.

Best of Luck,
Corey

P.S. It is definately worth the money to get the NI-MH set up over the NI-CD. The NI-CD just don't take the abuse that well.

 

Thanks real men powerstroke. Your insight is very valuable. Your tips are going to help me out a lot. I admire you carpenters. I do some but not any work for anybody else just myself. Thanks again.!!!

 

RYOBI SUX
I see that nice little set you have posted up there from Ebay. And yes it looks very tempting. So tempting that I bought a similar 18v set last year. The batteries RYOBI puts out are very poor. They do not stay charged for longer than 15 minutes with normal use.
I used Dewalt for several years prior to this purchase, and I was pleased with Dewalt's performance, but they are pricey!

 

Yah it seemed to cheap to me. They dont give away good quality tools.

 

Uh, its not on eBay yet but it will be if no one gets it, I know their batts are crap, why do you think I am selling it
I bought a makita 18v combo for $224 from Lowes on closeout.
However, if someone has some good 14.4 batts this a a good deal..