Shopping for an angle drill and have been focusing on corded drill because of concern current project wiil be too much of a demand for a 18 V plus. Came across a corded angle drill by Sears but spec's indicated rated at only 3.5 amps, seemed kinda low to be any good. Know you get what you pay for; but many of the other corded brands, Milwakee, Dewalt, Hitachi, etc. are about twice as much. Unable to shop thru mail order because of shipping issues. Sears also has sale on 19v angle drills but concerned about being limited. Current project will require using drill or holesaw thru 2X4 and 4X4's.

Any opinion, or suggestions would be appreciated.

dave

 

I have all DeWalt tools, they cost a bit more but I have used the same ones for years.
The only thing I buy from Sears is non electrical hand tools.
The Craftsman warranty does not apply to electrical tools.

I bought most of my DeWalt tools at Lowe's.
I bought a DeWalt 1/2" right angle drill that broke after 10 months of commercial work.
I took it back to Lowe's to send it back for repair.
They saw the sales reciept and gave me a brand new drill off the shelf.
Free replacement of defective tools for 1 year from date of purchase.
You will not get that at Sears on a drill.

 

I have a Dewalt DW160 - 3/8" 3.2 amps. Nice, compact design, fits easily in tight spaces and useable one-handed. If I were to have just one right-hand drill, this would be it.

Also worked with an older Milwakee 1/2" D-Handle drill that can be converted from right angle to straight. 7 amps and lots of torque. Great for electrical and plumbing in new construction with self-feed bits but too big for most household jobs. Unless you're working through open framing the gear-drive and body of the drill just take up too much space.

 

Finding it difficult finding a tool supply outlets in my area.. ya either have Sears, Home Depot, or Lowes. Went online and reviewed mentioned web sites and found the corded selection is limited. Sears has the Dewalt DW120k I will take a look at. The local hardware, and Home Depot carry the Milwakee (3107-6) corded angle drill I intend to take a look at. Really hard on power tools so Sears probably not a good choice.

Really appreciate the input!
dave

 

For the rare times I need an angle drill I just bought an attachment and chuck it up in my regular drill. It is a little more cumbersome than a drill built for the task but it works.

 

When I called the hardware store this afternoon to confirm whether they have the Milwakee drill instock the salesperson mentioned they also sell the attachment. I intend to take a look at both within next couple days. Don't see a need for the angle drill in immediate future after completing current project. Cumbersome may be okay.

dave

 

Another one to consider is the Sioux Angle/Close Quarter drill.

They've been around for ever.

 

Check into ebay for a used 1/2" Milwaukee angle head drill motors or add the angle head and collar to a straight Milwaukee D handle drill, they're 7 amp, 335 or 750 rpm just by rotating the angle head. I paid $85 for mine at the flea market, new is expensive around $240.
Feeling brave, use a Milwaukee Hole-Hog on low speed, I hate mine due to injuries it has caused me.
Hey Ben, I have a Sioux 3/4" drill motor, you can have it if you can stall it out bare handed. I use it to turn over short blocks around 50 turns before adding the cam, this loosens them up a little before start up.
I dug a few wells with a Ridgid 700 power head, another "I can hurt you tool".
.....=o&o>.....

 

This is something like I have used and it is only $20:
Sears item #00926333000
http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...ll+Attachments

Mine is not a Sears unit but I bought it years ago. It has a metal housing so it must be old. I have used it many times without problems.

I have an old (top of the line then) sears 3/8" var spd rev drill that I have mounted a 1/2" chuck on (wore the old 3/8" out) and it will twist your arm off!! If I want real power tho I have an old metal case B&D commercial 1/2" drill that is single speed and not reversible. The old sears drill can't be used as a disk sander because it will tear the disk off long before the motor will show the slightest drag. -Yes it is possible to have too much power at times.

 

I've got a Milwaukee 1/2 right angle drill, I love it!

I bought mine off of ebay, it was a used item but I could barely tell and it came with 2 sel-feed bits and 3 ship augers, all in good shape.

 

Yes you will. Sears has a one year warranty on all power tools. 90 days if it's being used professionally. Bring in the recipet, walk out with a new one. You can get an extended warranty, but only if the tool is being used in a non-commercial application. If you are a professional, you can usually still get a new one, just don't show up in uniform.

 

Really rough on power tools and never have had to use the extended warranty with the Sears Products. As far as exchange policy goes, had to return a DeWalt 12" slide miter saw after couple months use because of a 'bone head' mistake on my part. Sears exchanged with no questions asked. Went online and took a look at the Sioux Angle drill, looks like it would work great in tight areas. Kinda decided to go with a 1/2" drill because in the past I have always been limited to size bits I can use. Although, really like the compact 3/8" DeWalt 160. Now looking at the Dewalt 124, or the Milwakee 3107-6. Don't see any great deals on Ebay with newer models by the time add shipping cost. There were couple of good deals on used older model Dewalts, and Milwakees I may be interested in.

 

This is what I currently use as a angle drill.

It works for me.

http://www.mytoolstore.com/milwauke/3300-1.html

 

The DeWalt you mention versus the Milwaukke you mention I'd definitely go with the Milwaukee. The head on the Milwaukee turns which makes it very nice when you have to drill on a large flat surface like a floor from above or bottom or through a ceiling. Sometimes that D-handle will get in the way but when the head moves 360 degrees parallel to the d-handle it isn't a probem at all. Plus I find the D-handle provides more leverage in your hands against that thing trying to turn your hands when it bites hard, but watchout regardless what type of handle you have it also uses that same leverage to get some major torque to turn in your arms. And don't ask how I know but do not have it close to your head or jaw while you are drillling, it will grab and swing and smack you right in the head, jaw, knee, jewels, etc before you know what happened. I saw a guy get his jaw broken on a job site one day from this, it wasn't cool.

In choosing between a 3/8" versus a 1/2", the 1/2" is designed for slow speeds and large bits (in wood). The 3/8" will run higher speeds and it is smaller which it also has it's uses over the heavier and bigger 1/2" drills.
When I was sheetmetal worker I had my Milwaukee on the truck for running bigger bits and such but I had a 3/8" right angle Bosch that I had to have for sometimes when I had to reach into spaces to tight for my cordless drill to fit to drive sheetmetal screws, like between a wall and the furnace to drive a screw sideways, or to run a hole cutter on top of duct work in a joist space where my cordless wouldn't fit due to the lack of headspace.

Honestly the only thing I use my 1/2" right angle drill for is to run big bits (augers, holesaws and sel-feeds), I don't like it for drilling into steel because it is harder to get force behind the bit to get any digging action and take a bite. For steel work I prefer my regular 1/2" corded or cordless drill.

 

[QUOTE=Birdhunter1]The DeWalt you mention versus the Milwakee you mention I'd definitely go with the Milwaukee. The head on the Milwaukee turns which makes it...

I have to agree with Birdhunter on this one. I've never used the Dewalt 124 but I've done plenty of projects the Milwakee D-Handle. I like being able to turn the head and I especially like the moveable side handle (Dewalt says it's 2 position, Milwaukkee is 360 degrees). The side handle is never in the same place twice. It's always moving for the most comfortable grip and best leverage for the job. Also I like the Milwakee for being convertable to a heavy duty straight 1/2" drill (not a trivial task but easy enough). Mine came with a separate (2 position) side handle for straight drill work. Nothing in particular against the Dewalt brand there, I've had great results from my tools too.

I'm wondering, how big of a hole are you making? My own decision between the compact and heavy drills would be mostly off this criteria. Lots of big holes with a self-feed bit then I'd go with the heavy drill. Smaller holes with regular bits -- say up to 3/8" I'd be looking at the tight quarters drills just to have the versatility. That was my one dissapointment with the Milwaukee. I wanted one drill to do both new construction and basic household re-wiring. It's great for the former, a bit large for the latter....