Tuesday, February 08, 2011

Drill Shopping


I need to buy a drill but am ignorant in these matters.

I always thought that a corded one was better than a cordless one - but just read differently online. The articles said they were equivalent with today's battery technology.

If I can ask y'all - handier men and women than me - for a drill recommendation. I want to know how cheap I can go without buying a POS. Thoughts?  Thanks.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

A good combo kit with a drill and a driver come in handy. The driver allows you to drive long screws easier than a drill. Bosch and Dewalt have decent stuff, look for 18v power.

Anonymous said...

Depends on the workload you anticipate. If you're only going to use it once a year then $30 buys you a workable drill, but if you need a comfortable tool that you can use for hours every day I'd spend $100 on a Makita.

This is what I have:
http://www.amazon.com/Makita-DF330DW-10-8-Volt-Lithium-Ion-Driver-Drill/dp/B0023NVS4O/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1297199124&sr=8-3

I don't think you need too much power for home improvement, so I'd leave the cords and bulkier batteries to those who need them.

Alex.

Beth said...

We went the battery route the first time. It was too heavy for me (and since I'm the one who actually uses it...) I got a corded one the second time around. Its a Black and Decker, basic drill. I like the idea of a driver/extension for reaching into tighter places, I could have used one last weekend.

CaptiousNut said...

Thanks guys and gals.

I borrowed one of the contractor's battery-powered Dewalt drills today to bore holes into my son's Pinewood Derby car.

I don't know if the wood was particularly hard (pine?) or if the battery was low or something but it required a fair amount of pressure on my part to drill the holes. I thought a power tool was supposed to give me a break?

Paul Mitchell said...

Pine is a very softwood.

Depending on the make and model of the cordless you were using, it was probably the battery.

If you are not going to be drilling a bunch of holes at the same time with a large paddle bit, the cordless should do the trick for you. My 12 volt will drill exactly ONE 3" hole through a metal door. So, the power is there, but heavy use drains the battery.

Justin Time said...

Buy a cordless and you can guarantee that the battery will be dead any time you want to use it.

Buy a drill with a cord and every hole you want to drill will be 100 yards from the nearest outlet.

Anne Galivan said...

My husband (a building contractor) has gone through dozens of drills. I can't imagine him ever using a drill with a cord anymore. I think he likes the DeWalt sets the best. Makita is good too.

I think having a cordless drill is an essential home tool...like having a set (or two) of screwdrivers, hammer, tape measure, etc. But we're definitely a family of DIY's.

CaptiousNut said...

It turns out I already has a drill! The wife (first) bought me one a year or two ago (!) - but it didn't come with the drill bits.

I had thought it was just a battery operated *screw gun* again because I never thought a cordless drill could be strong enough to power through wood, concrete, etc.

It's a 12V Black and Decker.

Paul Mitchell said...

You in bidnuss, Hoss.