cordless drills best for the money

[disleksic]

Now Im not a complete Black & Decker fan I say complete because I have purchased circular saws of thiers before and was very dissapointed. So when I started using a Black & Decker Fire Storm FSX-TREME 18V that the shop I worked in provided I thought this cheap piece of junk will not last long. But after using it alot and droping it alot I began to wonder if it could die or not. Well it finally did die and I went to the hardware store and bought a Makita because Ive had really good luck with them It cost about 230 dollars. I used it for about 2 months and I dropped it once and that was it ruined. so I went back and bought a Black & Decker Fire Storm FSX-TREME 18V and Ive been happy ever since and that was about 2 years ago and the Black & Decker was just over 100 Dollars so I bought one for personal use and Ive been very pleased with it I never thought I would say that about Black & Decker but for me its the best drill for the money

[ChoochCharlie]

Wow. I used a Makita daily for years. Really abused it too.
I hate Ryobi, except for the price and ergonomics. In that way, they are cool and cheap. With heavy use they always seem to fail.

Used to use them in a shop I ran. I called a meeting, and with all of us standing around my workbench my Ryobi started up all by its self. Then it reversed and started running really fast. Soon it was smoking and caught fire, right in front of us. Had us all laughing.

I rewired the warehouse the next day so that with 2 breakers I could shut off all of the shop outlets every night and not have to unplug all the tools.

[shadowood]

I just came home from the store with a Black & Decker corded drill and circular saw. ;D

After much thought I decided to go with them for the price to warranty ratio.

My brothers have all kinds of different brands Makita, Porter Cable, DeWalt, Ryobi, etc. etc. Nothing has stood out as worth the extra $$.
Time will tell if I chose wisely. ;)

SWF

[disleksic]

chooch thats a funny yet scary story but it sounds like you fixed the scary part

[disleksic]

shadow I think you will be happy with your Black & Decker as long as its for around the home when I bought one to use for everyday use on the job since I was broke at the time it didnt last me a week and the same size saw in a makita lasted me 2 to 3 years with daily abuse cutting cultured marble

[Uncle_Alvah]

I have an old 12v Porter Cable that has given yoemans service. I'm a professional Handyman, so it's seen plenty of use. On it's second set of batteries and still going strong. I'd like to replace it but in all honesty have no real reason to do so.....

[disleksic]

about how much did it cost you uncle alvah for your drill sounds like a dandy

[JakeLeg]

i shop by several methods.

first, i always try to read reviews.

barring that, if i'm not going to use a tool that often, then the cheap brands are okay. ryobi, B&D, GMC (Lowe's), or harbor freight are okay.

if i am going to use it a lot, then i've found that in general, you get what you pay for, and will go with the better brands. i always look to see where the tool is made and try to buy american. milwaukee and porter cable were the last companies making tools in the US on a broad scale, and DeWalt (foreign made and too expensive for its quality) bought out P-C recently so i probably won't buy too much P-C any more.

Actually have read some good reviews on a few Ridgid tools and have tried a couple. The Ridgid large table saw (TS3650) got the best review in Wood magazine (who has reviews i respect) so i bought that and love it to death. Since no contractor type table saw is made in the US, i didn't feel bad. Also picked up the Ridgid orbital jigsaw and really like that too. It is foreign made, but i don't use it that often and it's heft, power and controls outweighed the chintzier models.

[Star1pup]

I've had Craftsman & now a Skill and they all worked fine. A friend bought me a drill from Harbor Freight for less than $20 and the darn thing works as good as the expensive ones. It's an 18 V, and the batteries are not an arm and a leg like the Craftsman or Skill.

[DM]

I can't tell you what one is the best deal for you, but i've owned several cordless drills, and used a lot of others on jobs.

I can say the one that's lasted the best, and has been the nicest one to use for me, is my 14.4v Dewalt that i've been abuseing now for over 10 years...

I'm going to buy another one when i see a good deal on a "refurbuished" model as i've seen very good prices on them in the past.

DM

[desdawg]

I recently purchased a complete set of 18v Ryobi cordless tools and I have been happy with the performance to date. Included a sawzall, circular saw, drill, flashlight, sander and vacuum cleaner. The whole set was under $200 and I haven't been disappointed. I can't tell you about 10 years hence but based on some of the other cheapies I have had in the past these seem to be real good tools.

[Bad_Omen]

I recently purchased a complete set of 18v Ryobi cordless tools and I have been happy with the performance to date. Included a sawzall, circular saw, drill, flashlight, sander and vacuum cleaner. The whole set was under $200 and I haven't been disappointed. I can't tell you about 10 years hence but based on some of the other cheapies I have had in the past these seem to be real good tools.

How much???

Over here in Europe you'd be lucky to get the drill for $200. Nice buy you got there. I've always found Ryobi tools to be very tough.

Look after them and they'll last you a good long time.

[CarolAnn]

You guys are going to hate me for this entry into cordless drills, but after my big brother checked to make sure no one (male) would catch him using it, he admitted it was great! Mine is even black, so it doesn't look so girlie.

Mine was seven bucks, but I see they're up to $15 now. At 9oz, you soon appreciate the plastic construction when you're drilling anything up high!
It's a Fiskars craft drill!

http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w246/carolwyborny/fiskars.jpg

[docjered]

Well, there is also a lot to be said for a good old fashioned Yankee push drill... anybody still use one of those?

But seriously, my first choice is Home Depot's Ridgid brand, 18 volt. For several reasons:
1. It is a workhorse, well built, plenty of power, and a lot of spunk for even 18 volts.
2. It withstands drops and slips and keeps working.
3. Lifetime warranty. Absolute! Including batteries, with a promise that if they change technology to the point that they cannot repair/replace, they will update with the new technology. Not that is important... to make it the last cordless drill I will ever buy.

[DaNgEr_KiTtY]

carol thats funny. i used to manage a hardware store about 20 years ago when the skil-twist cordless screwdrivers hit the market. we would sell out of em fast around xmas & fathers day. i pissed a few folks off when they came into my store & asked for one & i showed em the bucket of 99 cent screwdrivers. i told em they were solar powered also.

i have had my dewalt 9.6v for about 10 years. i have dropped it off a roof 30 feet up, left it in the rain & who knows what else. i thought about replacing it but again there is no need to do it. it held up hanging drywall & new orleans for a few weeks of constant use but i had to get a new battery finally. cost me $163 back then. my dewalt 18 volt finish nailer has also served me well for 2 years. they run about $330 now & are great if you dont wanna set up a compressor or have power on your job site. i can charge them on my trucks power inverter.

[jen_in_southtexas]

I have a cordless drill that is a Black and Decker for home use only and for light home use only it works fine. I work in the industrial field and for out in the field I personally bought a Hilti 151 SF-A. It does not compare to the Rigid's, DeWalts, or Makita's I've used before. Excellent torque. The best I've ever used to date. A bit pricey at $275+tax but well worth the money and takes a beating pretty good. Extremely durable. Durability,performance and reliability are very important to me in my line of work.

-j

[MadTripper]

I have one of the fiskars hand drills and is one of the most convenient tools for around the house.
As far as electric versions go, I recently purchased a Bosch Pocket Driver. It really isn't designed for drilling but with the right setup, you can do so. I have used it for 3" screws and it pushes them no problem. It comes with two batterys that charge within 30 minutes and they last through a day of work including my 3 year old running it for no reason in between the tasks I need it for.
It weighs next to nothing so holding it at odd angles or over your head is a cake walk.
The price is a bit high however I had a gift card so I managed to spend only $79 of my own money.
Here is a link to the details.

http://www.boschtools.com/tools/tools-detail.htm?H=189200&G=70084&I=69862

Tripper

[clawhammerdan]

IMO no better power tools (cordless) than DeWalt. I have an 18v that I've used countless times in the past six years and it's better and more durable than any tool I've ever owned.