Cordless drill/driver/impact for dummies!

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1Fast340

1Fast340

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Ok looking to get a cordless drill/driver/impact and to be honest there are so many for sale in different versions that i dont have a clue on where to start since i newer looked at these things before but now that my old drill is getting tired i figure i might step into the new world.


For general use in my home,garage and of course to work on my car,what do i look for and what do i look for?
10,12,14,18V
What brands are good?
Looking mainly at AEG, Metabo and Bosh but also the lower end Makita and Dewalt units since im not made out of money.
What kind of features are good in reality?


I have figured out that it probably pays to get one that includes battery(s) and charger and figure i may add a impact for heavier work later on so it would be a nice bonus to be able to run it on the same battery but dont know if this is a dumb direction to take.
There are units available with kits including a bunch of bits and drills do they tend to be worth considering?
Im also aware that the there may be differences betwen the Swedish and American marketunits but probably not much.
I have figured out that i probably dont want one of the supercheap ones.

Yes i am this clueless on this topic so feel free to give me the most basic advice!

Thanks in advance.
 
1Fast340 said:
but also the lower end Makita
Click to expand...


Unless Makita's quality has gone down hill, it's a good bet.

I have 2 cordless Makita drills that are every bit 20 years old and still work as good as the day I got them new.

Just my observation.
 
I got a dewalt impact, drill, and flashlight set for Christmas a few years back. I use the impact almost daily for work and at home on cars. I have the 20V lithium something batteries and will probably buy new ones soon. The current 2 I have don't hold a charge like they used to.
 
I use Milwaukee M18 series. I have over a dozen different M18 tools and love them all.
The 1/2" impact is nice and I also have the 3/8 version. I just picked up the leaf blower this week.
Lowes sells cheap sets but cant comment on quality. The biggest difference is in the batteries.
Once you get a few batteries you can buy the bare tools and they are fairly cheap. The batteries are most of the cost.
 
Millwauke seems nice,but poor availability over here, and what is available seems to be about twice the american prices,But keep the posts coming i will dig around some more.

Are there any special features regardless of brand i should look at
What kind of specs are most important?
 
Does husqvarna make a cordless impact?

I'd say go with the highest voltage, and look for versatility, drill, impact, sawzall, flashlight, all on the same battery base

I know when I lived in Europe, Makita was top of the line
 
Makita has been excellent. I have drills, screw guns, recip saws, impacts, ect. all on 18V. They seem to last forever and Inever have an issue.........treblig
 
I bought Makita and Milwaukee, and they have been really excellent. Then about 2 years ago, I won a complete Ryobi kit in a raffle. Drill, 3/8 impact, saw, light, etc... with Li-Ion batteries and chargers. I have to say, I have been really impressed with the Ryobi, as I never would have even considered buying the brand. But these Ryobi tools have gotten a lot of use, and seem to be holding up very well. The battery seems to last longer than my Makita too. One thing I did learn, you can't leave the battery in the charger for months. You have to take the batteries out of the charger for storage, or they will become junk.
 
I picked up a Rigid 18v combo set last year. Tell you what It has not failed yet on anything I tried and the batteries are guaranteed forever when you register them. That sold me right there.
 
I have bosch cordless drill and jigsaw and they are good. Minimum 18V. Go lithium ion.
As halifaxhops said, my next purchase is Ridgid from Home Depot. Buy the plan and free batteries for life. No brainer right there.
 
I bought Hitachi about 5 years ago and beat the hell out of them and they still work, had a couple battery's go bad though.
 
4spdragtop said:
I have bosch cordless drill and jigsaw and they are good. Minimum 18V. Go lithium ion.
As halifaxhops said, my next purchase is Ridgid from Home Depot. Buy the plan and free batteries for life. No brainer right there.
Click to expand...
No plan its free. I been beating the hell out of the drill and the chuck went bad, contacted them and they sent me a coupon for a new one! Sticking with them just bought the cordless grinder works great!
 
4spdragtop said:
I have bosch cordless drill and jigsaw and they are good. Minimum 18V. Go lithium ion.
As halifaxhops said, my next purchase is Ridgid from Home Depot. Buy the plan and free batteries for life. No brainer right there.
Click to expand...

My buddy got that free battery for life deal and after a few replacements they told him no more Sorry! They said it was because he had a business?
 
batteries are what led me to a new set. Had dewalt for years new batteries twice was time just to buy a new set then heard of Rigids guarantee, like Steve said no brainer q\and around the same price wait for Xmas usually throw in a free tool with a kit..
 
Rigid only has that battery deal around xmas time I tried to get it in the summer and Home depot said the no longer offer it, that was about 5 years ago, I called rigid about it and they told me it was a one time deal so I bought Hitachi, then when my buddy had the problem he called corp office and they told him that it was for home use only not commercial and he through all his rigid tools in the trash and bought all Milwaukee, so if you have a free replacement battery deal tell them you only use them at home.
 
A buddy of mine just bought the Ridgid drill and impact kit a little over a month ago. Got the plan. Maybe different here in Canada?
Thanks for heads up on "home use only"
 
I have Porter Cable 20 volt tools, and I'm very happy with them. Impact is rated I believe at 110 ft lbs.
 
Still taking notes over here:)
Newer saw any of those battery deals over here.
Makita seems to do very well.
 
I have been using dewalt for years. Tough tools.
18 volt. Recip saw,grinder,drill and 1/4”impact driver.

My buddy has pretty much the same in makita including a circular saw.that saw is awesome!
He got his makita set about the same time as my dewalt,standing up well too.

We used our cordless stuff putting up metal siding and they both performed well.
If i had to start from scratch?
Wait for a big makita kit to go on sale.
 
I have Bosch 18 volt that I use in the shop, they have held up very well.
 
Ive had the Makita 18v stuff for about 10 years now. The batteries started to get tired about 3 years ago, which just mesns they don’t last as long, but I use my stuff every day, all day, so I would recommend them. I am going to switch to Milwaukee tho, only because I have a Milwaukee radio and no batteries for it! They are probably the top name in the business.
 
Have looked around and fail to find a good assortment of Milwaukee tools localy and i realy like to be able to take a good look and feel the tools in my hand before desciding.

What i have taken a good look at localy today is Makita and Bosch professional aswell as AEG

The later brand seems alitle large to handle and i had to read more than once on the sign that said 500NM (thats about 370ftlb) with about half that on the lowest strenght on a AEG impact,darn that seems like just the tool i need for those moments when i get into that mode of not just F you bolt,but more like F you bolt,nut,and everthing you might feel atached to LOL.

The choice betwen Makita and Bosch is a difficult one , those blue Bosch machines feel increadibly well balanced and are quite short and thats not bad at all. They have a nice little impact that runs 6point bits inside the ½" Drive as an option its a very short tool and has about 185Nm/137ftlbs of power

Makita has a great reputation and a bigger asortment of other machines that runs the same battery.

Not a simple choice at all,im way to good at overthinking stuff.
 
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