My old cordless drill is almost kaput. Batteries only about half charge, chuck won't release last bit I put in and I might want to do something with it other than phillips screws....

Dropped many times, sometimes on concrete, poor thing- only about 12 years old, also. Not a contractor, but I use the crap out of it.

Anyway. what are you guys' recommendations. I'm thinking maybe a kit with driver/drill and compact drill - likely go 20 V. tto, but not a given.

What brand ?- I know Dewalt is pretty much where Nosler Partitions are...

Porter, DeWalt, Ryobi, Milwalkee, Makita???? What else?

Good and bad.

Milwaukee.

Ive been pleased with my M18 Milwaukee Fuel. I have about 10 different tools now some are 5 years old

I'm a Milwaukee guy but when my present one dies I'm going to replace it with a Rigid, the warranty can't be beat.

I have several Ryobi tools and they’ve been good so far with moderately heavy uses and not treating them too kindly.

Milwaukee or Dewalt, Impact/Drill combo set

Prefer my Milwaukee impact and drills over Dewalts, JMO

I’m Dewalt for everything. Been this for 10 years. 😎

Milwaukee. My income depends on em.

I thought so too, but just yesterday I bought two new 18v Ridgid batteries... and registered them for the Lifetime replacement... NOPE... they changed that to 3 years.

My 18v Rigid won't hold small bits (about 3/16 on down) unless I use channel locks to tighten the chuck. It just shakes loose.

Nevermind... if you buy the whole set (WITH batteries) you are G2G for life... the stand alone batteries is where they [bleep] you

I have several Ryobi tools. They operate with plenty of power. No problems to date.

Milwaukee is tops, but for the money, the latest Dewalt’s are about impossible to beat on seasonal discount.

20. Some actually US made!

Sis is a tool dealer.
Her salesmen recommend the best, to me - sometimes Dewalt - sometimes Milwaukee.
As far as cordless drills, the Milwaukee M18 Fuel was recommended. It's got LOTS more torque than I was expecting in a cordless, and I've used cordless drills for over 35 years.
(in construction)

Condolences. May it rest in eternal pieces like my formerly beloved Makita....

Hilti.

Like SnapOn. Cry once.

We've been doing a bit of construction lately, which involves driving about 25,000 1.25" screws AND removing them. Three years in a row.

We have bought 5 Ridgids, and two Milwaukees M18 Fuel (Brushless). Both Milwaukees are still working as designed, though one is getting a little wonky, the brake doesn't always work anymore, I think. We have two of the large batteries for it and two of the small ones. One of the large batteries seems to not like charging under extreme temps anymore.

Three of the five Ridgids died on the first job. Fiven of the seven batteries are dead. Batteries last about a third of the run time of the Milwaukees. With the Milwaukees you can drive srews for half a shift, load them during lunch, and finish the day. The Ridgid batteries last a little over an hour. Ridged warrantee can KMA.

Haven't used DeWalt, Makita or Hilti, but the Milwaukees are doing me right. I figure they are each close to driving and removing 30,000 screws. Pretty fair.

You can't beat a Makita!

Milwaukee and Makita are owned by the same parent company, there is a bit of crossover as far as technology is concerned.

Makita introduced the first commercial cordless drill, and tends to be a half step ahead in others when it comes to batteries and motors--which is the most important parts of cordless drill/drivers. Makita batteries will last longer.

Milwaukee makes very good stuff, the quality of the rest of the tool (besides battery and motor) seems to be a tad better than Makita.

Dewalt is generally a few dollars less, and offered the bang-for-the-buck factor. After suffering a bit during the recession,, Dewalt has come back strong and is offering a lot of new, useful tools currently.

Ryobi isn't bad, the batteries are shorter lived than the above brands.

I really wouldn't mess with Rigid.

Panasonic, Hitachi, and Porter Cable aren't bad, but their cordless tools are a step behind the big three these days.

Pick your favorite color, pick a battery voltage (although I think some of the DeWalt stuff can run either 20v or 18v batteries), and stick with the same brand and battery--it makes life more simple.

The bigger the battery, the heavier the tool.

Couple things: KEEP YOUR BATTERIES CHARGED. It makes them last longer. Don't deplete them and then throw 'em in the corner and let them sit. Don't let them freeze. A fully charged battery doesn't freeze as easily as a depleted battery.

The lithium batteries have a chip in them to communicate with the charger and not allow the lithium batteries to melt down when things go wrong (see Boeing). There is a minimum voltage threshold and if the battery is depleted, freezes, drops the voltage below that minimum threshold, it permanently shuts down the battery. The Makitas have the most sophisticated chip and are the first to shut off the battery--there is no way to undo it, either.

I got a DEWALT Bare-Tool DCD760B 1/2-Inch 18-Volt Cordless Compact Drill/Driver in April 2014

It died a year and a half later. I just got another 18Volt drill* from Amazon and put a sticker on it that said "dead".

Two weeks ago a guy with no college education but dozens of electronics patents, wanted it to take it apart.

Today he showed me how the fan lugs anchor between the steel laminate core and use space at a larger diameter than the rotor and brushes... to make the motor shorter.

It seems to completely assemble without rotor and brushes for easy troubleshooting.


*I also got a 20Volt drill in 2015 that swaps batteries with the chainsaw. The 20Volt batteries last much longer than the 18 Volt.

Makita LXT has been the best lithium ion battery in the business. I have Dewalt’s 18V stuff too.

Look for the Japanese made Makita tools. They’re Makita’s industrial line. They can cost upwards of 3x, but you get what you pay for.

A bonus is their USB adapter.

Those batteries have the F'ing chip in them that'll permanently lock them from being charged. Have had it happen both hot and cold. Is there a work around? My drill/impact set from 2006 was great but I ended up having to replace batteries twice, drill twice and charger once. Impact is going strong! I gave up on the Brand due to the battery issue. Hot, like ran tool hard and immediately placed battery on the charger, or cold like - 25F without running to first warm up before attempting to charge. Instantly and permanently gives one solid red light, FUBAR.

Keep 'em charged, don't let them freeze, that 's what shuts the battery down.

I have one of those and they are GREAT. It charges my iphone faster than the damn wall charger does.........

Well, they're unlike the Dewalt which will give you a Hot indication then charge when the battery cools. The Makita chip will lock it up forever. Same -25, other battery, run tool for a minute to warm up, then charges fine. Other battery, locked up forever. Yes, I fugged that one up in the cold. First Montana winter lol... But running a tool, throw battery in the charger and it's made never usable again by the chip, not an actual bad cell, just hot, pure, horsechit Makita. There's no reset, no reprogram, nada, that I've been able to find... Would strongly recommend against. Do want a phone charger doohicky now though! I'll run that impact as long as it'll go, it's been a great tool. Gone Dewalt and passed the point of no return... I actually used a corded drill the other day as it was closer than going to get the cordless! Crazy times.

I’m a Dewalt 18 volt guy.

Me too.

Traditionally, the Dewalt 18V was always the best bang for the buck with quality batteries available @ 2 for $100 and lots of rugged tools priced super competitivly. This is what I stocked the job trailer and shop with. My truck is loaded with Makita LXT. At the rate batteries and impact pact drivers disappeared, I wasn’t going to pony up for the more expensive LXT Lion batteries and Japanese manufactured brushless tools.

Makita for me. I have been using their tools for over 40 years and in that time I have never had a motor fail. Milwaukee would be #2. I'm still using a 9v drill that's seen about 25 years of hard use and still going strong.

Festool.

Mic drop.

After Christmas sale, They are all good - I use DeWalt but I get great deals at a Pawn Shop..

Get another dewalt.

I have a Craftsman kit I bought a while back 18v ni-cad.
The batteries all went toes up, the tools are fine.

So, I bought a drill, and something else to get the lithium batteries that come with them (cheaper then buying batteries)

Last weekend i need a drill, every battery but one is stone dead. Even one i left in the "wont overcharge and kill the battery charger".

Could this be from a chip.

Cordless is great for me. I might do a project that is intensive, but most use is less than one battery charge.

I am done. I have a 12v Milwaukee drill that's perfect, except no batteries.
Now 6 or eight lightly used worthless tools more.

Convience be damned I'm back to extension cords.

I have a Ryobi and like it real well, the wife got me a Ryobi circular saw with laser cutting guide for Christmas. I also have Ryobi yard equipment, trimmer and blower that I've used for the last several seasons and they too work well and are a good value. For heavy duty work the Milwauke cannot be beat, used one on the job and it had plenty of power to tackle the toughest jobs.

I have Milwaukee at home and I’m rough on them. The Techs at my local Site had all Milwaukee and have been going to Dewalt. They did have a cache of parts for me it seems😁 They said triggers are constantly breaking and I’ve noticed battery issue like the first Dewalt Lithium’s had 10 years ago. Think it had to do with impacts to batteries damaging cells. I was surprised but yesterday the last Milwaukee went out and they told me “just chuck it their junk throw-aways” A few Techs had 28v setups at home they gave up on to. Not my experience, my set has been going strong for 5 years.

Snap on at one time made cordless drivers, maybe they still do.

I bought my 18V Dewalt in 2000 or 2001, my mechanic friend and I were having beers one night and decided to see just who's was better, my Dewalt or his Snap-on. We took a short screw bit and chucked them both to it. One, two, three.........I broke his chuck off......we had a good laugh. Of course, the Snap on guy replaced his free of charge.

I still use the Dewalt but like the OP's, its getting tired.

Well I have several perfectly good drills that have no batteries that work. Dewalt, Milwaukie, Firestorm or whatever the low end Dewalt was, Craftsman and Makita. I bought a new battery for the Makita and it's going down now. My son likes Hitachi and Makita. I don't think any of them are much worth what they cost.

I am a contractor, and at any one time I probably have 6 to 8 cordless drills in circulation. I've used about all brands including Milwaukee and Dewalt, but anymore Makita is my preferred brand....I've just had good luck with them. I'm still a little sore at Milwaukee when a few years back they updated their batteries and charger systems so batteries weren't readily interchangeable between their old and new tools. I still have a few Milwaukee power tools, but anything with a battery I go with Mikita.

Agree completely. The Dewalt 20 volt can't keep up with the 18 volt Milwaukee Fuel.

Dewalt, local ranch supply has a 2 for 1 battery deal twice a year and other brands don’t.

I have a DeWalt 1/2 inch hammer drill. Cordless , 18V. It has to be pushing 20 years old. The only issue with it is batteries. I don't use it often anymore, and the batteries just don't last. Bought a new set in 2016, and they already are not holding a charge. Damned expensive too.

Not even the techies have figured out how to hack the Makita chip. But if taken care of the Makita batteries seem to last longer than others.

A finish carpenter friend of mine is now running a DeWalt cordless table saw and cordless miter saw. They seem to work well for his finish carpentry.

Sam,
If your drill is 20 years old it's NiCad. The current production NiCad tool batteries being produced aren't very good. They're just not putting any effort into NiCad with the advent of Lithium's. Lithium's are a big step up in convenience and power.

For about a $100 you can get the dewalt rebuilt, or at least you use to could.

I got a 18v dewalt drill that I bought in Chicago in about 2003 or so. Was doing service tech work at the time and used it most every day. After about 3 years it started getting weak, so I had it rebuilt and since I didn't have that job anymore and don't use it nearly as much, it's still going strong.

Also, I buy rebuilt batteries for $40 that are way better than the factory new batteries.

That is some good stuff... THANKS!

I have a bucket full of the Makita 9.6v stuff... they were the best tools going 30 years ago... hate to toss, but like you said... new tech... maybe FleaBay them...

I'm in the Milwaukee camp. Among other projects in the past year I've rebuilt 3 piers at 400' each, using 3" stainless steel screws. The screw count on these 3 projects alone is around 15,0000. I don't have a count on the 5/8" X 12" piling bolts replaced, but it was a bunch. There was also 1000's of 1 1/4" and 1 5/8" strap screws replaced on conduit and water lines. Plenty of saltwater contact along the way, plus rain and sand. All work completed with one slightly used M18 and 2 batteries.

This is why I gave up on the high dollar battery drills.I can go to Harbor Freight and buy one for $25 on sale, use it a year and throw it away,Current one is on the 3rd year and still going strong.

Get the Dewalt.

The Milwaukee red is ugly.

Your first mistake - buying Craftsman.

Sorry - can't miss a chance to bash Sears, and especially Craftsman power tools.


I haven't cared so much for the Makita tools I've had. Same for the Ryobi. They've been okay and reliable - but have had minor chronic irritations that I thought were not really excusable. Buying new, I'd still go for Milwaukee or DeWalt for most stuff (love PC routers though). But I have a Porter Cable cordless drill/screw gun that has been the bomb. Bought that for a song at an estate sale a few years ago and it has been going like gangbusters ever since with almost daily use.

I've always used Bosch with good results. We used them in our woodworking shop. I have the 18 volt lithium now, started out with the 7.2 volt cordless back in the '80's.

I have noticed that the chucks don't hold as well as they used to so I don't know if the quality is suffering or what. Also, the last impact I got didn't even have a bit holder on it, pretty disappointed in that as they are pretty handy.

20 volt Dewalt, i'm slowly converting all my power tools over to them but still maintaining a few corded tools, just in case.

The 20 volt max from Dewalt is no different than other brands of 18 volt. They are all 20 volt max and 18 volt nominal. They just report it different.

I have an oldie but goodie DeWalt 14 volt cordless drill, this is such a badass it won't die. Have built 2 log cabins with this thing.
So I don't know how you can do better than DeWalt. Also have a DeWalt circular saw, great tool. I also have Makita and Milwaukee tools and they are also very good.

Thirty years ago I bought a 1/2 inch Milwaukee right-angle drill, the kind electricians use. I use it with a 1 inch auger bit to drill holes for the electric when building log cabins. Also use it for drilling holes for splices in the logs. This thing gets many hours of usage on a log cabin and I have built 6 log cabins.

Two years ago I was building an addition onto my log cabin, and, one day, my good 'ol Milwaukee gave out. MIght have been the switch.
I took it down to Home Depot in Asheville NC, they don't repair there, they would have to send it down to Atlanta and I would get it back in 3 weeks. But, I needed it right now.
So, I took a deep breath and shelled out $250 for a new Milwaukee drill, looked just like my original except the case was plastic not metal.
Plus, the new drill was not made in Milwaukee. MADE IN CHINA.

Good God. Is nothing sacred? Still, I have to admit, the new drill worked fine, the f/r switch was a little rough to operate, so not quite the quality of the American drill but otherwise the Chink drill worked fine. Need to change the name from Milwaukee to Peking.

thanks Casey, I did not know that

I had no idea 9.6v Makita batteries were only $11 a piece... I may have to rethink the toss.

https://www.vanonbatteries.com/products/2-pack-for-makita-9000-9-6-v-2000mah-ni-cd-battery

and those dang DeWalt 9096 18V NiCad ones are $16.99! Sure wish I had known that earlier. I am saving the website for Vanon

I bought some Bosch BAT 026 clones a while back from Ebay and they were NOT GOOD... weak after 6 months, so proceed with caution (i.e. buy 1 or 2 and test quality) is my friendly advice.

Regarding chainsaw chains that are super cheap... AND I can vouch for personally... these guys...

http://www.shopcomstocklogging.com/...LUME-DISCOUNTS-AS-LOW-AS-1295_p_120.html

Have bought several dozen and always VERY SATISFIED with CS and quality. Just an FYI

I quit using nicad dewalt 10 yrs ago. Purchased one of those Fat Boy combo multi tool 18v sets about 15 years ago. The dewalt rep told me nicads 18v were only good for about 3500 charges. When I was contacting, used them everyday. Dropped off of ladders onto concrete, rained on in the bed of truck. Pure abuse and neglect. But they were tough at the time.

Stuck with about 6 tools that take 18v. Went and bought one battery just use here at home.


I made the move over to bosch lithium about 5 yrs ago.
Half the weight, mostly satisfied with them.

Lowes usually has a christmas deal. A 1/2" drill bosch and charger and 2 18v lithium batts for $99. Marked down from about $179

I was buying those drills just as an incentive to those extra lithium batteries.

Done that 3 years in a row. I got plenty of batts now for drills and sawzall.

I was carrying the sawzall and 3 batts to the woods and using it to trim out shooting lanes for turkey season. Nice and quiet in the state forest, lol

My employer supplies Dewalt drills, 1/2"impacts, and grinders.

All of my personal stuff is from Milwaukee. At least these days.

Through the early to mid 90s Makita owned the cordless drill arena, IMO