Need a new cordless drill

[jerrye]

HD currently has a promotion with Ryobi. Buy set of two 3ah batts with charger and bag for $99, get a free tool. I got 1/2" hammer drill yesterday for free, $69 value. It's on a promotional setup in center aisle. May be worth considering...

[John B]

Seems there are as many opinions as models   so I'll throw my two bobs worth in.
I have an 18v Dewalt hard usage for about 15 years with one battery buggered. It is Ni cad so can no longer get a genuine Dewalt battery but have found a source that is reasonable. My Son bought me an AEG 18v for Christmas, and it is a little beaut. Light and small compared other 18/20v tools.
As for corded drills I have an aluminium Skill, probably older than I am and still going, an Orange B&D my wife bought for me when first married on special for $14 at KMart. A Skill/sher from the late 70's and a 3/4 Makita from the 70's all going well. I could not count the number of battery drills I have had and chucked over the years, mainly due to batteries buggering up.
Stay tuned for volume 2 next week

[OCtoolguy]

On 5/20/2019 at 5:33 PM, Rockytime said:

My 18V DeWalt has been OK. But for the amateur use it's had the chuck is very rough. Feels like it's grinding. I have a HF 10 minutes from me and when I'm ready I will check out their Bauer line.

Les, I was just looking through the May sales book from H/F and the high end cordless tools that I was thinking about but couldn't recall the name is "Hercules". They are showing a 20 volt lithium battery, 1/2" capacity drill/driver kit for $84.99 and it has garnered 5 stars from 241 reviews. Might be worth looking at. It says, "compare to Dewalt DCD780C2. 

[rjweb]

Ray, I was just looking at that drill looks impressive but only 1 battery and the warranty is 90 days, RJ 

[Rockytime]

3 hours ago, octoolguy said:

Les, I was just looking through the May sales book from H/F and the high end cordless tools that I was thinking about but couldn't recall the name is "Hercules". They are showing a 20 volt lithium battery, 1/2" capacity drill/driver kit for $84.99 and it has garnered 5 stars from 241 reviews. Might be worth looking at. It says, "compare to Dewalt DCD780C2. 

Hercules is right. My memory is faulty.

[kmmcrafts]

This is what I thought you all might be talking about.. This one says compare to Ryobi P1811... whatever that is, LOL Anyway this one on sale for $59.**

https://www.harborfreight.com/20V-Hypermax-Lithium-12-in-DrillDriver-Kit-63531.html?ccdenc=eyJjb2RlIjoiMjEwNDE1NTMiLCJza3UiOiI2MzUzMSIsImlzIjoiNTkuOTkiLCJwcm9kdWN0X2lk IjoiMTIxODYifQ%3D%3D &cid=paid_facebook-{campaign-name}-{adset-name}-&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=cpc&mkwid=[marinadid]-pcrid-[marinadid]-pkw--pmt--pdv--slid--product--pgrid--ptaid--&utm_campaign={campaign-name}&utm_content={adset-name}&fbclid=IwAR2uGyH5MHmmEP9GiBezRllg8kGRh_z1qKtlQ9ZX4ZiqMShDSXTuRWxwDYA

[OCtoolguy]

1 hour ago, rjweb said:

Ray, I was just looking at that drill looks impressive but only 1 battery and the warranty is 90 days, RJ 

@rjweb my thinking is this, and it may or may not hold water. If a product is made well, then it needs no warranty. I remember when automobiles came with a 90 day 4000 mile warranty. Some were good and some weren't. So far, I have never had to take a H/F tool back or had it quit working. I will admit though that I bought a biscuit joiner from them and when I got it home and was looking over, I found excessive play in the adjustable deck. I took it back the same day and found one that was acceptable. But, for $65 instead of the almost $300 for a Dewalt, I figured it would do the job just fine. And so far it has. At my age, I'll be happy if the tools last as long as I do.

 

Edited May 22, 2019 by octoolguy

[Brianr24]

On 5/20/2019 at 8:29 PM, octoolguy said:

Dewalt still makes good stuff. You just have to shop for deals. The DW788 scroll saw is one of the top saws for most people. Cordless tools are in a whole different category because they have such competition. 

 

To be brutally honest, I'd look hard at the new tools that Harbor Freight has brought out. Not bad stuff and priced reasonably for the average person. Not for the Festool crowd though.

 

Yeah I agree Dewalt is a good tool. I even mentioned that in my post. But what I’m saying is I try never to buy Dewalt because imo they are over priced. Just not a good value. I agree cordless tools is a different ballgame than scroll saws but I even feel the dw788 is over priced for a little more you bump up into the Excalibur’s, seyco or Pegas saws. 

Im off topic of the op now. I just wanted to explain what I meant. What I’m saying is if it’s a toss up between Dewalt and another quality tool you’re going to get more value from most other names. Just my two cents. lol 

 

Edited May 22, 2019 by Brianr24

[OCtoolguy]

31 minutes ago, Brianr24 said:

Yeah I agree Dewalt is a good tool. I even mentioned that in my post. But what I’m saying is I try never to buy Dewalt because imo they are over priced. Just not a good value. I agree cordless tools is a different ballgame than scroll saws but I even feel the dw788 is over priced for a little more you bump up into the Excalibur’s, seyco or Pegas saws. 

Im off topic of the op now. I just wanted to explain what I meant. What I’m saying is if it’s a toss up between Dewalt and another quality tool you’re going to get more value from most other names. Just my two cents. lol 

 

I agree with what you say. Now that I own two of the best scroll saws made, I would always spend the extra money to buy a better saw and it appears that Pegas has filled that spot quite nicely.

 

[rjweb]

this is the drill i was refering to  from harbor freight

https://www.harborfreight.com/20v-lithium-cordless-12-in-compact-drilldriver-kit-63381.html

RJ

[Brianr24]

23 minutes ago, octoolguy said:

I agree with what you say. Now that I own two of the best scroll saws made, I would always spend the extra money to buy a better saw and it appears that Pegas has filled that spot quite nicely.

 

That’s good to hear that you are enjoying your saw.  

I have my eye on the pegas. Just not sure when Im going to pull the trigger.

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

4 hours ago, octoolguy said:

@rjweb my thinking is this, and it may or may not hold water. If a product is made well, then it needs no warranty. I remember when automobiles came with a 90 day 4000 mile warranty. Some were good and some weren't. So far, I have never had to take a H/F tool back or had it quit working. I will admit though that I bought a biscuit joiner from them and when I got it home and was looking over, I found excessive play in the adjustable deck. I took it back the same day and found one that was acceptable. But, for $65 instead of the almost $300 for a Dewalt, I figured it would do the job just fine. And so far it has. At my age, I'll be happy if the tools last as long as I do.

 

Ray come on now lets be honest here, when you say you have not had to return any HF tools, how often are you using tools. You mention numerous times you are 80 years old. Most people here are way younger and need tools that will give some longevity so for them that $300 investment could be worth way more than 4 of those $65 tools. I would never buy a power tool from HF. You could not even give me one. 

Every wood working magazine runs comparison reviews and most are slanted to whatever company has a deal with the magazine so take that for what it is worth. Look at the fine print if going after warrentys. Ask questions before you buy them. I do know being I worked in construction for 43 years I have seen tool selection change from one year to another. The Dewalt line was very popular. But when I started and still this day I own Makitas 9volt. Back then  was the king of the hill. What you see today is package deals and that is what drives the sales. The thing is batteries are meant to be used and cycled. If you lay them dormant they go bad. So buying many batteries for tools can prove to be unproductive too.  Just my thoughts.

[kmmcrafts]

7 hours ago, JTTHECLOCKMAN said:

Ray come on now lets be honest here, when you say you have not had to return any HF tools, how often are you using tools. You mention numerous times you are 80 years old. Most people here are way younger and need tools that will give some longevity so for them that $300 investment could be worth way more than 4 of those $65 tools. I would never buy a power tool from HF. You could not even give me one. 

Every wood working magazine runs comparison reviews and most are slanted to whatever company has a deal with the magazine so take that for what it is worth. Look at the fine print if going after warrentys. Ask questions before you buy them. I do know being I worked in construction for 43 years I have seen tool selection change from one year to another. The Dewalt line was very popular. But when I started and still this day I own Makitas 9volt. Back then  was the king of the hill. What you see today is package deals and that is what drives the sales. The thing is batteries are meant to be used and cycled. If you lay them dormant they go bad. So buying many batteries for tools can prove to be unproductive too.  Just my thoughts.

The very best cordless drill I ever had was from Harbor Freight... it was my first cordless and was a Christmas gift... not something I would have chose myself.. but ended up being one awesome tool.. This was 20+ years ago.. and the drill isn't what gave out.. it was the stupid batteries died after 7-8 years of hard work.. and they was some oddball batteries and I couldn't find any replacements.. I built a lot of stuff with that drill and used it as a sander and a wire brush back in my painting days..

On the flip side.. I needed a sawzal for a couple of days when building my shop back in 2012... had a coupon etc and with all the deals I got one for $4.99 LOL..  I only needed it to cut a few sections of 2" PVC pipe..  That saw almost made it through my first cut..  My wife was headed out to town to pick up a few things so i had her swing in to get a replacement.. That saw made it through 4-5 cuts.. and then it went to the trash can.. HF at the time didn't do returns but would exchange under the warranty.. but taking the thing back every few cuts was not going to cut it ( no pun intended ) for me.. Now.. be different if they was across the street.. 

That all said, I have bought a fair amount of their cheap power tools and have had good luck with it for my intended purpose.. short of that one sawzal.. most stuff has been good to me for the price. I'll also say.. they've stepped up many of their tool lines to some higher quality stuff from what they offered years ago.. and they have more variety from cheap junk to better cheap junk.. Like these drills we've been talking about.. they have some real cheap ones that might get you through a job.. or they have two other lines that are more money but also higher quality..   

[Bill WIlson]

I have to say that if there had been a Harbor Freight store in our town, back when I was first starting out, I probably would have owned a lot of their tools.  The only place we had, with a good selection of woodworking tools at affordable prices was Sears.  A lot of my early power tools were Craftsman and I'm still using several of them.

As I got older and disposable income was a little easier to come by, my taste in tools became more discriminating.  I now have a variety of "name brand" tools in all the colors of the rainbow.  I spent a lot more for them and I don't use them as hard as I did when I was younger, but these days I'm looking for tools that will last until I can't use them anymore.  I also appreciate tools that I can enjoy using.  A quality tool (doesn't have to be the most expensive) is just more enjoyable to use.

About 3-4 years ago they opened a Harbor Freight store in town here.  It's only a couple miles from where I work and I pass it often.  I haven't bought any of their power tools.  I really don't need much these days.  I did buy a couple of their roofing nailers when I re-roofed my house 2 years ago.  I spent less on the pair than I would have paid for one name brand nailer.  Since I don't intend to go into the roofing business at this stage of my life, these tools were a decent value and did the job.  That's a niche that HF seems to fill quite well, the occasional use tool @ less than 1/2 the price of a name brand.  I notice that they have greatly expanded their line of tools and seem to be marketing them as higher quality.  HF still wouldn't be my first choice, but if you are comparing them to other entry level tool brands like Lowe's Kobalt, Walmart B&D, etc, then they may be a fair value.

[Jim McDonald]

On ‎5‎/‎22‎/‎2019 at 6:56 AM, jerrye said:

HD currently has a promotion with Ryobi. Buy set of two 3ah batts with charger and bag for $99, get a free tool. I got 1/2" hammer drill yesterday for free, $69 value. It's on a promotional setup in center aisle. May be worth considering...

Just picked up a recip saw last night and the special is still going on.

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

HF everyone has their own concept of what is a good tool I guess. Selling junk tool next to better tools I believe hurts them then. Your image is tainted from the junk. The key words used is "Occasionally Used" If I own a tool I want to rely on that tool to be accurate and work when I need it too. There seems to be the love for HF tools so I will back off dissing them. Enjoy them. Work safe. I stand by my statement  of my thoughts on HF tools. If it has a motor I am not buying it from there.

Edited May 23, 2019 by JTTHECLOCKMAN

[OCtoolguy]

I think everybody is missing something here. The problem or reason most drills get replaced is not that the drill stopped drilling. It's because the batteries died. If the manufacturer would sell replacement batteries at a reasonable price, most of us would just buy a new battery and keep on drilling. I had the industrial version of the Makita 14.4 volt drill. It came with 2 Nmh batteries. Dead within the first year. I took them to the Makita facility that was within driving distance of me. They replaced the batteries. Dead again in just over a year. No more warranty. I bought 2 more at $89.95 each. Dead just over a year and a half. That was it for me. The drill worked great but I tossed the whole works in the dumpster. That's when I found the B&D 20 volt lithium on Amazon for $30. I bought it. I was so happy with it that I bought another one mostly for the luxury of having 2 batteries. As I mentioned, I found out that they also made a saw that used the same battery. So I bought it. I'll be honest. The saw isn't the greatest but it does what I wanted it to do. So, 2 drills, 2 batteries, 2 chargers, 1 saw for not much more than 1 of the Makita batteries. I've been using them all now for about 9 years without a hitch. And I do use them hard JT. Also, I never said I'm 80. Not sure where you get that. When it comes to tools, I'll debate anybody. They were my livelihood for almost 40 years.

 

 

13 hours ago, JTTHECLOCKMAN said:

Ray come on now lets be honest here, when you say you have not had to return any HF tools, how often are you using tools. You mention numerous times you are 80 years old. Most people here are way younger and need tools that will give some longevity so for them that $300 investment could be worth way more than 4 of those $65 tools. I would never buy a power tool from HF. You could not even give me one. 

Every wood working magazine runs comparison reviews and most are slanted to whatever company has a deal with the magazine so take that for what it is worth. Look at the fine print if going after warrentys. Ask questions before you buy them. I do know being I worked in construction for 43 years I have seen tool selection change from one year to another. The Dewalt line was very popular. But when I started and still this day I own Makitas 9volt. Back then  was the king of the hill. What you see today is package deals and that is what drives the sales. The thing is batteries are meant to be used and cycled. If you lay them dormant they go bad. So buying many batteries for tools can prove to be unproductive too.  Just my thoughts.

 

Edited May 23, 2019 by octoolguy

[kmmcrafts]

25 minutes ago, octoolguy said:

I think everybody is missing something here. The problem or reason most drills get replaced is not that the drill stopped drilling. It's because the batteries died. If the manufacturer would sell replacement batteries at a reasonable price, most of us would just buy a new battery and keep on drilling. I had the industrial version of the Makita 14.4 volt drill. It came with 2 Nmh batteries. Dead within the first year. I took them to the Makita facility that was within driving distance of me. They replaced the batteries. Dead again in just over a year. No more warranty. I bought 2 more at $89.95 each. Dead just over a year and a half. That was it for me. The drill worked great but I tossed the whole works in the dumpster. That's when I found the B&D 20 volt lithium on Amazon for $30. I bought it. I was so happy with it that I bought another one mostly for the luxury of having 2 batteries. As I mentioned, I found out that they also made a saw that used the same battery. So I bought it. I'll be honest. The saw isn't the greatest but it does what I wanted it to do. So, 2 drills, 2 batteries, 2 chargers, 1 saw for not much more than 1 of the Makita batteries. I've been using them all now for about 9 years without a hitch. And I do use them hard JT. Also, I never said I'm 80. Not sure where you get that. When it comes to tools, I'll debate anybody. They were my livelihood for almost 40 years.

 

 

 

I totally agree with what you say here... If I was in a construction or other type business where these tools got used all day long every day.. I'd be buying higher end stuff.. but those prices are way overkill for my needs.. and most my tools in this category don't ever wear out... they need batteries and those cost as much as another cheap set cost.. 

I only have my DeWalt drill because it was a good deal on Black Friday and it was a $199 set that I bought for $60 with a coupon etc that I had.. I just don't buy stuff unless I'm getting a deal on it.. The only tool in my shop right now that I paid full price for is my new Hawk... Most times I don't buy something unless I feel I can resell it for the same money or at a profit.. 

[koehler788]

On 5/19/2019 at 10:51 PM, rjweb said:

Good evening,

i need a new cordless drill, am looking at Dewalt 20 volt, and a ridgid 18 volt. I was leaning towards the ridgid drill because of the life time warranty on drill along with batteries and charger. Any feedback on this would be appreciated, thx RJ 

Im a DeWalt fan. Nothing against Ridgid.

[OCtoolguy]

If anybody who has been following this topic is truly in need of a cordless drill, I just got my new Harbor Freight monthly sales flyer and it has a 25% off coupon stuck to the front page. That's a good deal on a major purchase. Any one item, 25% off. Monday, Memorial Day only.

Edited May 23, 2019 by octoolguy

[rjweb]

Yes I received my ad book today also, maybe I will take a ride over there on Monday, RJ 

[OCtoolguy]

36 minutes ago, rjweb said:

Yes I received my ad book today also, maybe I will take a ride over there on Monday, RJ 

If you do buy a drill with a lithium battery, chances are you won't need a second battery. I have two of them and have never run them dead. I did get one low while using a sanding mop but finished the job before running out. I took a look at both of the Bauer and Hercules tools today and they look and feel good. I think I'm going to buy a Bauer ROS sander. Variable speed and all for $25-$35 depending on if it's on sale.

 

[new2woodwrk]

I use CPO Outlets dot com for my tool purchases these days - I've bought several dewalt cordless drill combos for well under the price of a new (the ones I buy are refurbished and work great), I just got a makita hammer drill under $90, a dewalt planer under $300! and more.

I had one issue with one tool I purchased there (a wen refurbished table drill ) and within 24 hours they shipped me a replacement drill, free of charge no shipping costs and took the broken one back with no shipping charges either!

Hope that helps

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

9 hours ago, octoolguy said:

I think everybody is missing something here. The problem or reason most drills get replaced is not that the drill stopped drilling. It's because the batteries died. If the manufacturer would sell replacement batteries at a reasonable price, most of us would just buy a new battery and keep on drilling. I had the industrial version of the Makita 14.4 volt drill. It came with 2 Nmh batteries. Dead within the first year. I took them to the Makita facility that was within driving distance of me. They replaced the batteries. Dead again in just over a year. No more warranty. I bought 2 more at $89.95 each. Dead just over a year and a half. That was it for me. The drill worked great but I tossed the whole works in the dumpster. That's when I found the B&D 20 volt lithium on Amazon for $30. I bought it. I was so happy with it that I bought another one mostly for the luxury of having 2 batteries. As I mentioned, I found out that they also made a saw that used the same battery. So I bought it. I'll be honest. The saw isn't the greatest but it does what I wanted it to do. So, 2 drills, 2 batteries, 2 chargers, 1 saw for not much more than 1 of the Makita batteries. I've been using them all now for about 9 years without a hitch. And I do use them hard JT. Also, I never said I'm 80. Not sure where you get that. When it comes to tools, I'll debate anybody. They were my livelihood for almost 40 years.

 

 

 

  On 5/5/2019 at 10:40 PM, JTTHECLOCKMAN said:

As I said Ray you do not build anything any more. Nails are still used and I am currently redoing my home and use all size nails all the time. I built my shed hammering in nails one at a time. Frame work, roofing, jigs, Replaced cedar siding on the side of my house, one nail at a time. I n a couple weeks I have to replace a window sill and outside trim. Will nail one nail at a time. 

Just saying Ray. Your words.

 

I think you are very special. I'm 76 years old. I live in a retirement mobile home community. I have nothing to build nor do I have any desire to build anything requiring nails. But if I did, I'd invest in a framing nail gun. I'm happy for you though.

Edited May 24, 2019 by JTTHECLOCKMAN

[kmmcrafts]

8 hours ago, new2woodwrk said:

I use CPO Outlets dot com for my tool purchases these days - I've bought several dewalt cordless drill combos for well under the price of a new (the ones I buy are refurbished and work great), I just got a makita hammer drill under $90, a dewalt planer under $300! and more.

I had one issue with one tool I purchased there (a wen refurbished table drill ) and within 24 hours they shipped me a replacement drill, free of charge no shipping costs and took the broken one back with no shipping charges either!

Hope that helps

I've bought many tools from them and always had good luck.. The one thing that I did have an issue was.. back in 2007 I bought a Dremel 1800 scroll saw and the first one mailed to me didn't work.. They gave me a form to print and take to the local UPS to send it back.. they sent another one out right away just as you said.. the only hassle I had was getting it to the local UPS store.. which wasn't much hassle because we drove by is every time we went to town.. Could be an issue for some if there isn't one very close by..Probably now days they do it different anyway..