Help choosing between these cordless power drills and why for a 1st timer?

Missouri Bound

I've got a Dewalt 12 volt, a Porter Cable 19.2 volt and a Sears 16 volt. I wouldn't buy another Sears....but I keep it. The Dewalt is a sturdy tool, came with 2 batteries for about $100 at Lowes. The Porter Cable was part of a kit, $100 with a sawzall and circular saw, and two batteries...not a bad deal and not a bad tool.

amlodipine

Thanks for so many replies - I do appreciate it. I still haven't bought anything yet... Apart from bookshelves, I was hoping to get more out of it with other shelves and such within the apartment - I would hope that having a drill would allow me to use it for practice just so that I may be able to do amateur projects later on if I have a small backyard -

But yeah, wanted to find something that had the best variable adjustable control without the fear of stripping or overdriving a screw I suppose.

While it would be nice to have a cordless - I would try to take it out monthly and just use it on something so that I will not kill the batteries.... I can add all sorts of shelving type systems in my house (i.e. to the walls)

I'm not sure on how these 12v cordless drills will be for "driving/screwing screws" - unless you can suggest one for light furniture setup - most likely though I was going to get a smaller compact cordless screwdriver... So far the Milwaukee 12v 3/8 compact seems to be the one in the lead along with the Bosch one too...

What other things could I try to do inside an apartment with these drills? Would love to see some more diy newbie applications... ?

Someone others had mentioned that I should stick with a corded 3/8 drill then too...

What would your thoughts be on a corded compact closer quarter drill? I saw some of the corded drills at lowes/home depot - but they are pretty long in construction and would surely hinder me in getting in tight spaces with some of these shelves/bookcases I would like to make.


Milwaukee 0370-20 3/8" 55 degree close quarter drill :

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...C457RHBQQHA2HV

sixeightten

I think I have owned or used most of the ones talked about here. I have the Bosch drill, impact, and multi tool. I like them all. Two friends have the Milwaukee and the Dewalt 12v. They seem to like them also. I too have had great success with the Ridgid warranty. I bought the whole 18v set in 2005 and in the last year I had all 3 batteries replaced. No problem whatsoever. Just remember to register online. I also had a small compressor fixed that was a Ridgid as well. I think the warranty may only be 3 years now.

If I was the OP, I would probably spend less here as well. Buy another tool if you really wanna spend the whole $160

Missouri Bound

If you get a cordless, get one with a stand alone charger and two batteries. One stays in the charger, and one stays in the drill. If you need more than a drill, look into the kits that have various tools that share the batteries. A good, usable 3/8" corded drill can be bought for $20. If you are on a tight budget, look into www.harborfreight.com for some inexpensive, and nearly disposable tools. For typical home owner use they will do the job.

forresth

A bit more than nearly in some cases....

...but at least you get what you pay for. I couldn't help but notice my Milwaukee abrasive cut-off saw looks exactly like the one I saw in Harbor Freight, save for the color of the plastic. Maybe it has different bearings or something, but I doubt there could be much more different than that.

amlodipine

I had visited the hardbor freight website and was checking on some of the reviews there - seems many people felt that their drill fell apart literally while they were drilling or started smoking - taken with some bias of course. I think there are some local HF shops here where I live when checking them out... scratching my head on these $20-30 drills - has anyone had the corded ones last more than over a year or greater?

forresth

I picked up a sub $20 corded drill from Aco. pretty sure they are the same as Harbor Freight crap. They looked the same (pretty much the whole line of those tools were available at either store) and prices were comparable. Pretty sure its the same thing they still sell too. I've had it well over a year, probably more than 5, but it is hardly a go-to tool either. I think I picked it up when I wanted multiple drills at the ready for pilot holes then screw driving or some such thing. I was doing cabinet installs and wire wheel paint removal attempts back then for a Kitchen and more remodel. I think I have at least 3 of those tools I picked up as low use tools. They all stayed low use and I am not sure where they are at this time. Must be packed away somewhere from one of the moves. All I can say for sure is the worked the last time I tried them.

certain tools you can get my going cheap usually. plug in drills are one of them. I wouldn't go bottom of the barrel for cordless though. batteries are a major expense weather you power quality or garbage with them.

you sound like you are going to be a low use tool guy, at least initially. Buy cheap corded junk and maybe a $100 cordless Ni-Cad set. You'll do fine for quite some time like that. After something breaks, then you decide if its worth it to you to get more economy garbage or do you want to pony up for the expensive stuff? Blades and bits (and sand paper) are areas were you will actually notice quality though. It doesn't pay to pinch your pennies too hard in those categories.

Areas where I have spent real money (for a poor tightwad such as myself anyways) getting good tools are; 12" power miter chop saw ($200), 10" belt drive table saw ($300) and most recently a rotary hammer ($200). I have used cheaper equivalents to those before I stepped it up because the cheapies were not up to the tasks I put before them, and was not disappointed in the slightest. I have other expensive tools, but those are the ones that real stand out as being worth the extra cost.