Need help with selecting drill

Zefrik

I am very new to the whole power tool scene and I am needing to start getting a few different ones now because I can't rely on my dads stuff. I went to Home Depot yesterday to get a drill. I also bought some 2x4s and a sheet of plywood and some 3in deck screws. Well it turns out the drill that I purchased is not powerful enough to handle this kind of work. I bought a Black & Decker 12v Max cordless drill. It was $60 and it seemed handy with its chuck-less bit holder and variable speed. I am trying to make a work bench with the wood and I can't get these screws all the way in without this drill making that "Ratcheting" sound. I have the torque setting all of the way up and I am applying good sturdy pressure straight into the drill. I have used my dads wired drills a lot before and I was able to drive screws into stuff with ease. I guess I just chose a weak drill. So I am going to try and return the drill and get a different one. Which one should I get that will be a bit more powerful for under $100?

I need a drill with...

- Variable speed (I am going to be drilling glass)
- Everything it needs to run including battery (If it is cordless)
- Enough power to get some bigger screws into 2x4s etc.

What I would like...

- Chuck-less bit holder
- Cordless (It doesn't have to be)


Thanks in advance for you help! I am 17 and I need to learn more about power tools as you can tell.

toolaholic

Ryobi 18volt should be a safe bet for $100 or less.

toolaholic

Corded a 1/2 inch chuck Milwaukee or Dewalt would work! I like the Milwaukee 0299.

Zefrik

Is it variable speed and chuck-less or is it key-less chuck?

CopperClad

No offense, but it sounds more like operator error to me.. Pretty much any drill you buy should be able to drive a simple screw. Try turning the torque adjustment back and forth a few clicks, sounds like its just stuck in between possibly.. If indeed its not then sounds like you purchased a bad drill. Before the 14 volts and 18 volts everyone was using a 12 volt and I never had a problem with mine, but of course the ones with higher volts are more powerful. Maybe try predrilling as well.

Zefrik

All right, I will let the battery fully recharge and then try that and see what happens.

Zefrik

In case that doesn't work, what do you think about this one?

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Decker-L...ords=20v+drill

jschaben

I'm with Copperclad - sounds like you haven't got the clutch set high enough. What screws are you using? A regular wood screw needs a pilot hole, deck screws and drywall screws are generally self tapping.

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John Schaben

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Zefrik

Yep I charged it up fully, tried torque settings 1-10 adjusted bit, everything I could think of and it still was not working. I returned it to Home Depot and got a basic wired Dewault and it is perfect! It is doing exactly what I want it to do! The thing isn't as fancy but it is getting the job done.

Are there any tips you could give a newbie about using a drill effectively? I have a difficult time sometimes trying to keep the bit locked in with the screw and I strip it.I know you have to apply pressure (quite a bit) to get the screw all the way in but I still struggle with it.

jschaben

Hi - glad you got it done
Those cordless drills have a setting for "drilling" which locks in the clutch, on my B&D cordless there is a little drawing of a drill bit after the clutch numbers. In any case I think you'll be happier with the corded for the time being.
As far as a technique for driving screws, mostly just a matter of practice. I have no idea how to go about describing something like that. Sorta like trying to describe how to ride a bicycle.

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John Schaben

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PaliBob

Does it Look like the one in this picture? If so it would cause your problem

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jessicalin

Hi new to this app

toolaholic

Keyless chuck and variable speed. Check it at at Home Depot!

toolaholic

It's ok. Not a B&D fan! Ryobi better bang for the buck!

PaliBob

Zef, If you are messing up the heads of screws using a corded DeWalt it
is because a corded Drill is almost always the wrong tool to drive screws.

You can feather down the drill speed with the trigger to almost get the
screw seated but with no built in Torque Adjustment control there is no way to reliably Guess the proper torque.
The screw will be either not fully torqued or over torqued, messing up the screw head

A Drill/Driver is a different tool because it has a Torque Adjustment.

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