Cordless Drills
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Note: If you're on a tight budget, consider a corded (plug-in) drill. You can get a high quality corded drill for less money. It will be lighter and have more torque (power). And, <drumroll> the battery will never need charging just at the critical moment. Unless it's one of the new Lithiums, if you don't use a drill regularly the battery is likely to need charging when you go to use it. Cordless drills are convenient but, they're more expensive and heavier with less power. Another problem with cordless drills is the batteries usually only last 2-4 years even if you don't use them . Rechargeable batteries go bad just sitting on your shelf. Replacement batteries are amazingly expensive. I see cordless drills including a charger and two batteries on sale for only slightly more than the cost of two batteries. So, you may want to think of a cordless drill as disposable, and expect to replace it every 3-4 years. [NOTE: The new Lithium and NiMh have relieved this problem quite a bit.] Normally you should expect to pay $60-$100 for a good corded drill. A couple of years ago Makita's model 6408K at $70 was rated high, and (surprisingly) Sears' model 10105 at $40 got a good rating. |
Revised October 2008
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Tip: My experiences with Black & Decker power tools have been bad generally and their drill ratings regularly bear this out. The same company owns both DeWalt and Black & Decker but, the quality of the two brands is very different. |
That nationally famous consumer products rating magazine has rated cordless drills again.
If you want a drill that can moderately large jobs as well as routine ones, your best combination of weight and performance is probably the 18 volt Makita Lithium BDF452HW at $200 & 3.5 pounds. I bought this drill and like it. If you're budget minded you may want to consider the 14.4 volt Hitachi Lithium DS14DFL at 3.5 pounds. At this writing you could often get this drill from Amazon for $93. The top rated general use drill is the 15.6 volt NiMh Panasonic EY6432GQKW at $200 & 4.8 pounds.
If you have big projects in mind and want top power with greater run time per charge, and are willing to pay the weight penalty for it you may want the Hitachi 18 volt NiMH at $200 & 6 pounds or possibly the 18 volt Makita Lithium LTX BDF451 at $280 and 4.9 pounds. If you can afford the extra $80, after a few hours you will appreciate the lighter drill. And, the Lithium battery holds it's charge on the shelf while the NiMH doesn't.
In April 2008 the worst in each category are:
A drill gets heavy after holding it out for a while. My test is to hold the drill as though you're using it just above eye level and see how long you can hold it there. (Be sure it's with the battery -- display models often aren't.) 5+ pounds may not seem like much until you try this. It's true, in a given battery type, when you look at price vs performance the heavier drills give you the most grrrrr for your money. But, the whole point of cordless drills is convenience. Adding 2 pounds to a 3.5 pound drill is a lot. If it becomes so heavy it's awkward or tiring to use is it still convenient? Unfortunately, either the good brand aren't building Lithium 12 volters or they aren't being rated. A Lithium 12 volter would be a terrific performer for the weight. I think the "mine's bigger'n yours" mentality has driven them out of the market.
Be sure you get a dual speed drill -- one speed for drilling and one for driving screws. Most (all?) cheap drills lack dual speed . In my opinion, the higher speeds, suitable for drilling, are too fast for convenient screw driving. You'll probably find one of the primary uses for your cordless drill is driving screws -- they're often called drill-drivers. I've never seen a single-speed cordless drill geared slow for screw driving, but if there's a cheap one I'd probably give it a try -- the drilling may be slow, but it will work. Driving screws at high speeds is a problem.
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Just My Opinion You've probably figured this out by now, but unless you're going to be doing major, heavy duty projects, or for some reason you don't expect to use your drill for routine jobs around the house, I say get a lighter drill. I think a good combination for the weekend putterer is to get a light drill like the Hitachi or Makita for routine stuff, and apply any money saved toward a good corded drill for meatier jobs. The ladies may want to consider this too. Please don't get on me for being a chauvinist -- when I began finding my 18 volter hard to wield, this old man got a lighter drill, and I used it almost exclusively. I had to get out my corded drill now-and-then, but I had to do that about as often with my heavier cordless. Now, with my Lithium Makita, I rarely have to reach for the corded drill -- but, for really tough drilling you have to have a corded drill. |