# What's your favorite cordless drill?



## onthebeam (Dec 25, 2005)

What is your favorite cordless drill in 14.4 volt?

And, what's your favorite 18 volt drill?


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## Morelite (Dec 25, 2005)

18 volt: Milwaukee (same goes for all my other cordless tools)
14 volt: N/A as I don't own any


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## *Bryan* (Dec 25, 2005)

Hilti! Once you own a Hilti Cordless drill, you'll never go back.


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## onthebeam (Dec 25, 2005)

I have a Makita 14.4 model 6228. It's great for screwdriving or light drilling at a superlite 3.7 pounds. Only 200 lbs. of torque though. So, I just picked up the Makita 6935 impact driver, which is only 3.7 lbs. too, but has a torque rating of 1200!! They say you can use impact drivers as drills, too, but with less precision. I haven't tried it as a drill yet. However, to drive screws, it's stunning and won't twist on you at all.

Also have two Ryobi 18 volt drills, the P200 and new P201 that just came out. They call the new one "torque power" but it has less torque, 330 inch pounds, although a faster drilling speed, 1600 versus 1300 on the old one. The old one had 400 inch pounds of torque but not quite as nice a balance as the new one. One handed chuck is a nice feature on the new one though, as is quick switch from drill to driver mode. These are both 5.3 lbs. with battery.

Like most people, I'm looking for power and speed, but light weight. Among contractors, there seems to be a trend back to 14.4 volt tools, or the 15.6 volt Panasonics, to deal with weight issues. That's what's so incredible about the impact drivers. Light and powerful!!! Anyone using an impact driver for everything??


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## onthebeam (Dec 25, 2005)

One other cool thing. Both the Makita and Ryobi impact drivers have built in LED lights that do a good job. The new Makita 3.0 nimh batteries also have an LED light option.


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## tiktok 22 (Dec 25, 2005)

RIDGID 18v. Lifetime warranty, even on batteries.


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## jezzyp (Dec 25, 2005)

I've got dewalt 12v and 18v and like them both. I was so impressed with the 12v that I then bought the 18v. Don't pay full price for them though - get the over the internet but beware of the mexican imports they are not as good as the UK or German ones


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## MicroE (Dec 25, 2005)

18V ==? DeWalt hammer drill/driver. A real workhorse, until I got the Panasonic.........

12V ==> Panasonic impact driver. Smaller and lighter than a 14.4 V drill. The Panasonic does almost all of the work now. I grab it whenever I need to drive a screw or drill a hole less than 1/2" in diameter. Even at 12V, it easily drives almost any screw or lag bolt.

There is very little difference between the top-end models of the top manufacturers. 
I bought the Panasonic because it had an LED for illumination and came with an extra battery.


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## NewBie (Dec 25, 2005)

RIDGID

Torque: 510 in-lbs.
http://www.ridgid.com/Tools/R841151-18V-Hammer-Drill/


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## daBear (Dec 25, 2005)

Milwaukee 28v cordless with LiIon Batts. After you leave everything in the dust and back on the charger you will wonder why you bought anything else.


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## CLHC (Dec 25, 2005)

Same with those here that have and said—MILWAUKEE! ! !


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## cy (Dec 25, 2005)

I'm a fan of batt power tools. it's hard to beat Dewalt batt powered tools. 12V to 24V depending upon your needs. 

I've got a full set of 18v milwaulkee, drill, sawzall, circular, I never use. it's available for sale, in excellent price/condition if anyone is interested. 

also got a full set for 18V Dewalt and full set of 24V Dewalt in hammer drill, sawzall, circular saw. 

my fav is 18V Dewalt drill for most of my needs.


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## InFlux (Dec 25, 2005)

I've been using a Milwalkee 14.4 hammerdrill. 480 lbs of torque (similar to many 18 volters- but lighter).

I'd love to try one of the new ones with the Li-ion cells, but I don't use them enough to justify.


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## bjn70 (Dec 25, 2005)

I have a DeWalt 1/2" 14.4V that I have had very good luck with. It has good battery capacity, it came with 2 batteries, and they recharge quickly. The drill itself seems to have good torque.

I was in a hardware store a few years before, and their cordless drill display had max. torque numbers for each drill. I remembered that the DeWalt was the highest, so I decided that was what I wanted and I put one on my Christmas list a few years later.

Not long ago I watched a contractor building a wood fence and was impressed by how well their 18V DeWalt drove large lag bolts into the wood posts.


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## sotyakr (Dec 25, 2005)

I picked up a Milwaukee 14.4V 0616-24 "Lok-Tor" a couple years ago to use at work. It's been a nice compromise in weight, runtime and power, and got plenty of use when we had to assemble a metal barn for our camels. When projects come up, it has also been handy to always have it available in my car, instead of constantly trying to track down our department's drill (an 18V DeWalt).


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## Yooper (Dec 25, 2005)

Panasonic 18V. Blows away every other drill I've ever tried. More torque, longer run time, comfortable and easy to use. It was about $200 and it came with a coupon for either an extra batter and charger or an extra "drill body", which is the whole drill without battery. Well, since the original came with two batteries and a charger, I got the extra free drill body, so now I have two completely functional drills!


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## parnass (Dec 25, 2005)

I like the 12 volt Dewalt 3/8" VSR drill. It is a few years old and has black rubber/plastic padding on the back of its yellow handle. The current 12 volt Dewalts do not have the padding, a feature now found in the higher end models.

This is my second 12 volt Dewalt drill. I had an earler model which I sold when Dewalt introduced a newer model with better balance. My original Dewalt drill had the handle at the very back of the drill, so the drill wanted to tip forward while I held it. The newer and current models have the handle more toward the center for better balance.

Both drills came with 2 batteries, a fast charger, and a steel case, which I prefer over plastic.

I also have a 12 volt Dewalt trim (circular) saw which uses the same batteries. The 12 volts runs the drill for a decent amount of time, but isn't really enough to power the saw in hardwoods except for brief periods.

Most of my corded (i.e., non battery operated) tools are Milwaukee and Porter Cable.


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## yuandrew (Dec 25, 2005)

I have a old 12 volt DeWalt as well that my mom bought.  

Somewhere in the garage, my dad has an old black and decker that plugs in but it's been lost for a long time. He now grabs DeWalt whenever he needs to mount something.


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## nightshade (Dec 25, 2005)

My favorite for metal work is a Metabo BST Plus. It has a nice "pulse" feature for starting holes in metal without the need for a centerpunch.

The 18 volt Dewalt hammer drill gets the nod for everything else. Good combination of torque,run-time and durability. I can't count the number of times it's been rained on.


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## CobraMan (Dec 25, 2005)

I have owned a Makita 6233 DWAE 14.4 volt 3/8 cordless for a number of years and would certainly buy a current version of this model if I had to replace mine. Tons of torque and great ergonomics - comfortable to hold and use and well balanced. If you are not careful with this thing it will snap off large diameter drywall screws without much trouble!

Cheers,
Tim


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## Geddinight (Dec 26, 2005)

I have the 18v Ryobi drill and it has served well for several years. I like it as I have the Ryobi 18v circular saw and the Homelite 18v string trimmer and hedge trimmer that all use the same battery.


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## cdf (Dec 26, 2005)

In 14.4 , Millwaukee , tuff , easy acess to parts abd spare batts . The pistol grip config is better for drilling , the T handle is a better driver . De Walts blow , one of the highest rates of return in the industry , spares are problematical . Hitachi and Panasonic are also good tools . Panasonic has about the highest battery quality in the industry . In 18's I like Hilti. The new Milwaukee 28 V-Li is pretty wild . I'll hold off for a year to see how they pan out in the field .

Chris


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## darkzero (Dec 26, 2005)

Dewalt, me too, I have a DC988KA hammer drill and love it too. I really like the chuck it has.

However I do have my eyes on the latest Makita 18v hammer dill!
560 in/lbs (Dewalt is 500 in/lbs), Li-Ion batteries, LED lighting, same type of Jacobs chuck as the Dewalt, etc.
Played with one at Home Depot the other day, very very nice! 







The whole LXT line is nice!


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## Makarov (Dec 26, 2005)

I got a Dewalt 18V kit for my 30th birthday last year, and I love it.
The hammer drill is a bit heavy though, so I've been thinking about getting a smaller (14.4V) for general usage. Right now I use an old 12V B&D.

A couple a years ago I got to try a Panasonic, after seeing a guy at my gunclub screw together two large 12X3" beams with this dinky little drill, and I was really impressed with the torque. It's on my wishlist


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## BentHeadTX (Dec 26, 2005)

Milwaukee V28 Lithium-Ion hammer drill,
Been using it for a few weeks and that 28V 3.0Ah lithium-ion pack makes for a relatively light drill (about the same as Dewalt 18V NiCad) it has 4 LEDs to let you know the charge level of the battery pack and recharges in well under an hour. 
These batteries must be very special as they pound out the amps and just keep pushing. Heck, they should though... $129 per battery so it will be painful when I need to replace the two that came with it! Love the monster, it has amazing power and is easy to handle. 
Dewalt is supposed to come out with a 36V 2.0AH A123 systems lithium-Ion drill in 2006. Considering the Milwaukee has more watt-hours to it's battery than the Dewalt... I'll stick with the V28.
Milwaukee also has a battery operated lug nut power drill (no kidding) it takes two of the V28 battery packs and can pull the lug nuts off a tractor trailer rig. Think of the stuff I can destroy with that puppy!


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## ABTOMAT (Dec 26, 2005)

Panasonic, Hilti, and Metabo are the best of the best, but they're not too common and they're a little expensive. After that, there are a lot of good companies. I might put Milwaukee, Porter-Cable, Makita, and DeWalt all on the next level. I've heard Hitachi is going downhill, and I'm not sold on Ridgid stuff yet. After that come the junk brands like B&D, Ryobi, Skil, etc.

I'm a little worried about Milwaukee and Porter-Cable these days. Milwaukee was bought by Ryobi's Taiwanese parent (who also makes Ridgid) and Porter-Cable/Delta was bought by B&D (who also owns DeWalt). I'm hoping the quality keeps up. Especially Milwaukee.

One thing to consider about cordless drills is how useful one is, not just how powerful. Pick up a 24V+ drill and you'll know what I mean. For me, at least, 18V is the max I want to carry around. I'd only get heavier one if you needed it for a special application.

My personal preference is 18V DeWalt, mainly because parts and accessories are everywhere and cheap. The power is more than enough for most tasks, and when it isn't out comes the corded drill:






(The DeWalt in the photo is the largest 18V hammer-drill they make. The other one really is that huge--12amp, 3/4" chuck)


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## CLHC (Dec 26, 2005)

Interesting that no one mentioned Bosch Power Tools especially the new BlueCore Battery Operated ones that charges in 30 minutes.

What sold me on the Bosch and Milwaukee was when I saw them being dropped from off of first floor building (the roof and lanai) and 3rd tier scaffolds, not intentionally though, and after being retrieved with irritation on the part of the user, it's still running!


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## bwaites (Dec 26, 2005)

PORTERCABLE 19.2volt.

Best drill I've ever used, 2.4AH packs. 

There probably are better, but I doubt I'll ever use this one up!

Bill


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## mckevin (Dec 26, 2005)

I was looking hard at the Milwaukee V28 Li-Ion until Consumer Reports had the following to say (12/05):
The $400 V28 0724-24 hammer drill we tested (right) has a lithium-ion battery that weighs no more than most 18-volt nicads and belts out more power--so much, in fact, that several minutes turning 3 1/2-inch heavy lag screws melted the solder inside two test samples and led to motor failure on a third sample.

Sounds like they might not have the bugs worked out yet...




BentHeadTX said:


> Milwaukee V28 Lithium-Ion hammer drill,
> Been using it for a few weeks and that 28V 3.0Ah lithium-ion pack makes for a relatively light drill (about the same as Dewalt 18V NiCad) it has 4 LEDs to let you know the charge level of the battery pack and recharges in well under an hour.
> These batteries must be very special as they pound out the amps and just keep pushing. Heck, they should though... $129 per battery so it will be painful when I need to replace the two that came with it! Love the monster, it has amazing power and is easy to handle.


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## springnr (Dec 26, 2005)

*Panasonic 15.6-Volt, *NiMH batteries and* *rebate good through the end of the year gets you the 15.6v flashlight for free too.


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## onthebeam (Dec 27, 2005)

ABTOMAT said:


> Panasonic, Hilti, and Metabo are the best of the best, but they're not too common and they're a little expensive. After that, there are a lot of good companies. I might put Milwaukee, Porter-Cable, Makita, and DeWalt all on the next level. I've heard Hitachi is going downhill, and I'm not sold on Ridgid stuff yet. After that come the junk brands like B&D, Ryobi, Skil, etc.



Agreed that the Ryobi drills are not for long term contractor use, but they perform well and are an excellent value. This has been borne out in several woodworking magazine reviews, Consumer Reports and others. For the non-pro, they are fine drills and I haven't had a bit of trouble with either of mine. So, "junk brand" they are not. Agreed that the B&D (same company as Dewalt, by the way), and Skil do not generally fare well in independent reviews and often have slow three hour chargers. You also make a good point about the most powerful drill not always being the most comfortable to use in the long run. Ryobi drills are a pretty good product with great weight characteristics and ok, but not superlative ergonomics.


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## guntotin_fool (Dec 27, 2005)

as a contractor. DeWalt has fallen on hard times, bad BAD battery life, and at 55 to 89 dollars a battery pac, not cheap to replace 30 battery pacs. 

Milwaukee has retrieved some market share, I however prefer the Makita black battery series. The Hitachi's are pretty good too, if you buy the contractor grades and not the homeowner specials. I have currently 18 makita's on the book, 4 metabo's and 12 hitachi's. most are 12 volt models which the guys prefer for most jobs because they are lighter and strong enough to strip any screw. I have a closet full of Dewalts that I no longer use because Dewalt would not warrantee the battery pacs that started to die only 8 mos after purchase, I found out later Menards dropped Dewalt for the same reason, refusing to accept RTV's for credit. 

Seven corners Hardware for years has been one of the largest retailers of power tools in the country and they recommend and sell a lot of panasonic, makita, bosch and hitachi. I do not like panasonic and bosch only for feel in my hands, although I have two guys who are new who both want them so i am looking at setting up their truck all bosch.


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## Makarov (Dec 27, 2005)

Guntotin, I guess you can find somone on this forum that can help you or point you to someone that can help you change the batteries in the Dewalt batterypacks. 
I believe you could get high capacity batterypacks for cheap that way.


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## allxring (Dec 27, 2005)

springnr said:


> *Panasonic 15.6-Volt, *NiMH batteries and* *rebate good through the end of the year gets you the 15.6v flashlight for free too.




I have this exact drill, but with the hammer option. It is by far the best drill that I have ever used, owned, or borrowed. Panasonic makes some really good stuff.


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## springnr (Dec 27, 2005)

I almost went for the hammer option. It is a nice size with good power.


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## CLHC (Dec 27, 2005)

Just looked up Metabo and they sure are impressive! Seems like they really know what power tools should be and for it's users.


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## jeep44 (Dec 28, 2005)

I'll chime in here,too. As a pipefitter, I only use Milwaukee stuff-at home I have a 14.4 drill that replaced a 10-year old 12V Milwaukee. We have some specialized Hilti tools at work that are tough and durable. Being a pipefitter, all my wrenches and plumbing tools are Rigid brand, but their power tools like drills all seem to be made in China. I'll stick with Milwaukee.


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## cdf (Dec 29, 2005)

The ridgid brand is not made by ridgid themselves , it's a liscencing deal that allows the Home Depot to use their name . They are a higher end offshore POS . DeWalt batteries are not consistent , until very recently they didn't spec. amp hours . I guess they buy whatever's on special that week . I've noticed that DeWalt owners start out satisfied , satisfaction drops off rapidly . A buddy of mine in the plastics industry advises me that the plastic in the casings is [email protected]#p !

In recent years Bosch has been all over the map . ( probabably due to being owned by Skil - POS vendors {with the narrow exception of their worm drive saw }.

Hopefully Milwaukee quality will stay high , their stuff is pretty rugged . If you have good local dealer support , Panasonic and Hitachi are worth a look . The problem with Makita is that the have various levels of quality present in their various lines . You have to be up to date to know who's who . Panasonic is reputed to have the best battery quality of the lot . 

Chris


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## onthebeam (Dec 29, 2005)

Is anyone using an impact driver for their drilling too??


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## cy (Dec 29, 2005)

ABTOMAT said:


> (The DeWalt in the photo is the largest 18V hammer-drill they make. The other one really is that huge--12amp, 3/4" chuck)


Dewalt makes a 24V hammer drill. but like you stated, it's too large for most aplications.

my fav is 18V dewalt, best overall size to power ratio and just about largest size I can tolarate for general duties. 

like the 12V dewalt better for size, but batt puked out too soon.


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## RA40 (Dec 29, 2005)

Wish you had a 12V choice.  That said, my 12V Panasonics are compact and easy handlers with adequate torque for most my applications. I have smallish hands so the Panasonics are perfect for me. 

While doing a cabinet and closet install, a buddy grabbed my Panasonic because it was set-up for the one task. He was amazed how well it performed. The size allowed him to work within the compact cabinet where his 14.4 or 12V PC wouldn't fit.


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## wylde21 (Jan 6, 2006)

Another vote for Panasonic. I had used to use Makita and BD, which were decent tools for homeowner type work, until I was between jobs last year and took some side work doing home remodeling. All the other workers on the jobs I worker that used a cordless drill all day long - carpenters, electricians, HVAC etc - used Panasonic drills. The liked the quality and relative weight/power ratios. I saw that the furnace installers used Milwaukee (drills and saws), and the cable guy used DeWalt. I purchased a “remanufactured” Panasonic from Amazon, and could not be happier with the quality, weight, power, and battery life compared to my Makita drills, or to the other comparable units (PC/DeWalt/Ridgid/BD/ Milwaukee) I tried out at Lowes and Home Depot before I made my purchase. One point, I would get the NiMh over NiCad battery models.


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## vandrecken (Jan 6, 2006)

Best drills in the world ?

Hilti.

I can't afford them, so I buy Metabo (next best)

For top quality precision power tools, checkout festool.com too

The others brands aren't in the same league but at 24v the bosch GBH24 VRE from their industrial range (the blue ones, not the green DIY range) is a pretty good tool.

RIDGID don't exist in the UK but I checking out there range it's interesting to note that part of their range - corded drills, grinders, jigsaws, and sanders - are using body mouldings and castings that are IDENTICAL to models from the metabo range. 

Cheers


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## hayhauler (Jan 6, 2006)

In DeWalt you will find two qualities. A DeWalt drill that has a completely yellow body is a piece of junk. A DeWalt Drill that has the black insets in the hand grip is hard to beat.


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## CLHC (Nov 5, 2011)

After posting in this thread almost six (6) years ago, my favorite is still somewhere in this bag:







Since buying my first home last year and getting a quote to install blinds of some $3000.00USD on five (5) windows, I opted to do it myself for roundabouts $800.00USD. All the while using my Milwaukee M18 Cordless Drill!


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## OCD (Nov 5, 2011)

I had a 12v Dewalt that my dad gave me. It was used pretty hard but still did the job. A few years ago, I picked up a new, display model 12v Dewalt from Sears for $60. They said it didn't have the case or charger, just the drill and one battery. I went to check out and they bring the case and charger out from behind the counter. SWEET! I don't use it very hard, but both drills have been very good. My only complaint was the 3/8" chuck. My dad was getting rid of his 18v dewalt after replacing it with a 14.4 dewalt. I took the 1/2" chuck of the 18v and it fit my 12v. Now I'm in business.


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## RBR (Nov 6, 2011)

.....


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## DisrupTer911 (Nov 7, 2011)

My Craftsman 19.2v C3 drill, air pump, impact driver and soon impact wrench are my favorite cordless tools.

the C3 batteries have lasted me a long time and a lot of use.


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## Umbria (Nov 11, 2011)

I have the Milwaukee. It is a good drill but the batteries that came with it weren't performing well so the store replaced then for me. I have had an18 volt Dewalt for ten years and it still works well. My favorite however is the Festool although the Hilti is probably better at heavy masonry work.


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## tbenedict (Nov 11, 2011)

My advice is to stay say from nimh. Do with Li or ni-cad.

I gave away my Makita 14.4 because the batteries lost their ability to hold a charge (even a replacement) way too quick. Like the brand, but the batteries were not Eneloops...

Haven't had a problem with my Dewalt 12v ni-cad in the last few years.


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## Wrend (Nov 11, 2011)

I only use it as a drill some of the time, but my favorite would have to be my Dremel Stylus. It's very handy to have around. I think it's a 2 cell Li-ion though...


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## gearhead1972 (Nov 11, 2011)

hayhauler said:


> In DeWalt you will find two qualities. A DeWalt drill that has a completely yellow body is a piece of junk.


I would disagree, I have an older (98 or 99) all yellow 18 volt. This drill was used daily in commercial construction (I'm a sheetmetal worker) for many years. It has fallen off the top of 12 foot ladders, kicked off of scissor lifts, been soaking wet in the rain and snow. It has never failed me.


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## LMTRocks (Nov 16, 2011)

I've been using Dewalt 997 18v Jacobs 1/2" carbide chuck drills for 11 years now.

Just replaced the chuck on one of them and both have been run hard but still run remarkably well. Neither have the side-handle though.


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## eh4 (Nov 21, 2011)

I used to be ok with DeWalt.
I trust Bosch and love the tools of theirs that I have, a tablesaw, jigsaw, planer and circular saw.
My cordless drill is an old 18volt Ryobi that should be replaced but refuses to die, I don't really recommend it but it has survived well, the batteries hold a decent charge for work but won't hold a charge overnight.

I'd love to get an 18volt Bosch.


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## coreyjourney (May 6, 2019)

I was searching for the best value for money this drill. Then I have bought a Makita xfd03z 18v Lithium-Ion cordless drill. I am using it for 2 years. I have used several drills before it, but this one seems to be very special to me. Can be called my favourite one.


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## scout24 (May 6, 2019)

I approved your post but removed the link you provided. You bumped an 8 year old thread with your first post here, and we get tons of spam/ advertising. Thanks for your understanding.


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## KITROBASKIN (May 6, 2019)

Perhaps others could relate their experiences. We are planning on building a metal structure and need to buy a cordless drill...


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