[peterpan188]

Thanks for all of your inputs!! Great advises there!

tomb: For now I would want to get a drill first, in case I need to do another kind of stuff except panels. Nonetheless, your deal sound very interesting. But When I took a look at harbour freight's website, I couldn't find the drill press at your price. Can you give me a link?

arnesto: Same for costco, I couldn't find it in their website!

It wouldn't be a life time purchase, but I do want them to last me quite a while and be functional and useful in different ways. Looks like Dewalt got alot of good reviews here. Which models are good? I found some from Home Depot:
12V, DW927K2
Corded, no clutch

I guess I shouldn't limit myself on cordless. If corded ones are lighter and better, please give me some suggestions.

Thanks again,
Peter

 

[tomb]

* sigh * Harbor Freight has a bad habit of not coordinating their store sales with the website. There are boxes and boxes of these on sale in my store for $39.99 right now:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=44506
Please don't ask me to buy one and send it to you - these things weigh a bunch!!

 

[soloz2]

sweet, I just found out there is a harbor freight close to where I live!

I'm going to go check it out simetime!

 

[PinkFloyd]

DeWalt are very, very good indeed...... you won't go far wrong. Lidl (yes, the German supermarket) sometimes have an 18V cordless on offer and it is also very good. I fired in about 140 screws into a tree on one charge and it did it with ease (very torquey, smooth as silk) no strain at all. For drilling or screwing on a tight budget the Lidl 18V drill is hard to beat IMO.

 

[dbfreak]

Honestly, there are no decent cordless drills under $100.00. For around $180.00 the Hitachi 14.4 volt is my choice (and the one I use). It's got an led when working in dark areas and most importantly, the Jacobs ratcheting chuck is of the highest quality all steel construction. Plenty of torque, nice charger and quality batteries.

My advice, buy one quality drill (Milwaukee, Hitachi, DeWalt, Makita, Porter Cable, you will pay more) but in the long run you are way ahead. Lowers the frustration level also. Quality and maintained drill bits are just as important as the drill.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Unless you absolutely need to go portable, get a corded drill. They're generally more powerful and better made. Your money goes into the drill, not the battery pack and charger. Also, LiOn and other rechargeables go bad sooner or later. By the time they die, the manufacturer has usually moved onto a different format of battery/charger, and you'll have to buy another drill. Also, the battery packs tend to be in proprietary formats and they're *expensive* to replace even if one is available. But wall current hasn't changed, and isn't going to change any time soon. If you need to use it out in the yard, 50' orange extension cord is pretty cheap.

As for brands, the best are Milwaukee, Porter Cable, Bosch, Hilti, and Metabo. Hilti and Metabo are pricey, though worth it if you're going to do any serious work. My family does some construction/remodeling, and we've learned the lesson about cheap tools many times over. That is, you always end up paying more for the cheap ones. Since they don't last as long, you often have to buy 2 or 3 when one of the good ones would still be holding up. The cost of several cheapies is more than one good one, so you're better off just buying a good one in the first place.

Also, don't buy from Home Depot or Lowe's if you can help it. All the manufacturers make cheaper models for the big box stores. Go to a *real* power tool store and pay an extra $20-$30 for the same thing contractors use. I only buy from Westwood Power Tools in Culver City (http://www.westwoodpowertools.net). They do repairs on site, and the majority of their warranty claims are on tools from the big boxes.

For around the house and stuff like what you're doing, I use a nice Milwaukee 3/8" corded. The model is discontinued, but their newer 3/8" models are just fine. Also consider the used ones on eBay- at worst, you might have to replace the brushes and cord.

 

[tomb]

I don't disagree with recommending the best, especially when it comes to tools. With respect, I don't disagree in principle with any of these recommendations. I would love to have the best in some of these tools and many of the ones mentioned. A good tool is an investment, a poor tool is a waste of money. That is an axiom. Yet, it always surprises me how easy it is to make recommendations that cost $hundreds when something less will do more than you will ever need.

I still recommend that you get the drill press if you're going to drill for cases. Using a hand-held drill on an expensive metal Hammond case just scares the you-know-what out of me. The one thing you absolutely must have, you absolutely cannot guarantee: straight and aligned holes.

That said, a screwdriver and pair of pliers may be the only tools more useful than a cordless drill. There is absolutely nothing you can do with a corded drill that you can't do with a cordless - unless you're talking 1/2" double-handled corded drills used to drill hole saw cuts in steel doors. Corded drills are an unbelievable hassle. After all, the cordless drill is the cordless tool.

Over the years, I've owned several Mikata's (until they got way over-priced) and a couple of Ryobi's from Home Depot. I've had the 18V from Home Depot for years and have done everything with it from hanging shelves to building outdoor sheds and house decks. (I never use nails, by the way - only counter-sunk screws.) About the only knock you could have on a good cordless drill is what Mister Erik said about batteries. That was true years ago - especially with the early Makita's - but it's probably not true anymore.

These days, the 18V batteries are so prevalent that they have pretty much standardized, and you can buy after-market (including Harbor Freight). If you want an all-around drill, I wouldn't hesitate to get a Home Depot Ryobi or the equivalent Lowes'. For that matter, you could probably get a Black & Decker at Walmart and never wear it out. Most of these expensive drills are for professional use, where a tool has to endure an incredible amount of abuse compared to the typical home owner.

* The Drill Press is still better for DIY cases. *

 

[wolfy]

I've used Makita's and Dewalts for the last 20 years in the electrical trade and find both to be very durable although I have found the Makita batterys to be much better. Longer life overall and they hold a charge longer. That said, the Makita batterys cost more than the Dewalts. I bought a Sears for home use. Huge mistake. The batterys absolutely are garbage. I guess you live and learn. I will buy Makita products in the future just because of the quality build overall.

 

[mono]

Quote:

Originally Posted by peterpan188 Thanks for all of your inputs!! Great advises there! tomb: For now I would want to get a drill first, in case I need to do another kind of stuff except panels. Nonetheless, your deal sound very interesting. But When I took a look at harbour freight's website, I couldn't find the drill press at your price. Can you give me a link? arnesto: Same for costco, I couldn't find it in their website! It wouldn't be a life time purchase, but I do want them to last me quite a while and be functional and useful in different ways. Looks like Dewalt got alot of good reviews here. Which models are good? I found some from Home Depot: 12V, DW927K2 Corded, no clutch I guess I shouldn't limit myself on cordless. If corded ones are lighter and better, please give me some suggestions. Thanks again, Peter

It's not as though you could buy one drill and have it work (as) well for everything. You have to look at it as investment tools vs immediate need tools... what you can afford at any given time or justify per the use.

No matter what cordless drill you buy, in 10 years the batteries will be shot. In 10 years a decent corded drill or drill press will be in the first quarter of it's life unless you're using it constantly, professionally.

For the dollar, you'll get a better build from a corded drill but for your described uses, any merely average grade cordless would suffice. Corded drills are poor used as a screwdriver but you don't need a > 12V cordless for that either. Years ago I did HVAC work screwing hundreds of screws a day and found a Makita 9.6V the best option, more voltage just meant heavier to use continually, no gain.

Given your questions, it would seem you are just starting a tool collection. I think it would be better to get an assortment of medium quality basic tools instead of splurging on high-end stuff unless you have a sudden increase in income that makes it seem likely you'll buy a lot more tools in the immediate future. It can also be handy to have more than one drill set up to use simultaneously when a project has two or more hole sizes.

I'm not impressed by my last Dewalt 14.4V, the batteries degrade too quick. I'll get a Bosch or Makita next time but I'm think about just rebuilding the Dewalt packs instead as the drill itself is fine besides the batteries. If I were in your position I'd get a $60 cordless drill, a $40 corded drill, then use them for awhile to find out what features you find lacking if any. They'll last you at least a few years and having the corded drill you are covered for tasks where the cordless can't cut it (lower torque capability/build).

As for buying Harbor Freight drill presses, IMO they're a lottery, you need to set it up right after purchase because some have more runout than others, you may end up wanting to take it back and exchange a time or two or three. Unlike some tools where there might be one manufacturing mistake, one HF press I bought had every part a little off-spec and there was no reasonable correction except to return it. I drill PCBs with carbide bits though, it starts getting expensive if the runout breaks bits.

For casework a HF press is acceptible but if you have higher precision jobs to do too, I'd step up to at least a Delta 10" (about $100). Don't forget about the cost of bits when budgeting, drills aren't so useful without a wide assortment.