Decent cordless drill under $100?
Aug 17, 2006 at 3:20 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 24

peterpan188

100+ Head-Fier
Joined
Jul 25, 2005
Posts
164
Likes
12
Hey All!!

I've been using my friend's cordless drill for a while, but now he needs it back. So it is time for a serious consider of a good drill for the frequent DIY jobs. I am not very familiar with drill spec's, so I need some good recommandation. I want a cordless drill, at least 9.6V (that's what my friend's is), preferably can work as a screwdriver too.

Thanks in advance!

Peter
 
Aug 17, 2006 at 3:42 AM Post #2 of 24
What kind of DIY projects do you use this with?

Boring 3" holes in lumber is a different drill than using one for drilling holes in project enclosures and light duty work. For DIY audio I would recommend a 9.6v but for large around-the-house or construction go for larger, such as 18v.

I have to ask my buddy for specific models, he's quite knowledgeable on tools.
 
Aug 17, 2006 at 4:09 AM Post #3 of 24
The most difficult thing I can imagine myself would be drilling small holes onto a less than 1/8 inch still enclosure. Most of time it would be be drilling holes for alumimum front panels. On rare occassions, I might fix some furniture at home, like securing some screws.

I actually would like to get one in a local Home Depot, which allows me to try it before buying.

Thanks,
Peter
 
Aug 17, 2006 at 4:33 AM Post #4 of 24
I like Makita's:
http://www.toolking.com/productinfo....roductid=20511
Has full Manufacturer warranty

The only draw back I can see is that it may be a bit heavy for panel work and it only has one battery, but it's a great deal.
tongue.gif


Do you want something light? I think this is one of the biggest characteristics to consider when choosing a drill.
 
Aug 17, 2006 at 11:07 AM Post #5 of 24
Home Depot sells excellent Ryobi 18V cordless drills.

That said, you should really invest in a drill press, instead. Harbor Freight has an intermediate drill press size (small tabletop) for $39.99 right now. Add a drill vise for another $10, and their 3-pack step drill bit set for $10, and you're all set with the best way to drill case endplates.
 
Aug 17, 2006 at 12:38 PM Post #6 of 24
inless you go with makita's top of the line it will use plastic gears instead of metal.
most other 'cheap' drills will do the same.

in general milwaukee, rigid, dewalt and bosch (there are others as well) all make good tools that will last you a long time and withstand a beating.

I've used contractor grade tools (my dad is a contractor by trade) and cheap tools (used to work at Menards which is basically like a Home Depot or Lowes, just is only in the midwest) And it is worth the extra $ to get better tools


I would suggest if you can to try to get a 12v drill... it'll have more power and I think you'll like it better. but if you want a 9.6v (hey, they'er lighter and it'll do what you want) then I'd suggest something like this:
http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...seBVCookie=Yes
Dewalt 9.6v drill for $80
home depot as the 12v one for $100

I personally want to get the 18v set that comes w/ the circular saw, light, radio, jig saw and recip saw... hmm... now if only $ grew on trees....
 
Aug 17, 2006 at 1:22 PM Post #7 of 24
Quote:

Originally Posted by soloz2
inless you go with makita's top of the line it will use plastic gears instead of metal.


The one I linked has an all metal transmission.

However, you make a point, the lower lines (62xx) do feature some plasic gears.
 
Aug 17, 2006 at 3:51 PM Post #9 of 24
Corded drills are still way better dollar for dollar than cordless- lighter, stronger. I can strongly recommend Makita. If you are on a budget, check out your local pawn shops.
 
Aug 17, 2006 at 5:05 PM Post #10 of 24
At my workplace, we use Dewalts all day long servicing and building computers. So far, all of our Dewalt 9.6V screwdrivers have held up except one, which seems like the motor is going out on it. We've been using these Dewalt screwdrivesrs for about 6-7 years. Before that, we used Makita 9.6V screwdrivers. The problem with those is eventually, the toggle switch for forward and reverse would go bad, making them useless. I think the Dewalt screwdrivers we got were ~$89. So my vote is Dewalt
smily_headphones1.gif
.
 
Aug 17, 2006 at 5:08 PM Post #11 of 24
Quote:

milwaukee, rigid, dewalt and bosch


+ metabo and hitachi for some more.


Personally I like Makita and Ryobi for cheaper tools. They seem to offer the best 'bang for buck' and seem like a good middle ground between no name chinese knock offs and your life investment tools.
 
Aug 17, 2006 at 5:46 PM Post #12 of 24
I really like the Makita drills, but the ones I like cost more than I want to spend
frown.gif


So, I ended up with a ~16V Craftsman that was on sale for real cheap. It's worked very well for me over the past several years, but I finally broke down and got a drill press last October... I'd like to say it was well worth it, except I still haven't set it up yet
tongue.gif
 
Aug 17, 2006 at 8:20 PM Post #15 of 24
It's 35 dollars for a 15v cordless drill, comes with 2 batteries, 1 charger, carrying case, and a set of drills. The drills are cheap, but the cordless drill is great.

And for that price. Can't be beat. BTW, I don't work for Costco.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top