Cordless Tools Recommendations?

[Shran]

Somehow I don't think I'd want to be trying to use your Dewalt to drill a 5/8" or 3/4" hole in steel...

I like my Milwalkee right angle drill for that, it's slow, but at least you can hold on well enough if it catches to not risk breaking your wrist....

I used my 18v DeWalt to drill anything up to 1" holes in steel for years until I got my big drill. It's unnerving the first time it tries to twist your arm around, but you get used to it. Haven't hurt myself yet.

I think I want to see photos of this old drill of yours....

My big old gear reduction drill looks pretty similar to the one below, different brand though. Same deal as Will's, it is a wild ride drilling big holes with no reverse and no speed adjustment whatsoever.

It is a little crazy at first, but drilling holes in steel with something this big is a thousand times easier/better than a smaller, faster running unit. Assuming you have a good bit, you either drill the hole or snap the bit off...it cuts so fast but runs slow enough that you never get the bit hot enough to dull it, thus much safer.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I got my Milwaukee set for Christmas.
The drill and driver combo was on sale for $200.

Can your cheapies chuck up a1/2" or 13mm drill bit and then damn near snap your wrist when it catches.... Not to mention, they are a 1/3 of the weight of the cheapies.

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My 3/8" drill was on sale for $70 with a battery and a charger, in two years I haven't had a reason to complain yet. I have never seen a Milwaulkee that cheap and from handling others I can't say as they seem all that much lighter either..

Like I said, I have other alternatives to a cordless drill that I would rather use.

If you only need a Ranger it is stupid to go buy a Super Duty.

 

[UrbanRedneckKid]

My 3/8" drill was on sale for $70 with a battery and a charger, in two years I haven't had a reason to complain yet. I have never seen a Milwaulkee that cheap and from handling others I can't say as they seem all that much lighter either..

Like I said, I have other alternatives to a cordless drill that I would rather use.

If you only need a Ranger it is stupid to go buy a Super Duty.

To each his own, but I'd rather have a 1-ton Ranger....

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[Will]

Same deal as Will's, it is a wild ride drilling big holes with no reverse and no speed adjustment whatsoever.

It is a little crazy at first, but drilling holes in steel with something this big is a thousand times easier/better than a smaller, faster running unit. Assuming you have a good bit, you either drill the hole or snap the bit off...it cuts so fast but runs slow enough that you never get the bit hot enough to dull it, thus much safer.

I found one almost like mine on Ebay. It's about the same--I think mine is Model 5431, actually. You want a god drill, get it. It will turn your most powerful modern brand backwards if you locked the chucks together over something.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-McG...2-/221060270606?pt=Drills&hash=item3378380a0e

 

[Will]

To each his own, but I'd rather have a 1-ton Ranger....

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Which parts are 1-ton? Not the frame and not the drivetrain. Certainly not the suspension. Just the axles?

 

[Shran]

I found one almost like mine on Ebay. It's about the same--I think mine is Model 5431, actually. You want a god drill, get it. It will turn your most powerful modern brand backwards if you locked the chucks together over something.

Now that I'm at home, I got a pic of mine. It's a Power House, made by Mcgraw Edison. Big awesome bastard

 

[Will]

Yep, it's a lot more impressive than that Craftsman thing you posted. It's the same size and heft as mine.

A thoroughly dangerous instrument of fabrication, demolition and gardening.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

To each his own, but I'd rather have a 1-ton Ranger....

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They are ok, very nice looking trucks but they are getting some serious age on them by now. They are all over 30 years old by now, just a fancier not quite Lariat truck.


Dad has one of those big metal bruisers, I think it is a Black and Decker.

I do know it is one trigger pull ON, and one trigger pull OFF. So if things start to get out of hand don't be bashful on pulling the trigger... or get the heck out of the way and let it wind the cord up and unplug itself.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Come to think of it, unless dad got rid of it somewhere along the line, he should have a massive old beast like those... I'll have to ask him about it....

 

[hoosier1104]

I have a Porter Cable impact in my work truck and a Mikata for my personal. Both are really nice and I beat the crap out of them on a regular basis.

 

[Str8sixfan]

I've got lots of Makita stuff and I love it. Cheap tools aren't worth the money. I hear ya on the batteries though. The last time my batteries took a dump, it was cheaper to buy a whole new drill set (batteries, charger etc.) than it was to get two new batteries for the old one.

I only have a cordless "sawzall" and cordless drill by Makita, but I too LOVE the both of them. I need more battery packs though, the sawzall sucks battery power as you can imagine fast.

 

[ronclark]

I was going to go with Milwaukee then i found out that thy are owned by TTI.
so its starting to look like another company riding on Milwaukee good name

Side note: Ryobi, Ridgid, AEG and Milwaukee tools are manufactured by TekTronics International aka TTI (surprise, surprise!!!) which is based in Hongkong. Ridgid DOES NOT belong to Home Depot like some of HD employees state. They just have a semi-exclusive deal (the deal is exclusive but you can still buy stuff elsewhere) for some products, especially Ryobi.

Here's what I found on the net:

Emerson Electric owns Ridge Tool and the "Ridgid" brand name. Emerson also makes some (but not all) of the tools sold under the "Craftsman" brand. As pointed out in the Emerson news release, the new "Orange" Ridgid tool line is made under license by TekTronics International (TTI) which is based in Hongkong. TTI is the parent company of Ryobi and One World Technologies (OWT).

All Ridgid benchtop, stationary and hand held tools (drills, sanders, saws, etc...) are manufactred by T.T.I. with the exception of four tools which are made in Germany by Metabo (grinders and hammer drills).

T.T.I. also does some private label for Sears Craftsman and a small amount of Mastercraft for Canadian Tire (Canada only) to their spec requests. Other than the four tools made in Germany all other tools are made in either Taiwan or China (except Ryobi routers - they are made in South Carolina, USA).

T.T.I. purchased all the tooling (moulds) from Emerson Electric when they bought that division from them so the tools are pretty much the same except for the colour change and a few improvements and lower prices. Emerson Electric still makes the wet/dry vacuums and air filtration units and Ridge Tool(a div. of Emerson Electric) is still making all plumbing tools and devices.

Props to imported_CWSmith and Jim Swamp from http://www.ridgidforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5327Ridgid forums.

 

[UpStandingMember]

I have worked on aircraft over half my life. I use cordless drills for taking off and putting on panels mostly. It's been so many I couldn't even begin to count.

The first couple of years working as a contractor on aircraft I used a Craftsman and a Milwaukee, they sucked!

I bought my Dewalt in 1995 I think, and I still use it today. That's all I buy now. You get what you pay for. I have had to buy new batteries, but you'll have to do that with any cordless tool. You can also take the battery packs apart and replace the batteries inside, which is a whole lot cheaper.

 

[cvar]

How about a cordless Dremel (or look-alike)? Does anybody make a decent one? Or is a battery just hopeless? Amazon reviews complain mostly about that.

 

[ronclark]

How about a cordless Dremel (or look-alike)? Does anybody make a decent one? Or is a battery just hopeless? Amazon reviews complain mostly about that.

I have a wall powered Dremel, I push it on diffrent small projects. Its just the right size to get in to cut or drill. I can't imagine the small battery packs would be really useful other than really light duty projects.

I am guess all the bad reviews are people are expecting it do the same work as a wall powered Dremel.
At times I wish my wall powered Dremel had more power.


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