What Battery Drill do you use?

[Big Red Toy]

Well i have to buy myself a battery drill for work, Been looking around & have been told the Panasonics are good by a few people but also looking at Milwalkee's. maybe the 24v drill?
Price isn't an issue its just gotta last & have good batteries

Cheers
Andrew

[suzuki boy]

Milwalkee all the way!

Hitachi are a bit gutless but just keep going!

Have also heard that panasonic's are pretty good!

[nicbeer]

makita blue range (around $600) are great.

[Den81]

hitachi 14.4v lithium ion bateries.heaps of grunt and lasts for ages!

[MARKx4]

Have used metabo, panasonic and dewalt. Love them all, but i prefer my metabo and panasonic. Couldnt pick a favorite out of the two through.

[YB.LOW4]

i have a ramset battery drill. goes good and lasts a while but expensive to buy. also, hilti make a good drill.

[MQSWBUTE]

i use a Hitachi cordless last forever also has bulit in hammer drill and will drill holes for 10mm dynabolts easy as

[r0ck_m0nkey]

I've used Panasonics in the past and always been happy with them, always felt nicely weighted and balanced in the hand.

About my only recommendation is whatever drill you buy, get one with a 13mm chuck, so many are 10mm and it really does become a nuisance at times depending on what work you're doing.

[Adam GQ]

panasonics dont have warranty on there batterys except for first up failer

[redpaj94]

Dont buy a metabo because me and a few overs guys at work bought them and they are the biggest piece of junk you can buy.

[shakes]

My vote for best consistant hassle free drill I've used is a 18v Makita, most likely what I'll be buying in a few months. bit heavy if your doing lotsa fiddly stuff though.

I've used hilti's at work, borderline on being gutless but they will handle a absolute thrashing! the hiltis are suspiciously similar to the milwalkee's too!

Dewalts have some go for small drills but always seem to have chuck/clutch problems.

I've used a couple of metabo's and burnt them both out. The only panasonic I've used has burnt out the motor within a couple of days.

Simon

[cloughy]

My vote for best consistant hassle free drill I've used is a 18v Makita, most likely what I'll be buying in a few months. bit heavy if your doing lotsa fiddly stuff though.

I've used hilti's at work, borderline on being gutless but they will handle a absolute thrashing! the hiltis are suspiciously similar to the milwalkee's too!

Dewalts have some go for small drills but always seem to have chuck/clutch problems.

I've used a couple of metabo's and burnt them both out. The only panasonic I've used has burnt out the motor within a couple of days.

Simon

Chinese or japenese Makita, Steel chuck or plastic, Ones twice the price

[Ruggers]

we got a couple of milwalkee at work and they are great would even know its cordless tons of grunt and takes a beating, have dewalt at home and its almost a good but if i was to buy another for home or work it will difently be another milwalkee

[jeep97tj]

We have 2 dewalts in our workshop and have had them for a few years now. Its a heavy w/shop on a mine, there are 5 different crews with 10 fitters on each crew so the drills get used and abused 7 days a week, 24h a day.

No problems, the batteries did have to go on a special charger just recently to get rid of the memory they developed.

[grazza]

Spent the last 15 mins looking for independent reviews of the high-end drills with no luck - all just sales sites.

I find it hard to see the huge price difference between the industrial and the home stuff - what are they using? Solid gold gearbox's?

I have an old Makita and its been abused and dropped and still goes well but its only 9.6V and runs out of puff pretty quick, even with a new battery.

Trying to justify the cost of a new higher voltage drill.

[Gwagensteve]

I have run a 14.4V dewalt for a few years now and it has been very very good.

However, the chargers only seem to last about 18 months/2 years. I used to think it was metal dust as I had my first one on the workbench, but my second one was a fair way from any fab work being done and has just blown up too. they go with a fiar flash/smoke

Mine was $510, it was the biggest non hammer drill you could get from dewalt at the time.

I am still on the original batteries. I have not had too much trouble with memory as I always run them dead flat and put the straight on charge.

Chargers are about $120.

[Struth]

Festool

[CWBYUP]

Milwalkee for 24 volt and a makita 12v for the fiddly stuff.

The makita was used every day for 18months will i was fasica and guttering and had a very very hard life and still go's great.

Nick

[Spartacus]

Festool

festool

[Shorti]

Milwalkee is owned by Ryobi now, I don't know if that has affected quality. Dewalt apparently have done alot with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the development of their new 18v hammer drill. I've used it and it has my vote.

Different Between the high end stuff and the low end stuff is

- quality of the battery cells and type NiCad, NiMh, Lithium Ion
- different amp hour ratings on batteries
- automatic breaks
- quality of the gearbox (cheap ones = plastic) seen many just stripped
- quality of chuck (keyed, keyless (only the expensive ones are usually any good)
- Charger time
- Is it going to break when you drop it (bosch have a new casing which stops this)
- Warranty (with dewalt you pay for the 3 year warranty)
- how many speed gearbox
- Torque

When I used to sells drills I would always get guys coming in and asking "I'd like to buy a good cheap cordless drill". The truth is, they don't exist.

[Shorti]

Well i have to buy myself a battery drill for work, Been looking around & have been told the Panasonics are good by a few people but also looking at Milwalkee's. maybe the 24v drill?
Price isn't an issue its just gotta last & have good batteries

Cheers
Andrew

What kind of work you in?

[junior80]

there is nothing better than a 14.4 volt milwakee or and AEG. they have heaps of torque and the battery life is really good. having had a makita, a panasonic, a festool and the milwakee, the red milwakee is by far my favourite.

[junior80]

just read that post saying that milwakee is owned by ryobi, ryobi's are nothing but poo, in which case get yourself an AEG or anything made for atlas copco.

i have had my milwakee for about 5 years now so i don't think it's a ryobi one.

[GUte]

Have got the Dewalt DC925 18V hammer
It has the new chuck that tightens as it works
Three speed all metal g,box
510 watts
Awsome

[suzicrazy]

hitachi 18v lithium ion are great, have 1 of there impact drivers and is the best, it has fallin over 9m twice n no problems,

[droopypete]

for drill bits
Festool


I have 3, started over 10 years ago with a 9.6V that had more grunt than all the 12V's on the market, then went to the 12v, I use them every day they all work faultlessly and the original 9.6V batts still hold charge, they are by far the most ergonomic cordless on the market.

For putting in screws



The 12V is smaller and lighter than the 14.4V and the only difference I can tell is in battery life (I have one of each) top screw guns.

after that my second choice would be panasonic.
Peter.

[jet-6]

Im a sparky, yer we trash drills, all the boys i know use AEG, me to, still got mine from when i was domestic 2 years ago, its been dropped, smashed and ran over

Still going strong, one wire broke on the trigger, bit of solder and shes fine!

[badger]

pano. but next time ill get hitachi............ they run pano batterys and internals but have replacable brushes

[Big Red Toy]

I'm an electrician so going to be used with say upto 32mm spade bits etc, so plenty of torque needed,
I think i'm leaning more towards the milwalkee 24v at the moment as they can do hammer as well

[full-boost]

panasonic 18v all the way! i hear they also have a 24v but i think it would be a bit heavy. we have both panasonic and dewalt, panasonic craps all over the dewalt. ask any reece store and they will tell you, in the dewalt kit, they always get atleast 1 product return!