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View Full Version : Electric drill recomendations? Contractors?



maxwedge
02-12-2007, 05:06 PM
Does anybody make a decent 3/8in electric drill anymore (not cordless)? I have burned up a DeWalt and Milwaulkee in the last year and I just striped the gears out of a barely used Makita drilling a 3/4 hole in fiber board siding. WTF?. I don't think I've been particularly hard on any of these drills, but I would be willing to pay extra for something that will last.

BADBLOWN572
02-12-2007, 05:13 PM
The only two brands of drills that I will buy are Milwakee and Porter Cable. I have had good luck with both of those drills. I use them a ton and abuse them. I routinely cut through 3/8" aluminum with hole saws or 6" pieces of wood. My Milwakee has lasted about 5 years now. Before that was a Porter Cable and it lasted about 3-4 years. Several years of HEAVY abuse is sufficient for me. :)
Surprisingly though, in X-mas of '05 I got a Ridgid 1/2" cordless drill. So far it has been the best cordless drill I have ever had. :) Not sure how their corded drills are, but the cordless are great!

Trailer Park Casanova
02-12-2007, 05:24 PM
The only two brands of drills that I will buy are Milwakee and Porter Cable. I have had good luck with both of those drills. I use them a ton and abuse them. I routinely cut through 3/8" aluminum with hole saws or 6" pieces of wood. My Milwakee has lasted about 5 years now. Before that was a Porter Cable and it lasted about 3-4 years. Several years of HEAVY abuse is sufficient for me. :)
Surprisingly though, in X-mas of '05 I got a Ridgid 1/2" cordless drill. So far it has been the best cordless drill I have ever had. :) Not sure how their corded drills are, but the cordless are great!
Ditto here too.
I also have DeWalt and they are homeowner, the ones with plastic gears aren't too durable. Perhaps that's changed.
Porter cable saws, and Hole Hawg Milwalkee drills are da finest kine.
Only way to go.

Tom Brown
02-12-2007, 05:52 PM
All three of your drills (DeWalt, Milwaukee, Makita) are repairable. Those are three excellent drill brands, particularly the Milwaukee.
My DeWalt is from the very late 1980s and it's twisted a lot of drills through wood, concrete, steel, whatever. It looks well used and it is but it still runs perfectly.
Milwaukee made great drills until recently. My electricians have gone through a few Milwaukee because traditionally, they have been excellent, but now have switched to Bosch.
I guess past brand history is of little value anymore.

robk
02-12-2007, 05:52 PM
My old man's pipe fitters go through DeWalts like there is no tomorrow... but apparently they're holding up better than anything else cordless.
For the corded stuff, they use Milwaukees; they seem to take a ton of abuse.
Rob

Relaxalot
02-12-2007, 05:59 PM
DeWalt Cordless
Milwaukee Corded

redneckcharlie
02-12-2007, 06:11 PM
I used a Porter Cable 19 volt in the past. It lasted five years of complete abuse. Mixing thinset, drilling concrete, you name it. Great product. I just recently purchased a couple of the new Milwaukee 28v. By far the best cordless I've ever used. Pricey, yes! It has a ton of ass. Will darn near take your hand off if it binds up and your not paying attention. :eek:

superdave013
02-12-2007, 06:30 PM
step up to a 1/2" drill. I go red when it comes to drills and sawsalls.

maxwedge
02-12-2007, 06:31 PM
Okay, mixing thinset with a cordless is pretty impressive to me. We have a 40 year old 1/2in Milwaulkee at work that we only use to mix thinset and grout with, it's bulletproof. I wish they still built them like that. Maybe I just got unlucky with the last one. I'm headed to lowes to see what they have. I wonder if they will let me bring a 2x4 and a holesaw for testing purposes.:D

maxwedge
02-12-2007, 06:33 PM
step up to a 1/2" drill. I go red when it comes to drills and sawsalls.
I have a 1/2 in Bosch drill that's holding up nicely, but sometimes It's nice to have a smaller lighter one handy.

redneckcharlie
02-12-2007, 06:33 PM
You could just take the various drills over to the lumber aisle and demo to your hearts content! Me personally, I'd start with the 2 X 12's. :D

Screemy1
02-12-2007, 07:09 PM
a new dewalt is not the same as an old one.... the new ones are yellow black and deckers..... a yellow fire storm if you will......:eek:

rrrr
02-12-2007, 07:11 PM
a new dewalt is not the same as an old one.... the new ones are yellow black and deckers..... a yellow fire storm if you will......:eek:
Black and Decker has made DeWalt stuff since day one.....

Screemy1
02-12-2007, 07:18 PM
well, I guess they use the same assembly line now and didn't before.... because the one I got in 1991 works great and the last three new ones in the past 6 years have been crap, I now switched to makita... not impressed with the lithium batt one much either..... lotsa money and it does not seem to great, it also seems that the chargers are not as good anymore too.....

Tom Brown
02-12-2007, 07:20 PM
Okay, mixing thinset with a cordless is pretty impressive to me. We have a 40 year old 1/2in Milwaulkee at work that we only use to mix thinset and grout with, it's bulletproof.
I loaned my late 1980s 3/8" 4.5A DeWalt to a friend several years ago. When I got there, he was mixing thinset with it and smoke was coming from the area of the brushes. He seemed oblivious to the scent and haze in the room. :D
I figured the drill was done but it continues to work perfectly to this day. I didn't even bother cleaning the commutator and changing the brushes.
Those huge paddles on a thinset mixer are more than a little tough to swing. :D
My Dad has a big ass Milwaukee hammer drill from the early 1970s. We used it to pound through concrete basements to run A/C linesets. We've pounded through many hundreds of foundations and done tons of other jobs with it too. He had it serviced about 10 years ago because the bit change mechanism was getting so stiff it was unworkable. The grease had gotten so old that it was like concrete. With a cleaning and some fresh grease, I'm sure that thing will go another 40 years. ... and whoever uses that heavy bitch for those 40 years is going to be in some kind of fantastic physical condition. :D :D :D
I'm headed to lowes to see what they have. I wonder if they will let me bring a 2x4 and a holesaw for testing purposes.
When my electricians had problems with their new Milwaukee drills, they were denied warranty because they were using bits and hole saws that were too large. If you read the manual, there are some really small bit size limitations on the warranty. The drills will swing much larger bits than they say are safe to use with the drills.
I think I've powered out every sub 4A drill I've ever used. From a young age, I learned to modulate the pressure on the drill to get the drill making just the right audible grunt. I guess you can't do that with the drills available these days.

superdave013
02-12-2007, 08:18 PM
I have a 1/2 in Bosch drill that's holding up nicely, but sometimes It's nice to have a smaller lighter one handy.
better keep two or three handy when you are using a boys drill for a man's job. :)
But now that you bring up Bosch ... I'm liking my 1/2" 24V cordless Bosch drill. I use it to screw AN fittings together. Can do almost 100 of them with one battery. Pretty bad ass if you ask me.

scooooter7
02-12-2007, 08:35 PM
Cordless RIGID.

BADBLOWN572
02-12-2007, 08:36 PM
Bosch definitely makes some very nice products as well. I have a Bosch jig saw and it works flawless after several years of heavy abuse.
One thing that I have always found too is that no one makes a decent keyless chuck. :( I have tried them on Dewalt, Milwakee, Makita, etc... All of them will start slipping as soon as drilling gets tough. Keyed is the only way to go in my opinion.
I actually just got back from using my 1/2" Milwakee and this thread made me realize just how much I love it. I spun in a new rear end with the drill. Threw on a 1 1/8" socket on the end, then spun the rear end on high for about 5 minutes. Drill definitely was under a lot of pressure. Spinning tires, rear end gears, gear oil, etc... Not a hickup. Worked perfectly. :) Wanted to put some rotations on the gear drive prior to hooking it up to the drive shaft and loading on some decent power. :) Milwakee... the best drill I have ever had! :)

OCMerrill
02-12-2007, 08:49 PM
In certain Home Depots you will find Hilti. I do NOT own a single Hilti product but their salesmen will give you the best Car sales approach you will ever hear.......Go in for a bit and they will push their roto hammer on you like their life depended on it.
I'm a contractor. All I know is I am qualified to say that most all suck. Yes they are repairable. My wife collects up all the failed stuff and once every 6 months takes it to the repair facilities and we either pay or get warranty on the ones that are covered.
Dewalt - Look for the drills that have a die cast gear housing. They have metal gears.
Makita - They used to be the bomb. Not any more. I currently have a sawz-all, and three belt sanders ready for repair. And one corded drill with a broken gear set.
Milwaukee - I have only one Hammer Drill and it was bucks. So far so good. Funny thing is we have a Bosch thats identical. So I ask who is sleeping with who?
Porter Cable - This is where we are heading. So far so good on everything but the problem is they don't have allot to choose from at your local home center.
Or buy one at sears and keep returning it:D
This one is working well. Again all metal gears and metal housing.
http://www.dewalt.com//ProductImages/PC_Graphics/PHOTOS/DEWALT/TOOLS/LARGE/2/DW223G_1.jpg
Avoid This: The only thing they claim for heavy duty is ball bearings...Plastic everything else. Great for someones grandmother.
http://www.dewalt.com//ProductImages/PC_Graphics/PHOTOS/DEWALT/TOOLS/LARGE/2/D21007_2.jpg
An this looks Very well made:http://www.porter-cable.com/index.asp?e=547&p=2718
http://media.ptg-online.com/media/pc/Products/Tools/ExtraLarge/20021101200000_2611_72dpi_500.jpg

rrrr
02-12-2007, 11:05 PM
Didja know Black & Decker owns DeWalt and Porter-Cable?
It's all about price points and advertising.......
IMO Milwaukee makes the best corded tools, particularly the Porta-Band saw.
I think a lot of people burn up a tool because they don't know how to use it or don't know the tool's limitations. Just because you can chuck a 1/2" bit in a cordless drill doesn't mean it'll punch a hole through 3/8" steel plate.....
I recently purchased a Hitachi set with a drill, reciprocating saw, and a fluorescent light.....powered by Li ion batteries. The batteries seem to last quite a bit longer and are much lighter than Ni-Mh batteries.

YeLLowBoaT
02-12-2007, 11:30 PM
I get about 2-3 years out of all of the better name brands( most of them are made by B and D anyways) Whats funny is I have had a $40 black and deckor since I was 11, I've litterly put in thru hell and back other then having the reverse being hard to engage lattly, its never failed... and when i say I've put in thru hell... I've done every thing too it... even locked it in the vise and had it set on full speed with a ploihing wheel on the end for hours. it just does not have the beef I need for most jobs.
and if you want to see how good a drill is... you need to go to the plaster section and use it for mixing mud... I've never seen a drill last longer then 6 months for a plaster.
Cordless I've had the best luck with mikita... I have had really bad luck with dewalts cordless drills... the plastic cluches burn out more offen then other brands.

BiggusJimbus
02-13-2007, 12:57 AM
I am a big fan of the Bosch tools. I buy little else, and never buy anything twice. Many Dewalt tools are no longer bearing tools but use bushings. No good, that.
The one exception is for Cordless Drills, I have been using a Panasonic for about 6 years now. Great balance. Easy one hand operation. 3mAh battery. 15 .6 volt. Has worked flawlessly. Long battery run time. I've been pleased with the keyless chuck in this device.
Keyless chucks tend to not hold up in corded drills. Different usage patterns, I suppose.
Good Luck.

sorry dog
02-14-2007, 02:33 PM
Another vote for Milwaukee Band Saws...better than Porter
Bosch for splined hammer drills. SDS bits are for electricians and block walls.
Whatever's cheapest for cordless because sooner or later some bastard is gonna borrow it...and then you need another one.

Jbb
02-14-2007, 03:31 PM
Whatever's cheapest for cordless because sooner or later some bastard is gonna borrow it...and then you need another one.
er......oh yeah.....sorry about that....:jawdrop:

Chico&Zeus
02-14-2007, 03:44 PM
Bosch is the best, that's all we used to buy, now we get Dewalt because our sales rep gives us more incentives...."free stuff". Hilti is good, but be ready for the song and dance about "Why our tools cost more....because they are worth it!"

AirtimeLavey
02-14-2007, 04:09 PM
Milwaukee, cord drill. Have had mine 15+ years, and some hard use, but still goes strong. Haven't bought one recently with that one still going strong.
Good luck. :cool: