Buying a cordless drill

[texag93]

Bosch or Dewalt

[careybirdwell]

I like Hitachi, but if your Ryobi has Ni-Cad batteries. Google "Repairing NiCad batteries. I had about 10 bad batteries for my drills from over the last several years that just wouldn't hold a good charge. Zapped them and about 8 of those have a new life. Saved a bunch of money

[oneforthewall]

I have been abusing a 14.4v Dewalt daily in my shop for 8 years and still on original batteries. I have been very pleased with it!

[Smokeater]

Only neg on the lithium batts is when they crap out...and they will...the battery rebuilding places wont touch em. My milwaukee batts crapped out within 3-4 months AFTER the warrany was out. If you get 3-4 yrs out of a set you did good. When they fizzle out, pitch it and get a new set of tools! It's bs how much they charge you for a battery too! The guy that does the satellite tv installation in our area uses harbor freight stuff and said he loves em...cheap batteries too!lol

[Montec man]

Makita and no other for me.

[juicy]

I've used the same Porter Cable kit (skill and reciprocating saw and drill) for over 10 years. 18.5v battery and charger. Only thing I've had to do was replace the battery.

[texxfletch]

x2 for the porter cable.

they make my old dewalts look like black and deckers.

[PSD99]

Makita all the way use them all day everyday and get oil in and drop and they just keep going!!!!

[Bowtechlady]

Dewalt 18 volt but I prefer the smaller one. They work great

[Greywolf in Hawaii]

Dewalt 18 X+P
I have the combo pack and it was worth every penny I paid.
If I take the batteries back to the warehouse they give me a 30% discount on the new set.

Never had a moments trouble with mine and I use them daily, I'd do a 2-3 battery changes a day on a cabinet and countertop installation job.

[BuckTag]

I bought a Bosch 18V Lithium-Ion Impactor Driver and that thing is a beast! I got it when it was on sale at Home Depot. I usually go to Lowes, but there is a Home Depot down the road...

[jmathis2crzy]

I know Dewalt is pricey but in the long run you can't beat the life and the warranty that comes with it.

[Poppy]

DeWalt here

[randal]

dewalt all the way

[Wack-n-Stack]

I did research as a manufacturing engineer on which impact driver would be best for use in our high volume manufacturing enviroment. It is all about how much you want to spend and which options are the most important for what you are doing. Battery (weight, amp hours, recharging cycles, charging time), ability of service (is there a nearby repair center, are the brushes replaceable, is there a place to buy parts online), ergonomics (how heavy is it, how much torque is transitioned to your wrist, balance, does it fit your hand). I researched 10 different brands and tested 5. The $800 units are better but in our case not worth the extra money. I originally went with the Hitichi 14.4V with the lithium 3ah battery. These things get abused and used all day long by people that do not own them and they think it is ok to use them as a mallet. The only reoccurring issue is the wire that goes from the battery to the trigger become loose. Other than that they are solid. After losing my purchasing source I saw a significant price increase and switched to Makita. They are great and do not have the trigger issue but overall I would say the Hitachi is better.

With all that being said I would be ok purchasing any major brand for my personal use in the $200 - $400 dollar range as long as it has lithium ion batteries with the highest amp hour rating that you can find. I would not go with the 1.5 or lower. With the likely event that I will receive death threats I did find that DeWalt was 4th out of the 5 I tested and the most expensive of the lower cost units. They are good but there are better options that cost less.

I will also add the drill or impact driver should always out last your batteries. The litium-ion replacement batteries will cost $100+ each which is usually about 1/3 of the cost of a good drill. Our local battery shop rebuilds them for about $25.