Thread: Cordless Drill

HH, I have two, a GMC 18 volt which has just been replaced under warranty even though it was a few weeks out. (Happy with that) Its a bit heavy and gutless but does the job.

Just bought a Metabo 12 volt ($250 at Perth WW show) and it has been excellent. Have driven about 150 tech screws with it and just building some gates at the moment. More powerful than the GMC, lighter and easier to use. MY previous was a Metabo 9.6 volt which went for 10 years with moderate useage.

IMHO the Metabo is oustanding value for money.

Cheers

I bought the Ryobi industrial 18v last November and have used it quite a bit.

It's an excellent drill and terrific value for money. The battery life is streets ahead of anything you'll get out of a cheapie like GMC.

It cost around $250. I wouldn't hesitate to buy it again.

You have to make sure you get the industrial version though as they make an 18v "domestic" cheapie as well.

You can read all about it at Dean's web site.

http://www.onlinetoolreviews.com/toolreviewindex.htm

Craig

Yep the "Pro Series" Ryobi models offer the best bang for the buck in my opinion. I have the 18v CID1802V and its going strong! They have Panasonic cells.

I don't think you can get them at Bunings though. I think mitre 10 have them (or can order in) or places like Gasweld, Total Tools, Glenfords etc.

Well I have had some good drills and some crap drills over my lifetime but I bit the bullet and bought the DeWalt as shown and have not looked back and have not used another drill since I bought it except for my Hilti Rotary Percussion drill to drill concrete.

It will drill half inch in steel and has three speeds up to 2000 rpm. It has a sophisticated charging system with a one hour charge and a button to remove any memory from the battery if it develops.

Normal use in the workshop the battery charge will last about 3 weeks. I got three batteries with it and certainly happy with it. I certainly wouldn't replace it with any Ryobi or Gmc crap.

Well Baza, I'm glad you like your DeWalt and are happy with your purchase.

It's unfair to call the Ryobi pro series crap though because it really isn't.

I have a black and decker firestorm drill. Looks a bit gimmicky and is slow at drilling, but I reckon for $150 it is a pretty good deal. If you do a lot of drilling then screwing it is great becuase the chuck comes off and you can leave a screwdriver bit underneath. Saves changing the drill bit every 10 seconds.

Comes with 2 batteries too - they last OK.

Trav

I guess it's back to the old adage of what you intend to do with it.
I've got the Ryobi 14.4V unit - came with two batteries and it does all I ever have wanted. Thats mainly as a screw driver or nut driver - very handy when married with the 1/4 drive long sockets. And it cost me less than $60 on special at Bunnies a while back.

When I have serious drilling to do - it's off to the drill press or out comes the 1/2" variable speed hammer drill.

If I were working on site driving tech screws all day I guess I could justify a whizz bang Metabo or DeWalt.

Jamie

I've had my DeWalt 12v for about 5 years and it has been excellent but as it is in used in a trade situation it is getting a little long in the the tooth. I have also bought 2 cheap GMC 14.4 v drills and I believe they are great value at the price, but, when the DeWalt carks it I will be definitely getting another.... As for Metabo, I have had three Metabo drills, 1 cordless and the others 240v, all were absolute crap, their switch gear is very unreliable and their ergonomics were poor as I found them hard to use over any length of time. In fact I belive that the GMC cheapies are far superior to Metabo! I have used Panasonic, Hitachi and Makita cordless drills a fair bit as well and have found them to be good solid tools with plenty of grunt.

I have 3 makita 9.6v cordless drills that i have "collected" over the years due to Makita's unrealiable battery chargers. They just burn out. The third one burnt out and enough was enough and i purchased the $150.00 smart charger.

I would seriously look at a bosch or metabo in the future. If funds were available, Buy a panasonic, they are an awsome drill. I have heard many people rave about Dewalt, not for me.

Look for one that comes with a spare battery and has a 1 hour charging time. waiting for batteries to charge is a real pain in the bum.

I've got a panasonic 15.4V, quite expensive but the battery life is amazing. Charges in about 30mins and lasts for weeks. Came with 2 batteries too so it just doesn't stop. Heavy though.

If I wanted something cheaper, I might try the new cheap makitas, the maktec brand. Look tough but with no fancy features. But the batteries are the thing, so if there's an issue with charges like glenn says, maybe steer clear.

I have 2 Malita 6228D 14.4v drills that i have been using more or less for hours a day 5 days a week for the past 3 years, have never had a problem with them except the batteries are showing there age now. Last month bought the Makita 6337D and find this a superb machine, takes upto 13mm drill where the others only do 10mm,

it was the smaller 9.6v & 7.2v drill packages that has the suspect charger. the bigger drills have the same smart charger as the one i now own so they shouldnt have an issue.

i've got a makita 14.4V 6337DWAE and am vey happy with it. Drilling 75mm screws into structural pine for stud walls, screwing up sheets of gyprock, etc. Battery life was good and they charge in about 1hr.
A mate of mine who is a air conditioning mechanic has the 15.6V Panasonic drill and if I was going to outlay $600-700 on a cordless drill I would get one of these. Battery life is excellent and he has been known to drill hex-head self tappers into RSJs with it.
It really depends what you are going to use it for, if it is weekend warrior stuff then go for the cheaper ones but if you need it for high-torque jobs then go for an industrial model with metal gears, etc.

Thanks guys I think I might go for the industrial Ryobi "Pro Series" as $250 is about as much as I can justify for weekend work, I won't be doing anything trade related with it.

HH.