Thread: Best Drill/Driver for Joinery/Cabinetmaking

Hi, just an update. I bought a DeWalt 18v hammer drill DCD970, a DeWalt impact drvier DCD825, two NANO Li-Ion batteries, a DC9130 charger and a right angle drill for $634. The performance of DeWalt driver and drill was impressive. I used my Bosch 14.4 to compare with DeWalt for drilling pocket holes. DeWalt hammer drill DCD970 is very easy drilling thr hardwood and last more than three times longer than Bosch. Very happy with new tools.

I know this is a late entry, but just today I purchased a Makita twin box set being a 18v drill and impact driver for $399. Just couldn't help myself. Also sighted was another twin boxed set in 10.7v version.

Squirrel

Originally Posted by Kyle

Bang for your buck I reckon Makita is the go. Easily out numbers any other brand 4 to 1 on construction sites (at least in Melbourne) and very low fail rate for the volume sold. Thanks to the strong aussie dollar, cheap as chips to buy direct from the US.

What do you do about the voltage issue?

Originally Posted by wixy

What do you do about the voltage issue?

Wixy

You need to buy a 240V battery charger or a device to convert the 120V battery charger to 240V. Probably not worthwhile for one tool. If you had several it might start to look attractive. Frankly I couldn't be bothered, but I believe some have gone down this path.

It is the perenial problem of buying electrical goods from the US or any other country utilising a 120V single phase supply.

Regards
Paul

Originally Posted by wixy

What do you do about the voltage issue?

Some of the eBay sellers give you a stepdown transformer with them.

Or you can pick up a 240v charger for under $100 delivered.

Simple: Get Hitachi 18v with lithium batteries as they are light or Panasonic 18v they have the best batteries of any cordless as Panasonic make the batteries themselves and they are always the highest output/time. It is the amp hours Ahr rating that is ALL important. A low rating i.e. 1.8 or 2.0 ahr isnt worth having, go for 3.2 or more..

If your strictly factory assembly work, the panasonic 14.4v drill & driver will serve you well. My apprentices at work have them and i was using one just today, and thought them to be excellent quality, light weight, and a great drill.

If your looking at site work, move up to the big boys world of 18v. I have upgraded to 18v after years of running 9.6v makita drills and wished i had done it sooner. I have a heap of makita 18v LXT tools and there isnt one that i think is crap or underpowered. The circular saw and grinder get a work out just as much as the impact driver and hammer drill. The jigsaw has as much power as my corded version, so i sold the corded version. The vaccum cleaner is agreat for cleaning out cupboards and keeping the clients happy.

Trying to justify buying the new makita 18v slide compound mitre saw now.

For Lotto winners or anyone wanting to burn a huge hole in their wallet.
Hilti are having a trade day sale. 7th - 9th June

$199 for a pistol type rotary hammer drill.

$499 for the 14.4v drill.

http://www.hilti.com.au/fstore/holau...9_2011_3_3.pdf

I have seen a few hardware stores selling the a Makita 18V kit for $399. Comes with the smallest 18v drill, impact driver and two 1.3a/h batteries.

thanks for the heads up on the hilti gear kyle.

thats pretty good prices for hilti tools.

justin

Originally Posted by Kyle

I have seen a few hardware stores selling the a Makita 18V kit for $399. Comes with the smallest 18v drill, impact driver and two 1.3a/h batteries.

Kyle

1.3a/h is really tiny. I think that would be infuriating to use.

Regards
Paul

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

Kyle

1.3a/h is really tiny. I think that would be infuriating to use.

Regards
Paul

Not really in the right application. They don't last very long in the drills and all of the tools with high volume power consumption won't take the smaller batteries.

They're perfect for the impact drivers, the smaller, lighter batteries make a big difference to the weight and balance of the impact drivers. If your doing a lot of repetitive screwing their much better, plus with the short charge times it's not infuriating to quickly swap over batteries.

Most brands have a smaller battery as a cheaper option, even the above Hilti. For general use however bigger capacity the better.

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

Kyle

1.3a/h is really tiny. I think that would be infuriating to use.

Regards
Paul

Its not the size but the quality. I have a 1.3Ah with my C12 and have yet to find a situation where it has failed. It has more grunt than I need, and a long time between recharges.

Yep, nothing wrong with the 1.3 Makita batteries... I have 4 of them and 2 x 3.0 batteries and i always grab the 1.3's for drilling as they make the drill/driver lighter and easier to use. I use the 3.0 batteries for angle grinder/circ saw/collated screwgun etc...

Originally Posted by bhos0344

Hi lads,

Im new to the forums here, looks like a smashing place.
Just gained an apprenticeship in Joinery.

Were solely Joinery fabricators, but mostly deal with Kitchens. Commerically based.


Just wondering what the latest and easiest to use Drill/Driver there is?
Budget shouldn't matter.

I get a decent Tool Allowance over the 4 years max payout is $5500.

Thanks.

Everybody seems to have their particular favourites, which I'm sure only adds to your confusion in selecting a particular brand.

However, you've specified "commercial kitchen fabrication" as your intended use, which I believe precludes many of the suggestions previously made.

Having used cordless drills, both my own and borrowed from colleagues, and having noted the use of still others doing just as you specify over some 30 years, here's my take on the matter....

(a) Most drill makes are remarkably similar, and offer similar features and capacities.

(b) Almost all fabricators and installers have BOTH a drill and rattler. The former used exclusively for drilling, and the latter for driving screws. This is the tools' intended purpose, and while a drill can drive, and a rattler, for example, drill with a spade bit, their respective performance is compromised by not being used as intended.

(c) Almost all kitchen installers use 18v tools, and the majority of fabricators use 10.8v tools. The larger tools are all about power and versatility, the smaller about compactness and convenience. The advantage of 18v tools is their speed and power, which often makes them useless at delicate work, such as fabrication. I've destroyed innumerable fixings, and damaged the occasional fitting, by being just a shade too trigger-happy with a rattler.

(d) I'm frequently cursing the large size of my 18v tools when they won't fit into confined spaces.

(e) 90% of larger cordless tools on the commercial sites where I work are Makita, with Hilti & Hitachi-Koki making up the remainder. Makita must be doing something right!

(f) 10.8v tools I've seen are evenly split between Bosch & Makita, with opinions divided on which is best. You rarely see other brands used.

(g) Other manufacturers, however, are coming late to the market with superior featured tools.

(h) Most offer only a 12 month warranty. Others have a 36 month warranty, tool only, thus excluding the batteries, which @ only 1.3-1.5 ah., are not very long lived. Makita & Hitachi-Koki: 12 months
Bosch, Milwaukee, Festo & DeWalt: 36 months, tool only
Metabo: 36 months on tool, batteries, chucks, the lot!

(i) Makita & Hitachi-Koki are much cheaper, Metabo & Festool the dearest. I wonder why?

(j) Makita, Milwaukee & Bosch have slimline "handle batteries", whereas Festool, DeWalt & Hitachi-Koki have the more normal "below handle batteries" of their larger siblings. Slimline handles make the tool pocketable, and more compact for tight locations. Traditional styles are less compact, but much more natural feeling and balanced in the hand, and can be set down and picked up much more easily , sitting on their batteries & not lying in the dust on their side! A guaranteed way to shorten the life of any drill.

(k) Festool & Metabo have absolutely fabulous clip-on angle chuck attachments for getting into otherwise inaccessible corners, with Metabo's being quicker, easier and more versatile.

(l) Festool don't make a rattler.

(m) There's an increasing number of additional useful tools being offered as part of manufacturer's 10.8v systems: Sabre Saws, LED Lamps & Torches, Circular Saws and Vacs. I'm only guessing, but I believe the latter two can be dismissed as mere toys, and as useless as the rest are useful! Bosch & DeWalt also have Thermal Imaging & Remote Sensing Video cameras, useless to all but Engineers & Electricians.

DeWalt, unlike all the others, offer a multi-chemistry multi-voltage charger, allowing ALL batteries from ALL tools to be charged without carrying a ute load of chargers around. This, to me, is the single best selling point of any of these tools. If I had my time over, and hadn't already invested thousands in Bosch, I'd be choosing DeWalt.

However, I'm a commercial & industrial sparky, and you're a cabinetmaker, with entirely different priorities. You really need to talk to your colleagues to find out your own particular needs and preferences. You also probably need to ignore almost all of the (well intentioned) advice offered here, including my own!