Official Luthiers Forum!

Well, deep in the middle of a project, my cordless drill dies. I was down to only one battery that would hold a charge, now they're both dead.
What drill do you use and why? What's the best stuff out there for the money?
I was going to buy a Festool, but can't justify the cost.
I heard Panasonics are supposed to be good, but then I have no clue...

Thanks!Don Williams38978.4553935185

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

I have preferred Makita for years.

Al

i have dewalt, p-c and makita. i probably reach for the p-c first, except for those rare occasions where i need the 1/2" chuck on the dewalt.

the pc just feels better in the hand.

all have worked flawlessly.

p.s. - forgot to mention that there are folks out there that rebuild the battery packs for about 1/2 the cost of a new battery.crazymanmichael38977.6051736111

Don I have Craftsman, Milwaukee, DeWalt. The Mil-- & DeWalt are excellant. Chuck isn't great on the Craftsman. I recently bought that new Hitachi 14.2 volt with 2 batteries and Rockler and I love it. Powerfull and feels great in your hands. Nice drill for the money.

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Beautiful and unusual tone woods at a reasonable price.
http://www.rctonewoods.com/RCT_Store
The Zootman
1109 Military Rd.
Kenmore, NY 14217
(716) 874-1498

I use my PC pretty much all the time. It holds a charge for a long time and the battery is also interchangable with the one in the small cordless circular saw so I can swap them if one goes dead.

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Dave Rector
Rector Guitars

I have a Bosch. I can't find anything wrong with it. While I have large hands for a woman, it still fits comfortably in my hand. Pretty well balanced. Came with two batteries, but got a third as a mail in rebate.

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Aoibeann

You heard right about the Panasonic hammer drill, at least the new one with
the digital controls with the little "snug up" feature.

It is a revolution in drills. Nothing that I have seen comes close.

I did a lot of research before I tried the Panasonic. My cordless drills include
Snap-On (hammer), Dewalt (two of them), Craftsman, and my new
Panasonic.

Also agree that the chuck on Craftsman drills is total junk. My drill that I got
free when I leased my F-150 truck, has ruined more than one very expensive
drill bits.

I've worked as a cabinetmaker and trim carpenter for a number of years and
have used (and killed...) a number of cordless drills in that time. My favorite
are Bosch. They last the longest and have the nicest feel of any of the ones
I've tried (Dewalt, P-C, Makita). My last three have been Boschs, and the
current one has been going strong for three years now.

Interesting about the Bosch...I have several of their tools and have liked them all. Never tried their drills though.Don Williams38978.4551388889

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

I've used a few also. The Bosch is a good one and so are the Dewalts...pricey! I also have a couple of Makitas, but right now I'm liking a Hitachi 14.4 V Cordless drill/driver and it works real nice. It's also fairly lightweight. I paid something like $70 for a 'like new' one on ebay. It came w/ 2 batteries, a flashlight, & a case.

When mine dies, i'm gonna go for Bosh or DeWalt, the maintenance guys here have just good comments on both.

I bought a Ridgid 18V cordless combo a few years back when they were having a "lifetime warranty" that covered ordinary wear and tear as well as defects. I have been extremely impressed, not only with the tools but with the warranty too. I had a battery that finally gave out earlier this year, and they replaced it no questions asked. Bottom line, the warranty says they will replace my batteries for free as long as I live. The warranty also includes all other kinds of ordinary wear and tear --- even the light bulbs on the flashlight!

Note that this is not the normal Ridgid warranty; but they do offer it from time to time as a promotion. If you can pick ujp a drill when they are offering it, it's a fantastic deal.

Don, I've heard these are pretty much indestructable. Bit changes can be
a little slow, but the convenience and price more than make up for it as
far as cordlesses go.

James Orr38977.7671759259

Another vote for the Ridgid, I've been very happy with mine. I did just have a battery go out, glad to hear getting a replacement won't be a hassle. I bought mine around the same time when they were offering the lifetime warranty promotion on Ridgid tools.

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Jonathan Kendall, Siloam Springs AR

Yeah, i'm with James, i got 2 of those!

I have 5 guys in my shop and between us we have or have had just about every cordless made. The general consensus is the panasonic is about as good as you'rs going to get. The number one item to look for is a lithium-ion battery, pricey but well worth the cost. nicads have very poor memory functions and nicklemetalhidride die within a year if under heavy use.

Dean

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Dean

FESTOOL

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Dave Bland

remember...

"If it doesn't play in tune...it's just pretty wood"

DeWalt for me.

Don, I suppose you meant the subject to be "cordless" drill. Unless, of course, you're building a "chordless" guitar.

Ron

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OLD MAN formerly (and formally) known as:

Ron Wisdom

Somewhere in the middle of Arkansas......

Festool if you've got the budget- otherwise Bosch. Get the hammer one if
you're only shooting screws with it. The little 9V compact is great for finish
work (hardware assy, etc.) and the 18v will dang near take the lugnuts offa
your car.
-C

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Freeborn Guitars
and home of BeauGuard©

I second the L-ion pack! Great but pricey! You might be able to retro one into your old drill motor. Save the money and apply it to the pack! A Win/Win!!

Billy Dean Thomas

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Billy Dean Thomas
Covina, CA

"Multi famam, conscientiam, pauci verentur."
(Many fear their reputation, few their conscience)

Don,
If money is no object the festool is the best in my opinion.
Their new 12 volt is awseome.
I also have the Panasonic 12 volt and 15.6 volt which is equal in power to most 18 volt but weighs much less.Brad Goodman38978.4042476852

Well, I looked at those Festools, and as nice as they are, I can't justify the cost of them. They don't fit in the hand as nicely as I thought they would either.

I can't seem to find a place locally where they sell the Panasonics. What's up with that?

I really want something lighter in weight than my old DeWalt 14.4v unit. Sometimes smaller is better.

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

The Hitachi 14.4 V's are 4.0 lbs. The batteries last a real long time as well before recharging. Comsumer reports had given them an excellent review. That was my problem w/ the Dewalts, they're pretty heavy! http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=010&item=20 0027494664&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1

Don,

The Panasonic hammer drill I refer to is very small. Much smaller than any
other drill that I have. And again, unless some of these competitive drills
have a similar electronic torque control, with a snug up feature, they won't
compare.

And, of course, no offense to anyone who likes the other drills... I'm just
telling Don that I'm not aware of anything that works as well as this new
electronic Panasonic. It really is a revolution in how to drive a screw into
wood. I have the Festool ROS 150 and it is a great tool, so I have no doubt
that a Festool drill is the next best drill.

Cameron,

Why a hammer drill? I think of those for drilling into concrete or something similar...

Please educate us...thanks.

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."