Drill recommendation

[1mrchristopher]

Bill, the one place that I really like using cordless over corded is on metal doors. I use the clutched screwdriver setting so that if the hole saw catches, it does not jump or try to rip my arms off. My trusty old Makita corded drill will go through anything I put it to, but if the bit can't spin, then my wrist is going to! Is your cordless lithium polymer or NiCad batteries? I'm going on a year now with my deWalt 20V Lithium, and the batteries have not shown any signs of age at all.

[billdeserthills]

Well the last bunch of doors I have drilled through were almost all wood, if You want to drill through
metal fast You need sharp hole saws. I agree about the ripping off of the arm, My old harbor freight
triple reduction drive drill grabbed some metal and smacked so hard in the head my glasses flew off!

My DeWalt model 239 has a fore grip and won't smack You, it was under $100 when I bought it 15 years ago
and I like using it to drill safes with as well. I don't use it more than a couple times a month.

[CMS_SAFECRAKR1]

Dewalt 20volt Brushless.... battery seems to last forever.....drill several holes in a composite burglar safe after customer attempted to open themselves (long story); battery was still energetic...(no pun intended). Cant wait to replace the rest of the 18 volt with the 20 volt tools!

[DavePaulson]

I have a Milwaukee !8 volt fuel it's worked great for two years, they are coming out with the 2nd gen now so you can get the drill and impact driver kit at Acme tool for $249 so I just bought another one. I do rental maintenance/remodeling and I use the hell out of them. It has a hammer function as well.

Dave

[Mike Bosdet]

As far as drivers (as opposed to drills), I have fallen in love with my Bosch PS40-2 impact driver. It's noisy, but it appears to be able to drive anything through anything. And the battery lasts a looong time.

[femurat]

As far as drivers (as opposed to drills), I have fallen in love with my Bosch PS40-2 impact driver. It's noisy, but it appears to be able to drive anything through anything. And the battery lasts a looong time.

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[mastersmith]

I have used many, DeWalt 18V, Milwaukee 18V, Craftsman 19.2, Bosch 18V and some brands that aren't worth a mention. Nothing holds a candle to Hilti. Hands down the best I've seen. There is a reason that these tools are the choice of heavy construction. If you get a chance to try one you will be a convert.

[Dyonzi]

I’m super happy with my dewalt with hammer feature.

[petemoss]

While this thread is probably more geared toward what is the best bang for the buck in a drill for locksmithing use. However, if we are just talking about our favorites, then I will throw my favorites in there too. As a guy who has drilled my share of holes in concrete with various brands, I can totally agree that a corded Hilti is the most awesome hammer drill I have ever used. As far as non-hammer battery powered drills, I am a Festool fan. They are stupid nice as well as stupid expensive.

[Richface109]

If you can afford it, the Milwaukee Fuel hammer drill has served me very well.

[Raymond]

Several years ago we traded in our old DeWalt cordless drills for 18v Hiltis. These have been the best drill I have ever used. They have the normal clutch, three speeds, and hammer setting. I even use them with my Strong Arm drill rig. The 18v drill works the same with a 20v battery. The batteries charge faster than I run the next one down. My only problem with them is that I have to bring then inside during cold weather. The batteries will not run at all if left in the van overnight.

[GWiens2001]

Several years ago we traded in our old DeWalt cordless drills for 18v Hiltis. These have been the best drill I have ever used. They have the normal clutch, three speeds, and hammer setting. I even use them with my Strong Arm drill rig. The 18v drill works the same with a 20v battery. The batteries charge faster than I run the next one down. My only problem with them is that I have to bring then inside during cold weather. The batteries will not run at all if left in the van overnight.

Serious question, Raymond... what do you consider to be cold weather for the Hilti batteries?

Gorodn

[femurat]

I was wondering the same. How cold can the Far West Texas be?

Cheers

[Raymond]

Oh Yeah! It will be about 38F when I start to notice the lack of power. I don't think it has ever hit 0 here. If it is cold enough to use the van heater I bring the batteries up front in front of a vent. It was 108 last week and I was working in the back of the van rekeying. I did open both doors. But when it gets cold I admit I am incapable of working competently. I sincerely acknowledge and admire the ability to work in a lot of the colder parts of the country. I take my hat off to you.

[femurat]

I'm more impressed by people able to work in hot environments rather than in cold ones. But that's just because where I live temperature rarely goes below 0°C (32°F) but often goes over 38°C (100°F).

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