Cordless drill questions

[56FordGuy]

I'm getting ready to replace my 14 volt Makita cordless drill. I'm considering two 18 volt Makitas, the LCT (the white one) and the LXT (the green one). I'm also considering the DeWalt 20 volt Max.

All 3 are 1/2" drive, and the kits I'm looking at include the drill, two lithium batteries, a 1/4" drive impact, and a charger.

The LCT is the least expensive, on sale at Home Depot for $229.00. The LXT seems to have the best warranty with 3 years for both the tool and batteries. The DeWalt has the highest RPM and torque numbers. Both the LXT and DeWalt have 30 minute chargers, the LCT is a 15. That concerns me slightly because I suspect it's harder on long term battery life. The LXT has a 3 year warranty that covers the batteries, where the LCT is only one. The LCT can accept LXT batteries, though.

Any opinions would be great. I have an old Makita that has served well, but the batteries no longer hold a charge and I have some Home Depot gift cards to use. :thumbsup:

 

[deereman75]

Incase you didnt know, you can still get replacement batteries for almost any makita drill. My dad has a 7.2 volt one, that is probably 20 years old. It has had the batteries replaced many times. Even for a drill that old, they still had the batteries right on the shelf at home depot. If I was getting a new cordless drill, it would be either a makita or milwaukee. We just got a new 12 volt lithium ion makita drill, impact driver, and radio. They are very good.

 

[Bird]

Incase you didnt know, you can still get replacement batteries for almost any makita drill. My dad has a 7.2 volt one, that is probably 20 years old. It has had the batteries replaced many times. Even for a drill that old, they still had the batteries right on the shelf at home depot. If I was getting a new cordless drill, it would be either a makita or milwaukee. We just got a new 12 volt lithium ion makita drill, impact driver, and radio. They are very good.

I was given a 7.2 volt Makita in the carrying case with battery charger 10 years ago; have no idea how old it was, but knowing the previous owner, I'm sure it was used very little. However, the battery was dead and beyond reviving. I bought a new battery, found the drill worked fine, so I bought a second battery. Both still work just fine. I was recently in a Batteries Plus store and just happened to notice they had those 7.2 volt batteres, also.

 

[56FordGuy]

Incase you didnt know, you can still get replacement batteries for almost any makita drill.

I thought about that, but my drill is only a 3/8" chuck and I'd like to step up to a 1/2". Something that's physically smaller/ lighter would be nice as well, so that's why I'm considering just buying new stuff instead of trying to repair this one. I figure this kit has given me almost 10 years of service, I've gotten my money's worth out of it.

 

[grsthegreat]

Home depot has a sale on 18v 1/2" dewalt drills for $99.00

If i already didnt have 4 drill kits....18 and 28 volt units, id get one or 2 of them

18-Volt Compact Drill/Driver Kit-DC970K-2 at The Home Depot

 

[Dutch445]

I just bought the 6 piece Makita 18V setup, came with 1/2" drill, 1/4" driver, circular saw, 4 1/2" grinder, sawzall, and flashlight.
(green ones)
I have to admit I love them so far.
I used the 1/4 driver to do some small jobs, and even tried
it changing tires on my truck , and i could remove the lug nuts
and the tighten them enough to just final torque with the
torque wrench. 1/4 inch drive!
I want to buy their 1/2 inch impact wrench, they have one
up to 325 ft lbs or so that looks like something i need!
but so far so good
i think the "bag" that they came in isn't all that great,
may need to exchange cuz the zipper doesn't seem all that
great, but so far i love the setup.
I loaned my 7 1/4 circ saw to my son, so it's great having a small
one that's easy to use, and I never owned a grinder or sawzall, and
have used both so far. Can't find any fault.
The first job with the grinder was cutting some 1/4" plate steel,
approx 24", and it took 2 full batteries, but the darn thing did it.
All I will need for sure.
good luck

 

[56FordGuy]

I'm leaning toward the Makita LXT kit. According to the online reviews, battery life is supposed to be much better than the white one. It also has the most tool options, eventually I would like to get a cordless grinder and another impact wrench.

Dutch445, about how long do your batteries last under steady use? Does the grinder get overloaded easily?

 

[beppington]

Are these $229+ cordless drills really that much better than the $79 Ryobi 18V drill with 2 batteries, a charger & carrying case?

You can buy 3 drills, 6 batteries & 3 chargers for about the same price as one $229 drill :confused3:

Enter 338116 into homedepot.com's search. That's the SKU for it.

 

[KubotainNH]

Go look at the drills, you want one that fits your hand well. I have a Milwaukee that I really like, it's my 2nd one. I still have the 1st one I got when my 18 year old was a baby and it still works just not as comfy as the newer one. You may want to look into Ridgid, they have a lifetime warranty but not sure how good it is though. Bird mentioned Batteries Plus, they can rebuild battery packs. They rebuilt my old unit. Any of the big names will do the work you want, comfort is the key in my book. I would like one of those small impact drivers though.

One last thought for you if you buy a new unit, modify the old one so you can attach it to a cigarette lighter or with battery clamps. It would make for a good backup especially if you have a portable jump starter to plug it into.

 

[56FordGuy]

One last thought for you if you buy a new unit, modify the old one so you can attach it to a cigarette lighter or with battery clamps. It would make for a good backup especially if you have a portable jump starter to plug it into.

I was just talking about that with a guy at work today. Doesn't seem like it would be too hard to turn an old battery pack into a dummy leading to some long cables.

 

[beppington]

One last thought for you if you buy a new unit, modify the old one so you can attach it to a cigarette lighter or with battery clamps. It would make for a good backup especially if you have a portable jump starter to plug it into.

I like that idea - How would you accomplish the 12V -> 18V transformation?

 

[56FordGuy]

Are these $229+ cordless drills really that much better than the $79 Ryobi 18V drill with 2 batteries, a charger & carrying case?

You can buy 3 drills, 6 batteries & 3 chargers for about the same price as one $229 drill :confused3:

I actually have an old 18 volt Ryobi kit, now with bad batteries. It's a good drill, if you want to drill holes or drive screws. Compared to the models I'm looking at, it's fairly heavy and pretty long. It's physically impossible to fit the Ryobi into some places on equipment that I work on in order to drill a hole. If the drill won't fit where I need it, then the price just doesn't matter.

The new drills are lighter, faster, and more comfortable. To some folks, that's worth the extra cost.

 

[56FordGuy]

I like that idea - How would you accomplish the 12V -> 18V transformation?

I wonder how the tools would operate on low voltage? We've run 12 volt DC motors on various voltages, from 6 to 48. It will physically operate, but for how long? In my case, running a 14 volt tool on 12 volts is only a 2 volt drop, I wouldn't be surprised if the factory batteries drop that much under a load.

In particular working on forklifts, I can simply use alligator clips to connect to the forklift battery and get whatever voltage I need.

 

[EddieWalker]

I'm a contractor and I used my tools every day. I'm abusive on them, and I work them pretty hard all year long, year after year.

I started out with DeWalt and have found them to be affordable, easy to find, and totally dissapointing. I've come to think of them as a middle of the line, home hobby brand. Fine for a weekend project, but not what I'd want to rely on to make a living.

I've only found two brands that consistantly impress me. Bosch and Makita.

Eddie

 

[dstig1]

The only difference that I know of between the 2 Makitas you are looking at is the color and the battery capacity. The white one is 1.5 Amp-Hours and the blue is 3.0 AH. They are the same otherwise and you can interchange the batteries (for the most part - some of the heavy draw blue tools won't accept the small battery, I think). So double the run time for the blues.

 

[dntfxr]

I use drills everyday at work and I have had issues with Dewalts, porter cables, and makitas. Dewalt probably the most. I haven't owned a Milwaukee, but they are supposed to be real good. I would have never believed it, but the new craftsman 19.2v drills are very good. I have run them exclusively for the last 5-6 years and have only had one bad battery ( the older thick one). The new lithium ion batts are light and I've not had one hiccup. Best part is the craftsman are comparatively inexpensive and you can upgrade to the extended in store replacent warranty for just a few bux more.

Ridgid might be worth a look too. I don't have their drill, but the cordless nailer I have had a bad battery, HD replaced it free of charge even though I'd owned it for a year and had no receipt.

 

[grsthegreat]

I have a 12 YO Dewalt that i still use. My Milwaykee 28V is powerfull, but very heavy. Man do they last though.

 

[Soundguy]

Are these $229+ cordless drills really that much better than the $79 Ryobi 18V drill with 2 batteries, a charger & carrying case?

You can buy 3 drills, 6 batteries & 3 chargers for about the same price as one $229 drill :confused3:

Enter 338116 into homedepot.com's search. That's the SKU for it.

i got a kit at harbor freight.. cordless drill and led lamp, bat and charger.. 12.99 with regular ( non 20% ) coupon.

thing works great.. so good I bought a 2nd set for the house.. heck.. the spare bats cost 75% as much as the kit.. I maybuy a 3rd kit just for the bat...

 

[KubotainNH]

i got a kit at harbor freight.. cordless drill and led lamp, bat and charger.. 12.99 with regular ( non 20% ) coupon.

thing works great.. so good I bought a 2nd set for the house.. heck.. the spare bats cost 75% as much as the kit.. I maybuy a 3rd kit just for the bat...

Hmm, sounds like the set my FIL bought a bit over a year ago. It is now dead and beyond warranty. Appears it's not charging properly, something to add to my repair list.

 

[KubotainNH]

I was just talking about that with a guy at work today. Doesn't seem like it would be too hard to turn an old battery pack into a dummy leading to some long cables.

Exactly. You can leave the batteries in for weight balance if you want just disconnect the cells and run similar gauge wire out a hole in the bottom. I've connected my 14.4v cheapo Ryobi to a 12V battery and it runs as fast as the battery I have which I'm sure is tired because it doesn't last long. One thing I would recommend is adding a fuse inline so you don't burn out anything. Also, be careful plugging into a car cigarette adapter because nowadays they have smallish fuses in them so you could blow the fuse if you bog the drill down. The lower voltage is not a big deal it will just go slower at max speed but should have gobs of torque. My 1st thought was to do this for my popup camper so I could quickly put down the jacks without bringing my good drill but it would be useful in many places seeing I have a portable jump starter.