Best Power Drill Set rec

parksloperite · May 2010

Hi, I'm in the market for my first DIY power-drill set for home repairs, small jobs etc. I'm wondering, what is the classic/best quality set/brand? Is it stanley? Hitachi?

And I'm also looking for a power-drill that might have socket wrench extensions as well--does this exist?? Many thanks for recs.

modsquad · May 2010

Don't buy a drill per se. Get an impact driver. They of course do "drilling" operations, are smaller yet stronger and work best with a socket set. Hitachi, Makita are good. You can find very cheap generics, the drawbacks are the batteries, not capable of a lot of recharges. That's the difference.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impact_driver

brooklynjack · May 2010

I'd stay away from the battery operated tools unless you use it a lot. You'll find yourself waiting to recharge the batteries every time you want to use it. A 3/8" variable speed, reversing drill with keyless chuck is best for around the house DIY stuff and will easily match the power of an expensive cordless drill. I'm partial to yellow tools ( DeWalt)

brooksignal · May 2010

Cordless drills are great for simple around the house stuff, go to Lowe's or Home Depot. Great selection, good prices. I use mine very rarely and haven't had to charge it in a year, (I just checked it).

brooklyngigcenter · May 2010

IMHO, DeWalt is one of the top brands. The battery life is excellent, and with most of their drills, you get a second battery, so unless you forget to charge the second one, battery life isn't even an issue.

I also have to disagree about the impact driver. For the small tasks that you specified, a regular cordless drill should do best. Ask the sales guys at Lowes or Home Depot, when you can find them they're usually good sources of information.

Whatever you do, stay away from Black & Decker.

illig · May 2010

for DIY, i'd suggest the Craftsman C3 series that are sold at Sears... it's a pretty good set of cordless tools that all use the same battery, s you can easily swap the battery around, or keep a few charged and use them with multiple tools

they're 19V or so, so they're powerful enough for most home jobs (aside from heavy duty masonry drilling or whatever, but for that a hammer drill works best)

and unlike the previous poster, i'd suggest cordless rather than corded... running extension cords all over the place is annoying as hell in my experience

they usually have sets of the craftsman C3 tools on sale... so you can buy a drill, sawzall, rotary saw, and some useless filler (flashlight or something) for about $200

this is also a good weekend to shop as most stores have big sales

mw11215 · May 2010

i'll also give a thumbs up for dewalt, but i'd go with a hilti.

drano · June 2010

Sorry to muddy the waters, but in my (somewhat long ago) experience DeWalt doesn't quite stand up to Mikita or Milwaukee stuff. But for personal use, strictly DiY home-use jobs, the Craftsman is tough to beat. Decent and durable.

pastoralia · June 2010

I bought a Makita about 7 years ago and the rechargeable batteries are shit now with absolutely no power to drive a screw through a piece of wood. I'd go with a DeWalt or Craftsman.

henrycurtis · June 2010

Makita.

Best Power Drill Set rec

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