Best drill/driver set Not named Festool

[WarnerConstCo.]

I have had to finish numerous fasteners with my c12 or pdc quadrive that mg 18v brushless makita impact couldn't send home. 

I hate impact drivers, noisy for nothing most of the time.

 

[Linbro]

Just another note of caution with Metabo, their range is mixed with very good and not so good products ... so don't buy Metabo blindly.

I agree, but you could say that about all tool manufacturers.

 

[Kev]

Just another note of caution with Metabo, their range is mixed with very good and not so good products ... so don't buy Metabo blindly.

I agree, but you could say that about all tool manufacturers.

Disagree, some are just all bad [wink]

 

[Linbro]

You've got that right!

 

[Cheese]

I have 3 issues with my CXS:
1. The top speed of the drill is too slow for drilling small diameter holes, top speed should be in the 1500-1700 range.
2. It's not brushless.
3. The standard 2.6Ah batteries don't last very long.

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

I have 3 issues with my CXS:
1. The top speed of the drill is too slow for drilling small diameter holes, top speed should be in the 1500-1700 range.
2. It's not brushless.
3. The standard 2.6Ah batteries don't last very long.

It's a compact drill.  Not sure i would pay more to get brushless.

I have drilled 1000's of 1/8" holes in ipe.

Battery's charge fast, never had to wait on one to charge because one died.

 

[Cheese]

It's a compact drill.  Not sure i would pay more to get brushless.

I have drilled 1000's of 1/8" holes in ipe.

Battery's charge fast, never had to wait on one to charge because one died.

Brushless would be nice so that you'd get some longer drill time with the stock batteries. The electronic clutch like on the C 15 would also be a bonus round. I love that feature on the 15 [thumbs up]

I'm talking drill diameters in the .050" to .070" range. You have to be pretty light with the pressure because you can break a bit pretty easy.

Guess I'm just getting old and lazy, making that "outside to basement inside" trek for another battery is a PITA.

Just somethings I notice when I swap between Festool and Milwaukee.

 

[blakjak220]

I think I'm the only vote for Dewalt 20v or 12v. The 20v has the most comfortable grip I've found. In fact I bought the Milwaukee fuel 18v to replace them and ended up taking them back. Even the 20v compact drill is very light and the grip is great. Plus I actually dropped the 20v drill onto concrete slab from 12 ft up and it barely got a scratch.

 

[Tyler Ernsberger]

I think I'm the only vote for Dewalt 20v or 12v. The 20v has the most comfortable grip I've found. In fact I bought the Milwaukee fuel 18v to replace them and ended up taking them back. Even the 20v compact drill is very light and the grip is great. Plus I actually dropped the 20v drill onto concrete slab from 12 ft up and it barely got a scratch.

My only complaint with Dewalt is there service.  I have a Dewalt Service in town and I refuse to buy anything Dewalt because there service is so bad.  Not sure if its just my service center or if there service is bad everywhere. 

 

[blakjak220]

I think I'm the only vote for Dewalt 20v or 12v. The 20v has the most comfortable grip I've found. In fact I bought the Milwaukee fuel 18v to replace them and ended up taking them back. Even the 20v compact drill is very light and the grip is great. Plus I actually dropped the 20v drill onto concrete slab from 12 ft up and it barely got a scratch.

My only complaint with Dewalt is there service.  I have a Dewalt Service in town and I refuse to buy anything Dewalt because there service is so bad.  Not sure if its just my service center or if there service is bad everywhere.

Well... I've never had to have anything serviced so I can't speak to that, so the hat may be a consideration. 2 years of heavy homeowner use and some abuse and a drill, impact, circ saw and recip saw are still going strong. And the battery life is great too. Other than Festool I don't that I've ever had stellar service from a tool company.... I kind of assume that's the risk I take with a $100 drill instead of a $500 one. Plus, having tried the Milwaukee, the Dewalt is so much lighter and more comfortable that I think the possibility of bad service at some point is worth it. But again, ergonomics is pretty subjective.

 

[demographic]

Just to buck the trend personally I would avoid Milwaukee like the plague, I don't know about the brushless (Fuel) drill drivers yet but there's quite a few people I know who bought the older (brushed) ones a while ago and the motors have been burning out on piece. Lots of runout on the chucks as well.

That's site carpenters so they have had a good bit of use but personally I rate De-Walt as being a lot better...

I currently have Hitachi and am looking at getting some Metabo stuff next.

 

[Holmz]

This is why some shoot out is useful.
I am not how much runout matters, but torque, noise, runout, etc can be measured... while ergonomics and other qualitative are subjective.
(1/2 the people basically justify what they have.)

I would not be surprised if the best was not FT as there has been a lot of progress lately.

 

[Tyler Ernsberger]

Just to buck the trend personally I would avoid Milwaukee like the plague, I don't know about the brushless (Fuel) drill drivers yet but there's quite a few people I know who bought the older (brushed) ones a while ago and the motors have been burning out on piece. Lots of runout on the chucks as well.

That's site carpenters so they have had a good bit of use but personally I rate De-Walt as being a lot better...

I currently have Hitachi and am looking at getting some Metabo stuff next.

I have the Milwaukee M18 non brushless and thats the one that Ive had the most trouble with.  I had two Milwaukee drills before that one and they were awesome.  They held up great until the batteries died and it was cheaper to get a new drill than buy replacement batteries.    I really feel Milwaukee has cheapened there drills.

 

[demographic]

I have the Milwaukee M18 non brushless and thats the one that Ive had the most trouble with.  I had two Milwaukee drills before that one and they were awesome.  They held up great until the batteries died and it was cheaper to get a new drill than buy replacement batteries.    I really feel Milwaukee has cheapened there drills.

Yeah, those are the ones that have been very poor quality.
A local tool company was selling them on special offer and the buyer from a fairly big company I subcontract to bought a load of them for the workers, plus several of the subbies I work with bought them. From the start lots had bad runout wt the chuck.
Fast forward a few months and lots of people were having problems with them.
Motors burning out when drilling out for mortice locks mostly, this is about the hardest that site carpenters drill have to work admittedly and it is a fair test for them.
One lad I know was on his third motor a while ago, that's during the guarantee period.

Consequently I would avoid them like the plague.

 

[Tyler Ernsberger]

I have the Milwaukee M18 non brushless and thats the one that Ive had the most trouble with.  I had two Milwaukee drills before that one and they were awesome.  They held up great until the batteries died and it was cheaper to get a new drill than buy replacement batteries.    I really feel Milwaukee has cheapened there drills.

Yeah, those are the ones that have been very poor quality.
A local tool company was selling them on special offer and the buyer from a fairly big company I subcontract to bought a load of them for the workers, plus several of the subbies I work with bought them. From the start lots had bad runout wt the chuck.
Fast forward a few months and lots of people were having problems with them.
Motors burning out when drilling out for mortice locks mostly, this is about the hardest that site carpenters drill have to work admittedly and it is a fair test for them.
One lad I know was on his third motor a while ago, that's during the guarantee period.

Consequently I would avoid them like the plague.

I bought the kit with the hammer drill, impact, sawzall, and light.  Everything but the light has broke. 

 

[Hurricane Whisperer]

If you are a tradesman who must install in the field, battery drill drivers offer clear benefits.

But if you work in a shop, battery driven drills and drivers are made excessively clunky by the battery.

Air drills and drivers are much better suited since the battery never goes dead and they last forever.  They are also extremely compact and the ergonomics are excellent.  They also feature adequate speed for drilling small holes and the torque charateristics are such that they sink a hole without being torqued out of alignment.  Air drills and drivers are also less likely to twist your arm off as they develop plenty of power when spinning at high speed but lower torque when spinning slow.

It's hard to explain, but air drills, air drivers, air impacts are a joy to use in the shop.

Sioux tools makes excellent products and the prices are great at Brown Tools and several other aviation tooling suppliers.

You can get 2800 rpm, 1 hp drills for pilot holes.  And you can get 800 rpm drills for slower speed applications.

 

[Kev]

If you are a tradesman who must install in the field, battery drill drivers offer clear benefits.

But if you work in a shop, battery driven drills and drivers are made excessively clunky by the battery.

Air drills and drivers are much better suited since the battery never goes dead and they last forever.  They are also extremely compact and the ergonomics are excellent.  They also feature adequate speed for drilling small holes and the torque charateristics are such that they sink a hole without being torqued out of alignment.  Air drills and drivers are also less likely to twist your arm off as they develop plenty of power when spinning at high speed but lower torque when spinning slow.

It's hard to explain, but air drills, air drivers, air impacts are a joy to use in the shop.

Sioux tools makes excellent products and the prices are great at Brown Tools and several other aviation tooling suppliers.

You can get 2800 rpm, 1 hp drills for pilot holes.  And you can get 800 rpm drills for slower speed applications.

To be honest, swapping the "tethered to a power cord" for "tethered to an air hose" (plus the noise of a compressor) isn't a step forward in my eyes. Yes, some battery tools are bulky and clunky - but that's not the trend. For example, compact and powerful cordless impact drivers are a well established field - offering fine trigger control too with the better brands.

Air tools do have their place in my eyes, but I feel your shop has to be specifically set up for them, otherwise it's painful. Such as a dentist [wink]

So all up, I do use and see value in air tools - but I don't agree with cordless tools being "excessively clunky" unless you're talking about cordless tools from 20 years ago!

 

[treesner]

After a lot of research I went with the m12 fuel 1/2 drill/driver. And I'm glad I did. It's light weight and plenty of power for an all around drill