The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Tool Chest When it is time to throw the dang thing away

I have had a favorite Makita cordless drill for about 4 years. It has always worked well and batteries hold a good charge etc. It took a dive off of the rafters of my shop onto the concrete floor about 3 months ago so I thought I would pick up another on ebay and fix mine (the plastic case cracked in half).

Well, the ebay drill worked ok except you couldn't lock the slip clutch in the "drill" position. It always slipped when you tried to drive a long screw home.

So today I am going to swap out the guts between the two drills. First thing I figure out that has to come off is the drill chuck. I broke a ball end allen head off in the socket head cap screw. I tried to get it out for a couple of hours!!! I even tried to weld a wire to the small part using the battery charger only to fry the dang battery charger!!! :mad: :mad: :mad:

So, I try taking apart the ebay drill instead and bend not one, but TWO allen wrenches trying to get the chuck off that drill. I grab one of my really high end bondhaus allen wrenches and snap the ball off that one too!!! :mad: :mad:

I am going to throw in the junk box - during lunch on Monday I am buying a brand new cordless drill - anybody have any recommendations on what is the best one to buy now? :o

I've had far better results with my DeWalt than I ever did with a Makita. But my Dewalt is now 7 years old, so I can't use it as a comparison. One guy that I know is sold on Milwaukee. I think they are the king of the hill right now, and have always been a brand that you couldn't go wrong with.

Ken: My Makita fell off of ladder, about 9ft. black taped everything, still using it every day. Our shop at work uses Makita battery tools only but all our electric tools our Milwaukee used hard and often. popcorn The Truth is Out There (Your budget)

Yeah popcorn - I did the superglue and black tape thing, but it broke the entire battery section off at the trigger location. The electrical clips that make contact with the battery were intermittant and the stress when drilling / screwing is at a maximum at this location and none of the patchtogethers held for more than a few weeks and each one would get worse.

I have a buddy that has been using his dewalt along side me with my makita during all the drywall installation and screwing flooring down upstairs, etc. Seems like a decent rig. Anybody actually used a Milwaukee cordless?

Ken: I forgot my partner in our small business has a DeWalt good outfit I gues it's what ya start with. Grainger prices 1/2 14.4 Volt Milwaukee Torque 350 $200.00 Dewalt Torque 400 $220.00 Bosch Torque 400 $199.00. Sears Torque 330 $229.00 popcorn The Truth is Out There (Milwaukee)

Ken, I have three DeWalt Cordless Drills that have taken headers on a few ladders.. Still going strong..

When my cordless falls off the ladder I usually catch it with my head.

I'll have to try that Tony as it is usually my big toe that catches mine!

Brian: Keep up the great work, sitting here proud as the devil of people's fortitude!! The girls are beautiful and good luck. With maw's stroke at such a young age (48) I know how hard life can be to a family, but there is a cure we just don't know when. Ben The Truth is Out There (We are strong in numbers)

The new official cordless drill is a DeWalt 1/2" XRP 14.4V 400 in-lb 3-spd with 22 levels of torque control, all metal transmission and TWO Extended Run-Time batteries. I am going to tie it to a cord around my neck!

I looked at the comparable Milwaukee and the batteries were $69.00 each . . . these were only $59 a piece if I ever have to replace them. :rolleyes: On the whole it looks like it should last as long I will ever need as long as I don't drop it.

Darn, I wish I read this post earlier. I just went through the exact same thing a few months ago with my makita. I bought a new snap on drill and found out i could get the ring around the clutch of my makita. I think I spent 12 dollars total. I ordered the bolt in the center and the ring through my local tool truck. I drilled out the bolt head and it came out real easy after the bit got into it. If I remember it is reverse thread and I used a normal direction bit. I fixed it up and now have a great spare.

ysrjunkie - thanks for the belated note.

The Makita is in the junk box now - my wife was asking how much the DeWalt cost last night :rolleyes: , she then proclaimed that the Makita - if it could be fixed would become hers. . . . I'll get a decent drill bit and work on it when I finish painting the shop. Thanks for the heads-up . . . for now, I can keep working with the new drill till I have time to fix the other.