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I had posted this in another forum and was advised to try it in this forum as well.
I am looking to purchase an 18v cordless drill and was looking for some opinions from the forum. I am looking for all I can get with the least amount of expense. The Dewalt drills look good. I was also looking at the Makita BDFA452HW drill. It is very light weight and charges in 15 minutes. Does anyone have one of these and if so how do you like it?
Thanks for any an all replies.

Tom,

We've got a Makita at work, not sure of the model number, it works OK not the torquer my Dewalt is, but not bad.

depending on what you want to do the drill you may want to look at Ridgid. I just bought a miter saw from them and was reading the lifetime warranty paperwork and remember something about lifetime warranty on the rechargeable batteries. if that's true you will save in the long run.

Gary

You have a good point about the lifetime battery. I think Home Depot sells Ridgid tools?... thanks

I'm a building contractor and we have been through lots of tools over the years. We've been very happy with Bosch tools and several guys on the crew have the 18 volt drill. I gave up on Dewalt a couple of years ago they spent more time being repaired than on the job it seemed. Makita and Hitachi have also been dependable. A lot of these 18 volt drills have a hammer setting which I doubt would be handy working on a truck but is great with concrete, stucco etc.
So many of the tools coming out these days are made to be thrown out when they breakdown instead of being repaired, it's depressing. Martin

I do a fair amount of carpentry and repair work around my house, but nowhere near the amount a construction worker would. I have all DeWalt tools and I've never had a problem with any of them.

Regardless of what drill you get, buy an extra battery. When you're working on something and making progress even 15 minutes is an eternity.

I purchased a Dewalt 18 volt drill a couple of yrs. ago.It has worked very well for me and the batteries stay charged for a long time.I had a 14 volt Craftsman prior to that,and there is no comparison between the two.I am not telling you to buy a Dewalt,just that my experience with them has been very good.

Bought a Craftsman last year, Power up the A but battery will die half the way thru most jobs.

I've had 4 Craftsman 19.2v. The trigger seems to be flaky as one has failed, and one going bad.

Larry

I don't believe that Craftsman guarantees any of their power tools They wouldn't take back a 4in disc grinder for me.

You would never guess it, but the Panasonic drills are awesome. I did a lot of research before I bought my last cordless drill and am very happy that I got a Panasonic. It has so much torque it can break your wrist (well maybe sprain very badly) if you're not careful. Very solid construction, good battery life, etc.

I'm still using the Makita 9.6V drill I got from Costco 8 years ago, it just won't die. I have two battery packs, and they are the original ones. I've dropped it off ladders, left it out in the rain, used it to stir paint, lugged it with a hole saw until it overheated, and built several decks and walls with it. It doesn't have as much torque or battery life as one of the new higher voltage ones but it has been so dependable and tough that I can't bring myself to replace it.

As a high school ag teacher I've had the following in my shop (14.4v Dewalt, 18v Dewalt, and 19.2v Craftsman). We've got two of each. The Dewalts lasted for about 6-8? years before we started smelling them burn and one of the 18's has a bad trigger. We've gone through a few batteries though. The originals lasted about 4-5 yrs. The new style Dewalt batteries seem to last quite a bit longer than the old style. The 19.2 Craftsmans are starting their 2nd or 3rd year without any trouble from the drill or battery. I'm fairly pleased with the battery life of the Craftsman. Maybe not as long a life as the new Dewalt batteries.

The 14.4v didn't have enough power for my money, but the 18 and 19.2's are strong. Overall I might prefer the 18v Dewalt, but the price on Craftsman is hard to beat. We'll see if they last as long as the Dewalts. So far so good.

*We are a small high school, but our tools get used by the agri. dept. and the construction tech. dept, so they see a good bit of use/abuse.*

I got an el cheapo PowerMax from Canadian Tire about 8 years ago and its pretty good. It has a LOT of torque, and a charge lasts a couple of days with a lot of use. However the batterys are only good for about 2 years before I need to replace them.

I bougght a Porter Cable and like it better than my Dewalt or Makita. Its tough as heck.

Correct me if I am wrong,but it is usually just as expensive to buy new batteries,as it is to replace the entire drill.I have had two Craftsmans,the first one lasted several years,and did a respectable job. The second one was not worth bringing home.It was a 14.4 volt,and after drilling a couple of 1/4 inch holes in hardwood the battery was dead.When I priced new batteries, they were more expensive than a new drill with batteries and charger. I finally went to a Dewalt 18 volt drill that is working out very good in my woodshop.I can use it for a couple of hours then leave it in the shop for 2 or 3 weeks ,pick it up and it still has planty of power.I know several people who swear by Craftsman,but that was my experience with them. I will never buy another Craftsman.

most of the larger Milwaukee's have ball bearings shafts

http://www.milwaukeeconnect.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/category_27_40028_-1_192142_192137

buy what will last a lifetime

carolines truck,yes,definitly,Milwaukee is top of the line stuff,and very pricey. Of course for a professional the extra cost is worth it.I have found that Porter Cable,and Dewalt is pretty darn good stuff for the average guy.Especially in the woodworking field. I have noticed over the years,that most professional carpenters use Milwaukee.When I bought my last Circular saw I looked at two different saws for the same price.One was a Milwaukee the other was a Porter Cable.I chose the Porter Cable because I like the feel of it.

i have never used a cordless drill motor i liked as much as my corded milwaukee. just get a long extension cord.

Would like to hear what anyone knows about battery construction, It seems to be that all depends on how good the battery is. I know there are many different types.

Somewhere online, there is an article on how to rebuild those battery packs. Can't remember where I saw it, but it was a money saver and you could put a better battery in!

Got to go with Dale on this. I have mostly Porter Cable stuff and use a P/C drill with a long cord for everything from drilling large holes with a hole saw to installing cabinet hinges. Also have belt sanders and a reciprocating saw from P/C. I also use a Skill worm drive that is absoutely the best.

In many tool stores you can get a good deal on reconditioned tools with a factory warranty if you keep your eyes open on what they have.

The new Dewalt stuff is coming out with A123 batteries that do not have the dangerous construction of previous lithium ion batteries. They have a very long expected life and should be a jump ahead of previous technology. Google A123 batteries. I have a friend who is working on an electric vehicle project using them. They are expensive but otherwise the best thing yet.

I have had good luck with my 12 volt Hitachi's (I have 2) one is about 8 years old, and the other is 6. Although, I am in need of new batteries. The set with the first one died about 2 years ago, and now my other set is starting to get weak.
I did see an ad online about a place to get them (batteries) rebuilt, I may check it out.

John