wiegie Posted December 14, 2006 Author Share Posted December 14, 2006 maybe I will get him this drill as payback for only getting my brother and me one bigwheel (to share) when we were 3 and 4. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh B Tool Posted December 14, 2006 Share Posted December 14, 2006 I would either go with a DeWalt or a Makita. Own and use both. Like both. Both interchangeable with their other cordless tools. And you can find deals on both brands in sets of tools, not just the drill. Use my cordless saw a bunch. 14.4 with either brand will be fine unless he plans on using it more than most and on tough applications. Nice to open a case and have everything you need right there. Impressive too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skrappy1 Posted December 14, 2006 Share Posted December 14, 2006 maybe I will get him this drill $10? How can the manufacturer's possibly make any money at that price, even if it's a total piece of garbage? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spain Posted December 14, 2006 Share Posted December 14, 2006 I leave decisions on all battery powered cylindrical gagets up to the experts: Steelbunz and Squeegibo! Front and center! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seattle LawDawg Posted December 14, 2006 Share Posted December 14, 2006 I've got 3, all have strengths but my everyday go-to cordless is my DELTA 14.4. I've got a Dewalt 18 but rarely need it. I also have a dewalt 9 which gets used even less than the Dewalt 18. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh 0ne Posted December 14, 2006 Share Posted December 14, 2006 $10? How can the manufacturer's possibly make any money at that price, even if it's a total piece of garbage? It's made in China. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Irish Doggy Posted December 14, 2006 Share Posted December 14, 2006 It's made in China. Pssst. So is everything else. Or at least all the components are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiegie Posted December 18, 2006 Author Share Posted December 18, 2006 Well, thanks to a heads-up from Kegs, I got my dad a DeWalt combo pack consisting of a DW929 Drill and a DW938 Reciprocating Saw at Lowes for $200. The tools are 18 volts with the only cons being that the drill has a 3/8" chuck (and not the 1/2" some of you recommended) and the batteries are NiCad and not NiMH. Unless some of you have some strong objections to this purchase, I think I am set. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perchoutofwater Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 Yep, got one as well. Extra battery too. Awesome battery life, nice torque settings, 2 speeds. Great unit. Don't go less than 18 volts. http://www.dewalt.com/us/products/tool_det...?productID=8780 This is the way to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Irish Doggy Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 Well, thanks to a heads-up from Kegs, I got my dad a DeWalt combo pack consisting of a DW929 Drill and a DW938 Reciprocating Saw at Lowes for $200. The tools are 18 volts with the only cons being that the drill has a 3/8" chuck (and not the 1/2" some of you recommended) and the batteries are NiCad and not NiMH. Unless some of you have some strong objections to this purchase, I think I am set. I've read and can back this up with experience that you need to be careful when buying the combo packs. Many times they make it look like a great deal, but you get the bottom-of-the-line models that don't perform very well. I don't know DeWalt models, but something to think about/check. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiegie Posted December 18, 2006 Author Share Posted December 18, 2006 I've read and can back this up with experience that you need to be careful when buying the combo packs. Many times they make it look like a great deal, but you get the bottom-of-the-line models that don't perform very well. I don't know DeWalt models, but something to think about/check. Thanks for the heads-up. I checked the customer reviews at amazon and epinions and they both had these models as being pretty highly rated. (But neither model is a new product, so I think that maybe DeWalt is trying to clear out back inventory of their old products.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perchoutofwater Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 I've read and can back this up with experience that you need to be careful when buying the combo packs. Many times they make it look like a great deal, but you get the bottom-of-the-line models that don't perform very well. I don't know DeWalt models, but something to think about/check. This is true. I would stay away from the combo units (particularly the one with the circular saw), as it is worthless. The drills are great, but my 18V DeWalt circular saw will bind up any time you try to cut something bigger tha a 1x. I've heard pretty good things about the reciprical saw though, and know that a few of my guys want me to buy them a few. They usually have the low down on this type of stuff, so you may not have problems with the reciprical saw, that I had with the circular saw. Definitley get an extra batter, and if he is really going to be using it alot, it is worth it to buy the better battery. In short, I'd almost give away my cordless circular saw, but you couldn't pry my DeWalt 18V drill out of my cold dead hands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiegie Posted December 18, 2006 Author Share Posted December 18, 2006 This is true. I would stay away from the combo units (particularly the one with the circular saw), as it is worthless. The drills are great, but my 18V DeWalt circular saw will bind up any time you try to cut something bigger tha a 1x. I've heard pretty good things about the reciprical saw though, and know that a few of my guys want me to buy them a few. They usually have the low down on this type of stuff, so you may not have problems with the reciprical saw, that I had with the circular saw. Definitley get an extra batter, and if he is really going to be using it alot, it is worth it to buy the better battery. In short, I'd almost give away my cordless circular saw, but you couldn't pry my DeWalt 18V drill out of my cold dead hands. Yep--even with no experience I just didn't see a whole lot of value in a cordless circular saw (except that maybe you wouldn't have to worry about cutting through the cord). The combo packs with flashlight also seemed sort of stupid. But I'm pretty sure that my dad would be pretty pleased to get a reciprocating saw (and since he already knows he is getting a drill, it will be nice to have him get something unexpected). (And to be honest, I don't think my dad really was looking for an expensive drill anyway--he seemed to be just looking for a basic cheapie drill for minor stuff around his house. In fact, I was talking with him on the phone on Saturday trying to figure out exactly what sort of drill he wanted and he came out and said he had seen a $250 DeWalt drill at the farming supply store and that if I bought something like that for him, he would kill me.) In any case, I really do appreciate all of the comments in this thread--before I posted it, I didn't know jacksh|t about cordless tools. (In fact, the drill I use is a 25+ year-old corded Craftsman drill that my brother-in-law threw at me as a hand-me-down about a decade ago. As I live in an apartment, this drill suits me just fine, but I will upgrade when I buy a home.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteelBunz Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 I sorta figured you didn't want to pay $250 wiegie....but I had found a nice Dewalt "combo kit". The only reason I looked at the combo kit was because they were out of the KA759 drill on it's own. True....most combo kits throw in stupid stuff.....ie. light. And they never have the exact combination you want....LOL. Besides....most combo kits come with a "carry case" that holds ALL the tools in that kit. Those tend to be HUGH and cumbersome. The one I found DID have a second useful tool though.....a Rotozip-type cutout tool and the drill most everyone recommended (the snubnose Dewalt). It was a decent price at $250. But I have to say.....I have a Craftsman 18V. The torque isn't quite as good as the Dewalt for sure. But my batteries have lasted 4 tough years and still hold an excellent charge, much to my surprise. My Dad's 14V Ryobi batteries didn't last him 2 years of similar use. Those cordless circular trim saws aren't good for too many things....but they're convenient for cutting thin sheets of luan or 1/2" plywood. But the battery HAS to be max charged and you'll only get a good 5 minutes out of it. They'll never take the place of a good corded circular saw. Anyway.....it was my first cordless purchase way back when. I'm not "unhappy" with it.....but I'd probably upgrade next time. Craftsman isn't what they used to be.....but we had a Sears card......LOL. Same phenomena as buying computers/digital equipment these days. Most everyone has one something they do well.....but they don't do everything well. Craftsman handtools are still excellent....they're corded power tools are decent. But Dewalt has the best battery technology going. So as long as you just don't buy a throwaway offbrand....you'll probably get something serviceable. With cordless, you're really buying the battery perfomance first....tool performance second. Most any of those Dewalt tools you can buy tool only for a really good price. But 2 batteries and a charger alone will cost you $150 so the initial purchase is a bit high. Best advice I can give you is to stick with the 18V if you can. Higher than that and the cordless tools get very heavy. Lower than that and a drill won't have the power you want generally. Even just doing things around the house....if you can't drive that screw home....it's worthless.....LOL. As with all battery technology....he'll have to resign himself to replacing the batteries at some point. This can be a crapshoot...but hopefully he'll get a good 3-4 years out of his first set. Sounds like you've done the homework though....Merry Christmas! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitem0nkey Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 sorry if some are repeats, i did not go threw the thread. so i did some searching, here are some that looked like they may be good deals at there price. DRILLS WITH LITHIUM-ION OR NIMH CELLS Hitachi DS18DMR around $250 Panasonic EY6432GQKW $200 DRILLS WITH NICD CELLS Bosch 33618-2G $200 Craftsman 11541 $120 Bosch 32614-2G $160 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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