Is everything made by Milwaukee decent? I was looking at two at the big orange store- one was about $100 and had a keyed chuck and a hammer function, one was just a regular drill with a keyless chuck for $70.00 Wondering if these are way too much for an average person or if it’s where decent starts or is not there yet
Most of my power tools are Makita, Porter-Cable and Bosch. I do not own any Milwaukee tools so I cannot endorse them but I certainly won’t advise against them. Whenever there are ratings, Milwaukee seems to rank high. A lot of professionals use them.
For a corded drill $70 to $100 is probably a good tool. For a cordless drill that is on the light side. If you go cordless I would advise against getting anything that is less than 18 volts and doesn’t have lithium batteries. Lithium batteries are expensive but Ni-Cads don’t hold a charge over time. For general use get a drill with a 3/8" chuck. Don’t get a 1/4" drill.
How come you cannot buy drills with square-ground shanks? These never slip in the chuck-I used to see them (rarely), but no more.
And, BTW, forget Chinese-made drills-most of them are junk-I had one shatter while drilling a hole in pressure-treated wood. Buy used ones and sharpen them-an American-made bit from 30 years ago is far better than the junk from China.
Drill chucks all have three “grippers”. How would you center a square shanked drill?
Who knew drills could become an addiction? I now have a 7 amp Ryobi and an 18 amp B&D. Then there’s the drill press, a corded Makita, and now a Delta hammer drill. The oldest drill I have is a corded B&D. As you can guess, it was a gift. Always give the first one for free … they’ll never see it coming.
I’ve never had an issue with keyed or keyless chucks. But then again, when I’ve gone into heavier things I tend to use the more powerful–and keyed–drills.
Another factor that could make a difference is the sharpness of your bit. If it’s dull, it’ll take a lot more work to make it through your material.
The chuck on my Bosch rotary hammer will never slip. They use what’s called an SDS system where the bit and Chuck have matching splines machined in. The only way it can slip is if metal shears. I believe other manufacturers use the same system.
I used to swear by Milwaukee and Porter Cable. Both have slipped in quality, Milwaukee a little bit and PC a LOT.
I recently bought the new LXT Makita brushless drill and impact driver. I love them so much I bought the 1/2" impact gun as well. I should have gotten the 3/8 as the half is almost too much for even lug nuts.
Don’t have any problem at all with keyless chucks. I just keep two good sized channel-locks handy, and use these for tightening. I guarantee a chuck won’t come loose after that kind of treatment!
I swear by Milwaukee. I use my 18V hammer drill almost everyday. It stands up to everything I’ve thrown at it. I can’t even remember the last time I had to pull out my corded 1/2" heavy duty drill.
DeWalt used to be the standard brand on every jobsite. But they haven’t kept up with technology and are now playing catch-up to Milwaukee and Bosch.
Makita used to be the low end of commercial grade power tools but have really stepped up their game. They make some very nice specialty tools that I can’t work without. Like their 5" disk sander, 1 1/8 X 21in. belt sander and a 3" circular saw that accepts a diamond blade for notching glass. I would like to see them update the 3" saw to their new battery tech instead of those old 7V long charge batteries from the '80’s.
One other tip for buying a drill.
Narrow your choices down to two or three drills based on your needs. Then, see how they feel in your hand. Drills have different grips and different centers of gravity. Hold the drill out at different angles. Maybe have the salesman help you. Close your eyes and have him hand you the different drills.
This exercise is particularly important for cordless drills. Because of battery placement and configuration the feel of the drills can be very different. Tools are an extension of the hand. You want the tool to feel like an extension, not a weight hanging off the end of your arm. That doesn’t mean going for the lightest tool, just the most easily handled.
I have a mix of power tools with no brand loyalties. My 10" dual bevel slide compound miter saw is a Bosch, corded/ keyed drill is Makita, plunge router is Porter Cable, orbital sander and right angle drill are Dewalt, cordless drill is Milwaukee.
Take a good look at Milwaukee’s newest cordless drill that uses a brushless motor for big torque, greater efficiency and longer life. Brushless motors are The Way. Milwaukee cordless drills have a fantastic keyless chuck as well as an excellent selector ring on the clutch (drill, screw, hammer). The only thing i don’t like about the Milwaukee are the chunky batteries and how they mount to the tool. Most other brands are better in this regard.
Old braces often used a two jaw chuck that had vee grooves in the jaw. The bits had a tapered square drive shank.
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These days some bits come with 3 flats ground on the shank, or a hex shaped shank that works well with 3 jaw chucks.
When older keyed chucks get worn, it is helpful to tighten them using all three holes. The parts wobble eccentric, and you can get them a little tighter by working around all the holes.
I have a modern high-quality drill that instructs to always do this.