I need some help selecting a cordless drill for around $100. I suffered with the off-brand cordless drill long enough. The battery died after a year of charging cycles, I’m guessing. Bought another not expecting much. Did the same. Time to step-up my game!
My birthday is coming, and the family may buy me one. I did my own, precursory search at the box stores websites and Amazon. They don’t give enough details. so I am asking for input, suggestions, links, etc.
Not to assume anything, I want a name brand cordless drill/screwdriver where I can adjust the torque. I need it to be reversible. The little light to guide me is helpful, too. I’d settle for just one rechargeable battery, but I know two is ideal. (I don’t want to add to the price.) I don’t need a carrying bag unless included around my price. Also, I have my own set of drill bits, torx, etc. I believe these should be a standard shank thickness to fit most drills. Oh, it seems many point out “two speeds” as a feature, like 150 rpm and 300 rpm. That could be nice, too.
Last, not to rule anything out: Are all national brands equal? Is spending a little more (like $140) worthwhile? Will the battery last awhile through many happy years’ charging cycles for average uses?
Feel free to rank or call-out “must have” features vs. “nice to have” features.
I don’t have the expertise to rank them, but anecdotally the distinctive yellow DeWalt cordless drills seem to be practically the de facto standard of professionals. Many years ago it was Makita, but DeWalt now seems to dominate the pro market.
Years ago I bought a Black & Decker cordless drill but a few months later saw a Ryobi that I really liked. Home Depot was kind enough to do an exchange even though I no longer had the receipt. I’ve been very happy with the Ryobi. I like the single-handed chuck where there’s a clutch that holds it steady so you can loosen and tighten it with just a simple rotation. But just based on what I see the pros using, if I were buying one today I’d seriously look at DeWalt.
I believe this is true in general. Whether they necessarily make the best cordless drills I don’t know. Whenever I see a pro use a cordless drill these days, it’s almost always the unmistakable yellow DeWalt.
I have a compact Ridgid shop-vac, and I love it! It’s much lighter than a traditional vacuum cleaner, and far more powerful and versatile. It can suck up liquids with no problem, and with the right attachment and fine-particle filter, it makes a terrific drywall sander.
This might seem odd but the 12V Bosch flexclick is one of the best frills I’ve used. I reach for this over all my 18v Makitas and even the Milwaukee.
You want the 300cfb22 version not the 140cfb.
Much more powerful.
I used it today to install over a hundred cabinet pulls drilling and screwing. Didn’t flinch and barely touched the battery. The attachments are lifesavers.
I spend a fair bit of time on commercial construction sites, and I’d say Milwaukee is probably about 60% market share in power tools, maybe higher. DeWalt next at maybe 20%, and there rest split between Makita, Hilti, and Bosch.
This will vary by locale, of course, and there’s an extent to which this is self-reinforcing. If your coworkers all run Milwaukee, you have an incentive to do so as well because you can share batteries/chargers and such, so you might live somewhere where DeWalt has the lion’s share of the market.
For non-professional use, Ryobi will be somewhat less expensive and good enough for anything but the most demanding of uses. I personally wouldn’t go any cheaper than that. Either Ryobi, or up to one of the majors - Bosch, DeWalt, Makita, or Milwaukee.
Just be aware you’re buying into a system. Every brand uses proprietary battery systems, so once you buy one brand, those batteries aren’t going to work with anything else.
DeWalt, Maikta, and Milwaukee are absolutely top-tier brands, but for professionals. I don’t know what you need it for but if you’re not planning on driving several hundred screws a day, one of those is probably overkill. Ryobi is just fine for the average homeowner and has a wide variety of other tools that all use the same battery.
I have a 20V DeWalt that is over 10 years old; I have two batteries and a charger, plus it can also use a much bigger battery that I got with a DeWalt nail gun. It has two speeds (fast for drilling, slower for driving) and adjustable torque. It has been extremely reliable for me in some real heavy duty use. Both of the batteries still take a charge very well. I’m just a DIY person not a professional carpenter. Home Depot seems to have a similar model (but I would check all the details) with one battery, charger, and bag for $99.
Probably not every day, but maybe once in a while you need that capacity. And you still want the batteries to charge reliable for a long time, and they do wear down even when you’re not using them.
In which case a Ryobi or a Ridgid will be just fine. I’ve got Ryobi batteries that are perfectly fine after a decade and hundreds of charging cycles. DeWalts and Milwaukees are fine tools, but a waste of most people’s money.
You can also get replacement batteries that aren’t necessarily from the original manufacturer. My Ryobi cordless is well over 20 years old and one of the batteries (it came with two) eventually failed. I bought a replacement from Amazon and it works just fine. I hardly use the drill any more but I needed it the other day for a quick repair job, and after sitting in the basement for over a year it had plenty of power to drill a couple of holes in sheet metal.
I bought a standard Black & Decker one some years ago and I never remember to charge it and somehow every time I dig it out of the drawer it still works!
Now I’m sure battery technology in general has come a long way since I got my Ryobi in 2006 that never seemed to hold a charge, and B&D themselves has little to do with how well their battery performs. But gosh I get so excited with that little orange drill!
I’ve lost the YouTube video but it made that point and suggested that because you’re buying into a battery system you should look at what other tools that system will power that you might want even if you’re not looking to buy other cordless tools right now.
Milwaukee is nowhere near $100. But it’s what the plumbers, floor install guys, appliance repair guys, garage door opener repair guys, and a/c techs I’ve had to our house in the last four or five years have universally used. It’s almost certainly the battery system- they were all the M18 system, which has something crazy like 100 separate tools that can use those batteries.
Ryobi is pretty solid for stuff that you’re not using professionally. I’ve got a few Ryobi tools (a compound miter saw and a jigsaw) and they’re great, if maybe not quite as solid and sturdy as the Milwaukee drill/driver set I’ve got.
Ryobi is great for general homeowner use. Their 18V series has a ton of tools and assorted devices, like drills, leaf blowers, vacuums, air inflators, and on and on. The tools aren’t the best, but they’re pretty good for the price. The lines like Dewalt and Milwaukee are mostly based around the types of tools that professionals use, like woodworkers, homebuilders, metalworkers, etc. They are better quality, but they aren’t going to have as many options for things like yard tools. If you’re budget minded, it’s probably better to go with Ryobi since they’ll have a lot of compatible tools that are budget priced and all use the same battery system.
You can save money by getting the “tool only” option. Pretty much all cordless tools will have one version with the battery/charger and one with just the tool. Once you have a battery or two, you don’t really need to get another battery with each tool.
My FIL swears by his Milwaukee, but it’s not a drill it is an impact hammer and he often uses it like a drill and nut driver. He thinks it is great and I am considering getting one. Like the OP, I too need a drill.
This is no longer the case. Dewalt and Milwaukee both have leaf blowers, string trimmers, chainsaws, etc these days.
If we’re going to talk about yard tools, it’s perhaps worth noting that Ryobi has two lines of yard tools - one 18v set which shares batteries with its broader power tool line, and one 40v set which uses different batteries. If you want the lawn mower or chainsaw or snow blower, you’ll want the 40v version which won’t share batteries with your drill.
Dewalt and Milwaukee on the other hand both use specific versions of their 18/20v batteries in the larger tools, Dewalt via a 20/60V “Flexvolt” system where the batteries are either 20 or 60v depending on what tool you plug them into and Milwaukee via the “Fuel” system which is just a super-high-current version of the M18 system used in various particularly demanding tools.
Decide whether red, blue, or yellow match your outfit. Or lime green on a budget. Most of these are brushless and quality, but you’re buying into a battery ecosystem.