Freshly wedded, I have returned home raring to enhance our nest. A wonderful person gave us a Home Depot gift certificate.
I would like to build us a table now, and later in life we’ll want to build things like bookshelves and chicken coops, so I’d like to get a drill that’s powerful enough for construction, durable, and long-lived, cordless, and fairly inexpensive.
So what should I get? What do you have, what do you like, or what do you want?
Thanks in advance!
I have used Makita, Bosch, Sears, DeWalt, and several others. The DeWalt cordless (18 volts or better, the smaller ones don’t have the oomph) seems to be capable of absorbing the most abuse.
b.
Vibrator.
More newlyweds describe the Vibrator as the power tool they get the more use out of than any other.
Get your honey a Vibrator [sup]tm[/sup] today.
This message paid for by the National Comittee To Get Vibrators Into The White House. 
Well I know people that swear their lives on a Dremel. They seem to be a jack of all trades.
Buy the cordless drill with the highest voltage rating you can. Very good ones are available in the $50 to $75 range. I have a 14 volt Black and Decker Firestorm and it will go most of the day on one battery charge. Necessary accesories include a good set of drill bits, a slotted and phillips drive set and a spare battery. The battery will always die in the middle of a project.
Other tools to consider and each is available for less than $25 each include a palm sander and a jigsaw. Another way to save money on power tools is to buy them at a pawn shop. I just picked up one of the best Craftsman circular saws for only $60, it normally retails for $159. It was in a case, included the instruction book and had a spare unused blade.
I would go for a Makita cordless drill. Go for a 1/2" drive if you can. More money and a bit harder to handle but it will be there when you need it. Always buy the best tool you can.
Many will say that a 1/2" chuck is more than you need. The 1/2" can still drill 1/8" holes, but has enough guts to do some real work. One of the best tools I ever bought. The kit I bought 3 years ago came with an extra battery, charger and carrying case for about $220. It has never failed to do what I need.
In any case, a cordless drill of any size will always be a godsend. I like the Makita. Get a 3/8" if the 1/2" is too expensive. And get at least an 18volt.
Congrats to you and your bride. Buy tools, lots of them.
I’ve had good luck with Dewalt cordless drills. I’d somewhat disagree with the advice to go with the 18 volts – I remodeled most of a house with a 12 volt and finished it up with a 14 volt. You get a bit more oomph with the extra voltage, but at the cost of additional weight and cost. For occasional homeowner user, I think 18 volts is overkill.
Get a basic 14.4 volt Dewalt. Not too expensive, powerful, and very durable. We also have an 18-volt, which is useful in many cases, but it is kind of heavy and overkill for most jobs. Sounds like a 14.4 will be more than powerful enough for what you are doing.
One thing to consider is balance–how does it feel in your hand. Balance makes a big difference if you are using it a lot.
The Dewalt 18 volt drill has a lot of muscle and staying power. My coworkers who often work out in the field have them. I chose the Makita 14 volt for myself because I work in the shop, and can refresh batteries all the time. One funny thing we recently discovered is that my drill has a 1/2" chuck, and theirs is limited to 3/8". Both drills are excellent.
The OP you put up makes it look like you plan to do mostly woodworking. The best tool for woodworking is a router. I can build anything with a router. I have often described routers as “desert island” tools, meaning, If you were stranded on a desert island, and could only have one tool, which would it be?
Remember, a router is only capable of making the cuts that you have bits for. Expect to budget at least half the money for bits. A one hundred dollar router will end up costing you at least twice that once you supply yourself with bits. I have champagne tastes with routers, and I have used a zillion of them. I own seven, and that doesn’t include the four I have at work. IMHO, the all around best router on the market is the Bosch 1617 EVS. It is the “electronic variable speed” model. This router has a simple, accurate adjustment feature, tons of power, and the spindle runs the truest of any I’ve used. The soft start is a plus, and slow speeds for big bits is a must.
A non-variable speed model is available if you want to save money and don’t plan on using large bits.
I hope it’s okay to mention routers as well as drills. I got the idea (perhaps wrongly) that you were also looking for advice on other tools.
That’s why I got the smaller drill. I don’t need to carry a heavy drill all the time because I can always change batteries. If you can too, get a 14 volt at the most.
Totally okay with me, that’s why I posted here, hoping to get a full list of options (although I think I’ll pass on the vibrator, Bosda, thanks).
I had to look up what a router was. I’ve never taken a woodworking class, and the more I think about it, the better an idea it sounds.
In the meantime, I think I’ll bang a table together with the good old fashioned hammer and nails combo.
Speaking of combos, when I was looking at the Home Depot site, they have some power drill combo kits that looked pretty useful after I’ve taken a class to know what the heck these things are for and what they do, so… any info on combo kits?
Allow me to second or third the suggestion that you not go with a 9.6V drill. I did a fairly small project with a friend using his 9.6V DeWalt, and it was just tedious. It didn’t spin fast enough, and didnt’ really have the power I wanted. I curse the fact that I didn’t bring my own drill (we had lots of screws to drive and pre-drill).
Me, I have a shudder corded drill. I have absolutely no problem finding a place to plug it in when I need it, a small 6ft extension cord takes me anywhere I need around the house. Honestly, unless you really think you won’t find outlets where you want to use it, get a cord. They are cheaper and much more powerful than the average cordless. I even have a fairly cheap corded drill, and it blows away my friend’s DeWalt, they aren’t even in the same league power wise.
Tortuga ok, first of all congrat on your new marriage. I have been married for 3 years and everyday is like the day we came home from Hawaii–spectacular!!!
My dad bought me a DeWalt 18v power driver with an additional 18v power circular saw all in the same package. Looks like a big suitcase both tools are amazing. I have made everything from bookshelves to extra counter space, to putting an additional story on my house. I would highly recommend the DeWalt, it has a lifetime warranty and BIG BALLS when it comes to lasting power also it has a ‘drop-ability’ rating of practically indestructable. I dropped it off my roof just last week, clamered down the ladder, picked it up and just kept working.
Get the DeWalt!
Another 18v DeWalt fan here. I’ve used 12-inch long auger bits to go through headers with mine without it breaking a sweat. When it comes to power tools, I agree with Tim from Tool Time.
More POWER!!!
Asked Mr2U - he does construction/home improvement/remodeling for a living - he said DeWalt or Makita. Definitely.
Then again, we also have a Ryobi which I use - a lot - and it works fine for me. (Yes, I’m a buildin’ stuff kinda chick…you ought to see our garage - let’s just say we don’t keep actual vehicles in it… :rolleyes: )
First off… Congrats to the happy couple. Best wishes for many many years of happiness.
Secondly, toss the “cordless” idea away. If you’re looking for a “first tools” type of drill, then get a corded model and a hefty extension cord. Save the cordless models for later on… when you’re more experienced and have a greater understanding of what you’ll need. I have a 1/2inch Black and Decker variable speed reversible drill and it’s fantastic! I use it to drill holes and as a power screwdriver, too. It singly drilled all the holes and drove home all the screws on a three-planter-two-bench combo that I built a few years ago.
Buy a good set of bits and keep them sharp. I’ve got an OLD Black and Decker drill-bit sharpener and it’s served me well. I just lower the bit into the hole marked for it’s size and let the grinding wheel sharpen it up. Sharp bit cut nice curls out of wood as they turn; they cut faster, run cooler and smoother. Dull bits create wood dust, smoke, heat and frustration. My neighbor revitalized and entire coffee-can-full of drill bits with my sharpener. Probably saved him dozens of dollars from buying new bits this year.