Drill recommendations

My sun in law just bought a Ryobi he claims they will replace batteries free for life. If that is true what a deal.

dalehelman wrote:
My sun in law just bought a Ryobi he claims they will replace batteries free for life. If that is true what a deal.

If this is true that would be a good deal as the batteries are usually what goes bad. JMO

Had a Milwaukee 18v also that died (clutch).
This time I went with a Rigid from Home Depot.

Ya, I know Rigid is not one of the "in and cool" brands but it has been a surprise. Actually a great drill with lots of use. Also life time battery replacement guarantee.

I've always like my Dewalt products. Strong and great customer service. Yes, I have had to replace some 18v batteries, but the new 20v batteries should last a long time.

Stanley 20 volt lithium ion. Batteries hold charge for a long time.

Dewalt 18 volt, I already have 8 tools that use them so I stick with that

The last time this came up there were a lot of "get the zillion volt model, you need more power". I decided to go the opposite direction. I wanted tiny as space is limited in the trailer. I have both the tiny 12v Dewalt drill and impact gun. I love them both. I also have a 18v Milwaukee that is great for drilling holes in concrete and it lasts forever but it is huge, heavy and way more than I need for lowering stabilizers. I have been out for 4 weeks so far this season, at 11 different campgrounds lowering and raising stabilizers and am still on the same charge from the beginning of the season on the 12v Dewalt.

This is the drill version
http://www.lowes.com/pd_49942-70-DCF610S2___?productId=3276907&pl=1&Ntt=dewalt+cordless#img

+1 on the 12v impact driver.
it is small, light, about 90 ft/lbs of torque.
It outperformed my old craftsman 18v hands down drilling 4" decking screws thru wood with power to spare.
batteries hold the charge for months

I use a 24 volt DeWalt hammer drill. (don't use the hammer setting). It is 15 years old, and in on it's 3rd battery. 450 inch pounds of torque. It was bought to raise the popup roof, which it did well. Now it is used on the TT stabs, and of course around the house.

BTW. Batteries are easily found on line. Google is your friend.

Another Milwaukee?


"In" brands go in and out. I recall when Porter Cable was a decent brand. I've owned quite a few, from Skil to Ryobi to Milwaukee.

My 14.4V Milwaukee refuses to die. I feed it eBay batteries that last a couple of years. If I didn't hate my Bosch dishwasher so much, I'd be thinking about them too.

DeWalt or Milwaukee would be my current pick if I wanted a nice one.