Best drill?

[Renenet]

Hi,

I need some advice please. Prior to now I've not been handy, so I'm starting off a low knowledge base.

I'm toying with the idea of getting a drill - first to build a lid for my aquarium tank, then to make enclosures from wood. I went to Bunnings recently and asked for some advice. They recommended a Ryobi LCD18022B, an 18 volt, two-speed cordless drill with lithium batteries.

I like it because it seemed to have everything you need from a cordless drill and is light and easy to handle. At $200, however, it's slightly more than I wanted to spend. Can I keep my costs down while still keeping the light weight, the same features and a decent brand? Could I compromise by getting a corded drill or is the cord too annoying?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Renenet

 

[Red-Ink]

If your just going to be using the drill for enclosure building and a few things around the house... there's no need to get the expensive stuff (kinda like paying 1k for a dslr and setting it on auto).

You should be able to get one for under $100 like a black and decker or even cheaper Ozito. I just use a $60 14v Ozito drill and it's serve me well in my enclosure building.

 

[dickyknee]

I use heavy duty blue bosch drills for work , but I have a few old green bosch's I use at home and they are great for around the house stuff, these are a bit lighter and a little smaller than the same sorts of drills in makita , dewalt .
Any thing in bosch , makita , dewalt will be good value for money and will last you for years.

 

[cement]

Yes thats right, just go cheap cordless, your only handymanning it.

 

[dickyknee]

The only good thing about ozito drills is the 3 year replacement warranty , and you will need it too.

 

[Snowman]

I cant stand crap tools... Even in the kitchen I prefer Kitchen Aid and Bamix over the much cheaper options available... Sadly you get what you pay for.
Good brands are:
Dewalt
Hitachi
Bosch
Makita

I have a dewalt that I bought as an apprentice 16 years ago and it's still going strong, I used it every working day for at least the first 10 years. (have replaced the batteries since).
Also a drill with a 13mm chuck is a must for me or any handy man/woman that wants a versitile drill.

 

[PilbaraPythons]

I recommend makita 18v Lithium cordless gear.
Building stuff aside, The amount of useful additions in the Makita is awesome e.g. flouro lamp, blower etc
If you decide to go down this path let me know , I reckon I get the best prices in Australia ( yes alot cheaper than Sydney tools )

 

[Red-Ink]

The only good thing about ozito drills is the 3 year replacement warranty , and you will need it too.

LOL I didn't even know that... didn't even really expect it at the price.

 

[Renenet]

Thanks guys. I was thinking the drill Bunnings recommended was overkill. I'm only going to be using it here and there.

The only thing that concerns me with the cheaper cordless drills is the NiCad battery it's likely to have. How do these go? I've been told they need to be fully discharged before recharging and that the drill starts loosing strength before this happens?

I cant stand crap tools...

I tend to be the same, which is also something I have to take into account. If I buy a tool, I want it to last for a long time and I want it to be a pleasure to use.

Interesting that no one's mentioned Ryobi yet.

 

[Pythoninfinite]

The good thing about Li ion batteries is that, although expensive, they don't lose charge between uses, and they last a lot longer than those in cheaper brands. Alwaus a good investment in tools to pay more for better quality, especially if you're into precision work (as we all should be of course lol)

Jamie

 

[PilbaraPythons]

Some brands of Lithium Batteries are quite cheap now compared to say a year ago or so.
I get 18 v batteries for $90, they used to be around $150

 

[dickyknee]

I tend to be the same, which is also something I have to take into account. If I buy a tool, I want it to last for a long time and I want it to be a pleasure to use.

The do not buy ozito tools

The ryobi's are ok , but i'd look at the green bosch or the lower end makita's with the red batteries , will be perfect for what you are doing.

 

[Renenet]

The do not buy ozito tools

No fear of that - I had Ozito on my "do not buy" list the second I walked into the drill display.

 

[Albs]

Whatever you get make sure it is li ion battery you wont regret it! I finf Milwake gear is great price and good quality. I got a 12 li ion milwake drill for $150 and it is an absolute powerhouse. Comes with 2 batteries charger and case. Perfect for around the home workshop. I am in the building trade and a lot of guys using this gear now.

 

[Waterrat]

I bought Ozito LIR-144 at Bunnings (with 2 batteries) and I am more than happy with it. Makita et al. brands are professional tools that we amateur don't need to spend big bucks on on.

 

[Renenet]

I bought Ozito LIR-144 at Bunnings (with 2 batteries) and I am more than happy with it. Makita et al. brands are professional tools that we amateur don't need to spend big bucks on on.

How long have you had it, Michael? I'm torn between price and quality here. :?

 

[Dragon_crazy]

i bought a makita 14v cordless with nicad batteries from bunnings last year think i paid about 130 for it has been great its not extremly heavy i use it all the time even on some heavy steel and its been great, I use Dewalt at work 18v cordless and theyv been nothing but problems but that my personal opinion lol

 

[Jungletrans]

For the occasional home handyperson the elcheapo drills are the go . OK the battery will start to stuff up after a couple of years but at less than $50 who cares , get another one . If you have the spare cash and want quality , 18V lithium ion is the go .

 

[Renenet]

Thanks for everyone's responses so far.

What's the difference between 14.4-volt and 18-volt drills? Are the 18V's substantially more powerful? I'm not terribly muscular so if it's much, much easier to drill holes with an 18V I might have to get one of those. Otherwise a 14.4 might make a good compromise.

 

[-Peter]

With the cheapos it is hit and miss. I bought a drill from Hardwarehouse for $80 years ago and it is probably one of the best purchases(toolwise) that I ever made. Subsequent puchases of similar products were all handyman rubbish. Milwauke is the Black and Decker of the 2000+. Did anyone notice that it was laucnched a couple of years ago as a lower priced line then was relaunched last year at much higher prices as the DeWalt replacement and this while the dollar was ponding the crap out of every other currency.
Personally you cant go past Panasonic for chorless drill. Best on the market but expensive.
For casual building I would buy three cheap drills. One for drilling, one for countersinking and one for screwing. I hate wasting time changing the fittings over and having to find them