Recommendations for a new cordless drill

Thanks for everyone's input. it was useful because the "hardware" guy at Home depot who "used to run a machine shop" was pretty clueless...

I got a Ryobi... I'll cross my fingers on the battery life...

It is already infinitely superior to the Black and Decker I am replacing.

And you can't miss that color when you're scanning the bench to find it.
 
jhaneyzz said:
Thanks for everyone's input. it was useful because the "hardware" guy at Home depot who "used to run a machine shop" was pretty clueless...

I got a Ryobi... I'll cross my fingers on the battery life...

It is already infinitely superior to the Black and Decker I am replacing.

And you can't miss that color when you're scanning the bench to find it.
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I have Ryobi stuff I bought 15 years ago, the 2ah batteries died within 2 years, after that I bought the 4ah batteries and they're still going strong. I have their drill (It's nice to have one to drill with and one to sink the screws) but it's pre-brushless motor, the 1 gallon shop vac, and believe it or not - the caulk gun.

I'd rather save my fingers for guitar what with the arthritis and all. 14 years ago when I built my "BBQ Palace" I was looking at caulking all the joists before painting. It was a good investment, took about 15 tubes of caulk.

One word of advice, don't set those batteries down in the sun, it doesn't take long at all for them to heat up above their max temp. That's what killed my 2ah batteries. I actually had them setting in front of the window that got sun all day, DOOOOOOH!
 
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If you have an extra Ryobi battery, and access to a 3d printer, this is a great, very inexpensive dc power supply. I may need to look for the file; I got it off of one of the share your files sites. Think my total cost was under $20, and it’s reasonably accurate, too.
9216A4B3-DEC3-442B-800F-00171D6B56FC.jpeg
 
Alan W said:
If you have an extra Ryobi battery, and access to a 3d printer, this is a great, very inexpensive dc power supply. I may need to look for the file; I got it off of one of the share your files sites. Think my total cost was under $20, and it’s reasonably accurate, too.
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I've opened up one that died, they're just 18650 batteries. You can buy the 4x battery sleds at Tayda, and the MP1584EN chips on eBay for cheap, about 50 cents to a buck each. For a couple bucks and some wire you can easily roll your own, and have spare batteries for your flashlights :)

I'm using the prototype of this drawing below to run my pedals. I used 4 battery sleds, talk about overkill. I've only had to recharge twice in the last year, lol...
1677016648225.png
 
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RetiredUnit1 said:
I've opened up one that died, they're just 18650 batteries. You can buy the 4x battery sleds at Tayda, and the MP1584EN chips on eBay for cheap, about 50 cents to a buck each. For a couple bucks and some wire you can easily roll your own, and have spare batteries for your flashlights :)

I'm using the prototype of this drawing below to run my pedals. I used 4 battery sleds, talk about overkill. I've only had to recharge twice in the last year, lol...
View attachment 42567
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I love that - I've seen some commercial stuff but am surprised there's not more out there.
 
rabifaf said:
Hi everyone, I usually read some threads but a couple of days ago had to hang a lighting fixture and realized I have no drill. So if you guys have something decent in your toolset, could you advise me, please? Thought about the Volt V20 MAX after reading some reviews, but decided to ask a real opinion first.
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I don't like DeWalt because they like to completely change their battery tech every few years.
Bosch or Milwaukee if you see yourself doing big projects(deck, shed etc). Ryobi if it's for general homeowner stuff. The shear number of tools available is impressive. I have 20+ year old Ryobi that will run on their v4 batteries just fine. Check out directtools.com
They carry refurbs and often run deals.
 
I use Dewalt and am invested enough in that system that I don’t really feel compelled to change at this point… in my area at least most the general contractors and construction crews all use dewalt but stuff like hvac and electrical lean heavy towards Milwaukee. I used to use makita a lot when I was doing low voltage work for whatever reason.

These days though they’re all pretty much good enough to get the job done for most people. i would probably recommend the Milwaukee m12 line with very few reservations. I used to have some of it as well and it’s very good, more than adequate for most home usage and super compact/light. But otherwise unless you have a pretty niche tool need just pick what fits your budget well
 
Depending on what you’re using it for, I just got mine from Walmart, 20v. Built two sets of stairs and used it to build a bunch of other stuff, worth the 50$
 
I was a Black and Decker corded drill man for the same reasons as others. Simple, torquey and an extension cord is always around. I picked up up a 18v Makita drill / driver set a few years ago and I feel like I should have done it sooner. Easy to use and I love having the selection of a driver or drill. The batteries have been great (but I take care of my batteries). The B+D didn't get retired but it sure doesn't get the use like it used to.

The other day my neighbor was busting my chops about my corded skil saw but I reminded him my whole house is battery powered so technically...it's a battery tool.
 
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