Ulfrinn Posted July 14, 2019 Report Share Posted July 14, 2019 I am out of a drill now and needing something just for general purpose use, nothing major. Drilling some pilot holes in my desk to mount a triple monitor mount, microphone mount, maybe a lamp, that sort of thing and possibly some shelving above my desk, some cable management, power strips, etc as well. My usage of a drill would be very, very infrequent, and of a lighter use variety so there's no possible way to convince me to go buy an expensive 18v drill and battery system for this. Given my needs, I am thinking of going with a smaller 4-5ish amp corded drill, maybe the cheap Black and Decker or Ryobi. There's not a big selection on corded drills anymore. If I go for cordless, I might be interested in some of the compact 12v drills, with the straight batteries that fit in the grip, just to keep it all light and compact, and it seems plenty for just drilling a few holes. They Ryobi 8v which I believe can be charged without removing the battery could be useful, but I am not sure that'd have enough juice because some of these mounts I may end up mounting flush, which would mean cutting a recess with a forstner bit. So yeah, just looking for an occasional, light duty tool. Suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToolBane Posted July 14, 2019 Report Share Posted July 14, 2019 Ryobi, easy. Do the 18V. Even though the tasks you’re describing here can largely be handled competently by just about anything these days. Besides being cheap to get into, their 18V platform has SO many useful products with SO much everyday and/or outdoor utility. Even ignoring most of the “standard” home project-type tools, they have products like their mattress inflator which is so useful for camping (additional utilities of helping to build campfires, clear dust out of hard-to-reach corners etc), or their power inverter, glue gun, tire pump, Dremel station, or soldering iron. Then their outdoor One+ stuff that uses the same batteries like their lawn mower, hedge trimmers, etc. It’s such a huge selection and so inexpensive. Black and Decker comparatively is a complete dead end. It will definitely do the job but if you have no regular use for it you’ll just end up leaving it in a shelf for years lamenting the space it takes up. Then when you finally have another use for it you’ll pull it out only to find the batteries are shot and probably had been for years. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ulfrinn Posted July 14, 2019 Author Report Share Posted July 14, 2019 I live in an apartment presently. So I have no need for really any of that which is why I do not want to get tied into some kind of battery type or pay extra to get into something I really don't any much use for, and by time I do, those additional products will probably be discontinued for newer models. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToolBane Posted July 14, 2019 Report Share Posted July 14, 2019 Well buying a cordless drill ties you to a battery platform whether you like it or not. Just like buying a corded drill ties you to...a wall. But you can get a battery platform that ties you down less. If you get more then great, if you don’t you haven’t lost anything. If you’re really confident you won’t care then just get whatever’s cheapest. The only thing I see that’s potentially an issue is as you said, forstner bits for an 8V Ryobi. I have no direct experience with that product but speculatively I can see that being a problem for a low-budget 8V tool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ulfrinn Posted July 14, 2019 Author Report Share Posted July 14, 2019 I do not think forstner would work with an 8v which is why I wasn't really considering that one, but some of the 12v options, though my main focus is corded. There is really no situation where I will be away from power to need a cordless. I really like how compact some of the 12vs are though as corded ones are still somewhat bulky, but my understanding is that it's because cordless drills typically use planetary gears, corded drills largely use more standard, and generally more rugged gears instead which add to that bulk up front. I was looking at the 5.5 amp corded Ryobi, the cheap B&D for about the same price, the 3/8 6 amp porter cable ($40), and the MeterK 7 amp 1/2 inch hammer drill for the same price seems very highly rated but certainly off-branded. Of 12v drills, maybe the Teccpo, off brand, but since I won't be getting any other cordless tools if I got that one, it doesn't matter if they don't make anything else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToolBane Posted July 14, 2019 Report Share Posted July 14, 2019 Well, if you really want a cord, maybe look at a used drill. I would imagine it to be quite easy to get ahold of a nicely-built Dewalt on the used market for cheap. As long as it isn’t too horribly abused, honestly I would probably trust it over a new budget brand model anyway. Especially if you have the know-how to take them apart and service them yourself, which might be the case for you. Personally I always felt cords were constrictive and wished for cordless as a junior high kid before cordless was even yet a thing. But I held off for ages even after they came out because the limitations of NiCad. Now the technology is finally settled in and capable for just about anything. Not being tied to a wall, having to fuss with extension cords, looking for which outlet is closest, having the cord flopping around on your project, catching on things causing you to scuff up or damage work pieces...it adds up. Being able to avoid all those things is so easily worth the price, even on something as straightforward as a drill. That’s my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ulfrinn Posted July 15, 2019 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2019 Yeah, but if you're only going to use one a couple times out of the year, cordless becomes irrelevant and not worth the added costs. After I get done putting maybe six pilot holes in this desk and mount a power strip under it, i am not sure when I would need it again. Even a bit brace or egg beater drill would suffice I'd imagine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ulfrinn Posted July 15, 2019 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2019 Though, some of the features on cordless tools would be nice. The brake, They seem quieter, and the 12vs are lighter and more compact. Generally corded do not have a clutch either, but a couple do. Not that I've actually used a clutch though as anything with a variable speed trigger is easy enough to control. If I go 18v, it'd have to be something cheaper like a B&D, Ryobi, or Amazon off-brand. The B&D Matrix does look interesting and the attachments have both a corded, and a cordless tool they can be used with. But no idea how long that product line will exist from B&D and by time I needed any other attachments, it'd have been discontinued. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jronman Posted July 15, 2019 Report Share Posted July 15, 2019 personally I think corded drills are not that great especially for the fine screw driving tasks you mentioned above. You can easily find a 12v quality drill for $100 or even less. If you charge the thing once a month you shouldn't have any issues with bad batteries. I would also say Ryobi is not a bad option. I have never used the one+ line but many people on this forum think it is great. It is literally designed for people who don't use tools much or those on a budget (sometimes even pros buy it). The quality is reasonable considering it is homeowner/diy grade. Also you shouldn't have any trouble with compatibility because the battery is still using the same stick pack design as it did 20 years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ulfrinn Posted July 15, 2019 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2019 Are Dewalt and Makita really selling 18v brushless drills with batteries for $100? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ulfrinn Posted July 15, 2019 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2019 Anyway, it seems like I can get a good 12v setup for around the $50 mark. Ryobi, Skil, B&D, and others have 12v drills in the $50 range. And If I wanted to buy an off-brand battery and charger and pick up a tool-only, I could get an M12 or a ridgid instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToolBane Posted July 16, 2019 Report Share Posted July 16, 2019 Makita, Dewalt, and Milwaukee all frequently have sales where you can buy either a drill or impact driver with compatible 18V battery and charger for $100. I saw a number of such Makita kits lingering in a Home Depot a couple days ago leftover from the last sale. They are more expensive platforms though and you were saying you didn’t want that, so I wasn’t going to mention. Something else to be aware of, if you do get whatever tool with a lithium battery that you seldom use more than once a year or whatever, is they are best stored at roughly half-charge. A few days or whatever doesn’t matter but weeks to months can/will shorten the longevity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ulfrinn Posted July 17, 2019 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2019 Yeah, that's the issue. I am basically just going to use it once or twice then probably not touch it for another year or two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToolBane Posted July 17, 2019 Report Share Posted July 17, 2019 Honestly, if you really think that’s the extent of your use then a used corded drill is not a bad idea for what you’re talking about. Or even ask a friend if you can borrow one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ulfrinn Posted July 17, 2019 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2019 I'll probably just get the cheap corded Ryobi. In 2013 I bought my dad (from Milwaukee, and I myself was born there) a Milwaukee M18 drill with a few batteries and charger. However he died, and then my mother died, and so this drill is in a storage unit buried somewhere that I haven't had the time to go through. If I find myself needing a more serious drill or other 18v line of cordless tools, I'll dig that out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jronman Posted July 17, 2019 Report Share Posted July 17, 2019 If you are only going to use it once or twice a year the borrow a cordless drill from a friend idea actually isn't that bad. If you really want to go cheap without having to borrow a drill you can buy a "no name" brand cordless drill for under $50 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ulfrinn Posted July 17, 2019 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2019 If I don't want to spend a bit extra to get a corded 3/8" Milwaukee (about $60) then I'll just get the 5.5V corded Ryobi for $25. Maybe spend a few extra on the clutch version, but I doubt it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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