[7Music7]

I just returned my Milwaukee drill due to the LONG time that it took to charge the batteries.


I was looking at the HD brand Rigid. They seem to be well built, and if I buy before the end of the year they have a lifetime warranty, on the drill and the batteries. Also, the longest charge time is 30 minutes.


Any users out there?

 

[greywolf]

They don't have the quality of Makita, Delta or DeWalt but work fine for the occasional user. They are more along the lines of Ryobi or Black and Decker. Tools do actually seem to follow a price/quality model to a great extent. The question is what kind of user are you. People who make a living with tools use them a lot and need the best quality. Somebody who has to charge batteries before use because they discharged in the case since the last use doesn't need to spend that much money on tools.

 

[Fireball]

The X2 series actually seem to be built very well and are in the same price range as the aformentioned Milwaukee, DeWalt, PorterCable, etc.


Which Milwaukee Drill did you have? Is it one of their new 18V hammer Drills?

 

[relwof]

I've got both the Rigid and Ryobi 18v hammer drills. I would recommend either one, although for different reasons.


Rigid Pros:

pretty beefy - should be similar to the "higher end" drill/drivers in power & torque

quick charging is nice, although I haven't had much opportunity to enjoy it because it takes quite a while to run the battery out at the rate I've been using it

If you get the set, their 18v circular saw is really handy too

Free battery replacements for life!!! (if you buy it quick - and don't lose the receipt!)


Rigid Cons:

It's a bit heavy (although the vanilla/non-hammer verision is lightier, I think)

noticeably more expensive than the Ryobi

The charger has a moderately noisy fan in it, which activates whenever you have a battery in the charger (even after the charge cycle completes). I think they needed extra cooling to do the quick-charge thing without cooking the batteries. Not a huge problem, but sometimes annoying.

keyless chuck is a bit finicky at times - easy to get bits misalligned (not a problem if you keep a quick-change bit holder in it and don't need to switch to standard drill bits often - makes it nice to have multiple cordless drills !


Ryobi Pros:

lighter - makes a difference when you're up on a ladder...

cheaper - excellent "bang for the buck"

18v drill/driver is pretty strong - somewhat less torquey than the rigid but still a big improvement over any less-than-18v cordless stuff I've used (had and was happy with the vanilla version before it got stolen - good with or without the hammer option)

gimmicky little bubble levels actually come in handy for keeping things accurate and alligned - especially if you only get to use power tools in your free time

gimmicky little magnet tray at bottom of handle also comes in handy

18v flash is really useful - pretty easy to set on flat surface and adjust to hit where you're working (haven't tried Rigid light yet)


Ryobi cons:

not quite as tough or powerful as Rigid

charge cycle takes longer

battery life is pretty good, although if I had to pick I'd say the Rigid gets more use per charge (but that's a rather tentatice observation - could change as I use them more)

no lifetime warranty

18v circular saw is still convenient, but a bit flimsy

was underwhelmed by most of the other 18v Ryobi stuff I had a chance to try (jigsaw, recipricating saw, vacuum) - for anything but really light work it was usually so frustrating I'd give up and go get an extension cord to use the "real" tools - BUT the drill and flashlight are great, circular saw is pretty good.


Hope this helps!


- james


p.s. - if you're planning on doing lots of drywall, may I also add that the DuraSpin rocks! I've got the cheap corded version and it almost makes it fun to hang drywall - almost...

 

[7Music7]

Thank you for the replies.


I had a Porter cable drill which finally died. When trying to find another in town I found that almost no one carried them.


Last week I picked up Two of the Milwaukee 14.4v 1/2" chuck drills. I liked the fact that for a 1/2" drill is was short and light, it also had a belt clip which I found convenient.


I took one of the two drills to Florida for a theater that we are working on. I had to drill holes through the studs for wiring. A fully charged battery would die after about ten minutes of drilling, then take about 60-90 minutes to recharge. I would use the second battery for the next ten minutes to continue drilling. Then I had to sit for another 50-80 minutes until I could drill again. This is an extreme waste of time.


After returning the drills to HD I spoke with a salesman and he recommended the Rigid drills. They are heavier and longer, both which I do not like, but the fast charging is nice.


The HD salesman said that the Milwaukee could have had a bad charger or batteries. I never tried the second drill to see if the charge cycle was the same. Milwaukee has always been a good product, could I have just got a lemon?

 

[Larry Fine]

Electrical contractor here. If you need cordless power, there's no substitute for 24-volt power. (Insert Tim Allen grunts).


I have 24-volt DeWalt tools; a hammer-drill, a reciprocating saw, and a circular saw. These tools are as powerful as their corded counterparts. I can drill studs and plates with a 1" auger for hours on a charge, and they recharge within 45 minutes or so.


What I'm wondering is: how Cary can get something before the "end of the year" in January?

 

[SledBC]

They extended the warranty until the end of january. Remember this warranty covers the batteries too...so lifetime.

I bought the rigid set and prefer it to any of the cordless drills I have previously owned except for one of the 2 HILTI ones I have, but the batteries on them are dead and replacements are $130 a pop.


Get it if you don't mind a heavy drill. It is well built and has lots of power. I've looked at the dewalt 24v tools and although they have more power, 24v batteries have a short lifespan and are crazy expensive to replace.

 

[curtisG]

Any opinions on Sears brand? I've been wanting to get a right angle drill for some time but the only ones I have found at local hardware stores are all expensive (> $150).


Sears sells one for under $80:

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...id=00910153000


I've never bought any Sears power tools before.


--curtis

 

[dwightrahl]

curtisG,


I have the corded "shorty" drill that Sears sells for about $140 (I mention this because it showed up on the same web page that you provided...). I have found it to be an excellent drill if you don't need the cordless feature. While not a true right angle drill/driver, the head on the drill is REALLY short, so it was easy to get into some pretty tight places.


Dwight

 

[greywolf]

Craftsman hand tools are quality items. Their power tools are lower end but are often adequate for the casual user.

 

[JamesG]

A word of advice to anyone who has bought Rigid tools with the lifetime warranty - make a photocopy of the receipt. I was advised by the guy who helped me at Home Depot that the ink on the register receipt will fade after about 3 months, making any future claim unnecessarily difficult.


James

 

[7Music7]

Larry,


Oops, I meant before the end of the month. The original promotion was until the end of the year (2003.)


JamesG,

Thanks for the heads up on the receipt.



Overall I might pick up another Milwaukee in hope that the batteries or charger were defective. I will probably get the Rigid 12v drill for the overhead work and the 18v Hammer drill for the heavy duty stuff. Thanks for the advise.

 

[SledBC]

You might find that a 12v drill has all the power you need. I had 2 12v hilti cordless drills I used for about 5 years installing aluminum railings and all sorts of things that you would normally use a corded drill for with no problems.

 

[ELB_III]

FWIW, after I "dissected" my 12V Makita and an unsuccessful attempt at putting it back together again. I went and picked up a Rigid cordless 14V drill. When I got it home, I quickly opened it up anxious to inhale that new tool smell, only to find some errant wood chips inside the case. Upon closer inspection, the warranty card had already been filled out. Shame on me for thinking that the box, WITH strapping was new. Sooo... I took it back, got another one and opened it right then and there. New. Good to go.


I'm very happy with the choice although I could have done without the second trip down there. The lifetime warranty was a definite plus and I like the new style one-handed chuck (never had that before). I also like the feel of the torque dial. Some one mentioned it's heavy. No doubt but not overly so. I also like that the batteries charge in 30 min. Have no idea how long they take to drain as I haven't done so yet.


All-in-all, a solid drill.


Cheers!


- Ed.