Bb

Billy

04/09/2005 4:12 AM

cordless drill advice

Hey all; My 12 volt Milwaukee drill is starting to get tired.
I'm looking at the; Bosh 32614, Milwaukee 0612-22, and the Makita
6337DWDE 14.4 volt drills.
I'm a cabinet maker and like light weight and compact machines. Anybody
have a preference?
Thank you


This topic has 12 replies

DM

Dave Miller

in reply to Billy on 04/09/2005 4:12 AM

04/09/2005 4:41 AM

Check out the Festool 12V on clearance. Lightweight, recharges in 45
min with Smart Charger, and you can get it with a right angle chuck and
offset chuck that lets you get in tight places other drills won't reach.
The clearance price is $225, or $335 with extra chucks.

Billy wrote:
> Hey all; My 12 volt Milwaukee drill is starting to get tired.
> I'm looking at the; Bosh 32614, Milwaukee 0612-22, and the Makita
> 6337DWDE 14.4 volt drills.
> I'm a cabinet maker and like light weight and compact machines. Anybody
> have a preference?
> Thank you

Uu

"Upscale"

in reply to Billy on 04/09/2005 4:12 AM

04/09/2005 1:09 AM


"Billy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> Hey all; My 12 volt Milwaukee drill is starting to get tired.

Tired how? Batteries dying or something else? If it's the batteries, why
don't you get them rebuilt. I had my 12v Milwaukee batteries rebuilt about a
year ago and the drill runs as well as the first time I used it.

Lr

"Leon"

in reply to Billy on 04/09/2005 4:12 AM

06/09/2005 3:15 PM


"Billy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm such an old geezer that every time I here "Panasonic" I think of
> lo-fi 8-tracks, so I hadn't thought of that. A quick check at tool crib
> has one at $118, that's pretty cheap.
> The only reason I'd go with 12 volt over 9.6 is for the power on kitchen
> installations, but maybe I'm underestimating the torque of the 9.6.


Panasonic is top quality stuff. I am aware of the cheaper Panasonic drills
and wonder why they are so much cheaper than the others. My first regular
cordless drill was a Panasonic and later models had smaller battery packs.
Replacement batteries several years ago were in the $100 range for the older
models. I would highly recommend looking in to the Panasonics that are more
in the regular price range rather than the cheaper range. Panasonics are
not known for being cheap. The $118 model you are looking at MAY be a home
owner or hobbyist version.
If you mostly do installs, consider also an impact driver. I noticed that
Panasonic has come out with one with a clutch setting also. I did a kitchen
tear out and install 3 months ago and my impact drive saved my butt while
trying to get some bent dry wall screws out that were used to hold the
original cabinets in place.

jj

jo4hn

in reply to Billy on 04/09/2005 4:12 AM

04/09/2005 8:11 AM

Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
> "Billy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>
>
>>I'm a cabinet maker and like light weight and compact machines. Anybody
>>have a preference?
>>Thank you
>
>
> If you want light weight but with power, check out the Panasonic.
>
>
I have had a Panasonic 15.6V for several years. Had the batteries
rebuilt at http://www.primecell.com/ a while ago. One of the best tools
I have ever owned.
mahalo,
jo4hn

Uu

"Upscale"

in reply to Billy on 04/09/2005 4:12 AM

06/09/2005 9:23 AM

"Billy" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:bofuor-
> What did it cost you get the batteries rebuilt?
> I was under the impression that I could buy a new drill cheaper.

Depends on what you want. Including shipping and return delivery, I spent
$129 (Canadian) for two batteries. While some might consider that expensive
for just the batteries, a whole new drill of comparable voltage and
capability would have cost me in excess of $250 plus tax.

At the very least, it won't cost you anything to call a battery rebuilding
outfit, tell them what batteries you have and ask them how much for a
rebuild.

EP

"Edwin Pawlowski"

in reply to Billy on 04/09/2005 4:12 AM

04/09/2005 4:54 AM


"Billy" <[email protected]> wrote in message

> I'm a cabinet maker and like light weight and compact machines. Anybody
> have a preference?
> Thank you

If you want light weight but with power, check out the Panasonic.

Bb

Billy

in reply to Billy on 04/09/2005 4:12 AM

06/09/2005 6:41 AM

In article <[email protected]>,
"Upscale" <[email protected]> wrote:

> > Hey all; My 12 volt Milwaukee drill is starting to get tired.
>
> Tired how? Batteries dying or something else? If it's the batteries, why
> don't you get them rebuilt. I had my 12v Milwaukee batteries rebuilt about a
> year ago and the drill runs as well as the first time I used it.

Thank you to all for the replies. Yes, the batteries are not holding a
charge for more than 24 hours, but more ominous is that I smell burnt
motor every time I use it and it's getting seriously weak. I suppose
that could still be the batteries, If the motor is underpowered it might
smell?, (I'm guessing). What did it cost you get the batteries rebuilt?
I was under the impression that I could buy a new drill cheaper.

Bb

Billy

in reply to Billy on 04/09/2005 4:12 AM

06/09/2005 7:12 AM

In article <[email protected]>, Dave Miller <[email protected]>
wrote:

> Check out the Festool 12V on clearance. Lightweight, recharges in 45
> min with Smart Charger, and you can get it with a right angle chuck and
> offset chuck that lets you get in tight places other drills won't reach.
> The clearance price is $225, or $335 with extra chucks.

I didn't research it extensively, but I didn't find a Festool for less
than $335 on the internet, is it really worth 3 times the price of the
Panasonic?
I'm willing to pay for a tool that really enhances my work performance,
but my gut instinct is that the cheaper tool will do.

Bb

Billy

in reply to Billy on 04/09/2005 4:12 AM

06/09/2005 6:59 AM

In article <[email protected]>,
"Leon" <[email protected]> wrote:

> If you are a cabinet maker I would certainly stick with 12 volt or 9.6. I
> used 9.6 for probably 12 years and am still trying to get used to lugging
> around the extra weight when I switched to the 12 volt. I too do this for a
> living.
> Panasonic will probably be your best bet since you use the drill daily.
>
I'm such an old geezer that every time I here "Panasonic" I think of
lo-fi 8-tracks, so I hadn't thought of that. A quick check at tool crib
has one at $118, that's pretty cheap.
The only reason I'd go with 12 volt over 9.6 is for the power on kitchen
installations, but maybe I'm underestimating the torque of the 9.6.

TV

"Theo Veenstra"

in reply to Billy on 04/09/2005 4:12 AM

06/09/2005 12:01 PM

"Billy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> In article <[email protected]>, Dave Miller <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
>> Check out the Festool 12V on clearance. Lightweight, recharges in 45
>> min with Smart Charger, and you can get it with a right angle chuck and
>> offset chuck that lets you get in tight places other drills won't reach.
>> The clearance price is $225, or $335 with extra chucks.
>
> I didn't research it extensively, but I didn't find a Festool for less
> than $335 on the internet, is it really worth 3 times the price of the
> Panasonic?
> I'm willing to pay for a tool that really enhances my work performance,
> but my gut instinct is that the cheaper tool will do.

Yep. For quite a lot of drilling/screwing, a 'normal' cordless drill will do
just as well as this Festool.
But every time you want to drill or screw in the space of only
drawer-height, the rightangle chuck is _very_ handy. Similar thing goes for
the off-center chuck when screwing/drilling very next to a top/bottom/side.
Switching of the chucks is very easy and fast. They can be set at a number
of angles with respect to the drill-handle..

Ok. You guessed. I've got a festool and love it! :-)

Theo

AA

"Amused"

in reply to Billy on 04/09/2005 4:12 AM

05/09/2005 11:45 AM


"Billy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hey all; My 12 volt Milwaukee drill is starting to get tired.
> I'm looking at the; Bosh 32614, Milwaukee 0612-22, and the Makita
> 6337DWDE 14.4 volt drills.
> I'm a cabinet maker and like light weight and compact machines. Anybody
> have a preference?
> Thank you

My first cordless was a Makita 7.2v (I think). Worked very well for years.
Owned a couple of others in the middle, that died very quickly. Bought a
DeWalt 18 v. several years ago...and it still is perfect, but that brute is
heavy.

Okay, now for the stories. At an auction I bought a two new B&D drills that
were TINY. I had in mind to give them away as presents. No one wanted
them. So I chucked one up with a phillips head bit and put the other one in
a charger. Those two drills proved to be invaluable for driving in screws.
Small, lite, but powerful for their size, I'd use one till the charge
failed, (and hour or so), switch to the other one, and back and forth. They
turned out to be absolutely perfect, for the application. Both lasted about
three years. (It would have to be classified as light duty home use).

I got a Craftsman 14.4 as a present. (I think, meaning I don't know, but I
think Panasonic built Craftsman for a while) I never used it much,
perferring the DeWalt. (They were actually buying the circular saw in one
of those combo deals) That battery was never really powerful enough for the
saw application, but just recently, I moved and was unable to locate the
DeWalt charger. I ended up using the Craftsman drill very heavily for over
a month. It really proved it's worth. Considerably lighter than the
DeWalt, but still powerful enough to sink any length screw, even without
pilot holes. Again, there was always a battery in the charger.

For what it's worth......



Lr

"Leon"

in reply to Billy on 04/09/2005 4:12 AM

04/09/2005 7:13 PM


"Billy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hey all; My 12 volt Milwaukee drill is starting to get tired.
> I'm looking at the; Bosh 32614, Milwaukee 0612-22, and the Makita
> 6337DWDE 14.4 volt drills.
> I'm a cabinet maker and like light weight and compact machines. Anybody
> have a preference?
> Thank you

If you are a cabinet maker I would certainly stick with 12 volt or 9.6. I
used 9.6 for probably 12 years and am still trying to get used to lugging
around the extra weight when I switched to the 12 volt. I too do this for a
living.
Panasonic will probably be your best bet since you use the drill daily.


You’ve reached the end of replies