Cordless drill question

FastOlson · Mar 15, 2011

Maybe and Maybe Not

One of the high quality brands might do OK.
I have used several of the cheapo Harbor Freight ones (our club buys them because it's no great loss when one goes into the water... $19.95, and worth every penny...)

I have bored some 4X4's with the cheap drills, but not with a big hole saw.

Perhaps a lighter gen set could be borrowed or rented for a day?

L

Marc Bergmueller · Mar 15, 2011

Cordless has come a long way and I'm sure if you buy a quality brand 18v drill you will be able to cut right though them. I've abused many in my past job. Dewalt is a good one, but I cheaped out last time and got a Craftsman 19.2 volt which does just fine. Spring for an extra battery. http://www.kmart.com/shc/s/p_10151_10104_010W428722800001P?prdNo=5&blockNo=5&blockType=G5

BillyK · Mar 15, 2011

18 volt drill will definitely do what you would ask of it here. I've used mine to drill 1" holes through 1" thick white oak. But if you're going to get one... don't go cheap.. get a decent name brand.

Ed Schenck · Mar 15, 2011

Two batteries are a must. If, like me, you have a long day at the boat take the charger. I can leave a battery charging in the marina's shop and go swap when one runs low. My new Skil 18V is kind of heavy but I have not seen it slow down yet. I have an old Craftsman but the batteries are unavailable. I might have purchased a better drill like a DeWald but the Skil was a Christmas gift. Seems OK.

KD3PC · Mar 15, 2011

I have had Makita, Milwaukee and now Dewalt...in All of them, the batteries, if heavily used may last a year at best. They are very expensive to buy separately, so go with a name brand/commercial version that has at least 2 or 3 batteries included.

The 18v/19.2v will definitely do what you want. even for quite a few holes.

BTW, They don't float - advantage corded, you can tie the cord off..or lanyard the cordless as I do.

woodster · Mar 15, 2011

Bosh is what i have been useing for years and if you watch Lowes some times you can buy a package ....two battries, 1 drill , 1 impact, and a charger and bag for $225.00 and up well worth the money i have used mine to cut a 4" hole with a hole saw in 1 1/2" MDF several times ...now that does make them get a little hot but then thats a lot of energy....hope this helps

regards

woody

kloudie1 · Mar 15, 2011

Agree with Ed.. two batteries
http://www.homedepot.com/Tools-Hard...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053
and for really close quarters, the same batteries will run this one:
http://www.homedepot.com/Tools-Hard...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

RAD · Mar 15, 2011

Roger, as a pro who uses a good 18 volt Dewalt (not from a big box store,they are different) I go all day drilling holes and with a spare battery I have no problem
some of the men who work for me have Royobi drills that were bought at Home Depot for less than 75.00 and they swear by them so buying an extra battery and the drill won't be that expensive

Scott T-Bird · Mar 15, 2011

I've got 3 .... a 12-v DeWalt, a 14-v DeWalt and a 18-v Ryobi. All 3 have plenty of power for what you describe. Honestly, how do you get along without a good cordless drill? They are all going to come with a pair of batts and a charger. Make sure the charger will not overcharge when you forget that you are charging. I have 4 batts for the 12-v because the charger will overcharge the batts and basically make them useless after a while. BTW, the batts separately are so expensive that when they go bad you may as well buy a new drill (with batts). The charger for the 14 and 18 allows me to charge and keep the batts topped off in the charger without ruining the batts (so they say). I bought the 14 to replace the 12 when I got tired of ruining batts. I got the 18 in a package of tools for a business and find that I use it all the time. They are indispensible. I even use the 12 since the batts are still good for about 10 minutes when they are charged. All three drills are about the same size but the batts vary significantly in weight. Your arm will get pumped up if you use the 18 frequently. It's kind of like a framers nail gun ... you feel like you're pumping iron if you use it all day and your guns will show it.

Scott T-Bird · Mar 15, 2011

Rad ...

I went thru a few periods when I was using a cordless drill frequently for many days and I would get tennis elbow from all the torque. Once I get the sensitive tendon, it would take months for it to disappear entirely. How do you avoid that problem?

Tim R. · Mar 15, 2011

I find a cordless right angle drill to be an essential piece of cruising gear. I have an 18v Dewalt with 2 batteries that also fit my Dewalt cordless shopvac.

No problem for hole saws.

Roger, you are welcome to borrow mine if you still do not want to purchase but knowing your future plans, I would go out to Advantage Gases and Tools and buy the right angle model for your travels.

rardiH36 · Mar 15, 2011

Scott T-Bird said:
I even use the 12 since the batts are still good for about 10 minutes when they are charged.

I have an old 14v drill. When the battery pack died, I found it was cheaper to buy a newer higher voltage drill rather than a replacement battery pack.

But rather than throw the drill out, its now doing 12v duty on my boat. I opened up the drill casing and to the plus and minus terminals where the battery pack power connected, I instead soldered an appx 30' length of lamp cord. To the other end, I connected an automotive 12v cigarette lighter plug to match the receptacle on my boat. Now I can use a power drill at any time without plugging into shore power or even needing a charged battery pack. The drill does run a bit slower than with a freshly charged 14v battery pack because of the 12v. And the 10 amp breaker switch protecting the lighter outlet circuit cuts out if I try to use the drill for a higher torque purpose. But for a drill's main purpose -- to drill holes -- its been plenty convenient.

Scott T-Bird · Mar 15, 2011

I like that idea ... Thanks!

DannyS · Mar 15, 2011

In addition to a cordless drill, I have an old school hand drill for small jobs that don't need a lot of torque. They're cheap at garage and estate sales. I find that I use that drill far more often than the cordless. I don't think I'd try cutting through fiberglass with a 1-1/2" hole saw unless you're far offshore with a dead battery pack or have lots of time on your hands and are in need of a good workout.

Sumner · Mar 15, 2011

I have and have had quite a few cordless drills but wanted one that I could possibly run off of the ship's 12 volt, so ordered a Sears Nextec 12 volt with a Lithium-Ion battery. I didn't expect much from this drill, but it is the only one I use now and would do what you want to do. I ordered a second one that also came with a 12 volt saber saw (same batteries).

With the Ion battery it is very small and will go into tight places. The batteries last forever. I now have the 2 drill and 4 batteries. It looks like it would be very simple to use a cord with spade connectors on it to hook to the ship's batteries. Only problem might be as one person mentioned to me is that with unlimited amperage available from the ship's battery compared to the ion it might be able to burn the drill up if you lugged it down, so you would have to be careful of that possibly.

So far I've never had to recharge the batteries while out, but we recently bough a 12 volt 180 watt pure sign wave converter for about $80 to use if necessary.

Don't let the 12 volts of some of the new generation cordless scare you away, but I wouldn't buy a cheap 12 volt, still the Sears were way less than a 16-18 volt.

Good luck,

Sum

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Stretch · Mar 15, 2011

All the above posts are right on with the advice, in my company thats all we get out of a battery too, however I prefer Hitachi for the tool lifespan, Makita for better batteries than Dewalt, Dewalt for good ergos but less build quality. Don't buy junk and use it monthly or the batteries will die off. You get what you pay for as noted above.
18v- lots of power if you want to use it for engine work [impact style, we all love'm], heavy for all other work. Most expensive replacement batteries of course.
14v- perfectly sized for general use but still has guts. Best price points here. The light on some models is great. New style recharges quickly but old style still works if the price is right [see Makita]
12v makes a very light unit for electrical,or cabinet screws etc and acceptable battery power, alum soffit guys love this size, batteries cheapest.
Right angle drill, as the gentleman stated, it is doubly useful.
Chargers- get them wet with spray or rain and they are dead. Some elect shops will solder a new diode[did I get that right ?] in for you, thats all it was in my Makita old style
Batteries- the cold really kills them so if you leave them out in the freezing overnight, the cheap ones really poop out.
Clutch- if you get used to it its a great feature on a good drill.

Much like dinghies, too much choice...

JVB · Mar 15, 2011

Ed Schenck said:
...... I have an old Craftsman but the batteries are unavailable......

Here's where I got individual cells to rebuild my battery pack. It's doing fine a year later.
http://www.nicadbatteryfix.com/sub-c-replacement-cell.html

By the way the website above is badly organized but the batteries are good.

Barnacle Bill · Mar 15, 2011

Re: Rad ...

Scott T Bird: Have your wife drill the holes.

tommays · Mar 15, 2011

I have had most everything and the Ryobi Home Depot special18 volt 1/2 " 2 speedwith two battery's kicks BUTT

No problem drilling stainless or a 3-1/2" holesaw through 3/4" of deck and core

And they even make a 12 volt charger

Cordless drill question

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