How about cordless drills?

[Blinky]

I'm gonna buy an 18v 1/2" cordless drill for cabling. So far Bosch, Rockwell and Makita come to mind. Anybody have something to say about which cordless they like for making holes in tree stems?

 

[Norm_Hall]

I use a Porter Cable that I'm very happy with. There's nothing wrong with the brands you listed. All top quality.

 

[Zac]

http://tinyurl.com/yr3zez

My dad got one of these Panasonics about a year ago. It rocks! Plenty of power to pull a big bit with less weight than a 18 volt.

 

[Tree_Frog]

Make sure you get 2 batteries. You know how that goes. I got a Dewalt and the batteries last for about 2 years in the drill, one year for higher draw items like the circular saw and recp. saw. So I would factor in the cost to replace the batteries vs. replacing the whole kit every two years or so.

I think it is cheaper to buy a new combo pack and sell the old one than to buy new batteries. lol.

 

[Tom Dunlap]

I got 'addicted' to DeWalt a few years ago. They have worked well for me. The radio/charger is shaped like a boombox with a big rollbar handle. I think that the Bosch has one that is about milkcrate size with a roll cage.

You might consider a hammerdrill too. I've heard that they work really well drilling big wood.

 

[Babberney]

If you have a local Batteries Plus or similar retailer, take teh old batteries there for rebuilding. I don't know what it costs, But I'd expect it to be cheaper than replacement.

k

 

[Pete_in_Tassie]

Before buying I'd find out what a replacement battery pack costs for each brand. Hey and if you do please let us know!

I've been told that often one cell leads to the failure of the battery pack. Apparently that cell will heat up when charging the pack, so if that cell is replaced then your pack will often go well again.

I'd always look for a major brand and a battery pack that can be undone rather than a sealed unit.

Nickel metal hydride batteries are much better than nickel cadmium because you can top them up more often without the so-called memory affect of Ni-cads. Cadmium is hugely toxic, by the way--needs to be disposed of with care.

 

[hornett22]

i bought the Bosch.works awesome.

 

[bowlegs]

I always thought DeWalt was the best,but I dropped my 18v from about 50ft yesterday and it broke. For what they cost I would think they would be able to take a joke once in awhile.

 

[Tom Dunlap]

If you're going to drop things from over 49' you need to have them coated with 'Super Ball' dip-it. The stuff is wonderful for chainsaws, drills and heads that aren't screwed on tight.

 

[jonb]

I have an 18 v dewalt hammer drill that I got to replace my 14 v after that died. Then I used up 2 batteries when trying to drill through a maple with my 9/16" x 3' long bit. I still use it for small stuff like J lags or for my 18" bits but have since purchaced stihls gas powered drill. That works nice for the big stuff!

 

[Mangoes]

My wife has found my habit of using the Stihl gas drill for almost all drilling tasks a little absurd ............ tapcons in the basement wall and such.