GRM - Make my decision for me

Apparently everyone hit the same "target price point", and I am paralyzed by indecision...

So last night my old Ryobi batteries both died (you mean they're supposed to be able to drill more than 2 screws?), and I don't feel like spending the cost of a new drill on batteries for my old one. I like the looks of these new impact drivers, and I've narrowed it down to one of: [1]Hitachi set (includes light) [2] Makita [3] or the Bosch I don't really think I need a hammer drill (I have a corded one), and I can buy a bare hammer drill for any of the sets for around as much of the upgrade would cost, and then, hey, extra tool. Which one would you buy?

I don't have any Makita cordless stuff, but my 20-year-old Makita sanders are still going strong.

On the cordless side, I had a Ryobi which worked fine mechanically but the plastic went funky and the charger kept quitting. I replaced it with a DeWalt, which works great electrically but is giving me clutch trouble after very little use.

All of this is of course only tangentially helpful.

How long do you expect the nice ones to last? How many HF replacements could you buy for the same price?

Do they spec out the same - tq/rpm... just a bias, I kinda like the hitachi,

I know that 'too many options all about the same price' feeling all too well.

It's worth noting that many cordless tool brands are by the same corporate manufacturers. I believe that Makita may still be independent, but others are not:

Bosch: Dremel, RotoZip, Skil
Stanley Black & Decker: Bostitch, DeWalt, Porter-Cable
Techtronic Industries: Homelite, Milwaukee, Ryobi

oldtin wrote: How long do you expect the nice ones to last? How many HF replacements could you buy for the same price? Do they spec out the same - tq/rpm... just a bias, I kinda like the hitachi,

Specs are all w/in +-10%. Bosch has a slightly lower A/h on the batteries (1.3 vs 1.5).

Makita was just #1 seller on Amazon, Bosch was top 10, and the Hitachi was #40... I've liked all the Hitachi stuff I've had, so I just wasn't sure if there was a reason or just brand snobs...

I have used Hitachi, Makita and Bosh at work. We abuse them, running back to back batteries for hours on end.

Hitachi is good stuff, but heavy for the 18V set. Built like a tank. I'd still be using them if the weight would come down some. Using a 10 pound drill for hours gets painful. The other problem with them is they get HOT. Hot enough to burn if you aren't careful.

Makita is also good stuff for half the weight of the Hitachi. The last two I bought were Makita. Light, powerful, fast charging batteries (15 min.), durable.

The first and last Bosh drill I bought was crap. Switches failed on a regular basis, 3-4 in a year. I haven't bought any of them in a long time, so they have probably changed some. I won't spend the money to find out.

We use them daily and very hard. Anything that lasts a year is a good drill. Makita and Hitachi will last a homeowner forever.

Personally, I'd go for the Makita.

You could always order the cells off of ebay and rebuild your battery packs. That's what GRM would do.

Go Makita. Mine was used hard and the batteries gave out.

I finally tossed it and plan to get another one. It wasn't worth buying replacement batteries from eBay or Home Depot.

have you tried amazon.com for a replacement battery?

I was looking up some for my dad for some other electric tool, it was way cheaper than the big box stores.

Everyone needs their own Shamu drill.

I have the Makita 10.8 set. I've used it when I drywalled a few rooms in the house and reframed the bathroom and ran a bunch of 3" wood screws. Never a hicup. Still using it everyday taking things apart (not must heavy load stuff though). Alot of other "tool guys" I know have the Makita after trying a lot of others and is usually the most recommended.

How many volts is it? I have seen cordless tools modified to run off a car battery using cables with big alligator clips hooked to the battery.

Have you price the Ryobi batteries? Last time I bought some at Home Depot it was $40 for two. That's a far cry from the cost of a new cordless set. But I don't blame you if you're looking to upgrade, the Lithium sets are seriously tempting. At work we've decided to go with the Ridgid set based on the awesome warranty that even covers batteries. I think this is the set:

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-202581825/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=ridgid+lithium&storeId=10051

and I believe they're only available at Home Depot. Not sure though.

I will also vote Makita. All my close friends that work on anything and everything have a menagerie of Makita cordless tools and they have lasted a long time(years) of use and abuse.

dculberson wrote: Have you price the Ryobi batteries? Last time I bought some at Home Depot it was $40 for two. That's a far cry from the cost of a new cordless set. But I don't blame you if you're looking to upgrade, the Lithium sets are seriously tempting. At work we've decided to go with the Ridgid set based on the awesome warranty that even covers batteries. I think this is the set: http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-202581825/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=ridgid+lithium&storeId=10051 and I believe they're only available at Home Depot. Not sure though.

I can't find these (18v) batteries under $35 a piece. Once I get two, that's where it starts looking good to get a new Set.

For archival purposes, I ended up going Makita, in no small part because all of their other tools (reciprocating saw etc) were all $15-$20 cheaper than the Hitachi...

I know you didn't ask about this, but I've been a fan of Rigid for about 5 years. I have absolutely abused my Rigid cordless stuff and it has taken it in stride. I thought i finally killed my impact driver when I saw smoke coming out of it, but it was just overheated after exactly 656 #10 screws I drove into cement board in a 3 hour period.

Rigid cordless stuff has a lifetime warranty, but do yourself a favor... send the warranty registration in. If you don't, they'll fight you. If you do, they'll send you a new one and ask if you want it gift wrapped with a gold ribbon.

I've had Ryobi, Makita, Dewalt, OSH, Milwaukee, and HF. Milwaukee is a top notch brand, but (IMO) not worth the premium price. If you're a serious DIY kinda guy, Rigid is fan-friggin-tastic.