Cordless drill

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Hey guys

I recently bought Ridgid cordless drill for light-duty home & auto usage (going to drill stripped rotor screws). They offer lifetime warranty including the battery. However, it only has 1 battery and no LED light.

This is what i've got from Home Depot for $79 CDN

http://www.homedepot.ca/product/18v-x4-tradesman-drill/989087

However, i realized that Dewalt cordless drill is on sale, but still it's $40 expensive than Ridgid. As far as i know, they offer 3-year warranty, but it has LED light and two batteries.

This is what i am thinking of buying for $119 CDN.

http://www.homedepot.ca/product/dewalt-2...N0#BVRRWidgetID

So, would you guys recommend keeping it, or returning Ridgid for the Dewalt?

I only use Dewalt drill/drive bit set by the way.

Thanks in advance!
 
The deal make for me is the other tool that are available that run off the same batteries.
 
Originally Posted By: Joe_Power
Those drills belong in your kids toy box. Drop some coin, and get a Milwaukee. You can thank me later.


Thanks for the advice but I would like to learn what makes Milwaukee unique or better than the others, or let's say is it worth spending extra 100-150 bucks ($250-300 in total) for light-duty usage?
 
I'm a Milwaukee guy myself. I have their cordless impact and it has more stones than the snappy ones my coworkers have. Smaller and lighter too

Gets used EVERY day and never skips a beat. It just works, no fuss. And 5yr warranty is pretty nice, though I've never has to use it
 
I have had many cordless drills over the years, and it's always been the battery that has given out (and been more expensive to replace than a new drill and battery)

About 5 years ago I bought a Ridgid 18v much like the one you have.

Later I bought, on sale, an 18v impact driver with 2 batteries that uses the same batteries as my drill.
Both have performed perfectly under heavy use.

In the past two years I have called on the lifetime warranty to replace two of the batteries. this was No Hassle. and I still have a lifetime warranty on my new replacement batteries.

I use my drills more than most home owners, I would not consider the Ridgid a Toy.

My drill has an LED built in to the base near the battery.
 
Since i am an occasional and newbie user, everything fits my hand "best". I really can't feel the difference at all.

As a third option, i found this in the flyer. It has two batteries and hammer drill option as well. So i think it would also be "okay" for heavy duty use (just in case). What do you think?

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A good drill ,regardless of make, should come with 2 batteries. I wouldn't consider a single battery drill as a tool.
 
Stick with Ridgid, but take the one you bought back and get this set instead.

http://m.homedepot.ca/product/ProductDetails.aspx?productid=834289&lang=EN

I bought this set 3 years ago, and it's without a doubt one of the best tool purchases I've ever made. For $179, you get a drill that's a step up from the one you have now, an impact driver, 2 batteries, and the charger. Plus they throw in a radio now too, which I didn't get whwn I bought mine. You might not think you need the impact driver, but after buying this set I don't know how I ever survived without it. I use it far more than the drill.


 
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You'll need two batteries. Otherwise when one dies you'll be frustrated that you don't have the extra battery.

Home depot has a spring black friday sale in Canada this weekend. They have the 2 piece rigid set for $174.
 
I work with a group of 10 guys who use cordless tools and they get used hard. 9 of us have Milwaukee M18 Fuel tools. Somebody might make a post here that they have had battery problems, but I'm not seeing it. I cannot recall any of us buying a new battery in the past two years or so. I have also run into a few people (not in my company) that have had the Ridgid tools with the lifetime warranty. Just remember that you have to strictly register any piece of equipment, you have to again register any replacements, and the replacements are not available through the mail but at their brick-and-mortar service centers. I've also talked to a guy who was getting the runaround with their service center.
Oh, the one guy in my company who doesn't use Milwaukee tools uses DeWalt. He uses DeWalt so nobody else will borrow his tools or batteries. And nobody does borrow them either.
 
out of curiousity, why Milwaukee?

Isn't it from the same parent company as Ryobi?

I don't like Ryobi. I have been using the same 12v DeWalt at my shop for over 10 years. It is on its 4th battery and the batteries are a little pricey for what they are but I cannot fault the tool. It has taken more abuse than any other brand.

We had a Ryobi. It began to smell like ozone after a couple of years and had no torque.

For some reason, Makitas grow legs and walk out of the shop. I have had 4 Makitas stolen.

Hitachi is pretty good for the price. Not as good as the DeWalt but it hangs in there and comes with two batteries.

I second the impact driver comment. Just don't let less experienced techs use it on Dodge Ram or pre-'97 Ford F-series dashes. It will shatter that brittle plastic quickly.
 
My son who uses his drill every day in his trade uses MAKITA drills. I use an old Craftsman profession 3/8 drill/driver and it has served me well for 10 years and still going strong except one batter died and the other is weak. Ed
 
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I just smoked a Milwaukee M18 (pre-FUEL) hammer drill. I've had it for a few years, and I'll swing by the local Milwaukee service center to see if it's under warranty. When I say smoked, I was drilling a hole, and the next thing I know, smoke is coming out of the motor. It's totally dead now. I wouldn't say that I used it particularly hard, by construction worker standards.

One of my guys just broke low gear on his DeWalt 20v. lithium-ion drill. His is less than a year old, and should be under warranty. I was there when it broke, and he wasn't doing anything out of the ordinary.

My other guy has the Ryobi LI set that includes a sawzall and hammer drill. They have been very good so far, and he uses them hard. Before that, he had the pre-lithium ion DeWalt 18v. set, and those pretty much fell apart.

I haven't used the Ridgid tools myself, but most of the guys I see on jobsites who have them seem to like them.

If I need serious power, I run a cord. But for driving screws, drilling small holes here and there, and general non-continuous use, the Ridgid is probably fine. I agree that you will want two batteries.
 
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