Best Cordless Drill

I read something over at toolmonger that got me rather excited.  Milwaukee is updating their M18 line with a brushless motor.  Brushless motors are more efficient and is one of the things that has previously set festool drills apart.  I don’t know of any other manufacturer that uses brushless motors.  (Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong.)

While the M18 is not currently our favorite 18 volt drill, this does mean that I will be giving the M18 a serious second look for that title.  It’s not that I don’t like Milwaukee.  They currently hold favorites in the compact cordless drill and 24 volt drill categories.  And the M18 is already a solid product.  I wouldn’t dissuade anyone from buying one.  But after looking over all of the evidence, the evidence sided with Bosch to have the best 18 volt product.  One advantage Milwaukee has though is more products you can use those expensive 18 volt batteries in.  I won’t go into more details here, but suffice it to say there are reasons you would want to purchase a different drill than the one I recommend for a given category.  Go ahead.  It won’t hurt my feelings.

I seriously hope this update lands the M18 in the top spot, and not because I have an affinity for red tools.  I just want to see cordless drills get better.  And thus I hope the brushless motor turns out to be a gigantic advantage.  And then I hope all of the other high end manufactures follow suit.  Then we as consumers will win.

I had a friend growing up who was tall.  I think he ended up around 6’8″.  You always wanted him on your basketball team.  In fact, you wanted him on your team for just about every sport, except for maybe crab soccer where the smaller, more nimble guys like me could excel.  Most of the time his height was an advantage.  But sometimes he suffered the fate of everyone who has to use a product that was designed with someone else in mind.  His desk at school may be uncomfortably small.  By high school it was hard for him to find shoes.  Every once in a while I wonder what kind of car he drives.  I’m sure his choices are severely limited.

I’m guessing he often curses the people that design things.  I probably would too.  But I also feel for the designer.  Then again, I’m average height and weight and right handed.  But sometimes I wonder about the decisions made on tool designs.  A lot of the thicker handled cordless drills are just small enough for me to use comfortably.  I’m sure people with small hands can’t (use them comfortably that is.)  There are other factors too.  The trade off between weight and power.  If you’re stronger than average you’d probably like to see that balance go toward power.  And the opposite is true too.  I’ve seen some chucks that are easier to work with small hands because the two areas you have to grip are close together.

Back to my friend.  I never worry whether he can find clothes.  There are stores that cater to people like him.  Shoes?  I’m sure the Internet has helped immensely with that problem and in finding a lot of other niche products too.  And I’m sure he eventually finds a car that is comfortable.  But in all of these things his choices are limited.  Most of the products just aren’t for him.

Back to cordless tools.  Most of the drills I can think of are quite similar.  That is, manufacturers seem to design for the middle, the type of hand that 90% of people have.  If you have bigger or smaller hands, I’m sure you can find a drill.  There are smaller drills and larger drills.  But the 5 best 18 volt cordless drills I can think of are all designed for the middle.  You’ll have to choose something other than the 5 best.

This isn’t a rant.  I’m not saying that manufacturers should change their design process.  (Although, I would like to see more quality niche products.)  This is just me thinking about the design process and the people who have to use the products that have been designed.  So I’d like to hear your stories of tools you couldn’t use or were uncomfortable and the alternatives you went with.

Recently DeWalt has updated their entire line of lithium-ion tools.  This change has come with new branding which, you might have guessed, is DeWalt 20V Max.  Don’t be confused by 20 volts versus 18 volts.  These drills are comparable to 18 volt drills and should be compared as such.

Fall is fast approaching and already the leaves are starting to pile up on the ground. That’s got me thinking about cordless leaf blowers and, since they’re related, cordless trimmers. The biggest concern here would be battery life and power. A portable battery simply cannot hold the same amount of energy as a small tank of gasoline.

But the question is whether a portable battery is enough, or two batteries since I don’t mind switching in the middle of a job. The big advantages of electric are noise and convenience. Who wants to keep around a gas/oil mix just for their trimmer or leaf blower? I know I don’t.

And since a large portion of the cost of cordless tools is in the batteries, if you already have two great batteries, you can pick up a bare tool for a reasonable price. In fact, this is something you should think about before you buy a quality drill. Before you spend close to $200 on a drill, you should think about what other tools you can use those two batteries in. Does the manufacturer offer the kind of tools you’re likely to want?

Most manufacturers offer the usuals: cordless circular saw, jig saw, light, radio, grinder. You’ve seen the kits. But if you’re looking for a cordless drill whose batteries you can use in a leaf blower, it looks like you can choose from Black and Decker and Makita. That’s it. I wish there were more, but it is what it is.

I’m not saying you should buy a Makita because some day you may want to get a leaf blower too and you’ll save 50 bucks. Buy the drill that’s best for you. But if you’re looking at a Makita and one other brand, on the fence and you’re likely to want leaf blower too, then factor the leaf blower into your decision.

I’m going to try to get my hands on cordless leaf blower soon to put it through some real world tests. In the mean time, what are your experiences? Please let me know in the comments.