Review of the drills

OK as promised here is my review of the drills but generally I would say that most of the times it is better to have the corded drill not because it is cheaper but because it is relieve the hassle of the recharging the batteries.

Most of the manufacturers always advertise the rechargeable batteries however these batteries by themselves get problematic just sitting in your cordless drills. That said the cordless drills have that ease of use which is a lot helpful especially if you are working at home or even some client sites if you are in the professions. The sheer ease of use kind of puts the cordless drills as the must have tools.


Here are my inputs

Ideal weight – 3.5 pounds anything beyond that is generally too heavy.
As far as the battery goes use the lithium ion batteries as opposed to the NiMH batteries
As far as voltage is concerned 18 volt is much better than all others. It means more power.

I will rate the drills on the below factors and these are the
Power
Handles and grip
Clutch
Speed
Chuck jaws
Speed range switch
Forward/reverse switch


I bought the Makita 18 Volt Lithium Ion ½” Compact Drill/Driver and here are my thoughts on this one

At 18V this to me is the best drill that is available in the market. The handle is simply amazing and has very good design with special rubber molding.
The clutch is very very nice and and this works like a charm for power and the lithium ion battery works well with very good performance.
The switch for the speed is not comfortably operated though it is much better than other drills that I have used.

Overall this is very much a value for money and has very good balance. In the 18Volt category this drill works the best and I believe this is best suited for your needs even though a lot of folks in a lot of reviews websites tell you that 18 Volt is not worth for the small hole use.
And for those who are doing the DIY home improvement projects by themselves this helps to increase the longvity of their tools


Look at one such review here consumer reports

Based on that I bought the other drill which is the Hitachi DS12DVF3.

The specs are that it is the 12V battery with a 3/8-inch chuck and it weigh about 3.3Volts.
The thing different from the regular drills is that it has Ni-Cd batteries.
The best part is the 5 year warranty.
Update Dec 2009 : I found a blog on diamond drill bit basics . For those interested in the real working of the drill bits especially diamond drill bits I believe this one will help understanding their functioning and mechanics.
I did not find in general any issues with it though I must say that this drill has nothing which is useful and value for money. You should go for the 18 V Makita. The batteries are problematic.
The positive is its light weight and yes the best is the 30 minute charger.
People who need it for more power will prefer to use the Makita

The ultimate guide on power drills

The drilling action is a must when you are doing any wood working or doing any masonry work. In fact for any sort of low end work you will need to do have drill. Small examples at home like putting in towel rod in the bathroom or drilling the side of the window frame to make a hole for the wire.

For all this you will need a simple drill which can do the work .

Now for the types available in the market. There are three main types of drills that are available in the market and these are

Cordless Drills
Corded Drills
Drill press


Tips on selection for the drills

If you are doing masonry work then cordless drills are not for you. Make sure that you use the corded drill.

Cordless drills are best for the simple woodworking type of work and if you are thinking of using the drills for your tile use then it is better to go for the corded drills

Generally the drills are bought based on the voltage as more voltage means more power. The voltage on the drill can be as low as 4.8V and can go up to 18V. Any good drill the voltage will be above 12V. However that is not too day that below these are bad but these are not good for very heavy work.

More the voltage the heavier is the drill. If you are buying for home then make sure that you have a good balance between the voltage and the weight. Before buying try to get a feel of the cordless drill and make sure that it feels Ok in your hand.

Next check the battery of the drills. Generally you will get a spare battery. Go for the rechargeable batteries to reduce the cost.

Most of the drills have the variable speed function. This will allow you to reduce the speed as and when required.

Next when you go in for the corded drills then buy a drill which has both the rotary function as well as the hammer function. Hammer function is must for most of masonry work.

Note: all the above things that I have said apply to the corded drills as well as the cordless drills and not to the drill presses. Drill presses are for people who are professional woodworkers and generally have large woodworking operations. These drills are fixed in a stand and you will have to have a big bench beneath it to make sure that the wood is placed at the correct angle.


Tips on using the drill

Make sure that you drill the hole perpendicular to the surface of the drill. In general there is no need for additional accessories to achieve this. If you must you can use the spirit levels or you can even use the dowel jigs to achieve this.

The most common thing for which you are using the drill is to drill holes for screws. So make sure that the hole is of the same size as the stem of the screw and better still a slightly smaller hole will work well. This will allow the screw to take a grip onto the wood easily.

It is generally preferred to use the countersink drill bit so that the head of the screw sits easily inside the wood surface.


In my next post I am going to review two most common brands of drills..

Power Tools Review

I have been a die hard do it yourself guy and each time I have bought some tool I have been forced to find out what is the best thing to buy and what are the peoples opinions about it .

There have been situations where getting good advice is not so forthcoming. Ask the Home Depot guy and chances are that they may or may not be familiar with the tool that you asked.

If you are a professional then also chances are that you will run into issues selecting one over the other and then also price can be a big barrier.

I hope to review a hell lot of power tools with contractors and home owners in mind.

For folks looking out for doing home improvement projects this hopefully will help them get some good tools.

My strategy here on this blog is to tell as is the honest opinion however in some cases if I have not used a power tool then I will be calling on a guest who can give an honest review or will send you over to the website or the blog which at least guides into the right direction.

In most cases I would have used the tool for at least about six months or so before even thinking about writing a review for them. I hope with each tool that each are worth their money. A lot of tools come with advanced options and these options in some cases these options generally never get used. So I will also be reviewing the value for money.