MDShunk

Does anyone have any firsthand knowledge of any cordless drills, in current production, that have metal gears?

I've freaking had it with Milwaukee cordless drills. I'm a Milwaukee fan, but I've torn up more cordless drills in the last 5 years than I ever hoped to own. I've personally gone through at least 4 or 5 18 volt drills, had a couple 28 volt drills rebuilt (each at least twice) and I just tore up another one yesterday (while drilling 6-5/8" holes with a holesaw in 5/8" drywall). Time for a change.

The last 18V I tore up, I tried to do some research and came to the conclusion that all cordless drills have plastic gears now. I switched to the 28V on the promise by the Milwaukee rep that they have that sorted out now, and the gearbox is sturdier. Not so, I'm here to tell you.

I need a bulletproof cordless drill. Survey says.... ?

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mcclary's electrical

I' m a Milwaukee fan too, but I tore the gears out of two 18 volt last year. My 28, the gears aren't stripped, it's the clutch, even though the dial is set to drill, the clutch slips. So I got another 28. Three months later, the variable speed trigger quit working. It's either full speed or nothing, which makes it impossible to "start" a bit on a brick wall in a precise location. I have spent tens of thousands on Milwaukee, and thousands on drills alone, and I'm still not satisfied.

chenley

I've been using the 18V XRP series DeWalt Hammerdrill combo for the past 3-4 years. Have not had quite as many problems as you have had although the DeWalt drills do have the same clutch problems, which cost more to fix than the drill itself. Currently have two drills that have made it two years.

Frasbee

This is a new DeWalt (DCD970) model: http://www.ebuild.com/articles/844783.hwx

However that article claims it has an all metal transmission which I don't know enough about to say if that applies to your all metal gear box.

Googling "all metal gear box drills", Craftsman came up a lot, though I would take that with a grain of salt.

Unfortunately it seems my beloved Bosch does not seem to provide that kind of design in the majority of its' drills with the exception of their impact wrench: http://bosch.cpotools.com/drills/cor...hes/21618.html Though I've dropped my baby drill several times without issues, and my 18 volt hammer hasn't caused any problems either.

Metabo claims to have a "die cast aluminum build" but once again I don't know if that's enough to meet your criteria.

http://www.cpometabo.com/products/602147520.html


EDIT: After looking at my current drill again it also claims to have "all metal gears", http://bosch.cpotools.com/drills/cor...hes/21618.html

azsly1

anyone used the metabo cordless kits?

BadSplice

The Dewalt: From that it seems that only the case is metal, it doesn't say anything about the gears. Altho the "steel lockout" to keep it in drill mode would help you guys who have clutch slipping problems.

The newest line of Hilti 18V Li-Ion drills are work horses and also pretty expensive, I wonder if they have steel gears?

randas

Really? I've never even heard of gears stripping in milwauke drills. I've been quite happy with mine, never had a problem.

What I CAN tell you is, mikita must have a huge problem with plastic gears, because just about everyone I know with one has had to have the gears repaired.

Thayer

I have a dewalt 18v XRP that I bought about a year ago and the clutch is already showing signs of wear. About 3 months ago it started to slip out of hammer mode during drilling. It has now reached the point where I have to physically hold the selector to keep in in hammer drill mode. Needless to say it is very irritating. I am planning to try a Hilti on the next round. (At this rate it looks to be pretty soon.)

mattsilkwood

the cheaper dewalts still have nylon gears but the higher end ones have metal gears.

paul d.

i'm wonderin if it would be worth it to just buy whats on " sale " at the big box stores ??? wear it out , throw it away , and just buy another one ??? expecting 2-3 yrs service out of a tool is obsolete. oh well.

BadSplice

Unfortunately the HammerDrill function of most 18V drills is just a novelty, something that should only be used once in a while.

amptech

I have a Milwaukee M18 1/2" drill/hammer drill that has set thousands of 3/16" Tapcons since March and still works like new.

480sparky

Right there's your problem. You're putting a 10 ton load on a half-ton truck.

Get a corded ½" drill out and do it right.

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captkirk

Im right there with you Marc. Im a big Mill fan too. I had to replace my last 28 v drill because the chuck got all tore up. I was going to rebuild it but I said **** it. So I bought a new one (drill only) for 200 bucks. And Ill keep the old one for parts.
As far as bullet proof cordless goes... I dont think they exist. I been listening to fans of all types of drills and it seems to me, for every fan there is a non fan to counter the point. I think the real problem is, us. I can attest that I am very hard on my drills. And Im sure you are too.

azsly1

i've had a milwaukee set for 2 years now, the clutch on the drill is damn near inoperable now, the saw-zall just took a dive, and the batteries are damn near shot, but i figure i got my use out of all of it, and money. i've heard good things about the makita kits so i think i'm going to go with that next, 1 reason being the drill and saw are lighter than the milwaukee and since i got a bosch bulldog, i hardly use the hammer function on the cordless anymore...

MDShunk

I refuse. This is 2009. There should be a cordless that can handle it. Put the same gearbox they put in a corded drill, why don't they. I've torn them up drilling 7/8" holes in studs too.

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TOOL_5150

Its drywall... not cement. an 18v drill should be able to cut a 6-5/8 hole in drywall...


the dewalt nano series have been pretty good for me. Going on 1 year and no probs.

~Matt

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480sparky

OK, what speed are you drilling holes at? If you're like most, you're running everything on the high gear and the trigger pulled all the way in.

Try driving your truck in high gear 100% of the time, with the gas pedel welded to the floorboard.

Yeah, its 2009. So what? No one has walked on the moon since 1972.

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MDShunk

Doesn't matter. Put the same quality gearbox in a cordless drill as they do in a corded drill and I won't have any issues.

The 6-5/8" holes I was drilling yesterday were pretty darned slow. That's sorta what you've gotta do when you saw big holes like that, in case it wants to skip out of the track so you don't tear the finish material up. I think that was more of the "final straw" for that particular drill, rather than cause-effect.

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MDShunk

Right, but there's also no compelling need to walk the moon in 2009. I need a cordless with a sturdy gearbox in 2009. They've been making sturdy drill gearboxes since the dawn of electric tools.... until recent years.

__________________
One reason not to give DIY advice:
Catch a man a fish and you can sell it to him.
Teach a man to fish and you’ve ruined a good business opportunity.