Replies

1. 
   Jason | Mar 14, 2001 11:23pm | #1

   *
   No. I have four of them, and have not had any problems associated with them as far as charging, torque, cold/hot weather, keeping a charge, or quality (as far as dropping them from great heights and having them work). They stay in the truck through weeks of freezing or hot weather and always work fine. I had one problem with a charger where the cord fell off, but even though it was out of warranty, they replaced it on the spot. What type of problems are you having?

1. 
   pcraig2 | Mar 15, 2001 07:23pm | #2

   *the drill chuck seems to wobble after driving about 2thou 3" screws,and the batteries dont seem to hold there charge like the bosch

1. 
   Jason | Mar 15, 2001 07:31pm | #3

   *Never had that type of problem, and the oldest is probably two-three years. I'd take it back and tell them; give me a new one!

1. 
   Pro-Dek | Apr 05, 2001 08:47am | #4

   *I like the Makita impact driver for screwing and drilling. It is light holds a charge longer than it takes the spare to re-charge, and has great balance.

1. 
   Kyle_Bartlett | May 15, 2001 01:44am | #5

   *I have a Dewalt 18 volt. It is the best damn drill I've ever had. I also have to friends who have dewalts one with an 18V and the other a 14.4V. They love them just as much as I love mine. I use mine on the jobsite were they take a good beating but worst of all for my drill is when I use it at my local ski hill. I've used it in extremly cold weather to drill in gates for racing. This tool takes 1 3/8" bits and a pack will last me the morning. It sure takes a beating. I've found it barried under about 4 or 5" of snow(glad I found it, this kind of quality is not cheap) leaked water for a week but otherwise worked fine. I also dropped it off a snow mobile going about 40 mph. I can't even begin to tell you how much of a beating it's taken from the one buudy I have. He busted an Estwing hammer once. But he did drop it off a 2 story building into, mud worked fine.

2. 
   bake_ | May 15, 2001 07:45am | #6

   *We have 3 dewalts, 2-14v 1-18v and they perform flawlessly on a dailey basis, then again I have seen a lot of Dewalt bashing going on, maybe they need to tighten up their quality control

3. 
   FARMER_WATERMAN | May 25, 2001 03:50pm | #7

   *I have had a Dewalt 12 v, worked perfect. I have two Porter Cable 12V and like PC the best. Grip of handle is easier and battery life is slightly longer. After a year of wear I like the Porter Cable best, but both companies products work great. Good luck.

4. 
   GACC_DAllas | May 26, 2001 03:59am | #8

   *My vote,Milwaukee.Ed.

5. 
   Dave_Schmidt | May 26, 2001 03:28pm | #9

   *I'v had 3 Bosch's (12& 14.4v), 2 PorterCables and 3 Makita's (12 & 14.4v) I use the drills quite extensively every day. I have found the Bosch drill to be the smoothist but the gear train went bad on both. the Porter Cable had a nice feel but the triggerswitch went bad three times. I like the Makitas best and have not had any problems with the tool except that which I have caused myself. (Dropped it off a 15' ladder and nothing broke. Just lucky I guess..........

6. 
   davidmason | May 26, 2001 07:31pm | #10

   *Had a Dewalt 14.4v it wore out in two years. Now I only buy Makita's. I still have my first one ,9.6v. Had to buy new batteries but it still runs great after eight years. Dave

7. 
   Mark_McDonnell | May 27, 2001 06:32am | #11

   *Have four P.C.'sWhy?The P.C.'s repair shop is the closest.Just make me a screw gun that will last a year.

8. 
   RichMast_ | May 27, 2001 05:43pm | #12

   *The Boxch is definitely a smooth machine. I have a 24V drill which is heavy but smooth as silk. The batteries hold a charge for a LONG time - I have one spare drill which I don't use often, and it still holds a charge after 2 months of sitting on a shelf.I have also had no problems with my 9.6V makita drills, though the batteries are starting to show their 10 year age, and don't hold a charge as long as they used to. Both brands are blue - maybe it's the color. Hope this helps. Rich.

9. 
   Greg_Brown | May 28, 2001 12:27am | #13

   *PPPa ppa pppaaan ppaaanasonic

10. 
    Ray_Schwalb | May 28, 2001 07:18pm | #14

    *I second that. Panasonic

11. 
    Mike_Maines_ | May 29, 2001 01:42pm | #15

    *I love my 14.4 Dewalt, have beat the hell out of it for 3 or 4 years and it's going strong. Just got new batteries. My buddy just got a new 14.4 Dewalt, and it's a piece of crap. Totally different tool. mike

12. 
    Curt_Kluznik | May 30, 2001 04:20pm | #16

    *The only cordless that I've used for the past 10 years is the Porter-Cable 12V. Before I purchased a Panasonic 15.6V with the 3.0 amp hour batteries I USED TO swear by Porter-Cable. After a considerable amount of research I decided on the Panasonic because P-C has changed the design of the batteries three or four times. I hope this doesn't make the die hard black and yellow fans angry, but the only reason I buy Dewalt cordless tools for my work force of 500 plus carpenters is because of the liberal exchange policy. I can beat the daylights out of the tool for a year and exchange it for a new one. Dewalt may not make the best cordless tools, but they have the best return policy and customer service hands down...just a quick side note...the Dewalt sliding compound miter saw is THE saw.

13. 
    madtea | Jun 02, 2001 04:39pm | #17

    *i have a 4 year old P/C 12v that's getting a little tired; shorter batt., life chuck getting soft. still quite serviceable, and a new 14.4v hammer/driver love them both, 12v after all this time daily use/abuse pretty good eah pannasonic super batt. life. this may sound silly but the noise from setting the chuck drives me nuts!

14. 
    Chris_Robb | Jun 02, 2001 06:15pm | #18

    *BOSCH! No question.

15. 
    Aaron_Day | Jun 04, 2001 05:04pm | #19

    *I Have a 5 year old Panasonic 12v and a 2 year old Panasonic 15.6v. I have also used the Bosch 14.4v and the DeWalt 18v. The Panasonics are lighter weight, and they seem to have just as much (if not more) torque. The 15.6v is a powerhouse, and I can not distinguish MUCH difference between it and the DeWalt 18v (except that the DeWalt weighs a lot more). The real reason I am a die hard Panasonic fan though, is because of their supernatural ability to remain functional after signifigant abuse. I have dropped the 12v. off countless roofs, even on to concrete, and never even had a single problem with it. I am aware that other drills can take abuse too, but I guess when you and a drill go through a lot together...

16. 
    RJT_ | Jun 05, 2001 03:54am | #20

    *I prefer the DeWalt although the Bosch if more ergonomic. Compare the 14.4 Bosch with the 14.4 PC. The PC is considerably larger and bulkier to use, but does have guts. I'd like to try the Metabo and Hitachi.

17. 
    Gerard_De_Lany | Jun 07, 2001 03:30pm | #21

    *Hey Y'all, 1) Perhaps a totally silly consideration: Can you use the tool without taking your gloves off? If you can, I'd say the ease of use and ergonomics are correct for you. 2) I'm reading a lot here about drills falling to the ground. Have any of you guys tried a drill holster? I think I paid less than $15 for mine, and I'm damn certain it's saved me the price of my cordless a few times now. A tip for those of you who want to try holsters: I'm right-handed, but I use a left-handed holster placed between my left side tool bag and my tape measure (which is in the center of my belt). I did this because I didn't want to move my hammer hanger (between tape and right side bag) and I wanted to be able to retrieve my cordless as readily left-handed as right-handed when working over head. Thus, my drill handle points across my back towards my right. It's actually pretty easy to retrieve with either hand. Drawbacks: It adds a lot of weight to the belt, and sometimes makes tape retrieval difficult. 3a) Why not attatch a drill holster to your ladder?

18. 
    Peter_F | Jul 04, 2001 09:57am | #22

    *I have had two of the 9.6v makita's, both are still running with my brother for household use after 19 and 17 years. I upgraded to the Black and Decker 12v (actually dewalt dw971's in a black case) and those were great till stolen. Replaced those two with two DW971's (12v pistol grip not "T" handle) and a 14.4v hammerdrill DeWalt Never had a lick of trouble with any and use them hard. Had one bad battery pack out of the gate but that was replaced with no hassle. I am lucky, I live close to 7 Corners Hardware, the "tools on sale" place that runs ads in FHB, they will tell you what works and what doesn't. They sell thousands of tools a year and if something causes them grief they will not sell it Buy the Dewalt, if you kill a battery on the site, someone will have one you can borrow.

19. 
    Seaweedsteve_ | Aug 13, 2001 08:43am | #23

    *I am looking at buying the Makita 12V or 14V, the ones with the removible brushes and long life moter. They get great reviews but there is a vein of complaints about gear failure and problems with the new NiMh batteries. And there appears to be a new rush of "remanufactured" kits on the market. This, of course has been typical of DeWalt for years...Are they any good?

20. 
    Richard_Robles | Aug 13, 2001 05:42pm | #24

    *Seaweed, I have had a Makita 12v for about a year with the NiMh and have been very happy with it. It has held up very well. I would recommend it to anyone.

21. 
    bear313 | Aug 18, 2001 04:42am | #25

    *Bosch 14.4 is a great tool! The only mishap was a drop from the top of a ladder that broke the battery open; I stuffed all the pieces back in, wrapped it with electical tape, and it has worked flawlessly for the past 2-3 years. I also have a Panasonic NiMh that works much better than you would expect from that company.

22. 
    The_Tennis_Court_Builder_...on_t | Aug 18, 2001 04:58pm | #26

    *Pro Dek is the Makita Man!....We both be....Near the blue Makita stream,aj

23. 
    The_Tennis_Court_Builder_...on_t | Aug 18, 2001 05:02pm | #27

    *Curt....500 carpenters!!!!!You Da Man Curt...You Da Maaaan.Impressed by the shear number of coffees to buy....near the stream,aj

24. 
    The_Tennis_Court_Builder_...on_t | Aug 18, 2001 05:11pm | #28

    *RJT....I would not own Hibachi if yaa paid me to.Stick with any other....Panasonic is the best...The Makita that Pro Deck uses is superb for his use. The 18v DeCrap has lots of torque, but too heavy for screw driving. I admit to using the DeCrap for mixing tennis coatings in 5gal buckets with a mud mixer blade. It's abusive to the tool, but I like abusing DeCrap.near the Makita blue stream and the more black then yellow world of panasonic,ajPs...Gutter hangers around here would kill yaa if yaa mentioned any other brand then Panasonic....They work on ladders all day....balance, light, power, droppable, and best of all that sound of a precision planetary gear set whipping up to speed and stopping instantly, all at your fingertips.

25. 
    Bill_Bartlett | Aug 23, 2001 09:17pm | #29

    *Panasonic is the best kept secret of all.

26. 
    Bucksnort_Billy | Aug 25, 2001 07:01pm | #30

    *The 14Volt 1/2" Milwaukee...

27. 
    Frenchy_Dampier | Aug 29, 2001 06:45pm | #31

    *I got a 18 volt dewalt Love it!!! I've got a 9.6 volt mikita nad it's a decent "little" drill, have a royobi and since it was a gift it's not in the trash ....yet!

28. 
    bill_burns | Aug 31, 2001 11:34pm | #32

    *I have a9.6 makita that I have had for at least 8 years. it runs and runs. I also have a 14.4 volt makita for jobs needing more power without a cord. the problem with gears in 12 and 14 volt units is caused by driving screws in high gear. I had mine fixed for 40.00 bucks, and the makita repairman told me not to drive lots of screws in high gear into wet or hard wood. since taking advice, have not had problems.

29. 
    Jonny_boy | Sep 26, 2001 11:09pm | #33

    *First time I saw a Panasonic on site I thuoght it was a Chicago-type-rip-off of a quality tool. Since then I've heard nothing but the highest praise for their drills, saws, AND hammerdrills. I'm still not convinced they're better than Bosch, but I'm gonna have to try 'em out now. I've got a couple of Bosch, and a 14.4 Craftsman "Professional" which has actually stood up to a lot of hard work, and not let me down even once(knock on wood).

30. 
    Greg_Brown | Sep 28, 2001 06:45am | #34

    *panasonics are the sweetest I've tried-compact, lightweight, well balanced, built to take a beating, with plenty huevos

2. 
   pcraig2 | Sep 28, 2001 06:45am | #35

   *
   i have recently bought a dewalt 14.4v cordless drill and boy is it crap,i have always been a through n through bosch man in the past and there i'm going back,any one else had things like this happen?