i only use 14.4 makita or dewalts....anything bigger is just to hard to handle on finer work.....

just my 2 cents

ed

how is that rigid? i'd like to know how well it works when your not a home owner using it once every six months. i was thinking of buying one to test out against my dewalt. the one i use at home. its much nicer and still pretty new. but anyway i like the dewalt. i've bought a few over the last 12 years but i put it thruugh some abuse.

The Rigid is great. We have the 12V which I would put against a Dewalt 14v anyday. The 12 and 18 have plenty of power and some great design features like... locking chucks, spring loaded batteries, they stand upright, they have rubber pads so that you can either stand them up or lay them on the side without scratching whatever they are laying on and they feel nice and balanced when you are holding them. The warrenties are 3 years on everything and sometimes they run a special for Lifetime warrenty. The cases are also very nice with room for bits.

All of these comments are based on job use, not home owner use.

nice i remember when they ran that promotion. they were trying to get everybody to buy 'em. not to be an ass, but i hope you are not laying the drills on customers property.

Have had 2 14.4V Makitas, stripped gears in on, battery problems up the wazoo with both(the good nim batteries). Fits in my hand better and has better balance than any others. Love the flashlight.

Have a Dewalt 18V that jammed in a cabinet while dilling a 3" hole and smoked, still works, batteries are nicad and still great after 2 years.

I've been thinking about the Milwaukee 28v but from these posts I'll wait til the Dewalt dies completely.

I swear buy my Milwaukee, while the others swear at their DeWalts. The chucks on the dewalts rust up and seize, and their batteries suck. I bought my 18V Mil. 3 years ago in a huge kit, 3 months after I bought it, I ran into a tight spot and had to do a Vac prepipe with it. That thing would drill like there was no tomorrow, on low gear using a 2 9/16" bit. About 30 minutes after I was done, I smelled something burning. It was my helper drilling for the pipe chase to the attic, only he was using my new drill on High gear. I took just the drill into HD that night on the way home, and tha manger sent me home with a whole 18V kit. Now Im up one charger and two batteries.

I just got a DeWalt 18v to install my alarm system... So far, so good. It was Consumer Reports # 7 pick. I couldn't decide between the DeWalt and the Milwaukee. The Milwaukee was # 4 on CRs list. They rated the drills on Speed, Power, Run Time, Charge Time, Handling, and Noise at Ear... The only difference in ratings between the 2 was the Milwaukee had a longer run time, but the DeWalt had better handling. The DeWalt is also 1.4 lbs. lighter. I'm not too concerned with run time because I basically just use it around the house, so I saved $40 and went with the DeWalt. Here is CRs top 10:

1. Hitachi (DS18DMR) 18v
2. Panasonic (EY6432GQKW) 15.6v
3. Panasonic (EY6450GQKW) 18v
4. Milwaukee (0622-24) 18v
5. Bosch (33618-2G) 18v
6. Makita (6347DWDE) 18v
7. DeWalt (DC759KA) 18v
8. Porter-Cable (9987) 19.2v
9. Ridgid (R84015) 18v
10. Bosch (32614-2G) 14.4v CR Best Buy

Quick Picks for larger projects were the Hitachi (1), Panasonic (2), and the DeWalt (7).

Also, they gave the 28v Milwaukee a terrible review...

Consumer Reports are the same idiots who rated the laughably weak Technics and Kenwood (pre-Sovereign) receivers over Denon, Yamaha, and Onkyo about 10 years back when Dolby Digital was first released...

After I saw that, I decided that I would trust the source when it comes to reviews.

Fine Homebuilding gave the Panasonics their highest marks, and the writers and reviewers are actual builders and remodeling contractors.

I am probably going to hold on the Milwaukee until I see a real review.

I have used both Dewalt and Milwaukee. 18v systems. Stopped using the Milwaukee for prewires and used the Dewalt only.The Milwaukee I use for light work. The Dewalt had way more torque the the Milwaukee.We forgot our whole hog for a job and had to use our cordless Dewalt and Milwaukee the Dewalt was the one that lasted.

PS. The Dewalt was the Hammer 18v.

Consumer Reports. Ha. Bose would be what they really are (crap for those who don't know yet) without them.

So far I've decided to stick with the 18v Ryobi for the next few years. Batteries 2 x $40, they make about any kind of cordless machine you need and they all fit the same battery.

My biggest and only gripe against them is that the battery won't recharge after draining it on a hot summer Phoenix, AZ job (so I keep a few extra charged batteries).

Tip of the day: Throw your batteries in the client's fridge (on a hot day) for 20 minutes before throwing them back on the charger.

Bought a ridgid 18v from Home Depot for a second drill. Works fine as that, but the battery won't hold up very long at all. It charges up pretty quick though if that's any consolation.

I like my DeWalt. Kicks A*s and tough as nails. No experience w/ the Milwaukee.

I have tried almost every brand. My techs seem to be very hard on drills. Those 6' bits require a lot of torque, as do hole saws and augers. After burning up one drill after another, I have come to the conclusion that some are definately more durable than others. I'm sure that if the guys had to buy their own drills, they would last a lot longer.

Recently, we have been using 18-Volt drills only. The 14V ones just don't have enough balls. The new Makitas suck. I remember when they were the best (and almost the only). I bought three of them at one time and all three were ruined in a week-- all with gear problems. Took them back to Home Depot and they were nice enough to exchange them for Milwalkee's. The Milwaukees have held up pretty well. Batteries last about a year. One of the guys burnt out the variable speed function on one of them. In general, they have been reliable and seem to take a beating. The battery requires a little more effort to remove than I would like.

I have tried two of the Bosch 18V hammer-drills. So far they have held up very well. I dropped one of them off of a 14ft. ladder onto a cement floor, which landed on it's nose. It broke screwdriver bit in two, but the drill is fine-- no cracks or broken parts. Batteries seem to hold up pretty well-- I haven't had to replace one yet. I've had one for almost a year and the batteries still seem like new.

Dewalts have not held up well for us. We seem to smoke the motors and or break the gears. I recently tossed two of them. Batteries seemed to last less than a year under heavy use, which is usually twice the average length of time that we can use the drill without a rebuild. We don't use them anymore.

I bought one Porter Cable 14V before Home Depot discontinued them. I thought it was a good drill and was the favorite of one of my guys. The batteries lasted almost two years. Unfortunately, it was stolen along with a vehicle just recently. The vehicle was later found after the thief dumped it, but he kept the drill. There is probably some chop-shop in Tijauna right now enjoying the drill.

I have also tried Panasonic and like it a lot. They seem more compact than other drills and take a reasonable beating. The only complaint is the lack of availability of replacement batteries. I was finally able to find them at Tool Depot. The batteries are good for about a year and a half under heavy use.

One of my guys swore by Ryobi. He had an old 14V that he liked better than our new 18V drills of various brands. He liked the light weight and the fact that it would stand up on it's own without tipping over. I don't know how well batteries held up, but I never saw him replace one in about a year and a half. He no longer works for me, so I don't know how the drill is doing.

At this point, the next drills I buy will probably be either Bosch or Panasonic. All of these experiences mentioned above are with cordless drills. For corded drills, I don't think you can beat a Milwaukee.

I have to agree on your opinion of Consumer Reports. And the top 10 list above really looks bogus. My list would start with DeWalt #1, Rigid #2, Milwaukie #3; although the only Milwaukie I have is a cordless roto-hammer for drilling in a cinder block wall.
No more Makitas for me. Too many battery failures. Even when I switched to Nickel Metal Hydride I had failures.

HD has 3 18v Dewalt drills Handle, No Handle and Hammer. The Hammer will not stand up. I also think the one w/o Handle is 3/8". Which one do you Dewalt guys like?

Consumer reports has been throwing a monkey wrench in the sales experiences of experts for more than least thirty years. I can't understand how they can consistently be off the mark, but they are. Perhaps they are experts at nothing, so they can never come to conclusions (about these tools, for instance) with the insight of people like you and me.