Figured this might be a good place to ask.

Mom wants one to replace an old Craftsman that isn't really working very well anymore. Looking for something that isn't too heavy, as she's a bit older and once dropped the Craftsman on her toe and broke her toe.

Uses would be fairly light duty stuff. Driving in a few screws if any fence pickets become loose, screwing together wood strips for plants to climb onto, or basic assembly of furniture/flower bed type stuff.

Normally I'd look at simple stuff like Ryobi, or even Harbor Freight's brand. But, I saw this DeWalt on sale for $89, and wondering if it's worth getting?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C3TGRLLM?creative=9325&camp=1789&

https://www.harborfreight.com/20v-cordless-12-in-drilldriver-kit-with-2-ah-battery-and-charger-73216.html

I've used that Dewalt for 5 years and I have zero complaints about it.

I keep the batteries inside becuase I have heard it helps keep them healthy.

About 10 years ago I wander into Home Depot looking for a new drill set(the old one was running through batteries faster then they should've, and the CSR for that aisle was there (small miracle on its own) and they had a wall of options.

The asked the guy which one he likes and he immediately recommended Rigid. He said they all performed about the same but Rigid had a life time warranty, EVEN the batteries. We all know the only thing that breaks is the battery.

I've had the. For ten years and tickled pink. They work well, batteries hold a charge extremely well have enough power for the tool.

Note the paperwork is a lot of work and I don't know if they still offer that warranty.

The impact drivers are lighter. You can also get drill bits w/ the hex shank.

If you think she might ever make use of all the other tool options, then dewalt is absolutely the way to go. The compact vacuum is extremely handy.

I don't know anything about the Harbor Freight brand, but that's a great deal for the Dewalt. I've had the same one for 6 years. Battery life is great. Mom should like it a lot.

Plus the battery is compatible with a bunch of other tools.

Gator92 said:

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The impact drivers are lighter. You can also get drill bits w/ the hex shank.

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I started to say this too. I use my compact impact drivers 10X as often as my drill. But there are times where you need something that will accept a round shank. If someone only has one tool, they might get frustrated with the impact, when they go to use an old school bit.

https://www.youtube.com/@TorqueTestChannel

I run Ridgid. You can get good deals on home depot website.

They are lighter than Milwaukee.

Dewalt is a great brand. Should maybe check Murdoch's. I think today is the last day of a sale they're having.

Had Rigid for 12 yrs or so. Burnt up a couple drills and a couple impact drivers and a few batteries. I was unable to jump thru all the hoops for warranty claims.

Had enough and jumped ship. Ive recently gone to Milwaukee Fuel 18v....

Anybody interested in buying a bunch of good Rigid batteries and chargers and 18v tools? Less than 2 yrs old mostly.

I would not buy that Dewalt with the 2 amp battery. They have a bad reputation for durability.

The battery. Not the drill. I have four Dewalt tools. But I only use 4 amp batteries

Been running Rigid for years. You can't beat them dollar for dollar. If you were a professional I'd say run Milwaukee. Weekend warrior Rigid all day long

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-M12-FUEL-12V-Lithium-Ion-Brushless-Cordless-4-in-1-Installation-3-8-in-Drill-Driver-Kit-with-4-Tool-Heads-2505-22/309495334

I have accumulated a collection of drills. Actually, I have a problem. I have a lot. I have Ridgid, dewalt, Milwaukee probably close to a dozen that all have differing or duplicative purposes, but this is a great lightweight option. I use it for all kinds of work and would be perfect for what you've described.

Bosch 12V are nice and light, quite a few tools in that system. Excellent quality.

Love my brushless Makita stuff, but you can usually find better hackable deals on Milwaukee and Dewalt. Both of those are well worth the freight.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-Atomic-20V-Max-Lithium-Ion-Brushless-Cordless-Compact-1-4-in-Impact-Driver-Kit-with-2-0Ah-Battery-and-Charger-DCF809D1/315994093#see-more-details


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B083FSDGDP?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_3&th=1


hard to beat this.......lightweight, light up end and small. I have one and my 80 year old mother can use it with no issues. pair with these cheap bits from amazon and you can also drill with it. i find myself using this way more than my drill. i just dont drill enough to justify using the other. i will say its easy to snap a bit in half if actually trying to drill through some thicker metal.


edit to add my moms favorite dewalt....blows the porch off almost daily

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016NZGL9O?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_1

malenurse said:

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I would not buy that Dewalt with the 2 amp battery. They have a bad reputation for durability.

The battery. Not the drill. I have four Dewalt tools. But I only use 4 amp batteries

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Interesting. I've not had issues with mine the 6 years I've had it. Granted, it doesn't last as long when I'm using the reciprocating saw, but with drilling/driving it's been great.

SteveBott said:

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About 10 years ago I wander into Home Depot looking for a new drill set(the old one was running through batteries faster then they should've, and the CSR for that aisle was there (small miracle on its own) and they had a wall of options.

The asked the guy which one he likes and he immediately recommended Rigid. He said they all performed about the same but Rigid had a life time warranty, EVEN the batteries. We all know the only thing that breaks is the battery.

I've had the. For ten years and tickled pink. They work well, batteries hold a charge extremely well have enough power for the tool.

Note the paperwork is a lot of work and I don't know if they still offer that warranty.

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This is the way. I haven't purchased a replacement battery ever and I've owned the drill for 15+ years. I've replaced four batteries with the warranty program. Just remember to register the batteries when you purchase and you're good to go. I have a whole line of rigid power tools now.

They do what they are supposed to do when they're supposed to do it and I never have to worry about replacing batteries.

Milwaukee M12 would be perfect for her. I use my M12 stuff more than M18. The compact size and light weight is convenient and they handle 90% of the jobs I do.

I got this one for my son probably 8 years ago so he could help out with projects. Super light -- no removable battery. Just charge with adapter. I keep it in the utility closet as an inside drill for screws, assembly, hanging, light projects and it holds a charge forever. My son uses it to drill wood and it does just fine.

https://www.acehardware.com/departments/tools/power-tools/cordless-drills/2448207?x429=true&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=20158967701&gbraid=0AAAAADtqLJFpxw43LphiGPvtpfgwggWJ_&gclid=Cj0KCQjw8PDPBhCeARIsAOJwmWVn2qdXsyVyIZp9s2ujMQG40t53KU-nUBSK6eO_5KT5H_o9Gc13A38aAoVmEALw_wcB

Seems appropriate

I broke from my normal career path and spent several years running an industrial/construction supply distributorship and one of our lines was major brand industrial tools. Milwaukee, DeWalt, Makita, Bosch, etc.

We called all the tools across all the major brands, boomerangs. The get sold and go out the door, and a high percentage came right back for repairs. Across all major brands. Keep in mind, this was business to business sales so these tools were USED by craftsmen/installers/working hands. All businesses had their preferences in brands and all sold about equally.

However, we had noted that one brand that had markedly less boomerangs by brand percentage wise and a fierce preference among the actual crews that used them was Makita.

So, when the time came for me to replace a couple of battery driven tools of mine that had aged, I went with a several tool line of Makita and have never looked back. Going on 10+ years and the ONLY issue I have had is one time the impact chuck would not let go of a driver bit. Youtube showed this was not brand specific, and a couple of ripe cuss words thrown in to the procedure shown on Youtube to free it and no more issues.

Makita for me. Your mileage may vary.

I appreciate the commercial recommendation. But OP is a light user, and aging. So residential use and not vigorous as we all want to be. I still say go to Home Depot and buy the Rigid package for us suburban home owners .

rab79 said:

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Pick a brand and stay with it for battery interchangeability, but if you watch the construction shows on TV you will notice the vast majority use DeWalt.

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First of all, I don't think you can go wrong with most any name brand, including DeWalt, but second, and most importantly, the LAST factor in your decision making process here should be what is used on (often simulated) shows on TV. There's a reason you see them -- marketing and sponsorships. Not necessarily quality/choice.

I'm not even sure the premise that the "vast majority" using DeWalt here is correct. I've seen a LOT of Milwaukee and a few other brands. I also see some taped over items.

I think the best thing for you to do is to take an hour or two and list tools you think you may need/want in the next 5 years beyond the drill/driver. See which line 1) has those tools and 2) has them like you want them. For example, I'm more or less in the Makita universe and I'm fine with that. However, DeWalt and a couple of other brands have a multi-tool that I like better than the Makita's. Would it have affected my decision when I got my Makitas? Maybe.

Finally, I would ignore a drill for now and get a driver. You can drill with a driver but it is difficult to effectively do with a drill what can easily be done with an impact driver. For many years, I had a Panasonic drill -- something that really only pros knew about and used. Great drill but it didn't drive very well. I finally just picked up a Makita drill/driver set on Black Friday one year.

I find ithard to believe Makita sold equally well with Dewalt and Milwaukee to contractors.

Bam02, edited my post to specify by brand, percentage wise on Makita. The hands had to get what the company would pay for and the red and yellow boomerangs were much more prevalent percentage wise, and the hands that used Makitas were adamant on staying in-brand.

That makes sense. Good to know. I have a crap ton of DeWalt and I haven't been overly impressed with the quality.

The Milwaukie and Bosch 12v are what you need to look at for her. Cant beat the power to weight ratio of either of these. I have and run both and love them both.

There's a lot of cheap Chinese tools that work with either "yellow" (DeWalt) or "red" (Milwaukee) batteries on Amazon. These are great for low duty rarely used tools that you don't want to spend hundreds of dollars on. I have hedge trimmers, pruning saw, lopers, a fuel transfer pump, oil transfer pump (using 18V supply wire adapter), 120V transformer, and a collection of work lights that all work great and were dirt cheap.

The battery ecosystem is important for future expansion options.