So I want a cordless power drill/driver and harbor frieght has a ton of cheap ones. The question:

How much do RPMs matter? Should I buy an 18V w/ 0-900 RPM or a 19.2 w/ 0-600 RPM.

Here are the items I'm considering:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=44849
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=93142

Please don't tell me I need a 200 dollar one, since I will use it maybe 3x a year.

 

really depends on what you need the thing for. if you are going to drill holes or start self tapping screws you want 1200+ RPM. you also want to look at the torque, usually listed in inch lbs. more = better. electric brakes are cool too--when you take your hand off the trigger, the brake locks down and the chuck stops spinning immediately. nice if you accidently hit something or go in too deep. I don't think I'd bother with the 2 that you've listed.

I have a craftsman 19.2 volt for the house. It is good for light duty, general around the house type stuff. It has a 1/2" chuck, a multi position clutch, and it my wife can use it easily. It would be good for 99% of people. But it sucks for heavy duty. For a work drill I have a dewalt 18V xrp. It was expensive, but gets through everything. But you have to be careful; it can make so much torque it could break your hand. Wife isn't allowed to touch it. I've also used the new Rigid drills with the fan cooled battery charger. They work very well too.

I would look at the craftsman stuff. They cost a little more but come with 2 batteries, bubble levels, and a built in LED lamp. Handy stuff. And they'll actually drill holes. I got their 19v drill on sale for $100 and it came with a storage bag, a flashlight, a second smaller drill, and assorted bits and things.

 

I gotta tell you, I have a 18V Dewalt and a 14.4V Makita and they both work great. There hasn't been anything yet that the Dewalt can push through that the Makita can't as well. Plus the Makita is lighter, and takes much less time to charge.

A friend of mine bought a 14V Hilti a while ago and its an cordless impact drill, this thing completes me. Into wood, or metal, or cement, nothing stops this thing, 250 ft.lbs of torque and it is the lightest of the group. Then again, its the $200 solution you didn't want to hear about.

 

Yeah I'm leaning towards a makita from sears

 

which makita?

 

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...seBVCookie=Yes

Is ultimately what I'll have to get I think.. 12V should be plenty I suppose for the small tasks I do. 250 in torque and 1200 RPM

 

I'm also very happy with my 19.2V Craftsman... seems to get the job done and having two batteries and a 1 hour quick charger means I rarely run out of juice for more than 10-15 minutes at a time.

 

I would check this one out: 19.2V Crapsman
$20 cheaper, a lot more torque, 1/2" chuck and variable speed trigger, and it comes with a flashlight too.

 

i dunno about 3x a year. I use mine probably every time I go to the garage for something. I have one lightweight 1/4" drive impact and one 3-gear cordless drill and both are used a lot.

actually. I have a well worn 12V de-walt with metal case and charger and battery if you want a used one. I can't beat the harbor frieght price, but I can beat its quality!

 

Lol Yeah PM me a price.. doesnt sound bad to me.

 

I like to use mine to run all the bolts in rather than do it by hand... at torque setting 14/20 it's just about perfect for valve cover bolts and a lot faster than doing it manually. Of course I still tighten the larger stuff down manually after the drill runs them in.