Buying a Drill

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November 25th, 2007 admin Leave a comment Go to comments

Buying a Drill

Drills are great and nowadays you cannot go wrong with choosing between a battery-powered drill (cordless) or an electrical drill (cord).

Cordless drills are very convenient because you can take them almost anywhere and drill till the cows come home. However, the main drawback is that the batteries get worn down and you will lose power, and eventually the drill stops working. So, for small projects that do not require a great deal of drilling, cordless are the way to go. Also, do consider that if you plan to drill into metal or heavy-duty stuff, that will eat up more battery juice.

Cordless drills tend to be pretty light –due to the smaller motors. Most will hold a charge for several hours of work, but, again, it depends what you drill and how much torque is required. They do come in various amps, or how much power the drill puts out. For tougher jobs, like drilling into concrete and metal, you will need to look into a high-amp drill.

Do consider the battery that comes with the cordless drill. The manufacturer should tell you about its warranty and how to maintain it. Replacement batteries are necessary sometimes if you are going to be using the drill on a daily basis. That’s just the nature of rechargeable batteries. Keep in mind that these batteries are not the regular nine-volts that you see all over the place. Cordless drill batteries are very manufacturer and model specific, so make sure that you buy the drill from a company that will be around for a long time so that you can get parts in the future. Lithium batteries are good but look into Li-Ion batteries because they will offer you longer battery life and more power.

The chuck is important, because that’s the size that holds the bit. Standard sizes include 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2. Unless you plan to do something special with your drilling needs, standard chuck should be fine.

When it comes to electrical drills, everything is in the motor because you don’t need to worry about batter life and all of that. You just need to know if it’s got the power that you need. Even though the drills have the same exact power source –the electrical plug- the motor sizes vary and will deliver different torque output. Thinking that you want the strongest motor possible is not really the way to go because the drill can get quite heavy for the more powerful drills, not to mention the price can get a bit out of hand for the stronger drills. Get what you need and to do that you need to read the box and then ask the salesperson. The key is to get exactly what you need and no less. Getting a weak drill is a waste of money, as is buying a super-strong drill that never gets used properly.