I have a 25 year old 1/4" single speed B&D corded drill and a 15 year old Dewalt 14.4 volt drill (and circular saw) with a dying battery. I'd need a new charger if I get a new battery because I have the old XR charger. The charger and battery would cost over $200 - much more than some corded drills, so I'm leaning towards a corded drill for now.

The most demanding thing I want to do is drill a 5/16" hole through 11" of mostly concrete. I just need occasional use/home owner quality. Any suggestions?

 

Not settling on one brand, but you will be better off with a 1/2" chuck drill. Your B&D belongs in a museum or old folk's home All of the major brands, Dewalt, Milwaukee, Bosch, Hilti, etc make excellent drills. I would look for a multi purpose hammer drill, since you will be dealing with concrete drilling. It can be used as a regular drill, then switched to hammer drill when you use those bits.

Yeah, Dewalt and others have you in their spell when you buy a battery powered tool. Batteries are too expensive. And, as a homeowner who may use one occasionally, the batteries will die before you use them. Corded drills won't have that problem.

 

Larry, are you calling me an old folk I still have the 1st power tool I ever bought - 1/2" chuck B&D - about 35 yrs ago. It still works but it wobbles some so I bought a new drill a few yrs ago. The new drill cost 6-7 times as much but I don't expect the replacement to last 35 yrs, but then again neither will I

 

I purchased a really nice reconditioned corded Milwaukee hammer drill on line. I am not sure how you feel about reconditioned tools, but this one seemed like a good deal for occasional use. A pro would probably opt for a new one.

Here is the web site:

Milwaukee Reconditioned Drills And Hammer Drills

 

I'm not sure about a hammer drill. I have steel mesh and various other steel things in both sides of my plaster walls with, in some areas, concrete between them. Reconditioned 1/2" sounds good. I once wish I had 1/2" for a large reduced shank bit. My Dewalt tools were reconditioned.

My 2500 RPM B&D is still good in my drill bit sharpener so I'm keeping it.

 

Ken, I am all for recon tools. In fact if I can find them at HD or tool stores, I go for them based on price. I know the brand, and if it is a factory recon, it comes with a warranty. I have a double hot dog Ridgid compressor (recon) and the switch kept failing. I'd take it back to HD and it would work for a few weeks. Finally called Ridgid, and the girl asked how I felt about installing my own switches. Not rocket science. She acknowledged it was a flaw in the design and sent me 3 new design switches. Needless to say, when you buy more than one of anything, planning on a replacement, you NEVER need the replacement. Two switches are hanging in the shop

Borad, the hammer drill will facilitate the concrete part quickly and you can switch bits if you need to. You won't be drilling through concrete with a metal bit anyway. Just change the bit and change the operation.

 

Thanks, Larry. I feel better now.

I know what you mean about the switches. My garage is overstocked with "just in case I need it" stuff.

 

I'll see if I could find one with a 12' cord. I think I'll barely be able to avoid an extension cord with a 12' cord. I'll be pushing the limits of the drill a little bit for my current project and I'd rather not add to it by using an extension cord.

 

The only drill I ever saw with more than the standard 6 foot power cord was/is my Milwaukee that has a detachable cord. Even then the standard cord was 6 feet long although one could purchase a 25 foot cord. My Milwaukee Sawzall uses the same cord. I don't know if Milwaukee still has this feature as both my drill and saw are several decades old.

 

I found a reconditioned Ridgid R5011 for $99.99, which has a 12' cord. Some other Ridgids have one too, and some Milwaukees have a Quick-Lok detachable cord like the one you were talking about and they offer a 25 footer, sold separately. The longest standard cord from Milwaukee is 10'.

 

For that concrete use, you will want a hammer drill. I picked up a Hitachi hammer drill and I have been quite happy with it. It's been good for around the house. It's not a high powered drill, but I do believe it has a 1/2" chuck. It was Probably $60-$70. I think Hitachi is an under rated brand. I owned a cordless drill of theirs and liked it quite a bit and their miter saws are really nice.

 

Oh yeah, I was talking about hammer drills. I'll probably get the Ridgid, especially now that it looks like regular drills don't come with 12' cords. I saw it in a store today along with two other hammer drills. It's not a good sign that it was the only one with a speed knob that didn't turn. And when I use it as a regular drill it will make me miss my "heavy" cordless dewalt.

 

Board,

For home use, you could get the Rigid, but if you are acutually drilling 11" with a 5/16" bit, that is a lot more load so I'd go with the Milwaukee if you can get a refurbished one, or try and find a Metabo / Walter 170, something in the 6 Amp or larger range. I've used one for over 20 years, and it's still kicking.

And the cord length shouldn't be the deciding factor, durability / comfort should be.

 

The Ridgid R5011 has 8.5 amps, so I think I'm good with that one. The only issue is that I read a comment somewhere that said anything over 8 amps isn't good in a car's cigarette lighter. I never thought of using an adapter and plugging it into a car cigarette lighter before, but now I'm thinking it's nice to have that option.

 

Even 8 amps would far exceed a cigarette lighter outlet. There is a factor of 10 involved. Lower the voltage by that factor and increase the current by the same. An 8 amp drill would need in excess of 80 amps. A 3.5 amp drill would need 35 amps at 12 volts.

Bud

 

I hope you do not plan to run an ac drill with dc current?

 

OK, never mind the cigarette lighter. I'll use a generator if I want portability.

 

I don't like things with Proposition 65 warnings and warnings to wash your hands after handling because of lead. And I can't seem to join Ridgid's forum. Supposedly a moderater is helping me register, but it hasn't happened yet. So maybe I won't get the Ridgid.

 

Dumb question... solid concrete or concrete hollow blocks?

If the latter, you don't need a hammer drill, I've gotten by with my 19.2V Craftsman stuff drilling into/through concrete blocks without any problems.

If the former, yeah, a hammer drill. When I secured my current compressor to the concrete slab I had to stop drilling occasionally and stick a chisel down the hole and hit it with a hammer to break up the stones in the concrete. It was a real pain and a hammer drill would have been better.

 

I don't know. I know for one of the holes I want to drill there's an inch of poured concrete. For another hole there's about 4" of something, and in another there's about 9" left because I already chiseled a little away. I better get the hammer drill. Oh, and my plans now are for 1" holes.

 

Your drill requirement just changed from medium duty to heavy duty.

 

Dewalt makes a 1/2" VSR Mid-Handle Grip Hammerdrill that's 10 Amps. I hate the balance of the pistol grip hammer drills and I won't be using it for heavy duty drilling most of the time. I think mid-handle grip hammerdrills are perfect for anyone who will use a hammerdrill as their only drill, but this is the only one I've seen.

 

For 1" in concrete drilling, you're better off renting a SDS drill. Holes that size will burn out a regular hammer drill.

If you're going to do it regularly, it could be an idea to buy a used Dewalt SDS. The drill does the job faster, with less effort, bit's last longer, should I go on?

For your regular drilling needs, you'd be better off with an inexpensive corded drill.

 

That mid-handled drill I was praising has a manual that says to always use both handles, which makes the mid-handle misleading and pretty much worthless. I guess it's powerful enough that if it gets jammed it can hurt your wrist or worse. They should put a button on the removable handle that needs to be pressed to get full amps so you can safely use it for light duty drilling with one hand.

I won't be hammer drilling regularly. I'll get a reconditioned hammer drill. I almost don't care which one any more as long as the max low speed is under 1500 RPM.

 

if its only for occasional use as a homeowner check the heavy duty SDS in the harbor freight catalog, reasonably priced.