I am confused about what drill to buy

[joeyboy]

I want to start making twisted 26g and have a drill for around the house. There are tons of drills, dirvers out there. I don't know what I should get. Can someone help with this? I was initially looking at Dewalt cordless 18v but don't know if I really need that much. I have an older corded drill that works for normal stuff but it is not variable. I want variable for the twisted. I started looking at corded variable drills but there is just as much confusion in that.

Suggestions?

 

[SailCat]

You might ask that question in the Coils section. They seem to know this kinda stuff

 

[joeyboy]

Hopefully, an admin can move it for me.

 

[Zamazam]

Any Rechargeable variable speed drill will work. If you get one, get it for more than just winding coils. Look at Makita and Dewalt, or a Milwaukee drill at least 18V and preferably 24 for work other than coil winding.

 

[Zamazam]

Moved to coils

 

[Oggy]

I have a Dewalt and Ryobi cordless drills. The one I use for twisting wire and claptons is a cheap Black and Decker . The B&D has the smaller chuck and is allot easier to grab the wire.

 

[joeyboy]

I didn't even know about 24v drills.

 

[blakemorder]

If you want go get into claptoning I'd probably get a corded drill, you won't have to deal with killing batteries every couple of wires. Anything cheap variable speed will work, black and Decker, harbor freight ect.

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[robot zombie]

If you want go get into claptoning I'd probably get a corded drill, you won't have to deal with killing batteries every couple of wires. Anything cheap variable speed will work, black and Decker, harbor freight ect.

Agreed. Cordless drills suck. The only good thing about them is that you can stand them up on the table. For claptoning, and especially more advanced ones, you're running the drill continuously for long stretches of time. No lithium or NiCd drill is going to withstand that for long. Think about how quickly we can go through our 18650's just by pulsing them! The actual runtime on them is only a few minutes total. Even the lower power, long lasting ones won't get you through much footage before the speed starts really dropping off.

It's better to learn to work with the drill laid on its side and use a corded for better consistency and longer sessions. Hard to practice when when your drill keeps dying on you. I have a Stanley Fatmax 20v that I use for other things and let me tell you, it's an amazing drill to have around the house (more than most people need,) but it sucks for claptons and twisted wire. It's an extremely fast and powerful hammer drill for the money, but I can only get through 8 wires with it - the first two wires will be done in 15-30 seconds, but the 6th one will take at least 3 minutes...

Honestly, I'd recommend just going with a cheap corded drill. Head over to harbor freight and take a look at their 19-40 dollar drills. You don't need anything with a lot of torque, just RPM's (1-2 thousand should do.) It doesn't have to be very durable since you won't be tossing it around. You probably don't want anything with too much power, as it will get hot and the motor will quickly wear out, unless you buy one of the expensive ones that a contractor or mechanic would use. It doesn't even need the speed toggle/gearbox setup. A variable trigger will do.

For something to use around the house, look for a 1/4 or 3/8 cordless with a bit more torque and power. It's probably better to get two 40 dollar drills that perfectly suit two different purposes than it is to get one 80 dollar drill that's only decent for either.

 

[blakemorder]

Agreed. Cordless drills suck. The only good thing about them is that you can stand them up on the table. For claptoning, and especially more advanced ones, you're running the drill continuously for long stretches of time. No lithium or NiCd drill is going to withstand that for long. Think about how quickly we can go through our 18650's just by pulsing them! The actual runtime on them is only a few minutes total. Even the lower power, long lasting ones won't get you through much footage before the speed starts really dropping off.

It's better to learn to work with the drill laid on its side and use a corded for better consistency and longer sessions. Hard to practice when when your drill keeps dying on you. I have a Stanley Fatmax 20v that I use for other things and let me tell you, it's an amazing drill to have around the house (more than most people need,) but it sucks for claptons and twisted wire. It's an extremely fast and powerful hammer drill for the money, but I can only get through 8 wires with it - the first two wires will be done in 15-30 seconds, but the 6th one will take at least 3 minutes...

Honestly, I'd recommend just going with a cheap corded drill. Head over to harbor freight and take a look at their 19-40 dollar drills. You don't need anything with a lot of torque, just RPM's (1-2 thousand should do.) It doesn't have to be very durable since you won't be tossing it around. You probably don't want anything with too much power, as it will get hot and the motor will quickly wear out, unless you buy one of the expensive ones that a contractor or mechanic would use. It doesn't even need the speed toggle/gearbox setup. A variable trigger will do.

For something to use around the house, look for a 1/4 or 3/8 cordless with a bit more torque and power. It's probably better to get two 40 dollar drills that perfectly suit two different purposes than it is to get one 80 dollar drill that's only decent for either.

Exactly, when I build I'm usually building 3-4 feet of wire in different sizes so I can have some to change up without having to get everything out for 6 inches of wire. I'm currently using an old half inch craftsman with a chuck key, its a pain but it was free so it works. Not to hijack but I'm currently thinking of ideas to fit something in the drill chuck that'll clamp wires flat for multi strand stuff to make it quicker.

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[RedFive420]

I want to start making twisted 26g and have a drill for around the house. There are tons of drills, dirvers out there. I don't know what I should get. Can someone help with this? I was initially looking at Dewalt cordless 18v but don't know if I really need that much. I have an older corded drill that works for normal stuff but it is not variable. I want variable for the twisted. I started looking at corded variable drills but there is just as much confusion in that.

Suggestions?

if you're just using it for coil building get the cheapest cordless you can find

 

[OBDave]

Dewalt is going to be way overkill for your purposes - I don't do a lot of fancy wire tricks but I've beat the piss out of my Ryobi and with the right batteries it lasts quite a while. But those are spendy, and not worth buying a $100 battery for a $40 drill if that's all you're using it for.

That's a long way of saying "ditto" to the people suggesting Harbor Freight.

fat fingered flubs courtesy dumb mobile phone

 

[pulsevape]

you aren't putting any real stress on the motor of the drill because we aren't putting any real torque on the drill.....you don't need a top of the line drill...what you do need is a drill that the chuck can be tightened down so it is totally closed and has no gap...it isn't required but it sure does help alot....the other thing is you need a drill with a reallly good variable speed control on the trigger one that operates smoothly and well. also one where the chuck can be tightened by hand.

 

[CgS_Drone]

I want to start making twisted 26g and have a drill for around the house.

The "for around the house" should be the only factor in buying up from a Black and Decker or Harbor Freight drill if you only intend to use the drill for twisted wire coil. The Clapton is another matter, I wont say because of battery life it's more of an RPM, the Harbor Freight drill is 900rpm some of the cheaper Black and Decker drills are only around 500rpm and the Clapton is easier at higher RPM's once you get use to it.

I did buy the Harbor Freight drill and I do make Claptons using it, heck it was $16 but I have Dewalt for working around the house and my chuck on my Dewalt doesn't close all the way down to grab the small wires where the Harbor Freight does. The down side of the Harbor Freight drill is the Forward/Reverse switch isn't the easiest to move back and forth and I would put it on par with the Ryobi drills switch, the trigger is pretty smooth and easy to control rpm.

Now if I was going to step up because of the "for around the house" I would go with the Porter Cable 20v drill. I bought a set of these tools for my son and when I first handled them I was thinking there is no way these are going to take a beating and last, I was wrong. I work construction and use company owned tools all day long and own Dewalts myself but the Porter Cable has held up to everything I have thrown at them with ease. The Porter Cable are lighter than the Dewalts also, batteries have very good life with even the 1.5ah batteries it comes with (it comes with two of these batteries) or you can buy the optional 4ah battery. The drill is 0-1600RPM. The batteries recharge fast with the charger it comes with.

My two cents and I have used Ryobi, Dewalt, Black and Decker, Porter Cable, Hilti (POS, I hate this SOB with a blinding white hot passion), milwaukee, Bosch, Craftsman, Ridgid, Mikita and the list goes on.

 

[scarecrowjenkins]

I don't have a photo handy, but i use a $20 Harbour Freight corded drill. An 18v DeWalt would certainly get the job done, for coil building i've found that a corded drill is better for a lot of reasons. Mainly they are generally faster, and they don't die halfway through a coil haha. Whichever drill you go with just make sure it has a wide speed range. There are times where you'll need to go slow and some drills don't handle slow well. And it also needs a chuck that tightens down to a hair, you could even take a piece of small gauge wire to the store with you to make sure it can grab it without letting go

 

[Flightmedic76]

I bought a Milwaukee M12 from Home Depot for $89. It came with 2 lithium batteries, the charger, and a bluetooth speaker powered by one of the batteries. I bought it because of their reputation, overall bang for the buck, and the fact that there are a bunch of other accessories that can use the battery. It has enough power for everyday use, and the battery life is great. I bought it if for general use though, not just twisting coils. I didn't want to buy a cheap drill with only one purpose. I have used it more than a few times. I straightened and twisted multiple coil wires, sank a handful of 3 1/2" decking screws, and also used the speaker on the same battery for at least a few hours. The battery gauge never budged, and it recharged in about 10 minutes

 

[MrScaryZ]

I want to start making twisted 26g and have a drill for around the house. There are tons of drills, dirvers out there. I don't know what I should get. Can someone help with this? I was initially looking at Dewalt cordless 18v but don't know if I really need that much. I have an older corded drill that works for normal stuff but it is not variable. I want variable for the twisted. I started looking at corded variable drills but there is just as much confusion in that.

Suggestions?

dude you can use the cheapest ass drill imaginable I use a 20.00 job you are not drilling masonary

 

[joeyboy]

I bought a Milwaukee M12 from Home Depot for $89. It came with 2 lithium batteries, the charger, and a bluetooth speaker powered by one of the batteries. I bought it because of their reputation, overall bang for the buck, and the fact that there are a bunch of other accessories that can use the battery. It has enough power for everyday use, and the battery life is great. I bought it if for general use though, not just twisting coils. I didn't want to buy a cheap drill with only one purpose. I have used it more than a few times. I straightened and twisted multiple coil wires, sank a handful of 3 1/2" decking screws, and also used the speaker on the same battery for at least a few hours. The battery gauge never budged, and it recharged in about 10 minutes

I have actually looked at those. Thanks for the info. So the chuck closes all the way on those?

 

[Lost]

I want to start making twisted 26g and have a drill for around the house.

Harbor Freight sells many horrible products. But here's the thing... if all you're doing is coils and light inside-the-house jobs, think about how many times you can replace a dead corded HF drill with a new corded HF drill, and still save money over buying an 18v cordless system that will be overpowered for you.

I can tell you what companies have scared me away... Ridgid/Home Depot, Black and Decker, Hilti (amen, Drone) and Ryobi. I feel justified turning my back on HD and Ryobi for the horrific customer service alone. (I've worked for home renovation companies and am a hack woodworker.)

Interesting note: My car mechanic picked up a Black and Decker Matrix modular system, and swears by it. Yeah, my mechanic. He admitted it sounds crazy, but he really likes it. So who knows.

Whatever you get, now's the perfect time. Christmas sales.

 

[OBDave]

Harbor Freight sells many horrible products. But here's the thing... if all you're doing is coils and light inside-the-house jobs, think about how many times you can replace a dead corded HF drill with a new corded HF drill, and still save money over buying an 18v cordless system that will be overpowered for you.

I can tell you what companies have scared me away... Ridgid/Home Depot, Black and Decker, Hilti (amen, Drone) and Ryobi. I feel justified turning my back on HD and Ryobi for the horrific customer service alone. (I've worked for home renovation companies and am a hack woodworker.)

Interesting note: My car mechanic picked up a Black and Decker Matrix modular system, and swears by it. Yeah, my mechanic. He admitted it sounds crazy, but he really likes it. So who knows.

Whatever you get, now's the perfect time. Christmas sales.

The Depot takes back pretty much anything I ask them to take back - I've gone through about three Ryobi corded palm sanders but their cordless gear has taken way more abuse from me than it's reasonable to ask. I put in 20 or so hours a week doing maintenance on my family's rental properties - not quite a pro, not quite a DIY homeowner but the bang for my 1000 or so bucks is certainly reasonable given that I'd have spent three times as much for a name-brand system with the same assortment of tools I've got at my disposal.

For the OP, I'd still track down one of China Freight's 20% off coupons and go get one of their cheapie drills for $15 or so.

 

[scarecrowjenkins]

I paid the extra $6 for the lifetime warranty on my $20 harbor freight drill. I bought a $50 or $60 Ryobi cordless only to have the battery pack "error" out on me a month later. $40 for a new battery pack on a $50 drill?! I've literally spun 3 or 4 MILES of wire on my $20 harbor freight drill and it still works as well as the day i got it. And if it takes a shit.....i will have a brand new one 20 mins later. Forever hahaha. I also own a black and decker cordless that i use when i need to stand the drill up-but it's slow and it sounds like a helicopter is crashing through my sliding glass door when i use it. Kinda crazy that the best drill i own is also the cheapest

 

[CgS_Drone]

I have been happy with what little I have used the harbor freight drill when making coils. Like I said up above I use it for claptons and it does just fine even with it only being 900rpm. Battery life is longer than I need for spinning up the claptons also so I haven't found a need to buy a second battery for it and if I ever do then it's only $12 for another battery.

 

[OBDave]

I paid the extra $6 for the lifetime warranty on my $20 harbor freight drill. I bought a $50 or $60 Ryobi cordless only to have the battery pack "error" out on me a month later. $40 for a new battery pack on a $50 drill?! I've literally spun 3 or 4 MILES of wire on my $20 harbor freight drill and it still works as well as the day i got it. And if it takes a shit.....i will have a brand new one 20 mins later. Forever hahaha. I also own a black and decker cordless that i use when i need to stand the drill up-but it's slow and it sounds like a helicopter is crashing through my sliding glass door when i use it. Kinda crazy that the best drill i own is also the cheapest

Unless you've got the $100 4ah li-ion Ryobi battery, you've got crap - they're 2-for-1 right now and those will be marked down to $85 in a couple weeks (I'll be buying several), but it's still stupid to spend more for your battery than your drill unless you're also using the batteries on other tools. I do sometimes get random charge errors for whatever reason - pop the battery off and pop it back on the charger 5 minutes later and it usually works fine - if not I go back to the return line at Home and they take them no-questions.

A guy that works with me has the Harbor Freight special and it's actually stood up to doing real work like drilling holes and driving screws all day long rather well - unless you're running your drill for more than 15-20 minutes at a stretch (I don't do crazy coils, twisted is advanced for me - do you guys really stand on your drills for an hour straight?) the HF is going to be more than adequate.

 

[blakemorder]

I actually work at harbor freight so I've seen my fair share of shit that doesn't work and what does. That said incase anyone else stumbles on this the cheapo corded drill is a good deal, they last forever. Ill return maybe one a month if that, and there like 12 bucks with a coupon. Oh and the toothless pliers are sweet for pinching big claptons.

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[Flightmedic76]

I have actually looked at those. Thanks for the info. So the chuck closes all the way on those?

It'll close all the way down, with maybe a 1-2mm gap in the center. I put a couple twists in the end of my 28g and it holds it without a problem. If I am straightening wire I put a small 1/8-1/4" loop on the end. I straightened some titanium yesterday without any problem.

 

[joeyboy]

Thanks, I am getting the M12 combo drill driver and impact. Sent it to the wife for Christmas.

 

[Flightmedic76]

Go to home Depot to look at it if you didn't already before you decide. I think you'll be very happy though. It's very solid in the hand, so I expect mine to last for years...

 

[joeyboy]

My son gave me a dewalt dc720 he isn't using with two batteries and a charger to use. I will see if I can make that work.

 

[Flightmedic76]

As long as the NiCad batteries are good you're definitely all set...

 

[joeyboy]

They seem to be working. I will know more later but the one in the drill has been there for a while and still has charge. I figure that's a good sign. I will still go with the M12 if this is a miss.

 

[CgS_Drone]

I hope your batteries are still in good shape. The drill is a beast and can take a lot of use. Even if the batteries are toast you can have them rebuilt if you look around for places that have good reputation of using good cells or most cities have places where you can take the batteries to have them rebuilt as well with quality cells that will last, this is what a lot of contractors do, if you have a White Cap in your area they have a place setup for tool repair in there and you can talk to the person working there about getting them rebuilt or the best place to have it done.

My Dewalt tools are about to get replaced with the 20V version since they are the older 14.4 version but they have served me well and for the money I spent for them I have more than gotten it out of them. I used the 14.4V impact driver for putting in 5/16 screws when building mechanical rooms and over it's life I would say it has put in somewhere between 30K/40K screws through two layers of 16ga. sheet metal, it's the batteries that are dying and for me it's not practical to rebuild or buy new batteries because of the tools age. You would have to see what they would want to rebuild yours if the tool is in good shape vs buying a new drill with new batteries.