Using 12v Drill for Installs

[Musick94]

I've only been working in the field for a few months as an apprentice (also currently going to school for this), and I've been working on slowly getting my toolbox put together. I just bought a 12v Black and Decker drill and was wondering if it would be good enough for doing installs? It's not an impact, just a driver. Anyone use 12v drills for installs or should I return it?

[DeHeatify]

Return it. I use one for service work, a DeWalt driver. Bought a 12v porter cable set, drill and impact, and they don't have the power or longevity needed for any type of sustained work; Like installs. They are 12v without load, usually a nominal 10.x v under load.
Our shop gives us Milwaukee 18v lithium drill set that works good for installs.

Sent from my SGH-I747M using Tapatalk 2

[Musick94]

Return it. I use one for service work, a DeWalt driver. Bought a 12v porter cable set, drill and impact, and they don't have the power or longevity needed for any type of sustained work; Like installs. They are 12v without load, usually a nominal 10.x v under load.
Our shop gives us Milwaukee 18v lithium drill set that works good for installs.

Sent from my SGH-I747M using Tapatalk 2

Thank you for the quick reply. I will definitely return it and get an 18v, maybe even an impact if I can. I bought it because it seemed like a good deal and was cheap.

[GT Jets]

Thank you for the quick reply. I will definitely return it and get an 18v, maybe even an impact if I can. I bought it because it seemed like a good deal and was cheap.

Good aint cheap and cheap aint good...

One of the best deals going is the kit from Makita with the 1/2 drill and the 1/4" impact driver. I have the kit and have the bigger batteries (I think 3.4 MAH)..

This is a tool you will likely rely on for years to come, may as well start with a very good one and save the grief of having to replace a tool...

Here is the kit I bought, if your boss has an account it will likely be just over $200... http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/MAK...NL4?Pid=search I have had mine for about 9 months and I love it.

GT

[matt1124]

Someone told me once "never be afraid to spend money on tools that will make you money."

I've worked with cheap tools and I've worked with more expensive tools. I grew up using the cheapest hand-me-down tools you can find until I got tired of not having what I needed and started getting some real tools that will hold up to use. You might get by your whole career with the cheapest priced tools but you'll always have those times where you pull it off the truck or out of your bag and it's broke or dead.

Personally I like the tried and true 18v XRP DeWalt stuff. I've used it for years. Don't cheap out and get the non-XRP 18v. DeWalt has some new Lithium ion battery stuff and that's something to look into as well. Very compact and light batteries.

[clifpaul]

I've gotten away with using a 12 volt Milwaukee M12 impact on installs. But I don't do installs 100% of the time either.

[Musick94]

Good aint cheap and cheap aint good...

One of the best deals going is the kit from Makita with the 1/2 drill and the 1/4" impact driver. I have the kit and have the bigger batteries (I think 3.4 MAH)..

This is a tool you will likely rely on for years to come, may as well start with a very good one and save the grief of having to replace a tool...

Here is the kit I bought, if your boss has an account it will likely be just over $200... http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/MAK...NL4?Pid=search I have had mine for about 9 months and I love it.

GT

Thanks for the advice, I just found a 20v black and decker on craigslist, so I'm going to go with that

[toocoolforschool]

Forget black and decker, go with dewalt or makita, I started with the ryobi which will last a good while till the batteries crap out. But and D can't handle a drop from attic level.

Thanks for the advice, I just found a 20v black and decker on craigslist, so I'm going to go with that

[energy star]

Are you just using it for zip screws?

[J-thetechwizard]

I stand by my rigid 18v lithium ion battery set!!!
go orange!
actually I have had the standard battery set for over 6 years now and just recently bought 2 heavy duty 18v lith-ion replacement batts....wow what a difference!

Black and Decker is made for soft handed home owners who need to driive a screw in to the wall once in a while for his wife!!!

[koolkahuna]

PLEASE do yourself a favor, don't buy the B and D in any model. It's probably on craigs for a reason. There are very few great tools for sale as only people who don't use them much would sell a quality tool. Yes you might find a great tool for a heckuva deal, but you could easily get burnt on it. The saying goes like this, "The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price has been forgotten".

Makita, Milwaukee, Dewalt, Bosch, Porter Cable...all good quality names and products IMHO. Debatable which is the best but all in the upper class as far as I'm concerned. Other brands would also fit in this class but these are the only ones I've had experience with.

Have had experience with Whack and Wrecker as an apprentice. Let me down on a day I really needed quality. Learned my lesson then as there was no one at the time around to steer me clear when I bought tools.

By the way, I'm told that Dewalt bought out B and D around 15 years ago and that is the cheap entry level line. Can anyone confirm this or is it false?

[zxcb]

The saying goes like this, "The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price has been forgotten".

yep

[heatpumpman]

Hey figured I'd chime in here. Go with what you can afford and learn with experience that you can't afford to not buy good tools. No matter what you buy, you could find some use for it.
I started using Makita drills in 1984 and have had no reason to change it. Dewalt has always been a branded B&D in my mind, and so far I haven't owned one. One of the best circular saws I've ever owned was a Black & Decker, which was a $5 purchase at a flea market.