schit, UPS damaged the package that was suppose to be here today from Griot's.

THE PACKAGE WAS DAMAGED IN TRANSIT. UPS WILL NOTIFY THE SENDER WITH THE DETAILS / DAMAGED MERCHANDISE DISCARDED, BALANCE BEING RETURNED. UPS WILL NOTIFY THE SENDER WITH THE DETAILS

WTF.

 

Griot's already got a replacement shipping out tomorrow to get me the
replacements by Friday... wheew! that's the kinda service
i like. for a second, i thought i had to postpone my detail this
weekend.

 

That must be some serious damage for them to actually admit to it. I've had them completely lose the original box, and manage to completely mangle about 25 hard plastic mouse pads (out of a case of 200) and still try to deliver it as 'good'.

Either that or the UPS guy just needed some stuff to detail his truck.

 

yah, there were lots of liquid products in there so i bet they smashed it
and the stuff just poured into the truck.

i was wondering cause i saw the UPS truck back in, then just drive off without my box..

 

Wait, when was this? I hate missing good sales!

 

Spring Sale! i bought mine this morning... check them out.

DP's super quick too.. already got my tracking info.

 

wee, got my track# for my bucket.

so, any recommendations for the impact driver/drill issue?

 

man, you guys know RO's and pads and waxes, polishes, but nothin'
when it comes to drills, huh? well, i dont either that's why i
asked. i guess we're the wrong team.

 

Sorry Ken, I've been busy, but here are my thoughts on cordless drills. First, I have been using them for over 20 years, my first was a 7.2 Makita, and I have owned/used pretty much every drill on the market. I use them every day in the work I do, be it driving screws, drilling holes in wood, metal, plastics, running nuts onto bolts, lamp/electronics repair. Some days I pick one up, and use it 12 hours straight.

I personally like the Bosch line, they are tough, well balanced, the batteries have a long life, not just each charge, but the over all length of their useful life. They are not cheap, but I have put thousands of hours on them, and they last. Kind of like high price vs. low price detailing products, you tend to get what you pay for. I do have a cheap no name Harbour Freight for work calls were it may get legs and walk away.

Makita was renowned for their motor windings, but I don't think they are what they used to be, and they are no way as tough as a Bosch, or a Milwaukee. Hope this helps.

Ok, so here is my tool story for the day. I needed some off-set dog bone ratchets, so off I go to Sears, where I find lots of things on sale. I got a screw driver set for 1/2 price, a nice folding utility knife, and the ratchets were 30% off. But the best deal was a 6 drawer rolling tool chest, regular $160, that was on clearance for $49. All Mastercraft.

Mark

 

Do you currently have a cordless drill?
How much you willing to spend? My dad has had the same 12v dewalt drill since 1997 or so and that thing is still kicking butt.

On the high end:
Dewalt
Milwalkee (maker of the legendary Sawzall)
Porter Cable (based more on the other PC tools I have used, which all rock)

Middle ground:
Craftsman
Makita (some of them are high end)
Bosch

Low end:
Ryobi
Skil
black and decker (on the upper end here)

Honestly it really depends on what you plan to do with it. 12v is great for a homeowner, dont let anyone tell you otherwise. Anything I felt like I couldnt tackle with my 12v would probably be better done with a corded. Basically, for most homeowner type jobs 12v is nice. I would suggest a drill with a half inch chuck, it will let you take larger bit, which you will want to use at some point. I will also highly recommend you get a second battery, you will be glad you have one when you first runs out in the middle of a job.

Check out the Sears website, they have a pretty decent selection.. Any of the brands I listed in the middle or upper range will serve you well. Dont limit yourself just to 12v, if you find a good higher voltage drill in your budget and it meet your needs then go for it.

I have used those impact drivers before, and they friggen rock for driving screws, unfortunately that is all they do. Great for screwing into really hard stuff or removing stubborn screws. Probably overkill if you are just hanging things in you garage. You will probably appreciate the versatility of the cordless if you find yourself in the middle of a project and you need to drill just one or two holes, breaking out the corded for something like that would be a pain.

 

lotsie, someguy- thanks for the info!

yah, i have a small 9.6v cordless Ryobi right now which does fine for small
projects but the battery is starting to die, i thinks. and yah as i thought,
12v should be sufficient for me and just go to corded for anything that
needs more power. im willing to spend a few hundred on a nice unit and
use it for a long time... so i'll check out the Dewalts Bosche's first.

and thanks on the tip about the impact driver. i think the drill should
suffice for me. im looking for a general all-purpose drill/driver that
i can use around the house (well, mostly in the garage).

 

looking at the various sizes between the bosche, dewalt, milwaukee brands,
i think the dewalt DC742KA's compact size seems it might be perfect for
me.

will see if my local stores have them tomorrow.

northertools has them for $139.

 

huh, amazon also has them for $139 and if i use my wife's account i can get it in 2 days free shipping.

 

The compact will serve you well. Dewalt make great tools, and for that price it is a steal.

 

i love my 14.4V Makita. i've had it since high school (5 years) and it is still like new. it was clearance at home depot for about $125 it came with an extra battery a case and a set of milwaukee bits (this part may have been a special at HD spend $100 and get something). one of the best things i've ever purchased. my dewalt failed me unfortunately the speeds/transmission brokedown and thats how i ended up with the makita.

just thought i'd give you my 2 cents. i also have a great circular and table saw that i bought at the same time back then. really good stuff IMHO.

 

I love my 18v Dewalt. It has lasted me 10 years. My cousin has a cordless impact driver and loves it. It works great for removing lug nuts and snugging them before torquing them. I forget the brand.

 

thanks for the info guys!

yah, im going to stop by HomeDepot on the way home tonight to check
them out.

 

hey, got my new griot's bucket and some other stuff.

the bucket is waaaay nicer than the yellow one i got a few years ago.
they improved it quite a bit.


hope to get that replacement order by tomorrow... i need those
pads for this weekend's detail.

 

I gots some shopping to do. I want a Griot's bucket but I think it will roll down my driveway. SO I think I will just get a Dirt Guard instead and a 2nd bucket (I know, I haven't been doing 2-bucket washes *gasp*).

 

you can always get the braking casters and put them on the bucket.

 

went to Hdepot this evening to check out the drills. the dewalt's switchs, etc. were just not at the
level of quality that i wanted so looked at makita and also the milwaukee. chose the milwaukee.
this is the new ion battery one and is 18v. it's almost smaller than my ryobi 9.6v. weight is
about the same too. the drive, switches, clutch dial, etc. are all high quality.

i like it so far.

 

can't forget the new bucket. got my tracking number for that
replacement UPS damaged yesterday. hope to have the package by
tomorrow.

 

I realllly like that cart; wish I had somewhere to put it!

I would have gone with the Milwaukee, too

 

yah, that cart is definitely a nice piece...and it has brakes so it won't
roll down your driveway.

yep, my milwaukee drill was the only one that had a power indicator
on the front of the battery. it's cool, just press a button and the
4 LED's light up letting me know how much power's left.

 

That would have been my recommendation for you if you had chosen to not go with the dewalt. Awesome choice.