Archived from the Tools In Action forum (Power Tools). This thread is read-only.
Hi there,
A friend of mine is looking to start doing more hobby woodwork and I’m keen to help her choose the right drill to begin with. I’m going to steer her towards Milwaukee or Bosch as they have nice 18V compact drills & great 12V offerings.
My question is, would you recommend the 18v compact drill kit, or 12V Drill & Impact Kit for the same price?
http://www.gettoolsdirect.com.au/Milwaukee18v12CordlessDrillDriverM18BDD-202C.html
http://www.gettoolsdirect.com.au/milwaukee-m12bpp2m-152b-12v-2-pieceCpp-combo-kit.html
$200 will get her one or the other. I am leaning towards the compact 18v because its a great drill, powerful and comfortable in the hand. i find the 12V tools sometimes a bit fat in the hand, making them less comfortable than their larger, heavier big-brothers. She’s fairly small/petite.
I actually like Bosch the most, because they have a better woodworking range, but would happily go Milwaukee too. I’m more concerned about which voltage/size to go …
Dwain, if she is doing hobby woodworking I’d go with the 12v line. She can get rotary tools, multi tools, jig saws, circular saws……et al. Plus, the M12 Fuel line may as well be an 18v if she needs a more powerful tool. Now..,.SDS, etc…..I’d go 12v!
It sucks you guys don’t get the good tool deals like we get in the states. You could have got that Milwaukee impact kit with an extra 3.0ah battery for $99 on black friday. I like 12v tools for the compact size. I would take her to a home center and see which one she likes to hold.
thanks guys. The only thing i don’t like about the sub-compact drills are the 3/8 chuck. who wants to buy special bits to make a 10mm hole???
good thinking Javier.
I really like my 12 volt set lightweight and compact size. I find myself using it most of the time over my 18 volt.
my m18 fuel hammer drill can snap my wrist if not holding tight enough at the best of times same goes with the m12 fuel drill……if your friend is anything like my wife I would suggest the m12 impact….reason is the impact will just spin and not grab like a drill…….with hex driven drill bits you can do pretty much anything with an impact anyways…….and Chrisk is right go with the m12 line ……..
yeah i totally get you all. what do you do when you want to make a 10,11 or 12mm hole though? most space bits sets start at 13mm …
I was thinking something like this and I’m sure you can find them all different sizes right up to 1/2″ or more
If she needs a compact gun they Fuel has the 1/2″ chuck so it shouldn’t be a problem. The Bosch DDB181-02 has a half inch chuck and Eric and Dan did a great review of the drill
if you think she wants an 18v line.
yep, i held the M12 stuff in the hand this morning, its so much less comfortable than a compact 18v drill.
the fuel is too pricey and way overkill for her needs. think ill look out for that compact 18v bosch or milwaukee.
cheers
I never really noticed the handle on my m12 fuel stuff until reading this thread. All I noticed is how light it is. Took out the 2453 and 2653 last night to compare and the M18 really is much a much better grip. I still like how small and light the M12 is, but the stem packs add some bulk to the grip for sure. Thanks for pointing out the flaws with stuff I was perfectly happy with before Dwain haha.
hahaha, sorry Bremon. perhaps you’d like the 12V MAX tools better ;):P
i think that handle thickness plays a bigger role in user comfort than weight does.
Not disappointed in the handle enough to switch. Too invested in m12 already. Just used the fuel hackzall to make a few quick cuts. Just requires a slightly different grip than the m18 to fit right in my hand.
I can agree with your sentiments about handle vs weight. Compact 18 is likely the ideal Jack-of-all-trades for weight/comfort.