It really depends on what you plan to do, different drills have different torques rating and depending on the material you would be drilling, it can make day-night difference.

For regular use at home, I'd suggest a 18v drill, as they carry anywhere between 400-500lb of torque. (12v usually peaks at 250 in comparison. Good for screwing stuff, but forget about tougher stuff like concrete) I have a Bosch Li-ion drill that I have nothing but good thing to say about it (500lb torque FTW)

And the general idea about tools is that, buy the best you can afford. A good set of tools last you a lifetime under the usage from home environment.

I have a 18v Dewalt XRP drill, hands down its one of the best investment towards a tool I have ever made.

I kinda go against the idea that you shouldn't go overkill. When I got my drill the only thing I did was use it to drill simple stuff like drywall and sheet metal. But several months down the road I found my self drilling 140mm hole saws into various types of dense wood (even then the 18v was struggling a little). If I didn't get the 18v, I would've had a much bigger problem at hand.

I use Makita 18v Li-ion only. Super light-weight, very reliable and strong, and at summit or KMS you can buy other individual tools with no batteries to add to your set.
My set has a drill, impact, skillsaw, jigsaw and flashlight. I'll be getting the cordless grinder and recip saw on their own.

DeWalt is fine but clunky and heavy, and to be honest, ugly. Milwaukee are great too but expensive.

Just don't buy Rigid or Ryobi they are junk.

Dewalt man here

1990 when I started working in car audio, I got one of these, in a kit with two 2.4V NiCd batteries and quick charger, for around $220:

http://www.northerntool.com/images/p...s/m0270_lg.jpg

It was eight years before the first battery wouldn't take a charge any more... three more years before the second one finally gave up the ghost - outstanding longevity for nicads.

I still have this tool, and it's still going strong, 22 years later - great for working on computers, too. Best tool investment I ever made. Picked up a second one a few years ago.

My co-worker has a Ryobi One+ collection that he loves... started with a 6-tool kit that HD had on for $300 (original nicad batteries) and has since added almost every other tool offering in the line to it, as well as several LIon batteries. Sure, they're not as robust as my 14.4V Milwaukee (his original drill actually detonated in the middle of a job once), or as strong overall, but *for the price* it's been a great deal for him. Having *all* his tools use the same batteries is a big plus, and having the RANGE of tools he's collected has been fantastic.

I use a Milwaukee M12 every day for work on aircraft and it's the best drill I've ever used. I got it from Amazon on boxing day for $100 which was a GREAT deal. Nice and portable too and not heavy at all with the huge battery pack.

http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...C5Imyf7RMrTwnJ

makita, 18v compact drill and impact combo kit (Home Depot/KMS etc)

the guys who are recommending makita/ryobi/dwalt 18v. Will those drills drill through studs on walls?

I was looking at hammer drills but it seems overkill.

Yes, and yes, on the very unlikely occasion you would actually need a hammer drill at some point just rent/borrow one.

I think my work predominantly uses Panasonic & Bosch. If they can stand up to heavy commercial construction then they're more than adequate for the home DIYer.

I've only needed hammer drills for drilling through concrete or driving lag bolts through 6x6's or bigger.

hammer drills on a cordless IMO are pure garbage anyways, unless you get a Hilti cordless....

will drill thru masonry fine, but is a POS when it comes to drilling solid concrete

Went to home depot today saw this Ryobi 18V drill with impact driver for $59
RYOBI | 18V Drill and Impact Driver Kit | Home Depot Canada

if you really need a hammer drill, just rent one

if we are talking about wood studs, even the shittiest drill should be able to screw/drill out studs

im thinking about grabbing the new dewalt 20v drill and impact driver, anyone used the 20v yet?

The 20V DeWalt is really 18V nominal power. They rate it at 20V purely for marketing. The new Milwaukee Li 18V Fuel with the brushless motor is supposed to outperform the DeWalt in all performance area because of the superior motor and Li technology according to the performance tests. Check it out if you have a chance.

guess what? All 3 companies are owned by the same compay: Techtronic Industries :p

ever notice the physical similarities between Milwaukee and Ridgid drills? also all 3 are sold at Home Depot.I'd prefer Milwaukee Personally, however the Ridgid Lifetime warranty always gets me.

I picked up a little Ridgid 12V drill/flashlight kit at HD... couple weeks later I saw the identical drill on a shelf at Rona, except it was yellow and black and labelled "Stanley".

It's like fucking cars anymore, the badge doesn't mean shit, everything inside is made by the same two or three places in the world.

"Russian components, American components... ALL MADE IN TAIWAN!"

Fixed.

You and your conspiracy theories.

Rigid, Ryobi and Milwaukee are all actually made in Japan and are infested with Fukushima radiation. But on the bright side, their chargers don't register on smart meters, so you can charge your tools secure in the knowledge that nobody will know.

I got a Makita Li 18 volt impact and 1/2drill. I've had both for 3 years now both awesome units used daily non stop by three people as such I had to invest in a couple more batteries. The drill will even power through 3/8 thick steel with 5 inch holesaws. I've never seen any other hand held drill do that. Its done it countless times on custom chassis work. The only other the drill I'd consider buying is a milwaukee.

CRAFTSMAN!!!! their 19.2v cordless drills go on sale frequently for $100 i've owned one for many years. i use it all the time. the batteries are quite good. i know of many companies that use them as their workhorse drills.

ryobi, craftsman etc are all massive heavy ass pieces of shit

for the home DIY'er, the COMPACT drill and impact guns from makita/dewalt are all you will every need

the full size drills are useless and way too heavy

i don't ever use my compact drill unless i'm actually drilling...any screwing etc i use my impact

RYOBI | 18V Lithium-Ion Drill and Impact Driver Kit | Home Depot Canada

just picked that up from home depot for 79 ($20 gc ftw!!)

Hope this will last me another few years!

i have one. got it for christmas about 5 years ago. batteries last alright, and have a 1 hour charge time so the charging battery is charged before the one youre using dies so you've always got a good battery.

variable clutch works fantastic. hi and lo speed settings work ok. high speed is a bit slow for drilling tho.

its fairly big and heavy tho.

wouldn't recommend purchasing one unless it was really on sale.