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My Firestorm finally bit the dust.
Any suggestions on what to buy?
Mostly for speaker building, case building, installs, etc...

Doug Hart wrote:My Firestorm finally bit the dust.
Any suggestions on what to buy?
Mostly for speaker building, case building, installs, etc...

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Are you looking for good quality, or cheap price?

If good quality, get Makita

I have used DeWalt for over 15 years but I was converted over to the PorterCable brand of cordless tools three years ago. I am referring to the lithium series of tools. Very well balanced,light weight,long lasting battery's,Very fast charger and power that will make you look for a cord.
I have the entire collection of there cordless line and love every piece but the little dust buster vacuum. It works just fine but every time "I" use it I manage to knock the dust cup off of the end of the vacuum and dump the dirt right back from where I just cleaned it up.
In all I could not be happier with the decision to switch. Better,Stronger,Smaller,Lighter.Ect.
I bought half of the tools with 2 extended run batteries and charger for the same price it was going to cost for just the new Dewalt batteries.
I would do it again in a second if I had too I'm that happy with them.

Harley wrote:

Doug Hart wrote:My Firestorm finally bit the dust.
Any suggestions on what to buy?
Mostly for speaker building, case building, installs, etc...

\
Are you looking for good quality, or cheap price?

If good quality, get Makita

+1 on Makita.

I'm away from home at present and ended up buying a little 10.8V Li ion battery model makita for $100, because it has pink on the case.
It has pink on the case because it was a special edition for the breast cancer council here. So it's 150% off RRP.
I've not long finished using it to predrill 20 pieces of hardwood decking boards and bearers and didn't run out of battery...
Compared to my old 14.4V Ryobi it is out of this world...

The batteries on my Bosch finally died. It was my baby. New batteries were 80 bucks each dealer cost. I bought a LiOn 18v makita. Fabulous drill. Every bit the equal of my Bosch in power, which would spin you around like a corded drill. And the batteries charge in 15 minutes or less.

Porter-Cable. You can get a combo 1/2" along with a 6 1/2" circular saw at Lowe's around $100, with a few other tools using the same battery available separately.

Home Depot has a Rigid drill and impact set for $180 right now. Lifetime warranty! I bought one a couple months ago and love it. That being said my work used to use Dewalt 14.4 and I have a personal one too (parts of a set light, hammer/drill, circ saw and sawsall), not a drill to be dismissed. Better than these new 18v lithium drills in power and build IMO. My job uses Makita's now too, they are nice and quiet, lights are cool, we have a brushless set too. Really no complaints about any of them. They all should be a considerable upgrade to a firestorm.

The Makitas and Dewalts are used and abused all day, 5 days a week. Rigid isn't but seems solid to me.

Awesome guys... you just confirmed what I was thinking.
I've been looking at the Porter-Cable and the Makita.

I missed the deal on the Makita drill/impact combo at Home Depot.
12v Li-Ion Combo for $100

I've also been looking at this for a secondary tool:
http://www.amazon.com/Rockwell-RK2515K2 ... roduct_top
Any thoughts on the Rockwell?

I bought an 18V Milwaukee drill and impact driver last winter, and man does this thing have torque. I like the slip clutch too, it has a wide range of settings that come in handy for seating screws, etc.

I have a bunch of the Milwaukee 12 volt tools and absolutely love them. Not cheap, but very high quality, light weight and just handy. I use them for speaker building along with a Dewalt 18 volt brad nailer. For 90% of the work I do, an 18 volt drill just is not needed.

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R ... CfcG6NXlj4

I caught some deep discounts on the Dewalt 18v drills and impacts this summer and couldn't be happier. Charge time is fast, power is great and they have accumulated quite a few hours this summer without problem. Blows away any cheap drill I've used in the past.

Bosch. Hands down.


Boss likes dewalt to much. I didnt care for the older set we had at the shop, or his new set. I went out and bought a bosch kit for $200 for 2 batts, charger drill and 1/4 impact.


Impact's handy for me. I own a VW

Monomer wrote:Impact's handy for me. I own a VW

Aren't the bolts only finger tight on VWs? The ones that are still there anyway. Believe me I understand -- see my user name. My VW didn't have an air cooled engine long though. I put a 2.3 liter Ford Turbocoupe motor on mine.

Not on my Ghia. 40 years has ensured the fasteners are the only parts still firmly held together. I have busted knuckles, stripped tools, and an empty can of propane to attest to this.

+10000 on the Dewalts. I have a local store that sells the bare tool no battery not even a box for around $60 each. I have 5 batteries and almost every tool that Dewalt makes in the 18v line that is cordless. Wouldn't leave home without the 1/4 impact and the angle grinder.

Jerry