Cordless Lithium Tool Recommendations for a Beginner
 

Hello all,

Long time no see. I'll finally have something like my own house and I want to start with some small projects. I won't have a ton of money, but I do know buying a drill is basically buying into a LI battery system, so I've been wondering what to get. Don't need heavy duty pro level stuff, but would like something durable and powerful. Been looking at Bosch's 18v lineup, which seems to be different here in Japan from other countries.

Any thoughts or advice?

Thanks,
Benjamin

I've been very happy with my 18V makita stuff. The packs don't last forever (until the battery needs recharging), but they charge in 15 minutes, so as long as you have two you're good. They do have a professional line that has bigger batteries if youre going to be picky. The nice thing about the non-professional ones too is they're a bit lighter because of it.

I was looking at makita too figuring that being in japan I'd get good service if it sent them in or took them to a shop, but the price gap is quite large.

The bosch drill I'm looking at is 14,150 yen: Amazon.co.jp: BOSCH(ƒ{ƒbƒVƒ…) 18VƒoƒbƒeƒŠ�[ƒhƒ‰ƒCƒo�[ƒhƒŠƒ‹[PSR18LI ]: DIY�E�H‹ï

A similar makita drill only comes in a set for almost twice as much: Amazon.co.jp: Makita ƒ}ƒLƒ^ “d“®�H‹ï 18V ƒR�[ÄÞƒŒƒXƒhƒ‰ƒCƒoƒhƒŠƒ‹&ƒCƒ“ƒpƒNƒgƒhƒ‰ƒCƒo ƒRƒ“ƒ{ƒLƒbƒg LCT200W�y•À�s—A“ü•i�z: DIY�E�H‹ï

I think this is due to the marketing strategy differences in Japan v the US.

I thought about ordering from the US, but none of the home centers/amazon will ship tools to japan.

Those Makita's are awesome. I do recommend.
I love my 12v set.

The makita stuff is just to expensive in Japan, so I went with Bosch. If I spent the money on a drill I wouldn't have any money to buy a saw that works with the same line of tools, which is a bummer.

Bosch makes lots of awesome stuff. I have a half inch hammer drill that just won't give up on anything. They make tools for stanley and black and decker also.

Lately, they (as well as milwaukee, porter-cable, craftsman, etc.) have been marketing a "more affordable" line of power tools. You can tell the difference by the price. IF YOU WANT A TOOL THAT WILL LIVE A LONG, LONG TIME, DON'T BUY THE "AFFORDABLE" ONE! This is mainly the stuff they put in their sale ads. They look like toys compared to their pro-grade brethren.

Don't get me wrong, they're not junk. If you're a semi-pro or less with your power tools, they will do just fine. But they just aren't made to bully your work, where that extra oomph will power through something tough the first time through. In certain jobs, not having to change batteries constantly quickly pays off the extra expense of the tool.

Another thing to look at is the new "presto-changeo" tools. Rather than buy 4 tools that work off the same batteries, you can now buy only one. Then, if you need more tools, you just buy more tool heads. For me, this means having half a dozen power tools in one bag.
http://www.blackanddecker.com//Produ...DMT120IA_1.jpg

Thanks for the advice! Here in Japan there are about three different lines of Bosch tools, which are styled differently from the lineups the have in the US. I'm not going to go for anything too pricey at the moment since I won't be that much of a heavy user. If things change in the future I can always upgrade. The biggest debate was really whether or not to go corded or cordless ^^