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I'm going to be hanging up some window blinds in the next few weeks and plan to purchase a drill for that purpose. I figure that corded is better than cordless since the batteries are liable to go bad on a cordless drill from lack of charging and use (and probably wouldn't be good in this low price range, anyway). Which of these is the best value drill for occasional home improvement projects?
Both corded and battery have their pros and cons. If I'm going to be using a drill for awhile I use my 40 year old Black and Decker corded one. For just a couple holes I use my battery B and D.
A cord can be a pain to maneuver.
Why are you looking at a hammer drill?
At your price point and what you're doing, which sounds like light duty, any of them are probably ok.
As the above person mentioned you don't need a hammer drill for putting up blinds. I would look at cordless options. Lithium ion batteries are stable. I've used my cordless Ryobi tools seasonally for years (usually store them over winter) and they hold up great, in fact I can go a full year without charging them and they still have juice. It probably helps I keep them in a cool place.
Go to Harbor freight and get the cheap lithium battery powered one. It is normally about $40 or $60 but on sale about $25. Lithium batteries last longer and are more powerful. they are also more forgiving of extended periods of non-use. Corded drills are a PIA.
Harbor freight may be cheap Chinese made stuff, but then so are all the cheaper Ryobi, B & D, Sears, even Makita etc. they just cost more. Same thing made in the same factories. It is not until you get to the higher end versions that there is a difference.
Both corded and battery have their pros and cons. If I'm going to be using a drill for awhile I use my 40 year old Black and Decker corded one. For just a couple holes I use my battery B and D.
A cord can be a pain to maneuver.
Why are you looking at a hammer drill?
At your price point and what you're doing, which sounds like light duty, any of them are probably ok.
Almost everyone who does this sort of thing for a living uses a impact driver such as the Dewalt DCF885.
Got a great (actually two) Black & Decker 18V cordless drill a while back and used it for various things like furniture dis/ass, hanging picture frames, etc. Worked like a charm. If you are getting cordless, I would only recommend going with a lithium ion and as high in V as possible. The ones I got have decent torque if you will, but if you plan to use them for some stubborn screws/bolts, they may not have enough juice. The corded options are cheap, so you could get both and have the corded one as backup. It's nice not having to worry about the cord getting in the way, plugging it in, etc.
I have 2 drills. A corded hammer-drill (bought when I lived in a brick house, has come in handy MANY times for drilling into brick and concrete) that will handle pretty much every task... it is a Heavy beast that you do *NOT* want to be holding over-head though. And I have a 12v "mini" cordless drill/driver that tackles 95% of the tasks needed around the home, even for someone who's a more advanced DIYer (for reference, I'm renovating a bathroom right now, to the studs for the plumbing and electrical and to the floor-joists, doing all the tile and finish work).
I came to those after having an 18v cordless, which is the worst of both.. heavy/bulky and just doesn't have the grunt to do the more difficult stuff. Heck, my hammer-drill doesn't have the grunt for Some stuff, then I borrow a rotary hammer. For most tasks, and putting up blinds Absolutely fits here, you want something small and light. Easy to use. I have an impact as well, but it's simply never used (or is used as a drill when I don't want to walk to get the drill for something quick). One of the original batteries died after 5 years, I'm still using the other now at 7 and bought a replacement for the dead one. They take 30 minutes to charge and I've only very rarely used a battery up before the other one is finished charging.
This setup works so well for me that I simply wouldn't change it. I might change brands, maybe, but that's it.
That's (the top recommendation) what I own, and it is absolutely worth the ~$100 I paid for the set.
**BUT** if you want to go cheap, then get yourself to Harbor Freight, Goodwill, Habitat Re-Store, etc... and buy the cheapest whatever. They're all going to be equally good (or bad). Heck, the neighbors yard sale probably has a drill for $5 and it will most likely be better than anything cheap/new you can buy. I just want to warn you that there's a reason this saying exists:
"Only a rich man can afford cheap tools"
That's because of the extra time spent, the lower quality of work, and frequently needing to buy a Second tool to fix/finish what the first messed up or couldn't do.
You're right, but the OP isn't "almost everyone who does it for a living". He's part of the group of "almost everyone who uses a drill a couple times a year for light duty stuff".
If he had said he was going to be using it for daily construction I would have likely told him to get a Dewalt.
The only thing you want to use the drill for is to hang some window blinds?
Believe me, you want cordless. You can buy a cordless screwdriver that would probably do the job for you.
If it has to be a drill, buy a Black and Decker. If you look, you can find a Black and Decker set that comes with a drill, some drill bits, a radio/ battery charger, and a flashlight. I paid $50 for the whole set that last time I bought one. You aren't going to use the drill much, but you will love the big bright rechargeable flashlight.
A good battery drill with top of the line batteries costs too much to buy one just for a small one time job. I've had good luck with Dewalt, but that is a bit too much money for a tiny project. If you think you will actually be using the drill a lot, then Dewalt, with their top of the line battery, is what I recommend. Deawalt makes a short one, less length to get into smaller places, and that one is handy for inside the house jobs.
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