Dealmonger: Drill Master’s $15 18V Cordless Drill
By Chuck Cage
Make no bones about it: this drill absolutely will not compete with your Milwaukee, Bosch, or DeWalt in terms of features or reliability. On the other hand, you can have one for about a third the price of a battery alone from those other companies.
As we mentioned in this week’s Tool Talk podcast, we visited the cabinet shop of a company that refurbishes jet interiors a while back and saw these scattered all over the shop. For low-torque/low-stress situations, these make a quite decent solution. And maybe HF was listening — they’re on sale for $15 again right now.
Hell, just pick ‘em up for the parts! It’s pretty tough to find a motor and battery for this price anywhere else.
18V 3/8″ Drill w/Keyless Chuck [Harbor Freight]
May 7th, 2007 at 7:28 pm
Do you really think people who post on this blog will buy one of these? Maybe for parts. Otherwise, i’m pretty sure that the guys (and girls) that post on here like tools quite a bit, and are willing to shell out more than $15 for a drill
May 7th, 2007 at 7:39 pm
I’d buy them just to attach them to a couple of inline skates and have some fun!
Hmm… perhaps a time for a new, fun project?!
May 7th, 2007 at 7:59 pm
I don’t think ANYONE will buy ONE of these.
I think ANYONE who needs one will probably buy FIVE.
Awesome post. Cheap screwguns rule.
Rain. Who cares?
Lost. Oh well.
Dropped. Damn! Hm, that’s a good lunch I just dropped! Oh wait, it still works!
OMW.
May 8th, 2007 at 1:30 am
I can see if I were teaching a class where tools prone to abuse and disappearance (schools), these would be very attractive. Also, if the battery alone could be modded to fit other brands then it’s a hell of a deal.
May 8th, 2007 at 6:51 am
I can’t see it as someone’s primary. But for $15 this is perfect for any place where you don’t need to use your primary. Like what smoore says, rain, dropped, who cares.
When tools are this cheap, schools should be able to afford them for shop class.
May 8th, 2007 at 9:03 am
I have one of these. I bought it at HF about a year ago, with an extra battery. By now, with fairly light use, both batteries are completely useless. Maybe it’s the cheap dumb charger they included that killed them, or the fact that I tend to leave the battery in the charger overnight, but they wouldn’t stay charged for even one day now. A dozen screws, and I need to put it back in the charger. I am thinking of rebuilding the battery packs and getting a smart charger, just to practice my soldering…
The battery pack on my drill uses slightly different connector (with a protruding stick at the top), so it it theoretically possible they have made a leap in quality. I wouldn’d count on that, given even lower price that I paid.
I definitely wouldn’t recommend this one, unless you really need a throwaway tool you wouldn’t regret losing.
May 8th, 2007 at 10:54 am
Would make a excellent present for that lady in your life, much better than those electric screwdrivers they always seem to have knocking about.
May 8th, 2007 at 4:32 pm
Not a bad deal for a linnen closet tool. For those times when walking all the way downstatirs to the garage to get the real drill is just too far.
May 8th, 2007 at 11:12 pm
Worked in a shop that bought 5 of them - short story, utter crap - not worth even the $15 - the chuck is poor, bits slip - the batteries which are weak when new die after a few months. A good lending tool perhaps…
May 9th, 2007 at 3:48 am
I wonder if the motors might survive a few minutes in a school robotics league. The one I have personal knowledge of uses DeWalt drill motors, which I believe they get at substantial discount from a repair depot. But for other uses where discounted nice motors aren’t available, the $15 cheapies might be viable.
Stu, a good lending tool if your goal is to wean people off the habit of borrowing your tools!
July 9th, 2007 at 7:22 pm
Just bought one of these at HF to replace the Black & Decker Cordless that I already had. The B&D went bad after only a few uses and cost about 3 times as much. To get a new charger and bettery it would cost more than the original purchase price.
August 14th, 2007 at 10:36 am
Many thanks to the folks who shared their reviews of this drill. I was tempted by this week’s HF ad, but I’d rather put the $$ toward a decent, if more expensive, secondary drill. My primary is a $70 (sale price) Craftsman, and it’s been worth every penny.
October 1st, 2007 at 9:10 pm
Has anyone gotten the chuck removed from these drills? im using a pair of the motor/ gearbox combos for a super cheap battlebot. A few of my friends are in on this and this is my drivetrain if i can get the chucks off
thanks
October 13th, 2007 at 7:40 am
I purchase one of these, also. The motor is great. The batteries are junk. No staying power.
December 18th, 2007 at 10:03 am
Hello, don’t know if this is the right place for it but I have a question about HF 18v chicago cordless drill batteries. I have seen some at HF that look exactly like my 18v craftsman drill battery. I was wondering if the chicago batteries will work with a craftsman drill. Just looking for a cheap replacement battery for my drill. thanks.
March 11th, 2008 at 8:22 pm
This is great for parts, for anyone who does their own electronics projects. The variable speed controll is great, and a battery and motor, its a great deal, i bought two for a remote controll submarine i’m making for fun.
April 15th, 2008 at 9:22 am
I know you guys are tool snobs, but I wanted to leave a positive review for this drill. My craftsman 18volt died a couple of weeks ago and I got this drill with flashlight combo for $20 and I am currently redoing a house and this thing is perfect for many uses. I’ve used it for hanging drywall (screws), replacing locksets, countersinking cabinet screws, etc. For this price it is unbeatable. I have a DeWalt corded that I use for anything where I need real torque. The battery seems to last forever and it has decent power. My two cents.
May 19th, 2008 at 5:08 pm
I have bought several of these as well. They are good light duty tools. However, these tools are part of Harbor Freights Drill Master line of slide pack tools. The line has impact, impact driver, reciprocating saw, circular saw, and ratcheting flashlight. The impact tools are GREAT, as are the saws. This 18 volt tool (93440) is basically the screwdriver of the line. The opinion of this tool lover is that these tools, when used as a SYSTEM of tools, are a great alternative to paying the price of a used car for a tools set. Try the system, not just the drill. You will be pleasantly surprised. As for the charger, I bought a digital timer at Wal-Mart and I used one outlet to charge for the 5 hours and the other to do a monthly charge on another battery. As for the premature failure of the battery, THESE BATTERIES CANNOT BE LEFT ON THE CHARGER, SO UNPLUG THEM WHEN THEY ARE CHARGED FOR CRYING OUT LOUD ! Or, get a decent timer . Peace Out !!
October 26th, 2008 at 7:28 am
I’m contacting you about Delta cordless batteries. I need a replacement 18v battery for my tool set and I don’t know where to look. Do you have or do you know where to look for these batteries?
November 9th, 2008 at 11:11 pm
I’ve gotta ditto the comment about using these as a system. I’ve got two of these that I use strictly for car stuff, to keep the good ones for work from getting greasy…I’ve been totally shocked by the performance of these cheap little drills. Sure, it’s no DeWalt, but unless you’re actually drilling massive holes, one of these will probably work for you. And the money you save could be spent on DeWalt stickers, so everyone will still think you’re a tool snob
March 2nd, 2009 at 1:48 pm
Good read, thanks for all the comments. I am here in search of a new battery for this drill. I own one of these kits with the flashlight, jigsaw and orbital sander. I really like the drill, in fact I like the gearing better than a dewalt. If I could just find a good battery for it so it doesn’t let me down everytime I need it, it would be a great drill for the price.
That being said, I would recommend anyone looking to buy this drill save their money and shell out a few more clams for a good drill, you’ll be much happier.
my .02
April 8th, 2009 at 11:09 am
I purchased one of these drills a couple of years ago. I could not justify spending big bucks (to me) on a more expensive model because I really do not need it on a regular (or even irrigular) basis. For big jobs I just use my corded B&D. I like the power the drill has, but like others, the first battery only lasted a couple of charges and now it has no staying power whatsoever. After reading some remarks about the battery and the charger, I purchased a new battery, charged it for only six hours the first time, and now only charge it for two hours when needed. The batter has lasted for over a year and a charge is good for a dozen sheets of drywall, which is a good day’s work for me. It may not be top of the line, but I like it.
April 23rd, 2009 at 4:47 am
I received one of these combo sets as a hand me down from my boyfriend. However, before passing the kit on to me he managed to lose the battery charger stand and plug in. I know I can buy a second battery at HF but does anybody have any idea where to get a new charger? Please help. THanks.
May 24th, 2009 at 11:42 pm
I purchased one of the combo kits. (drill and a light) When I got home I tried to charge the battery, but the battery would not take a charge. I went back to the store and exchanged the battery. I got home and charger the new battery. After charging I installed it on the drill and drill turned once. took it off the dill and installed it on the light, and the light turned on for about 30 sec. Now I have to go back to the store and gey my money back. I spent more money in gas then I spent on the kit.
Please Don’t buy this drill, save your money and buy a Dewalt, bosch, or any other name brand drills
October 5th, 2009 at 1:31 pm
Debra - I called harbor freight who sells the unit. We determined that my drill used the charger base 28285-0ZZA (I did not need the cord - just the base). It is backordered but cost was $1 plus shipping. Full charger with cord should not be too much. Hope this helps
John