Originally Posted by
Doug Fattic
I went looking for a new cordless drill for my frame shop (which I also use for everything not just building and painting frames) a couple of years ago. Several things were important to me. 1st I wanted it to have 1/2" capacity. And 2nd I wanted it to be as compact and light as possible. I'm not one of those that would be using it constantly like a tradesman. I usually just need to drill a hole or three before putting it back again. I bought a Makita FXD11. It is a big drill in a compact size. They come with different sizes of battery packs and I chose the smallest of the 3 available because size and weight were more important to me than length of charge time. I got 2 batteries so one could be charging while I was using the other one.
A few years ago in Bucha, Ukraine, I went to the new department store that had a big hardware tool devision. And yes the Russians (may they rot in hell for their numerous unforgivable sins. And with unchristian like thoughts, I hope that hell starts for them ASAP) stole everything there and then totally destroyed the building complex. My goal was to get a battery drill to replace the worn out corded model we were using in our frame/bike repair shop. I used to like to pedal there on my transportation bike and sometimes get a Fanta orange pop and a Ukrainian dark chocolate candy bar (both were/are better than our Anerican versions) and enjoy them in one of their beautiful city parks. One was particularly nice with winding bike/walk trails. Anyway they had a bunch of drill models to choose from and after examining them all I chose a model I thought I would like the best. I was disappointed when I got back to the shop to discover that the drill bits could not be inserted as far in as I would have preferred. You might want to check drill bit insertion depth on whatever model you are considering. I hope the Russian that stole it found that feature annoying as well. Yes they broke into our shop too but thankfully just took the general tools and not all the frame making equipment. We ended up also getting a stronger corded model because some tasks took some time to complete that were done entirely in the shop. That one is now in Russia too.