Cordless Tools Reviews

I've owned this drill for a few years and continued to use it (until a few days ago) because I couldn't bring myself to just chuck this thing and start over. Notice, if you will, the trigger used to operate the drill. It's big and sits out in space just waiting to be bumped at the least convenient time, it's also in exactly the spot you want to grab the drill when you change bits. The second danger, and also the reason this drill is now in my garbage can is because there is no clutch. You here that clicking noise? That's not the clutch - it's the gears grinding over what used to be teeth. This weekend was the second time they've stripped out and I'm not going to replace them again. All it takes is a bit to catch wrong (as they often do) and either your wrist or the bit is going to get damaged. WooHoo! Go Milwaukee! ...back to mechanical engineering school that is.

I'm a part time builder and find this tool indispensible for installing cabinets (screwing them together especially in narrow cabinets). It just fits where other drills can't or won't go! My buddy has a right angle Makita(cordless) and it just doesn't have enough power to handle maple and hickory.
A couple of things: hand is close to the head so your able to put extra pressure on the screw head and the switch is pulled with your last two fingers (it takes a little to adjust to but when you do it works like a charm); the reverse and forward switch are a little awkward because you have to pull the drill out to switch directions(different from the typical cordless); it has good power; it comes with an all metal good quality chuck, and it just gets where other tools can't!
Obviously, this isn't the first drill I reach for (we usually set up 5 or 6 cordless when installing for..speed) but when used for the purpose it's intended it works very well! (Finally we're starting to see a few cordless right angle drills with 250 - 350 foot pounds of torque - enough to handle the job but this drill competes well and in my case is paid for!)
For what it's worth, Craftsman has an interesting looking corded right angle drill that has the reverse switch similar to the typical cordless drills, but it's head is much larger and it won't fit where the Milwaukee will plus it's difficult to put the same pressure on the head as with the Milwaukee (Bosch and Makita also produce right angle corded drills that might be O.K.). All provide an interesting trade off to the Milwaukee.
Do I like the drill? Yes! Would I buy it again? Absolutely! Of course I've had mine a few years and it should last a number of years!

Before you spend your hard earned cash on a new battery, THIS BATTERY IS INTENDED TO BE USED WITH THE 9826 DRIVER/DRILL,,,before you buy this battery for any other 19.2v tool,,, consider this. That 1.3 a/h rating is barely over half of the 2.4 a/h rating on part # 8923. The a/h rating refers to 1 ampere of flow per hour. This could be just as difficult as explaining horse power, torque and thier relationship to distance traveled vs. time. So I'll not try to explain in detail,,BUT, relatively speaking, the 2.4 a/h rating means that the tool you are using at a specified load, ALL other conditions equal, should outlast the 1.3 a/h rated battery by nearly double.

That's NOT to imply that your battery will last 1.3 hours or 2.4 hours, other factors apply and determine the run-time of your tool. Resistance within the tool, Temperature, Load (of the work being done), and most importantly Voltage, and the fact that the voltage drops as time goes by. Charging also is a major factor in run-time and overall battery life. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for charging and never expect a battery to reach full charge in 1 hour even if they claim to have a 1 hour charge cycle. Run your batteries as flat as you can (free wheeling) after it loses power,, then charge it for at least 3 to 4 hours, 8 hours to over-night for the best results. Never leave a battery on a fast charger for a week, a month or longer. I left one on a job-site for a weekend that turned into a week. when I came back (from helping clean up and restore temporary power at another site with tornado damage) the battery and the charger were fried.

You've spent the money on a high performance tool,,, High Voltage in the arena of cordless, hand held power tools,,, NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO TRY TO SAVE A BUCK OR TWO !!! A battery is a delicate and moody instrument, used properly it will make your tools much more pleasant to use. Shopping carefully will also net you a reliable and long lasting, powerful replacement battery.

Again, the part numbers are,
8830 the 1.3 a/h wich is intended for the 9826 driver/drill,
8823 the 2.0 a/h wich is 50% higher rated,
8923 the 2.4 a/h wich is 85% higher rated.

You sent the polish bonnets, and upon checking the status of the polisher, found the polisher on back order for 6 months.
Not real pleased with first attempt to business with your comapny. What do I do with the polish bonnets? Tried to return, but was never followed up with a response. Still awaiting credit for non-shipped item. Should I inform card company and deny payment.
Frank Owings