I need cordless drill help (not sexual innuendo)

I’m not a professional carpenter, more of a hobbyist, so take this for what it’s worth.

On voltage, I’d go with a 20 volt if you’re doing a deck. I used a 16-volt and finished a basement about 7-8 years ago, so they’re fine, though these days it seems like 20 is the standard. I like my 20 a lot better than the 16 I used to have.

Personally, I like the Porter Cable brand if you’re looking for a good mix of quality and price. You can get a cordless drill for about $90. For lots of drilling, I’d recommend an impact driver. It’s faster than a drill if you’re screwing things in to wood. That you can get for $99 at Lowe’s. For a little more, you can buy the combo pack with both ($129). I like mine and I do a lot of work around the house, including finishing a new basement.

Stay away from Black & Decker. I’ve never had a good experience with them. Craftsman (Sears) is hit and miss (my corded drill is crap, but my jigsaw is decent). Dewalt is good (even though it’s owned by the same company that makes B&D), though they are pricey. Ridgid is also a good brand (Home Depot’s own), but a little on the pricey end as well. Like I said, for a good mix of quality and low price, I buy Porter Cable.

Hope that helps!

If you want to stay in the $60-$90 range, just get a good drill with a nice extension cord. In fact, you can get an awesome drill for sub $50 that will crush any cordless drill in power and longevity.

If you are serious about getting a cordless drill, look at the Makita, DeWalt, Milwaukee, or similar. If you want to use it mostly for screws then look at getting a hammer/impact drill driver. There are a number of good ones on the market for ~$160. The hammer drill function uses less power despite imparting far greater energy into the fastener, so the batter lasts longer.

I have one of these little impact drivers and it works great, but there is no way I would build a deck with it unless I had at least 3+ spare batteries.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-18-Volt-3-Speed-1-4-in-Impact-Driver-Tool-Only-P237/206588778

YMMV.

Dewalt for sure.  

I have a dewalt corded drill and it is awesome.  For small jobs I have the Makita 12V  drill and driver pair. They are great for quick smaller jobs. Ie repairing fences etc  can’t go wrong with dewalt 

Whatever you go with make sure it has the torque adjustment on the chuck collar. My 40 dollar hitachi corded drill doesn’t have that and it always overdrives screws in decking. So i prefer just using my 18v ridgid drill. Its actually great on battery life and recharges really fast. Pretty much need a rest at that point.

I was an electrician in a previous life and went through several drill transmissions and chucks before deciding Dewalt held up the best. That being said I have become addicted to Ryobi 18v tools. At last count I am at 27 18v tools and counting. Nailers, sanders, several types of drills, impact wrench, lights, vacuum, etc.

I am a weekend warrior now but use my tools a lot. These things are rock solid and they never change the battery connection format. That means all the old mixes with the new. A tool never becomes obsolete. For the price you can’t beat the starter kit which has the drill, circular saw, reciprocal saw, flashlight and 2 18v batteries. Nothing comes close in price vs. quality I assure you.

In my excitement to talk Ryobi I missed you were building a deck. You need an impact driver. If you’ve put screws in with a normal drill and then use an impact driver you will never turn back. It puts screws into wood like butter. They have them on display usually with a piece of wood so you can see the night and day difference of putting a screw in with one.

http://m.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-ONE-18-Volt-Lithium-Ion-Impact-Driver-Kit-P881/203466912