# Is it possible to buy a cordless drill that doesn't wobble? If not, is a wobbly drill fixable?



## MrDan (May 26, 2009)

The wobbly cordless drill has become a little too ubiquitous for my liking. So I wanted to see what my fellow lumberjocks had to say on this issue.

By wobble, I mean runout of a straight bit chucked into the drill, either caused by the chuck or the spindle/shaft. I've been looking into this for awhile now and have found MANY people are struggling with their cordless drills in this manner…and from all the major manufacturers: DeWalt, PC, Makita, Bosch, Ridgid, Ryobi etc… do a google search and you'll find the same.

I've read that since most tool manufacturers source their parts from some of the same chinese suppliers there might have been a bad batch (from 2011 or 2012) of shafts that has caused this 'outbreak' of wobbly drills in recent years. Not sure about this theory, so I wanted to see if there has been any improvement.

My first cordless drill, purchased about 10 years ago was a Ryobi that had wobble. I returned it, and the new one was no different. I figured at that price point, that was just what I had to deal with… So I dealt with it for years and just figured I'd buy a better quality one when the batteries died.

So last year that time came and I bought a Porter Cable 18v Li Hammer drill combo set. Recently I have noticed that it too wobbles. I don't know if it did so when I first purchased it, (I think I would have noticed) but anyhow it's doing it quite a bit now and I find it extremely annoying. It is still under warranty but I never registered it and I lost my receipt so I can't prove to PC when I bought it. So now I'm stuck with it, but I'd like to fix it if I can, as I'd prefer not to buy another one (partly due to my fear that they are all like this now.) I've read accounts of people buying and returning drills 5+ times from the home center and even sending them away to the service centers only to still end up with a drill that wobbles. (Here's one guy's nightmare: https://www.ridgidforum.com/forum/t39980-2/)

*So my questions to all of you are:* 
1. Do you have any experience with this? 
2. Do you know how to fix it? 
3. And, lastly are there any consistently reliable brands out there, with QC still in tact, that are making a decent drill, or do I have to spend $500 on a festool simply to get a drill that doesn't wobble?

Thanks for any input!


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## pintodeluxe (Sep 12, 2010)

I have had many brands and types of drills, and none of them has ever had visible runout. I use a Dewalt 12v lithium-ion drill for furniture construction, and it has worked flawlessly.

Before that I used a Dewalt 14v ni-cad and it worked hard for 10 years. 
I would go with Dewalt again.
Makita usually ranks well too.


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## JAAune (Jan 22, 2012)

I'm in the "buy $500 tool and get back to work" camp but that being said, the quality of cheaper power tools always seemed hit or miss to me rather than consistently bad. They weren't always bad, just sometimes. My complaints about Bosch and DeWalt cordless drills had to do more with weight, battery life and bulkiness. Excessive run out in the chuck wasn't something I experienced.

I'm sure you already checked but are you certain that you own a decent set of drill bits? Some of the cheaper sets don't always have straight bits.


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## jordanp (Feb 1, 2013)

My Dewalt wobbles a little bit

I still use it from time to time..

But i have upgraded my cordless drill to one of these..


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## Ripthorn (Mar 24, 2010)

I have had a drill that wobbles, but it wasn't all that bad (several thousandths wobble at the tip of a 1/2" drill bit). Typically, wobble is a problem with the bearings, and that is an easy place for the manufacturers to skimp. However, couple that to a device that many people who don't use it correctly use frequently, and issues will come up. The bearings used in drills/drill presses are only meant to handle loads in line with the drill bit. However, as any homeowner will likely attest, there is usually at least once where you are driving in a tough screw or something and you give it some "help" to one side or the other. This is terrible for the bearings. This is the same reason you shouldn't put lateral loads on a drill press. I did a few times, and now need to replace the bearings.

As for brands, obviously you get what you pay for, but every device has factory tolerances. Some of those tolerances may be loose. I would expect Makita or Milwaukee to still do well, but don't know first hand. If you are really fed up with it, you can investigate replacing the bearings in an older drill yourself. They can be had cheap, so you won't lose much.


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## sixstring (Apr 4, 2012)

Havent noticed it, or maybe I'm used to it, but my Milwaukee M18s work pretty well and seem solid / not wobbly to me. Far cry from the Ryobis and BnDs that they replaced. I recommend checking them out… or there was a drill shootout in WoodWorking that compared the Milwaukee, PC, Bosch, Ridgid, and I think a Hitachi. It was very enlightening and helped me pick the Milwaukee. They all have their strenghts and weaknesses though.


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## johnstoneb (Jun 14, 2012)

A cordless drill is hand held. I couldn't tell you when I'm drilling with one if it is wobble in the drill or wobble in my hand. To consitently drill straight you're going to need a drill press or something mechanical to hold the cordless steady


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## dawsonbob (Aug 5, 2013)

I use Bosch. Never had any kind of wobble, although my buddy's Dewalt wobbled so bad he had to return it. I have a 40 year old Skil (corded) that still runs as true as the day I got it.


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## nwbusa (Feb 21, 2012)

I have a couple of Dewalt 20V drills that I bought in 2012, and they don't demonstrate any perceptible wobble. How much runout are we talking about here?


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

I've never noticed the issue in the 5 or 6 cordless
drills I have owned by Bosch, Milwaukee and Ryobi.

That said, walking and deflection of drill bits in 
wood is often an issue to consider in precision
work. I have never had to attribute this to 
a wobbly chuck.


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## retfr8flyr (Oct 30, 2013)

I have the Milwaukee M18 and M12 drills and both have never given me any problems with any kind of wobble. I have drilled many, many holes with both of them and they drill as true today as when i first got them.


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## tefinn (Sep 23, 2011)

I have a Ridgid 12v, 14v and a Milwaukee 18v and none of them have runout. I've used various Dewalt, Bosch, Ryobi, Makita and BD, none of them has had any wobble. The only drill, cordless or otherwise I've used that had any, was a BD 12v with a removable chuck that had a driver behind it. That one sucked.


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## realcowtown_eric (Feb 4, 2013)

I have a wobblin' corded drill in the broken tools pile. This one has a problem with the chuck, when tightened right up, one of the chuck prongs sticks out more than the other two. Chuck is toast. Gotta get another.

Some imported drill bits are so soft that they will bend and wobble. and once you got them in yer drill bit stand, consider it poluted! cheap sh*t drill bits will typically cause you at least 32 frustrations!

More often than not, it's cheap drill bits that are bent, possibly mis-sharpened (point off centre)

Eric


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## exelectrician (Oct 3, 2011)

Panasonic makes the best cordless drill.

I could not believe how satisfying is is to own and use this rugged tough easy to use drill. The battery lasts and lasts, and when you need to charge one of the two that come with it 14 minutes is all it takes. I have tried all the others, even own the latest Makita Li ion, still find myself reaching for my old Panasonic time and again.


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## DKV (Jul 18, 2011)

Samsung makes a great "no wobble" cordless drill.


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## Manitario (Jul 4, 2010)

I have runout on all of my corded/cordless drills, but honestly, who cares? Anything handheld is going to wobble from me holding it; if I want a perfect hole I use my drill press.


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## MrDan (May 26, 2009)

Thanks for the responses everyone…

Just to clarify, I'm talking about runout here, not just the drill wobbling as I hold it…that is clearly not a problem of the drill. And for me, runout is a problem and a big one. It makes oval shaped holes in the wood instead of round, which can lead to fasteners becoming loose over time. Also, when trying to drive a screw into the wood, it wobbles the screw making it hard to drive.

And for the record, I'm using tested straight, high quality bits.

When I work, I prefer that my tools aren't limiting my abilities… so I just can't go along with the "who cares" approach. I believe tools should perform their intended purpose, and if they don't then we're wasting our time & money with them. In this instance the power drill should perform one function: to spin in a manner that creates round holes, not ovals. But clearly the manufacturers aren't making this a priority with the drills they produce…

Anyhow, thanks for the suggestions, I guess it is just hit or miss with the lack of quality control these days…maybe I'm just unlucky getting 3 in a row that have runout.

@ Johnstoneb, you'll know when your drill has runout, trust me it's obvious.

@ Jordanp, you might have the right idea…I have a brace, I just have to find a decent set of bits for it though…

@ Ripthorn, I appreciate the detailed response, I'll look into the bearings.


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## waho6o9 (May 6, 2011)

When you get fed up with non sense, move up a notch.

Festool

YMMV


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## MrDan (May 26, 2009)

I wish I could afford it…


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## jordanp (Feb 1, 2013)

Any precision work i do that involves drilling I typically use a drill press and a cheap one at that ( Bench Top Skill $129) it works and it drills straight holes.

If i'm wanting a little more precision than my powered drill offers but it isn't crucial I use my hand brace or egg beater style drill ( Pilot holes, Counter sinks etc )

At this point the only thing I use my 18v Dewalt for is driving screws and i don't even use it for that all the time.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

I've reground a lot of standard bits to brad points. It isn't hard
to do. They drill cleaner holes in wood and center more
reliably than standard drills. I learned about it from a 
Krenov book and just figured it out. Here's a tutorial from a luthier.

http://www.stewmac.com/tsarchive/ts0008.html


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## MrRon (Jul 9, 2009)

I think a small amount of wobble is normal. They are not precision tools. Unless the wobble is very noticeable, then the tool could be defective. Drill chucks are not the most accurate used on portable drills. You can get replacement chucks upwards from $100, more that the entire drill costs. Don't confuse "wobble" with runout. Wobble can be caused by a bent shaft or a bad chuck. Runout reflects the quality of the bearings and appears when a radial load is applied.


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## jordanp (Feb 1, 2013)

I know that Festool drill is freaking awesome but visually it looks like something Black and Decker would sell at Walmart for $29.99-$39.99. I dunno maybe it's just me.


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## bigblockyeti (Sep 9, 2013)

Every time I've been asked to test for runout, I use a calibrated drill rod (true to 0.0001" over 6") and a good dial indicator. You'll never get any of the manufacturers to identify what they consider to be in spec, so you have to figure out what you're willing to accept. Perfection will never be attained here, all you can hope for is something closer to it. As with most things in life, you get what you pay for, a $300 drill will usually be held to tighter tolerances than a $30 drill. All of my personal drills are Milwaukee, from before they sold out. Half are made in Brookfield, WI & the other half are from somewhere in Germany. All of the chucks are made in Germany. I've never experienced any runout in my drills that would be outside of what could be considered normal. The only problem I have is now the batteries are becoming harder to find and some point in the future will no longer be available at all.


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## jonah (May 15, 2009)

Every time I think my cordless drill has a wobble, I discover I'm using one of the unbelievably crappy, waste-of-$10 set of Ryobi drill bits I bought on a whim at some point. Last time I'll buy cheap drill bits - they are useless for anything but drilling imprecise holes in drywall or soft woods.


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

If you apply too much pressure the drill bit will deflect or if you set the bit too deep in the chuck you can get it out of whack but neither of my cordless, an old Makita and a newish Porter Cable (which was relatively cheap) have any visible runout but then I'm not concerned enough in a hand held to bother measuring.


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## Dal300 (Aug 4, 2011)

Bottom line…. quit buying cheap drills.

My Milwaukee 14.4V cost nearly $200 in 2000. I have replaced the batteries twice. It has a steel Jacobs 1/2" chuck, is accurate within .002" and will twist your arm off if you catch something and aren't paying attention.

I bought a True Value LiOn drill and impact driver about a year ago, it works good, but isn't even close to the quality of the Milwaukee.

I am not certain, but I feel that name brand commercial/industrial quality cordless drills or other cordless tools may have the same quality control.


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