November 19, 2009

Cordless Drills: Better Just To Look At

by Dave Bry posted @2:35 PM

milwaukee drillGod bless Popular Mechanics. Here's how they start their latest consumer report, '7 Small Drills Bore It Out: Tool Comparison Test':

"How much cordless drill do you need? Probably not as much as you think."

As much as I think? I have no thoughts at all about how much cordless drill I need. In fact, I'm having a little trouble understanding the question. (Are we talking pounds? Numbers? I need three pounds of cordless drill? I need cordless drill to a factor of seven?) The only time I ever used a cordless drill-one that a contractor once bought, and charged me for, and so then left at my place-I mangled the door to my kid's room so badly, I had to hire a different contractor to come install a new one. I am not to touch machines like that. Why am I reading Popular Mechanics, then? Because they do their thing in a way that's accessible and enjoyable even to stupid sissies those less mechanically inclined. For example, soon enough in the Tool Comparison piece, they've explained that they're testing seven brands of small battery-driven drills in two categories: 1) The number of 2-inch screws each can screw into drywall before giving out. 2) The number of 5/8-inch holes each can bore into a plank of wood before giving out. There's a handy color-coordinated legend to differentiate, and they give a short write-up on each.

And cordless drills are awesome looking! They look more like "Star Trek" phaser guns than pretty much anything else on the planet.
phaser

The winner of the test, the Milwaukee M12 2410-20, is particularly handsome, with an snazzy, lightning-bolt logo in a Teutonic font very similar to that of Miller High Life beer.
milwaukee tools

To my mind, the Miller High Life logo is perhaps the nicest in the history of American marketing design.
miller

Especially if you count the lovely lady tippler sitting in the moon.

miller girl

 
Share
DiggThis
 

31 Comments / Post a new comment

  1. KenWheaton [#401]

    They tried to bring the Girl in the Moon back as a marketing bit a couple years ago. Didn't work.

  2. iplaudius [#1066]

    Well, how much torque do you think you need?

    Some people need to bore through masonry, but you might just need to drill the juice out of a young Thai coconut, if you get me.

  3. SquarePeg [#1098]

    Needs a, "Drill Baby, Drill" tag.

  4. BoHan [#29]

    I'll just stick with my corded DeWalt. I've never found a Cordless Drill that doesn't leave me when I need it most. If you want a real thrill borrow a DeWalt Hammer drill and use it on 60 year old hardened concrete. It will pound the shit out of you with the kickback, let alone all the shards and sparks flying everywhere. More fun than tackle football I say.

  5. Maevemealone [#968]

    That girl in the moon is just another Halloween costume nobody would ever get… Aside from that, are there no more men in the world who are handy with tools? I am just not impressed by this new "hire someone to fix it or just buy a new one" generation of males. No offense to the author, etc.

  6. HiredGoons [#603]

    The nice part about not having a drill is the sweaty repair men in your apartment, easily tempted with libations.

  7. mathnet [#27]

    Would somebody please buy me one of these for Christmas because it is the most helpful accessory EVAR: http://www.target.com/Tool-Band-Magnetic-Arm-Band/dp/B000ICT8OY

  8. CordlessDrill [#2263]

    Ya gotta admit Popular Mechanics knows their stuff when it comes to tools or just about anything for that matter.

  9. Flashman [#418]

    The design of the Milwaukee drill makes it look as if it's glowing red hot and exploding – not things you'd really want it to start doing.

 

Leave a Comment

Login Using:

Login to your account:

E-mail:
Password:

Register | Lost password?