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I  recognize most of those drills, My dad had many of them and in those days B&D was a respectable reliable tool maker. I remember the first electric drill my dad had was a BD Spade Handle 1/4" chuck. There weren't any 3/8" just 1/4",1/2", 5/8",3/4" . And they were non reversible single speed. If a 3/4" drill stuck I have seen only a few men that could stall them without getting wound up like a corkscrew. The other features came later. This was the next step up from the brace and bit.

I even today use my corded drills , the largest cordless is 12v. anything over that I don't like cordless.

 

Thanks for posting ,brings back fond memories.

Herb

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4 minutes ago, John Morris said:

Awesome article Dave, you earned a "Feature" star on this one,

Ah shucks John:blush:...even a blind squirrel stumbles upon a nut occasionally.:P

Since I'm held hostage with the weather, the ills of stir crazy may be affecting my otherwise abnormal behavior. :lol:

However, thanks for the nod! It was fun! Now, back to my straight jacket.

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1 hour ago, Gene Howe said:

@Dadio, I was wondering why you prefer the 12 volt drills over the 18-20 volt drills. The new 20 Vs are lighter and the charge lasts a lot longer. 

My only corded one is a 3/8 PC. It's a good un. But, I reach for the cordless ones most often. 

 

I have an 18v Dewalt set of tools and bought a 12V Hitachi drill and impact set for in the shop because the Dewalt was so heavy.  I have since replaced the Dewalt batteries with lithium ion and they are a lot lighter.  I still prefer the Hitachi set for the shop for physical size reasons and they are still lighter too.

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5 hours ago, Gene Howe said:

@Dadio, I was wondering why you prefer the 12 volt drills over the 18-20 volt drills. The new 20 Vs are lighter and the charge lasts a lot longer. 

My only corded one is a 3/8 PC. It's a good un. But, I reach for the cordless ones most often. 

 

Actually,Gene, I have the PC12v Drill and the Driver they are lithiem batteries, Also have a little Skil slow speed drill plug in charge and a Works six shooter,also a direct plug in charge, both of those are for light duty compact quarters work like installing drawer slides.

I found that for heavy duty drilling like pocket holes and metal I like the corded drills and have a HD 3/8 Skil and a 1/2" Bosch. I hate having all those different chargers, and one brand fits all idea doesn't work for me either. So I have just one PC 9v charger for my drill and driver, a Bosch charger for my Nicon old Bosch cordless circular saw, a makita charger for the little 3" circular saw and little vacuum cleaner,and jig saw, I suppose if I was back in the trades I would have all the big honker cordless ,but don't do anything like that anymore.

Herb

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My Dad never had a drill. When I was about 10 he gave me a Dormeyer all metal drill for Christmas. If he needed a drill he used mine. I got rid of it several years ago. I have a 1/2 inch Craftsman looks just like the black one in your post but with side handle. When I bought my first PC I could really see the difference from Craftsman.....much smoother and quieter. I have rebuilt a battery for that PC twice and wish I could get a lithium for it. Oh well I do have the 12V Milwaukee which is handy for shop use and small enough to not wear me out.

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1 hour ago, Gerald said:

When I was about 10 he gave me a Dormeyer all metal drill

Was it an in-line or pistol grip style? I occasionally run across a Dormeyer at flea markets or yard sales. I nearly bought a  pistol grip model awhile back. It was very similar to the old, all metal , B&D U-100. It needed a cord, but otherwise was very nice. I put it back though. I asked myself, "Do you really need another corded drill?" Seemed like a trick question.:P

 

That was about the same time I put back a pristine D-handle Craftsman, metal & plastic, 1/2", VS drill. I'm pretty sure it was made by B&D for Craftsman in the late 60's or very early 70's. I walked around with that one  in my hands on three different visits putting it back each time. "It's only $10" the little voice said...some of the other voices gruffly said,  "Are you insane? Do you know how many drills you have now?" "Well,  no, not really" the timid little voice responded. "Put it back! Give someone else a chance!" the dominant voice barked out.

 

 Dang those little voices in my head. I hope it went to a good, safe home...it was gone the last time I was there.:(

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Thanks for the story.   I have a Skil 599 like yours.  I bought it right out of college in 1974 for $19.99 at J C Penney outlet store.   For many years (maybe too many) it was my only drill.   Still use it a lot.  Nice thing about having more than one drill is you can have one bit in each and do lots of operations (different sized holes, VIX bit, countersink bits, etc.)

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2 minutes ago, kmealy said:

I have a Skil 599 like yours.  I bought it right out of college in 1974 for $19.99

The more I've thought about it, mine was probably purchased in December 1970. Yes it has been/is still a good one. I had to replace the switch once. I found another at a flea market a few years ago...it appeared to be identical but had a off-white housing versus the gray. No ID tag was on it...It was $2 and worked fine...still kicking myself for not buying that one just to have an extra switch.

 

The non VS models limit some applications and lack of reverse on others is an aggravation, but being able to chuck up several different bits/attachments is nice...just a lot of power strips and cords to watch for...seems the cords have a foot fetish.:P

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