But, a new drill you buy today won't last very long if you are spending less than $50
I disagree.
Motors have come a LONG way since the 90s.
A cheap CORDLESS drill is going to tear itself apart, or rip the teeth off it's cheap plastic internal gearbox.
The problem with cordless drills is they prioritize smaller size and lighter weight, and cheaping out on the batteries makes them awful.
Corded drills haven't changed much in the last 25 years, except the commodity motors that get put in them are better than they used to be.
Walmart - $19.77
HarborFreight - $17.99
Tractor Supply Co. - $17.99
Honerable Mention:
HarborFreight - $30 for a 1/2" hammer drill with the extra handle.
It's not $20, but it's also way more drill if you need a heavy duty one AFTER you have a small shop one.
I personally have 2 of these exact drill, and I have used(abused) them to do things like bore holes through 8"x8" posts for building a retaining wall.
I also used it to dig post holes with an augur.
The point is not to pay for the perfect "forever" tool.
This all started because we were talking about someone with no tools.
Screwdriver. Claw hammer. Drill & bits.
I don't normally include a saw in that list, but a hacksaw or handsaw is so cheap that you might as well.
You can get a miter saw with the box, so you can cut 45 and 90 degree corners, for $6 at harbor freight.
They might as well be disposable at that price, but they will still last years as long as you don't leave them out in the rain...
Someone with no tools doesn't need to spend $80 on a hammer drill.
They don't need a drill press or table saw.
They need cheap basic tools for the kind of jobs that they will run into all the time.
Even if they DO manage to wear out a $20 drill...then it means they are actually using the drill enough to justify spending $30-$40 on one.
A 3d printer is NOT the right tool for most jobs, and if it is someone's ONLY tool, then that is the problem.
There is simply no excuse for wasting the computer time, printer time, electricity, and filament costs on flat sheets with a few holes.
Unless someone lives in a van, they have the room, and the budget to spend $50 on the MOST BASIC of tools.
And remember...we are talking about someone who is
fabricating something, not some grandma who is going to leave a burnt out lightbulb broken for 8 years and only use that room when it's sunny out...
This is a computer focused forum.
Would we be having this same argument if someone had a smartphone and zero other computing devices?
No we wouldn't. We would be telling them where and how to get a cheap and usable computer, because a smartphone isn't the right "tool" for most tasks, even if you CAN use it to do those things in a pinch.
Note: I'm not mad when I'm typing this. I'm smiling. It's a silly argument to be having, and arguing can be fun.