Cordless Power Tools

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EugeneNine

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Any of you guys work a lot with tools.
I had a 9.6v Makita for years and bought one of those newer PorterCable kits at Lowes to upgrade. One of the batteries has already quit charging and it didn;t have any more power or life than my 9.6v Makita so I'm a little disappointed. I used to get 10 years out of a 9.6V NiCad Makita battery but now maybe three out of a newer one.
I'm trying to decide if I should rebuild the battery pack or invest in a DeWalt kit. Anyone have some of the DeWalt gear, do your batteries last a decade or just 3 years?
Another feature I need/want is the ability to have a 12v automotive charger, I see Dewalt has them and PC didn't. My PC would not charge off an inverter.
 
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I have been in construction for over 30 years and most everyone uses DeWalt but I don't recommend them for the non professional. They are expensive and so are there batteries and they are simply not needed by someone who doesn't use his tools 8 hours a day. I personally have Ryobi from Home Depot and the new Low profile Lithium batteries are awsome. I have batteries at my house and in my truck and recently I was needing an extra battery and Home Depot had a tool kit on sale that I bought. You got a drill, impact driver, two batteries, fast charger, socket adapter, screwdriver bits, and carrying case for $99. That is about what one Dewalt battery and charger would cost, and the Ryobi tools have always served me well.
 
Well, I don't use mine 8 hours a day but when I do I used them hard. My 9.6v Makita when I bought it, it was the pro grade. Part of my issue with the PC is its more of a homeowner grade than pro. They just aren't the same quality as my PC 890 Router.

I'm still unsure about Lithium Ion batteries considering how short they live in laptops and phones.

I've had Black and Decker, Ryobi and Craftsman tools and have been disappointed in all of them as well. I completely wore out a Sears router when I made my kitchen cabinets thats when I upgraded to the PC 890.
 
Sir - I don't know how long the batteries will last. I purchased my Dewalt drill with 2 batteries on 12/9/2013, one year ago. Got the 18v with Nicad batteries - I charged both batteries when I got it home. I use it a fair amount around the farm, not daily, but certainly multiple times every week and sometimes daily. I have yet to use the second battery, and have not recharged the first. I know Nicad batteries have a shelf life based on how many recharges they get. My contractor friends all have the Dewalt and recommended it to me based on their positive experience.

So vs. my old Makita 9v - I am very impressed. I find it to be better balanced in my hand and has more torque. I see the new Lithium batteries will work with it, but I can buy additional Nicad batteries new for around $40 and rebuilt batteries for around $25. At those prices what the heck?

Hope this helps.


Pete99004
 
Bought a Makita when they first hit the market and wore out the batteries after about three years.Ive been buying Dewalts since then and when the batteries start getting weak,I watch for a sale and usually replace the tool and batteries at the same time unless the tool hasn't seen too much use.The next drill I'll try the lithium batteries.
 
Pete99004 said:
Sir - I don't know how long the batteries will last. I purchased my Dewalt drill with 2 batteries on 12/9/2013, one year ago. Got the 18v with Nicad batteries - I charged both batteries when I got it home. I use it a fair amount around the farm, not daily, but certainly multiple times every week and sometimes daily. I have yet to use the second battery, and have not recharged the first. I know Nicad batteries have a shelf life based on how many recharges they get. My contractor friends all have the Dewalt and recommended it to me based on their positive experience.

So vs. my old Makita 9v - I am very impressed. I find it to be better balanced in my hand and has more torque. I see the new Lithium batteries will work with it, but I can buy additional Nicad batteries new for around $40 and rebuilt batteries for around $25. At those prices what the heck?

Hope this helps.


Pete99004
Click to expand...

My background is electronics. I can order cells through digikey and mouser, average NiCad cells are around 1000 cycles MTBF, Lithium Ion are ~300. I just wonder if they put anything better or worse than average in different tools. I don't think my PC should have failed in three years when my Makita went 10.
 
Over the years I have worn out three Dewalt 18V drills They hold up well. I currently use a 20V Dewalt drill and driver. The lithium batteries last a long time. The speed and power is awesome.

I also use a small 12V Dewalt driver for smaller jobs.

Tried Bosch and it broke less than two weeks later.:rolleyes::eek:

For the home owner I highly recommend this set.
DCK211S2 12V MAX* Cordless Li-Ion Drill/Driver / Impact Driver Combo Kit | DEWALT Tools
 
we are well pleased with the 19.2 volt Craftsmen sets. you get a good drill & a lesser right angle drill, 2 batteries & a 1 hour or so charger........ I have scabbed new pine 2X4's unto 100 year old oak 2X4's on our old carriage house/garage using torque head screws. That being said, they are very heavy compared to the new lithium ion tools which have 2/3 or so of the power of the 19.2 drill..........but you have to have a holster on your tool belt for the 19.2 it's too awkward to climb a ladder with it in a hand. I only used one of the new Milwaukee lithium ion a short time but it weighs far far less.
 
I've had Milwaukee, Porter Cable, DeWalt and Makita. I'd be curious to see a poll just to get an idea what the majority (if any) uses. Currently I have a Makita drill, impact drill and cordless saw set. I've had to replace the 3.0 amp 18 volt (warranty) but the 1.5's have been fine.
 
Over the years I've had a dozen or so Cordless Drills - mostly DeWalt Brand. They work fine in the beginning but once the batteries start dying after a few years it is cheaper not to buy the replacement batteries but just buy a new tool kit on sale. This way you get a whole new kit, charger, case, bits, two new batteries as well as the tool itself. That is how I would up with over a dozen of them.

Last year I got disgusted with this and sold ALL of my cordless drill kits on Fleebay. I went out and bought 4 different types of Milwaukee CORDED tools and a good extension cord. Since 98% of the time the tool is being used in my work shop I don't care about the cordless feature. When I do go up on the roof or a ladder once or twice a year I just run the cord which is no big deal. The great trade-off here is that I never again will run out of battery power in the middle of a project and there is nothing like the power of a corded tool.
 
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Since 98% of the time the tool is being used in my work shop I don't care about the cordless feature. When I do go up on the roof or a ladder once or twice a year I just run the cord which is no big deal. The great trade-off here is that I never again will run out of battery power in the middle of a project and there is nothing like the power of a corded tool.
Click to expand...


Me too, and cheaper to boot.
 
My guys us exclusively Dewalt. Mostly still 18v stuff, but we are making the transition to 20v as we replace old tools. I usually buy 2 packs of the largest batteries when I find them on sale. We rebuild our tools as needed. I can get better life out of both the bodies and the batteries with Dewalt.
 
Pete99004 said:
Sir - I don't know how long the batteries will last. I purchased my Dewalt drill with 2 batteries on 12/9/2013, one year ago. Got the 18v with Nicad batteries - I charged both batteries when I got it home. I use it a fair amount around the farm, not daily, but certainly multiple times every week and sometimes daily. I have yet to use the second battery, and have not recharged the first. I know Nicad batteries have a shelf life based on how many recharges they get. My contractor friends all have the Dewalt and recommended it to me based on their positive experience.

So vs. my old Makita 9v - I am very impressed. I find it to be better balanced in my hand and has more torque. I see the new Lithium batteries will work with it, but I can buy additional Nicad batteries new for around $40 and rebuilt batteries for around $25. At those prices what the heck?

Hope this helps.


Pete99004
Click to expand...

My wife bought me an 18v DeWalt ½’’ chuck reverasable hammer/drill at least 18 years ago. I do not use it every day but when I do I use the heck out of it. It has drilled mounted at least 5 of the gun safes I have lagged into concrete and all sorts of home auto/boat projects. Believe it or not I’m still using the original battery that came with the saw. I said battery not batteries as this drill is so old it only came with the one battery in the kit. It charges well and holds a good charge, best bet as well as it did on day one.:)

One of my beefs is I bought a new DeWalt cut off/demolition saw and it came with 2 batteries about 5 years back.Needed saw and I could use the2 batteries for my drill also!

Both of those batteries were worthless. Charge it up use it a bit and it lost power fast leave it alone for a couple days and it was dead.

Over the course of time I also picked up a couple of the VERY expensive batteries at the big box and they were only a little better than the one that came with the Sazwsall/demolition saw kit.

You guessed it I’m now using that 18+ old battery on both the drill and saw. I run it till its week and recharge it and continue my project. Gave up trying to find newer batteries that actually work:mad:.

When either the battery or drill itself dies I will bury them both in the back yard and perform a 21 gun salute at the conclusion of services. Then will have the daunting challenge of finding another drill that actually works as they say it should. Leaning toward the high power Makita at this moment, but will keep any eye on what’s happening!
 
I currently have 3 18v Dewalts and a bunch of batteries and 3 chargers. Not every day use but often. Multible motors means less tool changes. I have 2 of the 12volt drills but batties don't last or live as long.

The refinery I work in the most runs 18v Dewalts and they have lots of them and the tool room guy says few problems. Main reason I run them.

Right now I believe that Dewalt is the king of power tools, battery and corded.
 
Since my use is occassional, batteries go dead or weak, dumped all the cordless stuff and went with all corded tools! Much happier.
 
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I used Dewalt 18 volt tools for years at work and they served me well. Work was buying my batteries but they mainly lasted a few years before needing replacement. I'm retired now and the tools still serve me well and hope all my batteries do last as I don't use the tools so much now.
They're pricey but have found them on sale a time or two and the two packs are a better price.
 
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