Cordless Power Tools

[Bekeart]

NO battery powered for me. My occasional/seldom use needing an extension cord does not justify a need for battery powered.

With several years work in the broadcast field I am very familiar with the aging and slow death by reduced capacity of battery packs used for cameras and VTRs.

Have decided that if/when a power tool is needed at the far corner of my kingdom, I will buy one of those small generators. (e.g. 1000-1500 watt) that can be carried with one hand. It will handle my needs and have additional uses.

Bekeart

 

[Hillbilly77]

I have DeWalt 20V lithium and Snap-On 18V NiCad tools.
I still have all of the original batteries. The 2 oldest Snap-On batteries are starting to wear out, but they are several years old and have been through countless use cycles. All of the rest (DeWalt and Snap-On) are holding out just fine.
Both have 45 Min. - 1 Hr. chargers.

My personal assessments:

DeWalt 20V Lithium:
-1/2" drill - Excellent drilling and driving power. Excellent battery life while drilling or driving screws, etc.

-Sawzall - Excellent short-term power, battery loses power pretty quickly.

Pros:
Ability to build your set by buying tools only - extra saws, work lights, etc.

Cons:
None noted.
_____________________

Snap-On 18v NiCad:
- 1/2" Drill - Excellent power, excellent battery life. This drill is an animal.

- Sawzall - Same performance as DeWalt - excellent short-term power, battery drains fast.

- 1/2" Impact Gun: An animal. Remove automotive wheels in seconds, drive lag bolts, any number of tasks otherwise performed with a ratchet and socket.

Pros:
Ability to buy just the tool if you already have batteries and charger.

Cons:
Expensive.
Fewer tools to choose from compared to DeWalt line.


Keeping in mind that Snap-On's target customer is different that DeWalt's target customer - automotive vs. construction.

 

[Old Corp]

Having had lots of different experiences with a lot of cordless tools, it's rarely the tool itself that has issues for me - it's always a battery that goes bad. And somethings just WRONG with a system set up where a replacement battery costs almost as much as a combo of tool, 2 batteries, charger and case.

Believe we'll see the end of NiCad before too long, Lithium-Ion seems to be the next wave, and I look forward to something better than that.

 

[H Richard]

I bought a new Black & Decker (not very expensive) 12V for general around the house work in my shop, (and I attach it to my RCBS trimmer to trim rifle cases). I got it nearly 9 years ago, the battery still charges fine, lasts several hours of use, and holds the charge for months if not used. You don't have t spend big bucks for a cordless drill, but if you use it daily they will probably last longer.

 

[chief38]

I bought a new Black & Decker (not very expensive) 12V for general around the house work in my shop, (and I attach it to my RCBS trimmer to trim rifle cases). I got it nearly 9 years ago, the battery still charges fine, lasts several hours of use, and holds the charge for months if not used. You don't have t spend big bucks for a cordless drill, but if you use it daily they will probably last longer.

You hit the nail on the head! In order for good battery longevity the tool needs daily or near daily use. If it sits for prolonged periods not being used, the batteries go south!

I use to use them VERY often and when I no longer did is when they started crapping out. So no more Cordless tools for me.

 

[Shootbrownelk]

My wife bought me a Rigid tool kit from Home Depot, it came with a sawzall, a jig saw, a light, a screwdriver, a skillsaw , a impact driver, a drill and a caulking gun. 3 batteries and a dual port charger. AND the promise of "Lifetime Free Battery Replacement". Yeah, Right. After 4 years the batteries wouldn't hold a charge anymore.
Went back to Home Depot customer service and was told "Oh, we don't do that anymore".
After months of complaining by telephone and e-mail to HomeDepot. They finally must have gotten sick of my B*%&#ing about their broken promises, and replaced my batteries with new ones.
The problem now is, they're getting weak again.....

 

[EugeneNine]

Me too, and cheaper to boot.

I'd need a 3/4 mile cord though.

 

[4011]

Got a small DeWalt set last year. I use it a lot. The new ion batteries are great.

 

[ralph7]

I'd need a 3/4 mile cord though.

See the bottom part of post #21.

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

No cordless tools for me, I have seen them die too many times on others. I have a nice long Blaze Orange extension cord on a reel that works for my admittedly casual non-professional use. Also I use a foot switch-aka a Deadman-when I use power tools.

 

[rwsmith]

I got many years.....

I got many years out of my Dewalt battery and when it quit the battery was so expensive it was a tossup what to do. I got a replacement battery and it is working well. I love the drill and I'm glad I didn't have to get a new one.

 

[Squarebutt]

Funny, the old black nicad "banana" batteries are still working in my old Makita 9.6v and the newer grey li-ion ones are all dead. The only other cordless tool i own is a tiny driver-drill from Ridgid that's a gem. The battery never seems to run down.
But as others have said, the corded tools are much more powerful right out of the box and last longer. I have four Milwaukee drills, about five skillsaws, both regular and worm drive, jigsaws, sawzalls, etc., many of them 20-30 years old, used commercially, and still going strong. My 30-year-old Yamaha generator runs fine.

 

[schgsd]

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.

Get the 18V Milwaukee M1 stuff. I've used the latest from Makita, Dewalt, Ryobi, Rigid .....

Lithium batteries are the bomb too.

 

[longhair]

Work with a lot of guys that use cordless drills. My Makita lion 18 volt has outlasted them all. Dewalts, rigids, craftsman, porter cable, all of them.

 

[mtheo]

MAKITA FOR ME

Like you I started with the 9.6 volt Items. Drills and a hedge clipper I truly loved.

My son has a cordless Makita vacuum powered by their new lithium-ion 18 volt 3.0 Ah battery....I was impressed. It is the only cordless vac that would clean out all four footwells plus the seats and still have juice left over....I can't remember how many different brands of cordless vacs I have donated to Good Will because they didn't have enough power for more that one foot well.
I immediately bought a vacuum and drill/impact set. I later bought a hedge clipper and a cordless sawzall. The sawzall with a long pruning blade will cut off a 5" diameter Hickory branch and still have a good amount of power left over. I had a Black and Decker that would barely make it through a 1-1/2" diameter branch before petering out. The hedge trimmer is amazing it actually cuts better than my corded Black and Decker.

The batteries recharge in less than an hour.

I am very interested in the cordless die grinder and the horizontal flush cut tool.

The Tradesmen around here mostly us DeWalt and Milwaukee cordless products. I think because it is most readily available....You just about have to go online to buy Makita here.

 

[model70hunter]

I have 2 old 12 v Dewalt's. The batteries died a long time ago. Still have them and the chargers. Replaced the batteries once. They 2 eventually quit. Found a Royobi 18v drill and light with 2 batteries on sale at Lowes. It was cheaper than 2 Dewalt batteries. Those batteries died, Went back to Lowes, found a Royobi drill, light and reciprocating saw with 2 batteries cheaper than 2 batteries. Now those 2 have given up the ghost. The above is a 20 year time frame. I feel the original Dewalt batteries lasted the longest.

I have been considering going corded. If you own a drill that is geared slower or has a precise trigger that allows one to use it on sheet rock screws please let me know.

 

[J. R. WEEMS]

Still have my corded tools, but a couple years or so I picked up some Dewalt stuff. Batteries are good for what I do these days, and I just keep them plugged in when not in use-- Had a Milwaukee cordless drill for light duty stuff but it reached a point where the batteries would not charge. -Thus went with Dewalt after using some of my sons stuff. I still have an original B&D cordless drill from 1973, as well as two Milwaukee drills from the same time period. Most of my stuff is just around the house now so they all work. The impact is mainly for when camping, used to raise and lower the camper. Can charge it when driving so no problem there. Have a power station I also keep plugged in and carry with me when camping. Can also charge it when driving and jump a vehicle if need be.

 

[williamlayton]

I have a couple of extension cords that are well over 10 years old and the light company makes new electricity every day.

Blessings

 

[msinc]

I own a bunch of rental houses and am always doing this kind of work. Milwaukee is the boss, the rest to me have proven inferior. That about sums it up. If and when somebody comes out with something better I will own it. Until that day I will use Milwaukee.

 

[Kinman]

I'm not a professional but use my tools quite a bit on my own projects and helping others with theirs. You really owe yourself a chance to use something with more power than 9volts, I remember how great I thought 12volts was when I dug down deep into my pockets and bought my first really substantial screw gun which was a PorterCable. It did not survive a fall off a roof and cracked in the handle, I duct taped it together and used it until its battery packs started failing, it was close to a hundred bucks to replace the batteries so I went shopping. First off I asked a number of my friends that were professionals and for my usuage which is not full time employment for the money Makita still makes the best equipment on the market. I went with a screw gun/nut driver combination kit in 18volts, the built in headlight is great, even when just walking down a darkened staircase, let alone while inside a cabinet. The nut driver/impact gun is the bomb for driving deck screws or lag bolts, since a couple friends of mine have used it they went out and bought their own because I never loan my tools out. There are some amazing package deals on the internet, I saved enough going on the internet over local stores that I got an extremely bright work light thrown in for free for less than anything local.