NiCad vs Lithium Ion

[CAJUNLAWYER]

I am looking at a new cordless drill and see that there ate Nicad and Lithium Ion batteries available. The ned really doesn't tell me a lot as to the differenced in cordless drills so I thought I would post the question to the brain trust. Is the Lithum Ion worth the extra money or is the good old NiCad good enough? I am looking at a Dewalt (something about those yellow power tools).

 

[longranger]

Lithium is the way to go,longer shelf life with sustained power output.Nicad gets a memory and has a much shorter shelf life.My opinion it pays for it self in not having to be replaced.

 

[m1gunner]

I installed the metal roofing on my house and barn with a used 12V Dewalt drill/driver I bought. Dropped it 3 times off the roof and it still works.

I have since upgraded to a 18V Dewalt (XRP batteries). With 3 batteries, I can work construction with it all day. I think they are just oversize Ni-Cads, not lithium.

 

[ditrina]

Caj....
I needed a new battery for my Milwaukee 18 volt..cordless off to the Home Depot I went.. "Sorry sir we don't carry the NiCad any more, everyone's gone to Lithium"

I went on the Milwaukee web site and sure as hell no more NiCad..

Go with the lithium.. it seems that's the wave of the future..

I ended up finding them on a web site @ $85.00 each..

 

[PC945]

Everything's better with Lithium

I have found the NiCad's last about two years, and the die.
The Lithium's don't take a memory, have more power, and last longer between charges.
Been upgrading the NiCad's to Lithium as they die off.


PC945

 

[venomballistics]

Li chemistry has the highest power density of any system in play .. unfortunately the down side is that you cant charge them via conventional means.
Im partial to 9.6V in NiCad or NiMH as these can be fast charged from a car battery in about 15 - 20 minutes if you need to make due for some odd reason
Li Ion and Li Po "vent with flame" upon any attempt to do so

 

[Firehouse]

A friend of mine spent a couple of years in Ballad Iraq working on Blackhawk helicopters as a civilian contractor. He says of all of the cordless drills he saw used over there doing aircraft repair, the Lithium Ion Hitachi's held up the best. I picked up an 18V combo model at Lowe's the other day for $139 plus tax and I love it. I have a 14.4 DeWalt that both batteries went bad on and I would have spent that much on buying new batteries as I did the Hitachi combo kit.

 

[Strato]

I like the Dewalts too. I use them every day at work. I like the power of the XRP but we have to buy several new batteries every year.(at $80 each) I have old batteries from my first 18 volt drills that are still good but the XRP batteries crap out way too soon with every day use. I'm switching to lithium. The NiCads they make now just don't live long enough.

 

[Farmer17]

I've been in the construction industry for 30 years and I don't exactly know the answer to your question, but I know what has worked best for me. The Dewalts are extremely popular around here with people who use their tools every day, but their batteries (and about any Lithiums) are expensive at about 80 bucks each. I manage people and don't use my tools very often so the Ryobi line at Home Depot works quite well for me. I went to buy a couple of 18V batteries recently and they were about 50 bucks for a pair, but you could buy a whole kit on sale for only $79.95 which included drill, circular saw, blade, bits, two batteries, charger, and nylon carrying case.

 

[m1gunner]

Just an industry note from the cordless drill manufacturers:

The average cordless drill bought by an American consumer is used a total of 23 minutes during its lifetime.

I buy the 18V Dewalt batteries for $50 each when they go on sale each year, and throw away my old dead ones.

 

[jrd1976]

I'm a casual user, not a construction guy; but deer stands and duck blinds are not minor projects.

Lowe's suggested the Porter Cable brand. I already have some of their products and am not disapointed. Their brand is more affordable than the Yellow stuff. The NiCad kits are on sale and I suspect being discontinued. No discounts yet on the Lithium sets.

 

[Dennis The B]

If you can't devote...

...the time to completely depleting a ni-cad completely, then lithium ion is the way to go.

Ni-cad batteries develop memory problems when they're recharged before complete depletion. One of the best ways to completely deplete is to clamp down the trigger on the drill to completely kill the battery.

However, lithium ion is the wave of the future.

 

[zercool]

Just an industry note from the cordless drill manufacturers:

The average cordless drill bought by an American consumer is used a total of 23 minutes during its lifetime.

I buy the 18V Dewalt batteries for $50 each when they go on sale each year, and throw away my old dead ones.

Guess I'm not the typical consumer then.

I picked up a 12V (NiCad) Dewalt a couple years ago when I needed a simple around-the-house drill - hanging shelves and the like. It was fine for that. Then we bought a house and sided the garage. Ran like a champ, and the one-hour charger was a lifesaver. (Talk about a tool-intensive weekend. Four of us working. One circular saw, one compressor with nailer, two cordless drills, and one corded drill... and all but the compressor were Dewalt Yellow.)

The batteries have since started to show their age - the drill still works fine, but the charge doesn't last anywhere near as long. I'm starting to get the itch for something newer, and will probably cough up the money for another Dewalt, and yes, LI batteries.

 

[ohiobuckeye]

Lithium wins hands down. I like the Sears Craftsman C3 19.2 volt tools that were originally NiCad but they now have the C3 compatable lithium battery packs in 19.2 volts. My 19.2 nicads give good service but the lithium will run nearly twice as long between charges. I shy away from the newer 20 volt lithium system because I have the feeling it's struggling in sales and will soon be obsolete. I've found most of the rechargable tools less than 18 volt are only good for the very lightest home use and the battery packs are short lived. The 19.2 C3 tools have given me excellent service and have more bang for the buck. Like everything else, they do sell a few cheaper made promotional models that work OK but are not made for heavy use. As with anything, you get what you pay for. Nicad good....lithium better

 

[n4zov]

"Is the Lithum Ion worth the extra money or is the good old NiCad good enough?"

Absoluely! My old Skil 18V nicad system is "flat" after only a week or so without a charge and always needs recharging before I can use it for any length of time. Lithium Ion loses its charge very slowly and is ready to go even after months. Worth every penny.

 

[DeadAye]

I bought a Milwaukee cordless screwdriver/drill (2 speeds) 3 or 4 years ago. I use it almost every day -- We have an OLD Victorian house that I'm rebuilding around us . I've even used it to put up a bunch of Sheet-Rock and the batteries last for a few hours even with heavy use.
It has 2 batteries that still work great and THE VERY BEST keyless chuck I've ever used. You can open or close and lock it with one hand!!

It really cranks me up to see that A (1 (one)) battery cost's as much as 2 batteries, a drill, a carrying case, a charger, and some accessories..... What's wrong with this picture????????????

 

[Cooter Brown]

As most have said, lithium ion is the way to go. As someone who uses cordless tools a LOT, I've always been a Porter Cable fan.

I feel their quality has started to slip, however. At this time I would recommend to anyone wanting to buy quality to get Bosch. Hands down the Bosch tools are the best out there at this time.

Never have been a DeWalt fan, they were really the first of the tools made to the price point that the big box stores demand. Decent tools, but not the quality of the old Porter or the Bosch.

 

[dmar]

As most have said, lithium ion is the way to go. As someone who uses cordless tools a LOT, I've always been a Porter Cable fan.

I feel their quality has started to slip, however. At this time I would recommend to anyone wanting to buy quality to get Bosch. Hands down the Bosch tools are the best out there at this time.

Never have been a DeWalt fan, they were really the first of the tools made to the price point that the big box stores demand. Decent tools, but not the quality of the old Porter or the Bosch.

I agree. IMO, Milwaukee always made the best power tools, then like all the other manufacturers, they went overseas for most of their production. They still make some very good tools, but I find overall that Bosch has the best power tools these days. The old Porter Cable tools were also very good.

It's a shame how tough it is to find quality tools now. Several years ago, you had to pay more money to get the good made in USA tools, instead of the cheap/terrible made in China tools. Now, you can't even find made in USA tools! The good news is that the made in China stuff seems a little better, but not even in the same ballpark as the older made in USA Milwaukee and Porter Cable.

I think that the manufacturers just saw this as a straight price-point play, put these Chinese/cheap foreign made tools in the big box stores, and we'll sell way more units than the more expensive made in USA/German tools. Power hand tools are now just like a lot of other things in our country; disposable junk. It's a shame for people that don't mind paying for quality. My theory is to pay more, but buy it "once." I suppose for the person that is going to use their cordless drill for a lifetime total of 23 minutes, that does not register! Again, I hate that I don't have many choices to even be able to buy quality...

I know a lot of people like DeWalt, but to me they are ramped-up Black and Decker tools. They are ok, and their made in Mexico line is better than a lot of the made in China stuff, but I think there is better out there... Bosch has some of their products made in Austria, and the quality is good on those. Milwaukee has some some stuff made in Eastern Europe that I've had good luck with, as well. The Hitachi tools are also ok, better than a lot of others.

This has been my experience, YMMV.

 

[DeadAye]

Ooooops

My Milwaukee screwdriver/drill motor is actually a Ridgid
Senior Moment

Still THE BEST keyless chuck I've ever used and the batts are holding up fine

 

[LouisianaJoe]

I have several DeWalt 18V tools that I have been using for years. I have found that getting a new tool that has compatible batteries is not much more than buying just batteries. You can also buy the 2 pack of the nicads for $119. Since I have an investment in the niCads, It will be a while, if ever, before I go to Li. If i were buying for the first time, I would go with the li.

As far as a cordless screwdriver goes, I find that unless I am constructing something, a $30 3.6V li Black and Decker will do 90% of what I need to do around the house.

I have one of these and the torque is surprising considering the size. It will handle a 3" wood screw. The battery seems to last for months.

Amazon.com: Black & Decker LI3000 3.6-Volt Lithium-Ion Cordless Screwdriver: Home Improvement: Reviews, Prices & more

If I were buying now, I would get this.
http://www.amazon.com/Black-Decker-...clusive/dp/B001GFINJ8/ref=dp_cp_ob_hi_title_0