Cordless Tools

[Juggernaut 11,054]

Well, after close to 20 years service, I needed to replace my Dewalt 14.4v Driver & circular saw combo.

 

I no longer need anything as "Nice" as dewalt as I no longer need tools like that to make a living.

 

I opted for a Ryobi one+ 18v Lithium (P107 batteries) combo set that had about every doggone tool you can think of for about $230.00. the price point apealed to my inner cheap bastard...

 

I have really only used the driver & flashlight.. I like all the modern features like the LED lights and whatnot.. but found it to have FAR less torque than my old dewalt as well as less battery run time.

(I grabbed one of the P108 batteries.. I'll give some feedback after I get it...)

 

But that's OK.. I don't know as it's fair to compare the brands.. I don't really need anything "professional" anymore as I only need stuff to putter around the shop and house or a few home improvement projects as time permits.

 

Not sure what I think of Ryobi yet.. if I can get HALF the life out of them as the Dewalt stuff, I'll be more than happy for the price.. time will tell...

 

anyhow, what's in your toolbox?

 

 

[Bvamp 604]

my cordless set always has a sawzall in it, and a circular saw or jigsaw or both.

 

ya always know by the cordless sawzall.....best tool since the hammer or stanley knife....

 

if you like cordless, go 20 volt. they are expensive, but when you use the battery all day and dont recharge it, you'll be grinnin too.

 

my main cordless tools are porter cable and then dewalt. my backup set is actually  ryobi, not a fan of them. I have broken all of the above brand cordless screwgunms setting  tapcons.

 

20 volt 1/2 inch chuck. make sure the sawzall takes the same battery. thats really what its about, is the battery, anyhow....

Edited December 26, 2013 by Ben Vampatella

[DogMan 2,343]

I've used almost every brand but I've been sticking with the Rigid brand from home depot since they have lasted as long as any other brand and it's easy and sometimes free to get batteries replaced.

[Spartacus 1,619]

I buy the cheap crap from Harbor Freight.

 

I think my 18v light & drill combo was $39 with one battery and charger.

Low torque and the battery doesn't last too long, but they work ok.

 

That kind of stuff works fine for small jobs around the house and if I break

it I just go buy a new one.

 

Here's a current $25 deal they have going.

 

http://www.harborfreight.com/power-tools/cordless-drills/cordless-drilldriver-and-flashlight-kit-38-18-volt-68287.html

Edited December 26, 2013 by Spartacus

[Big John! 2,062]

I have to charge my DeWalt 14.4 every time I want to use it.  I've gone back to the cord for my hand drilling needs for the most part.  I have a Makita impact driver that I love.  One of the batteries is fried on that, but I seem to be getting by just fine on one.  I've used the harbor freight 18 volt and I think for the price I'd buy one if I were in the market as I can throw it away if it pisses me off or breaks.

 

I'm in the same boat as you Jugg.  I have zero time for the fabrication that I loved doing.  Therefore, I have quite a few tools sitting around waiting on me.

[Dad2142Dad 6,559]

Makita

[RED333 1,025]

Milwaukee!

[saltydecimator 482]

i like head lights, don't need to pick the beech up and move it to where i need it. wife makes fun of me cause i walk around house with it on, for like 2-3 hours a day. gotta be good for eyes cause eye strain is obviously bad, and if you can see what you are looking at....

 

im rockin dewalt std drill, used to like craftsman, then they changed to shittier versions... used to trade em out every 3 months cause i was hard on em, (access panel removal on aircraft) but then they stopped the ease at which i traded em out... generally people like makita and ryobi i think. they super expensive is my hesitation. get impact driver if torque is your concern no? 

[TIMTIMTIM 57]

I have stuck with ridgid for about the past ten years. They have treated me well. Had an issue with my drill trigger. Home depot had it back in about 5 days with 2 new batteries!

[thebuns1 4,323]

Snap-On. I made the switch years ago and never looked back.

[PRISONSHANK 70]

When it comes to cordless drills panasonic is the buy once cry once drill to get. But milwaukee makes sum damn tough tools too.

[Capt Nemo 882]

I'm all DeWalt 18V.  I've smoked the motors on both my drill and hammer drill working with 3/4" UHMW, and they're still working.

[gunman1 1,753]

I've grown partial to handmedowns, they're cheep

[mixednuttz 123]

Milwaukee 18v cordless. Brushless models if you have the cash. Dewalt doesn't even come close in terms of reliability.

[Juggernaut 11,054]

 

20 volt 1/2 inch chuck. make sure the sawzall takes the same battery. thats really what its about, is the battery, anyhow....

That's how I see it... you buy into a battery platform.. tools are almost free...

[brad cole 65]

I will say whatever you buy the lithium ion does not come close to power and life of charge to the old ni cad.I have seen this side by side with nearly all brands. I agree also that millwaukee is quality, but uyou pay for it .

[thebuns1 4,323]

I will say whatever you buy the lithium ion does not come close to power and life of charge to the old ni cad.I have seen this side by side with nearly all brands. I agree also that millwaukee is quality, but uyou pay for it .

I doubt that. Ive had several NiCad's fail with less cycles than just one of my Lithiums. It could be tool related, but not the case with my Snap on cordless hammer drill and impact.

 

Im still running my 1/2" 18v impact from 4 yrs ago with hard use daily. Ive had to replace batteries every so often, and thats the kicker. The lithiums are 200 bucks a pop. They last up to around 2 yrs. though with regular use. The current ones I have now need to be replaced, but Im just going to buy a new impact for the cost difference. I have a dead cell in one, and the other two are starting to go and wont hold a charge like they used to. But I know they have well over 1200 cycles on them, so I cant bitch.

[XdamagedX 248]

I've been using and abusing the hell outta my Ryobi one+ 18v set for close to 7 years now. I've burned out 2 of the cheap batteries and I feel like I'm getting close to the end of the lifespan of the Li-Ion one (although not 100%, it could be the freezing weather messing with it). The tools themselves have taken quite a beating over the years. I was hesitant to buy such a "cheap" setup at first too, but I really don't have any complaints. I thought I finally killed the recip-saw last year when a bunch of metal shavings blew into the vent holes, but ripped it apart, shook them out and I wouldn't be surprised to get another 7 years out of it. 

[horatio 515]

milwaukee all the way. cheap tools will just piss you off and fail at the task. buy it once and do it right. i work in construction and have an 18v milwaukee setup. ive used ryobi, dewalt rigid makita and a few others. i expect alot out of tools and milwaukee has never failed. the brushless is nice, but the brushed (for lack of a better defintion) is just as good for most, and at a discount. rigid is ok, i own a few, but dont expect to expand outside outside the basic tools- they dont make them

[storm6490 2,768]

most all of the tools are made in china now. if you go to an actual tool shop, not a box store, you can find some US german and Japanese cordless stuff.

 

I like Makita Japanese drivers.

 

I have an old Japanese hitachi that wont quit.

[Spartacus 1,619]

milwaukee all the way. cheap tools will just piss you off and fail at the task. buy it once and do it right. i work in construction and have an 18v milwaukee setup. ive used ryobi, dewalt rigid makita and a few others. i expect alot out of tools and milwaukee has never failed. the brushless is nice, but the brushed (for lack of a better defintion) is just as good for most, and at a discount. rigid is ok, i own a few, but dont expect to expand outside outside the basic tools- they dont make them

 

If I had a job that depended on strong working cordless tools, I'd certainly get a top brand.

I've used Milwaukee, Dewalt, Makita, etc. and they are very nice.

 

I have to say that the cheap tools also have their place too though. I used my el-cheapo Harbor Freight

cordless drill just today on a project drilling a bunch of holes in wood and it worked great.

 

The cheap cordless tools are exactly what I need for how I use them. Top brand tools would be

great, but also overkill and a total waste of cash. Sometimes you just need a motor that will turn a drill bit.

[Juggernaut 11,054]

when I got my 14.4 dewalt, it was the most powerful thing on the market.. the 18v was not even out yet..

[sccritterkiller 473]

I run Dewalt 18 and 14.4. If anyone has a Batteries Plus nearby you can take you dead batteries there and they will rebuild them for about half the price of a new one. I got two 18vs rebuilt a coulpe weeks ago and it was about 80 bucks. They also used a stronger battery then what it had originally came with. Last time I checked a new Dewalt 18v was 89 bucks.

[Juggernaut 11,054]

Makita

there are two 'tiers" right? the blue and the black and white.. B&W is superior?

[usfan 18]

I've had cordless tools every since they first came out.. i had the ubiquitous makita 9.6v drill that really started it..actually, i still have it, though the batteries are shot, now.  I'm a home builder, & have been in the construction trades all my life.  I won't even touch a plain handled screwdriver anymore.. unless it has a motor, i back away holding a cross up to run it off.  

 

It's pretty hard to beat the ryobi line.. especially the new lithium batteries.. they have so much better capacity than the old nicads.  And with all the different tools, & the batteries are interchangeable, they are very useful.  I have 4v, 12v, & 18v... i've got a small B&D 7.2v set that is compact.  I use it in a lot of day to day fixit calls.  But the 18v LION are the best.. the most power & the longest life.  Good value, too.   I probably have 5 18v ryobi drills, some came with a bigger set, or i bought them with some batteries for less then just the batteries.  And then you have a recip saw, a small circular saw, a chain saw, hedge trimmer, vacuum, radio, impact drill, back scratcher & sky hook.. all using the same batteries.

 

the trick with li-on batteries is to keep them fully charged.. after every use, i slap them on the charger.  Don't leave them there,, they'll cook.  The lions will hold their charge for a long time, not slowly drain like the nicads.  But if you leave them for long in a discharged state, they get depressed & quit holding a charge.  But some simple battery maintenance will make them last a long time.  I've got some that are over 5 yrs old, & still keep a charge.

[Juggernaut 11,054]

usfan, no "memory" issues with the Lion batts keeping them charged??

[yakdung 2,926]

i own a high dollar Milwaukee 18V drill/hammer drill. It was wonderful until the batteries died after several years of use. When I went to replace the batteries for the drill, they were extremely expensive. I benched the drill and purchased a Ridgid (Home Despot) 18V drill with two batteries and charger with lifetime guarantee. I have had to replace the batteries a couple of times at no charge to me. A couple of manufactures are offering lifetime replacement / warranties which in my view is a great value. If I had to purchase another drill setup, I would give Hitachi serious consideration:

 

http://www.hitachipowertools.com/index/main-navigation/service-and-support/warranty-info/hitachi-tool-warranty.aspx

Lifetime Lithium Ion Tool Warranty

The product categories listed below are warranted to the original purchaser to be free from defect in materials and workmanship for a Lifetime from the original purchase date. Lifetime is defined as the serviceable life of the product. This is defined as the period during which all components are available.

Cordless Lithium Ion Blowers Cordless Lithium Ion Circular Saws Cordless Lithium Ion Driver Drills Cordless Lithium Ion Hammer Drills Cordless Lithium Ion Impact Drivers Cordless Lithium Ion Impact Wrenches Cordless Lithium Ion Jig Saws

Cordless Lithium Ion Reciprocating Saws

http://www.hitachipowertools.com/index.aspx

 

Good luck on whatever you decide.

Happy New Year!

Yak

 

 

[usfan 18]

usfan, no "memory" issues with the Lion batts keeping them charged??

No.  They're not like nicads.. which like to run all the way down before recharging.  LI-ONs like to be full.  it's better to NOT run them down a lot, & especially leave them in an uncharged state.  Do a search on lions, they're all the same.. cameras, cell phones, etc.

[storm6490 2,768]

one thing i noticed with the new lion batteries vs nimh or nicad is that they dont bog down to warn you, they just cut out to prevent low curent. At that point you need to cradle the cell for a full charge cycle or risk depleted capacity. the nimh are much less picky but heavier.

[rs51085 136]

I work in a service repair shop for pneumatic and electric tools and have seen a lot of different models on the inside. To answer one above question Makita's that are blue and black have more torque than the white and black models, at least this is true for the 18v drills and impact drivers. Also we use 1/4 inch impact drivers all day everyday and the 2 models we use and have yet to have any problems are 18 v Makita's and dewalts. Had the same ones for several years and they still work fine. The makita has more torque than the dewalt. And when they do finally have problems they can be serviced because these brands have parts and service support. As a test I bought a cheap 18v harbor freight Chicago electric Impact driver on sale for 33$ and used it in our shop. It did better than I thought it would. It lasted 3 months before the bearings went out and it started squealing. For home use I would buy a harbor freight and be happy with it. But anything more than occasional use I would consider getting a better brand with parts support. And yes lith ion all the way and brushless if you can afford it!

Oh and to the op if you still have your old dewalt it might be worth getting rebuilt if it isn't obsolete, look up dewalt service centers in your area and give them a call.

Edited December 28, 2013 by rogers