New Cordless Drill

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Louie Atienza
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New Cordless Drill

Post by Louie Atienza »

I have slowly moved toward the newer 12 volt cordless drills for most tasks. They're smaller and more lightweight, and have pretty fast battery recharge times. But the time has come for a new 18 volt drill. I had given a couple away, and the last one I had left, actually DeWalt's first 18 volt offering (about 10 years old and weighs a ton), was in the twilight of it's life.

I had just ordered Milwaukee's new 18V drill. it's the new model featuring a brushless motor. Supposedly, this allows for higher torque and longer batter life. I do have some concern that the circuit board that controls the energizing of the electromagnets (which are fixed instead of rotating) can go bad, but I'm hoping that it's as durable as other Milwaukee tools I own. It was only about $25-30 more than their regular brush-motor version.

I was always impressed wih the torque of the DeWalt, at the time one of the most powerful cordless drills, and the casing would actually flex under heavy load. The Milwaukee is rated at almost 50% higher torque than the DeWalt! We'll see when it comes in...
Chuck Tweedy
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Re: New Cordless Drill

Post by Chuck Tweedy »

What the Fack!!
Sorry, there was a giant add in this thread a moment ago.

BTW - I have the 12V Milwaukee - it is the bomb!!! I really don't need much more than that thing can do.
I have an ancient 19.2V Porter Cable - from the bigger is better days of cordless.
It seriously weighs a ton - and the Milwaukee kicks its ass.
Likes to drink Rosewood Juice
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Greg Robinson
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Re: New Cordless Drill

Post by Greg Robinson »

Haha, that was one odd bit of spam, huh Chuck? It's been removed.
MIMForum staff member - Melbourne, Australia
Chuck Tweedy
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Re: New Cordless Drill

Post by Chuck Tweedy »

Really went on and on.
But they had some cool amps in there. :P
I did like the "fack" word that was all over the text.

Question for Louie: With my handy little 12V, I can drive big screws and stuff, what do you need an 18V for?? Building a deck or something??
Likes to drink Rosewood Juice
Clay Schaeffer
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Re: New Cordless Drill

Post by Clay Schaeffer »

My most recent purchase was a cheap little ryobi 12 volt cordless. Having gone through numerous Makita , DeWalt, and Ridgid drills, and having the replacement batteries cost more than a new set, I decided to buy whatever worked well and was cheap. Cordless drills are one of the most expensive tools we buy when their limited life span is factored in.
When it comes to 18V cordless drills and the work they are generally used for, I think the weight is a plus. I'd rather have some of that torque being absorbed by the drill than having it all go to my wrist. The bit of "weight lifting" they require probably helps our muscles rather than hurts them.
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John Kingma
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Re: New Cordless Drill

Post by John Kingma »

My wife bought me an 18V cordless drill from Sears about 10 years ago and it is by far the best cordless drill I've ever had. I still have the original batteries and they hold a charge just as well today as they did when I got it. It's fairly big but it's not that heavy. I've got a 12V Dewalt that's heavier and is also a POS. I also had a Bosch that only lasted a couple years.

I know Sears takes some flack... but I got a real goody.

BTW - I also have a Sears router that's about 25 years old that is still alive and kicking and has outlived a few other "big name" tools.
John Kingma,
Builder of Fine Sawdust & Expensive Kindling
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Bob Gramann
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Re: New Cordless Drill

Post by Bob Gramann »

I bought a Ridgid 18v cordless a few years ago. It is the best drill I have ever owned, corded or cordless. It's a bit heavy but that helps it stay seated in the head when driving screws. And, it has a lifetime warranty, including the batteries. That purchase resulted in my buying a few more Ridgid tools. They are competent and quite a value when the warranty is considered.
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Waddy Thomson
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Re: New Cordless Drill

Post by Waddy Thomson »

It's the batteries, stupid! :D I have two great drills. A Bosch 13 1/2 volt(over 10 years old) and a Makita 18 volt NMh one that's 3 years old and one battery is already dead. Both have a 1/2" chuck which is my preference. The problem with both is keeping the batteries in shape. I had the Bosh batteries rebuilt at Batteries Plus, for about $60 each. Not sure it was worth it, but they still work. Doesn't Ridgid have a "Lifetime Battery Warranty"? I was under the impression they did. I was thinking about going in that direction for my next.
Louie Atienza
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Re: New Cordless Drill

Post by Louie Atienza »

I do own both Milwaukee and Ridgid 12V toolsets. The Milwaukee includes the drill, screwdriver, impact gun, mini HackZall (awesome tool BTW). My Ridgid set consists of the drill/driver, multi-tool, and flashlight. I have the Makita 18V toolkit, but gave the drill to my brother, leaving me with the impact gun, sawzall, and circular saw. I have the Milwaukee V28 kit but both batteries are done (need to rebuild the batteries.) I had two Hilti drills, 12 and 18V, both dead. My aforementioned DeWalt, dying. I either sold, gave away, or threw out all my corded drills, save for an ancient non-reversing Rockwell and a more ancient aluminum-bodied B&D. I have an air drill but use it infrequently. I have the Makita 18V jobsite radio, which is one of the best sounding radios I've heard (better IMO than my buddies' Bose Wave). I recently gave away a Ridgid 18V tool set, but still have the cordless planer.

Chuck, I have two Makita 18V impact drivers that I use for decking and such, though the 12V one is more than up to the task.

I do quite a bit of side work where 18V would be preferable, like installing locksets, larger holesaws, boring holes for wires and pipe. Granted I've done some of this with the puny 12V drills but that is a great way to kill the tool and the battery. I think also that having a more powerful drill and letting the tool do the job is way better and safer than using an underpowered tool and trying to force it.

I know that Festool has been using brushless motors for quite some time, but the cost is a bit prohibitive, and I'm not a fan of the styling.
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Andy Birko
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Re: New Cordless Drill

Post by Andy Birko »

Don't know if it's true for all models but at least some Milwaukee and Ridgid models of drill are almost identical, just different enough so that you can't quite swap batteries in them. When I was picking up a new drill, the Milwaukee and Ridgid models were about the same price but, the story goes that if you fill out your warranty registration paperwork correctly, the Ridgid's batteries are warrantied for life. I haven't tried it yet but I did get confirmation from Ridgid that my registration was accepted so we'll see how it goes in about 5 years.

http://www.ridgid.com/tools/power-tool-warranty
The original purchaser of an eligible product may elect to register for a free Lifetime Service Agreement. To accept this Lifetime Service Agreement, you must register your product and submit proof of purchase for processing approval as described below

....

his includes normal wear items such as brushes, chucks, motors, switches, gears and even cordless batteries in your qualifying RIDGID® Brand hand held and stationary power tools.
PMoMC
Clay Schaeffer
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Re: New Cordless Drill

Post by Clay Schaeffer »

Some of the Ridgid cordless tools did offer a warranty on the batteries. A friend of mine bought a drill because of that. When it came time to replace his batteries he had to argue the point with the company. They did replace the batteries, but told him it was a one time deal IIRC.
I have a cheap $19 Makita VSR corded drill that will out perform 95 % of the cordless drills for bench work. Dragging a cord around a construction site isn't very convenient and is where cordless tools really shine.
Louie,
Have you ever added up how much you have spent on all the cordless tools you have owned over the years, and how many of them you still have in good working condition? I used to have quite a collection of "dead battery tools", but someone broke into my shop and stole most of them. With their hands full they left behind some things I considered more valuable. Probably a good reason to keep them prominently displayed around the shop! <G>
Louie Atienza
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Re: New Cordless Drill

Post by Louie Atienza »

Clay Schaeffer wrote: Louie,
Have you ever added up how much you have spent on all the cordless tools you have owned over the years, and how many of them you still have in good working condition? I used to have quite a collection of "dead battery tools", but someone broke into my shop and stole most of them. With their hands full they left behind some things I considered more valuable. Probably a good reason to keep them prominently displayed around the shop! <G>
Clay, do you really want to see a grown man cry? I haven't included the cordless tools lost, stolen, broken by my workers, left on jobsites, fell off the truck... I had a cheap B&D cordless that I used as a beater, until one day it caught fire(!). Then again, I've had many tools catch fire! Had a brand new drill fall into a bucket of paint (from 20 feet up nonetheless!), run over with my truck, run over with someone else's truck... I could go on and on...

The old Makita drills with the long batteries were some of the best I've used, and that was at least 15-16 years ago. I got rid of them a while back when the batteries wouldn't keep a charge. We used to wedge the triggers to drain the batteries, because then, batteries had "memory." Now, Home Depot sells the batteries... AAAARGGHHHH

The other thing is, these damn tool companies make it almost not worthwile to buy their batteries. It's almost cheaper to get a new drill, which comes with 2 batteries, than to buy two batteries outright.
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Andy Birko
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Re: New Cordless Drill

Post by Andy Birko »

Louie Atienza wrote: The other thing is, these damn tool companies make it almost not worthwile to buy their batteries. It's almost cheaper to get a new drill, which comes with 2 batteries, than to buy two batteries outright
No Kidding. I priced out two batteries for my old drill that went bad and it was about $30 more to just buy a new drill.

Clay, As to the LSA, you have to actually register for it, send in UPC codes etc. for it to fly. I got a confirmation e-mail with a customer number from Ridgid showing which tools and batteries are covered by serial number. Perhaps your friend didn't actually register the drill and they just caved in "one time".
PMoMC
Clay Schaeffer
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Re: New Cordless Drill

Post by Clay Schaeffer »

Hi Andy,
My friend did indeed do everything that was required to register his purchase with the company. He is that kind of person. They gave him new batteries but made him jump through so many hoops to get them that he refuses to buy ridgid tools anymore. Hopefully your experience will be better.
Some of the newer tools have plastic gears and battery chargers that don't last much longer than the batteries. It can be very disheartening to buy a new battery and then have the charger die. I have come to the conclusion that cordless drills are essentially "consumable" items. On the other hand, the Milwaukee corded drill I bought 15 years ago (for about the same price as a cordless set) will probably out live me.
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Waddy Thomson
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Re: New Cordless Drill

Post by Waddy Thomson »

I have a Mikata corded drill that's more than 40 years old, and it's a terrific tool, still. Only disadvantage is the standard chuck, but if I wasn't so lazy I could fix that.
Dave Stewart
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Re: New Cordless Drill

Post by Dave Stewart »

Waddy Thomson wrote:I have a Mikata corded drill that's more than 40 years old, and it's a terrific tool, still. Only disadvantage is the standard chuck, but if I wasn't so lazy I could fix that.
I'm with Waddy. To me, cordless drills are a solution to a problem that doesn't exist 99% of the time (although advertisers have convinced us they're a must have). I have 2 cordless - both useless battery/paperweight - which (used so infrequently) always seemed to be dead when I wanted them.
Dave
Milton, ON
Darrel Friesen
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Re: New Cordless Drill

Post by Darrel Friesen »

I use cordless drills quite frequently, but more often for non-guitar related work. I have a 10 year old, heavy, 18 volt Dewalt that is used occasionally for things like decks (only did one, my own) and also used to drill the dog holes through a 3" thick maple benchtop. My corded 3/8" Makita definitely didn't have the torque for that task. I use a 14.4 Bosch lithium ion frequently for many drilling tasks. It's a well built and balanced tool. I also have a Bosch 10.8V drill/driver that gets a lot of use. I could use one of the two corded drills I have, but rarely do as my cordless ones are handy, transportable and with 2 batteries each, most always have power for the task at hand.
Louie Atienza
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Re: New Cordless Drill

Post by Louie Atienza »

Dave Stewart wrote:
Waddy Thomson wrote:I have a Mikata corded drill that's more than 40 years old, and it's a terrific tool, still. Only disadvantage is the standard chuck, but if I wasn't so lazy I could fix that.
I'm with Waddy. To me, cordless drills are a solution to a problem that doesn't exist 99% of the time (although advertisers have convinced us they're a must have). I have 2 cordless - both useless battery/paperweight - which (used so infrequently) always seemed to be dead when I wanted them.
I've been on many a jobsite where there were no provisions for electrical connections other than generators. Sure, you still have to plug the chargers in. The way I 'solved that was to buy a toolkit like the Makita 18V (drill, impact, skilsaw and sawzall) and purchase another tool; now I have four batteries instead of two. I keep one charging, and still have three. For most small jobs this works well.

If it's a larger job where I need a stationary work area then the corded tools work fine. I also use corded sheetrock screwdriver, since by that time the electricity is hooked up. But I'd say 90% of the time, a cordless drill works just as well, and there are no hassles of looking for outlets or needing extension cords.

You could easily buy the keyless chuck to retrofit on the drill, or keep it attached to the cord like we all did back in the day... In fact, I wanted to put a standard chuck into one of my Makita drills, so I can really torque bits down (bits with flats are not always conveniently located!)
Darrel Friesen wrote:I use cordless drills quite frequently, but more often for non-guitar related work. I have a 10 year old, heavy, 18 volt Dewalt that is used occasionally for things like decks (only did one, my own) and also used to drill the dog holes through a 3" thick maple benchtop. My corded 3/8" Makita definitely didn't have the torque for that task. I use a 14.4 Bosch lithium ion frequently for many drilling tasks. It's a well built and balanced tool. I also have a Bosch 10.8V drill/driver that gets a lot of use. I could use one of the two corded drills I have, but rarely do as my cordless ones are handy, transportable and with 2 batteries each, most always have power for the task at hand.
I might rebuild my DeWalt battery. The bare tool and charger itself are fine. At the very least someone else can make use of it if I can, once fixed.
Clay Schaeffer wrote:Hi Andy,
My friend did indeed do everything that was required to register his purchase with the company. He is that kind of person. They gave him new batteries but made him jump through so many hoops to get them that he refuses to buy ridgid tools anymore. Hopefully your experience will be better.
Some of the newer tools have plastic gears and battery chargers that don't last much longer than the batteries. It can be very disheartening to buy a new battery and then have the charger die. I have come to the conclusion that cordless drills are essentially "consumable" items. On the other hand, the Milwaukee corded drill I bought 15 years ago (for about the same price as a cordless set) will probably out live me.
Clay, what I found is that in a lot of chargers, there's a ginormous capacitor or such with the tiniest leads, soldered on to the PCB. Then one drop, and it breaks off, and you'd have no clue why all the sudden the charger stops working. I've soldered these back, but a lot of times you need one of those security Torx bits to open the case. I then reinforce them with hot-melt glue. Take THAT, DeWalt!

-------

It takes discipline to keep batteries charged. It's so convenient to just throw the dead one in the bag and get the charged one. Many chargers have a battery conditioning mode that keeps them in top shape. Even so they'll evevntually lose their ability to take a charge. Getting the batteries hot is no good, and a lot of chargers will let the battery cool down before charging.
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Mark Day
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Re: New Cordless Drill

Post by Mark Day »

I received a Dewalt 9.6v cordless drill several years ago for a Christmas gift. Both batteries that came with it are dead and the cost of replacing them outweighs buying a new drill. So it sits... I went back to my father's old aluminum bodied Craftsman corded drills. Way more torque and they always work. I actually have an old Black & Decker aluminum drill that is probably from the 1940's. My father replaced the cord - probably 40 years ago - becuase the original was an ungrounded 2 prong. He replaced it with a grounded 3 prong attaching the ground to the inside of the aluminum case. It still works fine too. Cordless drills are a compromise when you are working in construction and don't have ready access to electrical power. In the shop I'll stick to the old corded ones.
Louie Atienza
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Re: New Cordless Drill

Post by Louie Atienza »

Battery technoligy for cordless tools has come a long way, even in just the past few years. There was a time when the old NiCad batteries had a 'memory', and if you didn't drain the battery before charging, you'd lose that little bit of charge. The chargers also heated up the batteries decreasing their life. And unplugging a charger while keeping the battery in would discharge the battery. I used to keep wooden wedges in my drill boxes for the old Makitas to drain the batteries before charging; this significantly increased their life.

Nowadays, chargers have both thermal and overcharge protection, trickle charge and conditioning modes, and don't discharge batteries when unplugged. My 18V Makita charger can also play up to 5 classic tunes as well as two different beeps! Also what once took hours or even overnight for a charge now takes 30 minutes, or even less.

Also back in the day a heavy load on the drill would cause it to bog down and drain the battery. Now, even these puny 10.8V drills have a surprising amount of power, and the small batteries last pretty damn long! The new 18V Milwaukee has a max torque rating of over 650in-lbs which almost rivals some corded drills.
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