I am raising my hand to mention that I have given up on battery powered
tools. I have a huge collection of dead batteries, useless chargers,
and drill carcasses that make me mad every time I look at them. I
finally realized that all I really wanted was one of those very small
battery screwdrivers, under $20, and regular, line-powered drills, etc.
So feel free to save hundreds of dollars and for me, huge frustration,
by buying an extension cord and a set of plug-in tools.
How many dead batteries and useless chargers have we all accumulated in
our shops, anyway?? Just an alternative opinion, feel free to ignore...
Mr Grumpy
On 4/10/2016 8:40 AM, David Scheidt wrote:
> On Sat, Apr 9, 2016 at 11:02 AM, Bob Spidell <bspidell@comcast.net> wrote:
>> Folks,
>>
>> I realize this is like bringing up 'best oil' or 'best tires' on a car list,
>> but I'm in the market for a battery drill/driver/sander/etc. combo to
>> replace my ancient--but still working--Makita 9V driver-drill. I want
>> something with all the 'goodies;' I'll need the usual driver/drill, but also
>> need a portable sander (belt and/or disc), and at least the option for more
>> attachments.
>>
>> I know I probably can't lose with DeWalt, Milwaukee, Makita or even
>> Craftsman--hell, they might all come out of the same factory in China for
>> all I know--but would like to see if there's a consensus on best overall.
>> Is more voltage always better, or is 14.4V better for some reason than
>> 19.2V, etc.?
> Pick the one that comes in the color you like. I like red, so I have
> Milwaukee[1]. Consider brushless for your most used tools, they're
> lighter and more powerful, and the price differential is getting
> smaller. Careful buying kits, and make sure you get the version of
> the kit you want.[2] Some kits are good deals, some aren't.
> Drill/driver + something kits tend to be good values, as they're sold
> on the drug dealer 'first one is free' model. Others are more
> expensive than buying the tool and batteries separately. And once
> you've got a collection of batteries, you don't need one for every
> tool.
>
>
> Modern Li-ion batteries and tools are far superior to Ni-Cad or NiMH
> batteries and tools. Li-ion batteries have lower self discharge, so
> they stay charged better, and they have higher power densities, so the
> batteries last longer. They also have much lower internal
> resistance, so tools can take power out of them much faster. That
> means the current crop of high-end 12V stuff is better than any 19.2
> nicad tool, in nearly every respect: lighter, smaller, more powerful,
> and usually cheaper. The 18V stuff is amazing; my m18 fuel drill
> drills holes faster than my corded drill, which is a nice drill that
> I've never thought underpowered or slow.
>
> A note on voltages: the lithium cells used in the battery packs of
> these tools have a nominal voltage of 4v, which is closer to 3.6 under
> load. The 12V tools use 3 cells in series, the 18v tools use 5.
> (Dewalt's 20V stuff is 18V, the 20 is just marketing to make it sound
> better.) High capacity packs have two sets of cells in parallel.
> Name brand batteries have a pretty good life, and seem to last two to
> three years in professional use.
>
>
> [1]The actual reason i have Milwaukee tools is that I used to work
> with people who had them, and it meant I could borrow a tool I didn't
> own, and use my batteries on it.
>
> [2] I recently bought a drill/impact set. The version with the
> previous generation tools was still widely available, as was the early
> version of the kit I got, which came with lower capacity batteries.
> Both were more expensive...
>
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