Another cordless drill thread

[JimmieD]

Ha haha, yeah, and no fun when the work is 9 feet away and the cord is 8 footer.... :~ )

On mine I run it down, then grab ahold of the chuck and trigger it until there's nothing left at all. Or on your last hole or whatever, just stand on the trigger until it's stone dead, then change batteries. Let it cool a few minutes before sticking in the charger because part of the charging technology is thermal sensing.

Check this link for your Bosch batteries at $28-$30+ instead of $50-60:

http://search.stores.ebay.com/Access...14Q2e4QQsofpZ0

[MoparNorm]

I am not sure what Norm means by taking it all the way down. When the drill performance drops to an unacceptable level, I get the other battery. Having said that, the replaced batter will still turn it. Does taking it all the way down mean discharging the rest of the charge in some other manner, or is taking it all the way down mean what I am doing?

Neat idea on the car battery source. While using it, however, you will have to continuously chant, this is not a cordless drill, this is not a cordless drill....

The DeWalt batteries last a long time at full service, but in the last few minutes of battery use they drop off fast. My screw gun/drill has two speed settings high rpm with little torque and high torque, slow rpm you can use the low rpm to "squeeze" the last drop of power out of the battery before charging. In the circular saw they drop off faster because the strain of cutting is greater than the drill. The light takes less power and the radio will run perfectly on a nearly dead battery, so they start out in the saws, or drill then go to the light or radio until completely dead, then into the charger. With 5 batteries and several tools this isn't a real time consuming ordeal, just something that takes a few seconds and has become second nature because I have a little routine. You can sense when the batteries are close to down and while changing a bit or attachment, click in a new battery in seconds (the DeWalt is simple and fast to change) rotating the drained battery to the radio or charger. They charge in an hour or less, I always have two in reserve and one in the charger and two in tools. On days when the demand is higher I have two or three chargers going and do without the radio. The radio is therapeutic and keeps most folks from bothering you while you work....since you have the option of turning it up or turning it down when people try to talk to you.......= )

[MoparNorm]

... Because of this you can take a 9.6VDC to 14.4VDC cordless drill and wire it with a pigtail and a pair of alligator clips so that operates off 12VDC vehicle battery! Did that with my favorite Makita 9.6V. Stick it in the tool box of your truck and you've always got a powerful drill at the ready, even out in the middle of nowhere with no drill battery or charger...

Yeah but it kind of takes the portable aspect away....drill a hole, drag the car, drill a hole, drag the car....= )

[Gordon Maney]

Which Dewalt do you use, and why?

[MoparNorm]

My DeWalt tools are the 18v.
Why, because it was the biggest voltage available when I purchased my system and I wanted one battery to work all of my tools because standardization is cheaper and faster for me.
The DeWalt may be too much tool and too heavy for a homeowner tool, but also for a homeowner it will be the last cordless tool you ever need buy. I've had my system for about 9 years and it's still going strong with daily use. I've dropped them, beat them and they keep on going, albeit with a few dings and cracks but they are rugged. I tried a few others before I selected the DeWalt, Mikita gets raves for price and lightness but it's a throw away tool in the trade, too little torque, not very user friendly with the batteries that can go in either way, (end to end or side to side it takes too much time to flip the metal latch with one hand also) and very prone to jamming when they get dirty and field work is dirty. They also have a shorter battery life as does B&D and Skil. I tried Milwaukee, because Milwaukee makes the best corded drills but the early Milwaukee's were Japanese, cheaply made and short lived. They have better USA made tools now but I already have my DeWalt batteries (which cost more than some tools) so the die is cast. I'd like to try the new DeWalt 24v tools but I have too much invested in the 18v system.

[JimmieD]

I remember when DeWalt was one of the kings of industrial saws and tools. Set up many of them in industrial wood mfg shops. But their power tools went to the dogs and so did some of their saws etc. They dummied around for too long and then almost entirely lost their market share. So what? Well, when they came back with a vengeance they put a whole lot into R&D and FINALLY came out with some VERY good tools again. Now the buyer benefits from that as DeWalt is determiined to maintain their market share! Now good tools and a long term commitment to reputation for quality. Too bad about Milwaukee.

I used 9.6V Makita in construction with good success, but as an electrician, not wood crafting: BIG DIFFERENCE! I doubt any of mine would have stood up to what Norm dishes out. I've watched him work....watched, that is ha haha!

Yeah, Norm, dragging the Town Wagon around for drilling got to be a pain because I'd push like the Dickens for 20 feet or so and then realize I had the brake on or it was in gear. Made for a long day.... :~ 0

[Gordon Maney]

My first association with Dewalt was when I was a young kid, going to the lumber yard with my dad. They had a huge — I now believe it was a 16" — radial arm saw. They used it all the time for ripping. It was a bit scary, but fascinating to watch the man run it. Only in later years did I figure out just how scary it should have been to watch.

What a sound those saws made, even when not cutting.

[JimmieD]

Umm-mmmm, we do love machines, don't we?!!!

[BobbyMike]

Gordon, you might be a candidate for a new drill. The newer drills are more powerful than the older drills. I think that you would find that any of the major brands current 14.4 Volt models would out perform your Bosch.

Go to a Big Box store (so you can compare individual drills). Try out a couple of drills (Makita, DeWalt, Bosch, Milwaukee, Metabo, and maybe the new Ridgids).

Pick up the drills and compare how they feel in your hands. Try twisting your wrist while holding the drill. Some cordless drills are not as well balanced as others. Unless you get a lemon (I believe that DeWalt has solved it's battery latch problem, at least I haven't heard anyone complain lately about them) you should be well satisfied with any of those brands.


If you were satisfied with the 14.4 Voltage, you should be satisfied with the same voltage (or maybe 18 volts) in a newer tool. You can save substantially by sticking to either of those voltages because the higher voltage tools (24, 28, 36) are the "Hot" tools (bigger is better).

I have a Bosch 10.8 volt Li-Ion Litheon Pocket Driver PS20 that i use for quite a bit of my current work. As I've been phasing out more of the construction work and doing more furniture work my needs have changed. I currently do most of my drilling with either a drill press or my corded Ridgid VSR.

I confess to having decided not to buy an expensive larger voltage drill/driver. I bought an 18 volt Craftsman several years ago (as part of a package with a light and a circular saw). The drill has been fine and the batteries are still going strong. The saw died though and I don't use the light. I recently bought
another 18 volt two drill set (drill/driver and an impact driver) on sale for $119, so now I have 4 batteries and three drills. I had originally bought the Craftsman because I was in need of a drill/driver and had very limited funds to buy one at the time. I fully expected the Craftsman to give up the ghost after a year, but with the amount of use I've and abuse I've subjected it to it has been fine. The clutch occasionally makes sounds during use, but other than that it's stood up. After my good luck with Ridgid corded tools (Table saw, drill, and circular saw) I intended to replace the Craftsman with a drill/driver and impact driver this Summer. Instead I found myself spending almost a third less on the Craftsman set. I just didn't feel that my current use of corded drills allowed me to spend that much more. (I've been investing heavily lately in hand tools for my shop).

Your mileage may vary.

[The Other Ross]

Milwaukee,18volt,'nuff said.

[bosco]

Gordon...

I have been using DeWalt cordless drills for about 10 years now. Presently I have 2 of them. One is a 18V 1/2" drill driver model DW958, which is no longer available. The other is the newer model DC920. also 18V ... but with the new XRP batteries (longer lasting). Both drills are awesome, but I will admit the newer DC is more powerful. It's a little heavier than the older drill, but you get used to the weight (6 lbs). DeWalt makes a nice radio/charger (accepts any battery voltage), which I have and love it too. I'm sure other manufacturers (ie Bosch, Mikita, etc) have the same type of radio/charger setup just as DeWalt does. I'll admit that I do not use these drills as much as a contractor would use, but I built several decks and put up many feet of fence and I will say these drills perform very well.

Just my 2 cents....

[chriscase]

I've been a Makita 12 volt man since they came out. Whenever it's been time for new batteries, I bought a new kit. Spare tools for the price of the new batteries. Having several tools give me lots of options, and better efficiency on the job. The last battery I threw out was 5 years old, they seem to last pretty good. Just make sure you get the two-speed drills. One speeds are too wimpy without the low range in the transfer case.

Re: running them totally down before recharging, I think that is old tech. The newer batteries don't need that. Cadmium? NIMH? Lithium? been lots of improvements.

[MoparNorm]

True, newer batteries do not have the "memory" of older technology batteries. However the battery life does seem to correspond to how it's charged. My DeWalt batteries last about 5-6 years before they do not hold a charge, whether that's the way I re-charge them or just better technology, I do not know, but at $80 bucks each I really don't need to find out....= )
Electricians and cabinet subs seem to do fine with Mikita's but they don't have the torque, even with the two speed settings, that I need. I'm sure that they are fine for most applications, and I suppose that Japanese is the lessor evil when compared to buying chinese.

[JimmieD]

On the Makita batteries I've been using them since about 1990. The 'newer' batteries I bought featured 'Smart Charging Technology' whatever that is. By newer I'm speaking of maybe about '99? They may have something even more recent in technology, but my 'Smart Charge' batteries still suggested discharging completely before re-charge.

I don't know about other brands, never had one, but with Makita it's best to at least let the battery cool down for a while before charging, with the best method being to let it cool in the refrigerator for an hour before charging. Resistance is lower at lower temperature so that more energy can be packed into battery core for the same charge cycle.

[MoparNorm]

Sort of spoils my vision of cordless and portable...drill a hole, then drag the Townie to the next one's location, then drill a hole, change batteries, drag the refrigerator to the next hole.......ha!ha!