Frustrations with cordless drills

[FJ and G]

When building my last layout, I was so happy w/ my cordless.

But now, after 2-3 years, the charge in both batteries has waned and so has my enthusiasm.

Rather than spend big bucks for a new battery, I've determined that it is actually more cost effective to purchase a corded drill--and that's exactly what I've done, since I need something to put together my new benchwork, which I'm now doing.

I found the new corded drill to be even more powerful than the cordless (torque-wise).

I did split some wood I was screwing w/long drywall screws so now I'm putting in starter holes for the benchwork.

I'm not exactly retiring the cordless. I may use it for some areas where putting a cord would be awkward. However, I find myself charging it much too frequently and there's no joy when you need a tool and it isn't ready to be used!

Pictures will go up in less than 2 wks.

[eZAK]

David,
It sounds like your batteries have developed a memory.

It is time to replace the batts w/ new NiMH or invest in a new cordles system.

I could not be without my cordless tools. They have more power and are easier to use.
I hardly ever use a corded drill.

[Anonymous]

David,
Cordless drills have come along way form where they where 3 years ago. Milwaukee tool just released there 28 volt system. We have had a lot of good feedback on them. Also the standard Milwaukee 18 volt system is very reliable (this is the one I use). Generally you get what you pay for. Off brands and house brands tend to do poorly in longevity test. Out of curiosity, what brand and volt is your drill?

matt

[SPFan]

The prices on some battery paks are coming down. I've seen them for <20 bucks recently. I have an older Milwaukee 12 volt that I am now running on a small 12 volt motorcycle wet cell. Replacement batteries were 60 bucks and the MC battery was 30 and works with any battery charger. Not as convenient but still portable and lasts 4-5 times as long between charges.

Pete

[FJ and G]

Mine's Black and Decker 12 V. Battery replacement is about $30. Got a $50 cord drill from B&D that DEFINITELY has more torque, more even than a fully charged, new B&D.

Some replacement batteries for other models, like the 24V ones run as high as $70 or $80!!!!

I'm not ready to cut the umbilical cord again!

[IRONROOSTER]

My Makita 12 v has lasted over 10 years with the original pair of batteries. I use my corded drill so seldom that I can't remember where I put it.
Enjoy
Paul

[Big_Boy_4005]

Dave, I agree with Pat. One thing you need to do with the batteries is use them all the way down to nothing, then recharge them fully. My Makita 9.6 V has lasted almost forever, with one battery in the drill and one on the charger. Over it's lifetime, it has probably done at least 30,000 screws.

I must say, I rarely use my cordless for drilling. I use it as a screw gun. Actual drilling I do use a corded drill.

In the future, try not buying Black and Decker, that could be part of the problem too.

[jonadel]

Dave,

My youngest son gave me a Dewalt 9.6 cordless about 7 years ago and I have just used the heck out of it, both as a drill and screw gun and it has performed like a champ. I always run the batteries to zero and then recharge them just like Bigboy and just this summer I've noticed that they don't hold a charge as long but still adequate as long as I have one on deck. My oldest son (the woodworker) has a 4 year old large Sears (wedding gift) and this year he went and bought a smaller Milwaukee because it's so much lighter and easier to use. This spring I had to do some drilling through heavy steel and I used both drills, couldn't tell any difference in performance. If I could only have 2 or 3 tools, a cordless drill would be at the top of the list.

I'm still waiting for you to buy the acreage next to us so can run trains together-- 10 acres baby--we could make the front cover of CTT!
Jon[:D]

[MTsteamfan]

I have a DeWalt 14v cordless and love it. The most handy tool I own, bar none.

I own a single-screen movie theatre and we replaced the seats there in 2002. My DeWalt disassembled every one of the old seats (255 of them) and removed the standard bolts from the floor, all on only 3 charges.

[Dr. John]

I also own a DeWalt 14V cordless. I have two batteries, so when one winds down, I have a fresh one ready to go. No problems with mine and it's about four years old.

Corded drills probably provide more torque over a longer period of time, but I hate dragging an extension cord up, over, around and through benchwork.

[Anonymous]

I have a couple of Craftsman cordless drills that I have had for what seems like forever--certainly more than a decade. Both still work fine. I give 'em a full charge before I use them (usually once every six months or so), and they are still doing what they're supposed to do.

[Roger Bielen]

I've had a Craftsman for a number of years with 3 battery packs, all of which now refuse to take a charge. About 2 years ago I had one pack rebuilt, lasted about a year. Don't know if its the batteries or the Craftsman charging system. With the price of, and lack of availability for older units, it is more economical to purchase a new mid-range drill for misc. around the house jobs. But the cordless was great when I built my benchwork.

[daan]

Cordless drills are ideal for layout building. I bought a very cheap 12 volt one for about 50 bucks with 2 batteries 5 years ago. The trick is to use the batteries to the end before you recharge them. Both batteries perform nicely and the machine is still working great.
At work we have a very old Atlas Copco machine, 9.6 volts and 2 drills with a cord. The cordless is used much more and still lasts. Even though the smoke comes out sometimes due to overheating the machine keeps working great. (I know, smoking is not good for your health, and certainly not when you are a drill)

[trigtrax]

Fiddlesticks.. I wouldn't own a cordless drill.. or any other battery powered tool.. Not this old dinosaur.. I use heavy duty extension cords indoors and a gasoline powered generator outdoors... Batteries are for yer transistor radio.. Grrr.. [soapbox]

[Anonymous]

Well, just as it is with trains and other objects, some folks seem to have more than their share of problematic experiences with toys, tools, and life in general. I guess I've just been more fortunate than most.

[IronHoarse]

As far as I am concerned the cordless drill is the best invention next to toy trains. Like noted above by someone else, I am not even sure where my corded drill is.

[Brutus]

With the old batteries they said to use them till they ran out completely before charging. With the new ones, they say that you should swap them into the charger as soon as they start to loose power. If you keep on using them, apparently they heat up and this damages them. The chargers are also better and supposedly take better "care" of the batteries.

I bought a Crapsman 14.4 heavy duty drill for about $150 8 years ago. 2 years ago, one battery died so I replaced it for $70. Last year the other one died. I bought a cheap Crapsman 13 something drill for $30, but it was crap and didn't have any torque etc. So, instead of buying another $150 or more good drill, I bought 2 Crapsman 14.4 drills - one a regular and the other a right angle drill for about $170. So, I've got 4 identical batteries, 2 chargers and 2 drills. So far they are working great. They don't have the torque of the older "heavy duty" model, but on the other hand, they are 100 percnt better than the 13-something one.

ALso - I am finishing my basement and I needed to drill through a lot of my floor joists, so I bought a corded Dewalt drill that is also a hammer drill, because I also needed to drill tons of holes in the concrete floor to anchor walls etc. I'm almost done. I could have bought a cordless hammer drill, but since I wouldn't use it much, I figured the corded version would be the better choice since it will last a lot longer. Batteries are only good for so long, no matter how well you take care of it.

If you are only going to use the drill every few years, then I would not buy a battery drill, or I would pay as little for it as possible.

[palallin]

My corded drill has far more torque, weighs considerably less, and is much more solidly built than any cordless drill. I have gone through cordless drills like peanuts. My good corded drill is thirty-some years old and probably has that many years left to go.

That said, my cheapie Craftsman corded drill is about to give up the ghost after only about twenty years, but it's been used as a portable rotary wire brush, and the bearings are trashed. That's simply abuse on my part and not really the tool's fault.

[3railguy]

I like both. A corded drill for drilling pilot holes and a cordless for driving screws. That way, I'm not changing bits all the time. My favorite screw is those brass colored construction screws with torx heads. They don't break and the torx head gives a good posative bit engagement. Even at small angles.

3/8" corded drills generally have higher RPM than 1/2" and are better suited for drilling pilot holes. My current cordless is a 14.4V Milwaukee and I love it. Light, compact, well balanced, easy to handle, and powerful. Buying new batteries can cost almost as much as buying a whole drill package and they improve yearly so I buy the whole package. Milwaukee and Dewalt make a cordless impact driver soley for driving screws and lag screws. They drive them at lighting speed.

As far as voltage is concerned, bigger isn't always better. I like to size a drill to the tasks at hand. I've found 18V and up drills are bulky and difficult to get in tight spots. They are also difficult to carry in a tool belt and can tire the hand.

[Bob Keller]

I use two drills, a Craftsman cordless for the screws, but an ancient corded drill - with lots and lots and lots of torque, for making the holes. That drill belonged to my grandpappy and is from the days when men were men and cared less about safety because it isn't grounded and has an all-steel shell and handle (imagine the thrill of drilling into a power line behind the woodwork!). I lug all my drills, screws, bits, and battery chargers around in a large, clear tub.

[ChiefEagles]

Well, built greenhouse [lots of bolts and screws], a shop and lots of other things with a Rayobi 14.4 [had to replace old battereies]. Gave it to my son as his old Dewalt 9V was worn out from doing vehicle electronics. He is using it to do car disassembly as he is now on drug taskforce. I bought a new 19.2 V Craftsman [1/2 inch chuck] on sale. Got battery warranty too. This one is so strong, it will turn you around it you lock it into something solid. Have to set the clutch to keep from driving screws too deep into wood. Has a neat LED light that shines up on the area you are drilling or screwing. Has DieHard batteries with one hour recovery.

[Jumijo]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Ogaugeoverlord

I use two drills, a Craftsman cordless for the screws, but an ancient corded drill - with lots and lots and lots of torque, for making the holes. That drill belonged to my grandpappy and is from the days when men were men and cared less about safety because it isn't grounded and has an all-steel shell and handle (imagine the thrill of drilling into a power line behind the woodwork!). I lug all my drills, screws, bits, and battery chargers around in a large, clear tub.

I have one like your grandpappy's, Bob. It was my father's. Wanna talk heft? That sucker is dangerous AND heavy!

Jim

[GPJ68]

I haven't used my corded 3/8" Milwaukee drill in ages. My 14.4 volt DeWalt hasn't failed me yet, and while heavier, it has better balance and will stand upright on the battery - no accidental gouging the work surface with the bit while laying it down. I love the convenience of cordless so much that I went and bought an 18 volt Bosch set - circular saw, recip saw, jigsaw, 1/2" drill, light - and cut and built all the benchwork without ever plugging in an extension cord (did drag the air hose around for the finish nailer though - but no power cords to tangle it up with [:)]). Cordless saws are simply fantastic when you just need to make a few quick cuts - no wasting far more time unravelling and pulling back up the cords than it takes make the cuts. I have corded versions of all the saws as well, but they've sat gathering dust along with the drills since I got the Bosch set.

It is correct though - with the high cost of new batteries, it can cost only slightly more to replace the entire drill than just the battery. However, if you have several tools using the same battery (like my Bosch set), then the battery replacement cost is easier to swallow (Although I really don't know that yet - my batteries just keep taken a lickin' and keep on tickin').

GPJ

[ChiefEagles]

GPJ is right on cost of batteries. BUT, I refuse to throw away an excellent drill when all I need is a new battery. Our US society, throw away everything. So far, the only thing we don't throw away is electric trains.

[Anonymous]

Hello All: A lot of good replies, From someone who came from driving 3" x #10 screws by hand to some of the first cordless, The last 3 years is where the biggest progress has been. I have a 18volt Milwaukee with hammer & two batteries, will last most of the day on constant use. Most of the Contractors are using DeWalt, The big outfits are buying 2-300 drill kits at a time. My company assigns every electrician with thier own. (We sign them out & return them when the layoffs begin). The good old days might sound great but you can't beat some of the new stuff. Regards Steve

[siberianmo]

[2c] On the subject .....

I'm at the stage in life where the major projects are over 'n done. Basement trainroom and remodeling is all finished. Model railroads are as constructed as they'll ever be. House is in good shape. Soooooooo, no need for me to run out and purchase the leading edge in cordless tools, although I'd love to have 'em! I've got tools from way back and then some.

I've had some good and not so good experiences with cordless tools. So, even with extra batteries at the ready - I wind up using both the cord and cordless for major projects. I too have one of those all metal 3/8 drills from the early 60's - B&D, when it made quality stuff. I pull it out when everything else seems to let me down.

One thing though, the days (daze) of SEARS and the old trusty CRAFTSMAN brand tools are over for me. Never, never again. Been burned too many times and they just ain't what they used to be. But then again, I'm not either! [swg]

See ya!

[Anonymous]

Remember to never run your cordless drill with a weak battery or you might scramble the chip. (Sorry I couldn't pass that one up!) Heeheehee

[Anonymous]

I buy cordless drills at garage sales for a few bucks, usually have weak batteries but work. I usually get two batteries and charger. Wind up getting another every couple years. Last one was a Porter Cable for $7 with two pretty good batteries. It is in the DeWalt Class $200 new.

Some times saw the old battery packs apart and check the cells. Often only one "C" cell is bad and I can replace it with one or combine two packs into one with the best cells.

I take the keyless chucks off the old ones and install them on my older cord drills with keys.(I have about 4 or 5 drills as I hate to keep changing bit sizes on a project).

The motors on the drills make good reversable drives for turntables and other things. Some use them to drive model boats or subs. Same for the garage sale cordless electric drills like B &D ones.

Charlie

[Brutus]

PS - new issue of American Woodworker came the other day - don't store your batteries in the garage or leave them in your car or truck - if they hit 100 degrees, they start to break down!