Odd, all the carpenters I know use cordless tools now, although they keep the corded ones handy for special ocassions. Union guys who are pros, too. In the last millenium, cords were popular because batteries weren't fully there yet...but that's old news most places now.
For all the reasons already stated, I like my cordless stuff, plus one more because I'm getting to be an old fart. The lack of a cord is one less thing to trip over and many of us do not need that. Consider the costs of a new hip and that battery-powered tool sounds like a bargain, even with eventual battery replacement.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
doughless - good luck with your move. Hopefully you'll have a good space for building a layout!
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
I was never too impressed with battery-operated tools, mainly, as Mike has noted, because the batteries of the day weren't really up to the task.However, I recently worked with one of my sons-in-law on a home renovation project, and was so impressed by the performance of his DeWalt 20 volt lithium-ion impact driver that I went out and bought one myself.I still generally prefer corded tools, as I often work them to the limit of their capabilities, but the impact driver has proven very useful for small outdoor jobs where it would be more effort to run an extension cord.I also used it, with a small collet intended for a battery-powered screwdriver, to drill some #79 holes in some brass detail parts - much quicker than a pin vise, and much more controllable than any of my corded drills, including a single-speed Dremel and a variable-speed Jobmate Dremel-knock-off with a flexible driveshaft.
Wayne
IIRC, I bought my 14.4V cordless Sears Craftsman drill around 1996 give or take and I was really surprised by how much torque it had. If I set the clutch to it's highest setting, I could try to old the grip of the chuck and it would nearly rip my skin off trying to hold it and stop it from spinning! I could drive 3-inch drywall screws all the way in even though they got real tight, as long as I could press hard and keep the phillips driver tight into the scew head. I'm not sure when cordless technology reached critical mass but my nuttin special Sears cordless has done quite well and it's still kick'n after 20 years too on one of the batteries.
I agree, not everything may make as much sense to be cordless but for drills, I'm a belieber.
Also a cordless tool fan. I deal with them every day. In the interest of not getting this thread locked i won't mention where i work, but, y'know, read between the lines. Anyway, observations on common power tool brands:
Dewalt: Good, more or less. Were kicking everyone else's rumps about a decade ago, but the others have caught up. Read the fine print on the 20v batteries; you might be in for a surprise.
Milwaukee: Pricey, not really worth it. Good enough tools, but not enough difference in quality to justify the extra $$.
Ridgid: Quality about the same as dewalt. Lifetime warranty though, batteries included as long as you're willing to jump through some hoops.
Makita: Good quality, maybe a bit of an edge as far as durability BUT their batteries will brick themselves if one of the cells gets borderline. Not an accident; it's a programmed 'feature'. If any of the other brands does this i haven't heard about it.
Ryobi: Paperweights; occasional homeowner tools only. If you're an MR, you're almost certainly up to things that Ryobi tools are not tough enough to survive.
FWIW, i use makita. Batteries last about three years before zotting themselves, but I'm still using Makita tools that I've literally thrown off my roof.
Stu
Streamlined steam, oh, what a dream!!
riogrande5761I'm not sure when cordless technology reached critical mass but my nuttin special Sears cordless has done quite well and it's still kick'n after 20 years too on one of the batteries. I agree, not everything may make as much sense to be cordless but for drills, I'm a belieber. Angel
Jim,
Your recall is about right. I became a fan just before that time for a special reason. Always been a builder, even before the layout. Ended up with a back injury that was misdiagnosed, leading to a shoulder impingement surgery when it went to heck because of that (I may not need to add this was a work-related thing when in the interest of cheaping out, the co. just dug themselves and me a deeper hole...but I digress). Came out of that with a need to build stuff with a permanently flaky shoulder and back. No more driving #16 nails -- at least without bending far too many.
Enter the drill-driver. Yep, they were coming on strong and a good thing. Rather than hammer, I drill a hole (which eases things considerably) then drive a 3" screw in. Way stronger than a nail, too. What I found most helpful of all for anyone else facing similar issues was the square drive screw. No need to keep major pressure on, the tip locks in easily enough and away you go. Now they have Phillips/square drive combos and other sorts of tips that help like this, so take your choice if Phillips has irritated enough . These new tips are also ideal for when you need to back a screw out, something that happens often enough with benchwork.
In any case, my layout benchwork became my personal surgery rehab project. I could've done it with corded drills, but keeping two of those untangled would've been a project. The cordless ones made it easy.
To add to Stu's observations, I've had good luck with Hitachi drill-drivers, too.
Hello all,
As per http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/t/258451.aspx the previous post have you parted out the old drills?
Hope this helps.
"Uhh...I didn’t know it was 'impossible' I just made it work...sorry"
CGW121 Dewalt is a good brand the others not so good. Its also about price, I do not use a drill motor enough to justify the price of a Dewalt when a Skill does the job just as well and it is a lot less expensive.
Dewalt is a good brand the others not so good. Its also about price, I do not use a drill motor enough to justify the price of a Dewalt when a Skill does the job just as well and it is a lot less expensive.
Indeed, but well worth the extra cost in my experience. My ex's Uncle was a buiilder, and when I needed to get a new drill for around the house he unhesitantly said get a DeWalt. His toolbox was filled with nothing but DeWalt power tools. It has paid off, it still works like new and the batteries seem to last as long as they did when it was new.
If I only need a tool once, for a one off job - I'll go to Harbor Freight and buy a cheapy, and if it lasts a little longer than expected, it's a nice bonus. If I need a tool I plan to keep and use over and over for years - I get a good one. I'd rather spend $200 on a DeWalt drill and have it last 10+ years than have to spend $40 on a Harbor Freight one and buy a new one every year. Besides the expense there's always the hassle when you go to work on a project and the tool is broken so now you have to go buy a new tool, and by the time you get back (because who can walk into a tool store and just grab what you need and go?) the whole day is shot and the project doesn't get done.
There are other wuality brands besides DeWalt. Some cost even more - but I've had good enough luck with the first DeWalt that I went right back to them for the new one. My FIRST cordless screwdriver (simply a screwdriver, not a drill/driver) was a Black and Decker and it didn't last a year. And the toughest thing I ever used it for was putting scews in drywall anchors to hang pictures. The gears broke.
I will also add, that with my old DeWalt, I had 2 battery packs and it is siffucent that when i was going gangbusters on my last layout, I could work all day long, byt the time one ran out of juice the other was charged and ready to go - that's drilling pilot holes then driving in the screws for all the benchwork. The new li-ion one, well, i charged the battery like 6 months ago and have done a few projects around the house and it STILL has juice.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
As a construction professional, who has a wide selection of power tools, I love my 18volt and 20volt DeWalt battery tools, drill, impact driver, circular saw.
Any more, the only corded electric tools we use are reciprcating saws (sawzall), circular saws and miter saws, and most of the guys I work with prefer DeWalt for most of those items.
The other corded tool we still prefer over battery versions is the Fein Multimaster, still way better than any of its imitators, corded or battery:
http://feintools-online.com/multimaster-supercut/fein-multimaster.html?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Fein&utm_term=multimaster&utm_content=Multimaster
And we use a lot of pneumatic tools, nail guns of every size and description.
Because I have all of these tools at my disposal, they all get used in building my benchwork, with battery impact drivers being much better for driving screws than battery drills.
Batteries are really good now, but we still have spares charging all the time.
Battery drill set up to drill pilot holes, impact driver set up to install screws. It is how we install kitchen cabinets, and how I build bench work.
Brad nailers are great for nailing down roadbed like cork or homabed.........
Big table saw in the shop, miter saw, air and battery tools, can build furniture quality benchwork in no time.
Sheldon
I am as modern, sophisticated, and high-tech as anyone but I admire the Art Deco styling of vintage tools and appliances. The drill press over Neil’s shoulder is reminiscent of the ’48 Plymouth in the ad on the facing page.
LINK to SNSR Blog
I use power tools so infrequently these days. I have a B & D "Pivot Driver" cordless screw driver that I've had for about 15 years. I replaced the battery once (about $20, IIRC) and it has given me good service after building the benchwork for two small layouts, among other household tasks. I've found that the trick to preserving the life of the cylindrical battery is to remove from the tool it after use and to keep the plastic cap on the end of the battery when being stored.
Other than that, I have a B & D circular saw, a B & D drill and a B & D jigsaw, all w/cord. I've had all of them going on 20 years now and they serve my purposes well. If I need any big cuts to be done, such as ripping a piece of plywood, I have several friends who have professional grade tools that can do that favor for me.
DoughlessJim, I know you said that you are on a tight budget, but a power mitre/chop saw is worth the $100 they cost. Might even be able to find a used one. You're probably passed the stage of having to cut sticks for the layout, (it would have worked much better than a sabre saw for this) but they also are very useful in adding things like chairs and squares and different trim doo-dads to your domecile...improving its value. I don't think I've ever seen a cordless one however, since they tend to be a stationary tool anyway.
Bosch offered one with NiCad batteries before they switched to Li-Ion. Haven't seen one for Li-Ion.
Paul