Cordless Tools vs. Other Options

[Carl_NH]

I still use my over 20 year old DeWalt 12V Drill and have bought couple of used spares dirt cheap from eBay vendors.
It's terribly outdated but still works fine for light duty work, and new non-OEM batteries are cheap.

Yes I know you get what you pay for, but they are OK for me for now....

When more juice is needed I use my Milwaukee 1/2" corded drill, or Craftsman or even old Black & Decker from the 70's.



View attachment 728519

I have one of these too a 1995-96 vintage, after two sets of batteries I decided to upgrade to Li. Interesting no one mentions Bosch Li tools. I started buying Bosch sets on CPO tools about 5 years ago on Black Friday and Xmas specials. Now have a dozen different Bosch LI 12V and 18V tools between house and barn. They have held up well, although as others have said, the Circular saw and Sawzall seem to run down batteries 2X faster than the 1/2" impact or drills do.

 

[Root Cause]

I contracted for Hyster-Yale for a couple of years. The mechanics all agreed that Makita was by far the best cordless tool in regards to durability and toughness. I guess they would know better than I and wish I had them but it is impossible to change over without spending a lot and what I have works fine. I do lose batteries every few years but not sure if it is in part my fault or not.

 

[joe48]

I followed the whole thread, am amazed that no one mentioned RYOBI TOOLS.
I had over a dozen Dewalt tools and batteries. Burned out tools and had dead batteries all the time. RYOBI had some good deals at HD since I was sick of paying thru the nose for Dewalt thought I'd give them a try. I liked it and you can't beat the bang for the buck, especially after I found out about DIRECT TOOL OUTLET on line. You can buy new, factory blemished, factory refurbished, all with warranties and some times at 50% savings from list.
Other good thing about Ryobi and Direct tools is they make a bunch of tools that HD doesn't normally carry but you can get on line at Direct tools.
What i like is my Ryobi tools and batteries hAVE LASTED MUCH LONGER THAN DEWALT AT SIGNIFICANTLY LESS COST.!!
Another feature Ryobi has are multi chargers, 6 holes for any amp hour Ryobi battery, with automatic charge maintainer and USB ports for your phone or lap top and with a carry handle so you can pick up 6 fully charged batteries and go to work!!
BTW for you rigid guys, Rigid is made by Ryobi.

 

[Jeepnford]

When I was a kid, we had a different kind of cordless drill.
View attachment 728503

I pre-drilled many utility poles for steps with one of those back in the day.

 

[bdhsfz6]

I followed the whole thread, am amazed that no one mentioned RYOBI TOOLS.
I had over a dozen Dewalt tools and batteries. Burned out tools and had dead batteries all the time. RYOBI had some good deals at HD since I was sick of paying thru the nose for Dewalt thought I'd give them a try. I liked it and you can't beat the bang for the buck, especially after I found out about DIRECT TOOL OUTLET on line. You can buy new, factory blemished, factory refurbished, all with warranties and some times at 50% savings from list.
Other good thing about Ryobi and Direct tools is they make a bunch of tools that HD doesn't normally carry but you can get on line at Direct tools.
What i like is my Ryobi tools and batteries hAVE LASTED MUCH LONGER THAN DEWALT AT SIGNIFICANTLY LESS COST.!!
Another feature Ryobi has are multi chargers, 6 holes for any amp hour Ryobi battery, with automatic charge maintainer and USB ports for your phone or lap top and with a carry handle so you can pick up 6 fully charged batteries and go to work!!
BTW for you rigid guys, Rigid is made by Ryobi.

That's interesting. I did just the opposite. Ryobi doesn't make some of the portable tools that DeWalt has. I still have my small Ryobi Tek4 tools though.

I guess it all depends on your individual needs and preferences.

 

[Handloader109]

Ryobi burnt me a good while back on their 12v line and I won't buy another. I too still have dewalt 12v that I've gotten a decade of use out of. I need to replace as batteries are well past good use. Probably Milwaukee.... Mostly made in US

 

[rScotty]

Nobody has mentioned the Milwaukee M28 line of heavy duty portable tools. I bought their complete kit - except for bandsaw - back about 2010 and they are amazing. LOTS and Lots of power. Really good design and chucks. Li Batteries still a decent charge too. We still use them everyday.
rScotty

 

[jyoutz]

When I put a battery tool away I check the battery level and if its less than full the battery goes on the charger. If you do that you'll always have a full or nearly full battery to start your next job with.

Do lithium batteries not have a memory? The old wisdom used to be not to charge until the battery is drained.

 

[LittleBill21]

Do lithium batteries not have a memory? The old wisdom used to be not to charge until the battery is drained.

no they don't, actually you don't want to leave them at bottom or at top for long periods of time. Only Nicad had memory

 

[rScotty]

Do lithium batteries not have a memory? The old wisdom used to be not to charge until the battery is drained.

The don't seem to have a memory, but they do lose some capacity after being charged over a thousand times. I've had some of the Milwaukee M28s for close to ten years now. I charge them when they are below 75% before going out on a job - so probably several times a week.
After ten years and a thousand charges they are still useful, but they don't last as long as they did when new.
I usually take two batteries when going up on a roof or something like that....but then I always did......