Cordless drill questions

[JDgreen227]

I looked around for quite some time after I bought a house 7 years ago. I found the supposedly best of the best-Makita, DeWalt way to expensive, and the Ryobi the cheapest not only in price but reliability. I ended up going with the Craftsman kit which consisted of the DrillHammer Drill, Saws All, Light, two Dia Hard 19.2 volt battery backs and rapid charger. I have countless hours on them, especially the drill-had the saws all replaced once under warranty because the trigger stopped working. & years later and I'm still using the origional batteries! Paid $140 for the whole kit and couldnt be happier.

My dad has the Dewaltt kit, paid almost $300 4 years ago and has already purchasd two battery xr replacements at a wopping 120 bucks each. My crafstmen outruns and out torcs his dewalt enay day-even with my origional batteries and his new.

My craftsman drill is also lighter and I like the grip better than his DeWalt.

We had the Ryobi here at work and both batteries were dead within wo years.

I saved a ton of money going with the Craftsmen.
Just my experience...

Agree 100% about the 19.2 volt Craftsman cordless being the best bang for the buck. Have all these cordless tools and everything has been run really hard at times, no problems at all, also have about 24 batteries and only 2 or 3 have failed to take a charge and I got free warranty replacments.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I think the batteries last longer when they are used and recharged on a regular basis. Often times when I see a bad battery I also see a new looking drill that got used every other month, I use my drill multiple times a week. The drills look beat after a couple years but the batteries last at least 5 years. One other option is to buy replacement cells at radio shack and replace the offenders but then the next one will die, it's just as cheap per cell to have Batteries Plus rebuild the whole thing. I've also had luck with zapping dead batteries back to life with my car charger, usually the cells short out and this will bring them back for a bit. Obviously best with batteries in the 12v range.

We have found the cold is the worst enemy of the batteries. We keep 6 DeWalt 18volt drills in the truck year round but winter time is harsh on them because of the cold temp. The rest of the tools and batteries stay inside where its warm unless needed for a job. Since the barn isn't heated that means they stay in my basement/house thats in slow remodeling phase. Those batteries hold up a lot better but for the most part we have been happy with the batteries. We usually get at least 2 years for each battery before they start getting weak but thats being used daily on multiple discharge/charge cycles. Its common to have at least two chargers going on our job sites as the saws kill the batteries a lot faster then the drill unless were drilling a lot of holes.

 

[KubotainNH]

We have found the cold is the worst enemy of the batteries. We keep 6 DeWalt 18volt drills in the truck year round but winter time is harsh on them because of the cold temp. The rest of the tools and batteries stay inside where its warm unless needed for a job. Since the barn isn't heated that means they stay in my basement/house thats in slow remodeling phase. Those batteries hold up a lot better but for the most part we have been happy with the batteries. We usually get at least 2 years for each battery before they start getting weak but thats being used daily on multiple discharge/charge cycles. Its common to have at least two chargers going on our job sites as the saws kill the batteries a lot faster then the drill unless were drilling a lot of holes.

Mine rarely see the cold so I cannot say much on that but it sounds like you use the tools at a pro level. Getting 2 years under those conditions seems good to me. My point is if you put one in a box with a drained battery for 3 months it may not take a charge when you want it. That is often the life of the normal home owner. Most folks on TBN are not normal home owners

 

[beppington]

Never thought I'd hear anybody say they liked Ryobi, much less recomend it over something like Makita. I'm sort of wondering if this was meant to be a joke?

I have Ryobi, like them & recommend them. Have 4 drills, sawzall, jig saw, 2 circular saws, chainsaw, grinder, leaf blower, shop vac & 2 flashlights.

Not a pro but I use the heck out of the drills. Screwed the top rail fence boards on to 3,400' of fence with no problems whatsoever. Built a picnic table with them. Built an 8' long bench with them. Nearly everything I build now I screw together, instead of nailing, since they work so well.

I can't justify paying significantly more for the others when I'm perfectly happy with my Ryobi's.

 

[k0ua]

I have 3 ryobi . the 1/2 inch drill/hammer drill is inexpensive and works very well, has a great metal locking keyless chuck, and a ton of torque. I have only had it maybe 1 1/2 years but so far it is a keeper. I have an old 9.6 volt ryobi this is well over 20 years old, still going, has been thru a few battery packs. the chuck is about worn slick, but I use it all the time. The chuck never was a great chuck, as it is a cheap plastic one and would never tighten up extremely tight. But have I ever gotten my moneys worth out of that drill.:thumbsup: I also have the 1/4 inch 18volt impact. It is also very good quality for what it is, Now it isnt going to drive 5/8 lag bolts into white oak or anything like that but it is powerful and quick. So I have had pretty good luck with Ryobi, Yes I know they are a low end product but they are not bad.

James K0UA

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Mine rarely see the cold so I cannot say much on that but it sounds like you use the tools at a pro level. Getting 2 years under those conditions seems good to me. My point is if you put one in a box with a drained battery for 3 months it may not take a charge when you want it. That is often the life of the normal home owner. Most folks on TBN are not normal home owners

I understand, just sharing the different experience. :thumbsup:

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I have 3 ryobi . the 1/2 inch drill/hammer drill is inexpensive and works very well, has a great metal locking keyless chuck, and a ton of torque. I have only had it maybe 1 1/2 years but so far it is a keeper. I have an old 9.6 volt ryobi this is well over 20 years old, still going, has been thru a few battery packs. the chuck is about worn slick, but I use it all the time. The chuck never was a great chuck, as it is a cheap plastic one and would never tighten up extremely tight. But have I ever gotten my moneys worth out of that drill.:thumbsup: I also have the 1/4 inch 18volt impact. It is also very good quality for what it is, Now it isnt going to drive 5/8 lag bolts into white oak or anything like that but it is powerful and quick. So I have had pretty good luck with Ryobi, Yes I know they are a low end product but they are not bad.

James K0UA

I have friends who are happy with Ryobi products. Their all homeowners and that is what Ryobi is designed for. I have never used them though but would consider them if I wasn't in an industry that puts these things through their paces.

 

[andrec999]

I bought the Makita 18 v. xlt 3.0 Amp.Lith. The blue kit ,when it was on sale at Home Depot, always had Sears 19.2 before, and was very satisfied.

But after a test done by Popular Mechanic in wich the Makita came on top of all the other brands as far as strenght and durabilaty between charges, I went with Makita.

But after about 11 months of use ,the two batteries wouldn't charge any more , went to Home Depot they told me to go to the Makita repair shop .

After testing them , they changed the two batteries for two new ones . It seemed very odd to me that both bat. would go at the same time , but they told me it happens sometime , only to find out ,after the battery was dead and tried to recharge it , that it was the charger that was finish and they had to replaced it too.
I did not argue with them ,as they gave me two new batt. and a new charger,
but it gave me a very bad feeling about the toughfness of the Makita tools.

 

[rbcsaver]

I'm a Dewalt 18V fan. except for the circular saw which has always been under powered.
My batteries haven't always lasted, mostly from my too frequent charging. I did buy some new 18 volt lithiums. I always try to buy USA made, although very hard. I have always loved
and routinely buy Craftsman hand tools. Their power tools are crapolla. I would suggest buying the Dewalt 18 or 24 V series, in lithium when available.
regards,
Steve

 

[dntfxr]

I have always loved
and routinely buy Craftsman hand tools. Their power tools are crapolla.

I have always agreed but their 19.2 volt drills are the exception IME.