Battery Op. Power tools recommendation.

[JohnX]

Currently using Milwaukee 28v lithium ion drill and sawzall. Ive been using this set for over a decade, still works great, but the batteries are going bad slowly. Won't last as long as they used to....

So I think it's time to consider other options since a pair of new batteries runs about $200.

I need the following tools, and would like ones that work well....and have a future.

Drill
3/8 impact
Reciprocating saw (optional)
Cutoff wheel (optional)
1/2 impact (optional)

The more of the options, the better of course.

 

[lesslimited]

I've been really happy with my Makita stuff. Been using the 18v li-ion drills and impact drivers for years, recently added the 36v chainsaw and circular saw which use two 18v batteries. They have a 36v sawzall and grinder/cutoff tool as well, and some pretty decent impacts in the 18v line.

 

[Anak]

I also have a set of the V28 tools. Well more than just a set. I actually have two drills. That netted me 4 batteries and two chargers so that I could keep my workflow going.

Like yours, my batteries have pretty much expired. I can limp my way along with the two chargers working, but nothing like the way they used to be.

Last year for Father's Day I got 1 new battery. Just that has made a huge difference.

I am thinking that in another year or so I should buy another battery. Kind of stagger them out.

I really don't want to give up the 28 volt tools. I have never used any other cordless saw that has come anywhere near the performance. The RPMs/surface speed just aren't there with the lower voltages.

However, I will say that for driving screws my joints much prefer that I use lighter tools. Using the 28 volt drills all day long is murder on my elbows/shoulders.

 

[UnderBuilt]

Went Dewalt mostly because of the absurd breakaway torque of the 1/2 impact. Got a drill as well to keep with the same battery system. Both work like champs and have no concerns about longevity.

 

[JohnX]

That's kind of funny....the 2 I was really considering were Dewalt and Makita.

The power of their impacts could be a decision maker.

And as for the V28 stuff I have....it's not going anywhere, I just hope to rely on it less. And don't really want to buy more of it due to the extreme cost.

 

[Bent]

Pretty sure Interstate Battery rebuilds battery packs. There is one on E st. in San Bernardino.

 

[JohnX]

That's worth looking into, may be cheaper....but I still need more tools.

 

[Bent]

....but I still need more tools.

Goes without saying.

 

[Anak]

Pretty sure Interstate Battery rebuilds battery packs. There is one on E st. in San Bernardino.

Rebuilding lithiums is another ballgame.

I have had Nicad/NiMh packs rebuilt, but no one has been willing to tackle my V28 packs. Or at least not tackle them with any assurance of getting an operational pack back to me. I had one company that was willing to try taking them apart to see what could be done, but I don't really want to be the guinea pig.

 

[JohnX]

Rebuilding lithiums is another ballgame.

I have had Nicad/NiMh packs rebuilt, but no one has been willing to tackle my V28 packs. Or at least not tackle them with any assurance of getting an operational pack back to me. I had one company that was willing to try taking them apart to see what could be done, but I don't really want to be the guinea pig.

I did, it appears they can be rebuilt with only minor difficulty. The hardest part is separating the spot welds of the conductors at each end of the individual batteries inside...and then how do you reconnect the new ones?

 

[Bent]

They are reconnected with as special spot welder that doesn't heat up the battery unlike soldering would. It isolates the heat to just the caps on the ends.

 

[Bent]

Not a recommendation: generic NiCad and Lithium ion batteries packs for a wide range of Mfgs are available on Ebay for really good pricing.

 

[Anak]

I did, it appears they can be rebuilt with only minor difficulty. The hardest part is separating the spot welds of the conductors at each end of the individual batteries inside...and then how do you reconnect the new ones?

I think there are also issues with resetting their chips/computers/whatever is the electronic side of them.

If I understand correctly they have some kind of controller on board that has some sort of algorithm for performance expectations, and if you put in new cells that needs to be told to start all over again. I think that is a bigger issue than is replacing the cells themselves.

 

[Bent]

Yes, there are electronics/controller? inside.

 

[Bent]

Old thread, I know. The 28 volt stuff was just going to be too heavy for my arms and my needs. Santa and my boss provided some seed money. I ended up biting the bullet, err...artillery shell and replaced my old Craftsman stuff with M18 Fuel. Nice range of available battery sizes. I don't need to put a 12 Ah battery pack in my drill when I'm drilling 1/8-in holes. But it will be handy in the sawzall for Adopt-A-Trail work. The large impact wrench is a beast!

The Craftsman C3 set I've been using for years held up really well, I was surprised. But it was reaching its end of life. The final straw was trying to break a lug nut loose on my eclipse, my half inch impact was just trying to scare the lug nut. Borrowed the neighbor's small Milwaukee impact, and zip, off it came. Not sure which version he has, though. But that was a kicker.

 

[Anak]

The Milwaukee M18 impact is a great tool.

My biggest challenge with it is that every now and then I bump the selector button and suddenly my awesome impact has turned into a wimp. But that is easily fixed.

Be warned that you may have stepped onto a slippery slope. I started with the impact, and now I have a few other tools I never would have thought of trying, like a battery powered chainsaw and leaf blower. And they actually work pretty well for my needs.

 

[Bent]

Slicker than snot!

 

[XJI6191]

Why can't impact wrenches be like hammer drills, so the impact function is selectable?

 

[Bent]

Why can't impact wrenches be like hammer drills, so the impact function is selectable?

They would be ratchets.

 

[En2 4355]

I've run Milwaukee for 20+ years. I started with M12 in the teleco industry , over time upgraded to m18 when I started to work trans/distro and climbed daily. The main attraction for me was durability, life expectancy and tool speed/torque control .

I do keep a Dewalt 20v Atomic impact around for the raw power tho