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Cordless Power Tools- What do you like?

hubs97xj said:
Went with this pairing-

http://www.makita.com/en-us/Modules/Tools/ToolDetails.aspx?Name=LXT211
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reading that site I really like that the charger has a built in cooling fan. I have noticed a few times with new Lith/Ion batteries that they will not re-charge when warm, or if they were used to the point the tool shut down. A few times I have had to let them cool off, or give some down time, then use them in the tool again to flash the battery into allowing a charge.

Not sure how many other names are using the cooling fan, but my Rigid pack isn't.

Another check mark for Makita.
 
I'm on my 3rd set of batteries for my 14.4 volt Dewalt drill. Purchased it in the mid 90's. It has served we well and it's still going.
 
Rigid Lifetime Battery Guarantee????

I'd like to hear more about this.....I own a Rigid 14.4 Cordless drill, which I really like, but the batteries are starting to loose their standby charge. I could see this if it were a daily use tool, but I only use it every couple of weeks.....and I have to charge them before I use them.

Nice drill though.
 
I have the Craftsman 19.2v C3 series. I started with a drill and Fluorescent light, and have added a flashlight and radio. The original ni-cad batteries lasted 2-3 years, then started to wear out. I recently got a lith-ion battery and charger and like it a lot better than the ni-cads. I liked mine enough to get my kid a complete $300 set that had a half dozen tools + 3 batteries (ni-cads) for a wedding present (his wife got a comparable gift, LOL). I think Craftsman is plenty good for the weekend warrior type mechanic. I use my stuff all the time and it has never let me down.

I will also add that I see A LOT of Dewalt on construction sites. I think they like the boombox charger a little too much.
 
I've had Craftsman, Dewalt, Makita and Milwaukee. The Milwaukee 28v lithion is what I have now and I love them, so much in fact I bought the 18v impact annd several others.

28v drill turns a 2.5 spade bit through treated lumber (read railroad ties and so on) without slowing down. The impact driver breaks bits all the time...it will drive an 8" 1/2 lag with no pilot like it is a sheet rock screw. I won't go into the saws performances.

Check this out http://www.toolup.com/milwaukee/0920-24.html, I know you only wanted a drill and a driver, but the saw is pretty handy.
 
Makita ,the Milwaukee 28volt li-ion, and my old reliable Dewalt 18 volt XRP are all good. Although I've smoked the transmission once on the Dewalt drive 150 3/8x6" lags putting up x-ray's all day. I usually use the Milwaukee just due to the weight. Light enough to carry all day. Nice choice with the Makita. I love the impact driver they have.
 
It took a couple of not too smart high school kids and one contractor about a year to break two of those makita drills. I help the contractor out on weekends at his house and those drills sure were nice while they lasted, the two LED's are real nice to have and they were they were light. no, i'm not one of the kids that worked for him building decks during the week, I didn't abuse the tools.

As with everything else, if you take care of them, they will last a long time.
 
I was shopping around for some cordless tools a few months back, I didn't want to spend too much so I went with the Ryobi. Overall I'm fairly impressed, I got the 5-piece kit for $200 or so, of which I really only use the flash light and drill. The sawzall has come in handy a few times. I did spend an extra $60 on an impact gun, it's not very strong (200 or 300 in-lbs I think) but I use it all the time on my XJ. Only very rarely do I break out my Goodyear 24V impact.

I did like that Ryobi's new Li-ion batteries are backwards compatible. My kit has the old batteries, but if I wanted to buy the Li-ions, they would/should work with all of the tools I already have.

They are definitely on the cheaper side of things, so if you want something to last for many years, they might not be the best...
 
GoSlowGetStuck said:
I was shopping around for some cordless tools a few months back, I didn't want to spend too much so I went with the Ryobi. Overall I'm fairly impressed, I got the 5-piece kit for $200 or so, of which I really only use the flash light and drill. The sawzall has come in handy a few times. I did spend an extra $60 on an impact gun, it's not very strong (200 or 300 in-lbs I think) but I use it all the time on my XJ. Only very rarely do I break out my Goodyear 24V impact.

I did like that Ryobi's new Li-ion batteries are backwards compatible. My kit has the old batteries, but if I wanted to buy the Li-ions, they would/should work with all of the tools I already have.

They are definitely on the cheaper side of things, so if you want something to last for many years, they might not be the best...
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One of my co-workers had the Ryobi stuff. They were pretty good about the warranty, but you may want to look into getting a trigger switch for the tool you use the most in the kit. They will eventually smoke.
 
I just got these on Friday, so no long term results. Rockwell had been a great name in tools, years back (a division of Delta, I think). I don't know if the name is just a marketing tool, but time will tell.

I'd used a Dewalt 14.4 drill/circ saw for over twelve years, and the tools are still fine, it's just that I'm down to one battery, out of four. The final two batts, I had rebuilt, and in the circ saw, they would literally smoke under hard use.

For $215, I thought I'd give these a shot. I still like Dewalt, but even with new batts, I'd still be at 14.4v, and I still wanted a recip saw, also. So, for the cost of a recip, plus two batts, I've upgraded to new tools, 18v, and I get free batteries for life.

The carry bag is heavy duty, and well made. It's just big enough to hold all the tools and charger, so no/little room for extras (other than bits and blades).

So far, I'm real happy.

Steve
 
I like my Ryobi stuff. Holds up great. So far we built a house using 2 ryobi drills, and I use all of in a pretty unforgiving manner.

The last time I used dads drill it was under the jeep, and I was using a floor jack to press it against the framerail to drill that.
 
Makita Lithiums or Hitachi....

Fawk the yellow brand
 
Looking forward to use my Dewalt 24volt for drilling me some ice fishing holes. Did a stupid 2 years ago with what I call the widow maker. Did not wear my cleats and was carrying my earth and ice auger. Slipped and fell directly on the auger bit. Chipped my rib and missed my spine by less then an inch. Thank the good Lord I did not break my back. The hand auger adapter I have for my drill makes that rig only weigh 16 lbs. Better then 42lbs of my widow maker.
:woohoo::woohoo:
 
years ago when I was in construction all I ever used was rigid and never had any issues with them as far as cordless power tools went, I may be wrong now but at the time they were an exclusive brand to home depot. The only other brand I ever used was Hilti and I had all there digital tools, tape measure level and so on. I remember my rigid battery charging station had a set of dual cooling fans for cooling while charging
 
dont mean to bring this back up from the dead....but i work on power tools for a living...

dewalt is the way to go to me, i replace so many milwaukee switches and thier battery's are complete junk

buy dewalt and dont over heat them and youll be happy
 
ladywolf said:
My dad loves his 18v Dewalt stuff. I have an 18v Craftsman that i love. To each his own i spose.
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x2, I love my 18v Craftsman...

EDIT: Holy crap, didn't even see that this was a slightly expired thread....
 
JNickel101 said:
EDIT: Holy crap, didn't even see that this was a slightly expired thread....
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meh, minor details

I bought a set of Ryobis a while back as a quick, cheap way to get back to work after my DW set got stolen while I was crawling around in an attic. 3 1/2 years later I've still got 'em. I had to replace the drill, but that was my own fault. It got dropped onto the sidewalk from about 25 feet up. For the money, best tool purchase ever! I always kept up right along side guys with stuff that cost twice as much.
 
I work at a contractor's supply, and have used many cordless tools over the years. My favorite for balance used to be Panasonic, but they're not a major player anymore. Makita, Bosch, and Hitachi all tend to make durable & well-balanced tools with a good weight/power ratio. Bosch has a darn good warranty on most of it's newer Litheon stuff, and guaranteed fast repair turnaround (Rapid Repair dealers); can't remember about the others. Bosch now owns Skil, Dremel, RotoZip, and CST/Berger. DeWalt owns Porter Cable, Black & Decker, and Delta. Ryobi makes decent disposable tools--don't bother trying to get it fixed (you can't), just toss it out & buy another. Ridgid is also very difficult to find a repair shop for if you end up with "non-warranty" issues.

My advice... go to a tool store, look at Bosch, Makita, Hitachi, and DeWalt. Figure out which brands have the tools you need (look in catalogs or online--few stores stock all the tool options! Feel the balance with the battery attached, see if the drill will stand up by itself or nosedive, etc. Buy the one that feels best. Enjoy. And yes, you get more power & repeated recharges with the newer Lithium Ion batteries, followed by Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH), followed by Nickel Cadmium (NiCad). Smart chargers with cool-down cycles and so forth are also a good thing to help extend battery life.
 
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