New cordless drills

[PetrosA]

...
By any chance is this a LiIon battery? I can't remember the details at the moment, but I believe high temperature during the charging cycle is what causes the runaway effect with the lithium, and as we have all heard, is why these batteries ignite. New battery chemistries are helping to reduce this, but it is still critical to closely control the temperature when charging.

No, it's an NiMh. It's not the battery shutting down, but the charger that has a built-it sensor that was set at approx. 104?F (40?C). The battery itself will get hotter than that and still run or charge, but when the ambient temperature goes up in the summer, I have to be really creative about charging. It just seems like one of the Continental decisions that don't take into account other regions.

...

Regardless of the battery type, heat during either the charge or discharge cycle will kill the battery. That's not something unique to one brand of tool or the very few brands of batteries (there is only a small handful of battery manufacturers in the world, so regardless of the brand of the tool, the batteries all come from the same companies.). Fein, Festool and Metabo closely monitor temperature. The companies that don't monitor temperature as closely do not have the end-user's best interest in mind.

Well, we're brought up to be consumers, not conservators, so it all makes sense . I personally would like to see a battery design that incorporates both passive and active heat dissipation but I'm sure that would just increase the bulk of the battery and the price.

 

[ItsHot]

cooling fans

cooling fans

I notice some brands, such as the Rigid, have cooling fans on their battery chargers.

 

[Ohmy]

I have a few: Makita 18v (Newest model), Milwaukee 12v (Newest Model), Hitachi 12v (Old model), And Ryobi 18v (old Model). I've had to return: Milwalkee, and Ridgid 18v drills (Junk--just my opinion). Out of all of these the cheapest one (Ryobi) has out-lasted all of them. Newest model=Lithium Battery

Go Ryobie! I like the previous post about no one wanting to steal it also. Think about how inefficient guys are when they have to keep their tools under watch.

 

[Power Tech]

Have had Default for years. The only reason I don't change is the 12 batteries 3 drills 2 impacts etc. I do think the Milwaukee orbital sawsall is superior to the wham bam Dewalt. I have a Dewalt skill saw that I use on steel every day since they first came on the market, 4" rigid / no problem, 1/2" EMT cuts off like a broomstick.

 

[LarryFine]

I notice some brands, such as the Rigid, have cooling fans on their battery chargers.

The later 24v DeWalt's had fans in the batteries themselves.

 

[ItsHot]

The later 24v DeWalt's had fans in the batteries themselves.

I have an older 24v Dewalt hammer drill, single battery that has gone bad, due to leaving the battery in an uncharged state to long:-?. I think this is my biggest fault with cordless tools. I am leaning towards the Dewalt brand.For a smaller lite use drill, the Hitachi seems nice. It is lite weight and balanced well. Thanks for all your thoughts and comments!! As always you are very helpful!

 

[ultramegabob]

For a smaller lite use drill, the Hitachi seems nice. It is lite weight and balanced well. QUOTE]

I have a friend that has a 12v. Hitachi impact driver for working with steel studs, he let me use it for a day, and I was impressed with how long the battery lasted, they are a nice tool for the money, and very comfortable.

 

[dereckbc]

NiCads .

Sparky you are suppose to completely discharge NiCd and NiMH batteries for maximum life, You just have to make sure they are cool when you start to recharge them.

 

[LarryFine]

Sparky you are suppose to completely discharge NiCd and NiMH batteries for maximum life.

Not to the 100% discharged state. It can cause cell polarity reversal and/or the development of internal "whiskers" in the electrolyte which can effectively short a cell, both of which contribute to what we call the 'memory effect.'

 

[rbwsparky]

I've been using Craftsman 19.2 for over a year now with no problems. Dewalt dills were giving us problems with chucks. I can buy 3 Craftsman 2 piece kits for about the same price as 1 Dewalt XRP. The 5 piece kits they offer now sell for about $300. Right angle drill works great in tight areas. Batteries are inexpensive and seem to last as long as others.

 

[Vod-Vil]

Can someone take this thing out behind the shed, and put it out of its misery.

Hands down the UGLIEST drill I have ever laid eyes upon.

:grin:

 

[LarryFine]

Hands down the UGLIEST drill I have ever laid eyes upon.

So, don't look at it.

Groucho Marx: "Say, is this a barn or a stable?"

Chico Marx: "Well, if you look at it, it's a barn; if you smell it, it's a stable."

Groucho Marx: "Then, let's just look at it."

 

[SiddMartin]

[/QUOTE]

no hammer function either? why buy it? looks like somethin I'd buy my kid

edit to add: doesnt look like it chucks either, just a 1/4" bit holder?

 

[dwellselectric]

Everyone has their favorites. This is part of the reason I like Milwaukee.

Now that is wicked nice:grin:

 

[Rick Christopherson]

looks like somethin I'd buy my kid

You must really love your kid, because this costs way more than I would be willing to spend on mine.

edit to add: doesnt look like it chucks either, just a 1/4" bit holder?

If you had read instead of skimmed, you would have seen that the drill has several different chucks that snap on with a quick-release.

 

[GUNNING]

ok drill died today ... it was an 18 v bosche. great drill. dont know what to get next. Ryiobi just dont have the umf to do the job and the bosche dont have the lithium ion batteries. what to do... the square phasor lookin drill looks silly. suggestions?

 

[LarryFine]

Everyone has their favorites. This is part of the reason I like Milwaukee.

It looks like a sow feeding its piglets.

 

[quogueelectric]

I just bought the v18 li milwaulkee 1/2" hammerdrill with v18 battery. Charger is not compatible with m18 li batteries. I am just a little pissed off I now have a v18 li 50Wh battery with no available charger. I thought that if I had the 18vmh and the 18v li charger that one of them would fit.

 

[c2500]

FYI.....Dewalt is going through a redesign, and the first generation NANO powered tools have been going cheap around here. A buddy bought the impact driver and drill with 2 NANO batteries for $299.

c2500

 

[Flex]

Buy Makita