Just a rant on quality of tools

[ishium 80439]

What is the story on running your batteries down? I know the old ones pretty much required it. I saw guys take batteries that someone else had tossed and go through multiple cycles of discharge and recharge and bring them back to near full life. Then the manufacturers came out w/ a new technology that the eliminated the "memory" of the previous genereation. However I know guys that still drain their batteries to zero and it does not seem to have any ill effects. I guess I don't know if it helps anything but it certainly doesn't seem to hurt.

 

[djohns6]

Just bought a new Milwaukee 1/2 " corded drill . MADE IN CHINA . Oh well .

I won't get into the debate on discharging batteries versus not . But I will
advise not to attempt to charge a battery that is Hot ( temperature wise ).
Let it cool for a while before placing it in the charger . It's a hard habit to break , I know .

 

[LarryFine]

Ni-cad's require full-discharge/recharge cycling for best life, but Li-ion's don't.

The DeWalt 36v batteries sure seem to last a long time.

 

[robh]

I have an 18 volt Lith-Ion from Milwaukee and am not impressed. 2 weeks after I bought the 1/2" hammer drill and Sawzall combo, the drill got so hot near the trigger while sitting on the bench you couldn't touch it. I had to send it back to the factory. Drill came back with the case not put back together right. Sent back again. Came back and works ok. Less than a year after purchase both of my batteries last about 3-5 min while drilling then go dead. Batteries only ever lasted about 15 minutes in the Sawzall. I am ot going to shell out the clams to buy new lith-ion batts. Might go back to Dewalt and see if they are better than the last one I had. Other than that I like the drill.

 

[fireryan]

i have the 4 piece ridgid 18v set and it works great. sawzall is a bit bulky though and charger is pretty noisy. where is ridgid made?

 

[Flex]

18v makita lithium ion is awesome. and only have the 1.5 the 3.0 last even longer

 

[c2500]

I have Dewalt for my cordless tools. All told, they have been good. We have a repair center a few miles away, so if there is an issue, I can get it fixed easily.

As for the Dewalt Lithium Ion, I am not impressed. The packs do not fit into the vacs, lights, or obviously something with a built in charger. I bought the drill with the two Li-oins, and while it is ok, the price difference really cannot be justified, especially when the NICD's can be had for $60 or so. Besides, we all need the exercise from lifting that hefty 18 volt NiCd.

I have gone through some batteries over the years, and tend to get about 3 years of life out of them.

The impact drivers do have a tendency to get hot, and I actually melted a 14.4 motor a while back. They repaired it fortunately.

I have a buddy who bought Rigid, and while they have a great warranty, he has had issues with them.

c2500

 

[tyha]

we had all mil 18v for about 3 years and everything was fine until one day our hilti rep came in and set up a deal to buy 12 lith ions and some other cordless stuff and at least twice a week my guys are praising them. so do yourself a favor and if you have the money go with the hilti stuff and from what I have heard - dont know if it is true or not - try to find a rep and not the box store because the quality is better.

 

[tonyou812]

Wow that is harsh angry criticism I am a big fan of milwaulkee and it disturbs me to hear this. I have burned out thier 14 v s and use them only as screwguns now but it is sad to hear displeasure from thier products as I believe you over the manufacturer.

Your talking to one of millwaukees biggest fans. I used to absolutly love my first 18v nicad (made in germany).It was a real warrior. Long run time. real power. sure the batteries needed a long time on the charger but I had 4 of them and two chargers. I really miss that drill. Sure the lit ion has a decent run time if all your doing is drilling in screws but anything more than that or you use it with any sort of sustained use it goes real quick. not worth the money at all in my opinion.

 

[Ebow]

One issue with all rechargable batteries is heat. If you over use the battery it heats up. If you leave the battery in the charger too long it heats up. All the heat does is destroy the battery. I have an 18v DeWalt Hammer/Drill that I use on everything from drilling 3/4" holes through solid pour concrete blocks to driving in drywall screws. I have managed to keep one battery as mine for two years by never letting it get hot. The other four in my case are used by everyone else and many of them have limited power or relativly short life. Some of them are only months old.
Gene

 

[tonyou812]

Ni-cad's require full-discharge/recharge cycling for best life, but Li-ion's don't.

The DeWalt 36v batteries sure seem to last a long time.

this isnt ment to be a jab at you larry but when was the last time you were really in the trenches? I just did a bunch of add ons ( about a weeks worth) in a 100 year plus home and after day 3 I left my cordless in the truck and went to my hole shooter and right angle for anything tough. My old 18v nicad used to drill through wood like it was mad at it. and if you didnt hold on and use the extra handle it would rip your thumb off. I know alot of you might say Im abusing my drill but all I can say is the 18v nicad was the "ship"Oh and then they decided to change it and came out with a similar 18v nicad but it definately didnt have the same oomph. Why cant they just leave things alone?
Not that it will make a differance but Ive written a letter to milwaukee to tell them their product stinks. And they need to bring back the nicad.

 

[steelersman]

I just want to tell you guys that the Millwaukee v28 tools are garbage. I bought a set 8 months ago and it really stinks. For one the batteries discharge way to fast and the drill really seems to lack oomph. My origional 18 volt nicad was a lot better and the batteries seem to last a lot longer. If you were drilling something tough the drill would almost take your hand off if you didnt hold on tight. I much rather that then listening to the chuck slip like on the V28. I paid big bucks for this and I really feel like sending it back to the company with a nasty hate letter.
And what the hell is up with greenlee snakes? I recently got a new one and when you uncoil it, it coils up like a corkscrew. Once again a once fine tool is now a piece of crap. What the hell is going on? Has anyone else noticed a decline in quality? And what cordless set would some of you recomend? I know that Dewalt has also fallen from grace as of late. what is left? Im thinking of Bosh or Makita.
Oh and what portable generators say 5500 watts would some of you recomend?

I have an 18 bolt hilti drill w/ hammer and I love it. Granted I paid about $350 for it but it's well worth it.

 

[steelersman]

I have an 18 bolt hilti drill w/ hammer and I love it. Granted I paid about $350 for it but it's well worth it.

edit: 18 volt not bolt.

 

[tonyou812]

oh and you just reminded me the hammer on the 24 lit ion is crap too. I really think Ill give hilti a try. My buddy has one and he swears by it.

 

[westelectric]

What really caught my eye was the pack of (2) 18V batteries that you can buy for $49.00.

How bout the cool magnet that holds all your screws right on the gun

 

[electricalperson]

get the dewalt 36 volt. i love the set i own

 

[rbwsparky]

We use DeWalt XRP, these tools are real workhorses and dependable for drilling and driving .:grin:

 

[iwire]

Ni-cad's require full-discharge/recharge cycling for best life,

That used to be the case but now most manufacturers tell you to throw NiCads in the charger the moment you notice reduced output and they go on to say full discharging can harm them.

Me, I use 18 and 14 volt Dewalts. If I need 24, 36 etc I will pull out a corded tool.

 

[quogueelectric]

The 18 v ryobi is the contractors dream. The drills are cheap and quirky yet they work pretty good for what they are. It is embarasing to use them so noone steals them they are win win all the way around.

 

[quogueelectric]

The little fm radio is pretty cool. For my own tools I use almost exclusively milwaulkee. Bosch for cs20 circular saw and Bosch jigsaws are awesome. Milwaulkee angle drill, hole shooter, hole hawg and drumroll please.......Super hawg. Hitachi slide mitre 8 1/2 Dewalt slide mitre 12 inch. Rigid 10" laser tilesaw Mostly senco and porter cable nailguns. Hilti for all fastening powder and gas and hammerdrills. Paslode for run of the mill nailing framer and trim. I sound like an ebay store. Blue rhino co2 regs for portable air and filling tires when needed. I am never at a loss for tools.