Thoughts on Lithium Ion Power Tools
I need a new battery for my 12v NiCad DeWalt drill, and at Lowe's replacement batteries are $69.95...I'm sure I could find them for less at Batteries Plus, or somewhere online.
Anyway, I was looking at the compact Lithium Ion drills, and they are tiny compared to my early 1990's 12v DeWalt...for a 20v.
For those who know, is this the way to go now? What size do you recommend? Anything to stay away from? I only do household projects, but I tend to buy good stuff.
Thanks.
I just bought (well maybe 6 months ago now) an 18V dewalt li-ion drill for $200 (Drill and 2 batteries/charger). It has exceeded my expectations. It charges fast. The battery stays charged for months at a time without use. And under use it lasts a long time. It's lighter too. I say don't look back and get the li-ion battery.
I upgraded from a decade old Dewalt 14v to their new "20 v max".
Color me impressed.
It runs all day with no real drop off in power and recharges are quick when they are needed.
The integrated LEDs are a nice touch too.
I have Ryobi 18V LiIon tools. I'm very happy with them. I've got the drill, circular saw, reciprocating saw, and right angle drill. The batteries also work in the weed whacker, the free blower that came with it. the chainsaw, the 2800 lumen spotlight, and the little dustbuster.
I'm really happy with the whole system. I like that the (somewhat expensive) batteries can be used to power other things when I'm not working on a project.
Thanks for the replies. I think I'm going to upgrade.
For the most part, Rigid tools come with a lifetime guarantee including the batteries. You do have to register them on line and I have never, as of yet, called on the warranty but the boys at H.D. say it is not a scam and Rigid will replace broken or failed items. They just count on you NOT registering them which is a prerequisite.
I have two 18v li-on Bosch 1/2" drills and 18v impact. The power, weight, and size are amazing. The batteries hold their charge very well. They have about 30 minutes of continuous (think putting down deck screws, non-stop work) use until you need to swap batteries. They charge ridiculously fast.
I've got the makita set for house work with the smaller batteries. Awesome nice and light weight with plenty of torque. I have had it year and a half and I love them.
Another +1 for the Ryobi 18V tools. I bought the drill, charger, and 2 battery combo for around $150 a couple years ago and it's still working great. I don't build houses with it though and can't comment on how well it would hold up to hard work. It's perfect for small home projects though.
this is the one i boughtOriginally Posted By Bhart89:
I just bought (well maybe 6 months ago now) an 18V dewalt li-ion drill for $200 (Drill and 2 batteries/charger). It has exceeded my expectations. It charges fast. The battery stays charged for months at a time without use. And under use it lasts a long time. It's lighter too. I say don't look back and get the li-ion battery.
Second this. Have the exact comments. Kicked my ass for not replacing my old Dewalt as soon as the Li Ion came out.
Originally Posted By Mousegun:
For the most part, Rigid tools come with a lifetime guarantee including the batteries. You do have to register them on line and I have never, as of yet, called on the warranty but the boys at H.D. say it is not a scam and Rigid will replace broken or failed items. They just count on you NOT registering them which is a prerequisite.
I just bought the rigid hammer drill/drill/screwdriver and impact drill combo pack with 2 batteries and charger that was offered by home depot for $280. I registered that stuff same day and feel assured that my stuff will get fixed if it ever breaks.
Great tools btw.
Ryobi blows. They are the hesse/vulcan of power tools. Get a bosch or milwaukee and be done with it. Ryobi is the only drill I know that at full power and can stop the chuck from rotating with my bare hand. Zero power and fragile to boot.
Originally Posted By hkusp9:
Originally Posted By Mousegun:
For the most part, Rigid tools come with a lifetime guarantee including the batteries. You do have to register them on line and I have never, as of yet, called on the warranty but the boys at H.D. say it is not a scam and Rigid will replace broken or failed items. They just count on you NOT registering them which is a prerequisite.
I just bought the rigid hammer drill/drill/screwdriver and impact drill combo pack with 2 batteries and charger that was offered by home depot for $280. I registered that stuff same day and feel assured that my stuff will get fixed if it ever breaks.
Great tools btw.
I had a chance to spend a few hours with a Ridged drill on a job site. Mostly drilling into electrical panels with a hole saw. The Ridged did the job with little slip in the bit and did not slow down no matter how hard I pushed it while drilling a 1" hole.
It gets my thumbs up
One thing to note, your old Dewault is of better quality than the new stuff. I am staying with my old 12v Dewalt, it is better than the new stuff despite the battery tech change.
Bosch 12v max rocks.
Milwaukee m12 li-ion here, great w/ the XC batteries they offer for them, have more power then you would expect for a 12vt tool. Used the std m12 drill w/ XC batt to drill 6-8 1/2" holes in a ford truck frame on one charge.
Plus they make a ridiculous amount of tools that take the m12 batts.
Originally Posted By castiel:
Another +1 for the Ryobi 18V tools. I bought the drill, charger, and 2 battery combo for around $150 a couple years ago and it's still working great. I don't build houses with it though and can't comment on how well it would hold up to hard work. It's perfect for small home projects though.
this is the one i bought
+1
Another satisfied Ryobi user here. I have the same setup, plus I picked up the hand vac (dustbuster) for $20 bucks. Works great around the house for spot pickups on the wood floor. I have 2 of the 18 volt batteries and no problems with any so far.
Also used the drill to pull and put in new screws on my 18x34 deck and drill through concrete to tap tapcons in the wall to put in a shower surround.
Next purchase will be the multihead tool.
Originally Posted By RabidMonkeyPox:
Originally Posted By hkusp9:
Originally Posted By Mousegun:
For the most part, Rigid tools come with a lifetime guarantee including the batteries. You do have to register them on line and I have never, as of yet, called on the warranty but the boys at H.D. say it is not a scam and Rigid will replace broken or failed items. They just count on you NOT registering them which is a prerequisite.
I just bought the rigid hammer drill/drill/screwdriver and impact drill combo pack with 2 batteries and charger that was offered by home depot for $280. I registered that stuff same day and feel assured that my stuff will get fixed if it ever breaks.
Great tools btw.
I had a chance to spend a few hours with a Ridged drill on a job site. Mostly drilling into electrical panels with a hole saw. The Ridged did the job with little slip in the bit and did not slow down no matter how hard I pushed it while drilling a 1" hole.
It gets my thumbs up
Bought a Rigid impact driver a few months ago, and man, am I impressed. Thinking about selling the Dewalt 14v NiCad and buying a matching Rigid to replace it.
I have both the Milwaukee M12 and M18 systems.
Would recommend.
The only downside I see with them is that when they die they just shutoff with pretty much no warning. NiMh batteries slowed toward the end of the charge so you always knew when you were headed for a spare battery...
Originally Posted By Belial:
The only downside I see with them is that when they die they just shutoff with pretty much no warning. NiMh batteries slowed toward the end of the charge so you always knew when you were headed for a spare battery...
I don't know what you've used, but there's a very obvious loss of power/speed when the batteries start getting low in the Boschs I own.
I'd go with the 18v over the 12 or 14. Longer runtime and more power.
The lithium battery auto shut off is a built in feature. For people especially in the trade you know exactly when the battery is getting to that point when it will impact the quality and consistency of your work.
You have no idea how many times a near dead battery has caused drill bits to get stuck in concrete and 7/8' hole saws to get tangled up in insulation.
Originally Posted By Bhart89:
I just bought (well maybe 6 months ago now) an 18V dewalt li-ion drill for $200 (Drill and 2 batteries/charger). It has exceeded my expectations. It charges fast. The battery stays charged for months at a time without use. And under use it lasts a long time. It's lighter too. I say don't look back and get the li-ion battery.
This. This This, and This again. For the hobby/occasional user, li-ion is a huge win.
You do pay for it.
Originally Posted By RabidMonkeyPox:
The lithium battery auto shut off is a built in feature. For people especially in the trade you know exactly when the battery is getting to that point when it will impact the quality and consistency of your work.
You have no idea how many times a near dead battery has caused drill bits to get stuck in concrete and 7/8' hole saws to get tangled up in insulation.
Which brands do this? My Boschs don't do that to my knowledge. They have a noticeable loss of power. I've never run my batteries very low, as soon as I notice the drop off, I swap batteries.
Originally Posted By SDMF_Rebel:
Originally Posted By RabidMonkeyPox:
The lithium battery auto shut off is a built in feature. For people especially in the trade you know exactly when the battery is getting to that point when it will impact the quality and consistency of your work.
You have no idea how many times a near dead battery has caused drill bits to get stuck in concrete and 7/8' hole saws to get tangled up in insulation.
Which brands do this? My Boschs don't do that to my knowledge. They have a noticeable loss of power. I've never run my batteries very low, as soon as I notice the drop off, I swap batteries.
From what I have seen Milwaukee, DeWalt, the newer version of Makita all do this with the new Lithium batteries.
The lithium allows the tool to run to the furthest point at 100%, when the battery is no longer able to give the tool proper power instead of drawing down like the old NiCaid batteries the lithium just shuts off from the tool preventing it from functioning under 100%, this tells the user that the battery has reached its furthest possible usage point.
The newer Milwaukee red lithium models I own that do this. I prefer this in a tool, you can run it at maximum power till it can run no longer. Some manufacturers are now programming it into their lithium brand tools, I like this myself and find it more handy than anything else.
They give a run down on the model I use at work, pretty good reviews and one of the best in terms of hands on presentation you'll find on power tools online, I think.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04BS5xZEgpk&list=FLQCyVHbW135qe79O2qeM8fg&index=6&feature=plpp_video
