I need a cordless drill

[paperfist]

The pain of battery maintenance.

As far as I know, every battery technology from NiCad to NiMH to Lithium-Ion suffer from self-discharge and they need to be cycled. Batteries hate being empty and may even leak once their charge goes too low -- they end up destroying the device...

Yepp. I think I have 7-9 different batteries and chargers. Almost impossible to keep track of them all and maintain them. Just what the manufactures hope for

 

[Imp]

Yepp. I think I have 7-9 different batteries and chargers. Almost impossible to keep track of them all and maintain them. Just what the manufactures hope for

I got tired of tracking them and got rid of most of my battery operated devices. Now down to 12 AA/AAA batteries in my possession along with two 9-volts, laptop, music player, phone, and shaver and three cameras... What a pain. Shaver and music player, one 9-volt will probably go.

 

[Childs]

Big Sky Tools often have refurbished 18v Hitachi lithium drills on sale for like $50-60. Usually includes two batteries and a charger.

 

[Miramonti]

My 6 year old 12v hitachi driver batteries are still going strong...highly recommend name brand reputable li-ion drivers.

 

[ctk1981]

We have quite a few hitachi drills floating around at work for us peon mechanics to use and abuse. The electricians and machinist have Bosch drills reserved for them. With that said, I don't think either brand has failed us yet.

 

[John Connor]

I have this variant except it's a NiCad. http://www.craftsman.com/products/craftsman-c3-19-2v-lithium-ion-hammer-drill-kit

 

[John Connor]

By far the best drills are from ChinaHarbor (Harbor Freight).


:awe:

 

[mikeford]

This place, no endorsement just a quick google, sells drill kit for $20 and shipping free over 99. http://www.ruralking.com/genesis-18v-cordless-drill-driver-kit-gcd18cp.html

The trick will all cordless is buy the same brand, which is why I have Craftsman, Bosch, Milwaukee, etc.

Battery life is just weird, we have nicad cordless Black and Decker mixer that is more than 10 years old and works fine.

OTOH every Craftsman C3 nicad I've bought has died within the one year warranty and its replacement similarly then out of warranty.

 

[EliteRetard]

If Eneloops can hold their charge for 7+ years unused, and can withstand 2,000+ recharges, why cant they make a good tool battery?

10x AA Eneloop would make an 18v 4ah battery for ~25$.

 

[Eli]

There's nothing inherently wrong with NiCd batteries, but they're not that great for seldom-used devices. You could probably revive the pack with some finagling, but it's probably not worth the trouble(?) - it will just take time. You need to get the pack cycling if you want to revive it. Charge it for 24 hours, use the drill until it starts to weaken, not until it's totally dead. Rinse and repeat this, and you will likely eventually recover the battery. Probably take a few days to weeks, anywhere from 2-12+ cycles to recover full capacity. Yes, the first few discharge cycles will be very quick.

You probably won't have the same issues with Lithium Ion.

I use the Black and Decker 20V lithium ion drills in a commercial setting, and they're fantastic for the price. This guy, but you can find it cheaper: http://www.amazon.com/Decker-LD120VA-20-Volt-Lithium-Ion-Accessories/dp/B006V6YAPI

We've had one die due to trigger failure - to dis/assemble, each hybrid battery has ~100 bolts and screws. They're not ultra heavy duty - you will break the chuck bolt if you try and use the drill to unscrew bolts that the motor can't get by itself, but replacements are available, part number 149518-01.

Drills currently in use, manufacture year-week:

29-2011
31-2012
31-2012
31-2012
13-2013 (Bought Refurbished)
24-2013 (Bought Refurbished)

Batteries:

28-2011
25-2012
25-2012
25-2012
12-2013 (Aftermarket 1.5Ah)
15-2013 (Aftermarket 1.5Ah)

All basically in use 24/7/365 for the last 4 years. I'm actually shocked that the batteries have lasted as well as they have, even the aftermarket ones.

If you want to spend a little more, the DeWalt lithium-ion are great and heavier duty.

http://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DCD771C2-Lithium-Ion-Compact-Driver/dp/B00ET5VMTU/

We use them for the automotive side of things. Not nearly as steady use, but they can break much tougher bolts loose, and the batteries/drills are circa 2012 with no problems to report.

If Eneloops can hold their charge for 7+ years unused, and can withstand 2,000+ recharges, why cant they make a good tool battery?

10x AA Eneloop would make an 18v 4ah battery for ~25$.

10x AA Eneloop would make a 12V, 2Ah pack. You would need 30 cells to make an 18V, 4Ah pack.

But there's no reason why low self discharge nickel cells wouldn't make a good tool battery, but they're more expensive than regular nickel cells, so it's just that much harder to compete with lithium's Wh/kg.

 

[sdifox]

Go buy a Dewalt

Today's Dewalt is a pale shadow of its former self. Same thing with Milwaukee.


<- Still owns a Dewalt soldering gun.

Bought a DeWalt about 15 years ago, still going.

Also have Hitachi DV18DL Hammer Drill and WH18DL Impact Driver. Bought them Jan 2009, love them.

 

[DrPizza]

Today's Dewalt is a pale shadow of its former self. Same thing with Milwaukee.


<- Still owns a Dewalt soldering gun.

Agreed, but those Dewalt 20V drills are pretty nice nonetheless.

OP, why not just buy a replacement battery? They do sell them separately.

 

[RelaxTheMind]

just replaced my nicad dewalts that were workhorses for several years. used and abused for sell tapping screws into hard metals (roofing and boarding up commercial windows for hurricanes).

got a hitachi and a dewalt li-ion. the fathers day version of the drill on sale in the middle of the aisle arent the same build quality as the more fully featured commercial grade ones with higher torque and variable speed you'll find in the actual tool aisles or in contractor supply stores.

the hitachi one i got was just to try to give them a shot. build quality seems ok except the battery guides are already wore down after a year and rattles a bit. I personally like how solid it is and the torque it puts out. the aesthetic grips and designs on the casing made it hard to clean and wipe off though.

the basic cordless li-ion dewalt i got for a fathers day seems to be very basic but the build quality is much higher minus the fact it feels more toyish from the plastic they add to make it look bulkier than it needs to be. Almost feel it would break if i dropped it battery down. Never had that worry with my old nicad dewalts.

 

[LTC8K6]

Bought two Dewalt 18V XRP Nicad cordless drills in 2011. They are still going today in an industrial plant. Bought one set of replacement batteries for them. So far, only one of the original battery packs has quit.

I don't think they are available any more.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_100952-70-DCD940KX_0__?productId=3005322

 

[TwiceOver]

I love my Dewalt 20v brushless impact driver. The 20v brushless drill/driver is "ok". They are fine tools overall.

 

[Eli]

If you're going to stick with the drill you have, you should try and revive the battery. There is probably nothing wrong with it, but whether you're successful or not will depend on how much patience you have.

When nickel cells are left to self discharge for a long period of time, their voltage curve upon charging again is often wonky, and most chargers will either refuse to charge, or won't charge fully. Here is what it looks like visually:

In this first graph, the batteries had been sitting for over a year unused before being charged. Their voltage spikes up very high very quickly, and in response the chargers cut back to trickle charge after only inputting a fraction of the batteries total capacity.

Naturally, this gives you poor capacity:

This is what you're experiencing right now.

But after some more cycles, things start to look pretty good. This is the 5th charge cycle on the same batteries:

Which results in a normal discharge cycle:

 

[JEDI]

No batteries required, and has a virtually unlimited life span.

+1

stock up.
when the terrorists blow up the electrical grid, these will be worth its weight in gold

 

[96Firebird]

I am also in the market for a drill/impact driver combo set, just for around the house stuff. For some reason I'm drawn towards brushless motors, even though I probably won't notice a difference... Worth it over brushed motors?

 

[Elganja]

another vote for makita ... i've had my set for about 7 years now and still love them

 

[Scarpozzi]

Home Depot has a 2 pack deal right now for $99...comes with a Ryobi 18v drill and an 18v impact driver with two batteries and charger... Their drills and impact drivers are good and the $99 deal comes up about twice a year. I've built many serious projects and still use my drill/impact driver on my house....probably 3 days a week.

Edit: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-ON...r-and-Impact-Driver-Kit-2-Tool-P882/203406854

The batteries are 'fade free' power...which means, when they get to a certain level, the motor just stops until you charge the battery back up again. I have had great luck with Ryobi and feel like it's a better deal to buy this combo every few years just for the batteries.

I also own the Ryobi Bluetooth radio, Right angle drill, 5" circular saw, and another few impact drivers/drills that I've picked up over the years. I have a few corded drills, a jigsaw, and did have a reciprocating saw. I used the reciprocating saw one day (for about 4 hours straight) and something in it broke...that and a defective battery pack have been my only bad experiences with Ryobi out of all those tools.

 

[NoTine42]

Bought two Dewalt 18V XRP Nicad cordless drills in 2011. They are still going today in an industrial plant. Bought one set of replacement batteries for them. So far, only one of the original battery packs has quit.

I don't think they are available any more.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_100952-70-DCD940KX_0__?productId=3005322

I have one of those, it has really amazed me!
(I knew pro quality cordless was good, but thought all homeowner quality cordless was junk...I reverted to corded drills)
For the first few years, I could go 3mo with no use, and the batteries still had a great charge
One of my 2 batteries batteries barely works, but the other is still really strong.

 

[Rakehellion]

If Eneloops can hold their charge for 7+ years unused, and can withstand 2,000+ recharges, why cant they make a good tool battery?

10x AA Eneloop would make an 18v 4ah battery for ~25$.

So now it's a decision between NiMH, Ni-Cad, or Li-ion?

 

[sdifox]

So now it's a decision between NiMH, Ni-Cad, or Li-ion?

Ath ths stage of the game just get li-ion.

 

[JEDI]

So now it's a decision between NiMH, Ni-Cad, or Li-ion?

I am still shocked ni-cad is still sold.

thought nimh would be the min in the 2nd decade of this new millenium

 

[Denly]

I bought a porter cable 20v driver/drill two drill, two batteries set for around the house and auto job, I have never run out of battery. They're fair bit cheaper than the bigs.