Cordless Tools... Regret???

 
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Old 07-03-2008, 11:03 AM   #1
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Cordless Tools... Regret???


do you regret buying any of your cordless tools?

i'm shopping for a circular saw and jigsaw, and i dont know wheather to stick to the ol' school corded or going cordless. i know a bunch of people are quite happy with their 36v tools, but i'm pretty much into makita 18v lithium.

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Old 07-03-2008, 11:39 AM   #2
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Re: Cordless Tools... Regret???


Those are two of my favourite cordless tools.
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Old 07-03-2008, 12:47 PM   #3
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Re: Cordless Tools... Regret???


I have the home cheapo ryobi 18v ni-cad cordless kit ($169)and it has served me well, no regrets. I dont believe in buying a $300+ high voltage cordless saw when a $150-200 corded saw will be lighter, out power and outlast any cordless any brand.
As for jigsaws its been said on this site many times before. BOSCH-BOSCH-BOSCH corded.
just my 2
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Old 07-03-2008, 01:58 PM   #4
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Re: Cordless Tools... Regret???


My only regrets in cordless tools are as follows:
Dewalt 14.4 volt drill, works great except even on drill setting the chuck kicks in. Pain in the ass when I'm boring a hole for wire, or plumbing. Could be the bits I'm using, the irwin speedbore bits, evil looking suckers, but since the tip is threaded, it pulls itself through the wood. Also, I bought it reconditioned.

Dewalt 18 volt recip, also works great, but boy does it eat batteries. I even have the XRP's. buddy of mine borrowed it, put his standard 18v batt in it, dead in 5 mins.


On a positive note I own a Dewalt 18v impact driver, AWESOME!!!!!!! I bought it because the 14.4 wouldn't put those bits through, and my corded 6.3 amp dewalt drill is to big for some of the bays with those bits in..
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Old 07-03-2008, 02:35 PM   #5
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Re: Cordless Tools... Regret???


My batteries are only dead when I really,really need them. I'm starting to see a lot more cords hanging out of my tools,,,,,,After 10 years of waiting for a charge,,,
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Old 07-03-2008, 03:12 PM   #6
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Re: Cordless Tools... Regret???


I love the feel of my Makita Lion tools, but I've had numerous problems with the tools.

My drill blew out 3rd gear. Apparently, they ALL blow out 3rd gear. Some kind of design flaw. Fixed for free, but it's already acting up again less than a month after being fixed.

My charger just died one day. Free replacement.

I've had two 1.5A batteries replaced under warranty and one 3.0A battery replaced.

I've heard the Milwaukee Lion is terrible on the battery side.

At this point, I've just come to the realization that when you work tools all day long, they wear out faster than if you use them occasionally.
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Old 07-03-2008, 03:58 PM   #7
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Re: Cordless Tools... Regret???


DeWalt sucks. my batteries go dead way too quick.
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Old 07-03-2008, 04:02 PM   #8
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Re: Cordless Tools... Regret???


I have a range of cordless,there ok when a few jobs to be done,obviously electric is better for larger jobs,i couldnt do without my 3 impact drivers,SDS or saws.
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Old 07-03-2008, 04:58 PM   #9
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Re: Cordless Tools... Regret???


I really dont like any of the full size lithium ion stuff. I dont really know what it is, I just know I dont care for them. You want a real bad ass drill, go buy a festool. They are only 12v ni-cad, but you would never know it. One battery will run all day long and into the next. Plus they all sorts of cool chucks.

I really dont like anything cordless, thought I would like a sawzall, nah it sucked, saw sucks too.
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Old 07-03-2008, 04:58 PM   #10
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Re: Cordless Tools... Regret???


My only regret is not buying the Dewalt 18V impact driver sooner.
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Old 07-03-2008, 09:13 PM   #11
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Re: Cordless Tools... Regret???


Except for cordless drill/drivers, which are now a staple in everyones tool arsenal, I think most other cordless tools are only usefull if your job requires lots of crawling into attics or such for a few cuts. No substitute for a quality corded tool IMO, for every day extended usage.
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Old 07-03-2008, 09:26 PM   #12
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Re: Cordless Tools... Regret???


Cordless Drill = Panasonic x 2. Great drill and driver. Use all the time.
Cordless Saws all and trim saw Sears Tried them for work, now good for a home tool to trim trees etc. 1/4" plywood.
Everything else besides the drill, work related, I've gone back to the corded versions. Hammer drill is again corded.
Oh yea I do still use my Dewalt cordless finish nailer some times for door trims and such. Larger trim jobs I get the compressor out.
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Old 07-03-2008, 09:43 PM   #13
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Re: Cordless Tools... Regret???


18 volt Dewalt circular saw with 6-1/2" blade. Battery dies super fast. After I bought it, I tried to trim off the bottom of a door. That was the once and last time I used it. Been in the garage for 3 years.
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Old 07-03-2008, 10:08 PM   #14
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Re: Cordless Tools... Regret???


I can't stand the cordless circular saws, nothing replaces a good corded worm drive. I do use the cordless jigsaw and recip. saw quite a bit though. Haven't fooled around too much with a cordless angle grinder. Lately I have been really tempted to buy one of those Festool brand drills. If anyone has one let me know what you think of them, being festool I imagine they are the balls.
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Old 07-03-2008, 10:14 PM   #15
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Re: Cordless Tools... Regret???


Quote:
Originally Posted by troubleseeker View Post
Except for cordless drill/drivers, which are now a staple in everyones tool arsenal, I think most other cordless tools are only usefull if your job requires lots of crawling into attics or such for a few cuts. No substitute for a quality corded tool IMO, for every day extended usage.
my thoughts exactly.
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Old 07-03-2008, 10:52 PM   #16
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Re: Cordless Tools... Regret???


DrewD-

last drill you will ever have to buy.

You run in long screws? The c12 is the drill.

You will never smoke it, the drill is too smart for that to happen.

when the clutch engages the drill stops, no annoying noise.

Brushless 3 phase AC motor.

All sorts of cool chucks.

Light, light, light.

Last edited by WarnerConstInc.; 07-03-2008 at 10:55 PM.
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Old 07-04-2008, 12:13 AM   #17
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Re: Cordless Tools... Regret???


I have never had any problems with my Bosch 18V, 24V or 36V Litheon sets. As for the Hilti 36V set, i would put the circular saw (7 1/4) up against any corded circular saw and it would be close. The Hilti cordless stuff is definitely not for the amateur.
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Old 07-04-2008, 02:34 PM   #18
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Re: Cordless Tools... Regret???


I have a Milwaukee 18v drill, Dewalt 18v xrp drill, Dewalt 18v impact, and the Bosch 10.8v impact, and I find all of them to be very useful. I've used them to put in 12" timber lock screws, so the power isn't a problem. I originally was using the Milwaukee at work, I switched over to the Dewalt a couple of months ago and retired the Milwaukee to home projects. One thing I really like about the dewalts is the radio, if you have your tunes with you, you generally have a charged battery. I just got the Bosch mini impact on Tuesday because I found it on the HD clearance shelf for $99, but so far initial impressions are pretty good. Between the two impacts, I rarely every use my drill any more. I've used the cordless sawzalls, plenty of power until the batteries die, which doesn't take long. My dad has the 18v saw which feels like a toy, way under powered. I can't think of any more cordless tools that I've used, but I'd like to buy the grinder and the angle drill, which seem like they would be fairly handy.
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Old 07-04-2008, 02:56 PM   #19
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Re: Cordless Tools... Regret???


since i still got my corded jigsaw and circular saw, i think i would go for a cordless set. most of the cuts i do are not that long, so i guess the battery can handle well.
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Old 07-04-2008, 07:55 PM   #20
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Re: Cordless Tools... Regret???


now i dont know.
i got this thought that if i go cordless all the way, i'm going to be stuck buying battery for the rest of the tool's life. who can garantee me that lets say "makita" will continue offering the same lxt battery for 5+ years (most of my tools are this old).
so, as cool as it would be to be working with a cordless saw and jigsaw, i think i'm going to shop for the corded one.
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