Dewalt 18v Nano Kit Question + Battery Questions

Heineken77

First off, thank you to all that replied to my post in regards to 18v vs 36v overkill thread.

So I figured for my needs the 18 volt setup would do me just fine and whenever I required extra power I'd just use the corded tools.

I decided to purchase the Dewalt 18 volt Nano combo kit (DC827 Impact Driver along with the DC927 Hammer Drill/Drill/Driver).

First off, I noticed the batteries seemed charged pretty good when I opened the box, not sure if this is normal or not. Also noticed a very slight film of sticky dirt on the back of the impact gun, which almost looked like the stuff that comes out of your dryer.

Then when I tested the drill's torque, I held down on the chuck and it would slip (as it does when it's in the lowest power/gear settings when driving in screws), yet it was actually on the hammer setting and would do this. However, I switched from driver/drill/hammer and now the slipping symptoms that I noticed when I first opened the box are non existant using the higher driver settings, and I cannot replicate what happened when I first tested it.

Finally I tried switching between the 3 speeds, and at times the transition would stick. I would have to run the drill for a split second seemingly to align the gears before it would actually make the transition without sticking in a particular speed. I think I remember reading somewhere that you have to sometimes start the drill and stop it in order to be able to switch between the 3 gears, so mabye this is normal.

I am just curious as to what you guys think. Am I just being paranoid, or have any of you have noticed similar things when first opening the kit?

Finally, in terms of the 18v Nano battery

1) How long should I leave them in for the initial charge?
2) Do I have to fully discharge them before charging them again?
3) Do I have to make sure to take the battery out of the charger within a given time in order to prevent damage?
4) Do the Nano batteries work well in the cold?
5) When the batteries on the nano start to die, does the drill lose power, or does it completly cut out?

Sorry for all the questions, but I've read so many things, so many places about so many things these last couple of days, things are starting to run into each other. ex. ni-Cad, li-ion, nano etc etc lol

Thanks again guys!!

DrewD

Hey Heineken, I have the same kit and love it. I use the impact driver all the time. I have a little trouble switching speeds on my transmission as well but my older Dewalt drill did the same thing. With the Nanos I have found that when they get low the just stop working. I assume this is natural and haven't had any problems yet. I don't leave them in the charger a lot, when they are done I take them out. As for in the cold I used them last winter in about -30F (with windchill) and had no problems.

__________________

"Listen, you're my family and I love you but you're all terrible at what you do here and I feel like I should tell you, I'd fire all of you if I could."

Colorado Fatboy

1) Doesn't matter. Once the light is solid it's done charging and goes into a "maintenance" charge mode. You can leave it on as long as you'd like. I would recommend pulling them off once they are charged.
2) NO
3) See question 1
4) Don't know, haven't used in the winter yet.
5) Completely cut off. Once the battery falls to a certain voltage it has a cutoff, this prevents over discharging which can damage the battery.

Hope that helps.

GregS

Ah, so it's not just mine with the slippy transmission on a DeWalt drill.

Yes, it's normal. I mostly use it with big augers or self-feeds which means I leave it on #1. When I do hammering I switch to #3.


Same answers as Fatboy.. except I can answer the cold one.

They do work right away, however it may take a little bit for them to warm up to use. I remember reading in the manual it's not a good idea to leave them in the cold for a prolonged period, so I just bring them in every night.

I've had my chuck replaced once (do a search on here for a neat picture of it) and my chucks tend to get a little rust on them from winter condensation, but overall I am happy with the drill. The batteries weigh a lot less than the drill itself!

72chevy4x4

I've got a beef with most of my dewalt drills-the chucks seem to 'loosen', whether its with a drill bit or more often a drive bit. At times, I have to keep my free hand available to rub against the chuck to tighten it up. Anyone experience this problem? Solution?

Colorado Fatboy

Most all of our older drills (all hammer drills) say "Jacobs 700 series" on the chuck. Never had any problems like you mention. We do have 2 newer versions that do not have Jacobs chucks. No problems yet, however they are pretty new.

stp57

I just purchased the DC827 impact driver to replace my 5 yr old Dewalt 14.4V that kicked the bucket. I guess I expected it to act more like a drill. It has lots of torque, but does it have any setting for drill only? It feels like a hammer drill, somewhat. I don't see any switches or controls other than the trigger? The manual is for a number of Dewalts drills & wasn't much help?
Steve

TempestV

the impact drivers work a little different than drills. On the impacts, the bit is spun by driving it around with a hammer, which is why it is called an impact. there is no non hammering mode, because without the hammering, there would be no spin.

stp57

Thanks TempestV,
I didn't understand the principle of a impact driver. I guess for delicate work I will use my wife's Metabo Power Maxx (she won't like that).
Steve

stp57

Wow! I just used it today to drill 3/16 holes in metal with a not so sharp bit. I had no idea that the impact feature would make drilling in steel so easy! Maybe I'll get used to this thing quicker than I thought?
Steve

judeherr

The nicest thing about Lithium Ion batteries (ie: the NANO) is that they don't have any memory effect. So, every time you charge the battery, even if it is only partially drained, it will fully charge AND it will always charge to it's fullest. This is specific only to LiIon batteries, NiCad will charge less full each time which is one reason they don't last as long.
And, they work well in cold weather.
And, the NANO is backwards compatible on your other DeWalt cordless tools.

stp57

Double wow!
Today I used my impact driver on 3" deck screws all day on only 2 batteries! I couldn't believe how easy it handled long screws into pt lumber with very little pressure and not a hint of stripping the screw heads. I never thought something that small & light could be so powerful. My 18v hammer drill will get a lot of rest now.
note:
I noticed at HD today that Deckmate screws are going to torx heads instead of the square head. That's ok except that I have a ton of the #2 bits?
Steve

TempestV

No complaints there- torx heads are way better than square drives.

DrewD

I love the GRK deck screws with the torx heads. My impact driver melts them into PT all the time.

__________________

"Listen, you're my family and I love you but you're all terrible at what you do here and I feel like I should tell you, I'd fire all of you if I could."

stp57

I used the lithium battery in my roto hammer today. It doesn't fit the old style tools as awkwardly as some reviews that I've read said it did. One thing for sure, my hammer seems to run like the Eveready Bunny with the new battery. I drilled more than twice as many holes in concrete as I did with the old batteries & I didn't have to wait for my batteries to cool down before recharging!
Steve

jiffy

Tools of the trade made out better with the Dewalt Nicd over the Nano. The Nicd lasted longer than the Lithium.

The fitting of the new battery on the old tools is horrendous. There is a huge lip on many of the tools when using the new battery.

The new batteries are pretty expensive as well.

I don't see the advantage.