Quality hole saws have always had hex shanks. The extra torque required on a small shank will make a round shaft slip in the drill chuck. Drills are still the proper way to drill any hole. This is especially true when using diamond hole saws where the crystals will shatter with an impact.
I generally agree. With a drill you get much better speed control. The speed variations with an impact can cause tearing and splintering at break through in wood and can make the hole less than precise in any material. If that does not matter use what ever is convenient.
No, it just doesn't have much to do with COO.
Your approach to this conversation is a little bizarreIf you asked Lowes/HD, I think they'd tell you there aren't many corded tools being sold these days for hand-tools and it's eroding fast in a lot of segments. Small sanders/etc. are still often corded due to price. Bigger things like miter saws, etc. have limited value going to battery because they don't move much and it adds to cost. Corded circular saws are probably losing ground to batteries but still majority corded. I'd bet sawsall-type stuff is split and trending cordless. But drills? In the consumer/DIY segment I have to think it's vastly battery-powered. Impacts and nail guns? Essentially all battery or air (and air getting eaten by battery).
Those cordless caulking guns are awesome once you get the learning curve down. I’m like you I hope and pray I never have to use a manual one again, but if I have another project like sealing my patio deck or something of that size again I’ll buy one just to save my hands.
No, it just doesn't have much to do with COO.
If you asked Lowes/HD, I think they'd tell you there aren't many corded tools being sold these days for hand-tools and it's eroding fast in a lot of segments. Small sanders/etc. are still often corded due to price. Bigger things like miter saws, etc. have limited value going to battery because they don't move much and it adds to cost. Corded circular saws are probably losing ground to batteries but still majority corded. I'd bet sawsall-type stuff is split and trending cordless. But drills? In the consumer/DIY segment I have to think it's vastly battery-powered. Impacts and nail guns? Essentially all battery or air (and air getting eaten by battery).
Corded tools are now the exception than the rule for all but the bigger/stationary tools.
), and I think many have been convinced that cords are obsolete and the box stores are happy to sell them batteries, so not going to do anything to dissuade them of that belief. There are still a lot of corded tools on the market, you just have to go online or shop the stores that still put all the stock on the shelf instead of just what is most profitable. If I go to HD you would think there are few cordless options, if I go across town to an independent hardware store they have a much larger selection of corded tools. That joke lasted until the first bead and turned into where have you been all of my life. It’s exactly the brand name that raises the price lol. But my dad uses Ryobi, so I can cheat and borrow his batteries etc and just give him the caulk gun as a gift.The Ryobi caulking gun is pretty cheap and it works well, I think it runs $40-50 tool only, I picked one up on sale for I think $29. What ever I paid it was cheap enough that I literally bought it as a joke when I was reroofing my carport with my dad. "Look at me, Mr Bigshot with a power caulking gun".
Rigid also has one for just a bit more than the Ryobi. I'm not sure what could possibly make the Dewalt and Milwaukee caulking guns cost $150-200 other than the brand name.
In the last 5-10 years everything going brushless has made an even bigger improvement. As my corded stuff wears out it generally gets replaced with an M18 version of it if it’ll see any decent amount of use.
Cordless work well for the lighter work typical of DIY as a whole (before somebody points out that they drill mine shafts for fun and profit, you are not the average DIYer
I lump air tools in with cords, because you trade power / endurance for being tethered. Air has the added issue of most air tools needing a fairly serious compressor. You can run small nail guns off of a pancake, probably the same for a ratchet, but framing at a decent speed with a large framing gun is going to take a bigger compressor and an air impact, die grinder or cutoff tool a lot more. This definitely makes cordless an attractive option. Even buying a completely new battery platform for a single tool is cheap compared to buying and installing a 10-20cfm 80 gal compressor. Air tools are relatively inexpensive if you already have the infrastructure, but you are probably well into the advanced DIY category if you do.
Cordless tools have come a long way, and are probably capable of doing 80-90% of the work of corded tools, so a home user that has opted for a full cordless shop isn't seriously lacking. Corded tools still offer a lot of benefits. First for someone on a budget they are always a cheaper option, and where the advantage of a battery is minimal you generally get a lot more tool for the money in exchange for the disadvantage of using extension cords. If you are in a fairly static work location as in a shop, cords are minimally intrusive. If you work outside, or on a ladder then cordless really come into their own.
Note I said larger drills. For a lot of work a 9.6v to 20v 3/8" drill is more than adequate. If you want to punch some holes in even thin steel plate or drill into masonry / concrete, cordless still can't touch what a corded drill can do. The other day I had to drill 16 3/8" holes into 1/8" steel plate to mount some castors. My corded 3/8" Milwaukee drill knocked out all 16 in about the same time I could have done 2 with my 18v cordless Makita, it was that significant of a difference. Drilling holes in wood, I'll always reach for the cordless unless I'm using a large hole saw because I can be done in about the time it took to get the extension cord to plug in the corded drill.
Of all the tools out there the 1/4" and 3/8" drill has probably seen the most enhancement from the invention of cordless technology largely due to the fact drilling holes by hand often benefits from freedom of movement. I mean what are the odds you will ever be using a circular saw over your head or while standing on a chair. The impact driver is basically a development of the cordless drill, not sure we would even have it as a common tool without the invention of the cordless drill.
#2: impact wrench (assuming you do your own vehicle maintenance and need to rotate your tires)
I recently did some work to my deck. I thought my Milwaukee 2804 (M18 Fuel 1/2" Hammer drill, with 1200 in-lb of torque) should be enough for everything, including driving screws. It turned out that I couldn't counter sink screws into the wood at all. Then I used my Ingersoll Rand 1/4" impact driver, the screws can be easily driven below the surface.
You may have old information. 20 years ago drills could still perform most of what an impact driver did, but that is no longer even close to correct. When Panasonic built the first impact driver it was pretty limited in function. When the other tool manufacturers jumped onboard they started advancing rapidly.
I actually have a very similar kit to that quick change counter sink set. Came from Sears about 25 years ago. I hardly ever use it.
Well, let me tell you this: I work in auto manufacturing and I use a Milwaukee M12 impact driver every day at my work, shooting screws and small bolts into cars.
The only problem with drilling with an impact driver is that it doesnt drill precise holes. Sure, it'll do it but that doesnt mean its the right tool for the job. Its just like when someone tries to use an impact driver as an impact wrench. Sure, it will maybe take the lug nuts off of your car but that doesnt mean its the right tool for the job.I recently did some work to my deck. I thought my Milwaukee 2804 (M18 Fuel 1/2" Hammer drill, with 1200 in-lb of torque) should be enough for everything, including driving screws. It turned out that I couldn't counter sink screws into the wood at all. Then I used my Ingersoll Rand 1/4" impact driver, the screws can be easily driven below the surface.
For driving screws into wood, a drill is no match. For a home owner, impact driver probably is more essential than a drill, because impact driver covers everything a drill can do. Yeah, a drill is better at drilling thick metal, or drilling requires high precision, but an impact driver has no problem at all drilling wood/concrete, which is probably all a home owner needs.
As for OP's question, I think this set from Costco is well thought out for a home owner:
Impact driver
Drill
Circular saw
Oscillating Multi-tool
Reciprocating saw
Lighting
How does this solve a wobbling hex chuck?
Don’t buy ****** tools? Nobody in trades, who actually makes their money using power tools, uses the drill outside of heavy duty, repetitive hole drilling. If you need that level of precision you need to be using a quality drill press or a mill. A hand drill isn’t capable of delivering what you claim to be needing. Otherwise, for 90+ percent of the tasks faced by someone using power tools around the house or on the job, an impact is the better choice.
I used it all the time doing hardware installs on new cabinets in remodeling and new residential construction. Really helped speed up all that repetitive work, especially in apartment complexes or multifamily builds.