Corded or Battery Powered Tools??

[MagicMarker]

So I need basic home improvement tools. Circular saw etc.. Do I go corded or battery powered?

 

[frank_c]

Most of my stuff is battery powered, but I have a corded circular saw and a couple corded drills.

 

[Chaznsc]

I'm a cord guy, in the minority I know. I hate batteries.

 

[Cmreschke]

Corded for most everything exempt my little impact and screw gun set, but I have two corded drills.

 

[Hpozzuoli]

Cordless!!! Some tools like grinders and rotary hammers will **** the batteries down quicker than drills etc. I have been doing a lot of new construction and not having plugs available makes me happy I finally switched over. I went with Dewalt 20v, but you can get the brand you like most.

 

[flyng_fool]

The new long run time Li-ion batteries have plenty of torque and you can get a lot of work done before you have to swap out. Give me battery powered any day.

 

[MagicMarker]

Right I'm in the market for a circular saw... thinking of going corded.

Does brand really make a difference? I only want to buy one and hope it would last for years to come.

 

[Tim C]

I like to have a cordless drill for quick projects or a single hole to be drilled. Everything else is corded. I build rock crawling buggies and there's too much grinding, cutting, and drilling to wait on batteries to charge.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

 

[flyng_fool]

It depends on what you want to use t for. If you're going to do a lot of heavy duty cutting then a worm gear circular saw is the way to go. For lighter stuff a regular old circular saw will work just fine.

 

[bob15]

Circular saw and reciprocating saw, I would go corded. I have both and rarely use the cordless saws. The batteries fail too quickly.

Drill/driver, I would start with a corded and the look for a cordless in the future. I usually use the cordless, but will use the corded for jobs for larger jobs. For starting out with nothing in regards to power tools, corded is the way to go.

Batteries can and will go out (fail) at the wrong time, whereas the corded will keep on going......

 

[Ponchoguy]

I'm a cord guy, in the minority I know. I hate batteries.

+1. I'll stand with you on this one. Corded for me. New battery prices "total out" the tool in short order. Cords last virtually forever.

 

[wayne55]

If you only use the tool once every 6 months, I think you're better to go corded. If you use it daily, the cordless for convenience. Of course some tools, as others have said, should only get corded.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I love and use the heck out of my cordless tools. Yet, if I could only have one circular saw, I'd stick with my corded Dewalt saw.

 

[MagicMarker]

Thanks guys... I'll go corded.

For basic home needs.. which brand(s) do you recommend?

 

[Kensgarage]

NON-full time ? CORDED
Full time ? Battery for speed and convenience.

 

[G McKay]

I'm a cord guy, in the minority I know. I hate batteries.

2nd this. Corded tools will only go dead on you in the middle of the job.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Thanks guys... I'll go corded.

For basic home needs.. which brand(s) do you recommend?

I had a Skilsaw for several years and it took some abuse cutting a shingle roof and concrete. After it died, I spent the money and bought a nice Dewalt. I also bought another Skilsaw for junk work to abuse. I figure having a 18V Circular saw and the Skilsaw for abusing, the nicer Dewalt will last me 20 plus years.

 

[mmb617]

For the most part I prefer corded, but every home needs at least one cordless drill/driver.

I have two cordless drills and two cordless impacts and use them more than any other power tools I own. When you are doing a big job that requires several different drill sizes and maybe both phillips and torque bits it's real nice to just grab another tool rather than constantly changing bits.

You almost have to have a corded circular saw and sawzall as those things run a battery down quick. After you already have a corded version it is nice to also get a cordless later if possible. After all there's no such thing as too many tools.

My wife once asked me how many drills I had and I think the answer was 9 or 10, and how many different saws I had, same answer. When she asked me why I simply asked her how many purses she had, or shoes for that matter. Kind of ended that discussion.

 

[mmb617]

I had a Skilsaw for several years and it took some abuse cutting a shingle roof and concrete. After it died, I spent the money and bought a nice Dewalt. I also bought another Skilsaw for junk work to abuse. I figure having a 18V Circular saw and the Skilsaw for abusing, the nicer Dewalt will last me 20 plus years.

This is a good strategy. We all do things we know are tool abuse. It's nice to have a cheaper tool to abuse and a better one for everything else.

 

[Voi]

The only tools I have in both corded and cordless versions are drills, reciprocating saws and work lights.

For what it is worth, I reach for the cordless version pretty much every time. In fact I have no idea where my corded work lights even are. Even in the times where I know I'll be drilling dozens of pocket holes I use my cordless instead of my corded Bosch.

In the case of reciprocating saws I have a standard 10 amp corded and then the mini Bosch 12V. Even when it's pretty clear where the bigger saw is needed I still tend to try the cordless one first to see if it's up to the task.

So for me there is something about the convenience of cordless that just fits my habits better.

However, I just can't see paying $200 on sale for something like the Fuel 7 1/4" circular saw or the Fuel angle grinder. Nor can I see getting a non-brushless version of those tools since when I use them I tend to use them a lot.

 

[Jay H 237]

If you only use the tool once every 6 months, I think you're better to go corded. If you use it daily, the cordless for convenience. Of course some tools, as others have said, should only get corded.

This! It depends on how often you'll use the tool. If very infrequently then it's not worth worrying about batteries and if they're good or not. Less time to drag out extension cords than wait for a battery to charge up again. We're talking about a homeowner here and not a contactor or someone using a tool and excersing the batteries often, or forced to work on a jobsite with no or limited power availability.

 

[zmaxmotorsports]

Id say it depends on how much work youre going to do with the tools,My milwaukee 20v drill and impact will generally allow me to wire a mid size new house with a couple of batteries.
I can drill lots of 3/4-1"for running romex and water lines with the 20v,but for running waste/vent stuff for plumbing 1 1/2-2" stuff Ill generally just grab a hole hawg or super hawg if Im doing more than a couple of holes.
As far as cordless recip saws thats the 1 time I was really disappointed by milwaukee,Ill stick with my corded saws for that .
Ive never seen a cordless recip saw hold a candle to a corded version.

 

[shockwave]

If you will need every once in awhile go with the corded

But if you will use atleast once a month go with the cordless

 

[sam.coll]

Depends on the job at hand and tool, love my cordless drill and impacts but when it comes to grinding I like to have the power of corded same goes for recip and circular saws and rotary hammer

 

[crewchief888]

Around the house, mostly corded, with the exception of cordless drill and driver.
At work, cordless impact and drill, followed by air power

 

[LB-1911]

Right I'm in the market for a circular saw... thinking of going corded.

Does brand really make a difference? I only want to buy one and hope it would last for years to come.

Thanks guys... I'll go corded.

For basic home needs.. which brand(s) do you recommend?

Take a look at the Makita 5007

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=310588

Good Luck

 

[Robbie UK]

Pretty much all cordless now. The last 3 items that I remained attached to the wall for were my full size drill, jigsaw and angle grinders. I've just made the switch to the beast that is the Makita brushless 18v drill, leaving me with just 2 tool types where I still prefer corded. That said, the new Makita 18v brushless grinders are in my Amazon watch list….

 

[LumpyMusic]

Cordless for nearly everything.

For me, it has to do with WHERE I'm working. I live on a mini-ranch. Working on a fence or horse panel or whatever is simple if I take a cordless skillsaw, drill driver, sawzall, impact driver etc TO the work. Even if there is 110v power near the area, it's just plain simpler to pick up a tool and use it instead of unwrapping the cord, plugging/unplugging etc.

"Waiting for a battery to charge" is nonsese. You don't wait. You swap out the battery. They charge in an hour or less. With my simple 18v DeWalt stuff, I can drill holes or cut boards or fasten/unfasten nuts and bolts for well over an hour without suffering loss of torque.

Sawzalls eat more battery power, true. But you normally don't make hundreds of cuts with a sawzall. You cut out the hole for the pipe, saw off the limb, or whatever you're doing and you're done. I just don't find myself using it for an hour at a time.

Skillsaws eat a little less than the sawzall and you probably use skillsaws in a more constant manner than the 'zall. But swapping batteries every hour or so is certainly painless enough.

I'm even finding myself using the cordless impact wrench more than dragging out the air hose and the big gun. It's just simpler to not have that umbillical.


Sgt Lumpy

 

[Radical540]

I prefer (Milwaukee only) cordless, or CP pneumatic. I don't think I own anything in with a cord anymore; except my compressor.

 

[zkling]

I'm a cord guy, in the minority I know. I hate batteries.

or pneumatic, except for the cordless drill. I just don't have the portability need for other tools to justify the cost/limited life span of a everything cordless setup.

Ive never seen a cordless recip saw hold a candle to a corded version.

A friend of mine bought pretty much every battery powered tool porter cable had to offer. Nice stuff, but... The reciprocating saw just didn't have the balance or seemed like raw power I was used to from the corded.

 

[MrGiggles]

There are some tools that are all around better in the corded version, like recip. saws, circular saws, angle grinders, band saws, etc. The cordless versions work, but the corded versions are a lot more efficient and perform better. A corded circular saw and recip. saw are almost a necessity if doing any real work with a big duty cycle. If you're just trimming 2x4s a cordless circular saw will be fine, but for ripping sheets of plywood or OSB you'll want the corded tool.

Drills, impacts, lights, etc. are all just fine in cordless. No huge huge advantage in a corded tool.

 

[GTO]

Corded for circular saw(Makita 5007)
Cordless for everything else

 

[Manatee91]

I use a ryobi cordless set for everything but I would love to see a attachment that plugs in to the battery slot with a transformer in it to use them as corded, mostly the saw

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[TomB19]

Right I'm in the market for a circular saw... thinking of going corded.

Does brand really make a difference? I only want to buy one and hope it would last for years to come.

Not IMO.

You can get a great saw from any of the top brands. Don't forget Skill.

If you want a more modest saw, you'll probably do fine with about any brand. For occasional home owner construction jobs (shed, deck, fence,...), it will be more than sufficient.

 

[atownmack]

There are some tools that are all around better in the corded version, like recip. saws, circular saws, angle grinders, band saws, etc. The cordless versions work, but the corded versions are a lot more efficient and perform better. A corded circular saw and recip. saw are almost a necessity if doing any real work with a big duty cycle. If you're just trimming 2x4s a cordless circular saw will be fine, but for ripping sheets of plywood or OSB you'll want the corded tool.

Drills, impacts, lights, etc. are all just fine in cordless. No huge huge advantage in a corded tool.

I couldn't agree more! Saws are better corded, but I'll say this they are getting better, but still its hard to justify the high cost of a cordless saw, when the corded model cost less and generally performs better.

 

[drink]

So I need basic home improvement tools. Circular saw etc.. Do I go corded or battery powered?

I have not read the entire thread but I thought I would give you my opinion. Both corded and battery powered power tools have their ups and downs. It really depends on what you are doing with them, how often you do work with them, where you are doing the work, etc.

Here are positive things about corded power tools.

1. When you plug them in they are ready to work.
2. A corded power tool will run a long time without having to recharge it.
3. Corded power tools can be used after storing them for long periods of time.

Negative things about corded power tools.
3.
1. Using them in remote locations can be difficult because the extension cord cannot be too long. Voltage drop can cause a problem if the cord is too long.
2. Cords can be cut and costly to replace.
3. You have to have electricity to make them work.
4. The power cords can be a tripping hazard.

Positive things about battery operated power tools.

1. They don't have cords so they do not create a tripping hazard.
2. You can walk around freely with them and not worry about being out of range from a power cord.
3. They do not have voltage drop problems if an extension cord is too long.

Negative things about battery operated power tools.

1. The replacement batteries cost way too much
2. Not having a charged battery ready to work can cost a lot of time.
3. The batteries can run down when doing a lot of work and cost time.
4. Charging times vary and can cost time.
5. The batteries go dead after storing them for long periods of time.

Now, as far as I am concerned, I own a bunch of corded power tools but I do own a battery operated Makita drill/driver. I prefer the industrial grade power tools because I want them to last and work reliably as needed. Some of my Milwaukee tools were made in the USA but they might be made offshore now. You have to check the COO in the box to tell where they are made.

Milwaukee power tools I own have a 5 year warranty and it is a big plus. However, I do own other brands like Porter Cable, Skil, and Makita.

I've seen contractors use a lot of battery operated DeWalt power tools. They could set up a charging station in a tight place that was out of the way and no extension cords were there to trip over. You can buy some DeWalt tools that are made in the USA with global components now also.

 

[drink]

If I need a drill/driver 200 feet away from the nearest outlet I reach for a battery operated power tool. If I have power close by and use the tool occasionally I prefer corded. You can buy a portable generator to run either but it adds a lot more cost to them. With the way I use them occasionally I prefer corded.

 

[Dick in Wisconsin]

Thanks guys... I'll go corded.

For basic home needs.. which brand(s) do you recommend?

Why corded? The inconvenience of being tethered to an outlet or worse yet outlet AND extension cord convinced me to go cordless.

I have been using the Craftsman C3 19.2 volt series since 2006. I have both Ni-Cad and Li-Ion batteries. They charge reasonably quickly and rarely will the tool not do the job. If you buy them when discounted and buy them carefully, you'll put together a nice collection of tools and a few batteries. If you expect to use the tools aggressively for hours on end, you might need two chargers depending on how many batteries you have. But with a few batteries and under normal use a single charger gets the job done for me. It seems like the Li-Ion batteries hold a charge sitting on the shelf forever.

I've got the variable-speed drill, right-angle drill, fluorescent light, incandescent spot light, large circular saw, small circular trim saw, reciprocating saw, jig saw, hedge trimmer (wife likes this, battery lasts longer than I thought it would), spiral saw, shop radio/charger, shop vac (for the motorhome), leaf blower (jury still out on this, might really need a Li-Ion battery to be effective), and 1/2" impact wrench.

I'm looking to add the angle grinder and miter saw to the collection.

I use the C3 tools on the race car, around the shop, and around the house. I'm DIY'er. I used the C3 tools to finish out my new 1000sf shop.

I use the 1/2" impact wrench to bust the lug nuts off and on my NASCAR stock car on a regular basis. Never fails me.

If I were buying C3 new, I would steer away from the Ni-Cad only chargers (won't charge Li-Ion batteries) and look for multi-chemistry chargers (they charge both chemistries and "maintain" the batteries, whatever that means). Some of the tools are packaged with a battery (sometimes with a charger). If a tool is packaged with a Ni-Cad, don't be afraid of that.

If I were buying C3 new and wanted to buy a battery, I would spend a couple of nickels more and get the larger XCP batteries. The XCP technology is reported to be better than the original Li-Ion batteries; note I have only the original Li-Ions and they work good for me.

One last pitch against corded tools. If you need to carry two or three tools to a project site, you've got all those cords to drag along. I find that a mess. Cords don't store well.

Went C3 cordless and have never looked back!

PS: If I was cutting plywood or dimension lumber to build a house or a garage, I might go corded. I would probably try cordless with two chargers first though!

PSS: If you have a Sears store close by with a good tools department, check out all the C3 stuff, play with them.

 

[WWShop]

I love my cordless but wish my circular was corded.

 

[dodge610]

C3 cordless have to agree with **** I cannot remember the last time I got my corded tools out. Still have them as a back up but collecting dust for the most part. If not cordless I use my air tools to fill in the gaps when cordless will not cut it.