Cordless drill blues

[HanShotFirst]

Hey all,

So I'm much more of a metal worker than a carpenter. So it's not often I need a cordless drill, but as ya'll know; when you do, you just do.

So I've had a few Dewalt's and I absolutely love them, but when the battery goes, you might as well just buy a new drill because its only $20.00.

And since its rare that I need them, either the battery stays on the charger; which kills them. Or the battery isn't charged when I need the drill.

All of this is thanks to NiCad battery memory, and general crappiness.

So my question is, are the LiOn battery drills better in that regard? And how long will a LiOn battery last?

 

[Hilltopmasonry]

You are supposed to leave the li on batteries on the charger if you dont use them because dewalt has a maintenance feature on its charger to keep them fresh

I love cordless power tools however they are a pain if you don't use them often and the batteries go bad

I bought an 18 V Dewalt kit in 2009 and I literally just replaced the two batteries that came with it


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[jd_1138]

If you don't use them much, even a brand like Ryobi or Porter-Cable will be fine. I never had a lithium battery go bad on me in over 6 years of owning them.

 

[fivespdcat]

One of the biggest benefits of the new lithium ion technology (can i still call it new? ) is the way it holds a charge. I've picked mine up after months and they still work. Gone are the days of walking out to the garage since you need to drill one hole and finding a dead pack!

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[gdocktor3]

I have about 10 lithium ion Ridgid 18v batteries, (among many others) some I bought new and some used, that I used as a part time carpenter for 3 years. I stopped doing that about 2 years ago and the batteries still work fine and some even had a charge on them from the last charge 2 years ago. My latest upgrade was to 20v Dewalt and everything from the tools to batteries are awesome. As mentioned, the chargers offered by most brands now have maintenance modes.

 

[mbshop]

I have a 12v bosch drill driver with lithium batteries.
have had it for near 4 to 5 years. Don't use it often but I always find the batteries ready to go. They just don't quit.

 

[Stevenn1]

I got 18v Dewalt Li-Ion batteries stamped 2012 and still use them regularly.

 

[aaronrkelly]

My advice, look at Ryobi. They are good tools and the batteries are generally cheaper then other brands. Several times a year the 4ah batteries go on sale 2 for $99. Other brands sell their 4ah batteries for over $100 a piece.

They also have used the same battery connector since something like 1999. So I bought a new drill and driver, a couple 4ah batteries and then started adding tools as I needed them. You can pickup all kinds of older saws and other tools used on eBay.....use your new batteries and gain all kinds of capabilities.

I use the circular saw and the reciprocating saw REALLY often.

 

[Dave455]

O.P. - The simple answer to your question is Yes, the Li Ion batteries are a vast improvement over the old Ni Cad, especially if you are an occasional user, as they do generally hold their charge!

I'm much the same as you, primarily a metal worker, but I get involved with a lot of woodworking projects, and yes, I found exactly the same with the old Ni - Cad's - never a charge when you need them!

In all honesty, unless you really need the portability, you are much better off with a regular corded drill, but, sometimes the cordless are useful. I bought a Festool CXS (the baby drill driver) and that has been superb. I can leave it for a couple of months and there's still more charge than I need.

I've subsequently bought a larger Li Ion Bosch, and that's been good too - it's the 18 V and I've never been short on power, or battery life, but I did spend the extra and went for the 5.0 amp hour battery!

Still think corded is the way to go for me, but the Li-Ion are in a different league to the Ni Cad. I've pretty much junked all those now!

 

[59 wagon man]

I would rec. Ryobi for several reasons
1-reasonably priced.
2-i have several tools and was impressed by the led light and the drain cleaner. the hammer drill doesn't seem to hit as hard as Milwaukee or ridged but if you drill in concrete 1 or 2 times a year it won't really matter
3- 3 yr warranty on toolsw. I haven't needed it yet so I can't tell you but registration was easy
4- they have some impressive rebates got my drain cleaner for free and it is much easier then most machines