Cordless Drills? Are They Worth It?

[fionasdad]

My cordless drill batteries just last a few years even though I don’t use them very much. I live in Elk Grove California and it can get very hot. My garage is facing the South so it gets the hottest sun of the day here (it's not uncommon for my garage to be well over 110 degrees or hotter for an extended time during the summer months). I used to work in a tool store so I am aware about discharging the batteries and let them cool before a recharge and maintaining a charge in them but even though I baby the batteries they just don’t seem to hold a reasonable charge.

For the record I have Makita and Porter-Cable drills. The Makita’s are about 6 years old and seem to work the best while the Porter-Cable’s I had redone a couple of years ago but they only kept a reasonable charge for a couple of years.

I’m pretty much ready to give up on cordless drills. They aren’t ready when I need them and for me I’m ready to go back to a corded drill. For just a fraction the cost of buying a new cordless drill I can buy a really good corded drill.

Anyways has anyone on the forum had any luck in maintaining your cordless batteries for an extended period of time? Battery coolers?

 

[Jagmandave]

Naw, they just go bad like you said.....

I also get frustrated because the batteries are always dead when I want to use my drill, so I just go ahead and put them on the charger if I want to use it. I do feel tho that the utility of being able to use it without a cord has a lot of merit for me, so I'll either put up with them or replace them when they fail completely.

I have a vague memory of there being a way to "shock" the battery and get it to work again, going to have to do some research online and see if I can find it.

I doubt your 110* garage is shortening the life of the batterys, I haven't read or heard of this before. If anything, I've heard that cold can shorten their life....

 

[vegar]

I have a 14,4V Dewalt wich have been pure gold for 11 years. Both batteries wich came with the drill is still working good. But the charger let go a couple of years ago, so I had to get hold of a new

On the other side I got an Milwakee 18V a 5 years ago, and those batteries are not good any more And also the charger have left the building
At the same time I also got an 28V impact gun from Milwakee, and those batteries are never ready when I need them, so I have to put them on charging when I know I kneed the gun. Also one of the batteries are long gone

A year ago I got an 14,4V Hitatchi impact gun wich I am in love with, and are looking in to get hold of a 18V circular saw

My conclusion?? Buy some really good cordless!!

 

[IMXCITD]

I have a dewalt and a craftsman...both have been great for years (knock on wood)......i don't understand why you haven't had better luck. Matter-of-fact.....i just picked up a little mini-low profile black & decker for my wife...for small in house jobs.....really small and works well.

 

[Old Moparz]

Had 3 different kinds over the years, Skil, Craftsman & currently a Ryobi, but the Makita at one of my jobs seemed to be better than the ones I had/have. The Ryobi I have now I bought based on the replacement battery cost of about $30 or $35. The replacement battery for the Skill was more money than the drill originally cost me & made no sense. I like having the cordless drill, like while I was on my roof 35 feet up without having to drag an extension cord out & a much heavier drill. As long as I keep one of the two batteries in the charger I always have one ready.

 

[Falcon67]

I use the **** out of my Craftsman C3 units, both the 1/2 drill and the impact driver. Pay extra for the lithium batteries - they have extra life and power over the cheaper NiMH batteries. I'm about to need new batteries - these are about 5 years old. $90 a pop isn't cheap but they last, and work longer in the tool. Yes, the battery cost the same as the tool - so what. I have a $400 pro photo printer and one set of ink cartridges is $150. It's chewed a good $1000 in ink since we've owned it. Same deal. I've been using the C3 items for almost 10 years. The 4 NiMH I have batteries are all about 24 months now as the others finally gave it up. I have a corded 1/2 drill - it lives in the bottom of the tool box and comes out once in a blue moon.

 

[kunzog]

I work for the Veterans Administration automated Pharmacy where we run 2 maintenance shifts a day. Our drills get a lot of use in those long days. We have both Makita and Dewalt with extra battery packs for each always on charge.

 

[Daniel Dudley]

You nailed it. It is the heat of the garage that is killing your batteries. Get a corded unit, you know you want to.

BTW, I am running the Makita 18V lithium ion drill and driver unit that sells at HD for 269.00.
All day every day I run these things.

 

[LawnDart79]

I have a 10 + year old 9.6V Makita stick battery drill that's still going on original batteries.

I also have one of those $10 cheapie blue Harbor Freight cordless drills that still has the original battery. it's still kickin'. I probably bought the thing 6 or so years ago. I didnt' expect it to last more than a year tops.

 

[Stinger]

Get Lithium batteries, then you can charge them before they are dead without consequence and it won't be dead when you need it...they also last much longer before needing a charge and have a much longer useable life.

 

[Keep]

If you are willing to give it a shot, you can "shock" your old batteries back to life.

Search on youtube and google.

I would not be without cordless tools, just so much easier. Of course it does **** when you run out of juice in the middle of a job.

 

[1983Camperspecial]

I have a dewalt 1/2 inch hammer drill and a impact driver i got in a set back in 2007 , have had nothing but great work out of both for years , only reason I had to buy a new Bare impact driver is the fact that i sheared off a hex extension inside the nose and rendered it pretty useless.

 

[Steves32]

I'm in plumbing & HVAC so we use the hell out of cordless stuff.
Longest lasting has to be Dewalt.

Years ago, we used Makita but I prefer the Dewalts today. I still have Makitas that are 20years old & they still work! Batteries still good!

 

[PeterT]

This is a great time of the year to be shopping for a new Dewalt, Makita, Panasonic, etc cordless drills. 12v, 18v, they all rock.
Watch for the black friday adds that are coming out soon, Lowes, Home Depot, Amazon - they all have deals going on now, or are starting up on Black Friday.
You should be able to get a good 18v Dewalt drill with 2 lithium batteries for about $115.

 

[Aspen RT]

I would be lost with out my Milwaukee. Its only a 14.4, and I had the batteries rebuilt and upgraded,its way better as far as longivity and power.

 

[babzog]

I wouldn't be without a good cordless drill. That said, I refuse to spend over $100 for one, given that the batteries only last a few short years. I just replaced my Craftsman 18v with a nice Ryobi 18V drill on sale at HD for $90 (reg $179). Came with two li-ion batteries, charger and a carrying bag.

I have a corded hammer drill and it's great for power and getting big jobs done, but for everything else, I use the cordless. I love my cordless.

 

[JerseyJim]

Years ago on This Old House, they talked to an engineer from Black & Decker/DeWalt. They asked about the difference between the B&D tools and the DeWalt's. Beyond the usual comments regarding the construction of the tools, the guy discussed the difference in battery philosophies. He indicated that DeWalts were engineered for constant use and more frequent re-charging while the B&D products were typically used less frequently and were designed to hold a charge better when not in use.

When you read these posts, the people who use these tools every day are happy with battery life. The ones who use them infrequently tend to have shorter battery life. Having watched that episode of TOH, I bought a B&D Firestorm 18V. The two batteries that came with the set were great and proved to be very durable. Newer, supposedly better replacements have not done as well. Can't kill these tools. Can't bring myself to replace tools that still work perfectly. However, the price of batteries makes have to think twice about this every time a battery dies.

 

[1500hd]

I have DeWalt 36 volt set with lithium batteries. These batteries keep a charge for a very long time. Also a nice thing is when using one of these tools, the battery has full power until the very end! Just like if you released the trigger.

 

[rockchucker]

I have used DeWalts for years. The NiCd and NiMH Batteries just don't last as long. Although I still have a few that are 12+ years old that still work. 14.4v and 18v. Then I swore to never buy another unless it was Li-Ion. Now I only use the Li-Ion 18v. Just bought an Impact that is 36v and it really kicks some ***.

I would have to agree that part of your issue is heat. You have to let Batteries cool before charging or it frys them faster also. If they are super hot I have used the refrigerator to cool them off a touch faster. Don't use the freezer though.

 

[weadjust]

I have read that you can take the cells out of the 18 volt harbor freight batterie and put them in the Black and Decker battery case. Don't know how long a HF battery will last but for 9.99 when they on sale. I will give it a try when my firestorm batteries die.

 

[rvr6000]

How about the cold? My garage is insulated but not normally heated so it's not uncommon for it to be well below freezing in there. In the past I have not brought the batteries in during the winter but maybe I should. Any thoughts?

 

[NUTTSGT]

How about the cold? My garage is insulated but not normally heated so it's not uncommon for it to be well below freezing in there. In the past I have not brought the batteries in during the winter but maybe I should. Any thoughts?

The cold will wear down a battery faster too.


I'd much rather buy a new battery than have to drag a cord around.

 

[fionasdad]

How about the cold? My garage is insulated but not normally heated so it's not uncommon for it to be well below freezing in there. In the past I have not brought the batteries in during the winter but maybe I should. Any thoughts?

In my case the coldest it gets in my area in California is an occasional mid to low 20's and that is on a really cold day. Usually the garage stays above freezing.

 

[fionasdad]

I have a 10 + year old 9.6V Makita stick battery drill that's still going on original batteries.

I also have one of those $10 cheapie blue Harbor Freight cordless drills that still has the original battery. it's still kickin'. I probably bought the thing 6 or so years ago. I didnt' expect it to last more than a year tops.

My Makita that still works the best out of the two is one of the old 9.6 volt "stick" batteries, a 6093 and I put on a keyless chuck.

 

[oldgoat]

I wouldn't be without my cordless drills and screwdrivers. I have been going to the lithium battery ones though. In your case with the heat I'd be tempted to just take the batteries into the house during the summer at least. Just make it so that they are handy to get to. My garage is usually unheated and no AC, but I haven't had a problem with batteries.

 

[fionasdad]

Wow that's for all the input!

I put myself through college working for a tool store for about seven years and my dad is a retired Graingers sales rep., one thing I've found is that I like the more "professional" tools. You may not use them all the time but when you do you really use them.

I think I'm going to invest in a good electric drill probably a Milwaukee or Bosch and when my cordless drills give up the ghost buy a mid line cordless just to have around.

 

[TWX]

I have a solution!

Don't leave your batteries and chargers in a non-climate-controlled garage if you don't have to.

My old house would probably get up to 135° in the worst of the summer. The garage had a west-facing wall, no insulation above the drywall ceiling into the house attic, and poor ventilation of that attic. I simply stored my batteries and chargers in the laundry room right inside from the garage, where I could get them quickly when I needed a different battery, but where they'd stay no hotter than 85° during the day in the summer when we weren't home, and no cooler than 60° in the winter, again, when the thermostat automatically raises when we're at work.

Craftsman C3 kits (19.2V) seem to have batteries that last several years. I keep an eye on sales, and last time I needed batteries I picked up three for around $22 each, the NiCd variety. I also have a Lithium Ion, but I find that the weight savings isn't worth the price.

Certainly I don't see why one couldn't rebuild these battery packs if you want to, the main trouble is getting cells. You could strip a cheaper pack, or you could buy individual cells from a battery store and build 'em yourself. I personally just haven't been that adventurous quite yet.

 

[fionasdad]

I have a solution!

Don't leave your batteries and chargers in a non-climate-controlled garage if you don't have to.

My old house would probably get up to 135° in the worst of the summer. The garage had a west-facing wall, no insulation above the drywall ceiling into the house attic, and poor ventilation of that attic. I simply stored my batteries and chargers in the laundry room right inside from the garage, where I could get them quickly when I needed a different battery, but where they'd stay no hotter than 85° during the day in the summer when we weren't home, and no cooler than 60° in the winter, again, when the thermostat automatically raises when we're at work.

Craftsman C3 kits (19.2V) seem to have batteries that last several years. I keep an eye on sales, and last time I needed batteries I picked up three for around $22 each, the NiCd variety. I also have a Lithium Ion, but I find that the weight savings isn't worth the price.

Certainly I don't see why one couldn't rebuild these battery packs if you want to, the main trouble is getting cells. You could strip a cheaper pack, or you could buy individual cells from a battery store and build 'em yourself. I personally just haven't been that adventurous quite yet.

I had the Porter-Cable batteries rebuilt a couple of years ago they worked great for about a year and then stopped holding a decent charge. One refuses to take a charge pretty much at all...

 

[TWX]

I had the Porter-Cable batteries rebuilt a couple of years ago they worked great for about a year and then stopped holding a decent charge. One refuses to take a charge pretty much at all...

I wonder about the quality of the job, or if they replaced all of the cells, or only the cells that were tested bad the first time.

theoretically one can order bulk batteries one's self, weld tabs on to them, and assemble them into the right configuration for a pack. I've considered doing it myself but I'm lazy, and packs on sale aren't very expensive for Craftsman 19.2V "C3" stuff...

 

[ddawg16]

We need to seperate fact from friction.....

Regardless of which drill you use, chances are, the batteries came from more or less the same source.

A few facts.....

NiCad's have reduced performance when cold.
NiCad's do not like to be left on the charger for days at a time.
NiCad's will give you the most life if you use them until almost dead, recharge and use again.
NiCad's will self dischage at about 10%/month

Lithium has more or less the same problems....just not as bad....and they have a higher energy density and larger capacity.

When choosing a drill, you really need to look at your total power tool needs. I personally have Ryobi...a bunch of Ryobi...they all use the same batteries and chargers.

As for drills, I have 2 regular cordless....1 right angle cordless and 2 corded...I use the **** out of all of them.

 

[Lippyp]

I have the same issue, my 14.4V Ryobi cordless has suddenly started to hold less and less of a charge, one of the two batteries is worse than the other and I can put about three or four screws in with it and then its kaput. I got a price yesterday for replacements and I nearly choked, £49.99 + 20% tax each! Its about a seven or eight year old model and the batteries are now only special order. I've found a company that will re-cell them though and upgrade the capacity from 1.2AH to 2.0AH for £32 each all in so as soon as we move house they're going off to be re-celled. I do also have a corded hammer drill and a larger SDS drill.

 

[buzz4041]

I find cordless tools to be nothing but frustrating. Every time I have ever used one it was not up to the task at hand.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I find cordless tools to be nothing but frustrating. Every time I have ever used one it was not up to the task at hand.

What kind of tasks were you expecting the tool to perform ?

 

[Mmfh]

I'm wondering about these combo sets you see everywhere, not really talking about the saw and flashlight sets, more the drill and driver sets.

If a person has a decent drill, maybe even a 1/2" unit, do you really need a driver too?

I've been using my Makita drill for years and years for everything I run across. When watching these home improvement shows I notice most of these guys have their drills in hammer mode when they are driving in normal screws.

Is that the way to do it these days? Use the hammer setting on your drill to drive screws into wood or whatever? If you are lucky enough to have a hammer drill.

When do you actually need to have a separate driver? They make the kits very expensive and I just don't see the use in it.

Mm

 

[Gary S]

I find cordless tools to be nothing but frustrating. Every time I have ever used one it was not up to the task at hand.

That has been my experience too. I don't use them often enough, and it seems that way, the batteries fail every few years.
I've given up on cordless drills. I now have all corded drills that run on 120v. I wired my garage and basement workshops so I have a 120v receptable always in my reach, so the cord is no longer a hassle. My corded drills always work, even if they have been sitting in the cold or heat unused for months or years. And, while my 3/8" drills get used regularly, but my 1/2" don't, and they still work when I need them.

For me, cordless are too high maintenance items to own.

 

[ears]

I'm wondering about these combo sets you see everywhere, not really talking about the saw and flashlight sets, more the drill and driver sets.

If a person has a decent drill, maybe even a 1/2" unit, do you really need a driver too?

I've been using my Makita drill for years and years for everything I run across. When watching these home improvement shows I notice most of these guys have their drills in hammer mode when they are driving in normal screws.

Is that the way to do it these days? Use the hammer setting on your drill to drive screws into wood or whatever? If you are lucky enough to have a hammer drill.

When do you actually need to have a separate driver? They make the kits very expensive and I just don't see the use in it.

Mm

Those are impact drivers you are hearing. They make driving screws much easier than a drill. No fighting the torque, no bearing down to keep the bit from stripping out and they spin much faster.

 

[Lugnut64052]

I have a 10 + year old 9.6V Makita stick battery drill that's still going on original batteries.

Me too. I think mine must be almost 20 years old, and those old stick batteries still charge up and work. There must still be a lot of the old Makitas around-- you can still by the stick batteries at Home Depot. I have other drills, but the old Makita still gets used for drilling holes for cabinet knobs, etc.

It would be a pretty cheap way to get a working cordless drill too-- you can buy them off Ebay with a case, charger and battery for 25 bucks.

-------------

To the original poster-- batteries don't last forever. Specific conditions (temperature, frequency of use, how you charge them, etc) will either lengthen or shorten the average life.

I'd much rather buy a new battery than have to drag a cord around.

Absolutely.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I'm wondering about these combo sets you see everywhere, not really talking about the saw and flashlight sets, more the drill and driver sets.

If a person has a decent drill, maybe even a 1/2" unit, do you really need a driver too?

I've been using my Makita drill for years and years for everything I run across. When watching these home improvement shows I notice most of these guys have their drills in hammer mode when they are driving in normal screws.

Is that the way to do it these days? Use the hammer setting on your drill to drive screws into wood or whatever? If you are lucky enough to have a hammer drill.

When do you actually need to have a separate driver? They make the kits very expensive and I just don't see the use in it.

Mm

Once you use an impact driver to drive a few screws, you'll understand. It's almost night and day different in driving screws. A lot lighter in weight to boot.

 

[Zeke]

I have been a Makita user for 25 years. I think out of the four 9.6v jobs I have, one might be an original. I haven't really bought that many batteries, but I only have 1 battery per drill and I play hop scotch with them. None are older than 10 years. None are younger than 5 years. Only time I have 2 or more going is when I'm drilling pilot holes then shooting screws.

The cordless drill batteries last the longest if you use them every few days at the very least. They are good for lots of charging cycles and like to be activated rather than sitting.

On the zapping, I tried it gingerly with my MIG welder on an old Ryobi 14.4 (where do they get these numbers?). My MIG doesn't have a voltage readout, so I don't know how hard I hit it. It didn't do ****, so I bought a new battery.

I'd be careful zapping these things. It's not the safest thing to do. But if you are going to try it, here's a suggestion: don't use the MIG wire like you see on YouTube. Turn your wire speed all the way down and use the side of the tip to touch the battery with the nozzle removed. I think I'd do this in the sandblasting cabinet or geared up pretty heavily.

You better know your polarity too or you could have a 4th of July right there. It's not worth it to me, I'll buy a friggen' battery.

 

[rockchucker]

My Makita that still works the best out of the two is one of the old 9.6 volt "stick" batteries, a 6093 and I put on a keyless chuck.

This is the type that I was introduced to when I was 14. I got in some trouble and had to work for my Pops for a summer building Seed Cleaning Warehouses. I was lucky enough to drive, by hand, a pallet of Tico Nails as every Stud had to be Double Joist Hangered on the Bottom Plate for load. I was also lucky enough to screw off (with the 9.6v Makita's) the ENTIRE Metal Roof for the main 60' x 80' x 50' tall building. I was also lucky enough to use the same Screw Guns to finish off the rest of the 80' x 120' x 30' at the peak Seed Storage Bin Roof. There was no such thing as a Clutch on a Screw Gun yet so you had to use your wrist as the Clutch. With the Metal Roof Screws you couldn't drive the Screw too hard or it would blow out the little rubber gasket under the head. Needless to say I got my experience driving Tico Nails and setting screws correctly.

The one thing I do remember about this whole deal is some of the guys would carry around the Batteries in their Nail Bags. Well if you put the Battery in your pouch full of nails with the contacts facing down...Lots of metal touching each other...Fresh live battery with contacts down...Let's just say we only had it happen one time. The guy had to drop his bags cause they were on fire then lose his flannel shirt because it was on fire too. So make sure you keep the plastic caps for those batteries and don't carry them in your Nail Bags contacts down!

We also had a new guy on the crew convinced that the Screw guns got their power from the main power coming into the building. He thought that was what cordless was all about. Just as long as you were close to a Power Pole or Line it would charge by itself. That was pretty good.

I know random story but the 9.6v Makita thing brought back memories from 22 years ago...