Does anyone value corded power tools anymore

[street131]

Does anyone value corded power tools anymore? All I ever hear about is about battery operated tools, but corded power tools are forever.

 

[ChrisLS8]

I don't, pretty much at all at this point

 

[The Cobbler]

yup. I love my cordless drill & impact , but everything else is corded , including probably 8 drills .

 

[xjfish]

Short answer: Yes

Most of my seldom used power tools at home are corded. They always work when I need them. Some draw a lot of "juice" and its just easier/cheaper to mess with a cord...

I admit I do buy more cordless tools that corded, but they still have their place.

 

[Moparman390]

Somebody outta put together a matrix of corded/cordless power tools and when which is best for which type of user. Like miter saw, corded is best except for those with job sites that don't have power, or drill, cordless is best except for a heavy industrial situation or something like that. It's really all about the application you're using them for, both have their place.

 

[Wamsutta]

I have yet to see a cordless circular saw that doesn't have a goofy physical shape to it. And usually a goofy physical shape means a tool that's cumbersome to work with.

 

[doublearon98]

Depends. Anything drills that I use at the same spot on the workbenches are corded and all the others are cordless.

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[southalabama]

Around the house or shop I prefer corded circular saws.

Grinding I also prefer corded.

If possible I prefer a corded sawzall.

So looking at my list looks like heavy draw tools.

Drilling and impact I prefer cordless.

 

[ken w.]

I have some vintage corded 1/2" drills that are so powerful that they can break your wrist if your careless. But , they'll drill through about anything. I have a 9" B & D grinder that will put anything cordless to shame. Love them. I do have cordless too.

 

[Professional Tool User]

I haven't used an electric grinder that isn't corded. There are certain tools where the run time on cordless isn't long enough to make the extra mobility worth it.

 

[Stuart in MN]

Yes. I don't use power tools often enough to justify battery operated ones. They'd just go dead on me.

 

[Rogers954]

Around the house or shop I prefer corded circular saws.

Grinding I also prefer corded.

If possible I prefer a corded sawzall.

So looking at my list looks like heavy draw tools.

Drilling and impact I prefer cordless.

Agreed on all points, i have a Milwaukee m18 grinder works for light duty cutting and buffing but of all my Milwaukee tools it’s easly the one i like the least simply because i have found if you work it hard or try and work it fast it just gets hot and starts to skip. My Makita corded grinder is a beast workhorse haven’t been able to stall that one out. Plus if I’m grabbing a grinder 80% of the time it’s got a cup or wire wheel on it so I’m going to be working it for a while so i don’t want to worry about swapping battery’s. Now i don’t really have any complaints about my Milwaukee sawzall but I’ve never really worked it to long usually a couple of quick cuts

 

[marineman]

To me the corded vs cordless debate is exactly equal to the cordless vs air tools debates, they both have their place. Any high draw tools or anything done continuously in the same place corded is my preference. They're lighter for the long or repetitive jobs and they don't lose power during long runs.

 

[Hilltopmasonry]

Yea I do. I am a contractor and certain things just don’t make sense to be cordless.

For example I do a lot of demolition on masonry walls so all of my big chipping hammers are corded because I ain’t playing with batteries all day


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[B_Bimmer]

Yes, but don't try to convince anyone because I love all the cheap, high quality corded tools that are overrunning the local pawn shops.

 

[American Locomotive]

There are some corded tools I like - like my angle grinders and my big 1/2" Milwaukee drill. The Milwaukee is great for doing silly things, like boring a 4" hole through a piece of steel with a giant hole saw. I'm sure my Makita cordless would do it, but the corded drill is just built much tougher.

Too bad all the development dollars are doing into cordless tools these days. Corded tools haven't seen much improvement. They could be made quieter, lighter and more powerful if they switched to brushless motors like cordless tools have.

 

[four.cycle]

I prefer corded power tools because the cordless models don't allow me the opportunity of chopping the cord up in little pieces.

 

[bwringer]

I prefer corded power tools because the cordless models don't allow me the opportunity of chopping the cord up in little pieces.

All the pretty sparks are kinda fun, too...





To actually address the original question, of course corded tools will always have their place when budget or power are factors. There's just not much new to do or say about corded tools. With cordless stuff, it seems like groovy new stuff is coming out all the time.

 

[WittHay]

I wish I could use good quality corded tools more often. Lots of places have no electricity so it either a cordless tool or fire up the generators.

Battery capacity for size and cost is not quite there yet. Have drained a 6.0 battery in a single cut using a Sawzall and used up a 5.0 taking off one truck tire.

I was thinking about starting a thread "Cordless Tools Useful or Useless" discussing certain cordless tools like a Milwaukee heat gun or a DeWalt cordless propane heater which i have no idea if its a gimmick or actually works

 

[four.cycle]

 

[Matt Matt]

I personally love my cordless tools and my corded tools. You really need to know your limitations with your cordless tools. But cordless tools give a ton of freedom. I personally have aboat 15 cordless tools. My oldest ones are still going strong at 12 years old. I just threw out my first battery this week. My batteries are still available the 18 V DeWalt. I use them during lite day construction and I usually have five charged at a time and one being charged on site (if possible). I don’t even use my drywall screw gun anymore unless I’m working with two or three hangers. I have a slow geard Mikita corded and hammer drill courded for real jobs. But, 95% of the time i’ll burn my batteries out before I go and get carded stuff.

 

[WWheeler]

I have quite a bit of both. They each have their place where they make more sense and efficiency than the other. Depends on the job I'm doing. If I'm doing a large project where I'm working in one location cutting, drilling, etc, all day there's no way I'd be relying only on my cordless.

 

[MushCreek]

Modern batteries don't go dead for a LONG time. My Milwaukee ones show full charge 6 months later. I use mostly cordless now days, but some tools aren't the same. When I use my belt sander, it's often for long periods of time, so a cordless one wouldn't cut it (if there even is such a thing). I have a Bosch corded jigsaw that is so good I know I would be disappointed with the Milwaukee cordless one. Reviews on it aren't great. Same goes for my Bosch 1/2" plunge router.

It goes the other way, too. My Milwaukee 1/2" impact is always ready to go, and out-performs my old pneumatic one. No waiting for the compressor to fill up for a quick job. I haven't had the air one out since I bought the cordless.

 

[RedneckWelder]

I do. I vastly prefer my sawzall, table saw, circular saw, miter saw, porta band, heat gun, sds hammer drill, etc to be corded

Cordless is great for convienience of normal drills, impacts, and so on but I’m more likely to be using the heavier duty stuff all day long vs a short burst

I think the cordless stuff they are coming out with is great for convienience in an area you don’t have service or a generator or something like that so it’s not useless or anything it’s just not my preference

 

[jgromada]

Of course people do! When I need to drill through a floor joist I use my right angle drill by Milwaukee rather than the cordless DeWalt. Goes a lot FASTER! Maybe with 60v tools the torque you can put out equals what my Skilsaw worm drive saw does but the point is these Corded tools just work! And in some cases you can pick up the corded tools for a song. That Skilsaw only cost me $25 at a yard sale.

That's not to say I don't own some cordless tools, but i think long and hard before buying another cordless tool that my corded version already does.

 

[Tonyuk]

I changed my cordless sawzall for a corded one, every time I came to use it the battery would be nearly dead, and the corded tool was about £40 cheaper than the cordless, more powerful too imo

 

[sld961]

I have yet to see a cordless circular saw that doesn't have a goofy physical shape to it. And usually a goofy physical shape means a tool that's cumbersome to work with.

Dewalt brushless 20v 7 1/4" circular saw. I have one and love it. It is great for cutting sheet, or cross cutting 2xs, not good for ripping 2xs. Uses battery pretty quick, but the convenience is great. If I was doing projects with lots of cuts in the workshop, I'd use my corded saw. This is great for doing projects out in the yard or where an outlet isn't handy.



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[OccupantRJ]

I use my cordless tools as much as is practical, as I despise tangled up cords and hoses while trying to work. In the shop I have nice overhead cord and hose reels, so that becomes less of an issue.

TIP: if you travel by airplane often, take a drop cord or air hose with you. If the plane starts going down, there is no way you are going to hit the ground without one of them getting hung up on something on the way down and saving your life.

 

[Sloper0204]

All of my metalworking tools are corded. 5 and 9 inch angle grinders, the electric die grinders, chop saw, band saw, welding machine, etc.

Wood working? Cordless please.

Automotive? Its a mixed bag between pneumatic and cordless.

 

[brownbagg]

i dont own any battery operated tools, well one, a small battery screwdriver thats always dead

 

[jonshonda]

There are dozens of threads on this topic and 10x the amount of arguments defending both. To each their own, hence why they make and sell so many of both

 

[BK13]

For me, I have absolutely no desire for a battery miter saw. Limited usage for a battery circular saw. I use my M12 Hackzall a decent amount, but it will never replace a big corded Sawzall.

But a guy who works on a jobsite with limited power available could certainly make use of cordless everything. That's just not me.

 

[theoldwizard1]

If you find even your top name brand power tools lacking, go cordless, but you had better know what you are shopping for ! I have long said, most DIYer/serious homeowners need 2 drills.

The first should be a 3/8" battery powered drill. This will cover 90%+ of your usage, especially if you buy a 1/64"-1/2" set of bits with the larger one turned down to 3/8".

Your second drill needs to be a 1/2" TRIPLE gear reduction, corded (because I have never seen a triple gear reduction battery powered) drill. This is the kind that will "break your wrist" if you don't have a good grip on the assist handle. DeWalt still makes one and so does Milwaukee (with a D-handle). Hopefully you can find one with a hammer drill option. These are NOT the "hole-hog" style, but they have close to the same torque.

DEWALT DW245 7.8-Amp 1/2-Inch Drill
Milwaukee 1007-1

My old Craftsman Commercial corded, reciprocating saw will cut all day compared to my son's DeWalt NiMh brushed reciprocating saw. I have to assume the newer Li battery, brushless saw have more "staying power".

 

[shoe1]

The older I get the more I go back to corded tools. I love my cordless stuff for small fast jobs. My problem is for shop work every day I don't use much in the way of power tools so corded are easier then making sure battery is up when needed. Then may be months in between doing home improvement type stuff and battery go bad. If i'm doing a lot I keep batteries up and get new ones if needed. But yea for welding lots of cutting grinders Sawzall cored the way to go. Like when younger I would always use 4" grinder then I bought 5 1/2 and really like the power now I grab big old 9" heavy grinders because the do the job so much faster and easier if big grinding job. Dad was right about a lot of things only took me 48 years to admit it lol.

 

[GirchyGirchy]

I haven't used an electric grinder that isn't corded. There are certain tools where the run time on cordless isn't long enough to make the extra mobility worth it.

Right, until the time you need a grinder but don't have 400' of extension cords or don't want to mess with a generator.

 

[shoe1]

As far as value yea I see lots of value in them. I buy lots of old heavy 1/2 aluminum case drills and grinders at auctions. no one wants them get them for nothing and they will out work new stuff all day for pennies. If they quit they owe you nothing but for the most part they don't not pretty but do the job. My boys both at 18 have set of this stuff because they bought cordless and now see the benefit of corded if not using it every day. So it have value to me I buy 3/8 black and decker corded drills a lot for 2 or 3 dollars use them till they quit and throw them away still money ahead.

 

[JRC3]

The only 4 I use anymore are:

1. Table saw
2. Mitre saw
3. Worm dive saw
4. Pancake compressor.

I don't really see those 4 power hungry tools really ever being cordless. I know they make them and I've actually considered a small battery miter saw for something like installing a single door trim.

If you ever need to cut up old flooring and/or floor sheeting, cutting through 1.5" of material with nails, I just don't see a battery tool getting it done.

 

[dr_clyde]

The advances in battery tech is amazing, and there is a mind boggling amount of choice these days in battery powered tools. They have their place, and they are really high quality tools, compared to only a few years ago.

I have a few cordless drills, impact drivers and a 1/2" impact wrench.

That said, I run corded for pretty much everything. I am almost always near power or air, and have no desire to spend a ton of money for something that will only last a few years before its obsolete or non-compatible.

I just simply don't need the benefits of most cordless tools to justify the price.

 

[pepi]

Yes, they seem to never need new batteries or drop dead in the middle of usage .

Any questions
Pep

 

[Mr Ratchet]

Yep, all mine but one tool (drill) is corded or uses an air hose. I use my cordless drill quite often when doing quick/smaller jobs. For extended use or tougher jobs, I pull out the cords. Cordless has it's place though and I can see why some prefer them over corded. Hate having a battery **** out half way while drilling a hole or driving a screw. I've also replaced batteries and a charger on my old drill. Cordless has come a long way but needs to go even further for my liking.