Panasonic Cordless

[IndyGarage]

After a thread here a few weeks ago which confirmed that the Hilti Cordless tools are made or JV'd with Panasonic, I went and looked at their latest cordless tools.

I need a tool set that fits between the Milwaukee V28 set I have - which is fantastic and the compact 12v tools I have that are small and light, but not a ton of power and battery life. I had looked at Milwaukee fuel and Makita (would have bought the Milwaukee instantly if they had made the batteries backwardly compatible with my V28 chargers) and Makita Brushless.

I saw this Panasonic 14.4V set EYC105LR on Amazon for $299 and ordered them immediately. I hadn't seen anything in the new Panasonic Line that low priced for awhile. Kit includes the Brushless impact driver with a 1/2 inch socket anvil (also includes the adapter for 1/4 hex drive) and the 1/2 drill with keyless chuck, plus 2 3.3 AH batteries.

I've had Panasonic tools in the past and I know how good they are, and I know that their 14.4 tools would likely stack up to everyone else's 18v tools and if the past is any indication, their batteries are better than the others.

The Amazon order was fulfilled through CPO - took only a couple days to deliver.

So far I like them a lot. First thing I did was charge the batteries up, and pull out my Milwaukee V28 drill and compare it to the Panasonic 14.4 using a 3/4 inch speedbor bit in a 4x4.

Well, there's no comparison really - the V28 drill blasts a 3/4 in hole in a 4x4 easily - instantly. The Panasonic 14.4 does it a second or two slower - but doesn't struggle. There's also no comparison on weight and size - I'd guess the Panasonic to be just over half the weight and considerably smaller than the V28 drill.

Interestingly the Panasonic drill is not brushless - not sure why they didn't go brushless because they've had that technology in their tools for 10 years or so. Even though the Milwaukee keyless chuck is good, Panasonics is better.

I drilled probably 2 dozen 3/4 inch holes with each tool through the 4x4 - no problems.

Impact driver - I was not sure I would like the setup with the 1/2 inch anvil and the adapter for the 1/4 inch hex, but I was hoping I could use this as a light 1/2 inch impact wrench as well as with 1/4 inch driver tools. The little adapter is quite ingenious - using a snap lock mechanism to hold it onto the 1/2 inch anvil - and another one to hold the 1/4 inch bit in place. It works great.

Again comparing this Panasonic 14.4 impactor to my V28 impact wrench is no comparison. When driving some 4 inch lag bolts into the 4x4, the Milwaukee hardly has to impact, while the panasonic impacts the whole way. They both got the job done a couple dozen times in and out, easily. However this is where the size/weight advantage falls way in the direction of Panasonic. The Milwaukee V28 impact wrench is a brute in size and weight. The Panasonic 14.4 impactor is probably 1/3 the weight and less than half the size. The Panasonic 14.4v is similar in size to the 18v porter cable impactor I bought last year, but maybe a bit more powerful.

BTW - I really like the Porter Cable 18V lithium impactor - It's similar in size and features to this Panasonic impactor - I just don't care for its battery life. In order to reach a price point they put a 1.5 ah battery in the kit and it needs to be charged way too much. I also use compact drivers quite a lot; I have Milwaukee, Boschs and Makitas but I find them lacking in power and the battery life is poor if you use them a lot.

I then tried the Panasonic impactor on some lug nuts as I was putting snow tires on my car. Put a 1/2 inch impact socket right on the tool - oohh I love this thing - it buzzed the lugs off as fast as a pneumatic gun. 4 tires changed in record time and no fumbling with an air hose, nor did I have to lug around the V28 impact gun. I'm sure The Panasonic doesn't have close to the ultimate power those other guns have, but it makes up for that in convenience.

One of the other things I like about these tools is the LED light. Unlike other tools, the LED light is switched so you can turn it off and turn it on. Plus it's located on the base of the tool, not in line with the bit - so it lights up the whole area you are working in. It's much more useful than those junk LED lights they put in most cordless tools these days.

So I used the Panasonic impactor all day after that on screws and bolts and all kinds of things - power never diminished, the battery didn't go dead.

So after a couple weeks use these Panasonics are a winner. On first observation they have good power, excellent battery life and are compact and lightweight tools.

Here's the link to them at Amazon - at $299 they are a steal.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005AZ379Q/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[IndyGarage]

Hmmm. I guess no interest in Panasonic.

 

[ricleh]

Panasonic makes damn good cordless tools.

 

[SMKS]

Post pics.

I've heard they're good, but they don't seem to be widely distributed.

Also, change the title so people know this is an initial review/Milwaukee comparison. People would probably be interested in reading it and seeing pics, but the title doesn't really explain the thread.

 

[IndyGarage]

Post pics.

I've heard they're good, but they don't seem to be widely distributed.

They look just like the picture I linked to.

About 1993, when I got my first Panasonic Cordless drill/driver - they were so much better than everything else out there it wasn't even a comparison.

Since then the other brands have come around to copying most of the features Panasonic has always had - high/ low speed gearing, variable clutch, brushless motors, t-shaped handle that is freestanding, rotary brake so the bit stops instantly, cordless impactor, high amp hour batteries and quick charge - all were features originally developed by Panasonic in their cordless tools.

Today the difference isn't so great, but they still make tools that work better and with longer lasting batteries than everybody else. It's true that a 14.4volt panasonic will generally outwork everybody else's 18v tool.

As far as availability - i've never understood why Panasonic didn't market their tools more widely. They've never made a wide range of cordless tools - just a drill/driver, the impactor, a circular saw, a reciprocating saw and a flashlight, and they are only distributed through a small number of dealers.

For some reason they only market them to professionals, not consumers, and they don't try to compete with Makita and Dewault and Milwaukee. They also tend to be on the high end of the price scale. It's pure speculation but my guess is they originally made their cordless tools to use internally, and it's never really been given a large marketing budget.

I'd be willing to bet they sell more tools under the Hilti brand name than the Panasonic brand name.

 

[Zeke]

They are top rated but most of the time the most expensive. I could see having P'sonic for a personal tool around the home and shop, but not in my truck to get stolen or lost. That hasn't happened to me much, but if and when I don't want to lose a Rolex when I could tell the time with a Casio.

 

[SMKS]

People here like to see close up, real world images, not one small stock photo.

Side-by-side pics with your Milwaukee will attract more interest.

 

[bullnerd]

A while back Finewoodworking did thier drill test,Panasonic was the top rated driver by quite a bit.

 

[superautobacs]

IndyGarage,

That's an awesome price for that set! For years, I've tempted myself to buy a Panasonic cordless driver, but I ended up getting the Milwaukee Fuel line recently.

I agree with what you've said about how Panasonic (formerly National) has been instrumental in developing the latest cordless technologies. They were like the pioneers and they were ahead of the pack for years. It's only recently that the playing field has levelled out, and as you say, incorporating many of those features started by Panasonic into their own, and marketing it like it's THE latest technology in the market.

Our resident member Monte posted a youtube video a couple years ago of his Panasonic drill/driver:

Here's a good overview of the ToughIP series stuff:

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Here's their latest 1/2" impact which can take both 14.4v 4.2Ah and 18v 4.2Ah batteries.
More info: http://www2.panasonic.biz/es/densetsu/powertool/recommend/ez75a2/index.html

 

[Davefr]

Panasonics have been my "go to" cordless drills for the last 10-20 years. Battery life has been excellent, the tools are way more powerful then others in the same voltage class and they're had superior charging technology.

I've never had a Panasonic drill die.

However the gap has narrowed significantly.

 

[IndyGarage]

IndyGarage,

That's an awesome price for that set! For years, I've tempted myself to buy a Panasonic cordless driver, but I ended up getting the Milwaukee Fuel line recently.

I agree with what you've said about how Panasonic (formerly National) has been instrumental in developing the latest cordless technologies. They were like the pioneers and they were ahead of the pack for years. It's only recently that the playing field has levelled out, and as you say, incorporating many of those features started by Panasonic into their own, and marketing it like it's THE latest technology in the market.

Our resident member Monte posted a youtube video a couple years ago of his Panasonic drill/driver:

...
Here's their latest 1/2" impact which can take both 14.4v 4.2Ah and 18v 4.2Ah batteries.

Nothing wrong with Milwaukee Fuel. I've always had good luck with Milwaukee tools and I looked hard at the Fuel before I went for these Panasonics.

I think Panasonic still has a slight feature advantage over Milwaukee and based on past experience I would expect their battery life to be better, but I think most would be happy with either brand.

I think the drill Monte posted in his video is the one I have.

As you point out, the latest Panasonic tools run on either 14.4 or 18v batteries. The ones I bought are 14.4 volt only. Personally I cannot see any value in the dual voltage setup, but they must see it as a selling point.

 

[superautobacs]

Someone was brave.

I saw a similar user video but it was with either a Fein or a Festool cordless drill and it passed without issue. Only that person did a dunk test and followed it with a dust bath.

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[IndyGarage]

Here's another one


www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=8OGkBgrQUu8

 

[Monte]

I saw a similar user video but it was with either a Fein or a Festool cordless drill and it passed without issue. Only that person did a dunk test and followed it with a dust bath.

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/-bZ4yrpTcjw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[IndyGarage]

Those videos are impressive. I don't think I would do that to my Festool, or my Panasonic... You certainly couldn't do that to older tools.

I would say most all of the new cordless can be dunked for a few seconds and then shaken out and they will run. He did have a bit of trouble with the Festool after dunking, but it seemed to work fine after he shook the water out of it good.

Running them underwater like the guy with the Panasonic did is a different story altogether. I would think most wouldn't handle that, but I'm not really willing to test it.

I would also think the real problems come in a week or two after you dunk them.

A few months ago I bought an old worm drive skilsaw at a swap meet for $10. I could see it was missing its brushes, but I figured a new set of brushes might get it running.

I bought some brushes and put them in but it still wouldn't run. I took it apart and I found the entire motor was packed tight with mud - like it had been underwater for a time. Fortunately the water didn't get into the gearbox, but the oil in it was probably original. I also found the field coil was badly burned and had a broken wire. I soldered the broken wire, but it still wouldn't run.

At that point it was beginning to look like a lost cause, but I found a new field coil for a reasonable price on Ebay and installed it. I changed the oil in the gearbox and lubed the bearings as best I could and put it back together and it ran fine. I put a new carbide blade on it and cleaned the rust off the base and waxed it. It doesn't look so great, but it cuts great.

So my $10 find turned into a $65 tool. It probably wasn't worth the hours I spent fixing it, because you can still buy a new one for under $200, but it was satisfying to get it running again.

I'm not sure what caused it to burn up the coil, but I suspect it either got dropped in water or was in a flood somehow to get that much mud packed in it.

 

[Chris705]

First hand expirence w/ the Panasonic dunk test.....Thought I had protected my 5 gallon bucket of tools from the rain coming thru my under construction garage but apparently I had poked a couple holes in the plastic covering my lumber pile where I stuck the bucket that contained my 4-5 year old Panasonic impact driver......ARRRUUUGGGHHHHH was my expression when I saw the bucket was totally full of water (been that way for at least a couple of days), sinking stomach feeling knowing I spent about close to $500 for the set of drill and driver......anyway I drip dried the unit and never thought it would work, dried the battery and driver in front of my basement dehumidifier for another week or so and then tried to charge the battery.....did not charge and flashed an error on the charger. So I reluctantly tried my other battery and low and behold the driver still worked! Now I need a second battery....If anyone could provide a link to where I can purchase batteries I would be grateful.....it is the 14.4volt batteries I am after. I really like the panasonic and agree w/ most of the thoughts posted here.

 

[IndyGarage]

If anyone could provide a link to where I can purchase batteries I would be grateful.....it is the 14.4volt batteries I am after. I really like the panasonic and agree w/ most of the thoughts posted here.

You can buy new Panasonic and knock off batteries on Amazon.com.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_nr_n...attery&ie=UTF8&qid=1387600279&rnid=2941120011



I had some of my old 12v Panasonic batteries rebuilt at the Batteries Plus store. This was probably 8 or 10 years ago (I no longer have those tools). I think it cost about $28 apiece. They worked, but I was a little disappointed with the results. I'm not sure if they put the right cells in, but the tool just didn't seem to have the same power as it did new.

Eventually I bought a replacement Panasonic brand battery and it was like a whole new tool.

 

[neophyte]

You can buy new Panasonic and knock off batteries on Amazon.com.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_nr_n...attery&ie=UTF8&qid=1387600279&rnid=2941120011



I had some of my old 12v Panasonic batteries rebuilt at the Batteries Plus store. This was probably 8 or 10 years ago (I no longer have those tools). I think it cost about $28 apiece. They worked, but I was a little disappointed with the results. I'm not sure if they put the right cells in, but the tool just didn't seem to have the same power as it did new.

Eventually I bought a replacement Panasonic brand battery and it was like a whole new tool.

Panasonic is one of the major Japanese battery manufacturers. One of the reasons Panasonics drills work so well likely has to due with the battery cells. If the batteries cells were replaced with non Panasonic cells it would likely have affected performance.

 

[Thumper68]

I bought my first Panasonic drill/driver a 9.6 in '91 and used it to death, well at least I thought it was dead but a ran across it in the shed last summer and popped the battery on the charger and tried it out the damn thing still works (the battery only lasted for about 2 min) I didn't think it was worth it to rebuild 22 year old nicads so I put it back on the shelf but they make great tools. At that time Panasonic was the only mfgr that made a 12 volt charger to plug the batteries in in your truck. I also ran a 15.6 volt in the late 90's blew away all the 18 v that the other guys were using, wish it hadn't walked off the job site one day.