Cordless Power

[asupernothing]

i am buying a set of makita 18v li-ion tools in the next few days. i was just wondering if anyone had any input on this. I need something heavy duty.

right now i am planning to go with the lxt601:

hammer drill
impact driver
recip saw
circular saw
angle grinder
flashlight
2 batterys
charger

if i order by the end of the month, i get a free battery and a free tool.

any input would be appreciated

[jzmtl]

To me those kits really have a lot of things that aren't necessary. Sure you can get a cordless circular saw, grinder and flashlight, but what are the chances are you'll actually use them? For me whenever I needed any of them it'll last long enough to make pulling out the extension cord worthwhile, the only cordless thing I really need is a drill and driver.

[Styerman]

Of the cordless tools commonly available in retail outlets , I prefer Milwaukee , good tool , takes quite a pounding . The fibreglass reenforced nylon bodies take a lot of impact .

Makita makes SOME good models , problem is that it's hard to tell the Pro. stuff from the lower end consumer stuff .

Chris

[Sparky415]

The only advice I can give on these deals is check the Ah rating on the batteries
they sometimes have a lower rated battery on these offers 

[ryan1835]

if it were me id get a decent battery drill and probably for the rest mains do you really need everything battery powered? i can see it being a pain and costly when the batteries die

[gunga]

How about Ridgid?

I just got one of their drills ($99 Father's day special).  Lifetime warranty on everything, including batteries.  I am happy so far.  Built a deck with it last weekend.

[Styerman]

CaCa , not a great fan .

I wouldn't bother with cordless saws , except for a cordless reciprocating saw - these are very handy if you also have a line powered rendition .If you were to try serious demolition with one , forget it . Many of the items in these package deals get very little actual use . I am a firm advocate of cordless drills , almost all my other stuff is line powered . Lithium batteries have improved performance and reduced weight , but despite this - laws of physics are immutable . Cordless Circular saws , even the gigantic 28 and 32 volt ones bog down pretty quickly . In well over 25 years I have never found much use for cordless worklights . Cordless impacts , and screwdrivers can be handy . Beware , they can strip out threads like Billy B. Damned ! Cordless grinders wouldn't be capable of heavy work .

A good Cordless Jig Saw could be very usefull , as the tend to be used mostly for short duration odd jobs .

For what it's worth in numerical order ; #1&2 would be Hilti or Matabo in no particular order ( Festool and a few other Eurotools also would be in the top tier ; as would be some Panasonic models )
#3 would be some Hitachi models and Milwaukee- note Hitachi is like Makita they make some consumer models , and some industrial models - the ones in the big box stores are mostly consumer models . Hitachi gets high marks due to the fact that they make their own batteries , many other companies go with the cheap battery de jour ( DeWalt , and Ridgid being prime examples )
#4 would be De Walt
#5 on downwards would be everything else .

Don't get to hung up on warranties , beware fine print , you don't get something for nothing . I prefer to get stuff that doesn't screw up . Hilti , Metabo , and Milwaukee are good this way .


Chris

[asupernothing]

input appreciated

i work part time for one of the big box stores (gotta have health insurance) that sells low end tools so i know about the abc tool lines. so i am not buying from them

i get why you are all saying to avoid cordless for everything but the drill, but the thing is i already have corded/ air power tools for all of those jobs. i do alot of highly mobile jobs so i need to be able to take the tools with me just about anywhere.
the batteries on the makita are the 3.0 ah batteries.

the reason i am staying away from milwaukee has to do with weight. as i said i need high mobility tools so weight is a concern. i borrowed a few of the makita tools from a coworker a while back, and was really impressed.

as for the rigid, its good for light duty use, but i personally hate dealling with tti (the comapny that makes rigid.)

as for the grinder its likely to never get used. but the rest of the tools are essential, and i need them cordless. if i go with the 4 peice set i only save like 30usd, but if i spend that $30, i get 2 more tools, and a new battery. which is like a $300 value. seems fair right. the bonus tool would be a larger version of the hammer drill which come standard with the set.

sure they are a lot less powerful. but its a lot easier than lugging a 400 pound generator up the side of a mountain...

thanks for the input. if anyone has any makita tools i would like to know how you like them.
as i said i have used them and i like them as does my friend. but i would like to know if there were any glaring issues with them that i am just not aware of yet.

[Styerman]

You know your application and your intended use , so you sound good to go .

Chris

[Fisting_Chili]

CaCa , not a great fan .

I wouldn't bother with cordless saws , except for a cordless reciprocating saw - these are very handy if you also have a line powered rendition .If you were to try serious demolition with one , forget it . Many of the items in these package deals get very little actual use . I am a firm advocate of cordless drills , almost all my other stuff is line powered . Lithium batteries have improved performance and reduced weight , but despite this - laws of physics are immutable . Cordless Circular saws , even the gigantic 28 and 32 volt ones bog down pretty quickly . In well over 25 years I have never found much use for cordless worklights . Cordless impacts , and screwdrivers can be handy . Beware , they can strip out threads like Billy B. Damned ! Cordless grinders wouldn't be capable of heavy work .

A good Cordless Jig Saw could be very usefull , as the tend to be used mostly for short duration odd jobs .

For what it's worth in numerical order ; #1&2 would be Hilti or Matabo in no particular order ( Festool and a few other Eurotools also would be in the top tier ; as would be some Panasonic models )
#3 would be some Hitachi models and Milwaukee- note Hitachi is like Makita they make some consumer models , and some industrial models - the ones in the big box stores are mostly consumer models . Hitachi gets high marks due to the fact that they make their own batteries , many other companies go with the cheap battery de jour ( DeWalt , and Ridgid being prime examples )
#4 would be De Walt
#5 on downwards would be everything else .

Don't get to hung up on warranties , beware fine print , you don't get something for nothing . I prefer to get stuff that doesn't screw up . Hilti , Metabo , and Milwaukee are good this way .


Chris

I'd have to agree.  I have a Makita cordless drill, but for all my other tools, they are corded.  Got a Milwaukee Saw-zall, Makita Hypoid circular saw, etc.  all corded.  I don't use them as often as I'd like, but when I do, it is usually when I have a project brewing and have set aside a day or two for it.  Last thing I want to do, when I'm deep in it, is have to wait for a battery to charge.

[Mike 56]

Before i retired three years ago i was a flooring contractor for 30 years. I have frist boxed 18 volt DeWalt set i bought it fifteen years ago it came with a 5 3/8 circular saw, sawzall, hammer drill and flash light. It is still in good working order one of the batteries went bad but the other one still works not as good as new but still works pretty good.

The drill is good i have had no problems with it as for the hammer drill function if you want to drill concrete use a good corded hammer drill.

The sawzall worked well for me. In fact here on the west coast of the US they use them to steal catalytic converters from cars in parking lots to sell for scrap.

The circular was a life saver lots of times we would work on houses with no power plus the battery saw is a lot lighter than a  worm drive skillsaw.
A few tips for using a battery circular saw use a blade made for a battery saw. Chose the right blade for what you are cutting most of the time that will be a carbide blade with the least amount of teeth. The more teeth a blade has the more power it takes to cut. Setting the blade a 1/8 deeper than what you are cutting all so helps and is a lot safer than having the blade a inch or two deeper than your work. I could cut in a kitchen that took 10 sheets of underlayment with one fully charged battary.

[Styerman]

Don't get me wrong , cordless recips are great , as long as it isn't your only recip . I have used them lots for cutting EMT , on the platforms of scissor lifts , cutting in roof vents etc , just that they are not and never will be as powerfull and long suffering as a regular 8-12 Amp Recip. Cordless Circs are well beloved by fence contractors and other such , but they are more in the nature of an augmentation than a replacement .

I rarely use line powered drills anymore , Top of the line cordless hammerdrills work well up to about 3/8" , I have a Metabo cordless SDS hammer that works well up to 5/8 -3/4" , but we are not talking a weekend warrior tool , bout $ 700.00 per copy .

Glad you got such good service outa your De Walt , my luck with them hasn't been good .

Chris

BTW , the cordless SDS Hammerdrill saved my Butt on a gig installing cameras in and around a High School , all windows were sealed , few outdoor receptacles - without it we would have needed a Generator or rediculously long extension cords , of about 10 ga. ! We needed 5/8" holes for the Sleve anchors , and about 22" x1/2" holes to penetrate the walls . I only use my line powered SDS drills when I need lots of largish holes .

Lithium Batts have truly changed the cordless world , for older NiCad tools to deliver the same , they would have weighed a ton .

[Inzelique]

Makita makes the best cordless drills on the market right now (look it up).  And their batteries are some of the best, and the most expensive.   Replacement batteries can cost over $100. 
I also highly recomend Rigid tools.  Over all they have stood up to the abuse I have thrown at them.  Not as good as Makita, but also not as expensive. 
And NO cordless tool is going to be as powerful as their corded cousins.  Cordless hammerdrills are actually an oxymoron. 
Be aware that the same company owns Ryobi, Rigid and Milwaukee.  TTI bought them out 2 or 3 years ago.  I have seen the quality of the Milwaukee stuff slipping over the last couple years, so pay attention to the specs on the box.

[asupernothing]

i agree that cordless hammer drills are never going to have much effectiveness as a hammer drill. but they will have the same effectiveness as a regular drill for non hammer use. and in a pinch the hammer feature can get through cinderblock, at least enough to drop in some anchors and such.

thanks all for the input

[RaptorMan]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/B0028K3KGG/ref=dp_image_z_0?ie=UTF8&n=228013&s=hi

Here is what I am hoping for this fathers day...doubt I get it though. Lifetime replacement on batteries

[Styerman]

I find a cordless hammer drill very usefull in block and brick in hole sizes up to 1/2" . In concrete floors they are far less usefull . For retrofits , and service calls they are great - many places have a derth of recepticles .

I hear you about the ownership changes , but recent Milwaukee stuff , at least the higher end models seem to work pretty well .

I would say ATM the best made tools ( price be damned ) are the Euro tools like Festool, Metabo, and Hilti etc . Panasonic is another one to watch , tho pretty rare . The Top end of both the Makita and Hitachi line are very good ( in you can get past the colors on the new Hitachi stuff ) . Both also make some lower end models that aren't too swift . Sadly some of the good lines are rare in the US and Canada due to a very strong Euro .

BTW , if you are looking for a good Jigsaw , without going to the expensive Euro tools , give Hitachi and Milwaukee ( basically the old AEG ) a look . A good jigger is a great asset . SDS shanked models with good quality blades are very versatile , and as accurate as a hand held Circ. The best of the breed can handle 3/4" in alum. between 1/4" and 3/8" in mild steel , and up to 4" in wood . They are also a lot less likely to remove fingers than Circ's .

Chris

[ryan1835]

For drilling floors you want an electro pneumatic drills they just sink into concrete

[Styerman]

My SDS Metabo is electropneumatic - works well , given the limitations of cordless power . I also keep the line powered version in the truck .

Chris