Still a place for corded tools

[JimD]

I use my cordless tools (Ryobi) a lot more than my corded tools. I used the reciprocating saw today to cut some fence top rail. But yesterday I removed our back door and put a new one in. Somebody, probably the previous home owner, made an opening too short, at least for the new door. He also has rabbeted the door jambs and put little 1X pieces in them all around the door. So removal meant ripping through the 1X. I started this with my Ryobi recip but was burning through batteries pretty quick. So I went and got the DeWalt. Longer stroke and no battery issues got it done. For the taller opening, I used my old Milwaukee circular saw at full depth and then the recip to finish. I didn't even start with the little Ryobi circular saw.

Lots of things, like my little fence project today, can be done easier with the cordless. I have no outlet handy where I was working. But big heavy work is better left to corded tools, at least with my tools.

[leehljp]

I have a Ryobi CatCorner 18V sander for getting into tight places. I am working on twin bunk beds for my daughter - Been working on them since last May. The sander was OK for flat surfaces and some corners, but I had lots of spaces between a bunch of spindles on the head boards and foot boards. It was taking too long and I was trying to think of alternatives to the repetitive sanding in tight spots. Suddenly, I remembered my long corded Fein MultiMaster. It did short work of the sanding. It was nearly 3 times faster and did a better job too!

I had 72 spaces to sand. After the first 3 or 4, I timed it at about 2 minutes to sand decently around the spindles where they were mounted. With the Fein, it took about 40 to 45 seconds to do the same job around each spindle from then on.

A couple of weeks ago, I needed to cut a few pipe and I went to my hacksaw. Then I remembered a gift of over a year ago from LOML: A corded portable metal bandsaw. I pulled that out for probably the second time and it made short work of the pipe. About a minute for 3 2inch metal pipes, and it didn't seem ragged like using a metal blade on a jig saw.

I agree, there is a place for cordless and there is absolutely a place for Corded!

[onedash]

If only they could make one tool be both. Plug it in for max power or run on battery for remote use or when the job is small enough to skip the plug. Although, my 20V Dewalt drill can drill 2' deep holes in my clay soil with a 2" auger all day long. My corded Dewalt drill couldn't do that. I don't have a cordless circular saw so I had to get our the corded one this weekend because my the board was too wide for my chop saw. a big sliding miter saw would be nice. Usually I can get away with lifting the board to finish the cut.

[dbhost]

For me it's the opposite. I have deep trust issues with cordless tools, and rely heavily on my corded power tools. Oddly enough, my exposure to cordless has been Black and Decker, DeWalt, and DrillMaster (Harbor Freight house brand) and the only one that hasn't totally ticked me off is the DrillMaster. The other two were so horrid that I returned the DeWalt, and smashed the B&D to bits on my workbench to relieve some stress after it failed the third time.

Battery run time, no real warning to speak of before it dies off in the middle of a critical job, and overall poor build quality for cost cutting or weight savings not sure, but either way, it's a lose / lose scenario...

Never any let down with my corded tools except for when I am an idiot and run over power cords with my circular saw...

[poolhound]

I usually hold that there is an optimal tool for every job. Sometimes its corded and sometimes its not. When it comes to things that need real power/torque I find that the cordless tools (at least the ones I own, just wont cut it. The Ryobi cordless jigsaw and circular saw are really pretty useless, the CS tends to stall if I try and cut through anything much thicker than paper unless I go real sloooow. The jigsaw is a bit better but only for rough cuts.

[leehljp]

Never any let down with my corded tools except for when I am an idiot and run over power cords with my circular saw...

You do that too? I guess I have cut half a dozen cords or more with my circular saws!

[cwsmith]

I'm not so much the fan of cordless tools. Fifteen years or so ago, there was a lot of complaints about battery failures and the cost of replacements. In 2003 Ridgid introduced their new line of power tools and shortly thereafter their cordless line which had lifetime replacement if you properly registered for their LLSA. So, I figured that was the only way to go if I actually wanted a cordless anything. Within a couple of years I found myself with a couple of "combo" sets, mainly a 14.4-Volt 3/8" drill and impact driver and a 9.6-Volt Pivot Driver; then an 18-Volt 1/2" Hammer Drill and 6-1/2" Circular Saw. Finally their 12-Volt Job Max and Compact Driver.

The 12-Volt Lithium Job Max and Compact Driver proved to be worthless, to the point where I wish I could get my money back. Even replacement batteries proved to be lifeless. The NiCad 14.4- and 18-Volt tools are still working well on the original batteries, although probably not as long lasting as when they were new. The 18-Volt Hammer Drill I've only used twice and the 14.4 Impact Driver I've used less than a dozen times. Problem with the latter is that is does one heck of a job... so much so that it's tough to loosen a bolt afterwards; and, as a homeowner I just don't need a hammer drill all that much. The 14.4-Volt drill and the 18-Volt Circular Saw are really handy though. For a quick project where I need a short rip of sheet stock, the latter is great and for drilling just a few holes that cordless drill is just the thing.

But for larger projects, I keep my corded tools close at hand. No worry about having to recharge anything or verbally abusing a battery that just isn't going to make it through the task.

So while a cordless tool may be just the thing for a "quicky" task, there's nothing like having a corded tool. They ask nothing of you, and unless you slice up the cord, they're most always up to the task. I've got a really cheap Sears Companion 1/4" that is still working great. I bought it in 1969 when we bought our first home. It has bronze bearings (not roller or ball bearing), and it still works great, although sees little use these days. My father's Milwaukee "hole shooter" is more than 50 years old (probably more than 60 yrs) and my Craftsman 3/8 VS is more than 40 years old. Both work as good as new and I'm using the latter for drilling holes in my new shed for the wiring. The cordless are too large for getting between the studs.

For me, a corded tool will always be an essential. My old power tools don't have the things like adjustable clutches or even variable speeds, but they work reliably! (I do have a nice Ryobi "Clutch Driver" corded drill that does have those features.)

Oh... I almost forgot, I do have two really favorite cordless tools: One it my little green Ryobi 4-Volt lithium Tek-4. Really small, 2-speed with an adjustable driver clutch and a pop in 4-Volt cell. I got a couple of micro chucks that snap into its hex clutch so I can use regular drill bits with it. Perfect for small projects like hanging curtains, paintings, etc. and driving screws of any kind.

My other favorite "cordless" is my old wood brace! You need to bore a hole, and be careful in the process, the wood brace is the first tool I reach for. Those old auger bits cut very efficiently and I don't have to worry about stressing an bogging down a motor or battery.

CWS

[vaking]

I am old-fashioned. For woodworking the only cordless tools I have are drills and impact driver. And even drill besides cordless I have a heavy-duty corded which gets used when cordless can't cut it. Circular saw, jig saw, all kinds of sanders - all corded. Outside of woodworking - I have a heavy duty 24V Bosch hammer drill. When you need to drill concrete - nothing can match it.

[atgcpaul]

The only cordless tools I own are my Makita drill and impact driver, and Ryobi drill. I think it's ironic that if I'm going to do a big job in the house or if I go to my Dad's to help with something like his deck, the first thing I do is bring out the charger and plug it in, but I could just as easily brought my corded drill and extension cord. However, once we're going and one battery dies off, it's a quick swap out, and we're back at it.

I haven't used a cordless circular saw or recip saw to see if they're worth it. I own corded models of both and don't use either one enough to want to switch. However, not having to be cognizant of where the cord is before a cut happens would be nice.

[capncarl]

I have a cabinet full of useless battery tools that the batteries have died and/or the manufacturer has replaced that model with different voltage batteries or slide on vrs plug in batteries. My new shop rule is not to buy any battery tool if I already have a corded tool of that type....... Except for the two usual convenience tools, the battery impact driver and the common battery drill. No more battery circular saws, recip saws, sanders, nibblers, soldering irons, etc in my shop!
My wife swears by her cheap battery hedge shears, but they seem to last as long as her corded shears, so they can stay as long as she is happy using them!
capncarl

[Bill in Buena Park]

Although I basically agree, it's only where I feel corded tools are more convenient that I have kept any. All the "big" shop tools are corded, of course, but many of my smaller corded tools I have given to friends in need because of their prolonged disuse in my shop. Wherever its convenient to leave a tool pulled in at the ready, I do, such as RO palm and disc sanders, drills at the lathe (primarily for bowl sanding), and a corded 16" chainsaw for processing large logs into turning blanks.

However, the prominence of cordless has grown in (and outside) my shop. I now own just about the complete line of Craftsman C-3 (which is really a re-branded Ryobi 1+). Full size CS, "Trim" size CS, Recip, Jigsaw, trim router, Sander, Drills, Drivers, lights, the little CMS, even the brad nailer - you name it. Also have all the garden tools - string trimmer, blower, hedge trimmer, and little chainsaw. I own only 4 of the Li-Ion batteries to run them all, and with 4, can usually get enough run-time to go almost non-stop while cycling through recharges. I haven't had an issue with any of them, and use them regularly within their intended field of use - homeowner/diy/hobbyist. If I didn't own these, I'd own the full line of 1+. Recognize some of these are more "light duty" than others. But it was the "one battery" approach that sold me.

[JimD]

I only have one Harbor Freight cordless tool and it is the Chicago Electric (red) kind. A 1/2 impact wrench my son gave me. It uses Ni Cd batteries but was invaluable when we were replacing floats on the dock. I've used it a few times since and it works great. About 200 honest ft. lbs. according to the review I've read (it's rated 330). I thought of a cordless drill when I was down to one Ryobi but they were just too heavy.

I thought the Ryobi cordless saws were near useless with Ni Cd batteries but when I got a couple lithium ion batteries they became MUCH more useful. But still they are relatively crude tools. But they work well for many things. I used the circular saw a lot when I was framing my wife's office. It's much lighter and will cut a lot of 2x4s on a battery. But the Milwaukee will cut deeper, cut indefinitely, and will make better cuts than the little Ryobi. My Bosch jigsaw will do much nicer work than the Ryobi but the cord is a pain sometimes too. Sometimes the Ryobi is good enough.

When I needed to drill a bunch of 1 inch holes in 2xs to wire my shop, my old 1/2 Craftsman wouldn't work and my two DeWalt 3/8 corded drills didn't have enough torque. But my Ryobis on low speed did fine. I went through a few batteries but I got the holes drilled. I think cordless drills are the closest to corded tools.

My favorite cordless is my 18 gauge brad nailer. I've put thousands of brads through it. Much handier than pneumatics. But Saturday I had to have 2.5 inch nails, not two inch brads so the 16 gauge pneumatic was used. It's nice to have the tools, even if it means dragging out the compressor.

[mpc]

Ridgid and Ryobi cordless tools for jobs that won't take long. I can't imagine trying to use a cordless sander... seems like the battery would have to be massive to have a reasonable run time. If one uses a vacuum or dust collector of some sort while sanding as I do then a cordless sander pretty much looses its convenience advantage anyway. But cordless drills and impact drivers? I use those all the time and have a couple of each so I often don't even have to change bits. The corded drill rarely gets used any more... its main use these days is grinding rust (i.e. running for a long time) or when I require high RPMs; my corded drill was one of the prior generation before geared-down high torque but low RPM drills became the standard. I also reach for the battery jig saw most of the time as it's "ready to go" compared to digging out the Bosch and finding an extension cord. Same for the Ridgid cordless circular saw - it's ready to go compared to digging out the corded Porter Cable saw. I use the PC when I know I'm going to make several cuts; the Ridgid is good for maybe two full cuts in plywood before it needs a battery swap. The battery caulk gun is cool (came in the kit I bought on clearance) though, even on its slowest speed setting, it squeezes out caulk rather quickly. I get a much cleaner bead with it compared to the traditional hand-squeezed caulk guns. The cordless Ridgid tools seem to have sufficient power; I've never found the circ saw to be wanting for example. The cordless circ saw, reciprocating saw, etc. have enough power to do the jobs just fine but they gobble up batteries faster than the chargers can re-charge 'em. Which is why I just jump straight to the corded versions if I know the job will take more than a few minutes.

I also have the Ryobi cordless impact gun (big brother to the impact drivers included in most kits) that is flat-out wonderful. Very powerful and it'll basically do an entire day's worth of car stuff on a single high-capacity 1+ battery. I really like this tool. MUCH more convenient compared to my air powered impact gun. Quieter too. And no need to oil it before use either - just grab it off the shelf and get to work. The Ryobi 18 volt leaf blower is handy; it'll go about half an hour on a hi-cap battery. Either blowing the fine dust that's settled on top of tools, on shelves, etc. in the shop at the end of the day or blowing leaves and shingle asphalt (my roof looses a lot of this grit after rain storms) off the patio.

mpc

[LinuxRandal]

It all comes down to how one works and how much use out of them.
I was once loaned a Ryobi cordless reciprocating saw, with a bad battery, and I was given a Craftsman 14.4 set, where I was able to get not quite three full cuts out of it (2x4), before the battery was dead.
Drills, impact drivers and impact guns, are cordless tools I have and use. Several of them, still have Nicad or NiMH batteries, without the memories. Some of the Lithium ion based tools I have had, lasted three years and the batteries would no longer take a charge. (didn't get the use per cost out of them)
For cordless tools, there are the old hand tools, that if they are sharp, do a good job. (from Yankee drills, screwdrivers, hand saws, tree saws, pruners, etc) For convenience up on a ladder and such cordless is good. But in general, I have found a heavy duty extension cord and having corded tools, allow me to get a LOT more work done, then swapping batteries or waiting for them to charge, or finding out one has reached its end of life, mid project.

[tfischer]

I ended up picking up an inverter generator last year during a power outage... a few years prior we had major water damage in our lower level when we had an extended power outage and our sump pit overflowed... we have a battery backup but it didn't last the entire outage.

So as a fringe benefit I can take my corded tools places where there's no convenient power outlet. I took advantage of this last year doing some fence repairs where I needed my (corded) reciprocating saw.