Cordless or NOT

[LCHIEN]

Love my cordless six pack! I have a drill, flashlight, circular saw, vac, impact driver, and miter saw in one and 4 battery packs!

... I really don't understand this obsession with cordless tools; a 100 foot extension cord is really all you need 99% of the time.

Cordless tools cost more, have less power, run out of power at inconvenient times, and worst of all, the battery packs are a nightmare: they're proprietary and not interchangeable, they're expensive to replace, there are no generic equivalents, and since they use common battery technology (which isn't very good) the batteries have a very limited lifespan before they won't hold much charge.

I'll stick with my old-fashioned corded tools.

Two ends of the argument.

Take this poll.

[rockfish]

I've got:

Ryobi 18V hammerdrill
Ryobi 18V angle drill
Ryobi 18V speed saw
Ryobi 18V flashlight
DeWalt 18V hammerdrill
DeWalt 18V drill


I think cordless tools are great, but I don't believe they replace corded tools in most situations. I think circular saws and reciprocating saws need too much power for cordless to make any sense. I'm sure some folks swear by them though.





rockfish

[ted van halen]

18V Ryobi drill. Re-furb from cummins. I've used the snot out of it & it still runs like a raped ape. My latest debacle w/ it was mixing mortar in a 5 gallon bucket using one of those big paint stirring units. Worked like a champ. I have several friends w/ the "multi tool" pack deals. The only things they like long term are the drill & the flashlight. As for the circ or recip saws, smoke 'em if you got 'em.


Ted

[Ken Weaver]

Cordless tools are good in their place, depends on the problem as to which one gets used. I rarely use a corded drill or driver, on the other hand my cordless circular saw is used much less than the old craftsman corded for cutting down panels.

[Hellrazor]

Lets see..

Ridgid 18v with 6 batteries and 2 dual chargers:
Hammerdrill
Circ saw
Recipro saw
Drill
Impact
Jigsaw
Light

Makita 12v/9.6v drill

2 Crapsman 18v drill/saw/light kits with all dead batteries. They are on the throw out list.

[bmyers]

There is always the "hey, I'm going to be out in the middle of the woods" types of applications that you'd need an extension cord severel miles in length to reach an outlet. Sure maybe you brought a generator with you but firing it up just to drill a hole or cut 1 board is much less convenient than battery power.

[Popeye]

The only reason I have more than a drill driver and an impact driver the deal on batteries and charger in a kit. Flashlite is nice but the rest (circ saw, sander) are just battery killers. Pat

[WayneJ]

I have two drills, a Makeita 12v & a De Walt 14.4 v Both are over ten years an both on org batts. Every thing else has a cord on it. Never had a need for any others.
Wayne

[Whaler]

I find that cordless drills and drivers a very convenient and very seldom grab my antique corded drill.

DeWalt DW972k-2 12 volt 1/2" drill
DeWalt DW052K2 12 volt impact driver
Makita DA391D 9.6 volt right angle drill
B&D VP750 light duty screwdriver

[coach]

I have the Bosch 18v kit, 2x 12v impact driver, and a 12v Ridgid drill. I the impact drivers the most. I use the 12v ridgid more often than the 18v Bosch. However, I find that I will usually grab the cordless jigsaw over the corded version for quick jobs. I rarely use the circular saw, but I often use the reciprocating saw instead of my corded tiger saw. The cordless power planer is the nuts. I can't even count the times it has saved my butt.

[Crash2510]

angle drill
2 spd hammer
3 spd hammer
hilti 6A hammer drill-awesome 36v
chainsaw
3 normal drills
impact driver
2 sawzalls
2 jigsaws
two circular saws
9.6 v drill
hilti 12v drill
3 flashlights
miter saw
speed saw

use most of them every day and love them takes lots of batteries but work alot of places with no power

[430752]

with hesitation

I have 5+ ryobi 18v cordless. (flashlight, vacuum, 2 drills, 1 circ saw, 1 recip saw, 1 rotozip type thing, 1 jig saw).

I wish I had fewer.

They have their place, and the drills are great, dunno why I'd need corded (except for heavy duty hammer drills, etc.)

The circ saw sucks for general sawing, sucks batteries that is, but is great for on-the-spot cuts.

the roto-zip thing is great for on the spot stuff, but not enough power for big projects, but then again how often do you need rotozip action for big projects.

the vacuum is worhtless.

the recip saw is worthless.

the flashlight is great, but then again all flashlights are "cordless".

well, you just gotta know when to use em, doe spot pojects, outdoor projects, etc.

curt j.

[ted van halen]

...the flashlight is great, but then again all flashlights are "cordless"...

Huh, hadn't thought of it that way. Your grasp of the obvious is commendable.


Ted

[Wood_workur]

I have a drill driver and one other tool.

Are flashlights considered a tool?

[Chris_B]

Cordless drill and separate driver is very convenient. 12V is plenty for my needs, and is small enough to easily holster one on each hip.

I recently picked-up a DeWalt DC330K 18V cordless jigsaw. I *really* like not having to mess with the cord while navigating curves. I have 2 batteries, but have never drained even one.

I also have a DeWalt DC385K 18V reciprocating saw, which works well for me. Plenty of power, and the flush-cut blade mount is sometimes very handy.

A 2hp cordless router for freehand work would be wonderful, but I suspect it would weigh about 50 lbs.

Chris