Jose Prado Posted December 23, 2010 Report Share Posted December 23, 2010 I switched from my old dewalt 9.6 volt battery powered drill to a 12 volt lithium powered milwaukee drill. The battery was supposed to last longer. It did not. Two new batteries are about $40 each. I paid about $100 for the drill. I ask myself (and you) the rhetorical question: Should I just buy a new drill and add more heap to landfills or buy a corded drill that won't give out for a much longer time? The sincere question: So then, are there any corded drills with the size and handling of the smaller battery powered drills, however? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Brown Posted December 23, 2010 Report Share Posted December 23, 2010 I have both cordless and corded drills. In the shop where I have a ready source of power, I usually use the corded drill. I think you can get a better tool for your money if you skip the battery/cordless aspect of a power tool. A cordless tool is hard to beat when working on a ladder, or crawl space and pulling an extension cord behind me is a problem, but in a shop environment where outlets are plentiful a cordless tool is not a great advantage. Booth tools have advantages,so really you need both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulMarcel Posted December 23, 2010 Report Share Posted December 23, 2010 One thing to consider is the Festool C-12; very compact, though it is 12V, it easily keeps up with my 18V DeWalt, can counter-sink lag bolts, and comes with a 3 year warranty that includes the batteries. The batteries last a long time, too. Currently the C12s are being discontinued for the new C15 lithion model; though discontinued, they guarantee parts for a minimum of 7 years; seems most brands hardly stock parts for 7 months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikem Posted December 23, 2010 Report Share Posted December 23, 2010 I have observed the same thing. What I did was bought a second drill that used the same batteries as the old drill. I now have use of both of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vic Posted December 23, 2010 Report Share Posted December 23, 2010 I have both corded and battery drills. I've been using my DeWalt for years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjwoodturn Posted December 23, 2010 Report Share Posted December 23, 2010 IMO go with the corded drill. I have a cordless, and while it can be convenient not to have to deal with the cord, I can not work for long periods of time without having to recharge the battery (generally do it overnight). I'm not a big fan of the cordless drill myself anymore. I would rather have a cord than a drill that crap's out on me mid project . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bywc Posted December 23, 2010 Report Share Posted December 23, 2010 with all the other drills ive used cordless I would have suggested going with a corded but ever since I bought the 18v porter cable combo with circ saw and 2 batterys and charge Ive never looked back at my corded since I can use it for 12+ hours of screwing and drilling easy and when it finally does run down I got the spare battery waiting to use and the other battery only takes 55 minutes to charge so I have never yet ran out both batterys at the same time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister Pants Posted December 23, 2010 Report Share Posted December 23, 2010 I have both corded and cordless as well. In the shop though, I can't remember the last time I pulled out the corded drill. I'm very rarely doing anything that would require the extra torque of the corded that I couldn't do easier on the drill press, and the battery on my Hitachi cordless (18v lithium) runs for a very long time, it also has two batteries (well one's on the impact driver but I can swap and charge if needed). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bedrockbob Posted December 24, 2010 Report Share Posted December 24, 2010 The ultimate cordless drill… You never have to worry about batteries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben@FineWoodworking Posted December 24, 2010 Report Share Posted December 24, 2010 +1 on Paul's reccomendation of the Porter Cable. I got mine for $100 with 2 batteries. That thing is a monster. I don't get all day out of a battery but I can go for 4-5 hours at least. Like Paul I am amazed at how quick the batteries charge. I've been thinking of getting the Li-Ion batteries and charger. Plus I'd like to get the driver to keep from switching bits so much. I know some of the new PC is lacking... not this drill. I'd say it has as much if not more power than my corded dewalt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jHop Posted January 5, 2011 Report Share Posted January 5, 2011 I have a Black and decker cordless 14 + volt, which seems to have a five screw battery. I also have a basic corded Harbor Freight anchor (I mean, drill) that I use in it's place. While I would prefer the cordless, as I do not have many outlets, I tend to do things that require the corded far more often. If I had the drill press, I'd get rid of the corded all together. (I'm also considering building my own hand powered brace out of copper or PVC, as I saw on Instructables. I just don't know how strong it would be.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuilderBill Posted January 5, 2011 Report Share Posted January 5, 2011 I switched from my old dewalt 9.6 volt battery powered drill to a 12 volt lithium powered milwaukee drill. The battery was supposed to last longer. It did not. Two new batteries are about $40 each. I paid about $100 for the drill. I ask myself (and you) the rhetorical question: Should I just buy a new drill and add more heap to landfills or buy a corded drill that won't give out for a much longer time? The sincere question: So then, are there any corded drills with the size and handling of the smaller battery powered drills, however? Thanks! The question is how much value do you place on convenience? Sure, it's really nice to open a drawer or box, pull out a drill and go to work without dragging out cords... But think about it: in my case, I have three cordless drills(still alive, Lord knows how many have fed the Dumpster Gods) and an impact driver in 9.6, 12 and 18v. I've probably spent well over $1,000 in the kits and batteries over the years. They're handy as Hell, pull one out and it's ready to go(as long as I remembered to charge the battery). But when it comes to drilling top plates and joists to run wire, I reach for my Hitachi 1/2" and my Milwaukee right-angle and drag out the 25' dropcord. If I want to take the blade off the lawnmower I'll grab the Makita 18v impact driver, if I want to do a brake job I'll drag out a cord and the Hitachi 1/2" impact wrench. If I want to drill for Tapcons in concrete, I'll grab the Makita corded hammer drill. If I have to drill for sill plate anchors, the big Bosch SDS comes out along with its rather substantial cord. Cordless tools have their place, they're quick, easy and convenient for the grab-n-go job or when corded tools present a safety hazard(my framing crews use cordless drivers for timber-framed roofs where dragging around a 1/2" drill and a cord while walking top plates and scaffolds would be unwieldy if not downright unsafe) but for the most part it's a convenience thing. And you pay a price for that convenience... Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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