Cordless Tools

[Marcus Rinaldi]

What voltage cordless tools do you prefer to use?
A) 9.6v
B) 12.0v
C) 14.4v
D) 18v
E) 24v

[Juice]

C

[spacebluesonoma]

the only cordless tool i currently own is a drill driver. had a 12 volt craftsman for years that served me well. it has begun to die. the batteties anyway. despite following the charging recomendations in the manual to the letter...the batteries did end up dying, and in my opinion in an untimely manner. i can barely drive 3 or 4 screws with it before it is useless.

anyway i upgraded it...to a 12V hilti drill driver and let me tell you this thing is awesome. after 2 weeks of hard use, (not constant use, but when it was used it worked), this tool has not even borken a sweat. it is as powerful today as it was 2 weeks ago. it has taken apart and put together a waterbed, drove 4" screws into plaster and wood to mount a pot rack, been used to hang a 2 ceiling fans, and drill 3 or 4 holes with a greenlee flex bit in the floor to run conduit/cable as needed. and again it has not broken a sweat. before buying it i looked at (and used) a friends milwaukee 18V, a few 14.4's and so on. settled on the 12V hilti and it will likely be the last drill driver i will ever have to buy

so i guess the answer to this post...short answer is 12V

[robert phillips]

for me the trade off is power vs cost and 18 volters currently give the best. not enough 24 volt items around yet until sales pick up and price comes down. there is a downside though, between joists the 12 volter comes in handy because of smaller size. but after that first hole, out comes the 18 volter with bigger longer augers etc etc. also, 18 volters have slower speed options which help in driving long screws, especially into hardwood. buy gold screws. the rest snap after about an inch and a half into the wood. no, the torque setting isn't the problem. it's the screw material and the wood being fastened into. i just wish vendors would quit changing battery styles so batteries and chargers could be shared between all cordless tools.
bob

[Cal]

Spacebluesonoma? As in California? Was at Skaggs Island in the 60s. Loved the area.

[RevEd]

After using everything from 3.2 to 18V I prefer 14v. It has the run time and power to do most any job and they light enough that I can hold them overhead for an extended periods of time.

Funny little story;
I have a a 9.6 Dewalt and 18 Dewalt drill (I really prefer Makita) and every so often my 4 year old grandson wants to help pappy. I was installing some doors. My Grandson wanted to help so I had him hold my 9.6 drill. He would stand there holding it and hand it to me when I needed it. The battery died so I went and got the 18 volt. The two drills look the same. However the 18v being heavier was all he could carry and there was no way he could hand it to me. He would struggle trying to lift it but it was too much for him. I asked him what was wrong, if he had gotten weak.
He got a very serious look on his little face and just shook his head and said, Pappy you have worked me so hard today I guess I just don't have anything left. I laughed so hard I couldn't lift the 18 volt either.

[Greg's Garage]

I too used a Craftsman 12v drill for a couple of years, until the batteries croaked.(You can buy a new Craftsman 12v kit cheaper than you can replace the batteries!!!)
Then upgraded to Porter Cable 19.2 systmem. Man!, that thing can torque you're wrist in half. Its kinda heavy for overhead work. I'm considering buying a smaller drill for this.
The PC 19.2 circular saw is an awesome tool. I've had good luck with the batteries.

[BadgerDave]

The only cordless tool in my inventory is a 9.6V DeWalt drill/driver and for my hobbyist use it's all that I need. If or when this one dies, I more than likely will replace it with another 9.6V. Now, if I was making a living with it, I'm sure my preferences would be entirely different.

[jon]

I see a lot of 14v and 18v out there in the field. i dont use them in my line of work just fix them.

[easylistener]

I like the 12 volt porter cable drill that I have. I has been working great with no problems. I bought it a long time ago when they first came out.

[UO_Woody]

I have 4-9.6 volts I use for most everything. I have a pair of 18 volts that does the really heavy duty stuff.

If your ramming 3 1/2" screws into 2x's, use the 18v. If your doing general assembly, the 9.6v is alot easier on an old, easy tiring body.

No matter what volt you use, you have to put the weight behing it to hold the driver bit into the fastener. The question is: will the drill handle it? if not, then move up! But in any case, the slipping tourque setting comes in handy when using brass screws!

[hammerman]

I use 2 drills @ 18v, and they are Dewalt the 2 spd and the 3 spd. I have two of the Dewalt 5 pack kits, my wife has her own 18v drill,and my son has a 5 pack too.( he is a carpenter too). So after all of this about Dewalt, I tried the 14.4 Ridgid and as far as torque it felt every bit like my 18 Dewalt. As you can see If I convert to ridgid, it has to be all of the cordless tools. don't want a whole bunch of different battery charges and batteries all over. but their cordless line and the new slide miter saw are definite sales this year. As good if not better than Dewalt.

[odin65]

In my van I carry 1-24v Dewalt, 1-18v Dewalt, 1-original 18v Ryobi, 1-14.4v Porter-Cable, 1-14.4v Bosch, and 1-9.6v Makita. In my shop I leave 1-original 18v Ryobi, 1-14.4v craftsman, and 1 original 12v Ryobi. My all around favorite was the 18v Ryobi, until I purchased the 14.4v Bosch.

[sjburr]

I myself love my rigid 12 volt drill.I bought the set with the drill and right angle impact. I install cabinets and the drill does everything i could imagine.I normally work 7 days a week and it holds up great for anything i want to do. Now the only thing I would like to see is if the would make a right angle drill that wasnt a impact. The impact is way to loud when driving screws into the cabinets in tight spaces so I use my friends dewalt right angle for that. Overall I am really impressed with my 12 volt and will continue to buy Rigid 12 volts in the future.

[plumber]

I use 18v and 28v.

[RobertCDF]

I have 12 right angle ridgid, 12 volt ridgid drill, 2 14.4 volt ridgid drills, 1 14.4 volt ridgid impact, 1 14.4 volt bosch drill, 2 18v ridgid drills. Favorite... 14.4V impact light and powerful.

[BadgerDave]

I guess a guy can change his mind too. ;) I just reread my response from Aug of 03. My DeWalt 9.6V is still going strong however I've recently added the Ridgid 14.4V drill/driver and impact driver to my collection. :cool:

[Polar Sparky 1224]

12v for installing plugs, lights, and switches.
18v for roughing in work, like lag bolts and long self tappers. and drilling through metal if I can't get my hands on a corded drill. I'd prefer to use a corded to save my batteries.

I think the 7.2 and 9.6 are a waste of money, at least for me, my hands are to big for the tool or, the tool is to small for my hands. I had to use one a while back and got quickly frustrated with it because i had to lossen my grip and let the tool almost fall out of my hand to switch the direcion. I usually have my other hand holding a light of other device in place.

[ 11-27-2005, 12:33 PM: Message edited by: Polar Sparky 1224 ]

[Gage Mc.]

I like useing 18v.

[Disaster]

I like both ends of the spectrum. 95% of the time I'm doing light jobs and the lighter the drill the better. I just bought a lithium B&D 14.4 volt that serves that purpose well (under 3 pounds.)

http://www.blackanddecker.com//ProductImages/PC_Graphics/PHOTOS/BDK/POWER_TOOLS/TOOLS/LARGE/1/SC1400_1.jpg

When I need more grunt I reach for either my 18 volt Ryobi OnePlus tools...or if I'm working a serious job my 24 volt Ridgid MaxSelects.

[Velosapien]

18v is the way to go for me. The size and weight difference to 14.4v is minimal enough that I'd rather take advantage of the better runtime and slightly more power of 18v. 18v sets have the best tool selection. Ever since compact 18v drills like the new Makita lithium set have come out, cost aside it is utterly pointless to buy 9.6, 12, or 14v drills. The 18v compact is lighter and smaller than all of them while still offering true 18v power.

[Disaster]

18v is the way to go for me. The size and weight difference to 14.4v is minimal enough that I'd rather take advantage of the better runtime and slightly more power of 18v. 18v sets have the best tool selection. Ever since compact 18v drills like the new Makita lithium set have come out, cost aside it is utterly pointless to buy 9.6, 12, or 14v drills. The 18v compact is lighter and smaller than all of them while still offering true 18v power.

The size of the Makita 18 volt drill is quite nice.

It should be noted, however, that it gives up considerable power to almost every other contractor grade 18 volt drill. You can't just go by the torque ratings which show a smaller difference. In speed and power tests, the Makita lost out by a good margin to the Milwaukee V18 and DeWalt XRP DC925 18 volt drills.

So the reality is the Makita 18V falls somewhere between the 14.4V and 18V drills. I'd be curious to see how it stacks up to a 4.8lb Panasonic 15.6 volt or the newer 3.5lb Panasonic 14.4 lithium.

[Velosapien]

Oh yeah, it certainly isn't quite at the same level as the contactor level 18v, you give something up by going that small but it still beats most low to mid level 18v clunkers. Cpmparing it to beastly models like the DC925 and V18 is a little extreme since those drills themselves actually perform closer to that of their 28v and 36v sibling rather than the lower voltage ones. The Makita shares the same motor as the high end LXT's and its power isn't that far off from its big brother. Thats quite remarkable for a 3.5lb drill. A top of the line 14.4v like a Dewalt XRP might actually slightly beat it but those 14.4v drills are huge by comparison, same size and almost the same weight as the 18v ones.

My point is that at 3.5lbs and with enough power to class it close enough to a contractor level 18v drill the argument of 9.6v and 12v being more practical for small jobs sort of falls apart. If cost wasn't a factor, the choice is obvious. The 18v compact is as light and small as a 9.6v drill but has the power of a true 18v. Whats even more remarkable is that they have the new ultra compact 14.4v and 18v sets coming out later which are even smaller and lighter!

[Sceeter W Wheels]

Makita is taking what I call the "cellphone" approach to their tools. People are attracted to the smaller cooler and gadgety phones with little LED lights on them right? And let's face it, the new modern cellphones and a hell of a lot more comfortable to use than those huge "brick" phones of yesteryear.

So there is merit to their philosophy. They're not going for the most power on the block because they know that quite a few jobs don't need a 1 horsepower drill. Designing for the ultimate power doesn't allow optimization of the size.

Same with cellphones, you don't need the reception of a 2 foot car antenna if you're in the city all the time right next to a local cell station.

Fair enough, but for the really tough jobs, you need the higher voltage. So it comes down to what you're doing the most with the tools? Tough repetitive cutting, more occasional cutting, etc.

[LONGHAIR]

As a cabinet maker in a commercial shop......I use several different sizes/voltages, depending upon the job. I have most of them set-up with a certain bit and use the drill/driver for the task at hand. I keep a drill/countersink in a 14.4 Craftsman and a Makita 18LI impact driver on one end of the assembly bench (back bench) and another 14.4 Craftsman drill and 14.4 Craftsman impact driver on the other end. These are basically because of weight. A 10 hour shift will certainly help you make that decision. I also have a Bosch pocket driver 10.8v for small hardware jobs. The 18v Makita 1/2" hammer drill gets minimal use, usually only during installations, which I don't do regularly.

[Woussko]

For the tuff work, I'm keeping my corded tools. My cordless ones are limited for now and are lighter weight "handy tool" type. Maybe someday I'll bust open my piggy bank LOL and buy a kit of big beefy and also a kit of light weight cordless tools. I really want to see power tool companies make Smart Chargers that will charge up ALL of their (same brand) batteries regardless of Voltage, or if they are Ni-Cad, Ni-MH or Li Ion type. Such a charger won't come cheap but I really hate the idea of 12 different chargers on a table.

[proplumb]

i use a wide range, 24 bosh for big jobs that are clean. 18 volt ryobi for messy or wet work, the drill is cheap enough to throw away. but for the most part i use mu 18 volt dewalt impact drill, if you ever work on tin this will make your life sooo much better.

[Akita]

I like Makita's 14.4 volt cordless tools. Good compromise between pwer and weight. I have the M force drill and the impact driver. Also have a 14.4 makita blower,stick vacuum and a flourescent light.

[tborn]

Dewalt has a charger that does 9.6 volt to 18 volt. the hammer drill is the one that i use the most, also they have a shop vac that works real well for service work. I do like the drill/driver for taking off panels on the roofs.:cool:

[BHD]

I use 18 Dewalt started with a saw and drill set a number of years ago and have expanded it many times, 3 drills (one angle head), sawzall, grinder, 2 Circular saws (one metal cutting). It was what was available when I got into the cordless,

years ago I had a 14 volt Sears, was OK for what it was, they changed batteries styles and they became so expensive and I had a faulty charger that would fry the batteries if left in the charger, so I bought the Dewalt.

[Dave 9 Fingers]

I like the 18 volt myself.. had a big Red 18 hammer/drill that took some abuse and still works great.. my wife bought be a Ridgid kit, 18 volt as well, and I've been using that for work for some time now.. I am very happy with how it works..

[yasudaplumbing]

Dewalt 18V for everything.

sawzall
hammerdrill
impact driver
circular saw
right angle drill
small vacuum
self leveling rotary laser level on tripod
caulking guns
grinder
drywall cut out tool
jig sawHowever, I do have a Hitachi 9.6V Impact Driver for light duty undersink, inside cabinet, faucet repairs, etc. where weight is an issue.

The 18V comes out when I need to drive really long or big screws.

Tracy