Cordless drills ?

[b5blue]

 I have some Ryobi cordless drills and a flashlight. Of course the batteries are both dead now. The reason I have 2 drills and a flashlight is every time I look at replacing the battery it's cheaper to buy a new set then just batteries!
What's up with this?  I can buy 2 NiCad for 60.00 or 2 Lith Ion a charger and drill for 80? 
Anyone got a cordless with good battery life they are using?

[twodko]

Makita mo betta.

[cavemanno1]

Yep,Dewalt is one of the best,indestructible and Panasonic.We use them in the rain,people drop them constantly and the battery last for ever obviously depends on the job!If you use it a lot then it's worth paying for a quality one instead of the cheap ones!  

http://www.dewalt.com/tools/Cordless-Tools.aspx
http://shop.panasonic.com/shop/model/EY7450LR2S

[Silver R/T]

Got Ryobi at home but don't use very often. I prefer corded tools vs cordless

[War wagon]

All my power tool are dewalt. I have a 36v cordless impact gun that's capable of 300 ft tq yes Footpounds of torque
Batteries last a very long time.
Tough tools that last in my expirence

[tan top]

 last couple of cordless drills ive  bought  have been Dewalt 

[JB400]

Mine's a DeWalt 14.4 volt.  It does the job and doesn't weigh as much as the 18 volt.

Have you checked into getting your batteries rebuilt?

[moparguy01]

i use the dewalt 20 volt. they got it alot lighter than the 18 volt. the battery does go dead alittle faster, but i think its worth it. Makita also makes good stuff.

[ws23rt]

I'm in industrial construction and I see more dewalt than other brands.  With a few chargers and several batteries power cords are seldom used.

I was a skeptic at first but the power and batt. life sold me.

[Bob T]

Another vote here for Makita, I brought a 6pk kit with skilly, saber saw, light, drill, impact driver and grinder for $2k about 5 years ago and it gets used  ( hard ) most days and stands up to the task.
All m.i.c. now though, unfortunately like most stuff, how about Milwaukee power tools, they look like they'll stand up to it and made in USA ( I hope )

[Hard Charger]

I have sold them all, you get what you pay for.

the cheaper tools are less quality.

the mentality that prevails is buy cheap and throw away when the tool is shot. lots of guys have problems with abusing them or possibility of theft so less investment to replace them.

I like Hitachi and Panasonic.

big thing is to buy the tool with the modern battery so memory is not an issue.

[bill440rt]

Neal, same here.
I bought a cordless Ryobi tool assortment set years ago. Each tool uses the same battery. I'm on my second set of batteries, and now need a third because these won't hold a charge anymore either.
The tools are all in great shape still. I don't want to throw them away either, because they all work good with a full charge.
I might try other sources for batteries, maybe eBay or BatteriesPlus or something.
If not, I'll be in the market for a new cordless drill/driver as well. 

[Tilar]

I have Dewalt and if the 4 year old batteries ever do go bad there is a place maybe 10 miles up the road, I'm going to take them and have them rebuilt.

[b5blue]

10 years ago I could qualify a 200-300 cordless for construction, it made me money or saved time. Now I'm out of contractor B.S. completely (Thank the Lord!) so I may just chuck all this in the trash and use my old screw gun and drill, heck I still have 400ft of extension cords, some are even the huge fat ones.     

[bakerhillpins]

I have tried/used a bunch of different brands and talked with a few friends that are contractors. End result - If you use them all the time the batteries tend to have a better lifespan. Several contractors I know just buy the cheap stuff and basically report that they last as long as the batteries so they don't feel so bad about tossing them in the metal scrap bin and buying new. I got crappy life span out of lots of them simply because I didn't use them much in between projects. Last time I checked you could get replacement Ryobi batteries for cheaper than a kit, or you can rebuild them with new cells if you are handy.

[squeakfinder]

I have tried/used a bunch of different brands and talked with a few friends that are contractors. End result - If you use them all the time the batteries tend to have a better lifespan. Several contractors I know just buy the cheap stuff and basically report that they last as long as the batteries so they don't feel so bad about tossing them in the metal scrap bin and buying new. I got crappy life span out of lots of them simply because I didn't use them much in between projects. Last time I checked you could get replacement Ryobi batteries for cheaper than a kit, or you can rebuild them with new cells if you are handy.

I've wondered why some battery's last longer than others. I have this Black & Decker set up at home that I don't use much and one of the two batteries I have is toast. Yet there are several different cordless tools used at work that are 18 volt Dewalts that get used all the time and the batteries are holding up.

[bakerhillpins]

I would lay dollars to doughnuts that the battery that is toast isn't used as much. Your use habits probably favor one over the other. Like you use it but don't drain it. Thus when you are done with the tool you put that battery in the charger which is than conditioned.  Lather, rinse, repeat and one battery gets the better end of the stick and lives longer.  The ones at the office are probably constantly being discharged and passed through the charger.

[green69rt]

Couple of comments based on word of mouth, no proof.....

Lithium Ion batteries are not rebuild able by law.  I tried to take them in to the local shop and they said no go!!

The shop also said that you should not leave a LI battery on the charger, tends to cut the working life.  Once it's charged get it off.

I now have a Makita cordless drill and light and so far it does great.

[2Gunz]

Makita

[charger Downunder]

Makita here too

[Bob T]

I would lay dollars to doughnuts that the battery that is toast isn't used as much. Your use habits probably favor one over the other. Like you use it but don't drain it. Thus when you are done with the tool you put that battery in the charger which is than conditioned.  Lather, rinse, repeat and one battery gets the better end of the stick and lives longer.  The ones at the office are probably constantly being discharged and passed through the charger.

Dead right. I number my batteries 1, 2 & 3 so I know they are getting a good rotation through the tools and charger. You have to be banging the tools pretty hard to use battery # 3 all up by the time #1 is fully charged, skilly and grinder hammer them though. The grinder will also trip with light load if the battery is not fresh too, some some demand/rate type of function.

[bull]

I have been using Milwaukee for years, ever since they started producing nickel cad battery tools. Never have a lick of trouble with all five tools I own. Two drills, two hammer drivers and a 3/8" ratchet. If you look up ratings you'll see that Milwaukee always rates high, usually in the top two.

[Patronus]

I am a very strong proponent for DeWalt. Im a professional and I count on my cordless tools daily. Number/mark the batteries. Never leave them in the cold van. If you dont use them, they will discharge somewhat. I have also heard about zapping old batteries with your welder..?

[bull]

I am a very strong proponent for DeWalt. Im a professional and I count on my cordless tools daily.

I think this same testimonial was on the DeWalt website. Did you copy/paste it?

[1970Moparmann]

I heard from multiple people that since Dewalt was purchased by Black and Decker, nothing but problems....  I had a cheap Ryobi and it lasted through a whole remodel of a house.  I replaced with a Dewalt and the motor died within a year of virtually no use.....

In my research I might either get a Milwaukee / Makita.

[69_500]

Love all of my Milwaukee tools. Have cordless drill, hamer drill, 1/2 inch impact that rated at 400 ft lbs of torque, band saw, sawsall and grease guns. Every one is 18V. Batteries last quite a while on a charge. Built my deck on three batteries. Using them to cut, and screw boards.

[dual fours]

I heard from multiple people that since Dewalt was purchased by Black and Decker, nothing but problems....  I had a cheap Ryobi and it lasted through a whole remodel of a house.  I replaced with a Dewalt and the motor died within a year of virtually no use.....

In my research I might either get a Milwaukee / Makita.

MY vote, these's two make me money, $$$.

[chargerboy69]

We use cordless drills in my shop daily.  We have had several brands and I prefer DeWalt over anything else out there.

[green69rt]

I've used and broken a lot of power tools over the years.   I use to buy a lot of Craftsman stuff, I always considered Craftsman better than B&D (is Craftsman now made by B&D??) Seems that the Craftsman stuff now breaks too fast, especially batteries.  Now all Dewalt or Makita.  If Dewalt is now owned by B&D then I guess I will stick with Makita and try some Milwaukee.

I currently have a 18V Makita drill with the LI batteries and it seems to do very well, lighter than my old Craftsman 14V and more powerful.

[sunfire69]

I love my Royobi...I had the orginals rebuilt at primecell about 6 years ago....I use them randomly...sometimes a little sometimes a lot...they are NiCad....I may try rebuilding a set of batteries myself...nothing complicated about it...simple soldering, I can do a battery for about $20....

[Old Moparz]

The two brands that I have used & liked a lot are Makita & Dewalt. The Makita was back in the mid 80's & was built solid. It had been dropped off scaffolds & ladders many times & kept on going. The Dewalt a friend had, had so much torque it felt like an industrial, 1/2" electric drill.

For ones that I had own/owned, I had a cheap Craftsman that was okay but when I had to replace the battery it was discontinued. The Skil that I got to replace it was on sale & the battery didn't last a year before it wouldn't hold a charge. The replacement was more than the cost of a new drill so I decided to try Ryobi. I like the Ryobi for the price but one of the two batteries isn't holding the charge long & due to be replaced. It's a few years old so I will stick with this brand for now & get the better battery they offer.

If I didn't have my 1/2" electric drill, a 25+ year old Industrial Craftsman, I'd have bought a top of the line cordless.   

[moparnut]

Milwaukee tools for me for a long while now. Im a contractor and every warranty was toast in 2 years Just sent in a 5 year old drill and milwaukee sent me a new drill.Ive even got a milwaukee heated  camo coat .Have a few Dewalt but the battery life is not near as good.

[moparsr2fast]

I have had awesome luck with Snap On cordless screwdriver.  Bought over 8 years ago with 2 batteries, and still using the same batteries.