Where do you buy your cordless power tools?

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Originally Posted by bmg97

Lowes and Home Depot carry all the name brand tools. How do you figure they are low quality ?

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Like Walmart, HD and Lowes dictate price to manufacturers, so the quality of the stuff you buy there is "made in china" shit. The outer shell on power tools may be exactly the same, but the internal mechanisms are made of plastic instead of metal. Weight is usually a good indication.

That being said, most HD type consumers don't need everyday reliability, so the lighter weight and cheaper price would be worth it for weekend warrior use. I bought a corded Rigid sawzall at HD that works really well for me because I mainly use it to cut through drywall and will have no problem throwing it in the garbage when it gets too gunked up inside.

I started a thread I think in tech talk a while ago about this. I have no skills so didn't need professional quality (or even good quality stuff). I ended up buying on ebay.

Edit: here's the thread: [ame="http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=147741"]Cordless drill - Teton Gravity Research Forums[/ame]

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Originally Posted by powder11

Like Walmart, HD and Lowes dictate price to manufacturers, so the quality of the stuff you buy there is "made in china" shit. The outer shell on power tools may be exactly the same, but the internal mechanisms are made of plastic instead of metal. Weight is usually a good indication.

That being said, most HD type consumers don't need everyday reliability, so the lighter weight and cheaper price would be worth it for weekend warrior use. I bought a corded Rigid sawzall at HD that works really well for me because I mainly use it to cut through drywall and will have no problem throwing it in the garbage when it gets too gunked up inside.

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Now that you mentioned it I remember my friend saying his Dewalt took a shit. So he took it apart and there were plastic parts inside. My other friend who had the same drill said his were metal. That being said I still think for the home owner the Depot tools will do just fine. I have had my Dewalt XRP for about 5 years now and its just starting to go. Smokes when I first use it. I have done all the things to it that you should never do like mix thinset, compound and other thing. I think I got my money worth. I would say whatever feels good in your hands is what you should get after considering what your going to be using it for.

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Originally Posted by Danno

Edit: here's the thread: Cordless drill - Teton Gravity Research Forums

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That thread slays me.

DJSapp is full of shit. Every single professional builder uses cordless tools all day long.

Ridgid. http://www.ridgid.com/Tools/R861150-...l/EN/index.htm. This thing is seriously badass. Not the most demanding task, but I ran drywall screws for 10 hrs straight and the battery kept going strong.

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Originally Posted by RootSkier

That thread slays me.

DJSapp is full of shit. Every single professional builder uses cordless tools all day long.

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I had to look. :rolleyes2 :D DJSapp must have a alias named Crass ;)

The best part of that thread is this comparison which seems pretty spot on IMO:

[ame="http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2206842&postcount=51"]http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2206842&postcount=51[/ame]

Same response as the other thread:

http://www.makita.com/en-us/Modules/....aspx?ID=24062

You can choose a different combo kit if you want. I bought it at Home Depot.

There was a specialty contractor tool place nearby, but they couldn't match the price. I imagine there is one in your area as well.

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Originally Posted by RootSkier

That thread slays me.

DJSapp is full of shit. Every single professional builder uses cordless tools all day long.

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Ummmmm, ok. I guess we have differing opinions of what a professional builder is, all I know is I'm building a mile of new subway right now. All of the power tools I buy for my crews comes with 20 amp twist locks, and I've NEVER bought cordless for the guys for these reasons:

1. Batteries don't keep up with heavy civil building.
2. Cordless gear disappears from the jobsite faster than anything else.
3. I can't afford to have union labor spend one minute looking for another battery, or worse send a crew home because they burnt them all out. At $75/hr for a carpenter (fringes included in that price), cordless is insanity.
4. More weight + less power = tired and slow guys = less production

Some guys show up with their own cordless gear, and they get the picture quite quickly that their shit can't keep up.

That said, I stand by my post. There's a time and place for both corded and cordless. I love my 14v for the easy house stuff and reach for it on a regular basis. When I'm out rebuilding a fence, drilling iron or steel, or doing basically doing anything that requires more than two hours of work, I'm reaching for the corded drill. Maybe I'd be happier if I replaced my batteries, but I'm afraid I'd be pissed off again in 6 months, and be reaching for my corded again.






And I have no alias.

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Originally Posted by bmg97

Now that you mentioned it I remember my friend saying his Dewalt took a shit. So he took it apart and there were plastic parts inside. My other friend who had the same drill said his were metal. That being said I still think for the home owner the Depot tools will do just fine. I have had my Dewalt XRP for about 5 years now and its just starting to go. Smokes when I first use it. I have done all the things to it that you should never do like mix thinset, compound and other thing. I think I got my money worth. I would say whatever feels good in your hands is what you should get after considering what your going to be using it for.

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so far, i have 9 years on my Ryobi 18 volt. Of those years, I have roughly 5 years of overall semi heavy to heavy use. I have only gone through the original two batteries and had to replace the fuse in the charger.


I do prefer a HD corded drill, however, in a lot of situations, it just isn't feasible to use one.

Every one of the manufacturers listed have made at least one good tool in some category (corded or not). But that doesn't mean they don't miss the mark - some much more than others.

Festool rocks, but the $$$ makes you think hard about how much you really need the tool (would like to have their Domino joiner). Didn't see it mentioned but I'm a Bosch fan too. I don't think you can go wrong with the big names because, well, you don't know the difference yet.

To cord or not? I have a corded Bosch that I haven't touched in 5 years. But I also have an 18V hammer drill, and a sweet little, literaly, small 12V LiIon Hitachi. A sweet little lightweight drill with power for most tasks.

I guess it depends on what or how much you're going to tackle. As a homeowner you're probably not going to be putting in any subways so a good cordless should meet your short-term needs. I have no problem mixing plaster/mud or poking through concrete with the 18V, but for most 'tasks' the smaller 12V is perfect.

The lithium Ion battery drills are great because they don't weigh nearly as much, but they cost more. That said the batteries 'should' last longer with no NiCad charging/memory woes.

Harbor Freight = cheap Chinese slave labor crap that is awesome if you need a specific tool for one job and you'll never use it again ... $3.99 socket sets? Hello! Just be forewarned - if you buy something from Harbor Freight you will receive two catalogs and sale fliers per day for the rest of your life.

Home Depot and Lowes, etc. will 'blowout' select power tools a few times a year, but not advertise. The more you frequent them the more deals you'll find (I bought a mis-priced 14.4V drill for $39 once, next day they were $119 ...).

Anyway - if you plan to be in this home ownership for a while then keep in mind that adding to the tool quiver can be expensive, and you still won't have everything you need. It's a long road to acquire an 'awesome set of tools' ...

Oh, and you can never own enough clamps.

Maroons!

In this economy a lot of contractors are out of biz and unloading their stuff. I've had a hayday lately on a little place called "Craigslist.com" . Dig it--contractor quality stuff cheaper than new Home Depot quality poo.

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Originally Posted by DJSapp

Ummmmm, ok. I guess we have differing opinions of what a professional builder is, all I know is I'm building a mile of new subway right now.

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You're right...and I should have said "residential" builders because most people who just bought a house and need some tools aren't drilling steel and concrete all day.

I have the Rigid 18V kit. I got it right when they came out and was a little weary not going with Dewalt after multiple friend had nothing but great things to say about theirs. I got my rigid when they were offering a free jig saw and extra battery. I couldnt be more happy, the circular saw blade was shit but a new blade and it cuts like butter. I have used the drill for misc home projects, building a deck, drilling concrete anchors, drilling 1/4" plate and there is nothing it cant handle. The batteries charge much faster than my friends dewalts (no charge to full in 30 min). The drill is a little heavier than the dewalts but the new lithium ions are much lighter.

I did have one side of the double charger die about a month ago, I took it to HD and they gave me a new one they had sitting in the back, no receipt and mine is over 4 years old.

I am very happy with my rigid purchase and would do it again.

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Originally Posted by Streebo

Does Harbor Freight sell cordless stuff?

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Yes they do, start at $15 or so on sale for a 18 volt cordless drill- $25ish regular price for a kit that has drill and a flashlight and a battery between the 2 devices. They sell spare batteries and also higher end cordless drills and a bundle of drill, sander, etc for more dollars. They are 1/2 block from my work and I stop in as well as get their flyer mailed regularly.

I have gone through a few batteries and need to replace them (which sell for almost as much as the kit and all go for on sale.) I would not use it if I had a bunch of projects to do or if I was wanting a heavy duty constuction grade unit that will go all day.

Industrial Supply......if you live in SLC. They have the best deals in town on the stuff that will last!

tylertool.com the makita 6-piece lith-ion is on sale for $559. It's worth it for the impact driver alone.

Ridgid Tools are made a few different places including China- many companies use China factories for their stuff. They have a plant and warehouse about 25 blocks from my work that makes more of the hand tools than the power tools as well as Ohio and other US locations. Home Depot is their US sales company but there are a few others that do internet or mail order too.

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Originally Posted by YoEddy

Festool rocks, but the $$$ makes you think hard about how much you really need the tool (would like to have their Domino joiner). Didn't see it mentioned but I'm a Bosch fan too. I don't think you can go wrong with the big names because, well, you don't know the difference yet.

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Festool is great for saws and sanders and routers; I'm not yet convinced their drill is worth the extra cash. it's easy to find a combo set of Makita drill-driver that's worth its weight in gold--18v. Use the driver for running screws, the drill for pilot holes. But you need a hammer drill, too, and a Skil saw for the crap you don't want to use the Festool saw for (like cement siding).

cords suck. Sure, if you're working on an industrial job and don't ahve an exxtra set of batteries, or if you're running decking all day, cords are what you want . . . but if you work in the backcountry, solar panels will recharge a cordless drill, and drivers save on juice; and for most everything you want to do, cordless is the way to go: who wants to trip over and drag around cords all day? Not me.

Harbor Freight has some good buys on the exact same stuff fru-fru places sell for three times as much. But you've got to know what you're looking for. Japanwoodworker.com is a good place to buy good stuff cheap, and Lee Valley/Veritas is a good place to see what you want to find cheaper someplace else. Woodcraft has good deals on some stuff, as does McFeely's . . . but Festool costs the same wherever you go.

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Originally Posted by RootSkier

That thread slays me.

DJSapp is full of shit. Every single professional builder uses cordless tools all day long.

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exactly. nobody uses corded drills. ryobi is probably the best if you're just using it for household remodel. i used mine for years professionally and would just buy batteries every year. now i shelled out for something nice and am supremely happy. the batteries last all freaking day and charge in twenty minutes. the makita lithium are sweet, but not as nice as my hilti by any means. i'm pretty sure it's a panasonic with the hilti tag on it.

http://www.us.hilti.com/data/images/...ge/se00308.jpg

http://www.us.hilti.com/data/images/...ge/ca00541.jpg

I got a Durabilt from Target on super clearance. It's basically a piece of shit, but I got the drill, 2 batteries, 3 sets of 3 types of bits, some finishing bits and tools, some sockets and a bunch of other stuff in a rolling case for about $20. I mean, it drills fine, but the batteries die quickly and it's heavy for a cordless.

So, don't get Durabilt.

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Originally Posted by supermodel159

I recently purchased a home,

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Originally Posted by DJSapp

I'm building a mile of new subway right now. .

http://izismile.com/img/img2/2009072..._subway_00.jpg

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Priceless......

wow, tons of bad info in this thread. Are you a contractor? Obviously not, so go to HD and buy your tools. A drill is the ONLY cordless tool you want PERIOD The best cordless drill for your money is hands down this bad boy and his friend right here. For $250 you get and impact drill and standard 18V charges from dead to full in about 30minutes, has a led light and two speeds (drill) HD carries these and they rock.

http://allprotools.com/images/cache/...f0acca336b.jpg

If you want to step it up

buy this $250 450#'s of torque 1/2 drive boo ya

http://allprotools.com/images/cache/...cefe17fc80.jpg

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Originally Posted by Pow4Brains

I had to look. :rolleyes2 :D DJSapp must have a alias named Crass ;)

The best part of that thread is this comparison which seems pretty spot on IMO:

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...2&postcount=51

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Thanks Pow!

I was about to type a whole long list of info, then I checked this link. Read what I wrote, then go buy a Porter Cable.

Mine is still going strong. I've been using it all summer helping build a house, a camp off the grid and numerous ski related projects and haven't seen any degradation in the battery life.

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Originally Posted by PNWbrit

Priceless......

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Actually, I think that was my point. I'm a homeowner and a contractor. Most of what has been mentioned in here is overkill for most homeowners purposes (i.e. drilling occasional small bore holes in studs, powered screwdriver, etc.)

For the typical homeowner, a $50 ryobi will do just as well as a $300 makita. Save the $, buy a $50 cordless for the everyday minor stuff and get a $60 corded for the once a year big project and be minorly inconvenienced. Spend the remaining $190 on other tools, ski gear, hookers and blow, whatever.

Or waste a bunch of cash on the single one-tool-for-everything attitude that have Americans driving hummers and F-350's everywhere, because they go boating once every other year and 'need' the power. 450 ft-lbs of torque sure hung the shit out of that picture.

You guys crack me up.

I was going to post a picture of a really long sandwich.