Cordless Electric Drill Recommendation?

[Walt34]

Boy do guys like their drills!

You're just not a "complete guy" if you don't have a drill. And it has to be the biggest, badest, drill you can afford.

 

[travelover]

Does anyone know if you can replace the older nicad batteries with newer lithium ion batteries? I have an older 12V Makita 1/2" drill that works good but is probably close to 20 years old and the batteries don't hold a charge and need to be replaced. It's been on the shelf collecting dust for the last few years, I just use the corded drill when I need one. It's been a long time since I looked at the cost of replacement batteries but from what I recall it might be cheaper just to buy a new drill.

The old NiCad Ryobi drills accept the new Lithium Ion batteries, so if the new Makita battery pack will snap on, it should work, too.

 

[bjorn2bwild]

Boy do guys like their drills!

Twisted logic, but hard to auger with.

 

[Car-Guy]

Neither am I, but sometimes the electrical outlet is too far away from the work! Hundreds of feet, in some cases.

A.

99% of the work I do is in my workshop or around the house so I have 110 and 220 outlets easily accessible. But, on occasions I need power out on the property somewhere that can be 100's of yards from a commercial power outlet. I have a power inverter on one of my trucks but it doesn't provide enough amps for any serious work. I guess I could buy a heavier inverter. Anyway, If I have any serious or heavy work to do that's too far away from a commercial power source, I'll just haul a portable power generator out with me, and run anything I want

I realize that's not for everyone, and it's often just quicker and easier to use a cordless drill or saw, but it can be a good option is you have a lot of work to do that's too far away.

 

[bjorn2bwild]

Does anyone know if you can replace the older nicad batteries with newer lithium ion batteries? I have an older 12V Makita 1/2" drill that works good but is probably close to 20 years old and the batteries don't hold a charge and need to be replaced. It's been on the shelf collecting dust for the last few years, I just use the corded drill when I need one. It's been a long time since I looked at the cost of replacement batteries but from what I recall it might be cheaper just to buy a new drill.

One advantage of a popular brand like Makita is the availability of knock-off brand batteries. I can find 9.6v nicads for my Makita tools in the $20 delivered range. Changing to a different type of battery, if available, will require a new charger in addition.

 

[ERhoosier]

.....The quality of the battery technology has been changing pretty rapidly. ...

No doubt 'bout that. Progress over last few years has been pretty amazing. NiCads were a breakthrough but now becoming almost obsolete as NiMHs, LiIons and now LiPolymers are providing better service at reasonable costs.

 

[scrinch]

One advantage of a popular brand like Makita is the availability of knock-off brand batteries. I can find 9.6v nicads for my Makita tools in the $20 delivered range. Changing to a different type of battery, if available, will require a new charger in addition.

I bought new lithium batteries and charger for my old craftsman drill/light/saw set a couple of years ago. Shortly after buying the new batteries, the drill motor began to spark and smoke. I guess the batteries and the motor actually wore out at about the same time. The saw and light still work fine, as they get used a lot less.

 

[Dreaming of Freedom]

We bought the 20V XR brushless Dewalt Combo Pack that consisted of a cordless impact driver, drill, and Home Depot & Dewalt had a special going on at the time that included the circular saw for free too. As a girl with small hands, I love how lightweight the tools are. It really reduces the fatigue. We didn't think we would use the circular saw much, and we have ended up using it all the time instead of the hassle of getting out the corded saw and electrical cord.

The tools are a couple years old now, and have gotten used quite a bit with constant home remodeling. We installed a new plywood subfloor and then HardieBacker on top in a 300 SF area, built a new IPE front deck/porch, and many other larger projects with the tools since we bought them 2 or 3 years ago. The impact driver works great with HardieBacker! We have never had to stop and wait for a battery to recharge (though we do have 2 batteries for 3 tools, and are not always using 2 tools at once).

 

[Dreaming of Freedom]

We bought the 20V XR brushless Dewalt Combo Pack that consisted of a cordless impact driver, drill, and Home Depot & Dewalt had a special going on at the time that included the circular saw for free too. As a girl with small hands, I love how lightweight the tools are. It really reduces the fatigue.

Sorry for the overkill answer. To recap, I love the Dewalt 20V XR drill that we have because the drill and the battery are small and very lightweight. Supposedly since the drill motor is brushless, it should not get as hot and will last longer without needing a rebuild. If you don't use it all that much though, you might not want to spend the extra money for brushless, but if I remember correctly, the brushless drill was lighter weight too.

 

[bld999]

Does anyone know if you can replace the older nicad batteries with newer lithium ion batteries? I have an older 12V Makita 1/2" drill that works good but is probably close to 20 years old and the batteries don't hold a charge and need to be replaced. It's been on the shelf collecting dust for the last few years, I just use the corded drill when I need one. It's been a long time since I looked at the cost of replacement batteries but from what I recall it might be cheaper just to buy a new drill.

The bundles that include an impact driver are pretty cheap [someone posted a ryobi set here someplace. The impact drivers can be way handy. Ryobis do work with either nicad or lithium.

 

[Walt34]

Does anyone know if you can replace the older nicad batteries with newer lithium ion batteries?

Do that with extreme caution or not at all. I don't know the technical details but the charging characteristics are very different for lithium batteries and they must be charged with a charger designed for them. Here I went to youtube and searched on "lithium battery fire" It gets real ugly real fast. Overcharging them will do that.

 

[travelover]

Do that with extreme caution or not at all. I don't know the technical details but the charging characteristics are very different for lithium batteries and they must be charged with a charger designed for them. Here I went to youtube and searched on "lithium battery fire" It gets real ugly real fast. Overcharging them will do that.

When I bought lithium batteries for my Ryobi NiCad drill, it came with a new smart charger that works with NiCad or Lithium batteries.

 

[zinger1457]

Do that with extreme caution or not at all. I don't know the technical details but the charging characteristics are very different for lithium batteries and they must be charged with a charger designed for them. Here I went to youtube and searched on "lithium battery fire" It gets real ugly real fast. Overcharging them will do that.

I was expecting to have to get a new charger if I had found a lithium battery for my drill but from doing a quick web search the only replacement batteries I could find were ni-cd or ni-mh. I could probably get a decent new drill at the cost they wanted for a couple ni-mh batteries.

 

[Amethyst]

Thanks everyone for all the responses - I learned so much from reading them! I did order a drill recommended by one of you, and will report back on how it works out for us.

Thanks again,

Amethyst

 

[Lsbcal]

Word to the wise, there is a danger in revealing the winning drill choice.

 

[easysurfer]

Thanks everyone for all the responses - I learned so much from reading them! I did order a drill recommended by one of you, and will report back on how it works out for us.

Thanks again,

Amethyst

Any chance of a spoiler alert by telling us the color?

I suppose that would probably give it away.

Happy testing.

 

[ArkTinkerer]

I've swapped battery pack sizes on some of the B&D cordless tools to use higher voltage battery packs. For them, its just a matter of trimming a tab and then making a battery lock/latch to hold the other pack in place. Still use the proper charger for the batteries though. The tools run VERY well but I'm pretty sure I'm shortening their life by using them hard. Don't really care--most are used and I've gotten more than my money's worth out of them.

 

[bjorn2bwild]

I've swapped battery pack sizes on some of the B&D cordless tools to use higher voltage battery packs. For them, its just a matter of trimming a tab and then making a battery lock/latch to hold the other pack in place. Still use the proper charger for the batteries though. The tools run VERY well but I'm pretty sure I'm shortening their life by using them hard. Don't really care--most are used and I've gotten more than my money's worth out of them.

I did this 20yrs ago with a 38 year old 7.2v Makita drill (they were orange back then), upped to the 9.6v battery that fits the same profile but is longer. No problems at all, and it has seen mucho regular use.