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Cordless tool recommendations


Comanche County
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What cordless tools do you guys recommend?

 

I bought a set of craftsman cordless tools a few years ago and they've been okay.  The tools themselves work fine, but the batteries aren't the most reliable.  I've found the Lithium Ion 19v were nice and strong but only lasted 6 months.  The NiCad batteries are weaker but seem to last a little longer.  But I'm tired of taking them back on returns. 

 

I've resurrected a few by zapping them with my mig welder but they died soon after also.  Was thinking of buying the individual batteries from Radio Shack and putting them in the cases.  Honestly, I think every NiCad batteries on the market are essentially the same thing.

 

What luck with other brands have you guys had?

 

 

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Milwaukee ...M12.......Strong but the tools are light and easy to use....Lithium ion batteries charge fast and last long.

 

(I also Have the Rigid 12 volt ......most do not know it but Milwaukee, Rigid and Ryobi are all made from the same parent company....Just different tiers.....Like Black and Decker and Dewalt ) 

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the batteries that craftsman sells just flat out suck. :(  don't know what they're doing wrong, but they need to stop.  I have an assortment of their tools but refuse to buy another battery.  :fs1:

 

My father invested in a Dewalt 18volt nicad tool kit (drill/sawzall/circ saw) a few years back and the tools and batteries are all still going strong.  :thumbsup:   I've heard their 20 volt lithiums are also very good.

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i have the kobolt 18v lithium drill and inpact driver set came with 2 batteries the drill is great the impact driver i could not live without. i bought socket adapters and take it with me to the junk yard helps me pull all kinds of parts pulled my whole front clip with it. it won't take out every bolt but most everything ive pulled has been under 15mm bolts.  

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I have the craftsman 19.2 as well. Ok not great. The batteries lasted me a couple of years before crapping out.

 

Questions:

1. Do you charge them when they are practically dead or just when you are done?

2. Do you remove them from charger when charged or leave them on until you need them?

 

Just curious. I do not always do what i should, but there is a process.

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I am going on 3+ years with my Ryobi lithium ion bateries. I've had the tool longer but got 4 new batteries for Christmas a while ago, I have no complaints.

I have five years on my Ryobi Lithium Ion batteries and they still hold a decent charge. I have abused the drill from the original kit.

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Makita 18V Lith Ion.

 

I have the drill, impact driver, grinder, sawzall, LED flashlight, and 1/2 impact.

 

Battery life is great, tools are strong and take a beating. Great for the yard and around the garage. We have pretty much the same setup at work. We had some money left in the budget at the beginning of summer and had to replace some aging DeWalt and a Snap on 1/2 impact. They have been in a fleet garage as mainline tools for 7 months and have not missed a beat. The 1/4 impact driver actually had enough balls to take off the 22MM lug nuts on our 3/4 ton Duramax in the shop. I have had comments from the other departments about how they prefer the power and tool than the Milwaukee/DeWalt/whatever brand they might have. I did end up cooking a battery at home, but that is because I left it on the charger for a long period of time (months) and at some point, the cooling fan had succumbed to dust and the battery was toast.

 

10922695_784880438216112_530087028132295

 

Rob

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Milwaukee all the way... I've used a lot of the different brands but my toolboxes are full of Milwaukee 12volt and 18volt. The tools have a 5 year warranty and the batteries have a 3 year warranty. If you use them everyday you might look into the Fuel series, they're lighterweight and have brushless motors so they have more power and use less battery. I've used Makita and they were alright, but I wasn't overly impressed. Dewalt is atleast as popular in the construction industry as Milwaukee, I don't think they feel as durable though. I used a friends Ridgid impact and drill a few weeks ago, and I have a Ridgid chop saw for cutting steel, and I will never buy another Ridgid tool. We used to have a craftsman drill in our travel trailer for odd things while camping and that thing was just about worthless, but maybe they are different now.

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the batteries that craftsman sells just flat out suck. :(  don't know what they're doing wrong, but they need to stop.  I have an assortment of their tools but refuse to buy another battery.  :fs1:

 

My father invested in a Dewalt 18volt nicad tool kit (drill/sawzall/circ saw) a few years back and the tools and batteries are all still going strong.  :thumbsup:   I've heard their 20 volt lithiums are also very good.

My dad and I are in the same boat. We both bought craftsman 19.2 volt tools/batterys several years ago for the sake of commonality and we're both dealing with crap and dead batteries. :grrrr:  My dad just bought this Porter Cable set for Lowes, he hasn't used it yet. I'm looking at  this Porter Cable set (same batteries as my dad's), but I haven't made a up my mind yet.

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I use mastercraft (Canadian tire brand) 20 volt lithium ion. I have several drills, impact, and a saws all. I haven't had any real issues with any of them, and the batteries work good, had them for 2 years now. One thing about li-ion though, they don't like cold temperatures. Other than that I couldn't be happier with them. Especially seeing as how they are quite a bit cheaper than the big name brands.

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Snap On at work, mostly Bosch at home though I have a lot of older DeWalt stuff. DeWalt has gone to $#!& since Black and Decker bought them and I used to love Millwaukee tools but the last set I bought for work when I was working construction fell apart on me pretty quickly and Millwaukee didn't care at all.

 

I know Snap On is pricey for the average person who doesn't get the option of financing, but I'd absolutely pick one of these up if you can.

 

https://store.snapon.com/CTS561CL-Series-Cordless-Screwdrivers-7-2V--Screwdriver-Cordless-7-2V-P646593.aspx

 

CTS561CL.jpg

 

Very reasonably priced for Snap On. I've had one for years and it's never let me down and been one of the best tools I've ever bought. Can handle anything 1/4" I throw at it, plenty of torque, durable, batteries last forever.

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I'm still using a Ryobi drill from the 90's... And just recently upgraded it with another with a Li-ion battery and charger on sale for the cost of a battery.

I like that the battery style has always been the same (meaning my old batteries fit the new drill and the new battery fits the old drill).

And now all my other Ryobi cordless tools can be upgraded to Li-ion as well.

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