posted
Well, one of the other toys I bought recently was a cordless drill. I had a 12 volt DeWalt that stopped charging, .... both batteries. I figure it was either the charger, or I simply needed two new batteries. Off to Home Depot I go where I first purchased it over 8 years ago. They have since come out with a new design, (The center handle design, which is much better) so they could not help me in my older model. They directed me to a shop that could perhaps help me with mine, but it was over an hours drive away, and besides, it's repair could cost me as much as a new unit. (doesn't it figure?)
I waited a few days to decide what to do, and then headed back to Home Depot to buy a new one with the new design. The guys there mentioned that DeWalt wasn't as great as it used to be, and that they recommended the Ryobi. Ironically, before going, a friend had recommended that I go with Ryobi this time around. So, that's what I did! I bought the "jobsite series" 14.4 volt. Haven't used it yet though. I am told that I should have gone with the 18 volt because it'll hold a charge better.
Any feedback on this topic? How'd I do? Nettie
------------------ "When Love and Skill Work Together ... Expect a Masterpiece"
nice choice on the drill. we have been eyeballin' one of those bad boys ourselves.
we have panasonic 9.8 volt drills. we have had these for many years. we can still buy batteries at our tool supplier so we get new ones there. we probably should upgrade to a more powerful cordless drill but ours work great.
these drills are variable speed and are reversable. they have keyless chucks. they are equipped with a 5 position clutch along with a direct drive setting. i like the balance of the drill. i feel that ease of use and the weight itself of the drill outweight and extra power that a larger drill would have.
we have three of them now. we bought the third one because of a special in the store where a complete drill, battery, and charger was only 40-50 dollars more than just a new battery. we have five batteries now although they are not as good as they were. guess it is time to buy some new ones.
a complete kit can be had on sale for around $100.00 and regular price, i believe, is around $130.00. batteries are around $60.00 each to replace. our batteries are one hour charge. fifteen minute charge batteries are a bit more and require a propriatory charger.
hope this review helps...
have a great one!
------------------ Bruce Bowers DrCAS Signtech
"how great are His signs..." Daniel 4:3
i am a proud supporter of this website!
Posts: 6451 | From: Saint Cloud, Minnesota | Registered: Jun 1999
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posted
Hi Nettie, lady your just going to town with all these tool toys. well here's to answer your question about a drill, in my opinion, I like makita brand, I just bought a Makita Hammer drill for them hard installation on concrete walls, mainly cause my Hilti (not a cordless) drill was'nt doing the trick for these tilt up concrete walls, which I find is some tuff stuff to be drilling into. While I was out there looking, I noticed Makita has a 18V cordless drill they say it it'll run 25% longer than the others, 2 speed gear selection (0-450 rpm or 0-1,400 rpm) has 18 torque settings 1/2" keyless chuck, easy access to reverse/forward button. I would'nt mind having one of these babies but I already bought the one I have a couple of years ago. It's an older model but does the trick for me. I have the 6011 series it's a 12 volt and will accept both 9 and 12 volt batteries, which is a pretty neat feature. Also it fell out of my ladder truck from 30 ft up, the finder/driver broke and the battery also fell out, but the babydoll survived the fall!!! Yeah I was surprized, too. Now to your drill, not sure what you want to do about your present Ryobi, 14 volts sounds like plenty, but you can always take it back, and get the 18V. I think Home Depot has a 30 day exchange policy. Did it come with 2 batteries? oh yeah try it out on some hard wood, or put some masonary bits in it and test it on a tilt up concrete wall. you find out how much power it has.
------------------ FranCisco Vargas aka: Cisco aka:Traveling Millennium Sign Artist http://www.franciscovargas.com Fresno, CA 93703 559 252-0935
"to live life, is to love life, a sign of no life, is a sign of no love"...Cisco 12'98
Posts: 3576 | From: Fresno, Ca, the great USA | Registered: Dec 1998
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posted
hey nettie! I love your "Tool Time" post! I have a Makita, it is a light duty cordless drill. I bought it used with 2 batteries and a flashlight from a friend of mine who owns a pawn shop. it looks brand new and works great! (some folks actually buy these tools and do not use them much and they end up at your local Pawn Shop!)
Cisco mentioned heavy duty drilling. I am fortunate to own a Bosch "Bulldog" Hammer Drill
I don't use it that much, but when there is a need to drill into concrete or brick, this drill is worth it's weight in gold!
posted
Nettie....I have never met another woman that likes tools as well as I do. I L O V E tools!! tee hee. The best is the little Makita cordless I gave my son for his birthday. (He was always using mine.) I have Makita sanders and drills. And even some Black and Decker ones. I take good care of my tools so they seem to last a long time. I even have old Sears tools. :O)Cheap....expensive, I like 'em all!! Gosh I love tools!! Really great fun eh? I have a nice big tool box and lots of bits and screws and nails and............ now I really would like one of those hammer drills. Circular saws are a tad scary. I tend to cut parts of the hands. :O( Have fun!
------------------ Cheryl "surf" signs and lines Renton, Washington a hop and skip from Seattle! supersurf@worldnet.att.net
posted
Battery powered tools have come a long way in the last ten years, and some times they are as handy as a pocket on a shirt. But there a couple of things to remember about those batteries, they will only charge so many times and they are used up. When that happens it is probably cheaper to catch a sale and get a whole new kit with two fresh batteries. The batteries also develope a memory if you don't completly discharge them ocasionaly, if you use half of the charge and recharge over and over, before long you will only have half a battery. I use a small automotive light bulb with some spade conectors that I can plug straight to the battery to drain it very slowly. You should never get the batteries hot or charge them hot, if they are getting hot you are over working the tool and it's time to get out a extension cord and some bigger stuff. I have alot of battery powered tools, some I have had along time. There are places that will rebuild your battery packs, but from what I have found it does not save much money, some claim to use better cells than they came with and that is possible. You can go to a hobby store and buy the cells, they are 1.2 volts each soldered in a series. If you take the voltage of your battery and devide by 1.2 it will always come out even numbers and you will know how many cells you need. They use the same cells in model cars. I have heard, but I have never tried it, that you can take an old battery and freeze it, one time only, to make it go a little longer. Thats probably more than anybody wanted to know about batteries so I'll quit now.
------------------ Charlie Armstrong Armstrong & Sons Glass Etching Ft. Worth , Tx. 817.656.8200 Texacan@cowtown.net
Posts: 65 | From: North Richland Hills, TX | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
I think the weight difference between the DeWalt 12v and their 18v is around two pounds. I just keep extra charged batteries around.
Oh, I'm still using the 9.6v Makitas, but would probably buy the DeWalt if I was starting from scratch.
------------------
"The codfish lays ten thousand eggs, the homely hen lays one the codfish never cackles to tell you what she's done And so we shun the codfish while the lowly hen we prize Which only goes to show you that it pays to advertise!" *^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^ Ogden Nash
The Sign Shop Mendocino, CA.
Posts: 6713 | From: Mendocino, CA. USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
hold on Cheryl..... i believe you and Nettie have met your match on tool totin' women...... the only thing i like better than paint under my fingernails is sawdust in my lungs.... i got stories that would bore you for HOURS! hahhaha i can strap it on with the guys any ole time....(ain't that right MIKE?) (excuse me whilest i gloat) hahahahha maybe sometime we women will have to get together and BUILD something! hahahhahaha
PS - i only use DEWALT cordless drills.... they rock and everything else s**ks. tee hee
posted
Hey Nettie now your talking - cordless drills! I can't remember what installing and servicing signs was like without them (actually I can, I just don't want to). We've used a real variety of them over the years, but 3 years ago I threw them all out and went with what had been the best-7.2 volt 2 speed Makita's with keyless chucks. For some reason they hold a charge for a long time. We had some 7.2 B&D's and a 9.6 Dewalt, but I needed a standard drill. So shop, crane and service truck all got the Makita. We have 7 drills, 2 batteries per drill, 4 shop chargers, two truck chargers. It's worked out real well, and can't say that we need a more powerfull drill. Great idea with this tool forum!
------------------ Dennis Veenema The Sign Shop Dresden, Ont. "We Sign Everything"
posted
Cordless drills were invented just for sign people! We just got an 18 volt Dewalt and couldn't be happier.One of the reasons for choosing this drill is the 1/2" chuck. The drill has enough torque to yank itself right out of your hand. Got one battery..need 2 or 3,learned that in a hurry. Only one minor drawback would be the weight,it's a little heavy for drilling overhead. Contractors in this area say this is the one to buy.
I've been told that the newest generation of extended run batteries have solved the problem of memory. My 18 volt DeWalt manual says you can charge a partially used pack without any adverse affect. But my first Makita sure had the memory problem.
The booklet also mentions that a battery pack left out of the charger will slowly lose its charge. It recommends leaving a DeWalt battery in the charger to keep its charge fresh. The DeWalt chargers have a "maintenance charge" mode that automatically switches on after about four hours, although the pack becomes fully charged after about 15 minutes most of the time.
Nettie mentioned that a salesman said that the DeWalts are not what they used to be, and this is probably true. I have noticed, though, that some salesman are not fully aware that DeWalt makes two product lines in their cordless drills. The 950 series comes in 9.6V, 12V and 14.4V, and is somewhat lightweight. The 990 series comes in 12V, 14.4V and 18V. They have a heavier, fan-cooled motor with higher capacity battery packs. The 18V weighs over five pounds. The heavy models are easily spotted because of the black rubber on the handle, which the lighter DeWalts do not have.
I assume the generation of 18V tools now being produced by Milwaukee and the others are comparable, if not better, in strength and durability, than the DeWalt. But I have been really happy with mine. It is two years old and the shaft is starting to wiggle a little bit in the bearing, but I can still twist the heads off of 5/16" lag screws.
Incidentally, the DeWalt manual says that battery packs should not be charged in temperatures lower than 40 degrees F. Maybe this is true of the others as well.
Brad in Arkansas
I just noticed in Michael Boone's post above his mention of the half inch chuck capacity of the big DeWalt. This was one of my primary considerations for choosing it, too. Both the 18V and the 14.4V will take a half inch shank bit. I have also cut the receiving end off of an extra 3/8 drive socket extension and ground flats on it so I would have a nice driver for lag screws.
posted
OK, It's been long enough, I'll give my two cents worth. I have a DeWalt 18v now for about 2 years, part or the drill saw combo kit...I can't say enough about this dynamic duo. When my old makita cordless 9.6 hammer drill runs out of battery juice, I put the bit in the DeWalt drill and I swear it does a better job! I once used a DeWalt 18v hammer drill on a job, (a contractor friend let me borrow it)...that will be my next purchase.
Although the 18v Dewalt is a bit heavy...It's got power,power,power, and can take abuse...it's Mazeppa Muster proven!
I'm sure other quality brands are just as good, I'm just as pleased as punch with my Dewalt.
Now, where's my check from Dewalt?
Dave Correll Brushwork Signs Faribault, MN
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[This message has been edited by Dave Correll (edited September 14, 1999).]
posted
i got a SKIL 12V will twist your wrist off...got it for a xmas gift with case and charger and 2 batt...walked into SCOTTY'S one day...they had a bargin bin...and in ther was another drill just like mine with no battery or anything...get this, $10.00 hahahahahah...now i got 2....and one battery was almost fried in the utility room fire i had last labor day(98) and its still workin.. just bought a corded DEWALT 1/2 hammer drill, one awesome piece of equipment....and i just got a $7500 credit line at SAMS..for the business and now i got a SEARS card for $3300....OH BOY..YOU TALK ABOUT TOOL TIME... old paint joe
------------------ joe pribish-A SIGN MINT 6050 mobile hwy pensacola, fl 32526 850-944-5060
[This message has been edited by old paint (edited September 14, 1999).]
Posts: 11582 | From: pensacola, fl. usa | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
Old paint, You are the man! I too have an older Skil Top Gun 12Volt, bought it in '91, and it still kicks butt! Drives 3" drywall screws like nuthin, I hardly ever use any of my lectric drills. I got the drill, 2 batteries, a nice case and the charger for $135.
Best darn thing I ever bought.
My brother has a makita cordless, the 9.6 (?)volt one and I guess its a good drill, but I just dont like the location of the reverse switch...Just my Opinion...
------------------ -Slashin' Vinyl by the big lake- Brian Ooms for CVD -Custom Vinyl Designs ....New to it all, but tryin'! Zigman or Vinylslasher On Mirc ICQ 124334 ziggy@netnitco.net
Posts: 244 | From: Merrillville, IN | Registered: Dec 1998
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posted
My old business partner & I owned two 1/2" 12 volt Skil cordlesses-bought in 1994-they really took alot of abuse-dropped from the bucket on the ladder truck, used every day in an electric sign shop drilling through metal all the time-lasted about 4 years. Then I bought a Dewalt 14.4 volt 1/2" cordless-it too took a lot of abuse-also dropped drom the ladder truck-batteries would bounce out but would still work, finally cracked the case and it still worked for another year or so. Then my new boss bought me a Makita 14.4 volt 1/2" cordless-I told him to get a Dewalt-but the Makita was a bit cheaper so that's what I got-the clutch stripped out after a few months-like I said- they get abused really good drilling metal every day, so in all fairness part of it going out was the hard usage it gets. When that one got left behind at a site, fell off the truck or stolen-I don't know which-only that it wasn't there when I got back, I asked for a 1/2" 18 volt Dewalt and guess what I got-another 14.4 volt Makita!! Some people just don't get it-but he also told the guys in the shop that we should be using corded drills in the shop-HELLOOOO-who wants to be dragging a cord all around? Jeez, maybe it is true-after you've worked for yourself-you make a sh**ty employee!!!
Oh, and you got to like women that talk power tools- Cheryl, Nettie, Bernice,Dana & Denise-you women are too much-I love it!!!
------------------ Mike Duncan 2315 H Street Bellingham, WA 98225 eves 360-738-9846 days 360-671-7165 mduncan@telcomplus.net $$ Supporter, 1998 & 1999
"Good Luck many times comes disguised as hard work."
[This message has been edited by Mike Duncan (edited September 14, 1999).]
[This message has been edited by Mike Duncan (edited September 14, 1999).]
[This message has been edited by Mike Duncan (edited September 14, 1999).]
Cordless 18v dewalt hammerdrill here. Goin on 3 years old, never a problem. Still using the same battery that came with it, and rarely (repeat) rarely ever runs out of juice. I have dropped this gem from at least 20ft a couple of times, fell out of my truck going about 30 mph and still runs like new, but now it has all those cool charcter scratches and gouges. I wouldn't have anything but this drill. It is kinda heavy but i'm a big guy so this doesn't bother me. As for dropping it, i now have a kick**s drill holder for my belt that fits it perfectly.
Later
------------------ MacElite, aka John Rodgers Prodigy Sign Systems Atlanta, GA
Posts: 58 | From: Lawrenceville, GA, USA | Registered: Feb 1999
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posted
This is a great idea, Nettie! I just purchased my first cordless drill, and am very much a tool lover, especially when they are dependable and ( like my dad always says,) and "run like a burglar"! Thanks to all of you for all the tool info you have sent in.
You'll see my support check in Oct! Deb, Creative Signs
------------------ Deborah Fowler Creative Signs
Posts: 5373 | From: Loves Park, Illinois | Registered: Aug 1999
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(excuse me whilest i gloat) 
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