Originally posted by lesmore49 All my power tools are corded, probably because I bought them many years ago and cordless battery tools were not that common back then.
Your comments are interesting to me, as our son is looking for his first house. I've been thinking of buying him some power tools...drill, sander, possibly skil type saw and I've been wondering if I go for battery or corded.
He wouldn't use them much, so I was thinking of corded and of course a long 50 feet, 12 gauge extension cord.So for tools that wouldn't be used much, I'm thinking corded is the way to go
My concern with battery powered power tools is is battery durability. For stuff that will sit around much of the time....I'm not sure this is good for battery durability. It would have to stay on the charger much of the time, with little use.
I've recently been thinking of replacing our old 2 stroke Lawn Boy mower (still runs great) with a battery, self propelled mower (shoulder arthritis) ...but I've checked on the cost of battery replacement and in some cases the cost is significant
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In comparison, my 2 stroke Lawn Boy mower is 31 years old, has cost me about $ 12 CAD in repairs in those years and still runs like a top. A new spark plug every other year, a couple gallons of gas and she's ready for another year of work. It's the pull start that medics tell me I have to avoid with my shoulder is the reason for replacement.
Yep, there is no free lunch in anything, always pros and cons.
Modern cordless tools are great as long as the batteries keep going. For home I have a Dewalt drill. It's a pretty good tool quality wise. This kit came with a charger and 2 batteries. They are doing very good with getting maximum torque out of modern cordless tools. Still, I agree that corded or air tools last a long time if cared for. In my line of work, I am often working inside over the road trailers and cordless tools are really handy. Also, you can work away from electricity. Some of the newer cordless impact wrenches can put out 400 ft/lbs of torque and cheap ones now can put out 300.
For cordless tools, look for lithium ion batteries. They hold a lot of power and can be recharged hundreds of times. The older Ni-Cad batteries don't last long and sometimes, even with 2 batteries, I run out of usable power on the second battery before the first one is finished charging. You always need multiple batteries. Cordless impact wrenches work much better than drills just by the nature of the tool. While I have cordless drills, I also have power drills. I have passed on any electric or cordless electric lawn mowers. Give me gas for that job. However, cordless weed whackers are great.
Being a mechanic for trucking fleets for so many years, I have accumulated a ton of tools. There are advantages and disadvantages for all of the available types of power tools. I have small drills, big drills, right angle drills, hammer drills, all in corded, cordless and also pneumatic. They all are superior for certain jobs and inferior for others. As a professional, it's necessary to have this stuff. For a homeowner, a high quality standard sized drill with a 1/2 inch chuck should be able to handle most chores. The chuck is important. Cheap drills come with crappy chucks. If you do need a big drill or hammer drill, rent one from you local hardware store.