Cordless Drill

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When we made the big move to where we're living now I had alot of building to do so it was the perfect opportunity (excuse) to stock up on a few tools.

I love cordless drills but the really good ones (Dewalt, Makita, Ryobi, Milwaukee, Bosch etc) are way outta my budget. I was browsing thru the Harbor Freight catalog one day a saw a made-in-China, 18V cordless drill with adjustable torque, 3/8" chuck, VSR etc for $70. It thought, kewl, that I can afford. Well, I've had this tool for three years now and have used it ALOT. It still has the original battery and can still drive a screw ALL THE WAY thru a 2 x 4 when the battery has been freshly charged. When I say all the way thru I mean it will drive the head of the screw out the other side of the board.

I just got a new catalog today and I see they have the same drill for $40. When Harbor Freight introduces a product they'll start with a higher price then gradually lower it to about half of the introductory price. So if any of you tool folks are hankerin for cordless drill for cheap check it out. I think you'll be pleased.

-- john leake (natlivent@pcpros.net), February 21, 2001

Answers

I'm with you on cordless drills john. I've had a 9.6 volt makita for about 5 years and would never be without a cordless. the last garage I built was done without a single nail. About 40 pounds of screws as i remember. Nice feature ,for me anyway, as a mistake can be fixed by simply backing out the screw and not destroying the lumber.

-- jz (oz49us@yahoo.com), February 22, 2001.

John,when the battery finally stops charging and goes to the great battery beyond,don't through it away.Use it as a dummy to wire up a 12volt car battery to it.It's not entirely cordless but it is better than a generator.You will find it should run on 12volt fairly well.After tearing down a few of the cordless drills I have found they often use the same motor.The manufacturers just sell you more battery capacity.Thanks for the positive report on the harbor freight drill I've often wondered about how well they worked.I know I have been pleasantly surprised by many of the other tools they sell. Greg

-- greg (gsmith@tricountyi.net), February 22, 2001.

actually, you CAN replace the batteries inside the battery pack, when the time comes and it no longer charges up well. it may or may not be cost efficient in power tools, but i HAVE replaced them in ham radio handheld equipment. in fact, i replaced the old batteries with more powerful and longerlasting batteries. just a matter of opening up the battery case, and r&r the batteries.

gene

-- gene ward (gward34847@aol.com), February 22, 2001.


Hi John, it sounds like you had a real good run out of the drill, I have never been so lucky in fact the two or three I have had eventually left a bit of a sour taste, so to speak. What was your battery charging regime?

I know it's not an electric drill but one of my favourite tools is an old (Chinese made) brace with a long pozidrive screw driver bit. If I have had enough porridge I can drive anything with that!

-- john hill (john@cnd.co.nz), February 22, 2001.


Hey John Hill; The thing with Ni Cad batteries is you gotta run them till they're just about dead, then recharge them. Otherwise they develop a "memory" so if you drive a couple screws, then put it back on the charger for a short charge, the next time you use it you'll get a short run on the battery. If thats been the case for you try running the battery down to dead, dead, dead. Let it sit for a while then run it till dead. Repeat the process a few times, then recharge and repeat the process. BTW when its on the charger let it fully charge. It might take a few times but it should regain most of its life.

The battery that came with my drill has a three hour charge time but later I bought an 18V circular saw(same brand) and it has a 1 hour charge. Having the battery interchangeability is handy at times.

-- john leake (natlivent@pcpros.net), February 22, 2001.



Hi John Leake. I bought a Sears Best cordless with an extra battery in '93. Have gone thru 2 more batts since then. Having a spare batt is a good idea - no down time. And Sears still has parts for old tools. Also, for pure luxury, have two drills - one with a regular bit for pilot holes, the other with a Phillips bit for sheet rock screws. I used this system for building trellises of saplings - that skinny green wood split every time without pilot holes. Hi John Hill. Thanks for your comments on using a brace. I inherited a really nice one from my Dad and always use it to bore maples for syrup gathering. I also plan to use it in building my hut way out back. But I have had a lot of trouble finding any brace bits at all - where did you get your screwdriver bits?

-- Sandy in MN (jpevans_56353@yahoo.com), February 22, 2001.

I'm glad to learn of your satisfaction with the Harbor Freight drill, and will keep it in mind for when I need a replacement.

I purchased a Skill brand "Professional Series" drill and driver in 1988 and it is still going strong. One of the two batteries has died, but after 12 years what can a person expect.

When speaking of rechargable batteries, the old term "use it or lose it" is correct.

-- Notforprint (Not@thekeyboard.com), February 22, 2001.


OK thanks John, I was told, with a very credable explanation, that it is best to run the tool until there is a noticeable loss of power and to recharge then, otherwise one cell will reach zero and will be killed by the reverse voltage of the other cells. I expect your battery had a well matched set of cells.

Hi Sandi, I had to make my screwdriver bits for the brace, I found a set of long bits intended for a battery drill. I brazed a nut on the shaft of each then spent a few minutes at the grinder until I had a reasonable fit in the brace. I have seen sets of wood bits for sale until recently but I have no idea of their quality, my bits are all heirlooms or ones I have found in antique/junk shops. It seems that those are the only shops where one can buy decent hand tools nowadays!

-- john hill (john@cnd.co.nz), February 22, 2001.


Rebuilding NiCd battery pack is not hard. You must know how to solder though. You can buy batteries from several mail order places. digikey.com (new) & allelectronics.com (surplus). Most battery packs us a sized call 'sub-C'. DigiKey sells them 'tabbed' which means a little metal tag is attached this makes soldering MUCH easier. Sub-C 1400mAh Rapid Charge p/n p233t is 3.11 each. Digikey will make battery packs - not a drop in product but an assembled unit for you to finis installing.

What kills most batteries is not 'memory' but OVER Charging! It is best not charge them for more the 12 hours!

-- (perry@ofuzzy1.com), February 22, 2001.


I would stay away from the China made units. My first issue is working conditions, religious condtions and human rights issues in China. Ignorning those you end up with low end product, possible non repairable. Will batteries be available in the future? Your cordless battery will need to be replaced. Not if, but when.

Check out the Black and Decker firestorm, They are based on the parent company Dewalts designs, offer 9,12,14 and 18v versions. Have fast chargers, extra batteries. Multi devices can use the same batteries. Granted the Dewalt is better and will last longer, but the B&D firestorms are great. I have a couple of cordless drills and a firstorm sawsall

-- Gary (gws@redbird.net), February 23, 2001.



Gary I am not sure how boycotting goods from China would improve the lot of the workers there.

-- john hill (john@cnd.co.nz), February 23, 2001.

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