It’s funny that 15-20 yrs ago I used a 7” grinder all the time, almost daily, now I just find a new place to put it once every couple of years. I really need to re-home that thing.
Power Tools: Battery Power vs Air Compressor
- Thread starter RussTJ
- Start date
You misunderstand my priorities. I don't want the added expense, I don't want to keep on having to buy batteries, I don't want the damn thing going dead in the middle of a job - swap out or no - and I don't want to deal with the weight. I also don't want to replace tools every 10 years (or whatever) because the batteries are "obsolete". If you're going to be swapping batteries, you need to have enough batteries to finish your job - however many that may be. From this thread, that seems to be about six, but I don't know. All those batteries have to be kept charged (read: take up space), have to be purchased, and have to be replaced - if they're still being made.
And again - a picture from yesterday's little job:
Why would I want the hassle of battery equipment when there's a socket less than six feet away? I didn't even need an extension cord for this job, and this particular drill has a very short cord! Its more of a hassle to put the bit into the drill than it is to plug the thing in. Best of all, I'll never have to spend another dime on this drill. In fact, I've never spent a dime on this particular drill to start with! I own 5 drills total, all but one belonged to dead people. Fortunately, I don't see dead people!
Now up on a radio tower? That's a different situation altogether. Cordage would be both awkward and dangerous. Crawling down/under/into/whatever a cramped situation like a mineshaft or a crawlspace? Battery power please. Out at see working on a buoy? Oh yea! Even a "quickie job" like the above that might be a couple hundred feet from an outlet? Sure! But if closer or the job is a longer one, run the cord - it only takes a minute.
I am glad to hear from a couple of posters here that Milwaukee, at least, appears to be supporting their tools for pushing 15 years. That's still a pretty short time - hopefully they'll continue for many years to come. That just shows "corporate responsibility" on their part - kudos to them! And @roverhi is right - aftermarket batteries for damn near everything SUCK. Try getting decent batteries for a 10 or 15 year old laptop! Hell, I had to buy new batteries for our 4 year old robovac - the first replacement died in a year. That shit drives me nuts, but a corded robovac wouldn't work too well!
My Sony DSLRs are getting up there in age, but Sony branded batteries are still available, albeit not cheap. I haven't had to replace one yet (modern battery tech in a low current device), but will in another couple of years. A plug in camera wouldn't make much sense either!
A segue: You guys with Milwaukee drills. How are you making out with the keyless chucks? My late father's Milwaukee has one, and it sucks. Won't grip the bit tight at all, and will open up if I'm running in reverse for any length of time at all (like removing screws). I've used keyless chucks on other brands like Makita and had no issues with them.
It isn't so much in purchase - its ongoing costs. I don't mind paying for quality - but I only want to buy it ONCE.
Non issue. The modern keyless chucks grip just fine. More significantly, many of us are using impact drivers for most of our work. No chuck.
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The M18 platform debuted in 2012. Another 10 isn't even remotely unthinkable.
This one must be defective then. Like I say, I've never had problems with other keyless chucks, just this one. It makes the tool damn near unusable, and its by far the newest drill I own. Time to replace the chuck methinks...
I use one to do the tapered holes in steering knuckles using a tapered reamer which is very hard tool steel. I have to use a pair of Channelocks to tighten the chuck since the shank is so hard and slippery. I've done that 100's of times to the keyless chucks with no ill effect. Don't take that to mean the chuck is not good because in the much larger than average homeowner drill press, it is also difficult to get them not to slip. That chuck is a high dollar not bottom of the line Jacobs I bought and swapped on.
I know you won't do it, but you should pick up a cordless 1/4" impact driver (not impact gun) if you're driving many screws. Its SO much better than a cordless drill, and I can't imagine how badly life would suck trying to drive screws and not fuck shit up with a corded drill, with the coast to a stop drill motor. Actually, I DO know how bad life would suck...as a young guy, I hung a bunch of drywall with a corded drill. You basically had to get the screw spinning, then release the trigger. Let the motor spin down and then decide to finish with a screwdriver or run the drill one more time. Don't poke through the paper or you get to start over!
It SUCKED so bad.
I'm pretty sure that isn't what he meant at all. That certainly isn't what Milwaukee has for their mindset either. I don't know if you are aware but Milwaukee for reasons I've yet to fathom decided to get into the business of making products for people who are doers. They take a common product simple basic product and somehow manage to make it better.
I spent years doing construction, I carried a tape measure every single minute and used it almost as often. The go-to were the Stanley 20 and 25 footers.
They were not without some learning to promote longevity and keep accuracy high. In short order you learned to use your finger as a brake to slow down how fast the tape got sucked in by the return spring or risk the last 3 feet getting kinked and also to stop the tape end from slamming into the case which ruins the built-in slop put there to adjust for inner and outer dimensioning. Or in some cases, breaks the case which I've seen a lot of. You also learned that too little brake and it would slam into your finger. Not finger breaking but certainly annoying.
Milwaukee comes along and reworks them to just be a very good tool. Basic simple tape measure, they beef up the ends, the hook is robust and works well, the tape is protected from wear at the end, and there is a finger groove for your braking that also protects your finger. Just basic common sense rework of something we all use and they made it better.
https://www.northerntool.com/shop/t...DCLYqb0D5fYhQErIldRoCwpcQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
I've used small flush cutters for trimming zip ties. Not sure what brand they are, they are okay and we use them daily. Saw that Milwaukee has some, ordered them in, they are night and day better than the other 4 pair I have.
I have several sets of the original Vise-Grip brand locking pliers. Saw that Milwaukee has some many years ago and bought a set after I bought a set of the second gen Vise-Grips made after the company sold and the quality suffered. The Milwaukee version hands down blows away even the original. They lock harder, the adjuster screw has a loop that makes it easier to turn and you can hook into it to pull on stuff doing stupid shit.
Point of all that drivel is while I am certain that other companies will continue to do good stuff with their battery platforms, Milwaukee by all appearances seems to be in it for the long haul by simply just making better stuff.
If you want to see something neato, go look at their sockets. They solved a problem you didn't know you needed solved and once you see it, you will realize how wrong you were.
Every single day I lament that we did not have the impact drivers around when I was doing construction. I hung miles of cabinets, trim, decking, drywall, framing, and I'd have given anything to have back then what we have now. I explain to folks all the time the difference, few get it. Being able to stand on the ground and fully drive in a 3" Torx drive construction screw with one arm fully extended as high as you can reach and not have the bit strip or needing to get a ladder to lean into the drill is just fucking priceless.
I don't have the big Hole Shooters because I needed a 1/2" drill motor, I have them because they were slow enough with a good enough variable speed trigger you could control them to drive screws hanging cabinets.
A while back I was told that Milwaukee snagged the design team from Klein after they started outsourcing to China. Not sure how true that is, but it coincides with the bump in quality Milwaukee had about 10-15 years ago. Not that they weren't making good tools before that. But something changed for the better(er) with them.
It is amazing what a company can do if they decide to do it. I had a few of the first DeWalt NiCad power tools, which, at the time, were a game-changer. Those lasted me 20 years, but I did have to replace batteries on a regular basis. My satisfaction with those cordless DeWalt tools led me to purchase various corded DeWalt tools. About a decade back, I had burned up three corded DeWalt angle grinders on big projects over the course of about a year. There was a non-brand-specific electric repair shop in a nearby town, so after the third failure, I took them in to see if repair was a valid option. The repair tech told me that they didn't repair DeWalts much anymore because their motor design was prone to failure. I asked which brand made good motors and was told Milwaukee did. I bought a corded Milwaukee grinder, used the crap out of it, and it's still going. It took a few years before I ventured into the M12/M18 arena.
I agree that Milwaukee's stuff is very well designed. Not only do I now own two dozen of their power tools with the addition of the new flathead grinder, and countless batteries and chargers, but I've also been buying many of their other hand tools because they really do seem to go over and above adding new features to old tools. It's amazing how much of my money a company can get when they actually develop great products!
Zorba - I'm curious how much you think the Milwaukee cordless tools and batteries weigh? I just weighed a few of mine:
M18 1/4" Impact Driver (#2760-20) - 2.3 lb (no battery)
M18 1/2" Drill (#2801-20) - 2.5 lb (no battery)
M18 CP2.0 Battery - .9 lb
M18 XC5.0 Battery - 1.6 lb
If you put the XC5.0 battery on the drill above, it's just over 4 lb, and the balance in hand is very good. I'm curious how that drill above compares in weight, and I know it doesn't balance in hand as well with all the weight on one end of the handle...
I only use my tools nights and weekends because my day job is at a desk, but I do a LOT of weekend work with these, and I would say once every 3-4 weeks I swap a battery out for the most routine stuff like maintenance work. However, there are certain tools that do eat up the amp-hours, usually when fabricating. Cutting with a recip saw, jig saw, or cutoff wheel, or drilling big holes can require multiple batteries to do a job. For me, the convenience of not dealing with a cord trumps the few battery changes I have to do.
Well, shoot, maybe I need to cancel my gas tank skid order from another vendor and consign with you! I do appreciate your design methodology!
ejay
TJ Addict
I have pneumatic, primarily. I have a full set of tools (nearly everything they make) plus extras of Ryobi but not lithium so they are only for small jobs. I'm not going to shell out for a full new set of cordless lithium cordless tools. I haven't seen a real nail gun that was electric that didn't take twice as long to shoot nails as a pneumatic.
I prefer pneumatic tools while working in my garage. I have an airpig so I have plenty of volume at 160 PSI.
I prefer pneumatic tools while working in my garage. I have an airpig so I have plenty of volume at 160 PSI.
the great thing about corded tools is the cords can annoy me even when I'm not using them! I don't know what it is about my creeper getting caught on an extension cord, but it registers somewhere near bumping my head in how much rage ensues.
I may indeed give one a try as even I'll admit that cordless is better when it comes to screwdrivers - but I have yet to find one that will both last more than a couple of years, AND have the strength to drive a screw into hard wood. So I end up using a regular drill. Hell, one time a situation was so bad that I ended up using the afore mentioned "Thor" to drive a couple. As always, it got the job done in quick order, but using that drill to drive screws is a lot like using an atom bomb to kill a fly!
Model/make suggestions?