Attention everyone! THIS IS NOT A DRILL!

[toobfreak]

Don't want either one of them, I am only buying corded tools from now on. De Walt ripped me off with their battery scam.

I'm going the opposite way.
The older I get the less I like dragging a cord around. And my projects tend to be a little less intense.
Hell,I bought an electric log splitter and an electric chainsaw...something I swore I'd never do.

Oh,ya gotta plug in the log splitter but the chainsaw is battery powered.
And I use cooking oil for the bar lube because I only cut BBQ wood with it.

They quit making batteries for them at a certain point; my De Walt is still in practically mint condition, but the batteries wore out and they don't make replacements for my model any more, and it isn't that old.

That must really suck to have a tool still with 95% of its life left in it that you can't use because of an unavailable battery. They call it designed obsolescence. They got you by the balls and now force you into a new sale.

If you are clever, you might be able to take the old battery case apart and retrofit new power cells into it. The battery cells inside are not unique, just the outer case.

 

[Picaro]

I understand why some like the battery stuff on job sites that aren't wired yet or say doing roofing or upper floors, but generator tech is a lot more available and better now as well; I own several different sizes now and even have the two bigger ones mounted on their own trailers I built. They're also relatively cheaper now than they used to be.

 

[Bob Blaylock]

They quit making batteries for them at a certain point; my De Walt is still in practically mint condition, but the batteries wore out and they don't make replacements for my model any more, and it isn't that old.

Which battery system?

I know that DeWalt sells an adaptor to use the 20-Volt Max lithium batteries on older tools made to use the obsolete 18-volt NiCads. There are probably cheaper third-party knockoffs of that adaptor available as well.

 

[Picaro]

They quit making batteries for them at a certain point; my De Walt is still in practically mint condition, but the batteries wore out and they don't make replacements for my model any more, and it isn't that old.

Which battery system?

I know that DeWalt sells an adaptor to use the 20-Volt Max lithium batteries on older tools made to use the obsolete 18-volt NiCads. There are probably cheaper third-party knockoffs of that adaptor available as well.

Didn't know that; I just assume that whoever sells the brands also carry all their accessories as well, and when the big stores don't have them nobody does. I'll check that out.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

Don't want either one of them, I am only buying corded tools from now on. De Walt ripped me off with their battery scam.

I'm going the opposite way.
The older I get the less I like dragging a cord around. And my projects tend to be a little less intense.
Hell,I bought an electric log splitter and an electric chainsaw...something I swore I'd never do.

Oh,ya gotta plug in the log splitter but the chainsaw is battery powered.
And I use cooking oil for the bar lube because I only cut BBQ wood with it.

They quit making batteries for them at a certain point; my De Walt is still in practically mint condition, but the batteries wore out and they don't make replacements for my model any more, and it isn't that old.

Re mowers, I bought one of the first corded electric models Home Depot carried, it was very light and great for the front yard; lasted me over 20 years before conking out. My electric chainsaw is corded, also a long time survivor, though I use the 2 cycle out on the middle lots. The new one is heavier, but it works on heavier grass and brush just fine, still a lot lighter than the battery powered electrics are.

Electrics can be a hassle with the power cords, but they're still not as much of a hassle as storing and mixing fuel and yanking on starter cords and screwing with spark plugs and all the other motor hassles re stuff near the house. One funny thing I noticed is how my neighbors all sneered at my electric mowers, but then they come over and borrow them at least two three times a year when they can't get their mighty 2 cycle 'manly man' mowers to start after an hour of throwing their backs and arms out. lol my electric is mowing many more yards than I do my own. Yet they still run out and buy those crappy small two cycles. My rule of thumb on those is if at least 6.5 hp and above aren't needed, go electric.

I still have all my corded tools but for the jobs I do today I rarely break em out.

Electric mowers have been around forever but they dont really work that well on the Saint Augustine we have in the south,it's just to tough and dense.

If I were to need one of my three gas chainsaws I'd probably have to give em an overhaul before they'd start.

 

[Bob Blaylock]

I know that DeWalt sells an adapter to use the 20-Volt Max lithium batteries on older tools made to use the obsolete 18-volt NiCads. There are probably cheaper third-party knockoffs of that adapter available as well.

Didn't know that; I just assume that whoever sells the brands also carry all their accessories as well, and when the big stores don't have them nobody does. I'll check that out.

Here it is on DeWalt's web site.

I first took notice of it, when I saw it on the shelf at Home Depot.

Did you really believe that a reputable brand like DeWalt was going to abandon such a large portion of its established customer base, by allowing so many of the high-quality tools that it has sold to become unsuitable due to batteries being unavailable? The approach that they have taken is really the only one that makes sense. NiCads are obsolete and inferior battery technology. It no longer makes sense to keep manufacturing them, nor for customers to keep buying them, when it is this easy to adapt the tools made to use them to use more modern lithium battery technology. The adapter is rather pricey, but unlike the batteries themselves, it should be expected to last as long as the tools will, so you only have to buy it once. There may be, as I said, cheaper aftermarket versions as well.

There also are quite a lot of aftermarket batteries available on Amazon. I haven't looked for such batteries compatible with the old DeWalt 18v NiCad system, but they're probably there. For my part, in addition to three bottom-of-the-line genuine DeWalt 1.5aH batteries, two of which came with my drill, and one that was given to me by a colleague, I have two cheap Chinese knockoff 6aH batteries that I got for much less than the price of the genuine DeWalt counterparts. It's probably a crapshoot what you get when you by cheap aftermarket batteries, but I am mostly satisfied with these. The three genuine DeWalt 1.5aH batteries often were not enough to get me through a workday, but I have rarely managed, in one day, to run down even one of my two cheap 6aH knockoffs. I've just got two minor gripes about them…

• I have the DeWalt DCB118 charger, which will charge “premium” batteries at a rate of 8 amps, and all others at 4 amps. It appears, based on charging times, that it does not recognize these as “premium”, so only charges them at the lower 4-amp rate.
  
  
• The mounting flanges turn out to be rather weak. After having a battery fall off of one of my tools, I examined it and found that the flanges were broken. Inspecting the other battery, I saw that the flanges on it were cracked, and in imminent danger of breaking as well. Comparing them to the genuine DeWalt batteries, I could see that the flanges on those were much sturdier. I repaired these flanges with UV-set plastic, and I think they are much stronger, now, than originally they were, albeit probably not as sturdy as those on the genuine DeWalt batteries; and I also modified my tools, by adding a buckled strap to each to better support the batteries, taking the strain off of those flanges. If you look back at the pictures in my OP, you can see that strap on each tool, going around the battery.

 

[Bob Blaylock]

Didn't know that; I just assume that whoever sells the brands also carry all their accessories as well, and when the big stores don't have them nobody does. I'll check that out.

Further notes on the adapter to use DeWalt 20v lithium batteries on tools made for the obsolete 18v NiCads…

• You WILL also need a modern charger, to charge the lithium batteries. Lithium batteries inherently require a more sophisticated charger than NiCads. I do not know what protection, if any, the adapter has to prevent it, but if you were successfully able to connect a lithium battery to a NiCad charger, then something very bad would be almost certain to happen.
• A quick google search seemed to indicate that yes, cheaper aftermarket versions of this adapter are available; a few on Amazon at around $16 (about half the cost of the genuine DeWalt version) and one on Wish as low as about $10. Wish, of course, is a crapshoot in itself. I've got some good stuff from Wish, at incredibly good deals, ans also some utter garbage from Wish, and some things that would have been garbage, if not for my having the skills and ability to fix what as garbage about them and make them good. (For example, a green laser pointer, for about $6, comparable to those costing around $35 to $40 from other sources. It worked great for a short while, until the plating wore through on a battery contact that, instead of being metal as it should be, was plastic thinly-plated with metal. Once the plating wore through, and the battery was just making contact with non-conductive plastic, for almost any other customer, the item would have been useless junk at that point. I had the skills and knowledge to fashion and install metal battery contact, which has enabled this item to continue working, now, for over a year of use, with no further issues.)

 

[miketx]

This is not a drill!

View attachment 372768

This, however, is…
View attachment 372771

Fake news.

 

[Bob Blaylock]

I personally prefer other brands than Dewalt like Milwaukee and Porter Cable. And I never use battery. Strictly corded.

I'm relatively new to the construction trades, and so my opinions may change as I gain more experience with various brands of tools.

At this point, I am very strongly of the opinion that in most cases, DeWalt and Milwaukee are the best brands for professional-grade power tools. I consider them to be about equal.

I was leaning toward Milwaukee, primarily because the tool I felt most needed, when I could afford it, was a reciprocating saw, and Milwaukee had the Hackzall which was a one-handed version of the concept, that I thought would be better for my needs than a full-sized version. It's very common, in my trade, to need to hold material with one hand, and the saw that you're using to cut it in the other, and I found a full-sized reciprocating saw to be awkward to use one-handed. But I won a DeWalt drill in a drawing at a company picnic, so that put me in the DeWalt 20V system. A foreman shortly thereafter gifted me with a DeWalt reciprocating saw in that same system. So, DeWalt it is.

I've since become sufficiently skilled at using my saw one-handed, when I must. And pretty much by accident, I discovered that a sling I devised primarily so that I could carry my saw on my last project, without taking up any hands, also makes it much easier to use it one-handed, using the sling to help support it. I wasn't thinking of that potential benefit from the sling when I devised it; I was just thinking of being able to carry my saw while leaving my hands free.

Big Milwaukee fan and have some Dewalt stuff.
The Red is much better.

First remote cabin I built with DeWalt battery powered tools; saw and drill.

After that only Ryobi.

Why?

1. Batteries lasted longer and cost less. Unlike some other brands
the battery design never changes as fit is concerned though there
are periodic longevity/power improvements.
2. Less expensive; important when tools are stolen - a frequent thing.
3. Stolen less often. Thieves seem to like yellow better than blue.

My perception of Ryobi is that it is professional grade, but cheap, in the very worse sense of the word. They perform well, while they last, but they break or wear out much more quickly and easily than better brands. I mostly see them as tools that a company provides in large numbers, for the workers to use, who might not have their own tools. I suppose this might account for my perception of their poor durability and longevity; as it is a sad fact that most people don't feel nearly as obligated to take good care of tools that don't belong to them as they would take of their own tools. Of course, their cheapness would also certainly be a factor in a company choosing that brand to supply in contexts where they are more likely to be subject to being lost, stolen, or just not well cared for.

I'm one who leans towards different brands for different power tools. I like certain brand drills, and might prefer one brand for 1/4 drive, another for 3/8th and yet another for 1/2 inch. You just can't beat the Milwaukee 1/2" corded hammer drill.

I would never buy an entire line of tools all from just one company, as a result, I own power tools from many brands. Some brands that were great years ago are not as nice today and vise versa. I have a very old table saw that is 100% MADE IN AMERICA whose line now is cheap. I've just never gone out and searched for any tool that I was attracted to the Dewalt line as the best fit for my needs.

Of course, having different brands mean you need different sets of batteries and chargers for each. As it is, I have my two DeWalt tools, along with batteries and chargers for them, and I have a separate Black&Decker drill, which has its own batteries and charger. I haven't given it much thought, before, but I wonder if, somewhere out there, there's an adapter that would let my Black&Decker drill use my DeWalt batteries or vice versa. Since it's the same company, the same kind of battery technology,and the same operating voltage, I'd bet that the two battery systems are electrically- and electronically-compatible, but just with different connectors for no other purpose than to keep the two markets separate, by preventing one system's batteries from being used on the other's tools.

In one direction, being able to use my DeWalt batteries on my Black&Decker drill would free me from having to carry the separate Black&Decker batteries and charger. In the other direction, being able to use my Black&Decker batteries on my DeWalt tools would give me that meager extra backup, just in case I managed to use up all my DeWalt batteries in one day, though that doesn't seem likely, and if it did happen, my Black&Decker batteries really wouldn't add that much. If I am having so heavy a day that the 10½ amp-hours of capacity that I currently have in DeWalt batteries is not enough, less than 3 aH that I have in my Black&Decker batteries probably still won't be enough after that.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

I personally prefer other brands than Dewalt like Milwaukee and Porter Cable. And I never use battery. Strictly corded.

I'm relatively new to the construction trades, and so my opinions may change as I gain more experience with various brands of tools.

At this point, I am very strongly of the opinion that in most cases, DeWalt and Milwaukee are the best brands for professional-grade power tools. I consider them to be about equal.

I was leaning toward Milwaukee, primarily because the tool I felt most needed, when I could afford it, was a reciprocating saw, and Milwaukee had the Hackzall which was a one-handed version of the concept, that I thought would be better for my needs than a full-sized version. It's very common, in my trade, to need to hold material with one hand, and the saw that you're using to cut it in the other, and I found a full-sized reciprocating saw to be awkward to use one-handed. But I won a DeWalt drill in a drawing at a company picnic, so that put me in the DeWalt 20V system. A foreman shortly thereafter gifted me with a DeWalt reciprocating saw in that same system. So, DeWalt it is.

I've since become sufficiently skilled at using my saw one-handed, when I must. And pretty much by accident, I discovered that a sling I devised primarily so that I could carry my saw on my last project, without taking up any hands, also makes it much easier to use it one-handed, using the sling to help support it. I wasn't thinking of that potential benefit from the sling when I devised it; I was just thinking of being able to carry my saw while leaving my hands free.

Big Milwaukee fan and have some Dewalt stuff.
The Red is much better.

First remote cabin I built with DeWalt battery powered tools; saw and drill.

After that only Ryobi.

Why?

1. Batteries lasted longer and cost less. Unlike some other brands
the battery design never changes as fit is concerned though there
are periodic longevity/power improvements.
2. Less expensive; important when tools are stolen - a frequent thing.
3. Stolen less often. Thieves seem to like yellow better than blue.

My perception of Ryobi is that it is professional grade, but cheap, in the very worse sense of the word. They perform well, while they last, but they break or wear out much more quickly and easily than better brands. I mostly see them as tools that a company provides in large numbers, for the workers to use, who might not have their own tools. I suppose this might account for my perception of their poor durability and longevity; as it is a sad fact that most people don't feel nearly as obligated to take good care of tools that don't belong to them as they would take of their own tools. Of course, their cheapness would also certainly be a factor in a company choosing that brand to supply in contexts where they are more likely to be subject to being lost, stolen, or just not well cared for.

I'm one who leans towards different brands for different power tools. I like certain brand drills, and might prefer one brand for 1/4 drive, another for 3/8th and yet another for 1/2 inch. You just can't beat the Milwaukee 1/2" corded hammer drill.

I would never buy an entire line of tools all from just one company, as a result, I own power tools from many brands. Some brands that were great years ago are not as nice today and vise versa. I have a very old table saw that is 100% MADE IN AMERICA whose line now is cheap. I've just never gone out and searched for any tool that I was attracted to the Dewalt line as the best fit for my needs.

Of course, having different brands mean you need different sets of batteries and chargers for each. As it is, I have my two DeWalt tools, along with batteries and chargers for them, and I have a separate Black&Decker drill, which has its own batteries and charger. I haven't given it much thought, before, but I wonder if, somewhere out there, there's an adapter that would let my Black&Decker drill use my DeWalt batteries or vice versa. Since it's the same company, the same kind of battery technology,and the same operating voltage, I'd bet that the two battery systems are electrically- and electronically-compatible, but just with different connectors for no other purpose than to keep the two markets separate, by preventing one system's batteries from being used on the other's tools.

In one direction, being able to use my DeWalt batteries on my Black&Decker drill would free me from having to carry the separate Black&Decker batteries and charger. In the other direction, being able to use my Black&Decker batteries on my DeWalt tools would give me that meager extra backup, just in case I managed to use up all my DeWalt batteries in one day, though that doesn't seem likely, and if it did happen, my Black&Decker batteries really wouldn't add that much. If I am having so heavy a day that the 10½ amp-hours of capacity that I currently have in DeWalt batteries is not enough, less than 3 aH that I have in my Black&Decker batteries probably still won't be enough after that.

I have Milwaukee power tools that are well over 20 years old and still work like new.
And their quality doesnt seem to go down as the years pass. Just bought a new sawz all from them and it's built just as well as my old ones.

Tried Ryobi and of course B&D when I was young and poor and found out real quick they just dont last and you may as well ass up the money the first go around and save yourself the headache.

Whatever happened to Makita?
They used to be the shit but it seems they've fallen out of favor these days.

 

[toobfreak]

I'm relatively new to the construction trades, and so my opinions may change as I gain more experience with various brands of tools.

I've been using power tools since the 1960s, and I had an uncle who was a master carpenter who owned his own planning mill.

So, DeWalt it is.

I'm sure DeWalt is fine. I'm pretty tooled up so really don't need to buy anything and probably won't own one. My own theory is that the unions push DeWalt because they got some "thing" going with them. I've been in two unions, I know the deal.

My perception of Ryobi is that it is professional grade, but cheap, in the very worse sense of the word.

There are good Ryobi tools out there. It isn't rocket science making a good tool. Every tool is made to sell at a given price point.

Of course, having different brands mean you need different sets of batteries and chargers for each.

I don't own or use any battery tools. If I had an actual great need for them, then it would make sense to buy one brand where they were all compatible.

I have a separate Black&Decker drill, which has its own batteries and charger. I haven't given it much thought, before, but I wonder if, somewhere out there, there's an adapter that would let my Black&Decker drill use my DeWalt batteries or vice versa.

I have an old, black body, B&D Professional 3/8" power drill that I've gotten a million hours use on. As with all tools, you get what you pay for. 40 years ago, it was nearly a $100 power drill and it was discounted refurbished.

 

[Natural Citizen]

I'm relatively new to the construction trades, and so my opinions may change as I gain more experience with various brands of tools.

At this point, I am very strongly of the opinion that in most cases, DeWalt and Milwaukee are the best brands for professional-grade power tools. I consider them to be about equal.

I was leaning toward Milwaukee, primarily because the tool I felt most needed, when I could afford it, was a reciprocating saw, and Milwaukee had the Hackzall which was a one-handed version of the concept, that I thought would be better for my needs than a full-sized version. It's very common, in my trade, to need to hold material with one hand, and the saw that you're using to cut it in the other, and I found a full-sized reciprocating saw to be awkward to use one-handed. But I won a DeWalt drill in a drawing at a company picnic, so that put me in the DeWalt 20V system. A foreman shortly thereafter gifted me with a DeWalt reciprocating saw in that same system. So, DeWalt it is.

I've since become sufficiently skilled at using my saw one-handed, when I must. And pretty much by accident, I discovered that a sling I devised primarily so that I could carry my saw on my last project, without taking up any hands, also makes it much easier to use it one-handed, using the sling to help support it. I wasn't thinking of that potential benefit from the sling when I devised it; I was just thinking of being able to carry my saw while leaving my hands free.



I have Milwaukee power tools that are well over 20 years old and still work like new.
And their quality doesnt seem to go down as the years pass. Just bought a new sawz all from them and it's built just as well as my old ones.

Tried Ryobi and of course B&D when I was young and poor and found out real quick they just dont last and you may as well ass up the money the first go around and save yourself the headache.

Whatever happened to Makita?
They used to be the shit but it seems they've fallen out of favor these days.

I've still got the old Makita with the long battery in the handle. Probably my favorite one. You can still buy batteries on the Bay. Agreed about Milwaukee, too. I have a Milwaukee band saw that has lasted for years. But, yeah, Ryobe is pretty much a toy brand as far as tools go. Junk.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

I'm relatively new to the construction trades, and so my opinions may change as I gain more experience with various brands of tools.

At this point, I am very strongly of the opinion that in most cases, DeWalt and Milwaukee are the best brands for professional-grade power tools. I consider them to be about equal.

I was leaning toward Milwaukee, primarily because the tool I felt most needed, when I could afford it, was a reciprocating saw, and Milwaukee had the Hackzall which was a one-handed version of the concept, that I thought would be better for my needs than a full-sized version. It's very common, in my trade, to need to hold material with one hand, and the saw that you're using to cut it in the other, and I found a full-sized reciprocating saw to be awkward to use one-handed. But I won a DeWalt drill in a drawing at a company picnic, so that put me in the DeWalt 20V system. A foreman shortly thereafter gifted me with a DeWalt reciprocating saw in that same system. So, DeWalt it is.

I've since become sufficiently skilled at using my saw one-handed, when I must. And pretty much by accident, I discovered that a sling I devised primarily so that I could carry my saw on my last project, without taking up any hands, also makes it much easier to use it one-handed, using the sling to help support it. I wasn't thinking of that potential benefit from the sling when I devised it; I was just thinking of being able to carry my saw while leaving my hands free.



I have Milwaukee power tools that are well over 20 years old and still work like new.
And their quality doesnt seem to go down as the years pass. Just bought a new sawz all from them and it's built just as well as my old ones.

Tried Ryobi and of course B&D when I was young and poor and found out real quick they just dont last and you may as well ass up the money the first go around and save yourself the headache.

Whatever happened to Makita?
They used to be the shit but it seems they've fallen out of favor these days.

I've still got the old Makita with the long battery in the handle. Probably my favorite one. You can still buy batteries on the Bay. Agreed about Milwaukee, too. I have a Milwaukee band saw that has lasted for years. But, yeah, Ryobe is pretty much a toy brand as far as tools go. Junk.

Knew a guy down the river from me that built his cabin using metal studs rather than wood.
Once he was done he sold me his Milwaukee band saw for a hundred bucks!!!
The thing was still like new and I've used the ever loving shit out it and it's still going strong.

I was in ACE Hardware one day and overheard a guy asking the clerk if he had a blade that would cut a 2 inch diameter solid chromoly shaft.
Said he'd tried everything and the blades would just skim across the surface.
I stepped in and told him if he'd like to follow me to the house I have something that will cut it...he declined and I shrugged my shoulders and walked off.
I then overheard the clerk tell him he should reconsider my offer.
The Milwaukee cut through it like butter.
I swear that saw has been one of the best tool investments I've ever made.

 

[toobfreak]

Whatever happened to Makita?

Haven't seen them around as much, but they used to make some good tools. Store chains make deals with various companies and I guess Makita doesn't have the bargaining power some other brands have. ANYONE can make a good tool IF THEY WANT TO. It all depends on the price point and market they are shooting for. Years ago my dad had a killer Craftsman sander. It took wood off like there was no tomorrow. Best sander I ever saw. It broke one day, something came loose inside and he threw it out. I could kick myself for not saving it and getting it fixed. The thing literally created a pile of sawdust in a few seconds.

Me, these days, WAY too much plastic on everything and I hate all the gaudy, obnoxious, bright color plastics.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

Whatever happened to Makita?

Haven't seen them around as much, but they used to make some good tools. Store chains make deals with various companies and I guess Makita doesn't have the bargaining power some other brands have. ANYONE can make a good tool IF THEY WANT TO. It all depends on the price point and market they are shooting for. Years ago my dad had a killer Craftsman sander. It took wood off like there was no tomorrow. Best sander I ever saw. It broke one day, something came loose inside and he threw it out. I could kick myself for not saving it and getting it fixed. The thing literally created a pile of sawdust in a few seconds.

Me, these days, WAY too much plastic on everything and I hate all the gaudy, obnoxious, bright color plastics.

I probably have the same belt sander. Dont use it very often since I mainly work with steel these days and a sanding flapper disk works way better on steel.
I dont mind the plastic cases on the new stuff. It's tough as hell and I've never had one fail on me even after a ten foot drop on concrete.
The colors are a bit out there for sure but the Milwaukee red has grown on me.

 

[Bob Blaylock]

Tried Ryobi and of course B&D when I was young and poor and found out real quick they just dont [sic] last and you may as well ass up the money the first go around and save yourself the headache.

There's an interesting contrast that I see between these two brands.

Ryobi is clearly intended to be a heavy-duty, professional-grade brand, but very cheap for such. Black & Decker is not meant for heavy-duty professional use; it's more for household use, but generally a very high-quality brand for what it is. I have what is probably close to the top-of-the-line Black & Decker drill. It's pretty durable, but it's nowhere near as powerful as my DeWalt drill, nor as any Ryobi drill that I've ever used. But used within it's limits, I have no doubt that it would easily outlast any Ryobi drill used the same way. Of course, I could probably easily burn it out or break it, trying to use it for a task beyond its abilities, that a Ryobi would probably handle just fine.

It does have one nice advantage over its professional-grade counterparts. Even though the “high-speed” charger that came with it is only 2 amps, (rather pathetic compared to my 4/8 amp DeWalt charger) because the drill is not so powerful, it does not drain the battery as fast as its charger can charge them. This means that if I am somewhere where I have a receptacle to plug in the charger, with two batteries, I can run this drill constantly, pausing only occasionally to swap the used up-battery in the drill with the fully-charged one in the charger. My much more powerful DeWalt drill will drain its batteries faster than my chargers (the 4/8-amp charger, and also a cheaper 2-amp charger) can charge them, so I cannot run it continually, indefinitely, as I can with my B&D. I wonder if I'd get that advantage with the DeWalt, if I had batteries that my DCB-118 would charge at the full 8-amp rate. It never says, on tools, how much current they use. Chargers are rated in amps, as to the rate at which they will charge a battery, and batteries are rated in amp-hours, to know their capacity, so I can calculate how long it'll take to fully charge a discharged battery, and my practical observations seem to line up fairly well with my calculations. But I don't have any good way to figure out how long a tool can run on a battery, or how fast it can discharge a battery compared to how fast I can recharge that battery. I just know, from practical experience, that my drill and my saw can both discharge their batteries faster than my two chargers combined can recharge them.

This advantage came to the fore on one task, on one project I was on, that involved drilling ceramic tile. It was late enough in the project that the power was on, and receptacles were live. My colleagues had to be careful with their professional-grade drills, because they could easily go too fast and burn up the special bits we were using. This drilling had to be done slowly, and it was a very slow process. My B&D was able to keep going all day, as my colleagues were running out of battery power with their more powerful drills, and having to stop. That was before I got my DeWalt drill, but certainly, if faced with a similar task again, under similar circumstances, I'd use my B&D and not my DeWalt.

 

[toobfreak]

Whatever happened to Makita?

Haven't seen them around as much, but they used to make some good tools. Store chains make deals with various companies and I guess Makita doesn't have the bargaining power some other brands have. ANYONE can make a good tool IF THEY WANT TO. It all depends on the price point and market they are shooting for. Years ago my dad had a killer Craftsman sander. It took wood off like there was no tomorrow. Best sander I ever saw. It broke one day, something came loose inside and he threw it out. I could kick myself for not saving it and getting it fixed. The thing literally created a pile of sawdust in a few seconds.

Me, these days, WAY too much plastic on everything and I hate all the gaudy, obnoxious, bright color plastics.

I probably have the same belt sander.

The Craftsman sander was actually an oscillating, not a belt. It took wood off like a belt though. I actually have a smallish Craftsman belt sander I must have bought more than 40 years ago. It was on sale at a great price. Thing actually works great.

 

[Bob Blaylock]

Me, these days, WAY too much plastic on everything and I hate all the gaudy, obnoxious, bright color plastics.

Like you, I'm a cranky old man that tends to like how things used to be made,and tends to see plastic as hopelessly inferior to metal. It's how I am wired.

But the truth is, like other technologies, plastic has improved greatly thin my lifetime,and in many cases it really is better than metal. Alas, I occasionally find it in applications where metal clearly would have been better, (for example, the batter contact in the laser pointer I mentioned here), but a lot of the time, even when I'd rather see metal, if I am honest, I have to say that plastic is really the better material in many applications.

And the bright, gaudy colors make it easier to find my tools among the debris among which I often must work.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Don't want either one of them, I am only buying corded tools from now on. De Walt ripped me off with their battery scam.

I'm going the opposite way.
The older I get the less I like dragging a cord around. And my projects tend to be a little less intense.
Hell,I bought an electric log splitter and an electric chainsaw...something I swore I'd never do.

Oh,ya gotta plug in the log splitter but the chainsaw is battery powered.
And I use cooking oil for the bar lube because I only cut BBQ wood with it.

They quit making batteries for them at a certain point; my De Walt is still in practically mint condition, but the batteries wore out and they don't make replacements for my model any more, and it isn't that old.

Re mowers, I bought one of the first corded electric models Home Depot carried, it was very light and great for the front yard; lasted me over 20 years before conking out. My electric chainsaw is corded, also a long time survivor, though I use the 2 cycle out on the middle lots. The new one is heavier, but it works on heavier grass and brush just fine, still a lot lighter than the battery powered electrics are.

Electrics can be a hassle with the power cords, but they're still not as much of a hassle as storing and mixing fuel and yanking on starter cords and screwing with spark plugs and all the other motor hassles re stuff near the house. One funny thing I noticed is how my neighbors all sneered at my electric mowers, but then they come over and borrow them at least two three times a year when they can't get their mighty 2 cycle 'manly man' mowers to start after an hour of throwing their backs and arms out. lol my electric is mowing many more yards than I do my own. Yet they still run out and buy those crappy small two cycles. My rule of thumb on those is if at least 6.5 hp and above aren't needed, go electric.

Nobody has made 2-stroke mowers in years. Pretty sure the last one was the mid-90s Lawn-Boy.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

Tried Ryobi and of course B&D when I was young and poor and found out real quick they just dont [sic] last and you may as well ass up the money the first go around and save yourself the headache.

There's an interesting contrast that I see between these two brands.

Ryobi is clearly intended to be a heavy-duty, professional-grade brand, but very cheap for such. Black & Decker is not meant for heavy-duty professional use; it's more for household use, but generally a very high-quality brand for what it is. I have what is probably close to the top-of-the-line Black & Decker drill. It's pretty durable, but it's nowhere near as powerful as my DeWalt drill, nor as any Ryobi drill that I've ever used. But used within it's limits, I have no doubt that it would easily outlast any Ryobi drill used the same way. Of course, I could probably easily burn it out or break it, trying to use it for a task beyond its abilities, that a Ryobi would probably handle just fine.

It does have one nice advantage over its professional-grade counterparts. Even though the “high-speed” charger that came with it is only 2 amps, (rather pathetic compared to my 4/8 amp DeWalt charger) because the drill is not so powerful, it does not drain the battery as fast as its charger can charge them. This means that if I am somewhere where I have a receptacle to plug in the charger, with two batteries, I can run this drill constantly, pausing only occasionally to swap the used up-battery in the drill with the fully-charged one in the charger. My much more powerful DeWalt drill will drain its batteries faster than my chargers (the 4/8-amp charger, and also a cheaper 2-amp charger) can charge them, so I cannot run it continually, indefinitely, as I can with my B&D.

This advantage came to the fore on one task, on one project I was on, that involved drilling ceramic tile. It was late enough in the project that the power was on, and receptacles were live. My colleagues had to be careful with their professional-grade drills, because they could easily go too fast and burn up the special bits we were using. This drilling had to be done slowly, and it was a very slow process. My B&D was able to keep going all day, as my colleagues were running out of battery power with their more powerful drills, and having to stop. That was before I got my DeWalt drill, but certainly, if faced with a similar task again, under similar circumstances, I'd use my B&D and not my DeWalt.

Slowing down the speed of the drill is easy enough with the trigger set limiter so that really shouldnt be an issue.
But more power does mean less battery time for sure which means more batteries and expense.
For heavy jobs like large diameter drills in steel I still go with my corded power tools.
That shit will wipe out a battery in no time.