Cordless drill

Submitted: Friday, Jul 02, 2004 at 10:35
ThreadID: 14307 Views:3774 Replies:12 FollowUps:8
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Really dumb questions; please be gentle ....!

Would like to get a cordless drill for home and general use (to replace old cord model). They seem to be available in 12v, 14.5v, 18v etc. I am not going to renovate the house or build decking - how much is enough for light duties and occasional use?

Is it possible to get attachments so I could use it to tighten/remove nuts, and for household things like sanding and buffing timber?

Is it possible to recharge a drill from a 12v cig plug, so I could use it travelling?

Any suggestions about brands and models? Don't want to spend a heap but don't want something that will fall to pieces after 2 goes.
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Reply By: Baz (NSW) - Friday, Jul 02, 2004 at 11:05

Friday, Jul 02, 2004 at 11:05
I bought a 12v Ryobi years ago and when the battery died i took it off and wired it up to connect to cig lighter and alligater clips for connecting direct to battery, works better than ever, nothing this baby won't do now just as good as a 240v drill.

If i was going to buy a cordless now i would buy a cheapie from supercheap 19.95 and do what i did to my old cordless.

Baz.
AnswerID: 66126

Follow Up By: Perry - Friday, Jul 02, 2004 at 11:12

Friday, Jul 02, 2004 at 11:12
Done a similar thing with mine, made a dummy insert with wired terminals and added plug to end ( mine is 2 pin polarised ) will plug in to any of the sockets I have in various places around the vehicle. Of course this will only work with 12 volt drills. The cheaper drills tend to be a little slow, although they have improved a lot since I bought mine.
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Reply By: Member - Roachie SA- Friday, Jul 02, 2004 at 12:05

Friday, Jul 02, 2004 at 12:05
Des,
I have a 7.2v cheapy that the battery died on and I did what the other blokes have said. However, being worried that 12v might be too much for it, I rifled through a box of stuff I had and found a cigi plug with different voltage outputs on a switch on the side. It goes from 3v to 12v in steps. I tried the 7.5v setting first and it was pretty slow, upped it to 9v and better and then I thought, "what the hell" so I bumped it up to 12v setting and it goes really well. I now carry it in the camper trailer.
I also have a 12v rechargeable with 2 batteries and have wondered the same about charging directly off the truck's system. Haven't tried it yet, but will get around to it one day. I can see no reason why this wouldn't work, so long as I get the polarity right!!
Cordless drills in general are a fantastic invention and are now very powerful compared to the original offering of 10 to 15 years ago. Hard to justify buying a 240 volt unit anymore unless it's a hammer drill etc.
Good luck
AnswerID: 66132

Follow Up By: Member - Jiarna (SA) - Friday, Jul 02, 2004 at 18:05

Friday, Jul 02, 2004 at 18:05
Panasonic and Hitachi even put out a range of cordless hammer drills. Maybe some others have as well.
Those who say something cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it.

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FollowupID: 327005

Reply By: The Banjo - Friday, Jul 02, 2004 at 12:05

Friday, Jul 02, 2004 at 12:05
Far as I know, more volts gets you a more compact motor (physics rearing its ugly head again).....and higher prices it seems too.....one thing though ...the drill kits are light and compact and can go in the tool kit for those longer bush trips...I take a cheap soldering iron (runs off the 240 V inverter) and can therefore do a bit of light maintenance (mech and elec) if things rattle to bits. As the others say, 12 volts off the car would be very handy !
AnswerID: 66133

Follow Up By: Member - Bob - Friday, Jul 02, 2004 at 22:29

Friday, Jul 02, 2004 at 22:29
Banjo,
there are four options for soldering 1. 240 volts run off inverter or generator 2. 12 Volt cig lighter 3. Blow torch and copper do dad or 4. small gas self contained unit which runs off refillable butane (available at Dick Smith etc for about $30) . Forget 1 to 3.
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Follow Up By: The Banjo - Saturday, Jul 03, 2004 at 16:56

Saturday, Jul 03, 2004 at 16:56
I have to forget 1 to 3 soldering options ? I already have the 300W inverter inbuilt for other purposes while remote - I just toss the light duty 240V soldering iron into the kit as I go.
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FollowupID: 327113

Reply By: biscuits - Friday, Jul 02, 2004 at 12:06

Friday, Jul 02, 2004 at 12:06
We have a ryobi at home - its hopeless - no guts to it and the battery keeps running flat as a tack.

Mate of mine who used to work in the hardware section at bunnings has a De Walt cordless. Looks real nice and powerful. Have to say if I bought one anytime soon it'd probably be a DeWalt.

Cheers,
Dave.
AnswerID: 66134

Follow Up By: Baz (NSW) - Friday, Jul 02, 2004 at 12:35

Friday, Jul 02, 2004 at 12:35
Dave do what i did mate you will be surprised works better than any of the exspencive one's.

Baz.
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FollowupID: 326974

Follow Up By: Nudenut - Friday, Jul 02, 2004 at 12:56

Friday, Jul 02, 2004 at 12:56
Doubt it Baz....
besides, I wouldnt get a cheapie again. Have you seen the chucks on the really good battery drills...go have a look at the DeWalt and then ask yourself "why do I have to use a chuck key all the time?"
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FollowupID: 326977

Follow Up By: Baz (NSW) - Friday, Jul 02, 2004 at 13:23

Friday, Jul 02, 2004 at 13:23
Mine has the keyless chuck it's only 10mm though, wouldn't mind the bigger chuck, i'll tell ya whats worth it's weight in gold is the Black & decker cordless screwdriver what a little bloody jem that is. While i've got you attention Nudie can you replace the keyed chuck with a keyless i've got a electric hammer drill and it's a pain with that keyed chuck.

Baz.
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FollowupID: 326980

Follow Up By: Nudenut - Friday, Jul 02, 2004 at 13:42

Friday, Jul 02, 2004 at 13:42
most drills can be fitted with keyless chucks....but there is key less and Keyless ...remember one only gets what they pay for!
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FollowupID: 326982

Reply By: Michael - Friday, Jul 02, 2004 at 13:35

Friday, Jul 02, 2004 at 13:35
I agree with the masses, i have a 12v cordless for the "get out of trouble reason", being able to charge or run off your battery is a big bonus. you can pay downwards of $20 now, they all come out of China and i bet its hard to find a dud one.. Go for the cheapie................12v
AnswerID: 66139

Reply By: Member - Jeff M (WA) - Friday, Jul 02, 2004 at 15:25

Friday, Jul 02, 2004 at 15:25
Mate get a good 18v Hammer Drill. It'll do bloody everything. Use them here at work, tech screwed into RSJ's with em before, bloody brilliant. Only time I use a cord now is with the Hilty on Concrete Walls and Floors. Everything else is done by the cordless.
AnswerID: 66150

Reply By: cwebb - Friday, Jul 02, 2004 at 17:24

Friday, Jul 02, 2004 at 17:24
I have a 12 month old Black & Decker Firestorm II cordless drill which is 14.5 Volts.
I think its best feature is that the keyless chuck is removable. So what happens is you have a drill bit in the chuck, do some drill holes etc. Then in 1 second remove the chuck. Then in the shaft is a removable screwdriver bit. So you can then do some screwing, then reattach the chuck to resume drilling.
Also has a battery life indicator (LED's), which is probably not too useful. I think the battery pack is Nicad, so will probably show decent power levels until the battery quickly dies, as Nicads seem to do.
You pay a bit more for this drill but even for occasional use, its one of those things that is a pleasure to use years to come. The $20 ones are abysmal in quality and balance. I know they're cheap, but I think it is one of the few things in life that quality does matter.
Cheers
AnswerID: 66165

Reply By: Member - Ron H (Int) - Friday, Jul 02, 2004 at 17:33

Friday, Jul 02, 2004 at 17:33
Des
two speed box with variable speed trigger are worth it weight in gold
regards Ron
AnswerID: 66166

Reply By: Member - Athol (NSW) - Friday, Jul 02, 2004 at 18:40

Friday, Jul 02, 2004 at 18:40
My last one died and I did the 12v cord for the road thing, so I went and bought a cheapy from Bunnings bloody hopeless screws about 6 selfdrilling scews and flat , you get what you pay for.
Athol
AnswerID: 66173

Reply By: Des Lexic - Friday, Jul 02, 2004 at 20:59

Friday, Jul 02, 2004 at 20:59
I got sick and tired of the cordless drills. Everytime I went to use it, the battery was flat and it was a PIA. Bought a Bosch 10mm hammerdrill with reverse and variable speed for a $100. The cheapies only have plastic motors and gears and you only get what you pay for.
Cheers Des
AnswerID: 66201

Reply By: Member - Bob - Friday, Jul 02, 2004 at 22:33

Friday, Jul 02, 2004 at 22:33
The 12V drill doesn't have enough grunt for nuts etc. Sanders etc are so cheap now you can buy a sep. tool for about $50. The 12V is good as you can take it away without the battery (saving weight) and run it off your car battery. You will notice that it is seriously underpowered compared with your average 600W plus 240V drill.
AnswerID: 66238

Reply By: Member - Camper (SA) - Sunday, Jul 04, 2004 at 17:12

Sunday, Jul 04, 2004 at 17:12
Yep! You get what you pay for.
Cheap cordless batteries fail early and the clutches for setting drive torque are not much chop.
I usually come back to Makita for price, reliability and longevity, They don't play the handyman/tradesman game either. Ive got other brands but I usuallylook at Mak first.
No cordless is going to give you the grunt of a good quality 240v. But the convenience is great!
Camper
AnswerID: 66411

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