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Let me preface this by saying I'm a big fan of Milwaukee cordless tools. I have their M12 (12 volt) drill/driver and M12 impact driver and love them. Compact, lightweight, and good battery life. When I was installing pictures for a living my boss and I both carried M12 drill/drivers on our toolbelts and used them daily. We could typically go about a week between charges on the batteries. I still use my M12 drill/driver a lot around the house and shop. I also have Hitachi 14.4 volt drill/drivers and impact drivers, but they have NiCad batteries that have all gone belly up.
Last night I was driving some lag screws to mount a faceplate onto an ash turning blank, and even with pre-drilled pilot holes the Milwaukee M12 impact driver was struggling. In the past I used the 14.4 v Hitachi impact driver for this type of task. I've decided it's time to replace the Hitachi tools with something that uses lithium batteries. (Replacement batteries for the Hitachi tools are pretty expensive, and it looks like I'd still be stuck with NiCad batteries.) I looked at Milwaukee M18 (18 volt) drills and impact drivers, but even the refurbished models are around $150 each by the time I include the tool, a battery, and a charger. So I decided to take a peek at what Harbor Freight has to offer.
HF has their Bauer line of cordless tools, and their 20v stuff seems to have good reviews. By the time I include the 20% coupon, I can get an impact driver, battery, and charger for under $60. Like most people, I've had mixed luck with HF power tools, but my HF dust collector is still going strong after many years of use, and my right-angle Chicago Electric corded drill has spent countless hours of constant running as a bowl sander. (On the other hand, Stu Ablett bought the same right-angle drill when I bought mine and his died on him almost immediately. Unfortunately, he was thousands of miles from the nearest HF store, so a warranty exchange would cost more in shipping than the tool itself.) For tools I plan to use a lot, I'm a firm believer in buying the best tools I can afford. For other tools that I only plan to use occasionally (like an impact driver), I'm willing to cut some price corners as long as the tool will still do what I need.
So...do any of you have any experience with the Bauer 20v cordless tools? I live less than 3 miles from the nearest HF store, so if I need to take advantage of the 90-day warranty, I wouldn't need to travel far to do so. Any feedback/success/horror stories from the rest of you guys?
Last night I was driving some lag screws to mount a faceplate onto an ash turning blank, and even with pre-drilled pilot holes the Milwaukee M12 impact driver was struggling. In the past I used the 14.4 v Hitachi impact driver for this type of task. I've decided it's time to replace the Hitachi tools with something that uses lithium batteries. (Replacement batteries for the Hitachi tools are pretty expensive, and it looks like I'd still be stuck with NiCad batteries.) I looked at Milwaukee M18 (18 volt) drills and impact drivers, but even the refurbished models are around $150 each by the time I include the tool, a battery, and a charger. So I decided to take a peek at what Harbor Freight has to offer.
HF has their Bauer line of cordless tools, and their 20v stuff seems to have good reviews. By the time I include the 20% coupon, I can get an impact driver, battery, and charger for under $60. Like most people, I've had mixed luck with HF power tools, but my HF dust collector is still going strong after many years of use, and my right-angle Chicago Electric corded drill has spent countless hours of constant running as a bowl sander. (On the other hand, Stu Ablett bought the same right-angle drill when I bought mine and his died on him almost immediately. Unfortunately, he was thousands of miles from the nearest HF store, so a warranty exchange would cost more in shipping than the tool itself.) For tools I plan to use a lot, I'm a firm believer in buying the best tools I can afford. For other tools that I only plan to use occasionally (like an impact driver), I'm willing to cut some price corners as long as the tool will still do what I need.
So...do any of you have any experience with the Bauer 20v cordless tools? I live less than 3 miles from the nearest HF store, so if I need to take advantage of the 90-day warranty, I wouldn't need to travel far to do so. Any feedback/success/horror stories from the rest of you guys?