wear vrs dollars? cordless drivers...

larry merlau

Member
Messages
18,741
Location
Delton, Michigan
ok i have 2 old well used panasonic drill drivers 15.6v drug out the second charger this spring to charge the batteries and last week none of them were fully charged and i hadnt used them much.. i also had two setting in the chargers and they were basically dead too??

so my question is do i give up and got to lithion models or is it cost effective to have these fixed.. i hate to see them go, they fit well and are good friends:)

if i do go to new models i have some bosch now that are doing me well in a differnt area. so would look to bosch in the future, milwaukee is in the running as well.. color doesnt make them work any better but it makes me feel better and green or yelo doesnt do it for me real well but i can change:)

so what are the reviews out there on a new tool, in the 14.4 to 18v range.. looking for a pair again so i can interchange batteries..
 
Larry, I personally don't think it's cost effective to have them repaired, unless they are your best friends:D, I had a battery rebuilt for an old P/C 12V drill and it didn't last too long, so I got a new drill with the L/I batteries and they are really great, when they go down they just quit instead of just slowing down, and the recharge time is much shorter. I think it is a personal thing, you have to do what you are most comfortable with. I like you am thinking of getting a Bosch to go along with mt P/C 18V. Also I have heard a lot of people touting the Ridgid, with the lifetime replacement warranty, register it and you can get free replacements for life
 
Last edited:
FWIW. I got refurb batteries for my Makitas about 1-1/2 years ago. I bought the new DeWalt for less money than the 4 batteries. The refurbs no longer hold a charge. The original batteries worked well for many years. Would I replace/rebuild batteries again? No. Didn't seem to be cost effective. Frankly, I regret spending that money. The technology has moved on. Sometimes you have to meet new friends. My two cents.
 
My old Milwuakee batteries died and I spent $90 each one to get them rebuilt. They last me three month of heavy use and now back to not holding a charge. I broke down and bougth new. I like the milwuakke power tools. Also like yhe bosch sanders and jig saws.
 
I got a couple of makita 14.4 volts that I, like Larry, really like. The batteries are shot and I was thinking about getting them rebuilt, but the consensus seems that it's not worth it. It chaps me that the drivers themselves are still good, but the cost of new batteries is right at the cost of new drivers and batteries!
 
what a lot of the contractors around me have started to do is use Grizzlys. They find a model they like and get it, when the batteries go bad, they just buy another complete set. Cheaper in the long run. Disposable society we live in, you know.
 
I've been nursing my DeWalt 14.4 'system' along for several years now. I've had five of the batteries rebuilt, and they've been better than new. I have three drills, an impact driver, recip saw and two circular saws, so the batteries see a lot of use. I have four chargers going most of the time.

My oldest pair of rebuilt batteries are about three years old now, and still as strong as ever. Rebuilding was about half the cost of new - about $35~40.
 
8 years on my current dewalts, still hold charge and still work like champs, when they go it will be dewalt 18V lithium:thumb: I have held them, used them, and love them:) just my humble opinion:)
 
It might make a difference on where you go to get your batteries rebuilt. I know Jim's place is pretty top notch.

Generic refurbs might not be such a good deal.
 
Lots of folks fix them themselves like this guy:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Hot-Rodding-a-Power-Drill-Battery/

If you search for "cordless drill battery repair" you'll find several good examples pretty fast.

Its not really that the cost of the batteries themselves is all that high (the one I linked to ran him $21.48 per battery pack) its getting them in the correct package (prebuilt) and the rebuild labor (rebuilt). If you're doing it yourself you can save a bit.
 
I literally love my Ridgid drill motors. I have several of them. I REALLY love the free battery replacements for life. The chucks work very well and are tightened with only one hand. I have two identical 12 v. These are in constant use. If I get too many different bits into play I drag out a slightly heavier, two-speed motor (they all use the same batteries). Look at the specs. These small units way out torque most 18v motors.

I was in Harbor Freight one day. There was the most beat up drill motor I have ever seen. It had dried cement in the vent hole, it was scarred, scratched and mauled. The store manager told me that the guy brings one in every couple months in that condition and the store gives him a new one. The hand tools have a lifetime warranty. It hurts my inner soul to think that anyone could treat a tool that badly. It hurts my soul that they would expect to turn it in and get a new one free---especially every few months.
That is NOT justice.

I have the same HF 18v motor that I have had for many years. It was my first cordless drill. It looks almost like new. I am still on the original battery. It has some small drawbacks. It takes two hands to tighten/loosen the chuck. I'm guessing that it runs around 500 - 600 rpm. Like any 18v it is heavier than my small, love 'em, 12v Ridgids.

Enjoy,

JimB
 
Last edited:
Larry, one advantage to the newer Lithium Ion tools is that they are lighter weight. Easier on my tired hands and arms. ;)
 
Larry like you i have a Panasonic 15.6v Drill and love it to bits. Like Jim i care for my tools and its quiet sad when it comes to the point of the economics of replacing the batteries. I agonized over this for some time. Looked into replacement and thought i had found a place here to do it for me but when i saw the 12v Milwaukee hammer drill ,impact driver and 90 degree drill all together for $175 here at Hd the other day, i decided it just was not worth going for the rebuilds at $84 each and either shipping or drop off and pick up gas. At the end of that i figured i still have an old drill. Working but old. Heavy and old batt technology too.
Now i have a couple of Bosch 12v drill (not hammer) and the driver (not impact) and they have proved to be an absolute pleasure to work with.
When i got them i was concerned about how they would hold up in heavy use but they have amazes me especially lately in the cold weather since i no longer have a heated shop. The Milwaukees got a work out pretty quick when i used the impact driver to secure my lathe to my roling work bench with 5/16 lag type bolts and used the impact. No shortage of power and way more comfortable on the hands than my 18v Dewalt impact. Thats a real brute will drive anything but often is overpowered and its heavy when you holding it in one place for a while above your head. :)
Something you should know is Mikwaukee have launched a plug in larger pack for the 12 range that gives you long lasting battery if needed but honestly they charge so quickly and what impresses me about the lithiun ion technology either Bosch or Milwaukee is the way the batteries hold their charge. I suspect the internal resistance of this battery technology must be so high it does not affect long term storage. When i opened my Milwaukees after they have been in both Milwaukee and Home Depots warehouse the batteries were full and good to go.
If u can get to a large home depot (here the bigger stores have better setups to test i find) i would also look at the new Dewalt range. I got a taste of them at Grizzly when i stopped there on my trailer pick up trip.
I like the Dewalt chucks the put on some of the drills.

I was concerned about what i would do when i needed a drill heavier than my 12v ones but i do have a cheapo variable speed hammer electric drill as a back up and my 18v impact. So for woodworking i thing the size light weight led light and quick charge are the way to go.
I would like to see how the Milwaukee 12v series would stand up with a day on jobsite with say Chuck. I think if i were needing to do decking and use screws to fit it all then i would want my 18v Dewalt Impact.
Best of luck in your choice.....its so sad as a society we have come to this stage.
Question is what to do with the Panasonic......throw it out??? the batteries aint gonna suddenly get cheaper and space becomes an issue at some point.

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk 2
 
...I would like to see how the Milwaukee 12v series would stand up with a day on jobsite with say Chuck...

I used one daily most of 2011 when I was installing artwork, and it performed flawlessly. A typical day could involve anywhere from a few to a few hundred screws and wall anchors. Maybe not quite Chuck's workload when he's installing a kitchen, but still a lot of use. :thumb: And like I said earlier, we'd usually get 2 or 3 days out of a battery before needing a recharge.
 
I am pretty keen on looking at getting one of these someday just to see how it would perform. Its a new addition to the line up for 12v gives you a way longer lasting battery not that i have had an issue yet with how long they last on the small units. Its just indicative of what this new battery technology makes possible.

I do wish there was some standardization on the batteries though why the tool industry cannot get together like the PC and Audio and Consumer goods guys do is beyond me.

Thanks Vaughn i saw you mention this use in a previous post but I am curious about say a guy on a jobsite putting down a deck and driving 3" screws into joists all day long. :D That would surely be a work out for any tool. I know when way back some tool review crowd must have been fine woodworking did a test of similar nature the Panasonic 15.6v came out tops. But alas that is history now. :)
 
I do wish there was some standardization on the batteries though why the tool industry cannot get together like the PC and Audio and Consumer goods guys do is beyond me.

Rob, I think you would get the same answer I received many years ago. When I was in Junior High (grades 7 and 8), I worked in an office equipment store doing typewriter repairs. I was talking to a rep and showed him how one type of screw would work in many places in many makes and models of machines. I asked the rep why they didn't do that. His answer was, "Then you wouldn't have to buy the screws from us."

Just think of other places that are doing that now---plumbing, automotive, etc.

Enjoy,

JimB
 
...I am curious about say a guy on a jobsite putting down a deck and driving 3" screws into joists all day long...

I don't think any of the 12v units are intended to be driving 3" deck screws all day long. Much like you wouldn't haul a 5th wheel heavy equipment trailer with a 4 cylinder Ford Ranger. ;)
 
Top