Posted by Neon John on July 27, 2008, 8:24 pm
wrote:
>Have battery operated drill gotten any better? Put it this ways how long do
they last, a year 2 years?
>I gave up on them 3 years ago, got a nice Milwaukee, don't have to worry about
buying new batteries. And I don't have to
>worry about power, this will drive SS screws thru the hardest materials.
I bought my DeWalt 18 volt drill in '95. I followed it with a circle saw,
saber saw and sawsall. The oldest batteries are now pretty well shot but
they'll still run my combo charger/radio for a day at a time.
I don't work full time in construction but these have had hard handyman usage
plus I've built out two restaurants and a concession stand with them. They're
not shelf-queens.
I found a place that sells higher capacity remanufactured batteries, 5 for
$200. I'm now trying to decide whether to go that route or to trade up to one
of the lithium series.
I'll probably stay with NiCads, given cylindrical lithium cell's reputation
for short calendar lives, whether used or not. Even if they've gotten better,
I doubt that they'll come close to the ~13 years I've gotten out of my oldest
packs.
John
--
John De Armond
See my website for my current email address
http://www.neon-john.com
http://www.johndearmond.com <-- best little blog on the net!
Tellico Plains, Occupied TN
I'm going crazy. Wanna come along?
Posted by Ulysses on July 28, 2008, 2:19 pm
> | On Sat, 26 Jul 2008 22:56:23 -0400, Ron Rosenfeld
> |
> |
> | >What do you mean by "modified sine"?
> | >
> | >Do you include the Trace SW series in that category?
> | >
> | >I ask because I was thinking of adding a DeWalt cordless drill to my
tools.
> | >
> | >Thanks.
> | >--ron
> |
> | In my single experience running a DeWalt charger from a DR1524, the
> | charger's internal fuse blew instantly. After replacing the fuse the
> | charger was fine for many years running off my SWs. I've also powered
> | perhaps a dozen other cordless tool chargers off the SW without any
> | problems.
> |
> | If you're shopping for a new drill and don't mind paying a premium, I
> | recommend this one
> | http://www.makita.com/menu.php?pg=product_det&tag½F452HW . It's the
> | nicest I've ever used. About $200 at Home Depot. Light, compact,
> | powerful, 1/2" chuck, intelligent fast charger, and auto brake (one
> | hand chuck tightening). The only negative for my use is that the
> | larger chuck can only go down to about 40 thou, but it's more often
> | that I need larger-than-3/8.
> |
> | Wayne
> Have battery operated drill gotten any better? Put it this ways how long
do they last, a year 2 years?
> I gave up on them 3 years ago, got a nice Milwaukee, don't have to worry
about buying new batteries. And I don't have to
> worry about power, this will drive SS screws thru the hardest materials.
> Cheers
I quit buying Makita many years ago and now get cordless drills from Harbor
Freight. They whole drill is cheaper than a Makita battery. In my
experience the Makita batteries don't last much longer than the cheap
Chinese ones. If you do buy a drill from Harbor Fright be sure and get an
extra battery with it because in two or three years they might not sell it
any more. OTOH you would still be able to buy the Makita battery. All in
all I think Makita is a pretty good brand but I have a couple of their saws
and they have their problems.
Posted by z on July 28, 2008, 3:38 pm
>
>>
>> | On Sat, 26 Jul 2008 22:56:23 -0400, Ron Rosenfeld
>> |
>> |
>> | >What do you mean by "modified sine"?
>> | >
>> | >Do you include the Trace SW series in that category?
>> | >
>> | >I ask because I was thinking of adding a DeWalt cordless drill to
>> | >my
> tools.
>> | >
>> | >Thanks.
>> | >--ron
>> |
>> | In my single experience running a DeWalt charger from a DR1524, the
>> | charger's internal fuse blew instantly. After replacing the fuse
>> | the charger was fine for many years running off my SWs. I've also
>> | powered perhaps a dozen other cordless tool chargers off the SW
>> | without any problems.
>> |
>> | If you're shopping for a new drill and don't mind paying a premium,
>> | I recommend this one
>> | http://www.makita.com/menu.php?pg=product_det&tag½F452HW . It's
>> | the nicest I've ever used. About $200 at Home Depot. Light,
>> | compact, powerful, 1/2" chuck, intelligent fast charger, and auto
>> | brake (one hand chuck tightening). The only negative for my use is
>> | that the larger chuck can only go down to about 40 thou, but it's
>> | more often that I need larger-than-3/8.
>> |
>> | Wayne
>>
>> Have battery operated drill gotten any better? Put it this ways how
>> long
> do they last, a year 2 years?
>> I gave up on them 3 years ago, got a nice Milwaukee, don't have to
>> worry
> about buying new batteries. And I don't have to
>> worry about power, this will drive SS screws thru the hardest
>> materials.
>>
>> Cheers
>>
>>
>
> I quit buying Makita many years ago and now get cordless drills from
> Harbor Freight. They whole drill is cheaper than a Makita battery.
> In my experience the Makita batteries don't last much longer than the
> cheap Chinese ones. If you do buy a drill from Harbor Fright be sure
> and get an extra battery with it because in two or three years they
> might not sell it any more.
Yeah thats why I was so impressed with the ryobi one+ -- I couldn't
believe they actually made the new lithium batteries backwards compatable
with the older tools. I fully expected them to stop the line and screw
me over for new batteries BUT NO!
Posted by bealiba on July 26, 2008, 7:25 pm
> I bought a couple of 85 Watt inverters a few years ago. They were
> pretty cheap, came in a 2-pack from Sam's. They've served me well
> powering laptops, cell chargers and the like, until last night.
> I plugged the 10w power supply in for my pda. It is a switching
> supply, I suspect, because it is very light. I plugged the supply
> into the inverter, inverter into car and was just getting ready to
> plug in the pda when the inverter started hissing. It had no fan or
> anything with which to make a noise. It was stinking as well, so I
> unplugged it and tossed it out of the car before it decided to do
> something worse. I haven't found it yet, so I don't have a clue what
> might have happened. I'm wondering, do inverters have electrolytic
> capacitors?
Yes, they are included as safety devices to protect the fuse from
blowing.
> What is the deal with inverters anyway. I've owned four in sizes from
> 85 to 1500, three out of the four are dead. Do I need to quit buying
> the cheap ones or what! Maybe I'll try a small sinewave unit next
> time.
Yanks have become the worlds sponge for cheap product. And then they
complain about it.
Posted by Ulysses on July 28, 2008, 2:34 pm
> I bought a couple of 85 Watt inverters a few years ago. They were
> pretty cheap, came in a 2-pack from Sam's. They've served me well
> powering laptops, cell chargers and the like, until last night.
> I plugged the 10w power supply in for my pda. It is a switching
> supply, I suspect, because it is very light. I plugged the supply
> into the inverter, inverter into car and was just getting ready to
> plug in the pda when the inverter started hissing. It had no fan or
> anything with which to make a noise. It was stinking as well, so I
> unplugged it and tossed it out of the car before it decided to do
> something worse. I haven't found it yet, so I don't have a clue what
> might have happened. I'm wondering, do inverters have electrolytic
> capacitors?
> What is the deal with inverters anyway. I've owned four in sizes from
> 85 to 1500, three out of the four are dead. Do I need to quit buying
> the cheap ones or what! Maybe I'll try a small sinewave unit next
> time.
I've owned several cheap inverters and some are better than others. Unlike
Neon John I've had pretty good luck with the Vector brand execpt their fans
fail frequently. So far they have always shut down instead of blowing up.
I had a 2000 watt Galaxy POS that self-destructed when I accidently turned
on the A/C in my trailer thinking it was plugged into the generator (which
was running). It blew up practically everything but the dozens of fuses. I
had another experience where I had an alternator driven by a small engine
connected to a 12 volt battery and a 700 watt inverter. I was running
something from the inverter and the battery got very low. What I *think*
happened was that the regulator in the alternator somehow put out more than
the 15.5 volts that the inverter could take. In this case the electrolytic
capacitors let out their smoke. Replacing the capacitors helped but it
still has some other problems. I suggest you check the voltage on your car
to see if perhaps it is too high.
I have a couple of Sunpack Fast Chargers for AA and AAA batteries. They do
not like MSW inverters. Fortunately they will also run directly from 12
volts. I have ran computers, DVD recorders, VCRs, TVs, microwaves, a
clothes dryer, a refrigerator, and various power tools from a Vector 1500
watt MSW inverter with no problems other than sometimes it would not start
due to inaquate battery supply or just plain too much load (air compressor
etc).
I run my house from OutBack sine wave inverters. No problems with running
anything. They are a bit large for car use but many people use them in
boats. They are not cheap. I also don't have to spend much time thinking
about them.
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