Cordless Drill Voltage Why so many?

[jm]

What is the adavantage of the 18 or 19.2 volt drill over the 14.4 or 12 volt? If I am going to build a deck, which one should I get?

[Ramsey]

[Leon]

Why the 120 volt corded drill? Much more power than any battery operated drill and much cheaper.

Longer run times between recharges of the battery packs. Marginaly more power.

If you are going to build a deck, get a "CORDED" drill and add a dry wall adapter to limit screw travel. Or for about $100. you can get a corded dry wall screw gun and have that feature built in. IMHO the corded models get heavy after several hundred screws and the bigger the battery pack, the heavier it is. Corded drills are relative light weight and very strong compared to a 18 or 19.2 volt mode.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

In most, but not all, cases, the higher the voltage, the more power. If the deck is off you house, I'd use a corded drill and not worry about batteries. The higher the voltage, usually the heavier the drill also. To buy a tool for one use and pay a weight penalty for years to come may also be foolish. I set out to buy an 18 Volt trill When I got to the store and saw the 14.4 was easier to handle, that is what I bought. I'm a home user, not a pro working with it for hours at a time drilling deep holes in concrete.

The 12 volt drill are getting cheaper, but often lack the features of the

14.4 or higher rated drills. Consider that also. Two speeds, electric brake, are hands to have. Bosch,. Panasonic, Milwaukee are great tools, but bought a Ryobi. It suits my light use needs at a good price. YMMV. Ed [e-mail]

[MattH]

"jm" wrote in news:wdv4b.317243$YN5.217267 @sccrnsc01:

For a deck I would think that the charging time would be as important as the battery voltage and capacity. You're going to be going through batteries every 30-60 mins, so you'd need a model with a quick charger. Or save a lot of $$ and just get a corded drill. You're already going to be out there for a while so a lot of the benefits of the cordless (quick setup) aren't really valid. Plus you'd probably save more time with the corded drill due the its more powerful motor.

-Matt

[Bay Area Dave]

yup, the Makita impact driver is fab! I've got 3 Makitas, and I reach for the compact, high torque impact first

dave

Ramsey wrote:

[GTO69RA4]

I've had 12V Makitas and Bosches, but I use 18V DeWalts now. Heavier, but makes everything go faster for me. I'll keep using 'em until I can't carry a big drill.

GTO(John)

[TML]

For heavy duty work - like driving screws - I like a corded 3/8 or 1/2` drill and an extenstion cord of at least "12 gage", (I have a fifty foot '10') pluged into a 20 amp circuit. Guy accross the street tried doing some heavy work and couldn't understand why the plug on his '18 gage' melted after 15 min.

Tom

[RM MS]

No, it is not "marginally more power", it is DRASTICALLY more power. I have owned 9.6v DeWalt, 16.8v Craftsman, 19.something Craftsman, and our tool crib has 24v Dewalt. The power goes up markedly with each voltage increase. And I am talking about driving #14 screws into mahaogany, maybe a few dozen at a time. Into poplar, pine or soft lam beam I can slam them in with no pilot holes at all if the motor is strong, which saves a bunch of time. Buy the big one. Any brand, most are Chinese anyway.

[Leon]

MARGINAL compared to the jump from 9.6 to 24 volt to 120 volt corded. Much closer to 9.6 than 120.

[Leon]

Whoaaa.... I just noticed that the DeWalt 9.6 impact driver puts out 900 inch pounds.... You probably paid too much... for that 12 volt model.. LOL

[Bay Area Dave]

I bought my last DeWalt drill a few years back. Had to return it the same day I bought it. The chuck wasn't true. Got the Makita, and now I've got 3. love 'em.

dave

Le> Whoaaa.... I just noticed that the DeWalt 9.6 impact driver puts out 900

[Leon]

How do you drill with that impact Makita of yours..

I have had a similar problem with Bosch drills... Starting in 1986 I broke 3 all in the first day I used them... Oddly a Bosch rep got me to try one and it broke when I used it at a WW show... All of them had a problem in the gears. I started with a Panasonic and those are superb. Still using 2, 9.6 DeWalts and a Makita right angle cordless. The battery is about pooped on the Makita, it does not hold a charge very long, but it is about 20 years old.. ;~) I got the extra DeWalt because it was cheaper to buy in a kit than to buy 2 new batteries. Still using the original DeWalt cordless that is 7 years old.

[Bay Area Dave]

It's primary function in my shop is screwing; not drilling. However, with the hex bits, you CAN drill with it too. I'm not going to invest in MORE bits, just so I can say I use it for drilling too!

dave

Le> How do you drill with that impact Makita of yours..

[Leon]

OK thanks... that was what I thought.

[retireb]

I would agree with this poster. A corded drill will have much more power for longer than a cordless drill, assuming a reasonable extension cord. The cordless drills (I have four) are best when a cord would get in the way, or is not available. MOstly, when looking at the larger battery voltages, weight is a major factor. I use 9.6v or 12v cordless for overhead or other 'raised' elevations, because of the weight. For a deck, where you will mostly be working downwards, the corded drill is a fraction of the cost and a better solution.

Also, in general, the larger battery size will give you more screw driving time before the battery needs a recharge. If you are going to drive a dozen or so screws, the smaller battery sizes will work fine. And the opposite for driving a lot of screws. The number of screws that could be driven on a single battery charge used to be a major criteria in the Fine Woodworking tests.

Also, for a deck. consider the new auto-feeding screw systems. You can buy a complete system (drill and feeder), or just the feeder. When I expand my deck next spring, I'll probably get a feeder to put on my corded DeWalt. There is even a lo-o-ong model for standup work. I haven't tried one yet, myself.

Retireb

[Bob G]

For general around the hose, shop etc a 14.4 Volt is what I use...

I just finished a dec this spring and I did use an 18 V cordless BUT most of the deck work was accomplished with an extension cord and a regular 1/2 in electric drill...just faster lighter and easier to use...(with the exception of the cord that is)...

Bob Griffiths

[Renata]

I think most batteries in the 14.4v and up range would last more than

30 minutes screwing deck screws.

The tradeoff in cordless is weight vs capacity and increased torque. I found that the 14.4v Makita was a reasonable balance of these factors (though my hand is smaller so the 18v gets heavy faster than for you he-men).

I find cordless are easier for screws because of the low end torque vs the harder to control for screws corded models. Can be done, but so much easier with a cordless. Haven't tried a dedicated screw gun (corded) for something like deck screws but they sure are sweet for drywall. Plus, the dang cord isn't always in your way.

Might want to consider predrilling your holes - makes it lots easier. Corded fine here.

Renata

(no stain for email)

[Steve Knight]

don't believe everything dewalt says. they also claim a 15 amp motor is 4hp.

[Leon]

.....;~)

Where yuh been hiding?