What would you consider cordless run time as doing real work?

[Frank]

My problems with cordless tools is the limited run time before the next charge. Its not a problem with drills as it could run for a long time but for demanding loads like circular and reciprocation saws (my new DeWalt cordless NiCad combo) the 5 minute run time paired with a one hour charger doesn't cut it. For the reciprocating saw, the fully charged battery was able to crosscut about six 6" dia soft wood before it needed a charge. Grab the second battery and another six crosscuts was all she got. Makes a short working day. Even with the lithium iron, the run time may not be more than three times as much but should be enough when paired with a fast 15 minute charger. I'll take my corded Super Sawzall next time.

[DGDevin]

I get the impression lots of folks use cordless tools as much because they figure it's the cool way to go as opposed to it being something that makes what they're doing way easier. It makes sense if you're up on a roof or working someplace with no line power, but how many people are typically in that situation? If you really need cordless then it makes sense to pick a brand where one kind of battery can run ten different tools and then get a bunch of batteries and a multi-battery charger. So far I've been able to resist that, so far. ;~)

[Leon]

I totally agree unless you have a specific need to make a few cuts where there is no power available. Other than that the drill, impact driver, and flash light are about the only tools that I want to be cordless. Now if tool manufacturers would simply come out with a battery shaped adapter with a tail so that you could use the saws like a normal saw but still have the ability for the times you need to cut with out power being available.

[Brian Henderson]

Agreed. I use primarily corded tools because I never use them outside of my shop and I never use them where I have no power to plug in. The only exception are my cordless drills and drivers and all of them have at least 3 batteries and one is always on the charger at all times. I have never run into a case where I needed a battery and didn't have one fully charged.

Most people who go cordless crazy are just people trying to look cool, there's rarely a case where they're really needed.

[bq340]

Frank wrote: (my new DeWalt

How new is it?

NiCads need a few cycles before they give full performance...... MikeB

[mac davis]

Yep, me too.. (three?)

I have several cordless tools, but they rarely leave the shop.. maybe used on the outside of the house or something.. Main reason I went cordless with the drills and stuff was to reduce the tangle of cords on the bench... The suckers seem to tie themselves in knots when you use 2 or 3 corded tools during a project..

mac

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[evodawg]

I use 3 cordless drills just about everyday. My Porter Cable 14.4 gets the most use and it usually lasts the longest. I have a De Walt 12 volt that I use as a driver sometimes. But the charge last no where near as long as the PC. I also use a PC 19.2 volt but not as much as the other two, its kinda heavy. The PC 14.4 is at least 8 years old and I use it everyday and the only thing I ever replaced were 4 batteries total. But sadly I've heard PC is going downhill ever since Black and Decker bought them up. Like who didn't know that would happen??

I never really paid much attention to how long the DeWalt lasts though. It seems acceptable. Maybe you just have some warn or defective batteries

[Marc Britten]

Depends on the roof I guess. I've been up on a few house roofs and it doesn't take much to get an extension cord up there.

It's only fairly recently they they make a cordless drill with close to the same torque as a low end plug in drill. Let alone a nice hole shooter.

I'll take plugin over cordless any day. My walls always have power (well almost) batteries self discharge.

Plus adding up the amount of money spent by someone I know on cordless drills (he had a 10.x volt then a 19.x volt then a....) you could buy a really great 1/2" chuck Milwaukee plus 2 200 foot long heavy duty (nice thick gauge) extension cords. I could plug in drag the cord up and still be done on the roof before you....

[B A R R Y]

On Sat, 03 May 2008 21:48:18 GMT, Brian Henderson

Count me in as someone "trying to look cool".

I'll never go back, unless the specific task that requires more run time than the batteries can deal with. I simply like the lack of a cord, especially when I'm using three drills at once, breaking down sheets with my circular saw, trimming trees with my recip saw, or cutting screwdriver slots in a stripped screw with an angle grinder.

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[Robatoy]

We use cordless drivers and drills only on job-sites during installation. It is during that time that 2 or 3 guys would otherwise get all tangled up, which under certain conditions could lead to dancing. For me, my personal favourite all-around power tool is the small Milwaukee angle drill, and that has a tail...too bad, I have lived with it for decades and see nothing on the horizon that I will want in it's place. It is light, has tons of balls and fits my hand perfectly. I use a small clip which holds the cord at the shoulder of my vest and the cord runs along my arm...I don't even know I have a cord till some asshole (usually me) steps on it. After I have exclaimed: "Golly willikers!!, I must be more careful where I put my feet next time!!!"..I then continue working as if nothing happened. (My crew usually cowers in fear after such an outburst.)

[nailshooter41]

Lot of tools out there that swing both ways now. Check out one example:

[Charlie Self]

I'd say you have either a bad recip saw or bad batteries. We used a DeWalt cordless recip to trim the rafter and ceiling joist ends when I built my shop, and we got through the two needs (basically, trimming the nub off the joist ends, and evening up the ends of the rafters for gutters that were never installed) on one battery per side. That was in '95, or '96. Tools today should be better, but maybe not. God knows, all those I've run across lately aren't, but I'd see about warranteeing that recip saw--more likely culprit if the batteries work OK elsewhere.

[Upscale]

Yeah, Charlie's right. 5 minutes is piss poor. You've got some type of malfunction somewhere.

[Leon]

AC/DC? LOL I guess it applies to the sicientific tool world and the different "Lifestyle" world. I did not know that power tools had different lifestyles also.

On a more serious note, IIRC Hitachi had something like that a few years back, maybe it was a bigger battery pack hanging on a tool belt.

Thanks for the info. I wonder if Makita offers that in 12.6 volt?

[Lee Michaels]

There ya go. Cordless is a lifestyle!

Just ask the marketing guys at the major tool companies.

[B A R R Y]

Like the "Anal Intruder" from the movie "Top Secret?

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[Frank]

New, had it for a week now. Cycled about 10 times, no improvement. Nothing wrong with the batteries, just needed more amp hours. The drill should be able to run for hours but the circular saw and recip saw is a different story - not just Dewalt but all other brands are the same.

[Frank]

Not malfunction but just the nature of batteries:

have the 18V standard batteries and the above 2.4 amp hour XRP battery has

40% more amp hour. No rating found for my standard power pack but working backwards relative to the XRP my batteries should be around 1.71 amp hour.

Let say the recip saw is equal to a 5A, 120V corded saw. That would translate to 600 watts (5A x 120V) or 33.3A at 18V for the cordless job. So

1.71 amp hours at 33.3A gives 3.08 minutes of run time. ie, (1.71A x 60 minutes)/33.3A = 3.08 minutes so the estimated 5 minutes is reasonable, and yes its piss poor.

[B A R R Y]

Your math is off. My guess for the reason is that the corded saw is rated for 5A peak, not continuous operation.

I have the same recip saw. It's no corded tool, but the runtime is far from 3 (or even 5) minutes. One of these days, I'll time it.

This past weekend, I had to partially disassemble a 12 year old deck and build a ramp to remove a hot tub.

During the job:

- I removed ~ (36) 3" deck screws with an impact driver

- I cut off (4) 3/8" rusty head lag bolts with an angle grinder

- I made (8-10) cuts in 2x8's and 2x10's with a 6 1/2" circular saw

- I did about 45 seconds of cutting with the same recip saw as the OP

- I then drove (12) 3" and (16) 2" new deck screws with the impact driver

The next day:

- I removed the new (12) 3" and (16) 2" deck screws

- I reinstalled the (36) old 3" deck screws.

ALL WITH THE SAME XRP 18V BATTERY CHARGE!

I have a Matsushita blade on the 6 1/2", and a nice Milwaukee blade on the recip. Remember, impact drivers are more efficient than drills, so they get better battery life under these conditions.

I also looked _really_ cool, too, with no cords and all...

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[mac davis]

But, did you have a tool belt and yardstick suspenders?

mac

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