This is my first posting after joining this forum.
I'm prepared to purchase a cordless screwdriver for home repairing/decoration, not for professional application. The size of screw is about 1/4\" x 1-1/2\" (dia and length) max. mainly for fixing fixture on concrete wall (plastic inserts are used). On googling I find many of them and wonder how to select a suitable one for my use. Although the tool is not used for professional job I'm willing to pay a little more for a good one. Could you please provide me some suggestion. TIA.
Never saw a good one. Maybe others have. You should get a 3/8" variable speed drill instead. And if you're working where juice is available, get an electric instead of a cordless.
The Bosch Max series. They have variable speed triggers and quickchange chucks. I have the 90° articulating head model and the PS21-2A that is extremely compact. The pocket driver holds some quick change bits loosely, but if you can do a tiny bit of metal working, you can make all of your longer quickchange bits into very snug fit bits (like the short ones are). You spin the long bits in a drill, cut off some of the shank, and use a cutoff tool to nick the shank on all six of their corners. So far, I have modified only a bit holder, but plan to modify my Snappy quickchange bit adapters. That is a hassle, but the product is excellent, making your quickchange bits fit tighter than in any other quickchange chuck.
Perhaps I've never seen a good one that looks like a cylinder.
But at a work site I borrowed an electirc screwdriver that looked like a drill, with a handle and a trigger switch. It was great. But it was 2 or 300 dollars, as part of a kit.
I tend to agree. If you don't do this all the time, keeping batteries charged, and replaced when they fail, is a pain, and expensive probably for the amount of work you do. I don't know how they got it in there, but my wall has never run out of electricity.
I have one of the Bosch drill/screwdriver units with the quick change feature. Very handy for all sorts of stuff. Lots of torque, and a "torque limit" feature. It used Lithium Ion batteries which minimally self-discharge. Comes with two batteries and a charger. Obviously, for heavier situations, I use my 3/8" electric drill that plugs into the wall. The Bosch seems to handle about 90% of the stuff around the house.
Cordless drills and corded drills totally suck at driving screws. What you need and pros use is an impact driver. They will modulate, yet have enough force to drive a 5" construction screw into yellow pine. I use a Makita (best if your budget can afford it) a popular pro choice. Others are nearly as good, but the Li ion batteries in the Makita seem to last a long long time. We see a fair number of Bosch units in the toolboxes now and some DeWalt. By all means get acquainted with the modern types of screws now in the market and use them where they work best. For almost everything, the Torx (star) drive is best, but square drive (Robertson) is a decent second, with care. Bottom of the list, Philips drive because of cam out, but still the best for drywall. Even a sub $100 impact driver will be a useful tool, but always equate the price to the number of years you want to keep it. If you want to see how impact drivers have taken over, watch 'Holmes on Homes' Sunday night after 60 Minutes, but on the HGTV Channel on cable. As you will see, yesterday's technology just won't do what you want to accomplish with the level of quality today's tools do so well.
I still have two 9.6v Makitas, a testimony to their longevity. I started buying them back when they first replaced that littler one. I used them on carports, driving self tapping screws in 14 ga. steel. I always had four of them. Two working, and two in the Makita hospital or on the shelf for when one of the good ones had problems. After a few rebuilds, they were worthless.
Fast forward.
Sold that business. Kept the Makitas for home use. Still have them today, but the problem is that batteries are ridiculously expensive for the NiCds.
There is no real answer to your question. As with all drills, there are so many different uses. It is hard to suggest one that will do it all. It will be overkill for smaller fasteners, and too small for the bigger ones.
Decent used ones can be had. Pawn shop deals abound, just buy stuff that looks new. I'd buy two, one a 3/8", and a 1/2". I even like those flashlight little weak ones, because working on very small things they are great. I took apart a battery powered dog toenail grinder the other day, and it worked super on those tiny screws. First time I've used it in a year.
Ryobi is a decent starter. Used Makitas, but remember the battery situation. DeWalts are nice, but spendy. Look around and educate yourself, then take what comes along that's a real deal.
Put a "WANTED" ad on craigslist, or in your local Quick Quarter, and you may get a real deal on one that a person just wants to dump. I'd stay away from HF and no names, as they generally don't last, and you end up with a $$ fishing weight.
HTH
Steve
Heart surgery pending? Read up and prepare. Learn how to care for a friend. Download the book.
For the last year I have been using a Milwaukee M12 12V cordless screwdriver as part of my work installing security cameras and access systems. It has been a workhorse and the clutch mechanism insures nothing is over torqued.
I recently add the Hex impact driver for punching tek screws into sheet metal with great success as well.
Thanks for your advice. I have a hammer drill having speed control by adjusting the pressure on the ON/OFF switch. Before I don't have idea how to use it to drive screws. I'll buy an insert bit for driving screws, if available (My hammer drill don't have reverse function/switch. I don't think it can remove screws in case?). The only disadvantage is that it is heavy in weight.
I have both series (12V and 18V) of the Bosch drivers, drills, and impact drivers. I have more than a dozen different drills and drivers (Makita, DeWalt, PC, and HF) laying around. The Bosch LiIons get used. I've not run across a situation where I wished I had a corded drill that didn't need something a lot larger than a 3/8" drill (I do have a 1/2" hammer drill).
They sell good ones at Sears. They come in a kit of eight. 4 standard of different sizes, 4 phillips of different sizes. They dont require batteries or any electrical power. YOUR HAND AND WRIST apply the power. They're simply called a Screwdriver Set.
Unless you're one from this new generation who is so obese from sitting on the couch spending your life pushing cellphone and gameboy buttons that you can only use your hands to shovel food in your mouth, and dont have the energy, muscle tone, or strength to turn a screwdriver.
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