I know whatcha mean Wes. Drill motors have gotten surprisingly compact with
the use of permanent magnet motors, then tool designers get into a battery
voltage ****ing match, because they know that consumers are always chasing
bigger numbers, so the drills end up having 2 to 3 pound battery packs.

If I had to use drills a lot, I'd definitely make up a stretchy coiled cord
and a holster to hold the battery pack.

If you've seen Jai Alai players throwing arm compared to their other arm,
you should be able to spot the guys that use the 36V cordless tools all day
long.

--
WB
..........
metalworking projects
www.kwagmire.com/metal_proj.html


"Wes" wrote in message
...
"Wild_Bill" wrote:

Wes, I'm not surprised that the 3/8" drive impact wrench worked to punch
holes in sheet steel boxes, but I didn't have any first hand experience
doing that.

It will still be noisy, but I think it's a better solution than an air
ratchet.

The little 3/8" impact I have is USA Chicago Pneumatic from the 70s, and
was
a great tool for auto repair. I have a right-angle head accessory that is
handy for reaching some obstructed fasteners, not quite as compact as an
air
ratchet, but really handy at times.

I was thinking that the 1/2" ratchet would have enough torque. The 3/8
impact or 3/8
butterfly impact will work just fine for sure. Small impacts have a
purpose also.

I used my brothers 18v drill recently. Two screws later, I was out to my
car to get my
much nicer to use and hold 14.4 v drill.

Weight really matters if you have to do repetitive operations.

Wes