Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article , pete
wrote:
I don't agree that NiCd or NiMh are necessarily a waste of money.
You can have excellent service from wither if you start with decent
ones. I have had 4.5 years use of the original 3 18V NiMh packs
that came with my Makita combi and they are only just beginning to
show a slight reduction in capacity - however they are still very
good.

Seconded. When I see a DeWalt or Makita Li-Ion drill at something
over £250 a pop, then compare them with the sub-£20 18V I use, I
just can't see that these "professional" units are 10 times better.
For my use, they're not even twice as good (since both have 2
batteries).

There's a world of difference between a cheapo drill and a decent one
in performance - and mainly down to the better batteries. Good make
batteries give much more low end torque and make the tool more useful
for screwdriving, etc. I re-celled a PPro 18v with decent cells and it
improved it enormously. But it doesn't feel as nice to use as my
Makita.

Agreed. My (several) Makita drills/drivers/impact drivers feel like they
are almost part of your hand, the ergonomics are superb, speed control is
excellent and, as you say, low end torque is brill.

Speed control is so good you can use a Mak on plastic ceiling roses without
cracking them for example.

I'd rate a 12v Mak against a 14.4v or even 18v cheapie any day.

Didn't have that opinion until I started using stuff six days a week on
sometimes demanding jobs.


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk