LOL, those expensive batteries that last only a few years are not in any way
an exclusive property of Craftsman drills. They are All like that as far as
the battery goes.

--
If at first you don't succeed, you're not cut out for skydiving

"Dave" wrote in message
news:Jjixd.524091$Pl.102216@pd7tw1no...
One factor not often mentioned is the fact that cordless drill
batteries
die after a few years, even if not used regularly. If you use your drill
daily, you got your money's worth. However if you use it infrequently,
like
an average homeowner, you don't get a lot of value before you need to
replace the batteries. I was in for a shock when I learned that Craftsman
cordless drills have very expensive batteries, almost as much as a new
drill. I found it annoying to reach for the drill and then find that
batteries were low and the job couldn't be done that day.
Therefore for my use, corded tools retain value and reliability, but
cordless (Craftsman) tools are designed to be thrown away after a few
years.
Planned obselescence.

Dave


"HerHusband" wrote in message
...
Dan,

I'm looking into Lowes' 20% off sale and want a new drill. The one I
have is a rather weak cordless with the small battery (12v?). I've
also lost the charger, but that's another story. Anyway I want to be
able to drill in/out 3" screws into studs, and drill into concrete
with a masonry bit. I found that the 12v drill didn't have the torque
to do it. I borrowed a cheap corded drill the other day and it drove
those screws like nothing.

A few years ago, my wife bought me a Craftsman 18V cordless drill and
trim
saw package. I know Craftsman generally has a bad reputation, but I LOVE
this drill. It has more power than any of the five corded drills I owned
at
the time, so I eventually got rid of all my corded drills.

We built a garage and a house ourselves, and the cordless drill got a
huge
amount of use. I drug it around in the dirt setting up concrete forms
(used
3" deck screws for easy disassembly), installed lots of temporary
bracing,
installed drywall using screws throughout the garage and house, built
decks, and thousands of other tasks over the past few years.

The only problem I had was the keyless chuck started binding up at one
point, so I ended up replacing that (fairly easy task). I also had to
replace one of the batteries, and eventually the charger died. But, the
drill just keeps going and going.

I did buy a Dewalt 246 corded drill to bore all the large 2" holes I
needed
for our plumbing installation. Had to special order it, as most of the
stores only carry the higher speed/lower torque Dewalt models. The 246
is
7.8 amps, variable speed, and a 1/2" keyless chuck. It's fairly compact,
but has a huge amount of torque. With a 2" bit you have to brace
yourself
well or the thing can rip your arm off when it hits a knot!

I don't use the Dewalt 246 corded drill much, but when I need a lot of
torque it's my choice. The Craftsman cordless gets used almost daily.

Anthony