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battery tools are crap
It sounds so attractive! No power cord! Use it where there's no mains!
But battery tools are rubbish compared to 110V or mains ones. Now I don't do site work any more I can buy mains powered tools, and what a revelation they are! Firstly there's the fact that a mains powered tool can cost less than a replacement battery. For instance a battery for my reciprocating saw would have been £120. A new mains powered saw was £110. Then there's the fact that battery tools run out of power just when you don't want them to. So have two or three batteries and run mains for the charger out to where your working ? Give over! Then there's the fact that battery tools are always underpowered. You pay more than twice the price for less than half the power. Even the bigger battery tools tend to be rated at 300 to 450W, whereas the mains equivalents are usually 1kW+. And what a difference having adequate power makes! The job is so much easier. Mains powered tools just glide through the work. The battery equivalent would be slowing chugging along, then stopping due to a flat battery. Why people buy battery tools to use at home I really don't know. Ignorance of the customer plus the vendor's sales hype I guess. Thinking about it, I bet a lot of people who buy a battery drill have never used an electric drill before, so they won't realise how limited their new toy is. Bill |
battery tools are crap
Bill Wright wrote:
It sounds so attractive! No power cord! Use it where there's no mains! But battery tools are rubbish compared to 110V or mains ones. Now I don't do site work any more I can buy mains powered tools, and what a revelation they are! Firstly there's the fact that a mains powered tool can cost less than a replacement battery. For instance a battery for my reciprocating saw would have been £120. A new mains powered saw was £110. Then there's the fact that battery tools run out of power just when you don't want them to. So have two or three batteries and run mains for the charger out to where your working ? Give over! Then there's the fact that battery tools are always underpowered. You pay more than twice the price for less than half the power. Even the bigger battery tools tend to be rated at 300 to 450W, whereas the mains equivalents are usually 1kW+. And what a difference having adequate power makes! The job is so much easier. Mains powered tools just glide through the work. The battery equivalent would be slowing chugging along, then stopping due to a flat battery. Why people buy battery tools to use at home I really don't know. Ignorance of the customer plus the vendor's sales hype I guess. Thinking about it, I bet a lot of people who buy a battery drill have never used an electric drill before, so they won't realise how limited their new toy is. Well, sursprising as it may seem I'm in agreement to some extent. However *some* cordless tools are good and useful. The ones I use almost daily are my 10.8 volt Li cordless drill and driver. Handy, light, much faster than a manual screwdriver and work all around our 9 acres, on the boat, etc. etc. -- Chris Green · |
battery tools are crap
On Wed, 13 Sep 2017 14:31:19 +0100, Bill Wright wrote:
It sounds so attractive! No power cord! Use it where there's no mains! But battery tools are rubbish compared to 110V or mains ones. Now I don't do site work any more I can buy mains powered tools, and what a revelation they are! Firstly there's the fact that a mains powered tool can cost less than a replacement battery. For instance a battery for my reciprocating saw would have been £120. A new mains powered saw was £110. Then there's the fact that battery tools run out of power just when you don't want them to. So have two or three batteries and run mains for the charger out to where your working ? Give over! Then there's the fact that battery tools are always underpowered. You pay more than twice the price for less than half the power. Even the bigger battery tools tend to be rated at 300 to 450W, whereas the mains equivalents are usually 1kW+. And what a difference having adequate power makes! The job is so much easier. Mains powered tools just glide through the work. The battery equivalent would be slowing chugging along, then stopping due to a flat battery. Why people buy battery tools to use at home I really don't know. Ignorance of the customer plus the vendor's sales hype I guess. Thinking about it, I bet a lot of people who buy a battery drill have never used an electric drill before, so they won't realise how limited their new toy is. Bill Horses for courses. I use a battery drill for winding the legs on my caravan, for example. I also found a battery drill far easier than a mains drill for fixing the very large tin roof on the very large shed. No trailing cables to drag around. A battery impact driver is also a tool of choice because you aren't tied down to a cable. Anything requiring serious grunt, such as sawing, SDS drilling and the like is much better using mains. Angle grinders! Anyway, the local builders use a mix of mains and battery tools depending on use case. I think you are trying too hard in your last paragraph; a lot of DIYers here use battery tools and quite a few have power tools as well, and have used mains power tools for yeah these many years. Cheers Dave R -- AMD FX-6300 in GA-990X-Gaming SLI-CF running Windows 7 Pro x64 --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus |
battery tools are crap
In article ,
Bill Wright wrote: It sounds so attractive! No power cord! Use it where there's no mains! But battery tools are rubbish compared to 110V or mains ones. Now I don't do site work any more I can buy mains powered tools, and what a revelation they are! Firstly there's the fact that a mains powered tool can cost less than a replacement battery. For instance a battery for my reciprocating saw would have been £120. A new mains powered saw was £110. Then there's the fact that battery tools run out of power just when you don't want them to. So have two or three batteries and run mains for the charger out to where your working ? Give over! I have a tool battery charger that runs off 12v - from the car. Then there's the fact that battery tools are always underpowered. You pay more than twice the price for less than half the power. Even the bigger battery tools tend to be rated at 300 to 450W, whereas the mains equivalents are usually 1kW+. And what a difference having adequate power makes! The job is so much easier. Mains powered tools just glide through the work. The battery equivalent would be slowing chugging along, then stopping due to a flat battery. Why people buy battery tools to use at home I really don't know. Ignorance of the customer plus the vendor's sales hype I guess. Thinking about it, I bet a lot of people who buy a battery drill have never used an electric drill before, so they won't realise how limited their new toy is. I started with amisn ones - there was no other choice, but the convenience of batterry tools is supreme. -- from KT24 in Surrey, England |
battery tools are crap
On Wed, 13 Sep 2017 14:31:19 +0100, Bill Wright wrote:
It sounds so attractive! No power cord! Use it where there's no mains! But battery tools are rubbish compared to 110V or mains ones. Now I don't do site work any more I can buy mains powered tools, and what a revelation they are! Firstly there's the fact that a mains powered tool can cost less than a replacement battery. For instance a battery for my reciprocating saw would have been £120. A new mains powered saw was £110. Then there's the fact that battery tools run out of power just when you don't want them to. So have two or three batteries and run mains for the charger out to where your working ? Give over! Then there's the fact that battery tools are always underpowered. You pay more than twice the price for less than half the power. Even the bigger battery tools tend to be rated at 300 to 450W, whereas the mains equivalents are usually 1kW+. And what a difference having adequate power makes! The job is so much easier. Mains powered tools just glide through the work. The battery equivalent would be slowing chugging along, then stopping due to a flat battery. Why people buy battery tools to use at home I really don't know. Ignorance of the customer plus the vendor's sales hype I guess. Thinking about it, I bet a lot of people who buy a battery drill have never used an electric drill before, so they won't realise how limited their new toy is. Bill Just reminded me that our electrician used battery tools. Apart from the ease of screwing in sockets etc. with a small driver, there is the little issue of what you do when the power is off :-) Cheers Dave R -- AMD FX-6300 in GA-990X-Gaming SLI-CF running Windows 7 Pro x64 --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus |
battery tools are crap
On 13 Sep 2017 14:08:30 GMT, David wrote:
snip Anything requiring serious grunt, such as sawing, SDS drilling and the like is much better using mains. snip Daughter bought a Lidl 18V Li-Ion drill, jigsaw and circular saw and I'd have to say they are all pretty good. The one that surprised me was the circular saw and I've borrowed it quite a few times now and for cutting some fairly serious wood (like decking). We were using the jigsaw yesterday and it's as 'capable as any mains powered saw I've used. Because she got the 3 devices at the same time and so also got 3 chargers and batteries, it's rare that you would run out of battery on the grounds you wouldn't typically (in many d-i-y roles) be using all 3 tools at the same time. I used the circular saw to slice up an old shed into manageable lumps (retaining most of the long lengths of good batten) and whilst it was only (mostly) going though matchwood, I think we did it all on just one battery. We were working in a back ally so mains wasn't an easy option. But then I've got a couple and seen a good few more new looking battery tools that weren't worth a light. Horses for courses etc. ;-) Cheers, T i m p.s. I have an old cheap / market 12V Nicad powered drill that was 'big'. It only had a smallish motor that span fast though a reasonable gearbox but it felt pretty unstoppable in use (and abuse). When the batteries died I stripped one and ran a 3m HD 12V cable out the back and with a pair of crocodile clips and so can run it from any 12V source / battery. So, whilst not *as* portable as it once was, it can still be used away from mains and for a pretty long time. ;-) |
battery tools are crap
On 13/09/2017 15:19, David wrote:
On Wed, 13 Sep 2017 14:31:19 +0100, Bill Wright wrote: It sounds so attractive! No power cord! Use it where there's no mains! But battery tools are rubbish compared to 110V or mains ones. Now I don't do site work any more I can buy mains powered tools, and what a revelation they are! Firstly there's the fact that a mains powered tool can cost less than a replacement battery. For instance a battery for my reciprocating saw would have been £120. A new mains powered saw was £110. Then there's the fact that battery tools run out of power just when you don't want them to. So have two or three batteries and run mains for the charger out to where your working ? Give over! Then there's the fact that battery tools are always underpowered. You pay more than twice the price for less than half the power. Even the bigger battery tools tend to be rated at 300 to 450W, whereas the mains equivalents are usually 1kW+. And what a difference having adequate power makes! The job is so much easier. Mains powered tools just glide through the work. The battery equivalent would be slowing chugging along, then stopping due to a flat battery. Why people buy battery tools to use at home I really don't know. Ignorance of the customer plus the vendor's sales hype I guess. Thinking about it, I bet a lot of people who buy a battery drill have never used an electric drill before, so they won't realise how limited their new toy is. Bill Just reminded me that our electrician used battery tools. Apart from the ease of screwing in sockets etc. with a small driver, there is the little issue of what you do when the power is off :-) Cheers Dave R +1 Bill. I purchased a Dyson battery vacuum, it was fine when new, but now does not run for l;long and it needs recharging. |
battery tools are crap
On 13/09/2017 15:48, Broadback wrote:
+1 Bill. I purchased a Dyson battery vacuum, it was fine when new, but now does not run for l;long and it needs recharging. I'm still using a mains drill I bought 40 years ago. In the meantime, I've had to throw away loads of battery powered ones (mostly NiCd it has to be said), where the tool still works but the battery is knackered. |
battery tools are crap
GB wrote:
On 13/09/2017 15:48, Broadback wrote: +1 Bill. I purchased a Dyson battery vacuum, it was fine when new, but now does not run for l;long and it needs recharging. I'm still using a mains drill I bought 40 years ago. In the meantime, I've had to throw away loads of battery powered ones (mostly NiCd it has to be said), where the tool still works but the battery is knackered. Still got the Black and Decker mains drill I got with petrol coupons 38 years ago. It works fine. The Bosh cordless one that cost £160 nine years is almost useless now and has not been used much. |
battery tools are crap
While there is plenty of truth in some aspects of this, as a general
statement is not really supportable IMHO. A more nuanced answer might be that many battery tools are crap, however some are excellent, but don't ignore mains one for certain classes of tool or for certain applications. On 13/09/2017 14:31, Bill Wright wrote: It sounds so attractive! No power cord! Use it where there's no mains! But battery tools are rubbish compared to 110V or mains ones. Now I don't do site work any more I can buy mains powered tools, and what a revelation they are! Firstly there's the fact that a mains powered tool can cost less than a replacement battery. For instance a battery for my reciprocating saw would have been £120. A new mains powered saw was £110. Yup, price you can't argue with - mains wins every time. Then there's the fact that battery tools run out of power just when you don't want them to. So have two or three batteries and run mains for the charger out to where your working ? Give over! I have never really found that a problem with decent batteries, and having enough of them. Then there's the fact that battery tools are always underpowered. You That does not need to be true. Many have more than adequate power, but you need be a bit selective as to what you are doing and where you are doing it. pay more than twice the price for less than half the power. Even the bigger battery tools tend to be rated at 300 to 450W, whereas the mains equivalents are usually 1kW+. Many tools don't require more than a few hundred W - even in mains form. And what a difference having adequate power makes! The job is so much easier. Mains powered tools just glide through the work. The battery equivalent would be slowing chugging along, then stopping due to a flat battery. Again it depends on the tool. I have used battery tools that perform as well or better than mains, as well as some that are vastly inferior. Why people buy battery tools to use at home I really don't know. In my case, convenience, and the ability to do things that you can't do with mains tools. Ignorance of the customer plus the vendor's sales hype I guess. Thinking about it, I bet a lot of people who buy a battery drill have never used an electric drill before, so they won't realise how limited their new toy is. An electric drill is perhaps a poor example - I doubt I have used my conventional mains drills more than a couple of times in the last decade. They offer no more useful power than my various cordless tools while being significant more cumbersome, have vastly inferior speed controls and in some cases lack reverse. I keep them however since there may be times where one wants to do that would be a task well suited to the mains tool. When the cordless drill won't hack it, its usually time to reach for the SDS (corded in my case). -- Cheers, John. /================================================== ===============\ | Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk | |-----------------------------------------------------------------| | John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk | \================================================= ================/ |
battery tools are crap
On 13/09/2017 14:31, Bill Wright wrote:
It sounds so attractive! No power cord! Use it where there's no mains! But battery tools are rubbish compared to 110V or mains ones. Now I don't do site work any more I can buy mains powered tools, and what a revelation they are! Firstly there's the fact that a mains powered tool can cost less than a replacement battery. For instance a battery for my reciprocating saw would have been £120. A new mains powered saw was £110. Then there's the fact that battery tools run out of power just when you don't want them to. So have two or three batteries and run mains for the charger out to where your working ? Give over! Then there's the fact that battery tools are always underpowered. You pay more than twice the price for less than half the power. Even the bigger battery tools tend to be rated at 300 to 450W, whereas the mains equivalents are usually 1kW+. And what a difference having adequate power makes! The job is so much easier. Mains powered tools just glide through the work. The battery equivalent would be slowing chugging along, then stopping due to a flat battery. Why people buy battery tools to use at home I really don't know. Ignorance of the customer plus the vendor's sales hype I guess. Thinking about it, I bet a lot of people who buy a battery drill have never used an electric drill before, so they won't realise how limited their new toy is. Bill You need to buy some decent kit like Makita. -- Dave The Medway Handyman |
battery tools are crap
On Wednesday, 13 September 2017 16:40:18 UTC+1, Mr Pounder Esquire wrote:
GB wrote: On 13/09/2017 15:48, Broadback wrote: +1 Bill. I purchased a Dyson battery vacuum, it was fine when new, but now does not run for l;long and it needs recharging. I'm still using a mains drill I bought 40 years ago. In the meantime, I've had to throw away loads of battery powered ones (mostly NiCd it has to be said), where the tool still works but the battery is knackered. Still got the Black and Decker mains drill I got with petrol coupons 38 years ago. It works fine. The Bosh cordless one that cost £160 nine years is almost useless now and has not been used much. Is it the drill or the batteries that are useless, they are two differnt things ? |
battery tools are crap
In article ,
[Snip] An electric drill is perhaps a poor example - I doubt I have used my conventional mains drills more than a couple of times in the last decade. Drilling holes in galvanised steel trunking is easier with a mains drill They offer no more useful power than my various cordless tools while being significant more cumbersome, have vastly inferior speed controls and in some cases lack reverse. I keep them however since there may be times where one wants to do that would be a task well suited to the mains tool. When the cordless drill won't hack it, its usually time to reach for the SDS (corded in my case). -- -- from KT24 in Surrey, England |
battery tools are crap
On 13/09/2017 16:52, whisky-dave wrote:
On Wednesday, 13 September 2017 16:40:18 UTC+1, Mr Pounder Esquire wrote: GB wrote: On 13/09/2017 15:48, Broadback wrote: +1 Bill. I purchased a Dyson battery vacuum, it was fine when new, but now does not run for l;long and it needs recharging. I'm still using a mains drill I bought 40 years ago. In the meantime, I've had to throw away loads of battery powered ones (mostly NiCd it has to be said), where the tool still works but the battery is knackered. Still got the Black and Decker mains drill I got with petrol coupons 38 years ago. It works fine. The Bosh cordless one that cost £160 nine years is almost useless now and has not been used much. Is it the drill or the batteries that are useless, they are two differnt things ? Indeed. The first really good cordless drill I bought in 2003 (18V Makita Combi with three NiMh 2.6Ah batts) worked flawlessly until about 2011, where the batts started to die. I bought it a set of three replacement batteries in 2012, and those have recently got to their end of life. Not quite as good a life span as the original set, although the usage pattern is different, and I also now use the same set on an impact driver - so they get more use than the first set. This time I pondered for while whether to replace them again, or whether to switch to Li-Ion. In the end I decided that a twin pack of combi drill and ID plus a pair of 5Ah Li-ion batts and charger could be had for not much more than the price of the old style batts alone, it made sense to switch to the new ones. I also decided to standardise on that format for 18V stuff going forward, and so sold the 14.4V DeWalt kit I had (angle drill and circular saw), and bought body only Makita replacements. -- Cheers, John. /================================================== ===============\ | Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk | |-----------------------------------------------------------------| | John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk | \================================================= ================/ --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus |
battery tools are crap
On 13/09/2017 14:52, Chris Green wrote:
Well, sursprising as it may seem I'm in agreement to some extent. However *some* cordless tools are good and useful. The ones I use almost daily are my 10.8 volt Li cordless drill and driver. Handy, light, much faster than a manual screwdriver and work all around our 9 acres, on the boat, etc. etc. Oh yeas, sorry, I forgot about screwdrivers. I agree totally. I was really focussed on big-ass tools. Bill |
battery tools are crap
On 13/09/2017 16:39, John Rumm wrote:
While there is plenty of truth in some aspects of this, as a general statement is not really supportable IMHO. A more nuanced answer might be that many battery tools are crap, however some are excellent, but don't ignore mains one for certain classes of tool or for certain applications. Just as an example, we have a holiday home and I wanted a few cheap tools there for occasional use. I went for an £11 mains drill. :) It will just work, without having to be charged up first. And you can't get anything battery powered for that price. It's amazingly good, considering the price. |
battery tools are crap
In article ,
Bill Wright wrote: Why people buy battery tools to use at home I really don't know. Ignorance of the customer plus the vendor's sales hype I guess. Thinking about it, I bet a lot of people who buy a battery drill have never used an electric drill before, so they won't realise how limited their new toy is. We are for once in total agreement. I'm fortunate enough to have most of my power tools in both mains and cordless. Cordless being very convenient for the odd small job. Or for something where a cord can get in the way - like say a Dremel sized drill. -- *Why do we say something is out of whack? What is a whack? Dave Plowman London SW To e-mail, change noise into sound. |
battery tools are crap
On 13/09/2017 15:08, David wrote:
Why people buy battery tools to use at home I really don't know. Ignorance of the customer plus the vendor's sales hype I guess. Thinking about it, I bet a lot of people who buy a battery drill have never used an electric drill before, so they won't realise how limited their new toy is. I think you are trying too hard in your last paragraph; You sometimes have to be controversial to get the readers' interest and make them respond. It was a bit tongue in cheek. I model myself on Rod Liddle! Bill |
battery tools are crap
On 13/09/2017 16:11, GB wrote:
On 13/09/2017 15:48, Broadback wrote: +1 Bill. I purchased a Dyson battery vacuum, it was fine when new, but now does not run for l;long and it needs recharging. I'm still using a mains drill I bought 40 years ago. In the meantime, I've had to throw away loads of battery powered ones (mostly NiCd it has to be said), where the tool still works but the battery is knackered. Anyone want a perfectly good Bosch battery recip saw? Works fine but no battery.... Bill |
battery tools are crap
On Wednesday, September 13, 2017 at 5:43:10 PM UTC+1, Bill Wright wrote:
On 13/09/2017 14:52, Chris Green wrote: Well, sursprising as it may seem I'm in agreement to some extent. However *some* cordless tools are good and useful. The ones I use almost daily are my 10.8 volt Li cordless drill and driver. Handy, light, much faster than a manual screwdriver and work all around our 9 acres, on the boat, etc. etc. Oh yeas, sorry, I forgot about screwdrivers. I agree totally. I was really focussed on big-ass tools. The big-ass Bosch sds drills are awesome! |
battery tools are crap
On 13/09/2017 16:39, John Rumm wrote:
I have never really found that a problem with decent batteries, and having enough of them. I used to have problems on flats complexes fixing aerials onto masonry (8 holes per aerial) when I was working my way along a row of small blocks. Used to recharge from the van. Sort of OK. Then there's the fact that battery tools are always underpowered. You That does not need to be true. Many have more than adequate power, but you need be a bit selective as to what you are doing and where you are doing it. Yes but you can't be selective about the work you have to do. And even fairly light jobs (say drilling 10mm holes in wood) is quicker with a mains drill. I agree that battery is OK for really light jobs (polishing a little dog's nails in a poodle parlour, that sort of thing). pay more than twice the price for less than half the power. Even the bigger battery tools tend to be rated at 300 to 450W, whereas the mains equivalents are usually 1kW+. Many tools don't require more than a few hundred W - even in mains form. Well, it's always good to have power in reserve, and anyway I'm really talking more about bigger tools.I mean, frinstance I have a little dremel and it slows down if you work it hard. It would be better if it didn't. Bill |
battery tools are crap
On 13/09/2017 17:14, charles wrote:
In article , [Snip] An electric drill is perhaps a poor example - I doubt I have used my conventional mains drills more than a couple of times in the last decade. Drilling holes in galvanised steel trunking is easier with a mains drill I was quite happy with my pair of Bosch battery SDS drills until I bought the same tool but mains powered. Jeez what a difference! Thrice the watts of course. Bill |
battery tools are crap
On 13/09/2017 16:49, TMH wrote:
You need to buy some decent kit like Makita. I've just bought a mains Makita recip saw and I think it's great. Really good design, especially blade changing. Bill |
battery tools are crap
On 13/09/17 14:31, Bill Wright wrote:
Why people buy battery tools to use at home I really don't know. Ignorance of the customer plus the vendor's sales hype I guess. Thinking about it, I bet a lot of people who buy a battery drill have never used an electric drill before, so they won't realise how limited their new toy is. Bill I can counter everything you've just said :) 10.8V Blue Bosch driver, drill and impact driver are small, light and surprisingly powerful for their size and I've used mine for years. 36V Bosch garden tools are equal in calibre to mains tools of a similar size - hedge cutter, lawn mower and strimmer. Now these do really require you have 2 batteries of the same size (there are 2-3 different sizes IIRC, big for mower and small or medium for hand held tools. With 2 batteries, the charging process *nearly* keeps up and I can do my whole garden on 2 charges, sometimes 3 if the grass is long. As you can put a small battery in a big tool and vice versa, I do sometimes finish the hedge with a mower battery. The convenience, lightness compared to petrol and lack of a damn cable makes it totally worth while. Now a contractor doing a large tough hedge would be better off with a heavy petrol strimmer. But for my hawthorn and most fluffy hedges the 36V works extremely well. |
battery tools are crap
On 13/09/17 16:49, TMH wrote:
You need to buy some decent kit like Makita. I have never seen the owner of battery Makita kit moan :) |
battery tools are crap
whisky-dave wrote:
On Wednesday, 13 September 2017 16:40:18 UTC+1, Mr Pounder Esquire wrote: GB wrote: On 13/09/2017 15:48, Broadback wrote: +1 Bill. I purchased a Dyson battery vacuum, it was fine when new, but now does not run for l;long and it needs recharging. I'm still using a mains drill I bought 40 years ago. In the meantime, I've had to throw away loads of battery powered ones (mostly NiCd it has to be said), where the tool still works but the battery is knackered. Still got the Black and Decker mains drill I got with petrol coupons 38 years ago. It works fine. The Bosh cordless one that cost £160 nine years is almost useless now and has not been used much. Is it the drill or the batteries that are useless, they are two differnt things ? Batteries, both of them. |
battery tools are crap
On 13/09/2017 16:39, Mr Pounder Esquire wrote:
GB wrote: On 13/09/2017 15:48, Broadback wrote: +1 Bill. I purchased a Dyson battery vacuum, it was fine when new, but now does not run for l;long and it needs recharging. I'm still using a mains drill I bought 40 years ago. In the meantime, I've had to throw away loads of battery powered ones (mostly NiCd it has to be said), where the tool still works but the battery is knackered. Still got the Black and Decker mains drill I got with petrol coupons 38 years ago. It works fine. The Bosh cordless one that cost £160 nine years is almost useless now and has not been used much. I regularly use my battery powered drill whereas my mains powered drill gets little use. Today I drilled two holes in soft brick with the battery drill in less time than it will have taken me to get the mains extension cord out. -- mailto: news {at} admac {dot] myzen {dot} co {dot} uk |
battery tools are crap
On 13/09/2017 16:49, TMH wrote:
On 13/09/2017 14:31, Bill Wright wrote: It sounds so attractive! No power cord! Use it where there's no mains! But battery tools are rubbish compared to 110V or mains ones. Now I don't do site work any more I can buy mains powered tools, and what a revelation they are! Firstly there's the fact that a mains powered tool can cost less than a replacement battery. For instance a battery for my reciprocating saw would have been £120. A new mains powered saw was £110. Then there's the fact that battery tools run out of power just when you don't want them to. So have two or three batteries and run mains for the charger out to where your working ? Give over! Then there's the fact that battery tools are always underpowered. You pay more than twice the price for less than half the power. Even the bigger battery tools tend to be rated at 300 to 450W, whereas the mains equivalents are usually 1kW+. And what a difference having adequate power makes! The job is so much easier. Mains powered tools just glide through the work. The battery equivalent would be slowing chugging along, then stopping due to a flat battery. Why people buy battery tools to use at home I really don't know. Ignorance of the customer plus the vendor's sales hype I guess. Thinking about it, I bet a lot of people who buy a battery drill have never used an electric drill before, so they won't realise how limited their new toy is. Bill You need to buy some decent kit like Makita. Just have:-( Over £1000 quids worth. -- Adam |
battery tools are crap
On 13/09/2017 14:31, Bill Wright wrote:
It sounds so attractive! No power cord! Use it where there's no mains! But battery tools are rubbish compared to 110V or mains ones. Now I don't do site work any more I can buy mains powered tools, and what a revelation they are! Firstly there's the fact that a mains powered tool can cost less than a replacement battery. For instance a battery for my reciprocating saw would have been £120. A new mains powered saw was £110. Then there's the fact that battery tools run out of power just when you don't want them to. So have two or three batteries and run mains for the charger out to where your working ? Give over! Then there's the fact that battery tools are always underpowered. You pay more than twice the price for less than half the power. Even the bigger battery tools tend to be rated at 300 to 450W, whereas the mains equivalents are usually 1kW+. And what a difference having adequate power makes! The job is so much easier. Mains powered tools just glide through the work. The battery equivalent would be slowing chugging along, then stopping due to a flat battery. Why people buy battery tools to use at home I really don't know. Ignorance of the customer plus the vendor's sales hype I guess. Thinking about it, I bet a lot of people who buy a battery drill have never used an electric drill before, so they won't realise how limited their new toy is. Point noted about the fact you meant the bigger tools so there is no need to mention a 110V impact driver:-). I now have a very nice and very new 36V Makita SDS and a very nice and very new 2kg 110V DeWalt SDS. If I am going to be on site for a while then the 110V drill is my first choice. I also chose the 110V angle grinder and the 110V circular saw but I chose the 18V jigsaw (I can use one of the firms 110V ones if needed for bigger jobs). My main use for the jigsaw is cutting the case on a CU swap and power is usually off when I do that. -- Adam |
battery tools are crap
On 13/09/2017 14:31, Bill Wright wrote:
It sounds so attractive! No power cord! Use it where there's no mains! But battery tools are rubbish compared to 110V or mains ones. Now I don't do site work any more I can buy mains powered tools, and what a revelation they are! Firstly there's the fact that a mains powered tool can cost less than a replacement battery. For instance a battery for my reciprocating saw would have been £120. A new mains powered saw was £110. Then there's the fact that battery tools run out of power just when you don't want them to. So have two or three batteries and run mains for the charger out to where your working ? Give over! Then there's the fact that battery tools are always underpowered. You pay more than twice the price for less than half the power. Even the bigger battery tools tend to be rated at 300 to 450W, whereas the mains equivalents are usually 1kW+. And what a difference having adequate power makes! The job is so much easier. Mains powered tools just glide through the work. The battery equivalent would be slowing chugging along, then stopping due to a flat battery. Why people buy battery tools to use at home I really don't know. Ignorance of the customer plus the vendor's sales hype I guess. Thinking about it, I bet a lot of people who buy a battery drill have never used an electric drill before, so they won't realise how limited their new toy is. Bill Cordless is so much easier for a small job, saving getting the extension lead out and running it to where you need it - prehaps supporting it half-way up a ladder and then you get up the ladder and find that the socket feeding the reel is turned off! Mains, as you say, has the grunt to get the job done though. I mainly have mains, but with a few cordless (particularly a drill) for convenience - and you can't beat a cordless strimmer for a quick tidy-up on a visit to a family grave. SteveW |
battery tools are crap
On 13/09/2017 17:22, Brian Gaff wrote:
Well I only have a mains drill of quite a vintage. I guess battery screwdrivers can save a lot of blisters, but for those awkward screws, never seem to fit in the gap you need them to. I personally think battery tools have their place. How about a battery angle grinder for that wheel clamp, or a battery powered chainsaw to annoy the neighbours with? I happened to drive past a guy removing a wheel-clamp with a petrol powered grinder last night :) SteveW |
battery tools are crap
alan_m wrote:
On 13/09/2017 16:39, Mr Pounder Esquire wrote: GB wrote: On 13/09/2017 15:48, Broadback wrote: +1 Bill. I purchased a Dyson battery vacuum, it was fine when new, but now does not run for l;long and it needs recharging. I'm still using a mains drill I bought 40 years ago. In the meantime, I've had to throw away loads of battery powered ones (mostly NiCd it has to be said), where the tool still works but the battery is knackered. Still got the Black and Decker mains drill I got with petrol coupons 38 years ago. It works fine. The Bosh cordless one that cost £160 nine years is almost useless now and has not been used much. I regularly use my battery powered drill whereas my mains powered drill gets little use. Today I drilled two holes in soft brick with the battery drill in less time than it will have taken me to get the mains extension cord out. Indeed. I used my cordless drill as a contractor and mainly for using it as a screw driver, it was never too very wonderful even as a screwdriver. The one before that cost about £70 in 1999. Looking back (and I can) I must have used it on 3000 screws and it never let me down. I gave it away to a pillock who could not work out to use it ......ffs. I rather think that I was unlucky with the Bosh. Got to admit that in 1999 I used this huge very heavy Bosh cordless drill. Cost £400 apparently. I was informed that if I lost it I would be beaten up. It was Magnificent! It had these lights that came on when it was being used. I felt like Arnold Schwarzenegger when I used it. Me and him look very similar. |
battery tools are crap
On 13/09/2017 15:08, David wrote:
On Wed, 13 Sep 2017 14:31:19 +0100, Bill Wright wrote: It sounds so attractive! No power cord! Use it where there's no mains! But battery tools are rubbish compared to 110V or mains ones. Now I don't do site work any more I can buy mains powered tools, and what a revelation they are! Firstly there's the fact that a mains powered tool can cost less than a replacement battery. For instance a battery for my reciprocating saw would have been £120. A new mains powered saw was £110. Then there's the fact that battery tools run out of power just when you don't want them to. So have two or three batteries and run mains for the charger out to where your working ? Give over! Then there's the fact that battery tools are always underpowered. You pay more than twice the price for less than half the power. Even the bigger battery tools tend to be rated at 300 to 450W, whereas the mains equivalents are usually 1kW+. And what a difference having adequate power makes! The job is so much easier. Mains powered tools just glide through the work. The battery equivalent would be slowing chugging along, then stopping due to a flat battery. Why people buy battery tools to use at home I really don't know. Ignorance of the customer plus the vendor's sales hype I guess. Thinking about it, I bet a lot of people who buy a battery drill have never used an electric drill before, so they won't realise how limited their new toy is. Bill Horses for courses. I use a battery drill for winding the legs on my caravan, for example. I also found a battery drill far easier than a mains drill for fixing the very large tin roof on the very large shed. No trailing cables to drag around. A battery impact driver is also a tool of choice because you aren't tied down to a cable. Anything requiring serious grunt, such as sawing, SDS drilling and the like is much better using mains. Angle grinders! Anyway, the local builders use a mix of mains and battery tools depending on use case. I think you are trying too hard in your last paragraph; a lot of DIYers here use battery tools and quite a few have power tools as well, and have used mains power tools for yeah these many years. Cheers Dave R +1. When cordless drills first came out they were only any good for wood, plastic, or thin alloy. Oh how times have changed. Obviously they are not going to compete with mains 750 watt tools for continuous work. But the safety and convenience of professional cordless kit for a lot of site work more than compensates for the greater cost. |
battery tools are crap
On 13/09/2017 19:25, Mr Pounder Esquire wrote:
I felt like Arnold Schwarzenegger when I used it. Me and him look very similar. What, old, grizzled, and past it? ;-) -- Cheers, John. /================================================== ===============\ | Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk | |-----------------------------------------------------------------| | John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk | \================================================= ================/ --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus |
battery tools are crap
On 13/09/2017 18:00, Bill Wright wrote:
On 13/09/2017 17:14, charles wrote: In article , [Snip] An electric drill is perhaps a poor example - I doubt I have used my conventional mains drills more than a couple of times in the last decade. Drilling holes in galvanised steel trunking is easier with a mains drill I was quite happy with my pair of Bosch battery SDS drills until I bought the same tool but mains powered. Jeez what a difference! Thrice the watts of course. SDS certainly used to be case where the mains one was twice the power, and it made a noticeable difference. These days you can get the 36V cordless ones (which use two 18V batts) and they will do 1200 RPM and hit with 2.5 Joules, which is pretty much on par for a basic 2kg mains SDS. e.g. https://www.lawson-his.co.uk/makita-...huck-body-only -- Cheers, John. /================================================== ===============\ | Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk | |-----------------------------------------------------------------| | John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk | \================================================= ================/ --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus |
battery tools are crap
Bill Wright wrote:
I've just bought a mains Makita recip saw and I think it's great. Really good design, especially blade changing. I bought an 18V makita recip saw (to use with the batteries I already have) and also think it's great. If I'd only used it for the intended job of removing window frames I'd have been happy, but it's chopped a couple of small trees and some oak sleepers too. |
battery tools are crap
On 13/09/2017 17:58, Bill Wright wrote:
On 13/09/2017 16:39, John Rumm wrote: I have never really found that a problem with decent batteries, and having enough of them. I used to have problems on flats complexes fixing aerials onto masonry (8 holes per aerial) when I was working my way along a row of small blocks. Used to recharge from the van. Sort of OK. The fact that you did not go to the faff of taking a mains drill and extension lead up there, suggests that the overall experience with the cordless was still preferable though? Then there's the fact that battery tools are always underpowered. You That does not need to be true. Many have more than adequate power, but you need be a bit selective as to what you are doing and where you are doing it. Yes but you can't be selective about the work you have to do. And even fairly light jobs (say drilling 10mm holes in wood) is quicker with a mains drill. Rotation speed on a conventional mains drill might be higher (although not if its a SDS), but the torque available on the cordless is often higher... Look at something like: https://www.lawson-his.co.uk/bosch-g...d-impact-drill 18Nm of torque and 2800 rpm, which is fairly decent. Compare with say: https://www.lawson-his.co.uk/makita-...places-bhp458z 44Nm at 2000 rpm in high gear, and a wrist twisting 88Nm in low speed (which explains the ridiculously long side handle!) I agree that battery is OK for really light jobs (polishing a little dog's nails in a poodle parlour, that sort of thing). Depends on what you call "light jobs" really. I use my 18V cordless as the go to tool for most drilling operations. Perhaps my mains drills are poor compared to some, but I find my twin speed bosch (green) mains hammer drill was no better than the 18V makita on masonry. Both are outclassed by the SDS for hard stuff though. Perhaps if I were doing something repetitive like multiple 32mm spade bit holes the mains drill would be worth getting out. I would call jobs like sticking a 110mm dry diamond core through 11" of masonry, or chasing out 30m of wall for conduit or pipes "heavy work", and there I agree that the cordless stuff would not be my first choice. I have some 10.8V kit[1] for light work, and that's great for working in cabinets etc, general screw driving etc. However even that would do a few dozen 7mm holes in brick for rawlplugs without any great difficulty. (its also so small and light that I can take a bag with drill and ID, spare batts, charger, and a selection of fixings out to a job site for the same weight and size as a traditional mains drill) [1] http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php/...AndSpacing.jpg Very light and manoeuvrable. pay more than twice the price for less than half the power. Even the bigger battery tools tend to be rated at 300 to 450W, whereas the mains equivalents are usually 1kW+. Many tools don't require more than a few hundred W - even in mains form. Well, it's always good to have power in reserve, and anyway I'm really talking more about bigger tools.I mean, frinstance I have a little dremel and it slows down if you work it hard. It would be better if it didn't. Yup sure for stuff that is traditionally 500W plus in mains form, its going to be better. This is something that the cordless tool makers are looking to change though... Makita with their 36V gear, dewalt with their flexvolt stuff etc. The other class of mains tool that is hard to beat is for things that you can speed very long run times on (like sanders, routers etc) -- Cheers, John. /================================================== ===============\ | Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk | |-----------------------------------------------------------------| | John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk | \================================================= ================/ --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus |
battery tools are crap
John Rumm wrote:
On 13/09/2017 19:25, Mr Pounder Esquire wrote: I felt like Arnold Schwarzenegger when I used it. Me and him look very similar. What, old, grizzled, and past it? ;-) This was in 1999. These days I am still a man of steel. /================================================== ===============\ Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk | -----------------------------------------------------------------| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk | \================================================= ================/ --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus |
battery tools are crap
In article , TMH
writes On 13/09/2017 14:31, Bill Wright wrote: It sounds so attractive! No power cord! Use it where there's no mains! But battery tools are rubbish compared to 110V or mains ones. Now I don't do site work any more I can buy mains powered tools, and what a revelation they are! Firstly there's the fact that a mains powered tool can cost less than a replacement battery. For instance a battery for my reciprocating saw would have been £120. A new mains powered saw was £110. Then there's the fact that battery tools run out of power just when you don't want them to. So have two or three batteries and run mains for the charger out to where your working ? Give over! Then there's the fact that battery tools are always underpowered. You pay more than twice the price for less than half the power. Even the bigger battery tools tend to be rated at 300 to 450W, whereas the mains equivalents are usually 1kW+. And what a difference having adequate power makes! The job is so much easier. Mains powered tools just glide through the work. The battery equivalent would be slowing chugging along, then stopping due to a flat battery. Why people buy battery tools to use at home I really don't know. Ignorance of the customer plus the vendor's sales hype I guess. Thinking about it, I bet a lot of people who buy a battery drill have never used an electric drill before, so they won't realise how limited their new toy is. Bill You need to buy some decent kit like Makita. +1 -- bert |
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