Had It Up To Here With Battery-Powered Drills


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Old 12-18-06, 09:25 AM
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Had It Up To Here With Battery-Powered Drills

Batteries for my Makita 14.4 1/2-inch drill are up to $70.

So 2 years ago I bought a Craftsman 19.2V drill kit, with 2 batteries, a bunch of drills and bits, a stud finder, charger, all in a nice bag for $69.

I'm on my 4th battery, now up to $35 each.

Darn things always run out shortly after starting a job. So.....

I would like to buy a 110VAC 1/2-inch drill that has the power of the Sears 19.2 volt drill, and a decent tooless chuck. Any suggestions? This is for homeowner use, not for daily commercial use.
 
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Old 12-18-06, 01:12 PM
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Most electric drills...

Most electric drills will give you the same power or more than the Craftman 19.2v. I currently have a Dewalt that I picked up for less than $50 has the keyless chuck and works good.

Curious what you're doing with your cordless drills though? Unless you are doing more than average home owner type work with you are having bad luck with batteries. I have the 19.2 v Craftsman set for a couple years now and have used it to build a deck, a 450' wooden fence with over 5000 2" screws and several other home projects and my batteries are still doing pretty good - I can charge one and use the 2nd and have the 1st recharged before I need it still.
 
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Old 12-18-06, 01:25 PM
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thats one of the things I like about ryobi , the 18 volt battries are 39.00 for a two pack

rumor is the craftsman 19.2 is the same as the ryobi 18 (just hype for the extra 1.2 volts ), you might want to check it out . go to the Ryobi site and click on forums there has been some discussion there about the craftsman 19.2 / ryobi link . ( I cnat link here or I would )

like GSR said any corded drill will have the power of the cordless .

I have a Milwaukee hole shooter I picked up used for 25.00 that I supplement my cordless with
 
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Old 12-18-06, 01:29 PM
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I have the same comment as GSR. I have a Dewalt 14.2v drill that I've had for 3-4 years. I'm still on the same batteries. I use it quite a bit. Before that I had a Dewalt 12v for probably 10 years. I never had to replace a battery. I have a corded drill that I use in my shop, but I would never give up my battery operated drill.

Do you keep your batteries charged? Is your charger working OK?
 
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Old 12-18-06, 03:38 PM
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If your bats are always running on dead, try one of the newer lithium-ion bat drills. They are pricey, but the bats are supposed to deliver power much longer, and have better life. These bats are only appearing on contractor grade tools at this point. But my 14V Dewalt runs rings around my buddies 19V Craftsman.
 
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Old 12-18-06, 03:55 PM
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The batteries do eventually die, we use them at work extensivly and they take a beating. they usually last for about 2 years of everyday use
 
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Old 12-18-06, 04:05 PM
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Saw an ad, in Family Handyman I think, for a cordless that was basically gauranteed forever including replacement batteries. It was a name brand. Have to dig around and find it; the batteries in my 2-3 year old Craftsman are about shot, too.
 
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Old 12-18-06, 04:27 PM
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Found it; Ridgid ad in the Nov 2006 Family Handyman.

Their website says this: "The Lifetime Service Agreement is available free of charge, for a limited time commencing April 15, 2005, on all RIDGID® Brand hand held power tools, stationary power tools and pneumatic tools, subject to the terms and conditions stated below".

According to the ad in TFH, it includes LIFETIME free battery replacement (I'm sure they'll charge something for S&H).

Don't own any Ridgid tools personally. Opinions???
 
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Old 12-18-06, 04:42 PM
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rigid is home depot only

Pricey ...

with cordless technology evolving I dont want to own the same drill forever .

higher voltages , lower weight , new battery technologies , more features etc
If I can get 5-6 years I'm ready for a new one

Ive some negatives on the rigid warranty service at other boards
 
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Old 12-18-06, 07:45 PM
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Originally Posted by mango man
with cordless technology evolving I dont want to own the same drill forever .
Good point, Mango! Not much good having parts and service on it forever if the technology is obsolete in a few years.
 
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Old 12-18-06, 08:19 PM
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Originally Posted by Wayne Mitchell
Do you keep your batteries charged? Is your charger working OK?

No, and that's the problem. As a DIYer, I do not use the drill (and thus do not exercise the batteries) daily. Often not even weekly. During the winter?? Hardly ever.

It's like car mileage. Drive a car around town and get 15 mpg, but drive it on the highway and get 25 using the same gas...

I'll take a look at the commercial grade AC drills.

Of course, if one o' them companies would come up with an AC adapter that has a 110 VAC plug on one end and a tool adapter (replaces an installed battery) on the other, well, that would be ideal!! I have it on my video and camera equipment, wouldn't take much to make one and stick it in one of those multi-tool kits that are so popular today...
 
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Old 12-18-06, 08:50 PM
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I seen a set of tools that had a AV adapter for it, it was some kind of china brand though.
 
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Old 12-18-06, 08:53 PM
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Ni-cad batteries will discharge with time and if they discharge sufficiently, one or more of the 1.2 volt cells inside the battery can reverse polarity and will then never take a charge again. You might get more life out of your batteries by putting them on the charger every week or so instead of letting them sit for long periods.
 
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Old 12-19-06, 06:04 AM
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also heat and cold can kill them , you say you don't use them in winter if there left in a unheated space it will certainly lead to premature failure.

tow guy mentions rigid (way over priced in my opion ) the lifetime warranty covers corded tools also .

my recommendation based on what your saying your usage is would be to check out harbor freight great prices and there tools seem just to be fine for the occasional user

it really doesnt sound like you need to put the $$$ into commercial quality
 
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Old 12-23-06, 09:39 AM
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Originally Posted by Pipsisiwah
So 2 years ago I bought a Craftsman 19.2V drill kit, with 2 batteries, a bunch of drills and bits, a stud finder, charger, all in a nice bag for $69.


First suggestion is would be to stop buying cheap tools. $69 for all that and in a nice bag should tell you not to expect much.

Expensive tools are expensive for a reason, although they probably dont need to be as expensive as they are.
 
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Old 12-23-06, 06:53 PM
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Battery re-build?

Some time ago there was a thread on one of these DIY.com forums about rebuilding batteries- that would solve a lot of the problems mentioned. I personally can't wait to try it.
 
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Old 12-28-06, 03:46 AM
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Here is my 2 cents worth. I have gone thru expensive ones and cheap ones and have found what my problem was. The expensive ones have batteries last too long and with most of my projects were put back in the box in a still charged state but not fully charged and as a result were not discharged /charged cycled enough . With the cheaper sears models the batteries ran down but took forever to recharge back up because of the slow charger that came with those kits. I finally found a drill that had plenty of power but the batteries ran down enough to be cycled property and the batteries are cheap to replace without
having to sell my car to pay for them. The Ryobi 18 volt sold at Home Depot. I am on my second year and its does a great job and batteries are only 39 bucks for 2 pack.
Its not a commercial drill and is not a replacement for them . Its for the home guy that does not use his drill every day but does need one to work when he opens the box. It sure cured my problems.
 
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Old 12-28-06, 06:35 AM
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You know, I'm going there today or tomorrow and I'll take a look. I appreciate the suggestion!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
 
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Old 12-28-06, 06:54 AM
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The Ryobi 18 volt sold at Home Depot. I am on my second year and its does a great job and batteries are only 39 bucks for 2 pack.
Its not a commercial drill and is not a replacement for them . Its for the home guy that does not use his drill every day but does need one to work when he opens the box. It sure cured my problems.
walk into a jobsite around here and at lest half the drills and other cordless tools in use will be Ryobi

Ive used them "commercially" for 9 years or so now , not the most heavy duty but does what I need as well as the prior , Milwaukee's , dewalt and makitas for a whole lot less money
 
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Old 01-26-07, 10:44 AM
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battery powered drills

Hi,I found out nicad batterys get a memory in them. try to run the tool with no load on it till battery runs dead. then recharge the battery.it seems to help.
 
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Old 01-27-07, 04:24 AM
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I'll second (or is it third?) the Ryobi, I own just about every cordless Ryobi tool there is and they all perform wonderfully. The batteries are cheap and charge quickly. Catch a local HD cleaning up their displays and you can get 4 or 5 batteries for less than $10 each.

The batteries themselves, like most, are 1.2v cells. You can rebuild them using replacement cells from places like DigiKey.

If money were no factor, I'd buy a Dewalt 36v LiIon, but who wants to spend $800 on a cordless drill?
 
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Old 01-27-07, 05:49 AM
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I've heard that putting a bad battery in a Ryobi charger will burn out the charger where it won't work anymore. well, I say "heard" but actually this happened to me with an older (5+ years old) 12v cordless drill, and now I'm looking for a new one. Is this problem fixed with the newer 18v set?
 

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Old 02-09-07, 02:54 AM
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I've got the full Ryobi 18v kit, and the drill is very good. Most of the other stuff is complete crap... Oh, the light works good.

Panasonic makes the best cordless drills, and their batteries are very good.

You can get your cordless batteries rebuilt at the local battery store - mine charges about $25 for an 18volt nicad and $50 for a Nimh
 
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Old 02-09-07, 05:31 AM
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Thanks for the Digikey tip

I checked out the Digikey website- looks very comprehensive, and they have Panasonic rechargeable batteries, which were recommended to use (in another DIY post) if you rebuild your own batteries for cordless equp.

I just checked my Ryobi cordless drill (both batts slowing down) and saw the battery cases are held closed with screws, so the rebuild process should be that much easier.

Interesting comment about Panasonic drills- the local Costco sells them, and frankly I was put off by the green and silver and whatever cosmetic finish- but it makes sense if they have the battery know how. I thought it was just another rider on the "make it cordless and add a laser" bandwagon.
 
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Old 02-09-07, 06:00 AM
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Your thinking of Hitachi drills- the green and silver ones - not in the same league as panasonic. Panasonic drills are black with yellow trim.

Look for them at the big name online bookstore turned everything retailer.
 
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Old 02-09-07, 06:36 AM
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I've got the full Ryobi 18v kit, and the drill is very good. Most of the other stuff is complete crap... Oh, the light works good.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

gotta disagree with you there , I have two 18 volt drills , half inch and hammer , reciprocating saw , and circular saw both do very well , jigsaw works fine . Fan is great like you saw , light is greeat (I have two )

chainsaw is a joke , vacuum is ok

all my ryobi stuff together cost less than a panasonic drill and know what ?

holes I drill work just as well

if it gives you a "kick " to buy name tools go for it
but don't go calling ryobi "crap"

walk on any job site around here and you would be hard pressed to find a Panasonic drill in use

well over half will be using ryobi "crap"
 
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Old 02-09-07, 07:57 AM
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Yup, you're right

You're right, Indy DIY, i got them mixed up.

What is it about the internals of a quality drill that separates it from a cheap one?
 
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Old 02-09-07, 09:50 PM
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Originally Posted by CycleZen
You're right, Indy DIY, i got them mixed up.

What is it about the internals of a quality drill that separates it from a cheap one?
bushings vs. bearings
loose vs. tight mechanical tolerances
fast wear-out vs. slow wear-out of sliding surfaces
plastic vs. metal gears
thin vs. thick housing
electrical cord
small parts design (weak, thin, cheap material)
quality control and inspections (i.e. a lower passing standard means more out the door and less rework)
 
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Old 02-10-07, 02:00 PM
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Mango,
We'll just have to disagree about the Ryobi tools.

My wife bought me the kit, and for very light duty work, they do OK, but if you want to do anything heavy, they just don't cut it - except for the drill, which is quite good.

Jigsaw is really flimsy
Vacuum can't suck anything up
Chainsaw - as you said is a joke
Recip saw doesn't have much power - It works good for about 2 minutes on a charge
Circular saw can't cut more than 1-2 2x4's before it is dead

But other than that they are OK.

Actually, you probably don't need the Panasonic drills any more - about 10 years ago they were head and shoulders above anything else, but that Ryobi drill works nearly as good as my 8 year old Panasonic drill. I don't know why Panasonics never caught on here in America - just go try one.
 
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Old 02-11-07, 06:28 AM
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It sounds to me like the problem here isn't the tool, but the user.

Ryobi's work just fine *for the work they are intended to do*.

The circular saw is a good example, it's not made, designed or meant to be cutting 2x4's. However, it will cut a good many 1x2's, paneling and other thin goods without any difficulty, which is what it's designed for.

I've had my Ryobi kit virtually since HD started selling them.
 
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Old 02-19-07, 10:47 AM
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Maybe this thread is dead but when I saw the title, I had to chime in. One of the batteries died on my Black & Decker Fire Storm 14.4 so I thought I'd look around for a replacement. Turns out there's only one dealer in our town that carries B & D parts. He warned that he might not have them in stock since they were so expensive. He had 2 -- $84 each!

Now I've had the drill for 5 years so I guess I got my money's worth but still, the drill is in too good shape to throw away.

I jumped through all the hoops at the B & D web site trying to send them an email comment only to find that the email doodad on their site won't accept anything without a Product Number ?!? (what a 'Product Number' is I have no idea since the drop-down selection box doesn't contain any to choose from)

Oh well, off to HD for a Ryobi I guess.
 
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Old 02-19-07, 12:45 PM
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Like I said earlier, the local battery store can rebuild that B&D battery for probably about $30. Try it.
 
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Old 02-19-07, 04:39 PM
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We don't have a 'local battery store' up here (200 mi. north of Duluth MN). There was a local guy that tried to make a go of a battery repair deal but he went under. Too bad really.

I had a go at repairing a battery pack with some success but it only ran for a couple of months before another cell in the pack went dead. Connecting new cells is difficult. I learned from an electronics guy that the cells & connecting straps are stainless steel -- almost impossible to solder.
 
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Old 02-20-07, 08:33 AM
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Editor,

Well, like I wrote when I started this thread, "I've had it up to here with batteries..."

I have a $675 piece of ham gear (handheld 2-band transceiver) that's worth about $6.75 now because it is EXTREMELY difficult to get batteries for it. Other than that, it works perfectly.

I have a Sony 8mm camcorder that works perfectly, except the batteries for it are over $80 now (10% of original camera cost).

I have a Sony CD-type digital camera for which the batteries are around $60 last time I checked (10% of initial camera cost).

Replacement batteries for electric shavers cost around $15 and have to be sought out and usually are special order. Replacement heads for shavers are between $30 and $40 a set. New shavers cost between $20 and $40 (unless one spends money for a bunch of crap that doesn't result in better shaves).

My Makita 14.4V 1/2-inch drill cost $200 new - batteries for it are now up to $85, when you can get them. That's almost half the cost of the new drill with a battery...

An old Penny's $50 drill I bought in 1975 still works. First time, every time. I wish it would up and die so I can buy a new corded drill!!!
 
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Old 02-20-07, 02:48 PM
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You know, there's an old story about an American border guard named Al. Every day, a Canadian guy named Bob would ride up to Al's station on his bike.

"Anything to declare Bob?"
"Nope, nothing today"

Al would search Bob and his bike and wave him through. During the day, Al would talk to Ted, the Canadian border guard.

"Find anything today Al?"
"Nope. Nothing, as usual. I know he's smuggling something though."
"Well, maybe I'll get him on the way back."

Ted never found anything either and waved him through. A number of years later, Al and Ted were having a beer together when Bob walked into the bar.

"We haven't seen you for while," said Al, "where've you been?"
"Oh, I've been retired for the last couple of years."
"Well," said Ted, "if that's the case, would you mind telling us what you were smuggling all that time?"

Bob grinned and said "Bicycles."


And all these years WE think we've been buying drills, camcorders, razors, ...
 
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Old 02-28-07, 06:11 PM
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Talking

Originally Posted by Pipsisiwah
Editor,

Well, like I wrote when I started this thread, "I've had it up to here with batteries..."

I have a $675 piece of ham gear (handheld 2-band transceiver) that's worth about $6.75 now because it is EXTREMELY difficult to get batteries for it. Other than that, it works perfectly.
I will gladly give you the $6.75, in your choice of currency, for the handheld. ))
 
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Old 05-28-07, 11:15 AM
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Well, you WOULD have to call my bluff. Hope you never sit at MY poker table!!

The HH is a Standard 144/220MHz in mint condition. Haven't used it since moving to western CO where 220 is unheard of. In the big cities where 220 was (is??) popular it was the thing to have. ALL the bells and whistles. Xband repeat, tones, alerts and alarms, private alarms, etc. I can't remember how much stuff it has.

What's something like that worth nowadays??
 
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Old 05-28-07, 02:31 PM
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I have quite a few DeWalt 14.4v cordless tools, so I always have a couple of battery chargers running.

When I was building a deck and laying the deck boards, my 14.4 was always running out. I purchased a 3/8 corded DeWalt corded drill. It has plent of torque, enough so that I hold the end of the handle if I'm doing a tough job as it will try to whip on me.

I use the cordless drill all the time.


www.tylertool.com of Denver is a good place to buy tools. I get all of my DeWalt reconditioned tools from them at a good price and with the same warrenty as a new tool.
 
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Old 05-28-07, 05:24 PM
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Unfortunatly 220 MHz ain't so hot around here either in Alberta, Canada. Pretty much non-existant, so its not of much value to me either. Sorry.

Now 144/440 and we'd have deal in a heart beat.
 
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Old 05-29-07, 08:16 PM
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Originally Posted by Dan Thompson
I

When I was building a deck and laying the deck boards, my 14.4 was always running out. I purchased a 3/8 corded DeWalt corded drill. It has plent of torque, enough so that I hold the end of the handle if I'm doing a tough job as it will try to whip on me.

I use the cordless drill all the time.

No kiddin'! I had a 14.4 Makita 1/2-inch and it was pretty hefty! Light-weight, really nice to use. Now batteries for it cost $84+, so I don't use it anymore.

I was seriously considering the 8-amp, 1/2-inch corded Dewalt, but I would miss the dual speed. And I just hate key-chucks as well.
 
 

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