ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area Cordless tools Q

I bought the Dewalt 14.4 combo set when it first came out ('96?). The drill works great, even after repeated drops from 6' stepladder (oops). Had small problem with the switch that went away - probably corrosion or dirt...never any problem with the chuck.

Had a battery charger melt on me a few years ago. Even though it was out of warranty, Dewalt replaced the battery and charger for free. (they almost became one, so it was a moot point)

The cordless trim saw is ok (and sharp - almost lost my thumb to it a few years ago!) but the batteries just get sucked dry by it. I still use it for small stuff, but if it's more than 24" of cut 1/2" deep or more, I grab my corded saw.

I bought the "swivel head" flashlight (as opposed to the "snake"), and have been very happy with it.

No experience with cordless sawzall/cutsaw.

My foreman used a Makita (IIRC) cordless drill, and was quite happy with it. He said the Milw cordlesses went through too many batteries. He still swears by their corded tools, though (like most of us!).

[This message has been edited by DougW (edited 05-09-2004).]

I've been using an 18v. DeWalt combo. kit for a long time now with no problems to date. I even picked up the new DeWalt vacuum which works well. I received the charger/radio as a free promotion which is so-so, but honestly I'm never in one room long enough to bother setting it up. I think the most important piece to have is a strong drill that's a hammer/driver, which seems to be the most versatile.

We are incredibly lucky to have so many choices of good tools to choose from.

We all have very different wants, IMO my 18V DeWalt Hammer Drill is to heavy for all the time use, but for cavo148 it is what he wants.

For general purpose use I have a very beat up still works great 14V DeWalt drill only, light and powerful enough.

The Milwaukee's I have used seem great too, but I have a free supply of DeWalt batteries so DeWalt is what I buy.

One to stay away from IMO is Ryobi, you can get a Ryobi kit for 1/3 the price of the same in DeWalt, Rigid or Milwaukee but there is a reason for that cheap price.

I used all Dewalt 14.4 for a few years and had no complaints. Hammer drill, driver drill, sawzall and circular saw. One weekend on an industrial job the driver drill and hammer drill got swiped. I had to have something to work with right away so I bought a Porter Cable 14.4 3/8" driver drill. I couldn't believe how much more power and battery life it had over the Dewalt. The job I was on was hanging 3/4 EMT on purlans and the Dewalt needed fresh batteries 2-3 times a day driving Tek screws to hang clamps. The PC went all day on the same battery and you had to use the clutch to keep from spinning them out. Since then I have added a PC hammer drill (1/2" chuck) and a second 1/2" driver drill. I have tried out and don't care for the Porter Cable cordless recipro saw. I found it awkward to cut conduit with. I replaced my 14.4 Dewalt sawzall when it died with an 18V Dewalt sawzall.

Well, Hilti and Makita are the Rolls Royce of power tools. Shows in the price too. Here in Europe Hilti is synonymous for rotary drill hammer. It's just "a Hilti". No long words, the same in almost all languages,...

I thank everyone for the replies! I will also agree with the comment on the Porter Cable 14.4 volt drill, it was my spair, and I loved it. But it has had so much use, that the plastic chuck (light and easy to use) disintegrated, and unfortuneately, I messed up something in the faster gear drilling 3/4 " self feed paddle bit holes through top plates. onesy twosy at a time... But the slow gear works great still, and I just use it in that. This week, I left the charger in the rain so that's why I can't relie on my backup drill. And the dewalt I have has never been up to par. So many good reviews about Dewalt out there, that now I am sure I got a lemon. So far, NO ONE has given much of a review on the Makita's, so I think I'll pass on that one. Keep the ideas coming!! P.S. email me if you want info on affordable battery pack rebuilding you do yourself. costs about 1/3rd the price of a new one. tradesman232002@yahoo.com Take care best wishes! Brian

Don't know if anyone has tried Panasonic, but we've kinda gotten addicted. The 15.6 volt kit is personal favorite. VERY expensive, but hands down the best conduit cutting (and safest) made. With all attic/crawl/dark work we do it's great. New 3.5 hour battery is big improvement over 3 hour. P.S. much too expensive blade wise for IMC or rigid.

I just wanted to bring this thread back to the top and add that I recently purchased a Panasonic 12-volt cordless drill and it's a beauty. I went 12-volt to keep the weight down and there's no shortage of power. It has 3.5 Ah batteries which last more than a day in my use (screwdriver & drill fairly often). I'm very happy with everything about it in the short run and time will tell if it holds up well.

Dave

I just read that Milwaukee is being acquired Techtronic Industries Co. Ltd. they also own Homelite UGH,Ryobi UGH again, and the Royal and Dirt Devil brands,hopefully they won't go downhill.


P.S. If it is not Milwaukee it's not a Sawzall.


Life is too short to buy Dewalt, or is it "friends don't let friends buy Dewalt".

I was given a Ryobi Kit for christmas awhile back. I use it around the home but decided to bring the recprocating saw to work. The reciprocating saw is great. It seems to have a higher rpm and is lighter than any of the other saws I have tried. The Dewalt does not cut quick enough and jumps around on the conduit when cutting. I agree that the quality is not as high as the Milwaukee's and Dewalts but you can buy 3 to every 1 of those brands. Comes in handy when theft becomes one part of the job that you have to contend with.