Battery Powered Screwdriver/Drill

[Fat Pat]

Chaps,

I am looking at a battery powered drill, and am looking for any recommendations/info that you may have.

The item in question is a RYOBI 18 V jobbie, and it is the (I think) RY5 or similar. It is the top of the range in their "budget" types, and it looks a fairly reasonable buy at around $150 or so. It has a variety of attachmants, as well as a battery level indicator - which seems a bit silly (drill slows down, change battery!), but there ya go.

Does anyone out there in WW land have any suggestions before I spend some folding stuff?

[Snorkelling]

What do you inetend on doing with it? Larger capacity drills have power as well as WEIGHT but the battery tends to run out fast, especially when you buy a cheaper drill. I bought a 9.6v Hitachi with 2 batteries, torch and 1 hour fast charger. It is more than capable of doing quite alot of things. If you are drilling lots of holes then buy yourself a Black and Decker drill for $40 for drilling holes and the battery drill for driving screws. If you are driving screws into particle board or MDF, the 9.6v Hitachi will last you all day. Mine cost me $145 from Glenfords.

[Ashore]

How much are you willing to spend Makita around $250 is a great drill

You get what you pay for , you should get some replies from the triton guys , I haven't used one myself.

Cheeper drills if they do all you need of them then your've not wasted money on overkill.

As to the battery indicator ever climbed say onto a roof and the battery slows down in first minute, battery indicator may save you a trip down and up again to change the battery.




Thought for the day

Percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28% Percentage of North America that is wilderness: 38% ; percentage of Japan that is forest is greater than 70 %

[kiwigeo]

Pat,

I have a 5 year old 12 V Ryobi in my workshop thats lasted fairly well...has survived numerous drops off ladders and has generally had a fairly hard life. For the money I paid for it its been a good little machine.

[Zed]

CAn I suggest as an alternative the Bosch Green range 14.4v ? I got one not so long a go and its a fantastic machine - highly recommend it. bunnies have them for $200 odd.

[RufflyRustic]

Hi, I've got a Ryobi 14.4 v cordless. It's ok-average. Was the best around for the price of $99 when I bought it nearly two years ago. The weight was a big decider for me which is why I didn't get the 18 v one.

My only complaint is that the batteries don't last long enough, however, the rapid charge is good i.e. let battery cool, then charge, ready for use again.

the battery charger on the newer ryobi's look a lot better than the version I got.
cheers
RufflyRustic

[HavinaGo]

Not so much a suggestion, just a record of my experience:

First one: was an Ozito 2 speed 14.4 volt thing with 2 batteries, $60-$80 .. took all sorts of abuse but finally the low speed gear made horrible grinding noises and no longer connected. It is light, batteries lasted as long as the gears .. just. This all happended around the 2 year mark. Was slow charge. Good introduction to cordless tools and proved one would be useful.

Second one: Makita 18V, 2 speed, with 2 batteries, 1/2" chuck. (Now 1 year old, works well, heavy. $400 ish. Used at home and on the Mother in law's farm. Small disapointment in that when it is loaded up drilling the plastic can be felt to flex around the handle .. hence I back off a bit. This is putting 3/4" holes into hardwood fence posts with an auger bit ... (You know the every day stuff for mounting the hinges of 10' gates) Batteries last well. Fast charge is nice as it allows me to keep the spare battery flat and only charge when I'm about to need it. I'll find out if it was worth the money in the next year.

[Fat Pat]

What do you inetend on doing with it? Larger capacity drills have power as well as WEIGHT but the battery tends to run out fast, especially when you buy a cheaper drill. I bought a 9.6v Hitachi with 2 batteries, torch and 1 hour fast charger. It is more than capable of doing quite alot of things. If you are drilling lots of holes then buy yourself a Black and Decker drill for $40 for drilling holes and the battery drill for driving screws. If you are driving screws into particle board or MDF, the 9.6v Hitachi will last you all day. Mine cost me $145 from Glenfords.

Snork. et al - I have just spent some quality holiday time building some wardrobes out of pine (don't like laminate- too sterile). Got sick of the RSI from screwing in all of the screws by hand, not to mention the blisters. After a couple of days, I noticed my neighbour had a GMC battery driver, and snaffled it for the duration (for later beer payments of course - admiring handiwork, etc). I guess I should post some PIX in this forum, stay tuned...

I decided that I couldn't go through life without one on the third day and considered pilfering it from him (Aliens abducted it), but decided that he would probably spot it in my shed in the future so I am investigating a purchase.

General home handyman wood working would be the main usage, with the occasional big job planned (beds, bookcases, wardrobes etc).

The 18 V drivers seem to have a bit more torque without the power of an electric driver (hence less stipped screw heads), and I am allowed to spend exacly what SWMBO will allow, so the more output on my part, the greater the $$$ amount.

[Trav]

If it is just for home handyman stuff, I have a black and decker firestorm drill which I reckon is pretty good. 14.4 v but has this neat detachable head so that you can always have a screwdriver bit and a drill bit fitted. All you need to do is click the chuck that holds the drill bit off and you can access the driver.

I've had mine for over 2 years and it is going strong. 2 batts, 1 hour charge. My key complaint is that the drill speed is not high enough, although this hasn't been too much of an issue for me, and the two handed chuck.

Certainly worth a look. Last time I looked they were about $160 from bunnings. Have a look here for details http://www.blackanddecker.com.au/pro...lid=1&mktid=22

The other thing you might want to look at is a dedicated driver, althought if you don't have a drill, you are probably better off getting a cordless drill/driver. I've got one and I think it is great for little jobs around the house. See the attached pic. They are about $70 from bunnings from memory.

Good luck

Trav

[zenwood]

I am looking at a battery powered drill...

I've got a Ryobi 14.4 V cordless drill and have used it almost every weekend for the past year or so. I even (accidentally) left it on the roof of the shed for a week, where it got rained on, and it's fine: just kept on keeping on. I keep one battery on permanent charge, so it's always at the ready. The only time it baulked was when drilling holes in the metal studs when I was lining my shed: took too long to drill the holes: I really needed a higher speed, so went with an old old corded Black and Decker. Still, the Ryobi was excellent value for the $70 or so that I paid for it.

I also have one of the Bosch dedicated screwdrivers (same as post above), which it great for small jobs, and comes with a nifty set of screwdriver heads that you can fit into your Ryobi.

[jaspr]

I've got the B&D firestorm too - I like it, but agree with Trav that its top speed is a bit slow so I use a faster corded machine when I need speed.

Comes with two battery packs and is quick to charge.

jaspr

[Timbo999]

Bunnies have a new BOSCH 12V cordless in green with a 20 minute Turbo Charge for about $170 with 2 batteries. Probably wouldnt run out of battery before your next one was charged. Plus the charger will charge all other BOSCH batteries