My Dewalt 14.4 XRP cordless 1/2″ drill is on the way out, just a few months after I picked up new batteries, got a quote of $110 + to replace the clutch, So I’m looking to replace it, Not sure if I should go dewalt again, There is so much new out there what is everyone using & happy with
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DW cordless tools and batteries seem be some of the shortest lived ones out there.
Problem is - once you get hooked by owning some batteries etec already, it feels like a waste top move on to a good tool like the Makita.
But one of my guys last year noticed his DW getting long in the tooth and he bought a Makita LIon
after two days of using it, he threw the DW in the trash.
Welcome to the
Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
Excellence is its own reward!
after two days of using it, he threw the DW in the trash
Are YOU still using it??? <G>
If not where is that trash barrel !
bottom man on the totem pole dug it out and took it home.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
How things change
years ago I dumped all of my 9.6v makita cordless tools for dewalt
now I'm in the battery of the month club
quote of $110 + to replace the clutch
chances are you only need to take it apart and clean it.
Got a 14 V DW at a garage sale, the clutch had some rust in it, probably from having been dropped in water or left in the rain.
About 20 minutes assembly/disassembly and wire brush, 200 grit sandpaper, and some steel wool and wd40 and it was like new. $330 and hour after tax return on the effort based on your $110 quote.
Try it, if you goof it up, what is lost except some time and think how much you will learn - no idea if there ia a manual, but the cluth mechanismis fairly straight forward.
A little bit off topic ... but please bear with me ...
In about a month, one of the local tool houses will have their annual "Open House." There will be a multitude of tool company reps, set up in the parking lot. Being March, there's a fair chance of the weather being a bit damp and nippy; though sometimes it's beautiful.
In EVERY such open house, there have been some constants. For example, every table is staffed with eager slaes folks - EXCEPT the DeWalt trailer. The largest, prettiest display has its' crew inside, hiding near the coffee and donuts.
By contrast, Miss Makita is outside ... if necessary, bundled up against the weather ... lending moral support to the Makita rep. The Bosch guy is trying - in vain - to sell his tools (it seems everyone is fascinated by his Triton vise instead). The Festool guy is happily explaining that he has a strange accent because he's from France. Metabo is gamely showing their line. Etc.
My point is .... this "Open House" is used by DeWalt to express the contempt they have toward their customers. Speaking as the owner of a few of their tools .... well, this changeover to LiIon batteries is providing me with a fine opportunity to change brands.
Besides ... when you can place the different makes side by side, DeWalt doesn't really stand out very often.
I had the exact opposite at a local open house / free lunch.
The day before I dropped my 18v csaw off the boom lift..30' down it bent up like a pretzel.
Next day was the Open, and I had no idea, and went to the place to drop off for repair/parts..saw the hoopla getting set up and planned on coming back at lunch. They told me 3 weeks for the saw to be done.
I did, told the DW guy why I lucked into showing up..and he said he was with the shop in Louisville that would be getting it anyway, so he went to repair dept and took my saw personally, in his car back that day..it was a FRI. IIRC..I had it back Tues, FREE repair.
They also had a battery check, bring yours, they check..if it is less than 100% and undr a yr/ old..you get afree batt. over that and a discount of 50%. I got a free one , even tho' my batt was 2 yrs old. My other 5 checked out OK.
I wanted a radio/charger..I asked how do I get one for free? He said, buy something..I said I had about every tool..but wait, I need a jig saw maybe..that work? he said sure..so I got the saw, 2 Batts, AND a radio w/2 batts..for like 219.00..besides the free battery from the test.
So maybe you met a crew having a bad day, I scored big time.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
They kill Prophets, for Profits.
Glad to hear it.
My comments were based upon the past FOUR such open houses .... it appears that Reno has a weak rep. Maybe this post will shake the tree a bit .... we'll see in a few weeks!
Don't mis read me, I have some DW tools that suck, like my hammerdrill, and wanting to get new NANO batts has been a real hassel..I do intend to go all Makita eventually, but I have way too much invested in DW, and they are mostly holding up.
They were the LAST to get thier act together, if they indeed have..and that was perplexing.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
They kill Prophets, for Profits.
"They were the LAST to get thier act together, if they indeed have..and that was perplexing."I once talked to an engineering guy in tech at DW back when my TS blew an arbor nut. He explained a lot to me.They were coming new to the marklet with a lot of new stuff. I know the name was old, btu the company was reformed and had a lot of young guys running it, esp in marketing.So there was a bunch of st5ress between the engineers out back, and the marketing guys with a schedule to get the market flooded. My impression was that this guy was pissed that marketing would release new tools before engineering was happy with the product, still tweaking to get it right. Front officce had the attitude, if it breaks, we'll deal with it later.Picture the Pilgrims on the Mayflower with the owners telling the captain to pull out of port to meet scedule, even though the shiop is not quite built yet. "You can finish it on the way over there"
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
wow ...
2 or 3 hired hands sit inside a trailer and suddenly the whole company is junk?
so in other words ... if Ryobi sent bikini models out in cold weather and they stood around and said they weren't cold ....
suddenly Ryobi would make the best tools ever?
is that how it works?
Jeff Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
It's no secret ... when you are working, you reflect on the employer. If the employees are presenting the wrong image, management has its' work cut out for them! (BTW ... they spent their time everywhere BUT in the company trailer!) Now, when an employee goes 'above and beyond,' that reflects well on the firm.
That this has happened for four years running, while every other vendor seems to be there to actually hawk their wares, tends to rule out this being 'one bad apple.'
As for their tools ... as I said earlier, I have several. Their performance has been, to my mind, like that of Chevrolet in the car biz - adequate, but nothing remarkable. Durability, especially of the batteries, is less than I desire. Would another brand do any better? I don't know.
But I sure plan to find out!
The only reason I've had any pro- DeWalt bias has been the desire to carry as few batteries and chargers as possible. With corded tools, I have no such incentive. It's every brand for itself!
Yet .... oddly enough, my past several corded tool purchases have been of a particular make. I didn't plan it that way, and I had others just as readily available. Yet, this other brand has won in my personal 'run off' three times in a row. With each use, I like these tools more ... rather than discover new linitations. So, when I make the big change-over later this year, I expect to give this other brand preference.
Apart from the superb record of the corded tools, the cordless models of this other brand seem to be better thought out. Heck, I can even - easily - purchase additional tools without springing for additional batteries and chargers. When was the last time you spent less than $150 for a name-brand professional tool?
so in other words ... if Ryobi sent bikini models out in cold weather and they stood around and said they weren't cold ....suddenly Ryobi would make the best tools ever?Best. Tools. EVER!Tu stultus es
Rebuilding my home in Cypress, CA
Also a CRX fanatic!Look, just send me to my drawer. This whole talking-to-you thing is like double punishment.
Edited 2/17/2009 12:20 pm by xxPaulCPxx
We had the same experience with our DW rep. In 2 years, she never set foot in the tool store, though she would pull up in her yellow DW truck and get her nails done 3 doors down. Her customer services skills were non-existent. Never could reach her by phone, and she would never return calls.
Day of the tool show, her booth consisted of a tent and a tablesaw...she spent the entire time walking around the parking lot yapping on her cell phone, clearly on personal business.
That said, the guy that ran the local DW service center was awesome! I swear he had every single part number memorized.
We always had good turn-out and attention from most of our other reps: Makita, Bosch, Stabilla, Milwaukee, Gorilla ladders, etc. They would always visit the store bi-weekly and were easily accessible by phone for any customer service issue.
Miss Makita sold me!
Try out CPO Bosch and CPO Makita online. I had to stop using my Bosch because of a bad right shoulder. Still believe them to be very tough tools, just a bit too heavy now. My cordless took alot of drops and never a problem. I went to CPO Makita and bought a factory reconditioned 4 piece kit with three-speed drill/driver/hammer drill, 6 1/2" circular saw, reciprocating saw, and a good flashlight in 18v Lithium Ion for right at $400. I am extremely pleased with the tools. All have onboard lights, they feel good in your hand, they are lighter and easier on the arms. The only DW tools I have are a sander and a 12" sliding miter that was a gift from a grateful client. They are just okay.
cic317
Get the panasonic 15.6 V
If gets cold there then stay away from the Lithium batteries.
My 2 cents.
Rich
Get the panasonic 15.6 V
I agree.
I have had the Panasonic since they came out. The 15.6v 3.5ah is a precision instrument compared to my other drills, Makita 14v impact and drill and the old DW 14v.
The Makitas are good balanced lightweight tools but will never match the power and runtime of the Panasonic. The chuck can hold 1/16" to 1/2" bits. It is powerful enough to hurt you, it threw me off a ladder once.
The new Panasonic lithium 3.0ah looks like another winner.
Drawbacks: If you have elbow problems like I do, forget about this beast. Get a little Makita and be happy.
OB
Edited 2/19/2009 12:45 am ET by klhoush
Edited 2/19/2009 12:46 am ET by klhoush
kloush
I have had several DW 14 V drills. Their batteries didn't last well. And they got vey loose and sloppy. Like my old van with 200K + miles on it.
I have had about 5 Panasonics 15.6. They are tight, precision drills and they last .
I have heard and read too many comments about poor performance in the cold with Lithium batteries. I am going to stay with the old technology for a while. Just bought a new 15.6 in Dec.
My only problem with the Panasonics is their flashlights. They keep getting lost. I wish they could fix that problem. LOL
Rich
the HD near me still have a few 18volt millwaukee 5pc sets were $499 for $199
p
I owned the first Makita cordless, 6V I believe, then their 9V. Their batteries contact points burned out for reasons unknown, after too short a time, but I bought new batteries and kept them going for another year or two.
Then I started hearing about throw-away drills, mostly Craftsman. It was hard to argue with a $50 14.4V drill w/2 batteries so I bought one to try out. It worked well and lasted for many years.
When the batteries finally went belly up, I drove to Sears and found a newer model of the same voltage, also with two batteries, on sale for $50. That was last year. I also bought an 18V model, with one battery, for about the same price. It's excellent for drilling fairly large holes, plenty of power and endurance.
I use the two of them in combination, for drilling and driving pocket screws.
I buy tools to fit the job I'm doing. If I needed to carry a cordless drill in a holster all day, I'd buy an expensive, lightweight compact model. Other than that, a throw-away suits me fine.
BTW, the Craftsman cordless drills are good quality, reliable tools but, like all others, their batteries have limitations and are relatively expensive to replace.
guy who works for me got the makita and it is kick a**
My bosch 24 Volters dont keep up with it.
Ive never had a Milwaukee drill die on me, batteries do die but not the drills.
I have:5 cordless Milwaukee drills
2 - 18 volt 1/2in hammer drills
1 - 14 volt 3/8 chuck drill
2 - v28 1/2 hammer drills
They just haven't died yet , my 18 volt drills I've had at least 7 years and use almost daily and have used them to mix joint compound, Grout for tiles Ive even used them a few times to mix cement in a 5 gal bucket like a 40 pound bag with a large paddle bit.
I've beat the (c rap) out of them. I have never regreted buying them I have had mikita DeWalt Ridged Crapsman none of those get my money again.
Carpentry and remodeling
Vic Vardamis
Bangor Me
The right-angle chuck on the Festo tipped the scales for me.
And last week I was using brass screws to install glass stops in the a widow wall. Some of the lites were kind of small.
No problem. Snap off the chuck (no tools needed) and put the insert bit right into the hex recess in the shaft, for an O.A. drill+bit length of 6 1/4". Not too shabby.
And it's hard to find drills with an ergonomic, inline grip. Most drill these days are T-grip, because of the oversize batteries.
A good test to run for an FHB review would be "How many 1/16" dia. holes can you drill ONE-HANDED through an oak 1x before you snap the bit?"
Pistol-grip models win that test every time.
AitchKay
Just for informational purposes.
I recently had to drill some holes in my 2008 Dodge Ram Dually for mud flaps. The instructions for the mopar flaps said to remove the dual wheels to drill the holes (yeah - right!).
So I stopped the job and went to Amazon and searched for stubby bits. I found a number of them at prices that were unbelievable - like a couple of bucks for a set of five, these being the type that have the hex insert base. I ended up buying several different stubby bits and decided to look for some long bits to update my collection, which is about 30 years old. I found some really great deals there.
Bottom line: Stubby bits will decrease the size of the area most drills will work in. Get them before the price goes up.
The long bits are quite handy too. All of the bits and sets I bought were HSS.How can you understand God if you can't understand people? How can you understand people if you can't understand yourself?
I brought a Bosch 18V drill/driver back to Japan with me because I liked the weight, and can't (even now) get 18V tools here in Japan.
The Bosch is an outstanding performer, but the price of batteries is a little high, and the battery life is a little short...
I think that Makita makes the best drill/drivers by far, they are light and powerful, and the batteries last longer than any other companies. Also, I've seen replacement batteries on Amazon, etc. pretty cheap.... or cheaper than my Bosch ones at least.
I'd go back to Makita if the batteries could charge in my Bosch radio..!!
SS
Got an e-mail notice this morning that Amazon is having an "up to 50% off" sale on drills... corded and cordless.Some of the prices didn't look all that good buy the specialy stuff - right angle drills, SDS, etc., - had some big discounts from MSRP.Though y'all might want to know.
It's not nice to not share, link to item? This is when my Amazon Prime comes in great if it is really Amazon and not a partner merchant.
Is this it? I have the little right angle Milwaukee add-on drive and you could ge up close and personal maybe even dentistry.
http://tinyurl.com/aw65da
Bob
For those who have fought for it Freedom has a flavor the protected will never know.
Edited 2/18/2009 8:39 pm ET by rasconc
Those are the ones, although I only paid 11.87 and got free shipping. At Amazon, prices have a way of jumping up as soon as somebody buys an item. I would have included the URL, but haven't taught myself how to do that yet and probably will not make the time with so many other things to do.
I also got a twelve-pack of double-ended stubby 1/8" bits for $2.81, which is actually 24 bits. I bet their price jumped too!How can you understand God if you can't understand people? How can you understand people if you can't understand yourself?
They have metal and brad point, think I will watch and hit it when low again. There is a site that follows Amazon prices, looks like what the market used to look like when it went anything other than down (;-).
The tiny url thing is easy. Load the target page, copy the address, load tinyurl.com and paste, it puts it on you clipboard so when you ae doing your reply just hit paste. You can name it if you want or just take it with the number they assign like I did. I tried to name it stubby but it was not avail and it was not that important. I added the tinyurl link on the toolbar on my homepage.
For those who have fought for it Freedom has a flavor the protected will never know.
My old DW 14.4 died and I got this one:
View Image
http://www.amazon.com/Makita-BDF452HW-18-Volt-Compact-Lithium-Ion/dp/B000K6ILDW
Makes the DW look pathetic and the LIon batteries recharge in 15 minutes.
Depending on your use you might want to look at the impact driver.
For 1/2 inch there are other models w/LIon -
http://www.amazon.com/Makita-BHP452HW-18-Volt-Lithium-Ion-Cordless/dp/B001ASC6UI/ref=sr_1_18?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1235054088&sr=1-18
Jeff
someone mentioned some trouble w/ the lith/ion batteries in cold weather, anyone have any problems?
cic317
I do not have any Lithium batteries, but there was this discussion back in Jan. 09.
http://forums.taunton.com/tp-breaktime/messages?msg=115660.9
Rich