I have no experience with a panasonic power tool… I don’t think any cordless drill is worth 399.00 which is what this one starts at!
http://images.panasonic.com/static//LargerPhoto/EY7440LN2S_500.jpg
I have no experience with a panasonic power tool… I don’t think any cordless drill is worth 399.00 which is what this one starts at!
http://images.panasonic.com/static//LargerPhoto/EY7440LN2S_500.jpg
Metabo HPT's dual-powered plunge router offers the option to plug in an otherwise-battery-operated tool for production work.
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Replies
I wonder why Panasonic abandoned their old voltage formats? I was hoping for backward compatibility when their Li-ion tools came out. Can't they get to 15.6 volts with lithium cells? Or 12 volts?
Bill
You can't interchange NiMH and Li-Ion batteries -- the devices and chargers would have to be designed to treat each differently. You can interchange NiMH and NiCad to a degree, though even that is iffy at higher power levels.
Half of the harm that is done in this world is due to people who want to feel important. They don't mean to do harm but the harm does not interest them. --T.S. Eliot
Hey, take a really close look at that drill - particularly from the motor housing down. It looks almost EXACTLY like the Makita compact LXT, right down to the contour on the grip. Interesting....
Of course, the motor housing is entirely different... who knows. It sure is a nice drill though.
Nick
Edited 1/8/2007 12:05 pm ET by Squash
you're right i think so too... this drill is brushless though...
That makes some sense. The new Panasonic universal charger has a separate port for the lithium packs to charge in, and it is a totally different configuration from their other batteries. Your statement would explain why this is.Bill
Yeah, NiCads are fairly easy to charge. NiMHs are harder, but an NiMH charger will generally work with the more tolerant NiCads, so long as the charging current is limited. LiIon batteries must be carefully charged, and the charger (or smart battery pack) must be able to differentially charge the cells to maintain "balance".In addition, LiIon batteries must be very carefully monitored for over-discharge (more so than NiMH), once again introducing the need for a "smart" battery pack, or "smart" logic in the drill or other device.Virtually all LiIon battery packs contain an integrated circuit that monitors charge/discharge.
Half of the harm that is done in this world is due to people who want to feel important. They don't mean to do harm but the harm does not interest them. --T.S. Eliot
I don't want to go into what you think things are worth I have been using panasonic tools for fourteen years my original 9.6volt 15 min charge cost more than your drill at the time I am still using it , it has had a new battery in that time I would be very surprised if you were disappointed with your purchase and no I do not work for Panasonic.
Regards from OZ
You can make it fool proof but not idiot proof
Hey Bolts ... do you guys know what a 'period' does for sentences? Or maybe you call it a 'full stop'. Sure makes reading easier. :)
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
he's is being thoughtful and considerate by giving ya the option of rushing thru the whole thing as a one shot deal or being able to place yur own in as many or as few locations / places as you would like at yur whim fancy and liesure to accomondate any known or unknown idiosyncrocies that you may have or or currently developing..........
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!<!----><!---->
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
Before you buy another cordless drill you should read this:http://www.festoolusa.com/Web_files/C12_technical_review.pdf
Rick Christopherson (the author of this piece) is a frequent poster at Knots, and an avid supporter of everything Festool.Here is what I intuit about him:1) He wrote a manual for the Festool CS which was 10 times better than the official manual that came with the saw. I think -- but don't know for sure -- that he was not paid for it. I got a copy through the Festool user group, and at the time at least, it was not officially available thru Festool. 2) I am guessing that Festool took him on, and I am pretty sure he is now one of their paid flacks. 3) Despite the fact he writes this article as though he is an impartial, independent observer, I think you have to take the piece as you would any marketing information provided by a manufacturer. Particularly so, since the piece is now offered thru the official Festool web site. ********************************************************
"It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."
John Wooden 1910-
NW,What’s with all the bafflegab? Was there something in the review that was not accurate? Seems that if one is going to spend $300.00+ on a drill one might want to get one with cutting edge technology.I spent $515.00 on the complete set and it out preforms all my other drills hands down.
Edited 1/9/2007 8:26 am ET by Joe
Thanks Eddie. I will bear that in mind.For my Next post.You can make it fool proof but not idiot proof
picky...... picky.......pickyMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Just trying to show the poor bloke what proper 'mericun grammer is. Looks like he took it well.
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
i'm countin on you to keep them on their toes...
don't let 'em be all at sixes and sevens Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Rrrriight. Uh, what's that?
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
Gilbert & Sullivan used it ..
but it's older than that
http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-six1.htmMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
BTW, that drill is $275 at Coastal Tool. It weighs 3.5 pounds with battery, versus 4.8 pounds for the 15.6 NiMH drill. Power specs are matched to the 15.6, of which I am happy owner of 3. So actually, you have a street price about $80 more than the 15.6, and a major weight reduction.
Panasonic cordless drills are very sweet to use. Thay have never disappointed me, and I am picky about tools. The battery drill is my most-used power tool, so a good one makes my working life better.
I won't be buying one soon, since my stable is full.
Bill
Actually they sell that very drill in shocking pink and purple
versions in Japan for $560 and all the carpenters have them. It's
the gold standard in cordless tools.
it must go well with their pink tool belts...
I bought the NiMH 15.6V version for a little over $200, and that was at a retail store, not a discounter. You pay a substantial premium for Li-Ion. I think my drill was worth the money, but I'm not sure that one is $200 better.
I bought a Panasonic 15.6 a few years back from woodworkers warehouse before they went belly up. After the third screw, the brake went bad. I took it back, and they sent it to panisonic. After a few weeks with out a drill they decided to jsut replace it. Severeal weeks later, they boarded up the store. Just before the brake went again. I know that the drill still works fine, but I bought a drill with a brake, and it should work. I dont' abuse the tools by any means so there is no good explanation for their faliure. But in Panasonic's defens, we have 4, 18 vold Bosch drills on our work truck (not my personal drills) that have bad brakes as well. These drills are about 4-5 years old, and they see daily use, but not heavy use. There are only two people, so they get used lightly. They work on occasion, but only when you aren't expecting it. We also have 4 Bosch 14.4 vold drill that work flawlessly.