Cordless Drills

[MoreWellie]

Are there any battery drills out there that have a plug-in option?

It depends on the drill voltage
I have a blue bosch cordless that has worked its way through a several sets of nicad batteries and then I realised it was 12v so I gutted one battery, put a long twin flex cable into it and put croc clips on the end so I could use it from a car battery if the nicads were flat
moving a car battery around gets old but you may be able to get a 12v PSU that will run the drill depending on the power rating
it was useful when out in a field, providing you had a vehicle there of course

At least you retain the option of battery or corded

 

[Dr.Al]

It depends on the drill voltage
I have a blue bosch cordless that has worked its way through a several sets of nicad batteries and then I realised it was 12v so I gutted one battery, put a long twin flex cable into it and put croc clips on the end so I could use it from a car battery if the nicads were flat
moving a car battery around gets old but you may be able to get a 12v PSU that will run the drill depending on the power rating
it was useful when out in a field, providing you had a vehicle there of course

At least you retain the option of battery or corded

What I might do is buy a decent brand 5 Ah cordless drill and then experiment with converting the old Ryobi one into a corded drill (or just chuck it on the freebies board, who knows?!)

Has anyone got recommendations for decent brands and how they compare? I don't mind spending a bit of money as it's a tool I'll use a lot, but a lot of reviews go along the lines of "the brand I bought into are the best" rather than a good comparison. Reviews online are very very variable in quality and I'd be more open to advice from the esteemed members of this forum!

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

I'm not aware of any with the option of plugging in as well as battery power, but the most modern technology can see a battery charged in less than 30 mins.

Flexvolt do one.
Will be getting one with my 305mm mitre saw.

 

[MetalMonkey]

I don't think you will go far wrong with any of the top end brands. Dewalt, Makita, Milwaukee, Hikoki. I've used all four at some point, no real complaints.
It might be worth looking at the other tools in their line up to see if there is anything else you are likely to purchase in the future as this may sway you to one over the others.
They all do pretty good drills, but what you are really doing is buying into a battery platform.

Personally I love my Hikoki stuff, the new Brushless 18v and 36v is a massive improvement over their older stuff, batteries are pretty affordable and reliable and although their range isn't as comprehensive as some of the others they did pretty much everything I needed. They are not as popular as the other three but that also means theri is less likelyhood of somebody else on site trying to swipe my batteries.

I would really like them to release a new small mitre saw with a realistic price tag though, £1200 is too rich for me.

 

[Agrismith]

You get what you pay for. Lower end models are fitted with cheaper chucks, higher end models get nice metal branded ones from the likes of Rohm.
Some of the dewalts are known for run-out, but if you plug the model number you are considering into google with a few key words you should dig up a ton of reviews. I think everybody and their dog do cordless drill reviews.

Biggest issue I have with some of them is that the drills are getting so powerful and the electric brakes so fierce the inertia of stopping actually loosens the chuck when you take your finger off the trigger quickly.

Manafacturers are aware of this and most modern Chuck's have a ratchet built in to stop it but most people don't realize how to activate it
Do the Chuck up on the drill bit as tight as you can then go to undo it and it will clunk just turn it until it clunks and the Chuck won't come undone from inertia

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

I don't think you will go far wrong with any of the top end brands. Dewalt, Makita, Milwaukee, Hikoki. I've used all four at some point, no real complaints.
It might be worth looking at the other tools in their line up to see if there is anything else you are likely to purchase in the future as this may sway you to one over the others.
They all do pretty good drills, but what you are really doing is buying into a battery platform.

Personally I love my Hikoki stuff, the new Brushless 18v and 36v is a massive improvement over their older stuff, batteries are pretty affordable and reliable and although their range isn't as comprehensive as some of the others they did pretty much everything I needed. They are not as popular as the other three but that also means theri is less likelyhood of somebody else on site trying to swipe my batteries.

I would really like them to release a new small mitre saw with a realistic price tag though, £1200 is too rich for me.

Just over a grand for the flexvolt with 2 batteries charger and mains lead
Not much more than the 110v equivalent so I'd be silly not to.

I do however need a 300mm compound mitre saw daily

 

[Wallace]

@Dr.Al, what colour is your Ryobi drill? I bought a bundled kit many years ago when they were dark blue with Ni-cad batteries. A couple of years back when I could not get a speed control for the drill and my batteries were gubbed, I bought a drill & driver kit as they came with Li-ion batteries and charger. The plastic covered chuck on the drill would not tighten very well so I swapped it for my old one and the drill itself is not a patch on the old blue one that had 3 speeds. The batteries have been excellent though and much lighter than the old ones, even the 4Ah one.

If you don’t have any other Ryobi tools the Milwaukee stuff is good, I had a drill and driver kit on my works van at the last job and if I went for new kit that’s where I would first be looking.

 

[Ashley Burton]

I would buy into a brand which suits your needs, Having interchangeable batteries is great!

My drill seems to last ages on batteries, But my angle grinder & reciprocating saw eat through them

 

[tflnemesis]

I must have lucked out on my Ryobi drill, it's the only model I have ever seen with a full metal chuck and it rarely slips unless I am really abusing it and it has holed loads of really thin S/S which has a tendency to grab the bit as it breaks through. Although after 7 years its got a bit of wear and I am starting to get some slop in the motor bearings, slight but noticeable.

 

[Kram]

The Lidl 20v team set might be the cheapest decent tools. The chucks are good. Batterys last well and suprisingly quick to charge. The 5ah will charge before the 2ah is flat, good enough for grinder and drill. Only annoyance is the charger does not have wall mount slots, and I think mounting that way would obstruct the vents.

Grinder is not nearly as powerful as a.mains one, but much less effort to use when you dont need full power.

Ive got 4 spare 5Ah 6S 24v lipo packs. Massively over powered for tools, but I rarely use them with my old cordless's as the two Lidl batteries are enough. I have them on a short cable and a belt clip, so the tools are very light. They get used for any task that will properly abuse, overheat or damage things - like 30 holes with a modified 40mm flat wood bit.

To fix your ryobi, get a new chuck, 3d print or mill a battery adaptor, and buy the 12.99 lidl battery /17.99 battery and charger next time they have them.

 

[Dr.Al]

@Dr.Al, what colour is your Ryobi drill?

It's the garish light green colour that most of the Ryobi stuff is these days. I think they'd just released that colour scheme (and the one+ common battery thing) when I bought it.

 

[Wallace]

It's the garish light green colour that most of the Ryobi stuff is these days. I think they'd just released that colour scheme (and the one+ common battery thing) when I bought it.

This is my old drill and the chuck I swapped over to the newer light green one I have now, far better quality.

I was given a Xenon torch and Li-ion battery that had been sat in a warehouse for a couple of years, the battery charger would not charge it just came up red. I opened it up and checked each cell and they were all at the same level so I bypassed the charging circuit and gave them a boost charge from a power supply. Once back on the charger it started charging and has been fine since.

I did the same for a chap I worked with, he had one about a year old he had left uncharged for a few months and that recovered too. I try to keep them charged regularly to avoid this happening.

 

[Ashley Burton]

I try to keep them charged regularly to avoid this happening.

I always put batteries on charge as soon as they go flat

Helps with the life of the battery, But also you always know your charged up ready to go

 

[Wallace]

I always put batteries on charge as soon as they go flat

Helps with the life of the battery, But also you always know your charged up ready to go

The battery I was given is US spec and doesn’t have a level indicator like my other two, that’s the one I tend to keep an eye on.

 

[Onoff]

You could treat yourself to a decent, named drill and then buy or 3D print an adapter to use the new drill's batteries on your old drill, For example:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/223962325880?

I assume the Ryobi is 18V?

 

[Dr.Al]

You could treat yourself to a decent, named drill and then buy or 3D print an adapter to use the new drill's batteries on your old drill, For example:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/223962325880?

I assume the Ryobi is 18V?

Ooh, that's a nice idea (yes, it's 18 V)

 

[armalites]

You could treat yourself to a decent, named drill and then buy or 3D print an adapter to use the new drill's batteries on your old drill, For example:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/223962325880?

I assume the Ryobi is 18V?

One thing to bare in mind when/if doing this.

On the top brands the battery protection is in the tool, on the new Ryobi stuff the protection is in the battery which is how they have be able to keep the battery format the same since day one. So if you are running an adapter it's possible to run the battery past the point it would normally shutdown.

They are great idea if you have a tools that would be expensive to replace, I'v got a Dewalt laser level that uses the old Ni-cad/Ni-Mh type batteries so I use and an adapter to run modern Li-Ion.

The reality is if you don't need two drills you will probably never pick the old one up again. They aren't like driving classic cars where you like quirky crappiness/nostalgia. I doubt you'll ever hear anyone say "I want an old Ryobi drill because my dad had one when I was a kid"

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

One thing to bare in mind when/if doing this.

On the top brands the battery protection is in the tool, on the new Ryobi stuff the protection is in the battery which is how they have be able to keep the battery format the same since day one. So if you are running an adapter it's possible to run the battery past the point it would normally shutdown.

They are great idea if you have a tools that would be expensive to replace, I'v got a Dewalt laser level that uses the old Ni-cad/Ni-Mh type batteries so I use and an adapter to run modern Li-Ion.

The reality is if you don't need two drills you will probably never pick the old one up again. They aren't like driving classic cars where you like quirky crappiness/nostalgia. I doubt you'll ever hear anyone say "I want an old Ryobi drill because my dad had one when I was a kid"

Nope
My old nicad DeWalt drill is a beast
Still comes out for big drill bits. Powered by lion.
Probably an exception mind.

 

[Munkul]

Save yourself a load of aggro and just buy some proper tools:

https://www.powertoolworld.co.uk/ma...MIjefJh-T76AIV2YBQBh0NuAdMEAQYAiABEgIkDfD_BwE

Makita 5ah batteries hit that perfect price-to-performance ratio. My brother and I have 10 between us, for various tools.

The DHP458 is a solid performer as well, a true workman's drill, not the best in the world but I guarantee it will do everything you want.

 

[Kram]

Nice idea for adaptor but it costs as much as a bare lidl drill, or double that of the 2ah battery, shop prices..

Annoying that so many try to profit from reselling, but nice that I could buy them year round... I didnt know there was a chainsaw! www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=%28lidl%2Cparkside%2C20v+team%29+battery&_sacat=0