Makita LI-ion battery powered tools

[dmairspotter]

Home Despot is having a special on a Makita 18V tool set with Li-ion batteries. This set has been calling seductively to me as I walk past every time I go there. Anyone have any thoughts or experience. My current drill, an ancient Makita with a 9 volt battery, has lasted well but the battery has finally had it.

[kendall]

makita makes a good drill, lousy color but good drill.
I'm in construction and use cordless tools a few hundred times a day, and while I don't have a makita, several of the people I work with do, and they are as happy with them as I am with my porter cables, I have used theirs quite a bit, PC has far more torque, and turns faster, but the makita's charge lasts longer, ands is more constant all the way through. (with my PC's the only time I shift to low is when the battery's nearly dead and I want to finish driving that fastener before changing the batt, with makita a lot of the guys run in low all of the time, and for roughly 10 minutes befor the battery dies, the PC's start to slow down)
lithium ion or nimh are both good batteries, both can be topped up or stored in the charger, the only problem I have with my PC is the nicad batts, can't top them up, have to use them till they're dead and then have to make sure they can be fully charged before packing away for the night, or leave them uncharged, lithium ions don't have that problem.

Ken.

[bcooke]

You know you can still get the 9 volt batteries for your old Makita. The new higher voltage units are okay but I still love my old Makita 9 volt. I actually prefer the weight distribution too. I spent a day borrowing an 18 volt unit with the battery at the base of the handle and found it quite tiring on my wrist. I prefer the weight in the handle.

-Britton

[bcooke]

I should add that I don't really need the higher torque of the high voltage units either. I use mine mainly for removing sheet metal screws from metal structures and only occasionally for drilling something.

-Britton

[Tim]

The heavy ones are definitely an "acquired taste", so to speak. They are undeniably heavier and bulkier to use. The more a person uses one, however, the more comfortable they become, to the point where an older or lightweight tool feels positively frilly and insignificant in the hand.

I still remember my first cordless drill, a little Makita 9-volt with the in-handle battery cartridge. It was a good tool, and if I still had it I'd keep replacing the batteries. I'm not sure what happened to it, actually.

The mantra of "the right tool for the job" applies to smaller tools as well: if there's no need for a heavier, more powerful too, then there's no need to use one. Don't buy less tool than you need, but don't buy more than you ever anticipate needing either.

Of course the best answer here is to buy several cordless drills, of varying size and power, so that one will always be the right tool for the given job. There is no such thing as too many. I have 4, and it's still not enough. The guy building my new shop was showing off his brand-new Dewalt XRP the other day, and I was quite jealous. For better or for worse, I anticipate a retooling spree over the next few months as I gear up the new shop.

(I'm not too helpful when it comes to frugality. Proceed at your own risk.)

[Tim]

I use mine mainly for removing sheet metal screws from metal structures...

Is this a new job direction, or do you simply do this for thrills?

I can see the headlines now:

SHEET METAL SCREWBALL STRIKES AGAIN
4th metal building collapse this week shows the unique MO of this unknown madman. Story, page B3

[dasein668]

I use mine mainly for removing sheet metal screws from metal structures...

Is this a new job direction, or do you simply do this for thrills?

I can see the headlines now:

SHEET METAL SCREWBALL STRIKES AGAIN
4th metal building collapse this week shows the unique MO of this unknown madman. Story, page B3

HEHEHE

Aren't most airplanes made of sheet metal, though? I don't think its quite as nefarious as you make it sound!

[bcooke]

As much as it would be fun to take down sheet metal structures in the middle of the night I must say Nathan got it right. I use (or rather used) my Makita drill to remove inspection panels on airplanes. During a routine inspection I will remove and install a few hundred screws. Not too much torque needed and I like the balance.

I'm not too helpful when it comes to frugality. Proceed at your own risk

While your honesty is touching, it is too late. Much much, MUCH too late ... Four cordless drills and lusting after more - Incorrigible!

-Britton

[kendall]

Currently I own 5 cordless drills, and two saws, 2 porter cable 19.2v, 2 panasonic 15.6, and an ancient skill industrial 12v, the 19.2's do 90% of the work, and the skill gets used most when I have to climb around as it's lightweight and fairly compact, the two panasonics sit on the shelf most of the time, one is still like brand new, but it's about 4 years old.
I install cabinets and other fixtures, and use one for drilling and one for fastening, saves a lot of time, sometimes have 3 going, one to drill, one to tap, and one to fasten.

The little makita is a good drill, but the long handle on the old style ones always got in my way when I tried to use them for cabinets. I know either makita or hitachi are making a nice compact 18v that's only 4 inches back to front that I'm looking at, as I'm seeing more and more narrow cabinets going in.

Ken