Cordless drills and cordless power tools
Popular Wood working did a test on cordless drills and this is what they said. After testing 16 professional and consumer model cordless tools, we know that 12 volts is enough for woodworkers, and there are lots of quality power tools to choose from .
Cordless drills are pretty amazing. Theyre portable, pack lots of power and have features that most corded drills dont offer. Cordless power tools get less expensive every year, and the competition is so tight that there are lots of great power tools available. But cordless tools are not all created equal, and we tested a bunch of them so we can tell you which cordless drills to buy.
Putting Them to the Test
When we test tools at Popular Wood working, we like to say its real-life testing. Monitors and fancy machinery can tell you many things, but what you really want to know is how much work youll get out of the tool For our test we completely discharged each battery, then recharged, then discharged the battery again. After one more complete charge we were ready to test. For the first test we took a brand new 1/2" Speed bore spade bit (one for each cordless drill) and started drilling holes completely through 11/2"-thick poplar boards. Because the amount of force and speed applied in a drilling process can alter the results in such a test, we had two editors (one male, one female) repeat the tests, then we averaged the completed holes on one battery charge. All cordless drills were tested in the high-speed range setting (when available) and with clutches set to zero torque resistance (or screwing mode). For the second test, we sank 1/4"-diameter by 11/2" - long lag bolts into 11/2"-thick cabinet-grade plywood. This test was performed with the power tools speed setting on low, providing maximum torque, and again with the clutches set on zero torque resistance. Finally we took a look at the ergonomics of the power tools. Each member of our staff evaluated the grip, balance, ease of use for the battery release, chuck, clutch and variable- speed triggers, and came up with an average rating for each cordless drill. We then averaged all the individual scores and came up with an ergonomic rating for each cordless tool. We also decided to divide the cordless drills into consumer and professional categories to fairly compare cordless tool to cordless tool, but our testing also lets you see how the consumer models compare to the pro's .
Initial Reactions
Overall we reinforced our opinion that 12 volts is more than enough power for every task in a wood shop. We also determined that single-speed cordless drills
aren t as versatile or useful as multi-speed drills, and if the price is nearly the same, opt for multiple speeds. Whenever possible, a smart charger is preferable. Smart chargers offer a maintenance or trickle - charge after completely charging
the battery, allowing you to leave the battery in the charger without causing any reduction in battery performance. Our preference is for single sleeve chucks with a locking clutch. Single-sleeve chuck shave a locking motor shaft and a single chuck sleeve to tighten the chuck, while two-sleeve models have a free-spinning shaft and require two hands to tighten the chuck. A locking clutch makes a clicking noise as it tightens completely against the bit (sort of like locking the gas cap on your car). Another preference is for a lighter and well-balanced cordless drill, but only when in tandem with adequate power and performance .Weve included stated torque statistics from the manufacturer in the chart below, but we found during our testing that those torque ratings tend to be a maximum torque,not continuous torque .The maximum torque will help you break loose a stuck bolt, but when sinking a bolt in 11/2" - t hick wood, the drill cant exert continuous
maximum torque.
Features, Pro & Con
Its important to mention a couple features here that may or may not be important in your purchasing decision. Many of the consumer models offer some type of level built in to the power tool. This may be a useful feature if youre a first-time, or very occasional cordless tool user, and as such this feature belongs on the consumer cordless drills. Once you get comfortable with a cordless tool, this feature becomes superfluous. All the cordless drills tested include two batteries. This is less a feature these days than a requirement. While recharge times have gotten shorter and run times longer, its still comforting to have a second battery. And if youve checked into the price of replacement batteries, you know its also a valuable feature.
Final Results
Again, we were impressed with almost all the cordless drills performances, especially with a couple of the consumercordless drills that could have competed nicely with the professionals. In particular we were impressed with the performance of the Craftsman consumer model (Craftsman is redesigning its professional 12-volt model and it was unavailable for testing at this time), and the Hitachi continues to be a great buy for performance, and includes a flashlight and a decent bit set. In the professional category we were impressed and disappointed with some of the performers. We were expecting the Panasonic to do well in the test, but we were surprised how strong a performer it was, earning top marks. Makita, Metabo and Festool all deserve recognition for good performances (though were still not sold on the very high price of the Festool unit). A little disappointing was the performance of the usual favorites, Porter- Cable and DeWalt. While not knocking
our socks off, they did OK. Porter-Cable, however, does get good marks for being significantly less expensive while still providing a quality tool. So, if youre looking for an inexpensive, reliable, quality drill for your home shop, look to the
Craftsman. And if youre looking for a tool to put in your daily use home shop, or pro shop, look to Panasonic for extraordinary results, or save a few bucks and
buy a perfectly capable Porter-Cable at a $55 savings. PW
For the conculsion on the test go to ( http://www.popularwoodworking.com/features/tooltest.asp ) scroll down till you see 12 volt drill reveiw
by David Thiel
Comments or questions? Contact David at 513-531-2690 ext. 1255
or david.thiel@fwpubs.com.
