Corded vs Cordless Power Tools

[cbale2000]

We use battery powered Dewalt drills, but since we only have like 3 batteries and 1 charger (that works, anyways) I make sure we always bring the old corded drill we have with us to events. It's saved us on a few occasions were the other drills were either dead or not strong enough for something.

We also use a corded Dremel tool, but that's mostly just because the battery powered versions don't seem to work as good.

In theory, battery powered is the way to go, but you have to make an investment in a decent number of spare batteries and chargers to make it practical.

[InFlight]

We use cordless drills (Dewalt) only, which is usually limited to some on robot modification. Otherwise we use full size machine tools.

We also have a battery powered band saw that we bring along for our competition pits.

[marshall]

We switched from Ryobi to Makita LXT for cordless this past year. It has been a great upgrade and I'm happy we made the switch. The extended life batteries can last an entire competition without a recharge it seems so one less charger running in the pit.

[IndySam]

It's hard to beat the power of a corded drill when you are drilling a lot of holes or big holes. It is nice to have one around for those occasional needs.

[Chief Hedgehog]

Originally Posted by IndySam

It's hard to beat the power of a corded drill when you are drilling a lot of holes or big holes. It is nice to have one around for those occasional needs.

Aside from my glowing report for the Milwaukee M18 Series - we do have three of these Dewalt corded drills and they are workhorses. In fact, I use these in my Metals/Welding classes (where 200+ students use them each year) and they haven't balked at any work we have thrown at them.

[Jay H 237]

Overall I lean torwards corded because they will work when you need them. Pits have power, so a non issue, other than a possible cord in the way as mentioned. A good cordless drill is almost a must though. You will use it a lot and having the different clutch settings is great. I would still have a good corded one though, I personally carry a 1/2" Milwaukee Magnum Hole Shooter with me during build season. Great for demanding jobs (think hole saws or step drills) and doesn't heat up or wear down batteries like a cordless does. I have a 18v 1/2" chuck DeWalt cordless I use otherwise. I use the battery DeWalt for most stuff but go right to the corded Milwaukee for heavy repeticious stuff.

They all have their place. Lastly, for any tools not often used I'd go corded unless it would take the same battery as one more commonly used on you team. It would be more dependable (and cheaper, no battery replacement) for something that may sit for months during off season and shorten battery life for a tool rarely used and then when needed not work due to bad batteries.

Team 237 has a 1/2" corded Sioux angle drill "Penguin" that gets a lot of use. Good for tight quarters and even carefully power taping. Just leave the tap on the loose side in the chuck so if it gets caught it spins and not snaps off. There is a feel to it you get after awhile.

[asid61]

I have a Ryobi set at home, although we use Makitas in robotics and the woodshop. I have 2 regular drills and an impact drill.
I personally like the Ryobi better because it's a little faster to swap out batteries, the batteries are larger, it makes a really satisfying snapping noise when you put new batteries in. However, functionality wise both the Makitas and Ryobi are good.

[GeeTwo]

Originally Posted by IndySam

It's hard to beat the power of a corded drill when you are drilling a lot of holes or big holes. It is nice to have one around for those occasional needs.

Yes, yes. At the house, I use essentially all corded tools, and handheld tools only when I'm drilling into walls and such. Fortunately, on the FRC team we haven't had to swiss cheese our robot since our rookie year, so we've been able to work well with cordless tools.