Corded vs Cordless Power Tools

[roboruler]

Originally Posted by Munchskull

Think a 775Pro would be an upgrade?

No a 775pro would not be an upgrade the Dewalt 18volt and "20volt", the stock Dewalt motors are way more powerful. The 775pro most likely wouldn't last long on 18 or 20 volts anyway.

The peak power of the Dewalt 18volt motor is around 1200watts

The peak power of the 775pro run @18volts would be around 780watts

A Banebots 775-18 would most likely be the best replacement, teams probably have quite a few anyway.

[RoboChair]

Originally Posted by Munchskull

Think a 775Pro would be an upgrade?

It would depend on the tool, but I recently repaired a Ryobi I bought at auction(motor was shot) the 775Pro would have had the same output RPMs(might reach a similar wattage at the increased volts). Not sure how long it would deal with the voltage, I would assume the brushes would just wear out faster and would last okay as long as you weren't stalling it.

Would have to ask RC to be sure.

Is that 1200 watts in the DeWalt from testing or a number from DeWalt? I will trust the first, the second is likely false.(nothing against the DeWalt, I just don't trust tool marketing teams)

[GeeTwo]

Originally Posted by RoboChair

The one thing I dislike thoroughly about the DeWalt 20V line is that it is NOT 20 volts, its the EXACT same cells as all the other 18V lines but they advertise it at the nominal voltage and not the cell voltage that every other manufacturer uses.

So they are scamming you into thinking the battery has more voltage when it does not.

/RANT

As a side note, learn to FIX your tools. Most of them use 775's inside them anyway..... We are a resourceful bunch after all, might as well practice.

DeWalt has both an 18V and a 20V line of tools, which are not compatible with each other. My supposition is that 20V was created to be "different" than 18V more than "higher voltage". However they came up with the number, 3946 is happy with the results.

[BrendanB]

While the "20 volts" part might not be correct, I've been a fan of using these small Dewalt drills for personal and robotics projects.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-20...71C2/204279858

While its not used as much, a right angle drill can be really useful especially during those "crisis" moments of a last second fix or redesign late in the year when most of the robot is assembled to get into some tight spots.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-20...740B/203316372

[timytamy]

To echo what others have said, pick a brand (Ryobi/Bosch/DeWalt/Hilti/etc) and invest in their ~18V ecosystem, ie every cordless tool you buy should take the same batteries. Start with a drill and build your stock up from there.

In the event you have a tool that you'd rarely use, (eg we rarely use a circular saw) then it's OK to get a corded version. However, all other things (price/power/durability/etc) being equal, if you can get the same tool that takes the same 18V batteries as the rest of your tools, then purchase the cordless variety.

The thing you want to avoid is having multiple incompatible tools/batteries, it may seem trivial now but down the line it makes management and replacement sooo much easier.

[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.

[frcguy]

Originally Posted by LastChance

Thank you. We are just getting started, and would appreciate being able to reach out to teams who have already done this as we start building our team.

Yeah, no problem! I would be happy to help with anything about your rookie season, and that goes for any pre-rookie/rookie reading this. Just PM me.

Edit: Also, look in to a Right-angle drill. We purchased one and it has been fantastic for drilling in tight spaces on the robot.

[Chief Hedgehog]

Originally Posted by frcguy

For our shop, we purchased all cordless Milwaukee M18 tools for drills and impacts. For us, it allowed us to standardize on one battery which made things very easy. I have lots of experience with Milwaukee tools and they have shown themselves to be high quality with very few issues, and they have been great when any problem arrived.

I will second this. Milwaukee M18 series is incredible with a ton of other tools available to build your arsenal. Plus, the Milwaukee Cabinets easily transport (I have seen a lot of these in other teams' pits) and are built with the M18 series in mind.

We do have other brands in our arsenal - but after using the M18 series, we are not looking anywhere else. In fact after using them, I have started to replace my old personal tools with this line from Milwaukee!

[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.