counterpoint: i cant pretend like i'm loading a gun before starting work when changing the battery, and my lizard brain needs things like that.
this post was submitted on 14 Mar 2024
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Finally, a comm for that one user who hand-makes longbows. This ones for you, comrade.
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That's the same part of your brain that decides a stick is cool and you should swing it like a sword just to hear that "woosh" sound. It is to be cherished.
dudes rock
counterpoint: i dont have to deal with a long cord when i use my cordless drill to scratch my butthole
For most tasks the power of a 12V or 18V battery drill is fine and the batteries are actually a convenience because you don't have to mess around with extension cords and positioning the cord out of your way.
Point-by-point for the corded drill:
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Charging batteries has never been a hassle for me, it's definitely easier than extension cords.
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It's definitely true that cordless stuff is a bigger target for getting stolen, including batteries.
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Sure but cords can fray or get cut or melt so I think this is a wash.
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This is true if you're spending many hours every day using these tools but at that point you'd just have reserve packs because you're a pro.
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This doesn't seem to happen very much, the different battery packs stick around for a very long time. There's also solid aftermarket options.
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In my experience cordless tools are lighter both because you don't have to carry part of the cord weight and because manufacturers know you'll be carrying them around and design them to be lighter. They also all offer smaller capacity batteries for the situations in which you want light tools, like for plumbers.
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Cords suck in cramped situations. Battery powered tools you can use with one hand are now industry standard because they're way better for this.
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Traditionally you did still need a case for corded power tools you're lugging around or trying to keep dust off of. I think it breaks even between having to carry cords around vs. batteries. Consider this: 7 corded tools have 7 cords but you probably only need 5-6 batteries for 10-12 cordless tools to have them work all day long + have 2 charging at any given time.
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The batteries are pretty simple commodities and don't add much complexity. Just throw out a bad one and buy a new one or sell them to someone to refurbish.
You make a good point about power! If you want to use various attachments, e.g. an abrasive disc, the difference in power between a 12V battery drill and a corded drill makes a huge difference. Though not so much for a 36V or 40V battery drill.
There are all intresting points. I get the vibe that it might be for more pro useage? Like having 7 to 12 tools. I have 1 power tool I do much with and it's just the drill. There's a few more I'd like to pick up but I haven't needed them so far. So I get by with hand tools. I'm thinking of people in my situation which is "DIY". Pros have their own systems going on. Maybe this makes sense for them
If you are an occasional user do you just leave it charging 24/7 in case you need it? Doesn't that cost on the power bill? Or you leave it un charged and then charge it prior to use? Sometimes i don't touch my drill for 6 months then I pick it up and use it for 16 hours 3 days in a row. Am liable to find out after 7 hours that it just don't have the juice anymore? My experience with batteries is they don't like to be left for a long time.
I would be more comfortable with cordless tools if they came with a power cord you could use instead of a battery. Like a conversion unit. I looked into DIYing that any it was above my pay grade.
Chargers will bring a battery to full, then disable the charging circuit. Theyll monitor the battery voltage, and assuming its on the charger just sitting for months (it takes a long ass time for unused good cells to lose enough voltage to kick the charger back on. A milwaukee 18v slow charger pulls about 250-300 watts, which isnt much) the charger still uses some power when plugged in and not charging, but very little. I would imagine maybe 50 watts or less.
Also lithium cells have a charge/discharge life span. Think roughly 300-350 charges before degraded wnough to warrant replacement. That means that one battery pack, charged daily, will last about one year before it could stand to be replaced.
I built a deck recently with a corded drill and a battery operated drill. I used the corded drill for a few things (some huge construction screws that needed a lot of torque), but I just worked so much faster when I didn't have to think about a cord getting wrapped around things or it being too short. It's faster to work with a more convenient tool.
Nah, this ain’t it. I’ve worked with drills and impact drivers. I’ve never once had any issue with cordless and never not regretted being in a situation where I had to use a corded
Context: this is within a retail context where we were rebuilding the racking and beams. Not a lot of outlets
atm the main advantage for me is that any battery options tend to be both more expensive and lock me into a battery ecosystem. That seems to be the deciding factor atm for my bullshit garage stuff
Gotcha, I never paid for any of the tools I used. Work provided them. That does seem to be an important factor.
If we ignore cost, I don’t see a single benefit to corded. If we are paying for the tools ourselves, I fully see your points.
Some sort of DIY Mod rig that universalises all battery connections, you say? 
(I also get why some people are cagey about DIYing stuff off mains power, but at the same time it's a pretty direct connection without many capacitors to a torque delivery system, so I think it could be pretty safe honestly)
Uh, I feel kinda dumb reading this because I don’t get the connection
Oh, making a little thing that allows you to connect RYOBI connectors to BOSCH. There's someone else doing a DIY electrolysis thing here on hexbear, and this is sort of related. I guess it allows for battery piracy for tools?
Sorry, I may have jumped a step somewhere
"Cordless tools are better as long as someone else is obligated to resolve all the downsides for me"
Quality and ease of acquisition are not the same. You can also resolve the issue by stealing it. Most hardware stores have a limit before they call the police that’s above the cost of a combo pack drill +impact driver
Idk a few months ago I needed to do a carpentry project so I borrowed my friend's cordless drill. It put maybe 5 holes and screws in and then crapped out. All the cordless drills in the local tool library are the same way. I didn't feel like shelling out $100 or more, so I went to the pawn shop. Found a corded drill for just under $30, and it works like a charm, I put in about 90 screws with and I know it will always serve me well in any 50-foot radius of an outlet. It is not destined to be junk, and just might outlive me (I grew up in the '00s).
Sure, there are hypothetical remote use cases where I wouldn't be able to preassemble something, but I'd bring along a generator or a Jackery-type station for that anyway.
That makes sense, I was at a hardware place so they just scanned some of the Makita stuff as store use. We were mostly using attachments to remove/put on various things to metal beams so I can’t speak to their quality for anything wood related.
Was it an older one at the pawn? Not to sound like a boomer but tool quality really has plummeted over the years. I have some corded Dewalt stuff my grandpa left me and the new stuff is worse.
In hindsight I was biased because many of the use cases I was using it for were high up or in very awkward positions inside bays.
Yeah, it's a Dewalt, there's a number on the side that starts with 2006.
I'm not going to pretend like I do the most work with it or that my carpentry skills are anywhere near top-notch. But I do like an old tool. And I promise I'm not atavistic or anything, I just like simplified supply chains and appropriate technology.
Simple supply chains are pleasing, none of that just in time shit.
Maybe we're not most people since these tools get used daily in our lives, but I can't imagine having to be tied to a cord to use our drill or impact.
Do you do anything outside with them? Or in really weird, tight spots or otherwise away from things, like eaves or attic or whatever?
To me, it seems like a cord would be a hindrance anywhere that's not indoors and/or sensibly designed, but that might be because I've been doing outdoorsy-diy things while living in some really poorly designed (and maintained) houses in rural areas.
to be fair i listed being outdoors as a use case for cordless. i was thinking about listing being at heights (doing exteriors, building a tree house, or on a roof) but I thought mostly that was covered by outside. I guess being in an attic (or a basement) without power is not quite outside.
you're definitely not most people because most people (on planet earth) live in cities.
thinking about it, cordless drill might also be required if you are using it for some sort of nighttime extra legal activities like independent unsanctioned art installations.
Me withy my assortment of hundred foot long power cables.
thinking about it, cordless drill might also be required if you are using it for some sort of nighttime extra legal activities like independent unsanctioned art installations
The battery powered angle grinder is one of the 21st centuries greatest tools for liberation.
It's so ... brazen you can go in the daytime depending on the target.
Twice my bike lock has seized up and I had to get someone with an angle grinder to remove the lock. 3pm, busy street, lots of foot/vehicle/cycle traffic. 2 greazy people standing around obviously stealing a bike: huge noise, flames and everything. The most dramatic way to do it. Not a single word or gesture that anyone would give a shit. That is white privilege and noone can tell me otherwise.
Of course my seized bike lock was available at any time.. some use cases require more delicacy. Finesse. Romance was not considered in my top post but perhaps it should have been. The people should of course use the tool which gets the job done in the safest way; the safety assessment including the whole environment of course.
What if the Stonewall rioters had had a few fully charged cordless powertools hanging around? They could have sealed those cops in the bar properly for one thing. ^1^
The lesson is: for hot summer nights, go cordless.
1 - Tangent: What if we let cops into pride but they are only allowed to play their parts in the ritual reenactments? Usually it just reenact the marching around part. But it would be better to start earlier in the night of the First Pride. To include more original Christopher Street events modified to suit the modern times of course! the cops can come, in their uniforms and everything like they want. No guns plz, this is a family event. they start doing ritual cop stuff. trying to get a bribe, harassing, puffing chests out, or talking about how they should be at pride; whatever cop shit they want. but then they will become completely overwhelmed, get pelted with pennies, endure the mocking gangs of the crowd, and then locked in a bar with no fire exit or water or communications which people will "symbolically" attempt to ignight. That's where the cordless drill comes in. Close that shit nice n tight. This is where the CORDLESS DRILL comes in: 🔩🚪🕵️♀️🔩 Meanwhile, LGBTTSQIA+ march around the city. Cops learn why they don't want to be at pride.
I think I'll make a new thread for that.
You plastic people of the Space Age disgust me, daring to harness the power of the gods for your own ends. Channeling it through tools made of a substance abhorrent to nature. You ought be using a hand brace and an eggbeater drill. Would probably be best to go back to the pump drill or bow drill. And, of course, you should live in a mud hovel or pit house, as the Gods intended men to live.
I unironically want a hand-powered drill and blender, maybe a couple others too.
Look at these and tell me if it's possible to not want one.
I replied to the prior comment about my manual drills. They are great. :D
I legit have 1 of each. For the curious, here is a picture of 4 different manual drills. We are talking about the first (brace) and third ("egg beater" actually I think just called a hand drill):
I really liked the brace until the ratchet mechanism on the chuck failed. I think a spring fell out or something; I couldn't manage to fix it after a bit of online research. I might get another one. It's nice and quiet which is good because nobody likes the noise of a drill. Originally I bought it because I was working nights and wanted to work on projects on my days off. But it turns out people don't love it when you are using power tools at 3am on a tuesday. But I found it gives great control and feel for what you are doing. It doesn't take as much effort as you would think. You can use your body and gravity to help like this
But it's slower or course. Hardwood can be a chore. The holes it makes are beautiful and perfect compared to what I can make with my corded drill. You can get closer to press quality. I never find smaller widths. There are no 1/8" auger bits, which is the most usual size I use for predrilling. I think they'd be too fragile.
The crank drill I haven't used much as I took it apart to service it and forgot to put it back together.... Maybe I should get to that.
The main problem for me is that the manual drills are not forgiving of cheap bits. You really have to get nice, new auger bits. I got some "vintage" ones but the tips were mostly busted up and that's not repairable. You can get the tool itself for $20-50 used but you're gonna need to spend well upwards of $100 on just a few bits.
I haven't found a non-powered way to drive the screws comfortably. I've screwed up my hands in various ways with screwdrivers. I'd like to get something a bit more ergonomic.
But you missed the one kind of manual drill that I would recommend to anyone. Even if you are too casual to justify owning any other kind of drill. A set of auger gimlets. This is what modern ones look like:
If you just need to pre drill a couple holes, sometimes it's less work to just do it by hand than go get the power drill. Sometimes they are helpful when going into a weird material like lathe and plaster. They don't do well with hardwood mind. Though you can force them by putting a screwdriver or something through the eyehole for more torque.
Oh, I did forget about gimlets. I should get me some of those.
I don’t have anything useful to add, I just want to share my own misadventures with the hand brace. I’d found a brace at a local consignment store. Good working order, no rust, I think I paid $5 for it. But I’ve never been able to find any of the bits that those chucks take. I’ve heard of braces made with a chuck that could take modern octagonal bits, but the one I’ve got needs the traditional square-shanked bit. I ended up buying modern auger bits at the hardware store, and ultimately I was able to drill a 3/4” hole through a 4x4, so it can be made to work. But it was a pain.
Last year I found a complete set of vintage bits online for $100. 13 bits, from 1/4” to 1”. But for me a hundred bucks is a lot to spend on what are ultimately specialty drill bits. Especially when I know I could go to the hardware store and buy a cheap cordless drill, a set of general purpose bits, and also auger bits for probably under $75. For me the hand brace is an aesthetic choice, not a practical one. I like that there’s no noise, I like that it doesn’t need power, I like that there’s no plastic components. But I don’t need it. I don’t need to worry about the noise, I’ve never been without electric power a day in my life, it’s a largely impractical aesthetic choice.
So I bought the bits, because what’s the point in being practical? And they came unsharpened. I need a safe-edged file to sharpen them with, but I don’t have a bench grinder, and I’ve been too lazy to borrow my old man’s. Also, I’m definitely worried I’ll ruin my bits by filing them wrong.
Tangentially, Peter Follansbee has a good blog post about some historical wooden hand braces, I wanna say from Dutch colonists from the late 17th century. If I can dig it up I’ll post a link.
If your drill is powerful enough and the bit gets stuck, your corded drill being more powerful means you run the risk of injuring your wrist and or wrapping the cable around your arm very tightly.
That's the only downside but I have seen it happen. Not in a home setting though and i presume the home depot brand won't break your wrist
that's crazy. the bit got stuck? then the user just kept squeezing the trigger harder until finally it moved strongly and unexpectedly? or do you mean maybe the trigger got stuck? My drill only goes when you depress the trigger. But I could see use cases for a drill with an "on" switch. That would have to be carefully deployed. To be honest I'd be nervous about something like that.
I think you need to respect tools and use them safely; any tool can hurt you if you use it wrong. Like hurting your wrist by using too much torque sounds like not holding the device properly. Couldn't that also hurt you with a cordless unit? If that big battery is swinging around uncontrolled, couldn't it get you? I don't see how the cord creates the problem. If it's too powerful, turn down the torque. My drill has a torque adjustment collar and I prefer that to something that gets stronger as you squeeze it harder.
I remember how I got the claw end of my own hammer in my face. I was trying to sink 3" spikes in an awkward, enclosed space. Standing on a ladder set up in the snow if I recall. I tried to get it done without being up in the small space but couldn't aim properly or get enough swing or something. Whatever the reason I had to get up in the tight space myself. I swung the hammer hard enough to sink the spike, in which case the force would have been transferred into the nail. but I missed the nail so it hit the soft wood and bounced off right into my face. Lucky I didn't take out my own eyeball. Got it in the forehead and had to go around with a mark of shame for a day or two. Since it was winter it wasn't too visible but I felt it! That's not the hammer's fault and I wouldn't tell people to avoid hammers with claws because of it. But I do keep my safety goggles more readily at hand these days.
When a bit gets stuck there's a delay between when it's cranking the shit out of your wrist and when your body reacts to try and prevent injury. You can hurt yourself quite a bit with a powerful drill this way.
But this is really more about using a cheap drill without features like a clutch than corded vs. not.
I suppose it's relevant that they were drilling into steel when i say the bit got stuck and they were already on full blast
A cordless drill is better because there are some use cases that require it - so then you have two drills and you could have just had one.
If you are an occasional user do you just leave it charging 24/7 in case you need it? Doesn't that cost on the power bill? Or you leave it un charged and then charge it prior to use?
If this is your fear, then yot should actually just get a cordless drill because the charge lasts for years.
Perhaps is good advice if you are heavy drill user. As someone who, even when doing big ol' DIY, works a few hours at a time, and isn't using the cordless drill 95% of that time, one battery charge will see me through days of drill-busy work, means the only real disadvantage is I gotta remember to put the battery in the charger when I'm done sometimes.
Also generic chinese copies of the battery are available online (some actually have a higher capacity than the manufacturer's own), so I'm not trapped :)
Id be extremely wary of buying any battery packs with anything other than LG, Samsung, Molicel, or Sanyo batteries in them.
Those cheap chinese batteries use no name cells that typically fib about capacity and amperage. There is also a tradeoff wrt capacity versus amperage. Currently, you can get one, but not both. Harder hitting cells are usually lower capacity, and higher capacity packs usually use a lower amperage rated cell. Theres tradeoffs as with everything.
I agree you should be wary. Especially if you're buying specific-fit batteries like drill packs, I'd suggest just looking for batteries with the exact same specs and shape as the manufacturer, as they'll probably just be from the same factory.
In my case, my drill was old and used a nickel-cadmium battery, the new one was Li-ion, so the capacity was very plausibly (and indeed, is) higher than the original, and I could, indeed "get both" ;)
Fuck that. Cords are annoying
Yeah, I'm down to save money on most corded power tools but a battery drill/driver are so convenient
Literally the only advantage of corded is power. But when you need it, you need it.
I’d say get both, and you’ll use cordless 95% of the time. But if you can only get one get corded, because that 5% matters.
when I was 12 I always loved using the corded drill at my after school club because it cut through the wood like butter
If you're talking corded tools in general, I mostly agree. But a cordless impact driver is way better than corded. Can't imagine trying to do wall, ceiling, or roof projects with a corded driver.
I am a plumber. I work predominantly wet environments, sometimes with power, sometimes no.
Wet area? Cordless. Rough in work before the slab is poured/temp power setup on site? Cordless. Tunneling under a home to repair plumbing, cordless. In the small town i live in there are two tunnel/trench companies to ferret work out to. One company lost two guys to electric shock due to improper training, no GFCI box, and extension cords in a wet tunnel. Id rather not get hung up like those two guys did so no cords in a tunnel.
I carry a hole hawg which is corded, backup corded stuff in case something shits the bed mid work, and a few corded tools that i use regularly for certain things (drill for hub saver, rotary hammer for setting anchors in concrete, and demo hammers which wont run on anything but mains voltage). Some of my tools, for pressing copper, or crimping/expanding PEX, only offer manual versions or battery powered, no corded options exist.
Id love to be a le to use corded stuff mostly. Lighter, less fussy bits to fuck up and stop working, moar power than cordless, usually cheaper, easier to get running agin.
when I was last on a job site it was a long time ago; cordless tools weren't really good enough for regular use and would only be considered disposables. but not to rely on. i worked with a guy whose sawsall had a damaged cord which he had fixed with tape. but we were working in pretty wet conditions on the regular so he was just kind of constantly zzzzapzzzapping himself while working. you'd just hear "shit" "fuck" "damn" whenever it was in use. totally normal non union jobsite stuff.
but like even if your cord is pristine it's not great to be dragging it through a puddle especially once you start having a daisy chain of extension cords. that's what I was thinking of to put wet conditions as probably use of cordless. But I don't know if they are good to us if it's wet from the sky (raining) rather than wet from the ground.
If you're in a situation that a battery can get lost or stolen, you're in a position the entire tool can get lost or stolen...