GO CORDLESS (part1 of 2) at Halfvalue.com

Batteries vary in chemical composition which give different power output, runtime and weight. the first and most common battery is NiCad or Nickel Cadmium. NiCad's work great in below freezing temperatures. Nickel Metal Hydride, or NiMH batteries, give longer runtime to tools, but generally don't last as long as a NiCad batteries; the overall charge cycles are less. new to the tool industry is Lithium Ion. this battery is an incredible breakthrough in batteries, disrupting the battery standards; you get more power with less weight. MILWAUKEE has a 28 volt lithium ion battery, which weighs as much as an 18 volt NiCad battery, but has twice the power, and they even compete with corded tools! MAKITA, who went a different route than milwaukee, has just released it's lithium ion cordless tools. the MAKITA 18 volt lithium ion has more power than an 18volt NiCad tool, but with the weight of a 12 volt, so you can use the tool all day without fatigue; the perfect combination. Batteries vary in runtime too, depending on their Amp-Hour rating (Ah). MAKITA has 2.6 Ah NiMH batteries, which are great, but PANASONIC, who leads the way in innovation, has a 3.5 Ah NiMH battery. NiMH exceed NiCad batteries in Ah (runtime).

DEWALT has dominated the cordless tool market, but it doesn't mean they have the best tools in every category. they do have great tools and the widest selection in interchangeable battery tools, eg, you can buy a cordless grinder and a finish nailer in same voltage, so you can use the same charger and batteries for a multitude of tools. Dewalt tools are extremely durable. My 18volt drill has fallen off the roof twice and has been dropped from 6' ladders onto concrete floors several times.DEWALT'S 36volt lithium comes soon! MAKITA tools are often better, built with higher quality materials, easily serviceable, superior motors and user changeable brushes. this makes a big difference in maintenance costs. for optimum power output, every tool needs to have it's brushes changed every year of continuous use. in the last few years, MILWAUKEE has really turned their cordless tools into high-quality, heavy duty tools. they now offer a 5 year warranty! PANASONIC leads the way in innovation with their 3.5 Amp-hour NiMH batteries and their digital impact driver. HILTI has excellent cordless tools. they have invented many of the technologies that are in many power tools today. they have had a 36 volt rotary hammer drill for the last 6 years. FESTOOL, from europe, also has some excellent cordless tools. they have a unique 12 volt drill that has removable chucks: a standard chuck for drilling and driving, an off-set chuck that gets into corners, a right-angle chuck, and a quick-change chuck for insty-bits.

There are more than just drills in cordless. some of them, in lower voltage, are not worth getting, eg, a 12 volt saw will cut only a few times before it needs a new battery. tools like circular saws and reciprocating saws are best if they are 28 volts. 18 volt saws are great for limited use, like if you have to make medium-duty cuts on a roof or in a crawl space, but they wont last for cutting out a window or door on one charge.

Cordless drills differ from cordless impact drivers. drills use a regular motor to turn the chuck and drive bits and screws. an impact driver hammers the chuck laterally, with 3 to 4 times the amount of torque. with an impact driver, you can drive huge fasteners like long screws and lag bolts with ease, without tolling battery power. be careful though, if the impact driver doesn't have variable speed, it will break small screws in half. the best, by far, impact driver is the panasonic digital driver. it has 3 speeds and can "snug up" screws without breaking them, even in hardwood! second is the makita. impact drivers are also loud; sometimes you need to hearing protection. something to keep in mind if you want a peaceful work environment.

There are cordless nailers too, which can save you so much time. no heavy compressor to haul around, no hoses to trip over. life is simple with a cordless nailer, especially if you only need it to install one piece of trim for a punch list. PASLODE has had cordless nailers for 20 years now and their tools have held up to the durability-over-time test. PASLODE makes a cordless framing nailer, a 16gauge angled finish nailer, a 16g straight finish nailer, an 18g brad nailer, and a framing stapler. HITACHI now has an awesome cordless framing nailer! SENCO has the ideal in cordless finish nailers. a 15g angled finish nailer, to get into corners and firmly secure trim and an 18g brad nailer for small, thin stock, without splitting. these SENCO tools are great tools,but light-duty. DEWALT has an angled 16g finish nailer and a 16g straight finish nailer. both these tools are 12v, 14.4v or 18v, to make them compatible with cordless tools you already have. STANLEY-BOSTICH's 20.4v roofing nailer is heavy and takes several blows to drive each nail, but it eliminates overdrives and there's no hose to mark up the shingles.

A word of caution about cheap cordless tools. there are many cheap cordless tools, or faux-cordless, and most of them are worthless. many companies have their professional grade CORDLESS tools, like the ones mentioned in this article, and their crapo-grade CORDLESS tools, eg, BOSCH/SKIL, DEWALT/BLACK&DECKER, PORTER-CABLE/DELTA, etc. if i were to rate these cheaper grade tools, it would be as follows: RYOBI, CRAFTSMAN, SKIL, BLACK&DECKER, OTHER (includes: DELTA, GRIZZLY, WAL-MART BRAND, etc.). i refer to RYOBI as "the best piece of crap money can buy." you get what you pay for; if you buy a cheapo, don't expect it to last very long. if you use it once a month, it may last a few years; if you use it every day, it may last a few months. RYOBI and some CRAFTSMAN tools will last much longer.

Some cordless tools worth getting:
'MAKITA 18V LXT Lithium-Ion 4-Pc. Combo Kit- BHP451, BTD140, BSS610, BML185 Model LXT400'
'Milwaukee 0928-29 V28 4-Piece Combo Kit'
'DEWALT DC6KTGA 18-Volt, 6 Tool Cordless Combo Kit'

MAKITA:'Makita 8444DWDE 18V 1/2" MXT Hammer Drill with (2) 2.6AH Batteries', 'MAKITA 18V LXT Lithium-Ion Cordless Impact Driver Kit Model BTD140', 'Makita 6935FDWDE2, 14.4-Volt Cordless Impact Driver Kit with Free 6337 MForce Drill','Makita 6916FDWDE1 12-Volt Impact Driver Kit with L.E.D., includes Bonus 12-Volt Mforce Cordless Drill','Makita DK1870DL 18V 7 Pc. Cordless Combo Kit',
DEWALT:'DEWALT DC988KA 18-Volt XRP 1/2" Hammerdrill/Drill/Driver Kit','DEWALT DW960K-2 Heavy-Duty 3/8" 18V Cordless Right Angle Drill Kit', 'DEWALT DW920K-2 7.2-Volt Heavy Duty Cordless Screwdriver Kit','DEWALT DC618KA 18-Volt 16-Gauge 20-Degree Angled Finish Nailer Kit', 'DEWALT DC616KA 18-Volt 16-Gauge Straight Finish Nailer Kit'
PANASONIC:'Panasonic EYC102B 12 Volt Digital Impact and Drill/Driver Combo Pack including EY7202GKW and EY6409 Drill Body'
MILWAUKEE:'Milwaukee 0923-29 18V 1/2" Lok-Tor Hammer-Drill, Sawzall "The Hatchet", Circular Saw & Worklight Combo Kit'
PORTER-CABLE:'Porter-Cable 9987QP 19.2-Volt Cordless Quad Pack','Porter-Cable 9290 19.2-Volt Cordless Router'
BOSCH:'Bosch CPK60-18 6 Piece 18 Volt Cordless Combo Kit powered by BlueCore'
METABO:'Metabo 02410 Power Grip 4.8-Volt Cordless Screwdriver with Flashlight'
HITACHI:'Hitachi NR90GC 3-1/2" Gas Strip /Clipped-Head Nailer'
SENCO:'Senco AF25 Air Free 5/8" to 2-1/8" 18-Gauge Brad Nailer','Senco AF41 Air Free 1-1/4" to 2-1/2" 15-Gauge Brad Nailer'
PASLODE: 'Paslode 900420 Impulse Cordless Framing Nailer','Paslode 900600 Impulse Angle Finish Nailer','Paslode 901000 Impulse Cordless Finish Nailer','Paslode 900078NT Paslode Siding Stapler'
STANLEY-BOSTICH: 'Bostitch CRN38K 20.4-Volt Cordless Roofing Nailer w/Case'
HILTI: TE 6-A (36volt), SF 4000-A (drywall), SF 180-A (18volt)
FESTOOL: CDD 12CE