Cordless Drills

Written By: Joe

When partaking in DIY jobs around the home and garden the last thing you want to do is carry around heavy equipment and fumble around looking for a nearby plug socket, especially for something as simple as putting up a shelf or putting together a chair. Thanks to the advances in technology, we have cordless drills, which means you will not have to worry about any wires or heavy equipment.

Cordless drills are powered by a battery and are ideal for small tasks around the home which don’t require a heavy duty drill. The batteries are in many sizes between 9.6 and 24 volts, ultimately it boils down to the larger the voltage, the longer the battery life. A standard battery should last around 2-4 hours on a full charge.

Although I am quite general in the paragraph above, batteries are actually a very important subject and one you should understand before you go out and purchase a cordless drill. Here is a quick run down of the three types.

The NiMH Cordless Drill Battery

The NiMH Cordless Drill Battery are like a medium range, extremely effective battery. Not only are they lighter and longer lasting than NiCad, but they are also cheaper than Li-Ion which makes them a great product for the average DIY guy or gal.

The NiCad Cordless Drill Battery

When cordless drills were first introduced to the market NiCad was the only available option, and due to their low price point they are still quite popular today, although with the other two superior options available manufactures are slowly moving away from NiCad

The Li-Ion Cordless Drill Battery

In terms of drill batteries Li-ion are the ultimate, not only do they last longer than the previous two types, but they are also more lightweight and are not affected by temperature. The only downside to the Li-ion battery from a consumers point of view is that they are the most expensive type. Although in time as demand increases I can see the price lowering.

As you have probably gathered in terms of drill batteries you do indeed get what you pay for.

Which Brand?

The main players in the cordless drill industry are Black & Decker, Craftsman, Ryobi, Skil, Bosch, Hitachi, Milwaukee, DeWalt, Ridgid and PorterCable. I would definitely recommend going for a brand name product as they are much more reliable and durable. Don’t fear though, even the top brands produce reasonably priced products.

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