Rigid 18V (on sale $89) vs Rigid 12V drills

[tom coleman]

I am nearing 70 and want to shift to lighter lithium drill for general household use........won't be driving 40 screws at a whack. I had pretty much convinced myself to buy the Rigid Multi tool pack.......12 volt driver with 2 extra heads for $199. A fellow creeker commented that he had this 12V drill and was very pleased and found this drill had all the torque he needed to drive 3 inch screws into a 4 x 4.

Today HD has the 18V version on sale for $89 vs $139 for the 12V drill. Hard to pass up.

Anyone know if Rigid is planning on haveing 2 familioes of lithium tools. Can I expect to find a growing family of attachments and accessories for both ther 12V and 18V lines?

Whicjh way to flop? Thanks!

[Jerry Olexa]

I'd go for the 18V lithium....generally better to have more torque than less...That's a good value also IMHO

[Bruce Wrenn]

I have several of the 12V ones. I don't find it cost effective to constantly be changing out bits and drivers, but I do earn my living with tools. To caveats on the LI batteries, they don't like being left out in the cold at night, and be absolutely sure to fill out the "lifetime Service Agreement." I'm ready to replace, for the second time, a set of batteries. No problem, other than having to go to the service center twice.

[Joseph Tarantino]

i thought lithium ions were supposed to be better than nicads. i have several 18v ridgid tools and combo kits, and their old 24v li combo kit

http://www.ridgid.com/Tools/RIDGID-XLi-24-Volt-Lithium-Ion-Combo-Kit/EN/index.htm

i find its battery life is not as reliable or long as the nicads, especially the 18v 2.5 amp hour nicads. also, my other nicads (14.4, 12v and 9.6v) all seem to hold a charge longer than the 24v Li. just passing along my experience FWIW.

[Steve Peterson]

The Li-ion batteries should hold their charge longer than Nicad. The problem appears to be that the Li-ion batteries are much more expensive, so the tool vendors all seem to have downsized the batteries. The full capacity batteries are really expensive.

The mini size Li-ion batteries should work just fine for Tom. Compare the weight of the drill plus battery for both types.

Steve

[Prashun Patel]

I have the 12v LiIon combo (driver + impact driver). I never use the IDriver, but the drill/driver is wonderful. It gets into tighter areas, is light, holds a great charge, and has a chuck.

The only thing to be aware is that Ridgid makes 2: a dual speed and a single speed. The one I have is single speed. So, it's not good for drilling much more than pilot holes in drywall for pictures. But I use it for driving, and it's has wonderful torque.

All this is to say, I vote for the 12v, but get the dual speed version - even if it means forgoing a package deal with an impact driver or light or radio or coozie.