Rick Potter
08-07-2008, 1:24 AM
I went to HD the other day, and bought a Ryobi 12V Lithium Ion drill for $79. It came with two batteries and the charger. I thouht it would be a good drill to keep in the truck, for when I am working on my rental house. Being LiIon, I would be ok to keep it there for months at a time without recharging.
Well, I would rate it as a 'miss'. I had a 12V Makita which had a lot more power. The Ryobi feels more like a 7V than a 12. The trigger is not smooth through the speed range, and binds up a bit then goes full speed. I am taking this one back, completely unimpressive.
At the same time I bought a Milwaukee 4V LiIon power screwdriver. It came with two batteries and charger. This baby is the HIT.It feels like it weighs as much as the above Ryobi. It cost $39.
It comes with two 3.0 MAHr batteries, has two speeds, 200 and 600 RPM, comes with a 'smart'' charger that you can leave plugged in, and it will top off the battery when it needs it without overcharging. For a 4V model it seems to have a lot of power. The chuck has a nice feature too. You can pull it to release one bit, and it will stay released till you push the next bit home. You don't need three hands like some models. The clutch works a bit differently than others I have had, too. When the screw is driven in to where the clutch usually ratchets on most older models, it now gives one click and the motor stops. Anyway, I love it and this one is a keeper. It fits nicely in the small tool pouch I grab for any small jobs in the house too.
Rick Potter
Well, I would rate it as a 'miss'. I had a 12V Makita which had a lot more power. The Ryobi feels more like a 7V than a 12. The trigger is not smooth through the speed range, and binds up a bit then goes full speed. I am taking this one back, completely unimpressive.
At the same time I bought a Milwaukee 4V LiIon power screwdriver. It came with two batteries and charger. This baby is the HIT.It feels like it weighs as much as the above Ryobi. It cost $39.
It comes with two 3.0 MAHr batteries, has two speeds, 200 and 600 RPM, comes with a 'smart'' charger that you can leave plugged in, and it will top off the battery when it needs it without overcharging. For a 4V model it seems to have a lot of power. The chuck has a nice feature too. You can pull it to release one bit, and it will stay released till you push the next bit home. You don't need three hands like some models. The clutch works a bit differently than others I have had, too. When the screw is driven in to where the clutch usually ratchets on most older models, it now gives one click and the motor stops. Anyway, I love it and this one is a keeper. It fits nicely in the small tool pouch I grab for any small jobs in the house too.
Rick Potter