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Thread: How Much Amp/Hr Recommended for 1/2" Cordless Drill/Driver?

  1. #16
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
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    65,685
    I use the 3 and 5 AH batteries with my Bauer 20v tools. The only time I use the small 1.4 ah units that came with some of them is when I want/need more compact/lighter/quick work.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  2. #17
    Join Date
    Nov 2014
    Location
    Allentown, PA
    Posts
    188
    There is no noticeable weight difference between a 3 and 5 A-Hr Makita battery, making the only decision price vs. longevity before recharge.

  3. #18
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Perth, Australia
    Posts
    9,467
    Quote Originally Posted by Don Stephan View Post
    Time to replace my old 18V cordless 1/2" PC drill/driver. Looking at DeWalt offerings at one big box store, one model includes two 1.6 Amp-hour batteries and charger for $99, another includes just one 5 amp-hr battery and charger for $199 (brushless motor). No label on my PC battery so I don't know its Ah rating. Seems like quite a difference between the two batteries. Would they have comparable power to drill a 1/2" twist drill hole in wood, just different run times?
    I have a 10.8v (Festool C12), which is rated 12v in the USA. I think that this has 1.5 ah batteries. This is perfect for a workshop, for drilling and driving, with two batteries. 10.8v may sound low, but it is effectively the same power as 12v. I also have a Festool DRC 18/4, which is 18v. It is a powerhouse. Once again, 18v is the same as 20v. Just marketing. I use 3.1 ah batteries here as they are light and hold a charge for as long as I need (very big difference between 3 and 5 ah in size and weight with Festool). And again, if working from a workshop, just keep another on charge. A bigger battery will not give more power.

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

  4. #19
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    Shorewood, WI
    Posts
    897
    As Derek pointed out, it depends on what you’re doing. In the shop I prefer the smaller 12v/10.8v Bosch tools (some are labeled each way, but they are the same. It’s just a question of whether you measure voltage just after charging, or average). Outside where I need more power and want the charge to last longer it’s mostly M18 fuel. Large amp hour batteries are particularly helpful with saws and routers that draw more power.

    Think of it this way: you are paying for the batteries, and they throw in the tools to sweeten the deal. If you need more batteries it will cost almost as much to replace them as their original cost with tool. (With what I’d call standard brands of Bosch, Milwaukee, Makita, Dewalt. Festool may be a different story.). The pricing you list makes sense that way: a 5 AH battery is more than double two 1.6 AH batteries, and the tool doesn’t add much cost. So get the batteries now that you want to use.

    Brushless is worth it in my opinion.
    Last edited by Alan Schwabacher; 05-14-2022 at 1:32 PM.

  5. #20
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Location
    Florida
    Posts
    1,950
    The best time to buy Milwaukee tools is when the rep is at the store and they are throwing in free batteries. I got a ton of batteries that way, which of course ties me to their brand, but also means I can go a long time before needing to buy batteries. This is the hook that got me to switch from Makita. Went for a replacement battery and ended up switching tool lines because as mentioned, the batteries cost more than the tools. Free batteries were hard to resist. LOL

  6. #21
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Location
    San Benito, TX
    Posts
    65
    I run a two man cabinet & trim carpentry business, and own various Makita and Dewalt cordless tools and have minimal complaints with each brand. My brother buys only Milwaukee because of their customer service and repair department. He runs a 15 man metal fab business and regularly sends out of warranty tools back to Milwaukee which get repaired or replaced at no cost. If I were re-tooling I'd be buying Milwaukee.

  7. #22
    For my Dewalt 20V drill and impact driver, I use 1.5 to 2AH batteries as they are lighter. I have plenty of 6AH flexvolt and a 4AH and 5AH that came with other tools. I will sometimes use a 4 or a 5, but very rarely. As a DIYer, the small batteries tend to last as long as I do for the few hours I'm working. The impact is more likely to run out for me driving lots of screws; but I always have another battery available, so don't really get annoyed by it.

  8. #23
    Join Date
    Oct 2019
    Location
    North of I-84
    Posts
    82
    My 18v Makita LXT drill and my 18v Makita LXT impact driver both came with 3.0 amp/hr batteries. The impact driver has enough power to destroy DeWalt driver bits when extracting stuck old stainless screws from weathered aluminum. Meanwhile my older12v Ryobi lightweight drill came with unknown amp/hr OEM NiMH batteries that long ago died and have been replaced with Chinese Li Ion batteries of suspect real ratings. I believe they claimed 3.0 amp/hr but they don't weight as much as the Makita 3's. I would never attempt to drill a 1/2" hole with that drill since it weights about 1/2 of either Makita tool. But it is handy for a couple of quick smaller holes in soft wood. Somewhere in the back of my tool cabinet is an old old AC powered Craftsman drill that for years I used for heavy duty drilling. The thing is a beast, you had better have a tight grip on it, but it of course suffers from the cord's overall 6' length.

  9. #24
    Join Date
    Oct 2016
    Location
    Ogden, UT
    Posts
    1,659
    Blog Entries
    1
    Hitachi Metabo for me

    I've thrown a LOT at the 1.5 Ah / 18 V batteries and they were fine (8+ years). I upgraded a few years ago to their 36v / 18v 2.5 Ah batteries (because I picked up a cordless nailer and cordless circular saw).

    The latter batteries (36v / 18v) are beasts and will definitely "wake up" your drills and drivers. But that doesn't mean the small ones aren't good enough for a drill and driver. Again, I've thrown a lot of things at these drills over time (metal and wood) and the small batteries are totally fine, esp for hobby / house project use. The ONLY downside is charging time vs charge run down time, but with the new 'fast' chargers that's no longer a big deal. This aspect is probably different brand to brand.

    I honestly don't think any brand is worth complaining about. I've used other people's super small DeWalts, Milwaukees, etc and they were awesome. I doubt any mainstream brand is a bad brand. Maybe a Harbor Freight version, idk. I don't buy that crap.

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