corded vs. cordless? your vote = my purchase...(Long)

[Deuce Lee]

NOTE: POLL is CORDLESS for FIRST option.

I put out a thread a couple days ago asking if people still use their corded tools but let me give you situation and maybe you can help me out.

BACKGROUND: I purchased the Ridgid 8 piece kit for $270 and planned on keeping it. Then I thought why go half way when you should either go full blown corded or cordless but more powerful like Ridgid's 24volt lithium. I sold the individual tools on ebay for $400 net (not including shipping). I kept the circular saw because it was suitable for the 24volt battery. I plan on buying the TS3650 in the next month or two.

PROBLEM: I can't choose between going full power corded or cordless. I'm just a occasional DIY and tool addict. I want to get something that I shouldn't have to get again.

CORDLESS CHOICES: Tools of the Trade review of Lithium tools say Ridgid's 24volt line is solid. Not as good as more expensive V28 milwaukee's or 36v bosch and so forth but Ridgid is at about 1/2 the cost and performs nearly as good. My estimate for the cost for the Ridgid = $401.92 out the door for the Hammer drill, 2 batteries, charger, Recip saw, Jig saw. Again, I already got the circular saw. I will sell the circular saw for about $50 if I go corded.

CORDED CHOICES: Makita 4351FCT $163 or Bosch 1591 $158 for Jig saw. Leaning towards the Makita for LED and being different. Great ratings on Amazon for the prior 4341FCT. Recip saw choices are: Hitachi CR13BY $120 on sale or Milwaukee 6523-21 $159. Circular saws are Makita 5007MG $139 or Milwaukee 6390-20 $129. So the total can be anywhere from $407 to $461.

FOR CORDLESS: I will be having the TS for big rips so I figure the power of the cordless circular should suffice for small jobs. The convenience of no cord is very appealing. I don't use it everyday, 8hrs/day. I was affraid of replacing batteries, thats why I'm going with Ridgid.

FOR CORDED: Brutal power. No batteries to worry about.

Please throw in your 2 cents. I'm REALLY on the fence on this one. Thanks in advance.

[Deuce Lee]

NOTE: The first option should say CORDLESS, not corded twice. Sorry.

[Prashun Patel]

IMHO, the single most important tools I own are 2 cordless drills. I'd get an 18v LiIon full set w/2 batteries and then buy a 2nd tool body on ebay when you get some xtra $$. You'll prefer the convenience of cordless here.

I don't see the benefit to a cordless circ saw. Especially if you have a tsaw, the csaw will be used infrequently, and with large sheet goods. Bkz of dust and space, y'll probably end up cutting all sheets in the same place, so as long as there's an outlet there, you won't need cordless.

Everything else is a toss up. I like cordless recip saws bkz they're used in weird positions and on ladders.

[Deuce Lee]

those are some good points Shawn...

well, tools of the trade says the new lithium tools, especially the higher voltage ones have made circular saws alot better then they use to be, and again, ofcourse it's still not close to the cord but it's better then before, and it's just for occasional sawing, in case i need to take it outside quickly for stuff...

yeah i already got the 1.5Ah ridgid compact drill, nice, light and powerfull, 460 in lb of torque, and if i add the 24volt set, that comes with a heavier drill that puts out 610 in lb of torque...

i'm just considering the corded power because they are just brutal tough compared to the cordless tools, but again, since i'm going to be having the TS, i'm thinking i can get away with the cordless to compliment it

[Eric DeSilva]

Corded v. cordless strikes me as being dependent on a lot of factors -- How much time do you spend where there is no outlet? How much is sheer power a factor? While battery powered tools have a convenience factor in maneuverability, where does that come into play for you and how important is that?

I've got an 18v Lion Makita kit, but--in retrospect--probably should have just bought the drill and driver. I tried to help demo a deck w/the cordless recip saw, but it ran out of juice pretty quick. When I reach for a circ saw, I'm reaching for my TS55 or Dewalt. Doesn't have battery jigsaw, but I've never smacked myself on the head and said "Darn, wish my Bosch was battery powered."

Really comes down to where and how you use your tools.

[Peter Quadarella]

Another thing to consider is cost. The cordless tend to be more expensive. Before I got serious about woodworking, I went out and bought a whole bunch of cordless tools. I even have a cordless compound miter saw. I use them all and think they are great.

However, in retrospect, some of the items were more expensive than their corded counterparts with little gain. It's handy being able to carry that miter saw around with no cord, but I don't really need it to have no cord. Same with my circular saw. I like having a cordless jigsaw because of the curves, and the reciprocating saw tends to get carried around a bit so cordless is nice. Drill - cordless is the way to go IMO.

If I were to do it all over, I would use my current rule and only buy tools as I needed them for a specific reason. Then I would evaluate each individual tool for cordless or not. I would probably get a cordless drill from a line that I liked so that if I decided to go cordless with another tool I could stay with the same set.

I have 3 batteries so batteries are never an issue. I always leave 2 in the charger and have for 3 years now with no issue.

[Don Bullock]

Deuce, both of your poll choices say corded so I can't figure out which one to mark.

...
PROBLEM: I can't choose between going full power corded or cordless. I'm just a occasional DIY and tool addict. I want to get something that I shouldn't have to get again....
FOR CORDLESS: I will be having the TS for big rips so I figure the power of the cordless circular should suffice for small jobs. The convenience of no cord is very appealing. I don't use it everyday, 8hrs/day. I was affraid of replacing batteries, thats why I'm going with Ridgid.

FOR CORDED: Brutal power. No batteries to worry about.

Please throw in your 2 cents. I'm REALLY on the fence on this one. Thanks in advance.

Interesting post--

Cordless tools seem to be getting a lot better. They have one problem, however, for the occasional DIYer IMHO - batteries need to be charged. I can't count the number of times I've reached for one of my cordless tools only to find that the battery was dead. Yes, I even have two batteries for each of them, but it's not safe to leave them in the charger. People who constantly use their cordless tools don't have this problem because they are using the batteries that have been recently charged.

[Eric Haycraft]

Cordless tools seem to be getting a lot better. They have one problem, however, for the occasional DIYer IMHO - batteries need to be charged. I can't count the number of times I've reached for one of my cordless tools only to find that the battery was dead. Yes, I even have two batteries for each of them, but it's not safe to leave them in the charger. People who constantly use their cordless tools don't have this problem because they are using the batteries that have been recently charged.

This is one of the main reasons that an occasional DIYer should only buy lithium ion batteries. They don't drain nearly as fast when left unused. You should be able to pick up a battery 6 months after a charge and still have full power.

Another note.. 24 volt cordless tools are very heavy.. I would not suggest buying them as primary tools.

Eric

[Deuce Lee]

This is one of the main reasons that an occasional DIYer should only buy lithium ion batteries. They don't drain nearly as fast when left unused. You should be able to pick up a battery 6 months after a charge and still have full power.

Another note.. 24 volt cordless tools are very heavy.. I would not suggest buying them as primary tools.

Eric

Don, like i mentioned, that was an error on my part, the first Option should be CORDLESS, not both being corded...

Eric, I'm thinking of going 24volt because of the power, when the circular saw, or jig saw is being worked, it's sitting on some wood, thus weight isn't as big of a factor, it probably makes the tool more stable...

the recip saw uses 2 hands, thus helps with the weight issue, again, I have Ridgid's compact lithium drill already, 4lbs flat or so, 460 in lbs, does the job for everyday lifting, the 24volt hammer drill with 610 in lbs of torque is 6.7 lbs, and would be used for more heavy duty drilling, so basically i'm trying to get the best of both words with the cordless...and yes, i'm following your logic for the DIYer for lithium...

man choices like this sucks, a part of me already wants to jump into the cordless side, but a part of me is holding me back saying go for corded because i'm going to be using it around the house most of the time...

[Brodie Brickey]

Take a serious look at the situation.

Where will you use it?

-Around the house & yard? - Corded
-At a site or cabin you're building - cordless

Drill / Drivers - Cordless as others have said.
Circular Saw - Cord unless you're building in the wilderness
Reciprocating Saw - I can understand cordless here, but would definitely want one with a cord also. Requires too much power.
Hammer Drill - (ie masonry drilling) cord for power.

For a drill/driver I would also have a lighter version 12v or so. I have a hitachi that I'm very happy with. It drills pocket holes and all the other stuff I need.

One of the things I noticed about all these 'cordless' sets was that I was shelling out a lot of $$$ for a bunch of tools I might only use once a year. I was paying a premium for cordless without the power and it was for around the house and yard.

I don't have experience with the new 24v/28v lines that are out there. I can say that I have an old 18v drill. When I bought the new Hitachi 12v, it was lighter, charged the battery in 15 minutes or so and came with a spare. That was a vast improvement for me and I've been very happy with it.

[Peter Quadarella]

The lighter drills are really nice to have. I have an 18v hammer drill (drills through my brick walls with not much problem) but I usually reach for my 14.4v if it is nearby because of the weight. The 18v is fine and I use it a lot, it just has more weight and power than I usually need and it's great to have a lighter alternative.

[Prashun Patel]

The liIon batts make the 18v drivers pretty light. My bro-in-law has a Makita LiIon 18v and it's lighter than my 14.4 NiMh.

If yr getting a tsaw and putting this much thought into it, y'll be using yr tools more than you anticipate. I know I do. I leave my batteries capped and recharged after each 'major' use. They haven't failed me yet. In the worse case, you have to wait 15mins for a recharge.

That being said, there are times a corded can't be beat: drilling pocket holes and high rpm apps like drilling bradpt holes. Post to this thread in 1 year. I'll bet you'll have bought BOTH a cordless and a corded.

Off topic: One thing I wouldn't invest in is a hammer drill (corded or otherwise). It's too specialized. The only thing it's good for is drilling small holes in concrete. Depending on yr app, concrete work can require either a hammer drill, a rotary hammer, or a chipping hammer. They all have merits and are all expensive (not to mention the specialized bits you'd need). I'd RENT these when the time comes.

[Peter Quadarella]

A lot of 18v cordless drills are also hammer drills. My Bosch is - it's just an extra setting on the drill and a detachable handle (usually leave it detached).

[brad kellner]

for drills and jigsaws i would go cordless. cordless is way more convienient that norded but corded tools do have their place also. i own that same ridgid 18v cordless kit that you mentioned. i also have another ridgid cordless 18v 1/2 chuck drill. and i bought an extra ridgid 18v 1/2 chuck drill body on ebay for 15 bucks. i also have a bosch brute 18v with lituim ion batteries and when i bought it they just came out and it came with a rebate for a free bosch brute litium ion 18v cordless jigsaw. all together i have;
1 ridgid 18v cordless hammer drill (great tools when u only have to drill 10-20 whole in concrete, for bigger jobs requiring more wholes or bigger whole than 5/16 i use my sds drill. but if u arent anchoring in concrete a whole lot this is a great tool
3 ridgid 18v 1/2 chuck cordless drills. (great drills for the price, on high speen they dont have the torque of my bosch in high speen but when put into high torque the work great for boring large whole saws or augers.
2 ridgid 18v cordless impact drivers (these are the greatest tools for driving screws ever created and i will never be without one agian, the only problem is you will break phillips tips often so stock up the bits are cheap)
1 18v cordless ridgid caulking gun (never used it so i cant judge it yet)
1 18v 6 1/2 ridgid cordless circular saw. (great for small odd and end jobs but for larger jobs a 7 1/4 corded circ saw is the way to go)
1 18v ridgid jig saw (havent used it yet, already had a bosch cordless jig saw and have been using it, my friend has it though and loves it)
1 18v planer (never used it cant judge it, i have a 6" grizzly jointer so it really isnt any use for me)
1 18v bosch cordless litium ion jigsaw (i love this tool it is great and havent even used my ridgid becuase i like it so much)
and i have more cordless tools, and i do really like them alot, but you cannot really judge cordless vs corded. 18vt cordless drills are really as big as you want to go. with 24v u are just lugging around a big and heavy drill when there isnt really any need for it. the only 2 tools i could understand going 24v would be a hammer drill (or a 24v sds drill) or a 24v circular saw. besides those two tools honestly your wasting money for more power than you will ever need. i work industrial construction for one of the biggest companies in my state and we dont use many 24v cordless tools becuase for the money of the tool and the batteries there isnt a whole lot that u really need 24v of power for to make it worth drilling above your head with those big heavy ass batteries.

in my honest opinion your best bet would be to buy another 18v ridgid cordless combo kit (hammerdrill, saws all, jigsaw, circular saw, and impact driver) and then going on ebay and buy a bare 18v 1/2 chuck cordless drill body and then buy a twin charger and stock up on batteries. this is just my opinion and for a tool junkie who buys any tool he desires no matter what it is going to cost me. i couldnt justify going to 24v. but opinions are like buttwhole , everyone has them

[Randal Stevenson]

I wonder if your subconsious mind is talking (Freudin typo on the poll)?

If money is no object, then I would keep your cordless CS for the time you need to run to the borg without a truck (fitting things in the vehicle with known measurements).
With the exception of a cordless drill, I tend to use things when I need them, harder then the batteries last, BUT I don't have the budget for 36v tools either.

Other then the drills (if you HAVE to sell your CS), I would chose one of the two corded options on your poll.