Making a DC converter that would be able to handle the high discharge currents of a power tool isn’t actually that cheap. The stall current could be over 100 amps! (Though the battery’s internal resistance will come into play before you get up that high.)
The Ryobi One system is well done, agreed, and NOT giving customers the finger when they upgrade battery tech is a seriously smart move; the new chargers even support all of the older batteries!
I recently purchased a Ryobi hammer driver/drill/driver combo unit, w/ 2 LiON batteries and charger, for $40 At Home Depot. It blows the Black and Decker out of the water for value, imo. The main downside, actually, is that as a combo tool with the hammer driver feature, it’s a bit heavy; separate tools, or the unit that has interchangeable heads would save a lot of weight for long, tiring jobs. As a house’s “everything” tool, however, it’s ideal. It’s very nice to have the ability to drill masonry w/o a cord, as an easy example.
As for corded vs. cordless, have fun on a roofing project with that cord ^^’ . Been there, done that, do NOT miss it. At all.
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Sears has always offered a lifetime warranty on most of their Craftsman hand tools dating back to when they first started selling them in 1927. My dad gave me some of his Craftsman sockets in the early 90s (ones he bought circa 1954), and when the 1/2" one broke in 1997, I took it to Sears and they replaced it on the spot, no questions asked, and even let me keep the old busted one.
They don’t do the lifetime warranty on the power tools. And Sears has never actually made Craftsman tools, just badged other manufacturers’ tools such as Stanley, Apex, Western Forge, and yes, DeWalt.
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On a component level I think you are probably correct, your higher end drill motors probably would have a stall current somewhere near that. However I haven’t seen a cordless drill in a long time that didnt have a variable speed trigger. Which means there is a chunk of electronics already modulating your voltage (or providing actual waveform/pulse control for brushless design) between the battery and motor. It wouldn’t be that hard to modify that control to accept a different voltage input.
Drill bits don’t know what kind of chuck a drill has, or whether the drill is cordless, corded, or attached to a press.
That’s a good point. But there would be no way to step the voltage up. And in the opposite case, running the motor on a higher voltage, but with a correspondingly lower max duty cycle, doesn’t sound like it would be good for the motor windings.
I’ve been using Ryobi stuff for years but recently made the jump to the Rigid drill & impact driver and what a difference. I like everything about the Rigid tools better, for not much more money.
I have an old (ca. 1960) Craftsman cast iron corded drill that came with our house; at some point someone had bodged a chunk of galvanized pipe onto it to replace a handle, but for continuous torque, nothing else I have matches it. For light work, I have Ryobi 12v with 2 Li batteries. It’s reasonably powerful, but I was drilling holes into cement blocks for hurricane tiedowns, and the battery went from full charge to barely turning in 10 minutes. It lasts longer if I’m not muscling it through rock.
I bought one of these drills 6 mos or so ago it is a good tool. I really like this tool because the battery maintains it’s charge for long periods of disuse. The lithium ion battery does not loose power like ni-cad style batteries. I used to use a cordless drill/driver all day long and for that use the ni-cads are ok since you always charge at night etc. But for the occasional use I employ it for now the Li ion batteries are ideal it’s always charged and ready for use no more near dead batteries when I need it. I bought a B&D power screwdriver like this as well, I am not sure how these would last if I was using them for a repair business but for my uses nowadays they are fine. Probably a perfect tool for the weekend fixer and the occasional furniture assembler. I have had all brands of cordless drills and electric screwdrivers and eventually they all break whether it’s bad batteries that cost more to replace than a new tool or broken battery contacts that are not in the replacement parts list. I use this tool when I assemble a new " parts" guitar and when changing guitar strings it’s perfect for that use. I may not have to throw this one away quite so soon and buy a replacement.
Ridged has done a good job catching up with Ryobi in the cordless market but they still lack the depth of the Ryobi line. Ryobi has over 70 tools in the One+ line while Ridged has around 23 or so. Lawn care tools are a glaring omission from the Ridgid line. I love my cordless line trimmer, hedge trimmer, and chainsaw. Heck, they even have a hot glue gun.
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I’ll go against the grain and offer my anecdotal evidence that I just bought this drill, replacing my 8 year old B&D drill , and the B&D before that was about that age too - both nerfed because of malfunctioning batteries that were unreplaceable.
For a garage hobbyist who doesn’t rely on a drill as his only tool, this is completely adequate.I bought this drill from target for the same price price but it included an additional accessory kit too.
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It is an important point that the needs of the occasional user are different from the needs of those of us who use such tools constantly. As an example, I got some tools together to keep at my mother in law’s house. Those are for her to use, but primarily for me when I am there. She always has a list of things to be dealt with when we are visiting.
But for the drill,I chose a mid range corded drill for her. It might go unused for months at a time, and that is not good for batteries. Also, batteries and a charger add one more complicated element for someone in their 80s to deal with, when she needs to drill a hole.
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Well Rigid, Ryobi, and Milwaukee are all owned by the same parent company…
Fiat owns Dodge, Ferrari, and Jeep (among others) but most people will tell you there are significant differences between those brands.
Up down, round and round. Throw in the appropriate control circuit and it would handle variable voltage for speed and current limiting for stall situations. You would loose some efficiency, but the circuit could be easily bypassed when running the same voltage tool/battery combo.
Yes. That’s the type of circuit that would be expensive (primarily the inductor). But anyway, an interesting idea! Good talkin’ to ya.
The Ryobi One system is all 18v. At least, the LiON batteries are. It makes a big difference.
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One thing to remember, for elderly users, is that systems like Ryobi’s allow MUCH lighter tools, as well as much safer operation. It’s not just convenience; the inability to slice up a cord is also invaluable. I wouldn’t recommend their little electric chainsaw for heavy work, for example, but for most light home use it’s freaking ideal, quiet, and light.
The smaller tools are often heavier than the corded equivalent due to the weight of the battery itself, if for no other reason. But larger tools and/or those that would normally be gas-fueled are nearly always lighter and safer to use in this form factor. I can also aver from personal experience that the lack of cords is just about always a huge safety improvement on any job site, private or commercial.
The new LiON batteries also charge w/in 30 minutes, so it’s not hard to keep running with just 2 packs.
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If you use your drill at least weekly, do yourself a huge favour and get a decent drill/driver combo. “Decent” meaning a brushless DeWalt, Makita, Milwaukee, or Rigid. I’m in Vancouver, and they can be had for CAN$250 if you check tool liquidators and sales at the indie shops.
I’ve got a mid-range Makita set, and I can change the wheels on my car with the impact driver. A couple cheap bit extenders/adaptors and I haven’t used a hand wratchet in over a year. The number of other tools my Dad ditched because of the improvement over his Ryobi junk…
Rigid even has a lifetime battery replacement guarantee.
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I have a lot of Ryobi stuff and I wouldn’t consider any of it junk. They of course aren’t as powerful (or costly) as other corded and non-corded tools (using a Rigid impact driver feels night and day) but it’s actually a brand I’ve grown to trust for home projects. Not pro level by any means, but not crap either. Maybe I’ve been lucky, but I’ve built decks, walls and done years and years of home carpentry projects with 'em without any of them every failing.
B&D, not so much. Swore off that brand years ago after my 3rd or 4th horrible experience.
